One of the Richest Chapters in the Bible (Romans 8) | 5/3/2026

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All right. Hey, welcome back to service.

And if you're watching online, welcome to you all.

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for about the last 10 or so years, so come and find us in

person. We'd love to see you worshiping

with us sometime soon. All right, Notes again are

available on the back table. I think there's still some.

Still should be some back there. And then also, if you have a

Bible, please take it and turn to Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

And Romans is in the New Testament after Matthew, Mark,

Luke, John, and Acts. So Romans is after Acts and

before the letters to the Corinthians and we're going to

be in chapter 8. So Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

So that's probably probably about 90 something plus into

your Bible. OK, Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

I'm going to start in verse one and two, and then I'm going to

skip to the last part of the chapter and I'll read some

reading the first verses and the last verses.

So it's kind of like I'm getting giving you the book ends this

morning. OK, so the apostle Paul writing

to the to the Christians in Rome and he says there is therefore

now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ

Jesus from the law of sin and death.

He says no condemnation. And then let's go to verse 38 at

the end of the chapter. And it says, for I am sure that

neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things

present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation will be able to

separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This morning I want to talk to you about Romans 8.

Romans 8, I'm calling it one of the most rich chapters in all of

the Bible. Romans 8, one of the most rich

chapters in all of the Scripture.

Let me pray for us. I got thank you for the letters

of Paul in the New Testament and thank you particularly for the

book of Romans. And as we look at the treasures

that are in chapter 8 specifically, we pray that

you'll stir our hearts to greater awareness and love and

trust of you and help these principles that Paul like

compacts into this one chapter. Help us to connect them well and

leave here shortly with a greater understanding of these

principles in Jesus name. And everyone said together, Amen

and Amen. The 8th chapter of Romans.

I must say, even in my high school years, I graduated high

school in 1987. OK, So what is that coming up on

40 years, I think next year. So even when I was a high school

student growing up in Northeast Texas, my favorite book in all

of the Bible, favorite, most favorite chapter, it was and is

Romans chapter 8. And I tend to mark Bibles up

Romans 8 · chapter mention

and, and tear them up sometimes. So if I go back to Bibles I had

years ago, you'll see that I have Romans 8 just marked up and

highlighted. And, and I must say that I

probably memorized more verses in chapter 8 than any other

place in the Bible. I've been inspired by this

chapter for a long time. But I'm not the only one.

Many scholars and theologians that they find that Romans 8 is

like the best of Paul. OK, now the 8th chapter of

Romans is written by Paul. All of Romans is written by

Paul. And we think 5656 or 57 AD when

he was at the city of Corinth. OK, so he's there when Corinth

and he writes this letter to, again, believers in Rome who are

following Jesus. They're Gentiles and he writes

to them. And many think that that Romans

in general is like his opus. It's his best, right?

It's his greatest hits You think about like maybe a favorite book

of yours or a favorite recording recording artist.

I, I love James Taylor. I'm a big James Taylor fan.

What was I think James Taylor's opus was like 1994.

He did a double CD, live live CD event that I just loved.

I think it's just, you know, it was, it was that time.

So the best songs, the best time in the best band.

And maybe you have some favorite movies or recordings or

conscious that you've been to. Well, this is this is Paul's

best. And not only is it his best

Romans, but Romans 8, I think is the best of the best, right?

It's the best of his opus. So I'm going to lean in this

morning because you might find it surprising how many verses

are worth memorizing in this chapter.

And maybe you when I, when I get to these verses, a lot of them

you're going to go, Oh, yeah, I do know that verse this morning.

We gather and pray on the platform each Sunday around 8:00

and the band starts getting here.

Singers and those serving in in audio and tech and the Cafe and

other areas, they start strolling in around 7:30.

And often we'll pray at 8:00. And often I'll ask in the

beginning of the prayer time if people know a couple things

about the message I'm going to teach out.

So this morning I asked, you know, how many of you are

familiar with Romans chapter 8? And do you remember any verses?

Romans 8 · chapter mention

And only one of the team did have a verse that they

remembered. So but if I'd have, but if I'd

have said the verses, they would have went, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah,

I do know that one. They just missed that it's all

together in Romans chapter 8. So as I go through this, you're

Romans 8 · chapter mention

going to be surprised at how many are, are just right here

together. But our volunteers this morning

on our team, it didn't come to their mind.

