(soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) - Good morning, church family.

Happy Lord's Day. Hope you all had a fulfilling week. We will start off our service with an older simple song, a declaration of God's greatness and a praise of gratitude for what He's done in our lives. And I pray for us that through any season, no matter how easy or difficult, we would rejoice and remain thankful to the Lord for our joy and gratitude is not circumstantial, but rests on our unchanging and unfailing God.

1 Thessalonians 5 reads, "Rejoice always, pray continually, "and give thanks in all circumstances, "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (soft piano music) Let's sing, great is the Lord. ♪ Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise ♪ ♪ And the city of our God, the holy place ♪ ♪ The joy of the whole earth ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ Great is the Lord in whom we have the victory ♪ ♪ Great is the Lord in whom we have the victory ♪ ♪ He aids us against the enemy ♪ ♪ And found down on our knees ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ Lord, we want to lift your name on high ♪ ♪ Lord, we want to thank you ♪ ♪ For the works you've done in our lives ♪ ♪ Lord, we trust in your abiding love ♪ ♪ For you alone are God eternal ♪ ♪ You're louder than heaven above ♪ Great is the Lord.

♪ Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise ♪ ♪ And the city of our God, the holy place ♪ ♪ The joy of the whole earth ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ Great is the Lord in whom we have the victory ♪ ♪ He aids us against the enemy ♪ ♪ And found down on our knees ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ Lord, we want to lift your name on high ♪ ♪ Lord, we want to thank you ♪ ♪ For the works you've done in our lives ♪ ♪ Lord, we trust in your abiding love ♪ ♪ For you alone are God eternal ♪ ♪ You're louder than heaven ♪ ♪ Lord, we want to lift your name on high ♪ ♪ Lord, we want to thank you ♪ ♪ For the works you've done in our lives ♪ ♪ Lord, we trust in your abiding love ♪ ♪ For you alone are God eternal ♪ ♪ You're louder than heaven above ♪ ♪ For you alone are God eternal ♪ ♪ You're louder than heaven above ♪ (soft piano music) - All right, good morning.

Welcome to Brain Community Church. Let me get to a few announcements before we get started. First of all, as you guys know, next Sunday is Mother's Day, and so our logistics team has photo booths, and there's some gifts set up for the moms. So if you are a mom, make sure that you pick that up after each of the services, first, second, and third, and then there will be a photo booth.

So if you're bringing a mom to attend the service, there will, obviously, there will be plenty of things and gifts that will be available, so make sure that you pick that up next Sunday. And then a quick announcement for the family ministry. If you are not part of the FAM245 and Jubilee, there is a family ministry picnic.

I guess it could be open for everybody. It didn't make any limit. So if you're part of the family ministry, next Sunday from 11, is it next Sunday? Sorry, next Sunday, okay? On May 19, 11.30 to 3.30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, they're gonna be having a casual fellowship.

So you can go there and meet other family members and other couples and just kind of fellowship together. Then you bring your own lunch and then just show up. It'll be from 11.30 to 3.30. And then FAM245 ministry on Memorial Day, on May 25th, Saturday, from 11 to 2 p.m., they are also going to be having barbecue fellowship.

So if you're not sure what that ministry is, if you've been married for three years or less, that ministry is for you, okay? India pastor support. We have an annual commitment for that, $50 a month, that we'll be going to support our 40-plus pastors out in India. And so that is up in June, so we're asking that you would recommit to that.

So either you wanna continue or you wanna be added to the list. And as you guys know of what's going on in India, they really need our support more than ever. And so if you can re-sign up for that, $50 a month, or if you wanna just give a one-time sum of $600 for the whole year, we'll make sure that those funds get out to India.

Okay, a couple more things. One, a Korean golf tournament is happening on June 8th. I know we have a lot of fundraisers and tournaments, but this is for the people who don't like to get physical. So if you are transitioning to golf, okay, if that offended you, it's the truth.

So June, so if you're transitioning to golf and you wanna play and help raise funds for our summer missions, that's happening on June 8th, so you can go sign up for that. And then one last announcement is, August 16th through 19th is our family retreat. Our guest speaker is Pastor John Street, who came a couple years ago to talk about reconciliation.

