Build Your Life on the Word of God (Hebrews 4:1-13)

Children, we are ready for Children's Church at this time. You may make your way to the back.

My goodness, that is a lot of kids making their way to the back.

And what a joy it is to see as they're making their way to go learn about Jesus.

It's always encouraging when Savannah shares what they're going through in Children's Church,

how they're learning about Scripture.

They're not just, you know, taking a story here and there.

They're walking through Scripture.

They've already gone through the entire Bible in the last year and a half or so.

I was thinking, I was like, if I make it through the entire Bible at the pace that we're going through Hebrews,

it may be 10 or 15 years before we do that.

They've gone through the whole thing in a year and a half.

And it's just a joy to hear all of those questions that come as they come home

and talk about what they've learned in Children's Church.

But today we're going to be continuing in our study of the book of Hebrews.

We're going to be in Hebrews chapter 4, verses 1 through 13.

Hebrews 4:1–13

But throughout our study of the book of Hebrews thus far,

we've seen and heard some pretty remarkable statements about who Christ is.

We've seen some pretty remarkable statements about who Jesus is,

what He came to do, some things that He accomplished while He was here.

We've seen that Jesus is the Son of God.

We've seen that He's the revelation of God.

We've seen that He's the fulfillment of God's revelation in the Old Testament,

the heir of all things, the agent of creation, the radiance of God's glory.

And that's just the first three verses of Hebrews.

And then as we continue through Hebrews, we've seen that He is far superior than the angels.

He's greater than Moses.

He's greater than anything else in all of creation,

as much superior as the builder of the house is than the house itself.

We were called to consider Jesus,

to pay close attention to who He is so that we don't miss who He is.

And now this week, we are seeing why this is so important,

why this is such a big deal in our relationship with God.

And so if you have a copy of God's Word with you this morning,

I want to invite you to turn with me to Hebrews chapter 4.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

And we're going to read the first 13 verses together today.

Hebrews chapter 4, starting in verse 1, says this,

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

Therefore,

Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands,

let us fear, lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

For good news came to us just as to them,

but the message they heard did not benefit them,

because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

For we who believed entered that rest, as He has said,

As I swore my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.

Although His works were finished from the foundation of the world,

for He has somewhere spoken on the seventh day in this way,

and God rested on the seventh day from all His works.

And again, in this passage, He said,

They shall not enter my rest.

Since, therefore, it remains for some to enter it,

and those who formerly received the good news

failed to enter because of disobedience,

again He points a certain day.

Today, saying through David so long afterward,

in the words already quoted,

Today, if you hear His voice,

do not harden your hearts.

For if Joshua had given them rest,

God would not have spoken of another day later on.

So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

For whoever has entered God's rest

has also rested from His works,

as God did from His.

Let us, therefore, strive to enter that rest,

so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

For the Word of God is living and active,

sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing to the division of soul and of spirit,

of joints and of marrow,

and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And no creature is hidden from His sight,

but all are naked and exposed in the eyes of Him

to whom we must give account.

This passage is a somewhat difficult passage

to consider all that is being said,

But this morning,

I wanted to break it up into three questions

that I feel like the author is begging us to ask

as we go through this.

And so the first question to begin with

that I want us to ask is,

what are we to fear?

What are we to fear?

Verse, we get this in the first five verses,

but verse one right here says,

therefore, while the promise of entering His rest

still stands, let us fear,

lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

I almost feel like a broken record

as we've gone through the book of Hebrews.

And I keep telling you,

whenever you see a therefore,

make sure that you pay attention

to what it is therefore.

But if you just take a quick glance

at the book of Hebrews so far,

you'll see over and over again

the use of the word therefore.

In fact, in our study today,

that's how we're going to be breaking up

our passage is going from therefore to therefore

and asking these questions

and seeking to try to find what God is telling us.

This passage is telling us

that we should fear.

But it's also telling us to go back

to the first or the last two verses

of chapter three,

where it says,

Now, if you have certain translations,

they won't use fear here in this next passage,

in this next verse in chapter one of,

or chapter four, verse one,

and they might use afraid,

but sometimes they use the word be careful.

Now, I want you to be careful

if your translation uses be careful,

because I don't want it to take away

from the gravity of what the author

is trying to communicate here.

The author is telling us to be afraid,

to fear this.

The passage is telling us to fear.

This seems almost counterintuitive

when you look at the rest of Scripture.