OK, so I love that because it means I'm teaching something

that's going to be new to many of you.

OK, so the way that Paul starts chapter 8 and he didn't write it

initially and think it would be called chapter 8, but he

certainly has. He starts a movement and he ends

a movement, right? And he's using similar language.

So he's breaking it up even though the chapters and verses

we're not there yet. So he starts chapter 8 by saying

there's no condemnation. And I'm going to unpack that in

a moment, but no condemnation. And then it's secondly at the

end he says no separation from from the love of God.

So it's similar language, no condemnation and no separation.

Those are the bookends and in between is great truth.

OK, so now let's go back-to-back to verse one.

OK, where we started, there's therefore now no condemnation is

how he states it. Anytime you see the word.

Therefore, it's always important to understand what is before the

therefore, because Paul makes a big point in Chapter 7 and then

he, he, he says what? I'm going to tell you what he

said here in a moment, but then he says, OK, because of this,

because of this truth that I just unpacked, says Paul.

Now this is true. So therefore now there is no

condemnation of what is before. Therefore, well, it's let's go

back in Chapter 7 and I'll read you what Paul says.

And this is honest humility and it's kind of surprising, but

it's what's building up to there being no condemnation.

OK, So what is he stating before?

He states firmly that there is therefore now no condemnation.

Well, watch, it might surprise you what he says in verse 15 of

Chapter 7. He says for I do not understand

my own actions, for I do not do what I want, but I do the very

thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want,

I agree with the law that is good.

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within

me. Paul is aware that even though

he is saved and he is a Christian and not just a

Christian, but he's a giant Christian leader, he is aware

that there is still a battle going on inside of him with his

sinful nature. And he's saying that it's that

sin in me that that chooses these things that are contrary

to his own convictions. It's surprising that he's being

this great leader would say this for I know that's for I know in

verse 18 that nothing good dwells in me that is in my

flesh, right? So he's, he's not saying nothing

dwells in him, period. But he's like that part of me.

That is my fleshly nature, the sinful nature of me.

There's nothing good in it, right?

So what is he trying to do? Well, you're going to see the

answers in chapter 8. But he's building this, this

struggle that is very real in him and in verse 18 for then to

continue before I have the desire to do what is right, but

not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want,

but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

He says, now, if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who

do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So it's a, it sounds like a dilemma.

It sounds like he's stuck. OK, So how is he going to get

out of this stuck place where he doesn't feel like he's in

control of his own choices? Are the likes right?

He's aware of the sinful nature. OK, now again, he's this great

leader writes so much of the New Testament and he's being

dishonest and humble and it's going to now lead up to the

solution. What is the solution to this

inner turmoil and battle that he has?

Well, the the answer is what we would call sanctification or

growing in Christ when you become a Christian, Paul points

out earlier in Chapter 7 that he didn't know that coveting was

sinful until he saw it in the law.

Then once he sees it's like, Oh yeah, before he became a

Christian, he didn't know it. And when we become followers of

Jesus, there are many things that you might not even be aware

that are sinful, but you come to Christ and you're like, oh, the

Lord can start convicting, not condemning.

There's there's therefore no condemnation, but Paul is going

to get around to how to become more sanctified and what to

focus on and where to grow in our lives.

OK, so we're saved, but we're in a process of being sanctified

and the process is challenging and conviction becomes really

important in keeping our hearts open to the conviction of the

Holy Spirit is where you want to be.

But we are free from condemnation.

Those who are in Christ. OK, so if we get back to chapter

8, verse one, Paul's not saying that everyone is free of

condemnation. Instead, Scripture is pretty

clear that unless we've come to knowledge of relationship with

Jesus except his lordship, then yeah, then there there is

condemnation still. OK, but when you're in Christ

and you received his forgiveness, then you become

free of condemnation because you receive the forgiveness that

comes from Jesus through the cross.

So it's not that everyone is free of condemnation.

Paul's saying those who are in Christ Jesus, this is his theme

over and over again in his writings, being in Christ, this

is his encouragement. And when we're in Christ, we can

be free from condemnation. OK, now where Romans 7 stated

that the struggle is real, chapter 8 leads to again, how do

we get unstuck? OK, well here's some details,

Romans 8. Now I'm going to be in verses 6

through 9. This is what he encourages.