And then the other topic that he is very well-known for, where he travels the country and sometimes internationally to speak on the subject, it's about God's design for marriage. So if you are part of the family ministry, whether you're FAM 245 all the way to Jubilee, if you're part of that ministry, please sign up for that.

The early registration is going to be ending on June 2nd. So after that, it's gonna be late registration. So we're trying to ask as many people to sign up as early as possible so that they can get the rooms and various things prepared for that. So please mark that on your calendar.

It's going to be on August 16th through August 19th, and that early registration will end on June 2nd, okay? All right, so after our praise time, our youth brother, Hezekiah Lee, is going to be giving his testimony. And so he's going to be breaking the record in our church as the youngest member who's going to be baptized today.

And so watching him grow through these years, through literally infancy to where he is now. And so we've been praying and walking with this family, and I know how joyous they are and have guests to come. And again, every baptism is special, but when we have somebody who's been raised in the church since they were a child to be able to hear their testimony and to be baptized, become a member of the church, and obviously this is a prayer that we're having.

One of the things that the older I get, it's hard not to think about the next generation, right? The older I get, so what is the next generation of Christians gonna look like in our church? And to see young people in our church coming to Christ and giving their life to Christ, it gives more and more assurance that the Lord has the church in his hands and that the next generation will be able to take the baton and everything that we are doing, that Lord willing, will not end with us.

It will continue on with our children, okay? So after our offering, Hesi will come up and he'll give his testimony to be baptized this morning. Let's pray. - Amen. - Father, we thank you so much for your grace. Lord, there are times when we forget just how amazing this grace is, out of habit, out of comfort, out of just entanglement, Lord God, just living in this fallen world.

I pray that you would help us this morning to lift our eyes to Christ, to know where our help, our comfort, our refuge comes from, that our worship that we give you may be an overflow of gratitude of the work that you are doing in us. I pray that even in this giving, may it be an expression of our worship and our love and adoration to you, and may it be multiplied 30, 60, 100 fold for the sake of your glory and your kingdom.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. (gentle piano music) (woman chuckles) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (woman chuckles) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) - Let us all rise, and before we continue with the praise, if we could spend a few moments to greet the neighbors around us. (gentle piano music) (people chattering) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) Let's sing, I Stand Amazed.

♪ I stand amazed in the presence ♪ ♪ Of Jesus the Nazarene ♪ ♪ And wonder how he could love me ♪ ♪ A sinner condemned unclean ♪ ♪ Singing how marvelous ♪ ♪ How wonderful ♪ ♪ That my song shall ever be ♪ ♪ How marvelous ♪ ♪ How wonderful is ♪ ♪ My Savior's love for me ♪ ♪ He took my sins ♪ ♪ He took my sins ♪ ♪ And my sorrows ♪ ♪ He made them his very own ♪ ♪ He bore the burden to Calvary ♪ ♪ And suffered and died alone ♪ Let's sing, He Took My Sins.

♪ He took my sins ♪ ♪ And my sorrows ♪ ♪ He made them his very own ♪ ♪ He bore the burden to Calvary ♪ ♪ And suffered and died alone ♪ ♪ Singing how marvelous ♪ ♪ How wonderful ♪ ♪ That my song shall ever be ♪ ♪ How marvelous ♪ ♪ How wonderful is ♪ ♪ My Savior's love for me ♪ ♪ For me ♪ When with the ransomed ♪ ♪ When with the ransomed in glory ♪ ♪ His face I at last shall see ♪ ♪ It will be my joy through the ages ♪ ♪ To sing of His love for me ♪ ♪ How marvelous ♪ ♪ How wonderful ♪ ♪ That my song shall ever be ♪ ♪ How marvelous ♪ ♪ How wonderful is ♪ ♪ My Savior's love for me ♪ How marvelous.

