The Fence

For those of you who maybe haven't met Matt, he is our district minister.

! He gets to sometimes just pop into different churches in Saskatchewan and share what's going on with our wider church family.

But also offers often to share the word with us as a congregation, which is nice for me to get a break from doing that week after week and focus on other church responsibilities.

So I want to welcome you here, Matt, and thank you for coming.

And we look forward to hearing what the Lord's laid on your heart.

Thank you, Pastor Josh. It's always good to be here with you.

And, yeah, I can appreciate what Pastor Josh experiences when it comes to ministry and a young family.

That's what it was kind of like for my wife and I in 1996 when we started at a church called Lake Park Baptist Church near Birch Hills.

And it was a smaller church as well.

Being a solo pastor, trying to do youth ministry and run different kinds of other ministries to chair different groups so that they were organized and so on.

And it's a big, big role.

So I appreciate what Pastor Josh and his family go through.

And that's why I, every once in a while, I call them up and say, how can I help?

And if I can preach, that's one of the best things for me.

I have a hard time running a youth group these days.

But anyway, we've done that for many years as well.

So, okay, let's, I just would like to pray with you before I share.

Father, I thank you so much for this time together here this morning.

I thank you for the spirit of worship, the unity of this family of believers right here in this community.

And, Lord, as we've had time to share together about requests that we have on our hearts,

whether personally and then also for others,

Lord, we also want to remember the event that just took place here in Regina and this crusade.

And just hearing of those that came forward for prayer.

We don't know, really, every individual and why it was they came for prayer.

But for some, they came to respond to the call that came through the word, which was by your spirit.

And then also for those who maybe weren't living right and needed to rededicate their life.

And that you shone by your spirit a light in their life.

And you pinpointed things in their journey that they needed to organize, to deal with, and whatever it may be.

And so I pray for each of those and those who were encouraged in that crusade.

And that you would use them for the furtherance of your gospel here in our province or wherever they came from.

So I pray now that you would guide us as we open the scriptures.

I pray your protection over your word.

That I would not say something, Lord, that would cause an issue with it.

That you would guard my heart, my mind, and my lips.

And that you, Holy Spirit, would have full freedom to work.

I pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Okay.

We are going to be looking at John chapter 7 together this morning.

John 7 · chapter mention

And it's really interesting that as you're going to find out in just a moment, as I'm sharing this,

some of the requests that we heard from one another that we asked for prayer for,

and how it will apply to what I'm going to be sharing with you.

And I'll try to draw that in as we go through this passage together.

Now, we're not going to look at the entire chapter of John 7.

We're going to look at the first part of the chapter, and then mainly at the last part,

and then a little bit of the verses in between to lead us and connect it all together.

But I just want you to know, that's how I used to read books.

I would read the first chapter and the last chapter.

And then I would put my English assignment together an hour before it was supposed to be handed in.

And so what we're going to be doing is reliving my past, okay?

So, no, not going to happen that way.

Now, before we read this, I need to set the theme for you as to what is this chapter getting at.

In our day-to-day life, we experience what I would refer to as fences or lines.

And what I don't mean according to agricultural fences and that kind of thing.

What I mean is there are lines or fences that people will either, they'll walk up to it,

and they'll say, I cannot cross.

There's other people on the other side of the fence that are saying, come on over.

And then there's those that are on the fence, and they're saying, I don't know what to do.

And so you see that, for example, in, let's pick on politics, right?

You have people that are saying, we are all for this party.

And somebody else will say, absolutely not.

I am not for that party.

And then there's others that will say, well, I'm kind of on the fence.

I don't know.

I like some of what they're saying.

I don't like this part.

I don't know which way to go, but I'll just entertain both.

Okay, so that just gives you an example of everyday life.

But this is also very practical when it comes to life with Jesus Christ or faith in Christ,

which we talked about and we've heard a little bit in this prayer time that we had prior to me coming up here and sharing with you.

There's these moments in life, in our world, where people have definitely chosen which side of the fence they are on when it comes to Jesus.

There are those who say, absolutely not.

I will not go there.

There's others of, for example, you who are gathered here this morning.

I don't know where everybody's at in your spiritual journey.

But for many of you, this is definitely, we are on the side of Jesus.

And then there are those who are saying, well, I kind of like Jesus.

I know what he's like.

I just don't know which way to go.

I don't know if I should totally commit to him or not.