This is the solution to the dilemma that he's in.

In Chapter 7. He says for to set the mind on

the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life

and peace. So if you focus on your flesh

and feed your flesh, then yes, it leads to death.

But if you feed your spirit, that part of you that is

eternal, if you feed it, then you'll find yourself in life and

peace, right? So if you, if you ended with

Chapter 7, it would be like if Romans ended the Chapter 7, it'd

be pretty heavy and hopeless. He sounds somewhat hopeless, but

he's not. He's saying do not, do not get

stuck in the flesh, but instead set your mind on the Spirit of

God. For the mind that is set on the

flesh is hostile to God for it does not submit to God's law and

deed. It cannot.

But those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

If you're in the flesh, you, however, are not in the flesh,

but in the Spirit. And look at, look again.

He's, He is encouraging them. You're not in the flesh, you're

in the Spirit. And if in fact the Spirit of God

dwells in you, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ

does not belong to him. When are you free from

condemnation and free from the system that He talks about, the

stuckness that he's talking about in Chapter 7, you're free

from it when you focus on the Spirit of God and you instead

starve, if you will, that fleshly sin nature that we're

all dealing with. OK, so then what is the

progression from there? OK, well, if I want to have

confidence that I'm growing in the Spirit, how do I do that?

When he talks about in verses 14 through 17 where he says for all

who are led by the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back

into fear, but you've received the spirit of adoption as sons

by whom we cry ABBA father. Now here he goes from not only

is there no condemnation and we're to focus on the spirit

part of us, but now he's he's giving us the posture that we

can walk in. We're not slaves, we're not bond

servants. We here he's encouraging us to

say, listen, you, you're you're children of God.

Other places he is going to use the the the posture of like,

yes, we are, we are enslaved to Christ, but it's different

contexts here. He's promoting the idea that

again, we're adopted in we're children and we can go to father

God calling him ABBA and ABBA means like daddy or dad.

He's encouraging us to be this familiar and close to God.

This is the life that is a result of not being in

condemnation. OK, so we get to go to the

Father and cry. ABBA, the Spirit himself bears

witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

And if children then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs

with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may

also be glorified with Him. He goes from being sounding like

the fetus light in Chapter 7, then proclaiming there's their

formal condemnation. And now he's encouraging you're

not just children adopted, but you actually you're like an

heir. You have an inheritance in the

Kingdom of God because of your salvation and your ongoing

sanctification that you get to experience in Jesus.

So the flow from Chapter 7, humble and honest and now again

adopted heirs with Christ. But now he introduces the idea.

Wow, OK, we're we're children of God adopted in but now he

introduces the idea of suffering.

Wow. How does suffering come into

play? Well, our suffering that we will

endure is going to be for the glory and honor of God and Paul

and the other apostles in the early church.

We're very much in the midst of suffering.

Paul is going to be put to death by the emperor.

We think he was beheaded, and yet he has this posture of being

a child of God and an heir. And he's going to say some other

things here too. And it might surprise you that

he says these things in the context of suffering.

OK, what is this posture towards suffering?

Verse 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time

are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to

us. Like Jesus, Paul knows that you

can endure these sufferings that you're in the midst of now

because because the glory that is set before you is going to be

so grand and so wonderful. And that's what he's deciding to

focus on, not on his suffering, but on what is to come.

And what's so funny is Paul would have never been a promoter

of like the prosperity gospel. Do you know about the prosperity

gospel that's out there? Now, the idea is that if you

come to Jesus, you give your life to Jesus, then some think

that everything about your life is going to be free of

suffering. You're going to just prosper.

And then certainly I think that God has, wants us to prevail and

I think he wants us to be victorious.

But when we measure that by total health and wealth and free

of challenges in, in, in all areas of life, so then we miss

it because the reality is suffering happens in life, it

just does. Now, I've been to Jerusalem.

I was there 15 years ago. And when I was there, I remember

people will make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and particularly at

the Church of the Resurrection, which is a Catholic site.

When I was there, people were like crawling and they were

bleeding. Their hands were bleeding, their

knees were bleeding. And they were crawling like to

the door of the Church of the Resurrection.

And it was like they were paying penance and they were suffering.

And they even would sometimes like put like, like a crown of

thorns and stuff. I saw this first hand, OK.

And I remember thinking, man, you don't really have to chase

down suffering. It just comes.