♪ Singing how marvelous ♪ ♪ How wonderful ♪ ♪ That my song shall ever be ♪ ♪ How marvelous ♪ ♪ How wonderful is ♪ ♪ My Savior's love for me ♪ ♪ For me ♪ Sing he was. ♪ He who was before there was life ♪ ♪ Walked across the pages of time ♪ ♪ He who made every living thing behold Him ♪ ♪ He who heard humanity's cry ♪ ♪ Left His throne to wake as a child ♪ ♪ He became like the least of us behold Him ♪ ♪ Jesus, Son of God, Messiah ♪ ♪ The Lamb, the Roaring Lion ♪ ♪ Oh, be still and behold Him ♪ ♪ Behold Him ♪ ♪ He who died with sinners and saints ♪ ♪ Healed the blind, the lost, and the lame ♪ ♪ Even now He is in our midst ♪ ♪ Behold Him ♪ ♪ He who chose a criminal's end ♪ ♪ Laid with blood to settle our debt ♪ ♪ Buried death as He rose to life ♪ ♪ Behold Him ♪ ♪ Jesus, Son of God, Messiah ♪ ♪ The Lamb, the Roaring Lion ♪ ♪ Oh, be still and behold Him ♪ ♪ Jesus, Alpha and Omega ♪ ♪ Our God, the Risen Savior ♪ ♪ Oh, be still and behold Him ♪ ♪ And behold Him ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Worthy, worthy, worthy to receive all praise ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Worthy, worthy, worthy to receive all praise ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Worthy, worthy, worthy to receive all praise ♪ ♪ Jesus, Son of God, Messiah ♪ ♪ The Lamb, the Roaring Lion ♪ ♪ Oh, be still and behold Him ♪ ♪ Jesus, Alpha and Omega ♪ ♪ Our God, the Risen Savior ♪ ♪ Oh, be still and behold Him ♪ ♪ Our God, the Risen Savior ♪ ♪ Oh, be still and behold Him ♪ ♪ Behold Him ♪ - Hi, my name is Hezekiah Lee.

Although I go by my nickname, Hezzy. I'm 13 years old and I go to Los Alicos Intermediate School. Although I am young, through God's grace, I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I have been attending Berean since I was one year old, but before I met Christ, I only attended out of pure obedience to my parents.

Growing up, I was very much a people pleaser. I was a rule follower and I tried to be a good kid. I strive for the approval of man and not God. As a firstborn of five siblings, there's a lot of responsibility and love required and I struggled with that.

I was constantly angry with my siblings and I held grudges against them. And the worst part was I was okay with that. I justified my sins, saying that it was their fault for instigating and making me angry. I chose not to acknowledge this sin and did the same with many other sins.

I hated going to church and it was a burden and that I wanted to get over with every Sunday. And as I said, most of the times, I was considered the good kid, but when it came to church, I was very rebellious. Occasionally, I would insincerely ask my parents how I could become saved to make them think I cared about church.

But through it all, God used my parents to draw me to him. I can remember moments when I was sitting in my bed with my mom and she would just share the gospel with me and she would get emotional and cry. And as God slowly but surely ruled me to him, I began to ask my parents genuine questions about God's grace.

My dad would easily answer these questions from my immature mind with wisdom that always satisfied my questioning attitude. Also, my Sunday school teachers played a big role in my salvation. They were there to support me and show me the love of God through the care and compassion they showed me, even though they weren't my parents.

Another person who had a big impact on my salvation was my late uncle, Uncle Leland. He was a man of God who served with all his heart and he was a prayer warrior. Since before I was born, he prayed for me every day and he taught me the effect of prayer and its impact when it is aligned with God's will.

All of these people, and countless more, played a huge role in my salvation. What really shook me was the day the Holy Spirit entered my heart and revealed to me my sin and where it was taking me. I realized the depth and the gravity of hell and it scared me when I realized that's where I was going.

But what the Holy Spirit also revealed to me was there was a Savior who reconciled my sin and erased my punishment, Jesus Christ. After that, Christ affirmed my salvation and I was freed from my punishment. And more importantly, I was freed to seek a relationship with God through Christ.

Once Jesus changed my heart of stone, my whole life changed. I was more aware of my sin and I started hating it. Instead of just panicking in times of distress, I prayed and sought his comfort, forgiveness, or both. There's a verse that assured me during troubling times. It is from John 10, 27 to 30.