Because when you look throughout Scripture,

you see over and over again

the word of God telling us,

don't be afraid.

In fact, so many of the commands

that we see throughout Scripture

are don't be afraid,

fear not,

don't be anxious.

And it's telling us over and over again

not to be afraid.

In fact, when you look at

the Great Commission,

and when Jesus is telling us

to go and make disciples of all nations,

the final thing he says,

and lo, I am with you always,

even to the end of the age.

And it's implying here

that what he's asking them to do

is a big task.

But he's saying,

hey, it's all right

because I'm going to be with you for this.

I'm going to walk with you through this.

And so we see over and over again

we're told not to be afraid.

But this passage clearly tells us

to be afraid.

And what we are fearing

has very serious consequences.

The passage says,

let us fear lest any of you

should seem to have failed to reach it.

The it here is God's rest.

The restful refuge of salvation.

Be afraid so that you don't miss God's rest.

But what is it that we are to fear

that will cause us to miss God's rest?

And like we said,

the previous verse in chapter 3

is most helpful with this.

Where it says,

so we see that they were unable to enter

because of unbelief.

Therefore, fear that unbelief

because that is what will keep you

from entering God's rest.

Fear that unbelief

because that is what will prevent you

from entering God's rest.

John Piper once said,

he says,

normal Christian life

is aware of the fearful danger of unbelief,

but it does not live paralyzed

or terrorized by it.

It lives in faith.

So let us humbly go to this text

and ask a very logical question

that comes from this.

As believers,

are we supposed to live our lives

in fear of missing heaven?

As believers,

are we supposed to live our lives

in fear of missing heaven?

And before we answer that,

I want you to consider

what the author has already told us

back in chapter 2.

If you would look back over to chapter 2,

starting in verse 14,

it says this,

since therefore the children

share in flesh and blood,

he himself likewise partook

of the same things

that through death,

he might destroy the one

who has the power of death,

that is the devil,

and deliver all those

who through fear of death

were subject to lifelong slavery.

You see,

clearly Christ died

to deliver us

from this slavish fear.

Christ wants us

to be a fearless people.

Christ not only

broke the curse of sin,

that is death,

but he also delivered us

from the devil

who leverages that fear of death

over us

to keep us enslaved.

Jesus' death set us free

not only from sin,

but also from the fear of death.

And this should change our lives

because you can really live for Christ

only when you understand

that death has no power over you.

Then it gives you the power

to live for him.

He wants us to share

with our neighbors.

He wants us to share

with our coworkers,

with our classmates,

without fear.

Christ wants us to go

to unreached people groups

all over the world

without fear.

Faith in the promises of God

makes you fearless

before the threats of men.

And so in short,

what we're seeing here

is one thing to fear

is not believing the promises

that make you fearless.

And so one of the things

that we're seeing here

is that we should fear

is not believing in the promises

that make you fearless.

The warning here

is against unbelief.

He is talking to the church

and so it seems that some

within the church

that may have professed Christ

at some point,

but it is clear

that their actions

show that they are not

followers of Christ

because they are following

something else.

So the author is saying,

he says,

you need to be afraid

because there is a lot

at stake in not believing.

You see,

perseverance

is the evidence

that you truly belong

to Christ.

In other words,

following Christ

is the evidence

that you are a follower

of Christ.

Following Christ

is the evidence

that you are actually

a follower of Christ.

Those who are truly saved,

who have truly placed

their faith

and their trust in Jesus,

those who have seen

that Jesus is far greater

than anything

and everything

in this world

are the ones

who persevere.

They are the ones

who follow Jesus.

And so we are to fear

that unbelief,

but we also see here

there's a sense of urgency

in this passage.

I don't know if you picked up

on it as we first read

through it,

but looking back

at verse 1 again,

it says,

therefore,

therefore,

while the promise

of entering

his rest

still stands,

let us fear

lest any of you

should seem

to have failed

to reach it.

While the promise

of entering

his rest

still stands.

It seems that

some Jews

were in danger

of talking themselves

out of trusting

in Christ

because they may have

thought they had missed it.

They had missed

the coming Messiah.

They realized

that while he was here,

they didn't see him

as the coming Messiah.

They didn't see him

for who he truly is

and they missed it.

And so now

they're afraid

that,

well,

maybe I've just messed up.

Maybe I have messed up

and we've just missed this

and we can't come

to faith in Christ anymore.