So we're going to begin by reading the first five verses of John chapter 7.

John 7 · chapter mention

And we're going to see how this comes together.

So verse 1, starting there.

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.

But when the Jewish feast of tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him,

you ought to leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.

No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.

Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.

For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Now the first thing we need to know when we're looking at these first five verses because it comes up,

who are Jesus' brothers?

We don't often think about Jesus' biological family.

We know he grew up like he grew up in a family.

We know that he was born of Mary, which we celebrate at Christmas,

his father being Joseph as far as his earthly father, not his father who brought him into this world.

But we know there is a family, but we don't think about, well, did he have brothers?

Did he have sisters?

Who were these people?

Well, in Matthew chapter 13, verse 55, it says,

Matthew 13:55

Isn't this the carpenter's son?

Isn't his mother's name Mary?

And aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

Now that's not the Judas that would betray Jesus, by the way.

So these are Jesus' half-brothers.

Do you recognize any of those names?

You do, right?

There's some that are quite familiar.

One being James.

James was the one who wrote the epistle of James that you have in your scriptures right after Hebrews.

He's one of the brothers that is spoken of in John chapter 7,

John 7 · chapter mention

who at this point in his life did not believe in Jesus.

Oh, yeah, he knew Jesus was a real person.

Jesus talked and ate and, you know, he worked with the family.

He worked possibly with his father in the carpentry business and so on.

But here is this James who would later write an epistle that you have in your scriptures.

At this point, he did not believe.

Now just a side note here.

No one is born a follower of Jesus Christ.

Right?

No one's born as a follower of Christ.

So you hear testimonies from time to time.

And, I mean, I heard so many of them pastoring in a church.

People giving their testimony maybe before they were baptized or sharing their testimony

before they became a member of a church, of our church.

And they would say, I was born into a Christian family.

And when I heard their testimony, just one-on-one, I'd say, can you please clarify what you mean by this?

Because no one is born a Christian.

Just because you were born into a Christian family does not mean your faith comes out of your parents

or your grandparents.

And there are so many people that live in this, in our world or in our province,

maybe even in your community, that if you were to ask them,

tell me a little bit about your spiritual heritage.

Oh, you know, they would say, well, we attended this church.

And they would explain, you know, what church it was, what denomination it was.

And I grew up going to this church.

You know, my family was very Christian.

And I just did it that way.

So, in other words, they're implying, I'm okay.

Because I grew up with that kind of heritage.

Every single person on this planet is born without a personal relationship with Christ.

And at some point must decide what are they going to do with Jesus.

Even men like the Apostle James, who is actually a brother to Jesus,

needed to make this decision for himself.

No one is exempt.

But there's something about James and his other brothers,

the other brothers of Jesus, that doesn't quite make sense.

They told Jesus in verse 3 and 4,

you ought to leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples,

okay, your disciples,

James isn't saying, you know, me being one of them.

He's saying, your disciples may see the miracles you do.

No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.

Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.

Now, if verses 3 and 4 would have Jesus' brothers saying something like this,

we don't think you can do these miracles.

We hear that you're doing these kinds of things in the community or the communities around.

We don't think that you can actually do these things.

We don't want to be associated with you.

Do you realize, Jesus, you're embarrassing our family?

Like, cut it out.

No one, in their situation,

no one really wants to be a part of someone who's going out there

and doing these wild and maybe even what they would think are strange things.

Now, if Jesus' brothers would have said something like that,

then it would kind of make sense what we're reading in verses 3 and 4.

But this is not the case.

Jesus' brothers believed that Jesus could do miracles.

They believed he could do these things.

They were amazed.

They loved what he could do.

And they even wanted him to make an appearance in Jerusalem to become more popular.

That, Jesus, you actually could become a celebrity by doing these kinds of things.

You need to take your show on the road.

Do you realize how much cash you could make?

We'll stand at the door and say,

if you want to see Jesus do this, pay up.

We'll do this.

We could make a boatload of cash.

Verse 10 tells us that Jesus' brothers even went to the same feast or celebration at the church in Jerusalem that Jesus did.

But to this, John says in verse 5,

For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

More plainly put, spiritually, they were on the wrong side of the fence.

After I read this and I pondered this, a terrible feeling came over me.

How many people do you know?

They like the idea of the person of Jesus.

They like his character of compassion for the sick and the hurting.