My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give eternal life to them. They will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

I and the Father are one. It reminded me how since God has saved me and put me in his hand, the full force of the world and the devil could never change that. And it reminds me that even though I struggle and fail, nothing will shake God's love for me.

Even though I am saved, I still struggle in many ways. One of them is when kids are bothering me, I still have a painful and sinful impulse to lash out in anger. Another is that sometimes I get caught in the flow of homework and how cumbersome it is and I forego prayer for sleep.

I'm so thankful that I now have a church family to support me and keep me accountable. Thank you. (audience applauding) - Aziz, you need to become the president of the United States. (audience laughing) You understand when you go into the water that you are being united to Christ's death.

When you come out, you're being united to Jesus's resurrected life. And I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (audience applauding) (audience cheering) Congratulations to the whole family. Yeah, we're so proud of you. All right. We need to have the Lee family give a seminar on how to raise children.

(audience laughing) If you can turn your Bibles with me to Luke chapter eight, and I'm gonna be just reading verse 14. Luke chapter eight, verse 14. The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way, they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to maturity.

Let's pray. Father, we pray for wisdom. We pray for open ears, softened hearts, and willingness, Lord God, to not just listen, but to obey. May your word reveal to us the thoughts and intentions of our heart and our very lives that we truly may live a life worthy of the gospel.

We thank you, Father. In Jesus's name we pray, amen. - As you guys know, the latest buzz in technology is AI, and so it's getting so good that now they're using it and they can alter videos, and all you need to do is put up a picture, and it'll look like it's somebody that we know, a celebrity, that actually looks like they're talking, but if you listen carefully, kind of like, hmm, that's weird that they're saying this, and realizing that it's gotten so good that now they have to filter, and you really have to watch what you're listening and what you're reading.

It's scary how good it is, and I'm sure some of you guys have encountered that, and somebody's trying to push an agenda or trying to push certain thoughts and people to kind of give in to that, so they would get a popular celebrity or somebody who's an athlete that is beloved and using them to push their agenda.

So all the more why we need to be vigilant to test, is it true or is it not true? But as that danger is coming in, and more and more people are warning and telling us that we need to be aware of this, this has always been the case.

Jesus himself warned us that our enemy is going to come an angel of light, and he's gonna say he's speaking for God in order to deliberately delude the church. In fact, our enemy is called the father of lies. So this deception didn't start with AI. The articles that you read, the things that are popular in our culture, the thoughts that you have, even sometimes the theology that you embrace, where did that come from?

Is that, did that come from a careful understanding of the word of God? Discerning if it truly was God speaking or was that the general feeling of the culture? Was that a trend that came in? Or maybe a charismatic pastor said some things and you read their books and then you were convinced that it makes more sense?

Or maybe your meter of right and wrong is based upon how you feel, what you think balances. I remember years ago, I was trying to share the gospel with a Buddhist monk. I came out of the, the doctor appointment came and I saw a handful of Buddhist monks coming in and I said, well, I've never witnessed a monk before, so let me try.

And so I started speaking to this young man and we're talking and he knew very little about his faith. He was already a monk. He was a young guy, I could tell he was being, he was like being interned, right? And so he was talking about heaven and hell and I was trying to share the gospel with him and he was telling me how, you know, he believes possibly there's a heaven and hell and I said, your Buddhist faith doesn't sound anything like anything I learned.

So I asked him, so what caused you to want to be a monk? And he said there was this monk who had a huge impact on his life when he was young and he wanted to please him and he wanted to be like him. So without much thought, he just went in and so I caught him early and eventually as he was sharing with me, one of the older monks basically just grabbed him and pulled him away because you could tell, like he had no idea what he was talking about, right?

How many of us are afraid to evangelize because your faith has not been tested? How many of you are afraid to encounter hostile, people who are hostile to the faith because you're afraid once they begin to poke at your faith that at the end of it, you might come out saying, huh, I didn't really think this through.

I'm not exactly sure why I believe what I believe. And in fear of that, you stay away from any kind of conflict. In 2 Corinthians 13, five, Paul tells the Corinthian church, test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves or do you not recognize this about yourself that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you fail the test?