The author is saying,

you have no reason

to believe this

because this offer

still stands for you.

This offer

still stands.

As John MacArthur

notes,

he says,

they did have reason

to be afraid.

Not because they had

lost the opportunity

for salvation,

but because they could

lose it

if they continued

to put off

accepting Christ

as their personal Savior.

Yes,

be afraid.

Not because of

living a life

that prevents you

from coming to faith

in Christ,

but because

there will come a day

when that is no longer

an option.

If you think

you've missed

your opportunity,

then let me tell you,

if you have breath

in your lungs,

if you have breath

in your lungs,

you can accept

Christ

as your Savior.

This week,

I was reading

a story,

a biography

of Mel Trotter.

I don't know

if many of you

probably haven't heard

of Mel Trotter before,

but Mel Trotter

in the latter half

of his life

was an incredibly

gifted Bible teacher.

And not only

was he an incredibly

gifted Bible teacher,

but he also

spent much

of his life

reaching out

to the community

in Grand Rapids,

Michigan.

Reaching out

and serving God

and providing hope,

providing food

for many

who were suffering.

But that came

on the heels

of a life

spent living

for himself.

That came on the heels

of a life spent

where he was

very much

focused on

on him

and whatever

he wanted.

For much

of his life,

Mel had

a drinking problem

that was as bad

of a problem

as you could

possibly imagine.

His children

starved

because of his,

spent his money

on alcohol.

In fact,

his daughter

died of malnutrition

at the age of four

because they had

no money for food

because anything

and everything

that they had,

Mel spent on

buying more alcohol

and trying to

focus on himself

in fact,

when his daughter

died,

the neighbors

came together

and they pulled

their money together

so that they could

provide a burial

for the little girl.

And so they,

they pulled their

money together,

bought a casket,

bought a set of clothes

for her to be buried in.

But,

Mel broke into

the mortuary,

stole the clothes

off of his daughter

and traded it in

for another drink.

You think,

my goodness,

this is a terrible.

But it was shortly

after that,

that Jesus Christ

reached down

and got a hold

of Mel's life.

Got a hold of him

and completely

changed the way

he was living

and what he was

giving his life to.

And he went on

to faithfully

serve the Lord,

reaching many

that everyone else

thought was too far gone.

Mel began to have

a ministry reaching

those that nobody

else wanted to reach.

Nobody else

would give a second

chance to.

And so Mel began

to reach out to them

and he did this

until the day

that he died

until he was able

to see his daughter

in heaven again.

God changed his life.

You see,

what you have done

is not what the author

is telling you

to be afraid of.

It's not believing

in the promises

of God

while you have time.

There's no way

around it.

This is a challenging

passage for us

to consider

and to wrap

our minds around.

On the one hand,

the author is not

trying to cause

unnecessary fear

in our lives.

For those who've

truly placed their faith

and their trust

in Jesus,

the author is not

trying to cause us

to unnecessarily

have fear.

He's not saying,

do you know

that you know

that you know

that you know

that you know

you better walk

the aisle each week

to make sure

that you know

that you're saved.

He's not doing that.

But He is saying,

don't put your hope

in a prayer

that you prayed

at one time

or in a baptism

that you had

where your life

never changed,

that you did

just because

your friends

were doing it.

You see,

our assurance

is our perseverance

in our walk

with Christ.

So what are we

to fear?

Not believing

the promises

of God.

But next,

we're to consider

this question.

What is it that

we're putting

our faith in?

What are we

to fear?

Not believing

the promises

of God.

Which leads us

to the next question.

What are we

putting our faith

in?

Starting in verse 6,

it says,

since therefore

it remains

for some

to enter it

and those

who formerly

received the good

news

failed to enter

because of

disobedience.

Again,

He appoints

a certain day.

Today,

saying through

David so long

afterward

in the words

already quoted,

today,

if you hear

His voice,

do not harden

your hearts.

For if Joshua

had given them rest,

God would not

have spoken

another day

later on.

so then

there remains

a Sabbath rest

for the people

of God.

For whoever

has entered

God's rest

has also

rested

from His works

as God

did from His.

We're reminded

again in verse 6

that the Israelites

failed to enter

because of

disobedience.

And then

in verse 7,

the author

quotes Psalm 95

again saying,

today if you

hear His voice,

do not harden

your hearts.

The point here

is made clear

for us.