They like his sympathy and empathy for those who are grieving.

They like to hear of him being a forgiving person.

They like that he can look after our needs.

They like the person of Jesus.

And they love what the person of Jesus can do.

They even pray that maybe Jesus would do it for somebody in their own life.

But they do not believe in him for salvation.

They are on the wrong side of the fence.

To like or even love the character and the things that Jesus can do.

Does not mean that Jesus likes or loves you or them to the point that just because they like what he can do,

they're good to go for eternity.

You won't find that in the Bible.

What you will find in Scripture are words like this.

John 1 verse 12.

John 1:12

Yet to all who received him, to those who believe him,

Why is this so important?

John 3 verse 36 tells us,

John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

But whoever rejects the Son will not see life.

For God's wrath remains on him.

People on the wrong side of the fence

are more interested in committing to religious activity

than committing to Jesus.

Jesus' brothers were all for Jesus,

doing his miracles and going more public with his miracles.

They were interested in going to Jerusalem

and going to the special church meetings,

but they were not interested in making the commitment

that Jesus was actually whom God sent,

that that is to be the Savior, the Messiah for all of mankind.

They were not interested in believing in him,

which means that they would not put their faith in him

or entrust themselves to him

or make a commitment to him.

So the question is, do you know anyone like that?

Do you know anyone who says,

Oh, I'm okay with going to church.

I'm okay with going to a special meeting maybe,

but don't ask me to cross the fence.

I'm okay.

I'm okay with just attending or accepting some things about Jesus,

but not committing to him.

In this previous chapter of John,

in chapter 6, verse 2,

it says,

There are a great crowd of people followed him

because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.

Why were they following Jesus?

Because they liked what he was doing.

We like that Jesus is going to heal people

and do those kinds of things,

so we really like that he can do those things.

And we will follow him as long as he keeps doing that.

Or in Luke,

when Jesus was brought before Herod,

a Roman official to be questioned

to see if he deserved the death penalty,

it says in Luke 23, verse 8,

Luke 23:8

When Herod saw Jesus,

he was greatly pleased

because for a long time

he had been waiting to see him.

Why was he waiting to see Jesus?

From what he had heard about him,

he hoped to see him perform some miracles.

That's why he wanted to see.

If I could just see Jesus do this stuff,

I hear he does such a great job

of wowing people

with doing all these great miracles.

I would love to see some of that.

There's absolutely no desire

for the truth of Jesus

and to live for Jesus.

The only desire was

we only want to see Jesus

do these great things that he does.

Like they're watching a magician.

You know, they've gone to the show,

they've watched the magician

do what he does,

and then in the end,

all they can say is,

what a fantastic show.

You need to go watch him sometime.

So for proof

that they were only interested

in the activity of Jesus

and not in committing to Jesus,

John says in John 12 verse 37,

John 12:37

even after Jesus had done

all these miraculous signs

in their presence,

they still would not believe in him.

They still wouldn't believe.

They saw all these great things

that Jesus was doing,

but they would not believe in him

by faith.

So this does not mean

that there haven't been people

who have committed their life

to Jesus because of a miracle.

There have been.

But there's more about liking

the activity of Jesus

rather than simply,

or than the person of Jesus.

So I ask again,

do you know anyone

on that side of the fence?

They like the activity of Jesus,

the social justice,

the caring for and befriending

the marginalized in society.

He was a great man

and a great example

is what they're thinking,

but they aren't interested

in submitting to him

as their savior.

So that was the first point.

People on the wrong side

of the fence

are more interested

in committing

to a religious activity

than committing to Jesus

as their savior.

So Jesus eventually

goes to the feast

in Jerusalem,

but instead of going

to keep a religious ritual,

he goes to teach.

Verse 14 tells us this.

Not until halfway

through the feast

did Jesus go up

to the temple courts

and begin to teach.

And while he was teaching,

people started

to ask questions.

Questions like this one

found in verse 15.

How did this man

get such learning

without having studied?

Or this question

in verse 26.

Here he is

speaking publicly

and they are not

saying a word to him.

Have the authorities

really concluded

that he is the Christ?

Or verse 31.

Still many in the crowd

put their faith in him.

They said,

When the Christ comes,

will he do more

miraculous signs

than this man?

In other words,

what they are saying is

he must be the Christ.

Questions like these

didn't sit well

with the Pharisees.

Verse 32.