But some people, it's like they want to go find it.

Don't go to try find it. It's out there, it'll come to

you. But when it comes to you, you

have to decide what is going to be your posture.

Well, that's when you say, OK, I'm, I'm, there's no

condemnation. God's not, I'm not being

condemned by God. That's why this is happening.

I'm a child of God. I'm adopted in, I'm an heir with

Jesus. And what's coming is so grand

that these sufferings now in the present time will be worth it

all. But it's, it's your focus and

your posture. And so again, the apostle Paul,

he knows what to focus on so we have perspective like Jesus.

Then he continues verse 27. What else is so packed in the

Romans 8 that's so wonderful? And he who searches hearts knows

what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit

intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God.

So he who searches hearts, of course, is God the Father is

Spirit. And we know that for those who

love God, this is the first you're probably familiar with.

We know. And when he says, we know it's

like extra that he has a way a couple times he'll say, I'm sure

of this, therefore this I'm sure of this.

And he's when we he, when he says, and we know he's giving an

extra truth, right, That for those who love God, all things

work together for good. For those who are called

according to his purpose, for those whom he foreknew, he also

predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son in order

that he might be the first born among the many brothers.

This is probably a passage that you have heard misquoted.

Some people wrongly quote this verse to say all things work

together for good. Everything just turns out good.

Everything works together for good.

That's not even remotely what Paul is saying here.

There are a couple of prerequisites he says, for we

know that for those who love God, all things work together

for the good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

So there are two here, the issues that need to line up and

there's for people who love God and for people who are called

according to his purposes, things work for good.

God supernaturally can take terrible tragedy in your life.

And when you had the posture of saying the suffering that I'm

enduring now will be worth it. I'm a child of God, adopted in

airs, not under combination all those things.

Again, you just learn how to just think and speak this.

Then it's not just positive confession, but it's it's

learning truth. OK.

So when you get to that place, then you're able to say, yes,

all things work together for the good of those who love God and

are called according to his purposes, and that you want that

to be you. But you have to be really

careful when you stay truth like this because it's not intended

to be fed or given like like a little aspirin or a pill, right?

Sometimes Christians, if they're not careful, they can they can

come across this way. So someone's in the midst of

great sorrow. After first service, I spoke

with Frank and he was telling me about some things that his

family's going through and some sickness and other things.

And he mentioned this point that I'm at right here and how much

it meant to them in the service. Is that when someone's in the

middle, middle of great difficulty, sorrow, the last

thing I want to do is like give them the Scripture is like, hey,

this will fix you. All things work together for

good. All things work together for

good. And Christians will often do

that. They'll just throw out a passage

as if it's going to help and it doesn't help.

It hurts because when you take great grand truth and you

capsulize it and then you give it to someone like this will fix

you, then you will often hurt them instead.

So this, this truth though, so great.

All things work together for the good of those who love God and

are called according to His purpose.

It's a great truth, but don't throw it out to someone who is

in great despair. Maybe the best thing you could

do was someone in that situation is just go sit with them and

just be with them. You don't have to have a

solution. You don't have to have the

answers. Sometimes you just being with

them is the best option and the most loving thing to do so.

But you probably know Christians again who've thrown out these

verses, you know, Jeremiah 2911 for I know the plans I have for

you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

OK, So you could take Bible promises like that.

There was, and you can again, capsulize them and just throw

them out. And it's just painful to people.

So I encourage you to be sensitive about that.

Don't hand out verses in a way that makes them hurtful.

But that's not to negate that this is a huge truth that we

should lean into, founding in Romans 8.

Then he continues in verse 31. What then shall we say to these

things? Another very famous passage

here. If God is for us, who can be

against us? If God be for us, who can be

against us? He who did not spare His own

Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him

graciously give us all things? Having this posture, If God is

for me, who can be against me? OK, but this is the truth also

that needs to be understood because if if you take this

passage and you have an adversary, someone that who is a

difficult person in your life and you think God is for you and

he's not for them, then you'll miss it, right?

Because really what Paul in other places defines who our

enemy is that we're fighting against.

And it's not that difficult person, that extra grace needed

person that you might have a hard time with in your family or

your workplace often. Maybe you need to look inside

and see God. Where can I wrestle and better

myself? Watch?