Be serious

about making sure

you don't end up

like the Israelites

dying in the wilderness

and failing

to enter

God's rest.

Michael Kruger,

who's been

incredibly helpful

in the study

and preparation

of these messages,

rightly says,

he says,

our modern world

needs this message

more than ever.

Few today

take spiritual

matters seriously.

thoughts of eternity

are dismissed

with a wave

of a hand

as if things

will work themselves

out in the end.

Sadly,

such an approach

is precisely

what the author

is warning

us against.

You see,

no one is going

to work

their way

into heaven

and no one

is going to

stumble their way

into heaven.

You can't be

good enough,

you can't do

enough good

to outweigh

your bad,

your works

will never

save you.

And at the same

time,

no one is going

to stumble

their way

into heaven

by not

taking seriously

the word

of God,

by not

understanding

that there

is a way,

but we must

follow God's

way.

That the only

way to the

father is

through the

son.

No one's

going to

just live

this life

ignoring

what the

scripture

says

and then

just say,

you know

what,

at the end

it's all

going to

work itself

out.

I'm going

to probably

live a better

life than

most and so

that'll just

help me get

right on in.

That's not

the case.

And so the

author is

warning us

against this.

But then

in verse 10

is a beautiful

picture of

the gospel.

We get to

verse 10

and it's just

this beautiful

picture of

the gospel.

I don't know

if you've

ever done

this,

but if you've

read a passage

of scripture

that you've

read many

times and

then all of

a sudden

reading it

again,

it's like

the words

just jump

right off

at the

page at

you.

It's like

I've read

this over

and over

again,

but all

of a sudden

this time

reading through

it,

these words

just seem

to come

right off

of the

page at

you.

And I

don't know

if it's

because I

hadn't paid

attention

before or

if God's

word is

living and

active like

we're about

to hear.

But verse

10 this

week hit

me like a

ton of

bricks.

It says

this,

for whoever

has entered

God's rest

has also

rested from

his works

as God

did from

his.

What a

beautiful picture

of the gospel

in a single

phrase.

For whoever

has entered

God's rest

has also

rested from

his works

as God

did from

his.

You see

this verse

powerfully

captures the

gospel in a

single phrase.

The gospel

is not

morality,

it's not

external

religion,

it's not

checking all

the right

boxes,

saying just

the right

words in

the right

order.

The gospel

is the

message of

Christ's

accomplishments

on our

behalf so

that we

might rest

from our

works by

trusting in

his work.

You see,

the gospel

is the

message of

Christ's

accomplishments

on our

behalf so

that we

might rest

from our

works by

trusting in

his work.

When we

trust in

Christ,

we are

resting in

his work.

Jesus

says,

come to

me,

all who

labor and

are heavy

laden,

and I

will give

you rest.

Take my

yoke upon

you and

learn from

me,

for I am

gentle and

lowly in

heart,

and you

will find

rest for

your souls,

for my

yoke is

easy and

my burden

is light.

Here's the

good news.

In Jesus,

God gives

us a

righteousness

that we

do not

have and

that we

cannot

earn on

our own.

This

saving

righteousness

is received

by faith.

It's not

something you

can earn,

and once you

have it,

it's not

something that

you can

lose.

And so

the question

becomes,

what is

your faith

in?

Is it in

the finished

work of

Jesus Christ

on the

cross?

Or is it

in your

own works

that you're

seeking to

try to earn

God's favor

by doing

enough good

to outweigh

your bad?

Our works

are nothing

but filthy

rags.

Christ's

work is

the work

that is

finished.

It's the

work that

saves.

It's the

only one

that has

the power

to save.

Here

recently,

I've

gotten to

have several

incredibly

encouraging

conversations

with different

people.

Recently,

someone who

is taking

these warnings

that the

author is

saying very

seriously.

Don't

just be a

face in

the crowd

but be a

disciple.

Their

testimony was

very similar

to mine.

I grew

up in

church.

I grew

up with

seeing their

friends walk

the aisle,

make professions

of faith,

and then all

of a sudden

you realize,

you know what,

it's probably

my turn next.

And so just

walking the aisle

because you see

all of your

friends doing

it.

And this

person says,

look,

I realize

that I

haven't done

this.

I haven't

actually placed

my faith and

trust in Jesus.

What I was

doing was just

something to

fit in with

the rest of

the crowd,

with my

friends.

It was what

it was expected

of me to

do.