The Pharisees heard

the crowd whispering

such things about him.

Then the chief priests

and the Pharisees

sent temple guards

to arrest him.

In the meantime,

right to the very last

day of the feast,

people are still

listening to Jesus' teaching.

What was Jesus

teaching about?

verses 37 to 39

tell us that

on the last

and the greatest day

of the feast,

Jesus stood

and said in a loud voice,

If anyone is thirsty,

let him come to me

and drink.

Whoever believes in me,

as the scripture has said,

streams of living water

will flow from him.

By this he meant

the Spirit,

whom those who believed

in him were later

to receive.

Up to that time,

the Spirit had not

been given,

since Jesus had not

been glorified.

Jesus' teaching

gets the people talking.

Verses 40 to 42.

On hearing his words,

some of the people said,

Surely this man

is the prophet.

Others said,

He is the Christ.

So others asked,

How can the Christ

come from Galilee?

Does not the scriptures

say that the Christ

will come from David's family

and from Bethlehem,

the town where David lived?

David's family

said,

Their talking tells us

where they are

in relation to the fence.

They are not on the wrong

side of the fence,

nor are they on the right

side of the fence.

They're on the fence.

They're living a way

and trying to live

in such a way

that they don't really

have to make a commitment,

but they like the side

of the people

that are on the right side.

They're also agreeing

with some of the things

that people are on the wrong side,

but they don't know

which way to go.

Do we go with Jesus

or do we not?

And they're actually

telling us

what it's like

if you are on the fence.

People on the fence

are more interested

in talking about Jesus

than committing to Jesus.

There are many people

across the nation,

province,

local communities

who are on the fence

in respect to Jesus,

and you may have experienced

that right here

in this town

or the region of Davidson

from wherever you are from.

You've talked to people

and they've said,

well, okay,

I understand

what Jesus is like

and I can agree with you,

but again,

I'm not interested

in going all the way.

There may even be

someone here this morning

that you're in

exactly that situation.

You're on the fence.

You don't know

what to do with Jesus.

And so if you're

on the fence

concerning Jesus,

I ask you,

won't you come down

off the fence?

Living on fences

is not a great place

to live.

So come down

and commit your life

to Jesus.

Don't just talk about Him.

Come down

and talk to Him.

Talk to Him

about your unbelief.

Talk to Him

about your sin.

Talk to Him

about whatever

is troubling you

or causing this guilt

or frustration

that you're dealing with.

The same thing

Jesus taught

on the last day

at the feast

in Jerusalem

in John 7

John 7:37–38

verses 37 to 38,

He teaches you today.

If anyone is thirsty,

let him come to Me.

Let him or her

come from either

the wrong side

of the fence

or off the fence

and drink.

Whoever believes in Me,

which means

put your faith in Him,

trust in Him,

commit to Him,

as the Scriptures

has said,

streams of living water

will flow

from within Him.

So come down

off the fence.

So there were those

who heard Jesus teaching

and they said,

no,

not interested.

There are those

who were on the fence

and saying,

we're thinking about it.

But then there are those

who actually did cross over.

Remember how the Pharisees

sent the temple guards

to go and arrest Jesus?

They were so fed up

with people

entertaining the thought

that Jesus was actually

the Messiah

that they said,

go and arrest Him

and bring Him here.

Well, look what happens,

verse 45.

Finally,

the temple guards

went back to the chief priests

and Pharisees

who asked them,

why didn't you bring Him in?

And look at their answer.

No one ever spoke

the way this man does.

The guards declared,

you mean,

He has received you also?

He has deceived you also?

The Pharisees restored.

Has any of the rulers

or the Pharisees

believed in Him?

They forgot about Nicodemus,

which is coming up.

No.

Pretty clear

which side of the fence

they're on, correct?

We're not going over that fence,

so neither should you.

Now Nicodemus,

who had gone to Jesus earlier

and who was one

of their own number,

asked,

does our law condemn anyone

without first hearing Him

and finding out

what He is doing?

They replied,

are you from Galilee too?

Look into it

and you will find

that a prophet

does not come

out of Galilee.

Okay,

side note.

When the wise men

came

to try and find

Jesus at His birth,

or He had actually

been born already,

they found Him

somewhere else,

but when they came

at the time

of Jesus' birth,

remember they went

to the Roman official

of that time

and they asked,

where would we find

Jesus,

born King of the Jews?