He actually tells him and he's writing this to the church and the reason why he's writing this is because they were acting like non-Christians. They were divided, chaos in the church and they were one-upping each other, they were comparing each other so even their communion table, they had the rich and the poor separated and it was causing all kinds of chaos and so he was not asking them or telling them to examine yourself because he wanted to put doubt of their faith.

He's writing to the church saying, hey, examine yourself carefully. See if your life is consistent with what you profess. Not simply that you're at church, not simply because you grew up in the church, but are the things you confess consistent to the way you're living your life, the way you're making decisions, the way you're raising your children, is it consistent with your faith?

And the hope that Paul has in asking to do that is so that genuine Christians would take a long, hard look at themselves and to correct anything that needs to be corrected. That if you just accepted a cultural Christianity in your life and you feel confident just because everybody else looks like you, to take a step back and ask yourself, test yourself, are you really a follower of Christ?

Years ago, some of you guys who are a little bit older may remember back in the 1970s, there was Jesus movement and Chuck Smith was at the center of that, Calvary Chapel was blowing up and during that period, it almost became popular to be a Christian so many celebrities came out and professed their faith and it seems like there's something like that going on right now.

More and more celebrities are coming out and saying, "I believe in God, I'm doing this and that," and that was true back in the '70s. So I can name all these people, but I'm assuming most of you won't even know who they are. One of the top names of that time was Bob Dylan.

Some of you guys may know him, right? Bob Dylan was probably one of the top songwriters of the 1970s and he came out and became a Christian and he wrote two albums, two whole albums, one called Saved, another one called Slow Train Coming. And again, I'm only naming Bob Dylan, but at that time, if you go and look up 1970s, Jesus movement, celebrities who came to Christ, you will see a whole gamut of people.

Well, Bob Dylan was probably the most popular and most famous of the ones and soon after, after he wrote this, he fell away from his faith. And so people were curious, what happened to you? And Bob Dylan simply said, "It was just a phase." And he just moved on, just like many of the other celebrities who just moved on.

It was just, at that time, it was popular and they just got caught up in the moment. The modern day version of that is Kanye West. Okay, so you guys know who Kanye West is. If you remember, not that long ago, he professed that he became a Christian and he was writing gospel songs and he was having Sunday services with choirs and buying towns up so that he can bring revival.

Well, the latest comment that he made about his faith, and he said, "You know, I have my issues with Jesus. "There's a lot of stuff I went through that I prayed "and I ain't see Jesus show up." And so the conclusion of that is basically, Jesus disappointed me. When I needed him, he didn't show up.

And so the follow up to that is, therefore, I decided to believe myself. I don't think any of us who are examining the scriptures carefully are that surprised, right? Because even as he was professing his faith, and like many of the other celebrities, their life didn't actually coincide with what they were doing.

Nothing changed in their lyrics, nothing changed in their lifestyle, nothing changed about fornication. It was just, now I have Jesus as my comfort. But I'm not worried about the celebrities. I'm not worried about what's happening out in our culture. The primary concern is the church. In fact, most of scripture is to the church.

It's to the church. The concern is, we know that the world is in rebellion. We know that the world is going to hate God and they're blaspheming his name. Nothing of that has changed. Nothing of that should surprise us. But the church, the primary attack that Satan has is toward the church because the world is already his.

So when they rebel, when they do what they do, it's not a surprise. And he's not concerned about them because they're his. But it's the church that he attacks. He dilutes, he deceives. And that's exactly why Jesus is telling this parable, because his popularity is growing, the numbers are growing from hundreds to thousands.

And so in that midst, he's warning his disciples just because a large number of people are coming doesn't mean that that's true fruit. So he's warning his disciples, there's gonna come a time when majority of these people are gonna reject me, turn away, don't be surprised by that. Because they never followed me because they really believed to begin with.

They saw the miracles. They're gonna eat the miraculous bread and the fish. They're gonna see his power. And they, there's a celebrity in town. So out of curiosity, they were coming to see him. And he was warning the crowds that were coming. Many of you are coming to me and you're professing that maybe you believe that I'm the Messiah.

But the real reason why you're coming is because you want the benefits that you think you're gonna get. By forcing me to be your king, that I can serve you and heal you and feed you and protect you. And so you see me as an avenue for a better life on earth.