But now I'm

following Christ

and so I want

to be obedient.

And it's these

conversations like

this that are

incredibly encouraging

but also that

give greatness to

this, making

sure that we

fear lest any

of us should

seem to have

failed to

reach it.

the very

serious question

that we must

all ask is

this, what

is my faith

in?

And it's my

prayer that,

is it in a

prayer that I

said at one

time that

really hasn't

changed my

life?

Is it in a

baptism that I

did because my

friends were doing

it?

Or is my faith

in Jesus

Christ and his

finished work on

the cross that

actually has the

power to save

because this is

the only one

that has power.

What are we to

fear?

Not believing the

promises of God.

What are we to

put our faith in,

the finished work

of Christ?

Now finally I

want us to

consider what is

our foundation

built on?

What is our

foundation built

on?

Verse 11 says,

let us therefore

strive to enter

that rest so

that no one

may fall by the

same sort of

disobedience.

For the word

of God is

living and

active, sharper

than any

two-edged sword,

piercing to the

division of soul

and of spirit,

of joints and

of marrow,

discerning the

thoughts and

intentions of

the heart.

And no creature

is hidden from

his sight, but

all are naked

and exposed to

the eyes of him

to whom we

must give

account.

Verse 11

begins to bring

this home for

us.

We have been

told to fear

unbelief.

We've been

told where to

place our trust

and our faith.

Now we are

told the why.

In light of what

is just said,

let us make

every effort to

enter his

rest.

We must not be

like the Israelites

in the wilderness,

but rather we must

strive to enter

his rest.

In other words,

we must work

at resting.

We must work

at resting.

This means that

we must work

against all

our efforts to

prove our

righteousness.

We must work

against all of

our efforts to

try to think that

we can be good

enough, that we

can earn favor

from God by our

works.

We must work

against all our

efforts to

justify ourselves.

And we do

this through

God's word.

We do this

through, as we

mentioned last

week, encouraging

one another, keeping

each other

accountable.

this is one of

the things that

we do each

week in

corporate worship.

When we hear

God's word

proclaimed, it

should be

encouraging us

to put our

faith in Jesus,

to trust him

more.

This is what we

do when we

sing together.

This is why

the words of

the songs that

we sing matter,

because words

have meaning.

And we must

sing words that

proclaim truth,

the truth of

God's word.

This is what

we do when we

pray together.

This is what

we do when we

get involved

with small

groups and

keep each

other accountable.

But the

author is now

highlighting the

role of God's

word in this,

being the

foundation that

we build our

lives on,

and what keeps

us from

believing lies

the world is

trying to tell

us.

Because here's

the thing,

if you don't

know the

truth, if you

don't know

God's word,

then it becomes

very easy to

believe a lie.

It becomes

really easy to

believe what

everybody else

says if you

don't know

truth, if you're

not building your

life on this

foundation.

And many today

will say they

would like to

take Jesus

apart from

scripture.

They may not

say it openly

like that, but

they say it with

their lives.

They say it with

their lives.

This grace part,

it sounds great.

The fact that

Jesus saves,

that's amazing.

But all of

these ideas

about marriage

and gender,

all of this

talk about

caring for

others more

than you care

for yourself,

that stuff

changes the

way that you

live.

That stuff

changes everything.

Those things

can be

offensive.

But we

can't take

Christ apart

from his

word.

You don't

get to pick

and choose.

Al Mohler

makes the

correct statement

when he says,

Christ cannot

be divorced

from scripture.

Our knowledge

of Jesus

as the divine

son of God

and his

accomplishments

for us

only come

through scripture.

We cannot

have Jesus

apart from

the witness

of the Bible.

The two

are inseparably

wedded together.

In this

passage,

the author

makes a couple

powerful statements

about God's

word.

First,

the word

is living

and active.

Since God

is living

and is the

author of

this book,

it is alive.

Now,

this doesn't

mean that it

changes or

it grows up

or it changes

from season

to season,

but it means

that it is

valuable and

applicable to

us as it

ever has

been.

It is

active.

When you

look through

scripture and

God speaks,

God also

works.

And he

speaks to

us through

his word

and as

he speaks

to us

through his

word,

he works

in our

life.

When God

speaks,

he works.

It's active,

it's effective

for us.

Next,

we see that

this word

is sharper

than any

two-edged

sword.

The description

of the

Bible as a

sword shows

that it

cuts deep.