And He said,

I have no clue,

but I'm going to ask

for you.

Who did He ask

to find out

where Jesus would be born?

Do you remember?

Pardon?

Well,

the Magi came,

the Magi asked,

where would we find Him?

Where did the

governor official

of that time say,

well,

I know where you can

get the answer.

Who did He ask

for the answer?

The Pharisees.

The Pharisees

said,

we know,

according to the prophets,

where He would be born

when He comes.

He'll be born

in Bethlehem.

But they didn't go.

And now they're saying

in this verse

to Nicodemus,

are you from Galilee too?

Look into it

and you will find

that a prophet

does not come

out of Galilee.

And it was just prior

to this in the same passage

that the people knew

He's coming from Bethlehem.

Now consider this

very carefully with me.

The temple guards

came back

to the chief priests

and the Pharisees

and when questioned

why didn't you

bring Him with you,

they didn't say,

well,

we were thinking about it

but we thought

that's just going to

cause a lot of trouble.

They didn't say

something like that.

What they did say is,

no one ever spoke

the way this man does.

And then one of their own,

a Pharisee by the name

of Nicodemus

from John chapter 3

John 3 · chapter mention

who came to Jesus

in the night

and Jesus explained to him

this doctrine

of being born again.

This man perks up

and he starts

defending Jesus.

Verse 51,

does our law

condemn anyone

without first

hearing him

to find out

what he is doing?

So what's going on

with these people?

I'm referring to

the guards

and Nicodemus.

What's going on

with these people?

The key is

that the guards

came back.

They didn't have to.

Another key action

is that Nicodemus

spoke up

in defense of Jesus

knowing that

this group of Pharisees

disliked Jesus

so much

that they actually

wanted to kill him.

So in regard

to the fence,

where are the temple guards

and Nicodemus?

They have crossed over.

And how do we know?

What is the telltale sign

of somebody

that's going over the fence

and they're actually

on the right side

of the fence

regarding Jesus Christ?

People who are

on the right side

of the fence

are more interested

in publicly identifying

with Jesus

than remaining private.

Now here's where

the prayer request

came in

about how people

that you're experiencing

there's a hostility

toward the gospel.

That's happening

in our communities.

It's happening

in Canada.

There's a hostility

toward the gospel.

Why?

Because it speaks

about the very fact

that there are

specific values,

specific guidelines,

specific truths

that people

should be living by.

And it's not

our idea,

by the way.

It's God's idea.

And people get

opposed to that

because

who are you

to tell me

how I should live?

Now even if it means

there could be

tension,

people that are

on the right side

of the fence

are okay with

publicly identifying

with Christ

rather than

remaining private.

Even if it means

they could be

questioned,

they will willingly

take their relationship

with God

to another level.

They put their

commitment

right out there

for all to see.

They don't do this

for pride's sake.

Look at me,

I'm a Christian.

They do this

because they know

that in Christ

and Christ alone

their eternity

is secure

and that's the only

way anyone

will come

to eternity

with Christ

forever.

It is through

Christ and Him

alone.

So their

conviction,

if you're on the

right side of the fence,

your conviction,

you don't have to be

concerned about

verses like Matthew 10

Matthew 10:32–33

verses 32 to 33

where it says,

whoever acknowledges

me before men,

I will also acknowledge

him before my

Father in heaven.

But whoever

disowns me before men,

I will disown him

before my Father

in heaven.

See, the people

on the right side

of the fence,

this isn't a concern

for them.

People on the right

side of the fence

publicly identify

with Jesus.

So when is the

last time you saw

someone go public

with their

relationship with

Jesus?

When is the

last time that

you have gone

public with

your relationship

with Jesus?

You might ask,

well, what exactly

would that look

like?

Well, one of the

examples would

be baptism.

Baptism is a

very real public

example of going

out front of

people and saying,

I am a follower

of Jesus Christ.

I believe that

He died for me.

I believe that

He went to the

grave and took

care of my sin

but rose again

victorious,

conquering death.

I know it's

only through Him.

Now, if you

haven't been baptized,

talk to your

pastor or some

of the leadership

here at the

church and they'd

love to talk to

you about that.

But what about

when a conversation

goes toward the

spiritual discussion?

You know, you're

going and you're

doing business

here in Davidson

or in your region,

wherever it is,

you meet up with

people and the

conversation goes

to the spiritual

part of it.