And as a result of that, you will also fall away. That's not true fruit. So the whole reason why this parable is given to us is to purify the church. To make sure that the fruit that we have is true fruit. That the followers are true followers. The four souls that we look at, the first one is the easiest to tell because they hear, they don't understand, they reject.

So they don't have a problem. They'll tell you, I don't believe. Majority of them will usually just walk away. This is nonsense. And they don't have a problem telling you, I'm not a believer, I'm not a follower of Christ. So they're easy to identify. The problem with the post-Christian culture that even that group is in the church.

And the church is bending over backwards so that they won't leave the church. But first group is easy to identify. Second group is a little bit harder because they fall on rocky soil. And initially, they receive it with joy. So this looks like immediate fruit. So they may raise their hand, come down the aisle, maybe even be baptized when active for a short period, but it says that because their roots are not connected.

There's no root. There's no real faith. There's no real connection to the living water. So when the sun comes, it withers and it dies. They're a little bit more difficult to identify because you look at it and say, well, one saved always saved, right? We're saved by grace, right?

And so there's a lot of confusion because of the way that the gospel was preached, that if they made a decision, you're saved for life. Although the scripture says over and over again, you will know them by their fruit. The simple word confession is not saving faith. Even the demons profess that.

And they shudder in fear because they know that judgment is coming for them. And yet, because of the gospel was preached to allow conviction, allow salvation, to as many people as, so if you just say the words, if I can just lead you in sinner's prayer, if I can just get you to get into this water, if I can just get you to become a member of the church, and now you're saved for eternity.

And as a result of that, the church is filled with people who are part of the second soil, and some of them have left, and some of them have never left. But they're a little bit more difficult to tell, but they're also easier because it's obvious. It's more obvious.

But the third soil is a difficult one. It says that they were planted, and if you see it, that the thorns probably was not there in the beginning. No old farmer's gonna go and put seed and ground where there's thorns and there's weeds, and usually they're gonna have to clear the ground and think it's safe.

So it says that as the plant started to grow, the weeds grew with it. So it's hard to tell. And then when it tells us that when it grew, it began to choke. The second soil, it hurt it, and initially it grew, but there's no root, so it didn't take long to die.

So it lasted a little bit longer than the first one, but eventually it dies. The third one, the third one is the difficult part. What Christian doesn't have struggles? What Christian isn't tempted? What Christian doesn't have worries? And so this is the group that is hard to discern, and that's where Jesus says to be careful when you separate the wheat and the tares.

If we are too quickly judging somebody, saying, "Oh, they're not doing this," or, "They're not active," or, "They said this," or, "They're doing that," tell me a Christian who doesn't struggle with some of these things. But clearly, he says, that third soil is not a Christian, because they get choked.

And as a result of being choked, they said there's no nutrients, and eventually it dies, there's no fruit. And because they have no fruit, Jesus is saying even those people are not genuine Christians. The only true Christian is the one who perseveres and bears fruit 30, 60, 100-fold, which we'll get to next week.

This morning, I want to take some time looking at this, and ultimately, you have to ask yourself. I knew some Christians who were caught in sin, in difficulty, and from a distance, you can look at them and say, "Man, how can that be a Christian?" And then I would have lunch with them and talk to them and have more sympathy toward them.

It's like, this is a struggling Christian. And so we're going to come alongside, encourage them, keep them accountable, maybe even rebuke them, but they respond and repent and they return. And then I've met some people who, "How can that person not be a Christian? "Look at what they've done.

"Look at their respect. "Look at what they're doing." And then you spend more and more time with them. It's like, "Huh, is that a Christian?" So it's hard to discern. So I'm asking you, because the difference between a Christian and non-Christian is how you respond to the word of God.

So after this sermon, you're going to hear it, and maybe if you do not have faith, you're going to either be irritated by what I say, "Oh, that guy's questioning me." Again? Or you're just going to shut your ear. Easiest thing to do is pretend like you never heard it.

And you're just going to walk away and just live your life. It's like, "Ah, he's going crazy again." Because it's not relevant to you, because you don't believe. It's not that relevant what the word of God says and what it reveals. Because you don't believe it. You just need to have other people think you believe it, but because you don't really believe it, whatever I say from this pulpit is really not relevant.