It has

the power

to cut

deep.

When we

approach

God's

word

humbly

and we

try to

seek and

apply it

to our

lives,

then we

not only

read the

Bible,

but it

begins to

read us

as well.

It begins

to offer

insights about

us that

we couldn't

possibly have

imagined.

It cuts

to the

heart.

It cuts

to our

intentions.

No other

book has

the power

to do

this.

This

reminds me

that God's

word is

dangerous to

anyone who

is seeking

to live for

this world.

If you're

trying to

seek to

live for

this world,

then as

you read

the Bible,

it is going

to be very

dangerous to

that way

of life

because it

cuts deep.

If you want

to shape

your heart

to be more

like God's

heart,

then there

is no

substitution

for His

word.

If you want

to shape

your heart

to be more

like God's

heart,

then there

is absolutely

no substitution

for His

word.

And reading

through it,

it has

the power

to change

our hearts.

It has

the power

to comfort

us as

nothing else

can.

It has

words of

life,

words that

give our

life meaning

and purpose,

words that

are strong

enough to

build the

foundation of

our lives

on,

words that

are strong

enough to

build the

foundation of

the church

on,

words that

are strong

enough to

turn this

world upside

down.

This word

has power,

it is living,

it is active,

it is sharper

than any two-edged

sword.

And in the

context of this

passage,

God's words

give a strong

warning.

What are we

to fear?

We're to fear

unbelief.

I'm not asking

if you can get

every answer

right on a test,

but I'm asking

does your

belief in

Christ change

your life?

Because following

Christ is the

witness,

it's the proof

that you are a

follower of

Christ.

Christ.

What are you

putting your

faith in?

Are you

putting your

faith in your

works?

Or are you

putting your

faith in

Christ's

finished work

on the cross?

No matter if

you think you

are too far

gone, if you

have breath in

your lungs,

if you are

here today,

if you are

listening to

this message

today,

then there is

hope.

You can give

your life to

Jesus.

And finally,

what is the

foundation of

your life built

on?

See, God's

word is

living and

active.

It's sharper

than any

two-edged

sword.

And this is

how God

speaks to

us and

how he

shapes us

primarily.

And so the

question is,

is he speaking

to you this

morning?

Are you ready

to give your

life to him?

Are you ready

to follow him?

To share

your faith?

To be

baptized?

To serve

on mission

for him?

Or to do

whatever he

has called

you to do

for his

honor,

and for

his glory?

Because God's

word always

calls for a

response.

It's not

written to

just give you

more knowledge,

but it's

written to

change your

life.

So I want to

ask you,

is God speaking

to you this

morning through

his word?

And if so,

then I want to

encourage you

to respond.

Father,

thank you so

very much

for your

word,

because it

is living

and active.

Just as you

are alive,

this word is

alive.

Lord,

it is as

applicable to

us today as

it has ever

been.

And it's

effective to

change our

lives.

And so,

Lord,

I pray that

we come to

your word

humbly,

asking you to

shape us,

to mold us,

and to make us

more like you.

Lord,

if we say that

we want our

heart to be

like your

heart,

then,

Lord,

give us a

desire to

read your

word,

to let it

shape us.

But also,

Lord,

I pray for

the truth

that is

declared in

that.

Truth that

is declared

today,

that you

tell us to

be afraid,

afraid of

unbelief.

And so,

Lord,

I pray that

there's someone

here today

that is

putting their

hope for

eternity in

a past

action that

they didn't

know what

they were

doing,

possibly.

That they

were just

doing because

they saw

their friends

doing it.

Lord,

I pray that

you help us

to see

clearly that

our faith must

be placed in

your finished

work.

Not in our

actions,

not in

anything that

we've done,

but in what

you have done

for us.

And,

Lord,

if we have

done that,

I thank you

for the

assurance that

you give us

that helps

us to live

boldly for

you.

that helps

us to live

without fear

before men

because you

have accomplished

what we

couldn't do

on our

own.

And so,

God,

I thank you

for that.

And,

Lord,

I pray that

as we read

through your

word that we

would apply it

to our lives,

that whatever it

is that you're

calling us to

do,

that our answer

will be yes.

I want to

follow you

because you

are better.

And we ask

all this in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

I want to

invite you to

stand.

We're going to

sing a song of

invitation this

morning.

If God is

speaking to you,

won't you respond

as we stand

together and

sing?

Thank you.