Do you engage

in sharing about

Jesus and that

you are a follower

of Him?

Or are you not

even on that

side of the fence?

You say,

well, it's been

a while.

I'm just not

that vocal or

I don't want to

come across as a

fanatic.

I don't want to

cause a scene.

Look at what

Jesus says in

Luke 9 verse 25.

Luke 9:25

Oh, I'm way

behind, sorry.

Maybe I'm not.

Hmm?

Hmm?

Hmm?

No, that's

the one.

If anyone is

ashamed of me

and my words,

the Son of Man

will be ashamed

of him when he

comes to his

glory and in

the glory of

the Father and

of the holy

angels.

Is this the

reason that

some people don't

want to go

public with their

relationship with

Jesus?

Are they ashamed

of him?

And if so,

it might be an

opportunity to

consider what

side of the

fence am I

really on?

For some of you

may say, well,

no, Matt,

that's not it.

I just don't

want to cause a

division between

myself and

people.

I prefer to keep

the relationship

going, so I

don't want to go

there because I

don't want to

disrupt that.

You know what?

There is no way

around that.

Division is very

possible if you

are on the right

side of the fence.

People who are

not on the same

side of the fence

as you concerning

Jesus, they will

not accept the

values and things

that you're sharing

about your

relationship with

him.

No matter how

tactful and

courteous you are,

if you go public,

division is very

likely going to

happen.

It's not that you

are going to cause

it intentionally,

it's just going to

happen.

Verse 43 said,

thus the people

were divided

because of Jesus.

You won't cause a

division, it will

be Jesus who

will cause it.

Jesus admitted

this in Matthew

10, 34-36.

Do not suppose

that I have come

to bring peace

to the earth.

I did not come

to bring peace

but a sword.

For I have come

to turn a man

against his father,

a daughter against

her mother, a

daughter-in-law

against her mother-in-law,

a man's enemy

will be the members

of his own

household.

Jesus doesn't

mean this to

happen intentionally.

It's not like

he's saying,

okay, if you

accept me as

your savior,

really try hard

to get your son

to not like you.

That's not what

he's saying.

It's just a

byproduct of the

relationship.

It's not always

going to be

unifying in a

family.

It's not always

going to be

unifying in your

community.

I know of people

who have left

a religious

background to

live in a

personal relationship

with Jesus.

And then their

family found out

and they told

this dear loved

one of theirs,

they told their

son, this just

happened about a

month and a half

ago, I heard

about this.

If you don't

quit this

relationship with

Jesus stuff,

you are not

welcome here.

I know of families

where children have

grown up in the

teaching of Jesus

and have accepted

Jesus, but today

their children

don't see Jesus

like their parents

do and it has

caused them to

become estranged.

that happens in

my family, my

own son.

Going public with

your faith will

cause division and

it's painful.

But that's what life

is like on the

right side of the

fence.

When it comes to

the fence, which

side are you on?

Or would you say,

I'm not on any

fence, I'm on the

fence on this one,

really.

Just truthfully, I'm

on the fence.

I don't know which

side I want to go on

and that's fair.

And if you want,

don't hesitate to

talk to your

pastor about where

you're at.

Or if you know of

somebody that's on

the fence and they

want to talk about it

and you don't really

know if you feel

comfortable, then say,

I know someone who

can help you with

this and introduce

them to your pastor

or to a leader of

the church or

somebody who else

they may respect

within the dynamic

of who Jesus is.

And if you've

chosen the side of

the fence that

does not include

Jesus, I pray that

God by his spirit

will continue to

call you as you're

searching.

I'm going to pray

and then I'll

hand it over to

Pastor Josh.

Lord, thank you so

much for our time

together this morning

and Lord, we are

grateful that you

have shown us very

clearly through

scriptures, like even

the one we looked at

today, that there's

just times in life

where people are just

not willing to cross

over.

And Lord, it's

painful when people

on the fence just

aren't willing to

commit.

It's painful.

And Lord, we know

how painful it is

for us and we

can't imagine how

painful it is for

you.

But you've called

us to simply live

life according to

the values, the

ethics, the

doctrine, the

theology of

scripture and let

you take care of

the rest.

And that when we

have opportunity to

share, we'll share.

And we won't let

any of the division

stuff get in the

way because we

know how important

you are to

everybody in this

world and in our

lives.

In Jesus' name I

pray, amen.

Amen.