Paul in Ephesians 6 defines who the enemy is, that God is for

us, but not for the enemy who is found here.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His

might. Put on the whole armor of God

that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the

devil. For we do not wrestle against

flesh and blood. It's not that difficult person

that you're wrestling with, but against the rulers, against the

authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness,

against the spiritual forces of evil and the heavenly places.

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be

able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand

firm. You need to be aware that we're

in a spiritual battle. And again, the enemy is not that

difficult person. Yes, sometimes it'll be

conflict, but you need to look further and say, OK, sometimes,

and it's not that they have a devil.

You can't say that sometimes, you know, we have to look

inside, but it's just knowing that if ultimately, if God is

for us, who can be against us because we're going to defeat

those spiritual principalities that Paul talks about in the

Ephesians 6. But that needs to be your focus.

Now he mentions in here that the, the, you know, against this

present darkness. Do any of you remember the books

in the 80s by Frank Peretti called this Present Darkness and

Piercing the Darkness? Anybody remember those?

I remember them, right? And I, I, it was about angels

and demons and spiritual warfare and it was fiction, but it was,

you know, super cool. I remember reading like they

were thick books, but like in a day and 1/2, right?

Because I was just like, so into it and it was marvelous, right?

But I, I, I had to make sure that I didn't succumb to the

temptation to become obsessed with spiritual warfare because I

saw some people become that where they were just like all

about it, right? To a point where they were just

strange and weird. So I don't think that's the

point that we want to get to. But you want to be aware that

you're in a spiritual battle, but you don't want to become

obsessed with it. And those pretty books were

great. It's nothing against him, they

were really great. It's just that in my own life, I

had to be careful not to become obsessed with spiritual warfare

after reading them. So my encouragement to you is

that know that you're in a battle, but don't become

obsessed with it. OK.

And then what's interesting is Paul says this.

If God is for me, who could be against me?

And yet again, the the apostles were martyred.

Paul is going to be beheaded by the emperor.

And yet he's his posture is if God is for me, who could be

against me even though he is going to die for his faith.

It's not false believing. It's just that he has a bigger

picture of what's happening in the world.

He continues verse 34, he gets back to the idea of

condemnation. He says in verse 34, who is to

condemn Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that who was

raised, who is at the right hand of the of God, who indeed is

interceding for us. He starts with condemnation,

verse one and he comes back around to it just to send it's a

rhetorical question again, who is to condemn us?

Nobody because we are in Christ. He's died for us.

Then we see that Jesus is not condemning and said he's

interceding for us. Now is he not condemning?

He's encouraging, cheering a son interceding for us at the throne

of God. And then finally we're getting

towards the end of the chapter. These are really my favorite

verses. I think so far as we get towards

38 and 39 verse 35. Who shall separate us from the

love of Christ who can condemn us?

Nobody who can separate us from the love of Christ and watch

what he says. It's it's so like poetically

written shall tribulation or distress or persecution or

famine or nakedness or danger or sword for it is written for your

sake. We are being killed all the day

long. We regarded the sheep to be

slaughtered. Knowing all these things.

We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

This is where the saying more than conquerors comes from and

he's presenting the idea what can separate us from the love of

Christ? Nothing.

And he gives all of these examples even though he's again

quoting is like, even though we might seem like lambs going to

the slaughter, we're not being separated by the love of God.

In fact, even one of the peers where lambs going to slaughter,

we are more than conquerors. That is his posture that we get

to lean into now more than the conquerors in the face of great

tribulation and reality of pending death for their sake of

the gospel. They were they just had it.

They had the right mindset. And then here's my favorite of

all of Romans 8. This is the the pinnacle to me,

verse 38 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor

angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor

powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else, and all of

creation will be able to separate us from the love of God

in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is one that I memorized in

high school and all these years later, I still go back to it

over and over and over again. Nothing can separate us from the

love of God. And when you know this and you

walk in it, it shapes the way that you follow and serve Jesus.

So just kind of reviewing these are and I would love it if you

take the hand out, put it in your Bible and just kind of

maybe look through these this week and maybe you could

paraphrase or kind of recite just roughly the flow of chapter

8 and how it comes out of Chapter 7.

OK, so it starts with there's no condemnation for those who are

in Christ Jesus and we're navigating through

sanctification. We're dealing with our flesh.

He points it out in Chapter 7, comes back to it in chapter 8.

So yes, we are not condemned, but we are having to deal with

our sin nature and we're setting our minds on the Spirit,

bringing in life and peace. When we focus on the Spirit, we

get life and peace and not death.

And then remember, we've been adopted as sons and daughters of

ABBA Father, and we're joint heirs with Jesus.

And the sufferings of this world are temporary.

And what is to come is going to be so great for those who love

God and were called according to His purposes.

Live and remember that God is working all things together for

good. And if God is for us, who can be

against us and who shall separate us from the love of

God? We can be sure that nothing,

nothing, nothing will ever be able to separate us from His

love, and quoting these truths from chapter 8 could strengthen

your love and commitment to God in a great way.

I encourage you in it. Let me pray for us, God, Thank

you for wow, just Paul's gift to us through the power of your

Holy Spirit. Romans in general, but Romans 8

especially for me, after all these years, it's still so

inspiring and foundational to who you are in my life and what

postures I should have in my relationship and walk with you,

Jesus. So I pray that there's a church

that the the language of Romans 8 would become part of our

vernacular, part of the way that we speak about you and lean into

you. So blessed, blessed, blessed.

We pray the days to come as we kind of just even the more

focused on these passages and make them part of who we are in

Jesus name. And before we go this morning,

just quickly this morning, I want to give an opportunity.

If you're here this morning and you've never made the decision

to become a Christian, what does it take to become a Christian?

Well, the Bible says you believe in your heart and confess with

your mouth that Jesus is Lord and then you shall be saved.

And that's what it takes. Then after, yes, we grow in the

ways of God. We grow in our theology and our

study of God. But initially it's just that

it's a free gift. Salvation comes through the

sacrifice that Jesus made for us and the cross.

And so this morning, if you'd like to make that step to become

a Christian, we would. It's a great day to do it and I

would love to pray with you. And then we have a Bible for

you. If you'd like a Bible and we

have a little book talking about your new life in Christ, you can

e-mail me or catch me after service.

And I would love to encourage and be part of celebrating your

decision to become a follower of Jesus and eternity.

Yes. Now the idea is that you'll have

eternity with God, but you don't have to wait to have eternal

life. You get it now, like purpose and

meaning, Zoe type life we call it.

And you can start living and walking in that today.

So let me pray, encourage you to echo this prayer with me.

You could pray. Heavenly Father, I come in Jesus

name and I'm coming because I want to confess my faith in you.

I believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord and I confess with my

mouth. And as I do so, Jesus, I invite

you to come be the Lord of my life and then grow me in your

ways. I want, I want to chase after

you and serve you all the days of my life and then on to

eternity. Put eternity into the now.

Thank you for your forgiveness and love and salvation to me and

bring me to a church, whether it's this church or another

church that will help encourage and stir us all to greater faith

in you. In Jesus name and everyone said

Amen and Amen. Let's all stand together again.

If you received the Lord this morning that I would love to be

able to pray with you, give you a Bible and encourage you any

other way I can. Hey, someone mentioned something

in the first service and I thought, wow, that's a great

idea is that we always close the service with a blessing, right?

And so someone asked me, they said, maybe if you want this is

dumb thing you don't have to do, but I thought, wow, that's kind

of curious. This person said that when they

just kind of do this at the end of the service, just this

posture just leads them to like being more open to receiving the

blessing. So if you want to do that, I

encourage you and that, but if not, you're not comfortable.

That's cool too. But if you'll take a moment, I'm

now going to say a blessing over you before we send you back out

into the world. And now may the Lord bless you

and keep you, and may He make his face to shine upon you.

And may the joy of the Lord that is unspeakable and full of

glory, may it abound to you. And may the peace of God that

passes all understanding, may it surprise you in the midst of all

of the challenges that life brings.

And then may the mercies of the Lord, in other words, the

forgiveness of God, that's new every morning.

May it be especially new to you now and your mornings to come.

And now may the Lord Jesus Christ guard your heart and your

mind, your salt and your light. Go now and be salt and light

unto the world. But one other quick thing, Dale,

will you come in for just a second?

This is Dale. And Dale is having his 80th

birthday today. And Dale is so faithful to serve

here. He's an usher and serves like

fixing things all over. So can we sing happy birthday to

him real quick. All right.

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday, dear Dale. Happy birthday to you.

All right, have a great week and we'll see you again sometime

soon.