But if you are a believer in Christ, examine it. If there's anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, examine it. Look at it. See what it says. So I'm asking you, right? At the end of the sermon, I'm not going to just, "Okay, you, you, you. "You're a Christian, you're a Christian, okay." But I'm asking you, how will the word of God affect you?

How will you examine yourself? How will you have assurance of salvation? What are the thorns, right? What are the thorns that grew up, that choked and caused the plant to die, right? First of all, it says, "Worries of the world." And that's how it's expressed in Matthew and Mark, and then in the Gospel of Luke, it just says, "Worries." Every stage of life, there's concerns, there's worries.

When you get, every time you move on to the next stage, you kind of look at the concern that you had in the previous stage, and it's like, "Ah, so trivial." So if you're in college, you look at junior high school, high school students, "Oh, my life was so good." And all they have to worry about is getting into college.

You wait until you get to college. The worries of life. And those of you who recently graduated, you know, you see the college students struggling with college life. "Ha, ha, ha, college life. "I wish, I wish I was back in college "when everything was presented to us "and had friends with us all the time." And all you have to worry about is your grade.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha." You wait 'til you get a job. Have to wake up every single morning, how tiring it is. And then you move on, you get married, it's like, "Oh, my gosh, I thought, "I thought, just working, now I gotta work, "and I have to make sure that my wife is happy." And then those who have children, that's when the real judgment starts to happen.

It's like, "Your life is hard? "I got kids at home. "There is no free time. "What do you do with your free time?" "Free time." You go home and you're so tired, right? And it's like, "Yeah, you guys don't have kids. "Your life is so easy." And then the next stage, it's like, "You wait 'til you have teenagers in your house." You know, it's like, "I wish my kids were little.

"I dream about the day when our kids were little." And then they get a little bit older, you know, and then it's like, "Man, then we talking about money." And it's like, "Oh, it's so expensive having money." You wait 'til they start driving and start going to school, right?

Just the car insurance alone, right? Man, your life is easy. It was easy when they're attached to you. And then once they start leaving the house, that's when the real psychological battle happens, right? Every stage of life. And then as you get older, right? I'm starting to get into that stage where I look at all of that as so easy, right?

My biggest problem is I just don't have energy. And if I could just sleep better, if I had better health, I should have done this better, I should have done that better. It's so much harder now. It was so easy before. Every stage of life. And I'm sure in my 60s and 70s, there's gonna be other things that are gonna come up, but every stage of life, there is something that we're going to use and say, "Only if I get to the next stage.

"Only if I was in the previous stage. "Right now, I just don't have time. "I'm too busy." And as a result of this worry, it begins to choke the word of God. You never reject the word of God. The word of God is never fully received because you always delay it.

You never say, "I'm not gonna obey God. "I'm going to wait until my circumstance changes. "Until my children are raised. "Until I get married. "Until I have enough money. "Until I have a stable job. "Until I'm in better health." And so we never reject God. We just delay obedience.

And as a result of that, when the word of God is preached, the word gets choked in your life. Because of the worries and concerns. And the worries and concerns are not always ungodly things. Sometimes it's in the context of doing God's work. Like Martha. We're so worried, running around, trying to take care of everything, that their personal walk with God, their connection, their abiding in Christ, suffers.

Because they're so worried about so many things. Let me tell you something that may disturb you. If you haven't been disturbed already. Choosing right and wrong is not that complicated. One of the things that we struggle with more than anything else is what is and isn't God's will. But what makes choosing right and wrong so difficult is not because right and wrong is so difficult.

Because God sees it light and darkness, good and evil. Righteousness and unrighteousness. It's very black and white. But the reason why it doesn't seem black and white with us is not because God hasn't made it clear. It's because in the context of decision making, what gets tangled up in our decision is, how will that affect me?

If I choose this, how will it affect me? How will it affect my future? How will it affect my finances? How will it affect my housing? How will it affect my plans? And so everything that God teaches comes through a filter of my plans, my concerns. So even though right and wrong, God and Satan, is very clear, the reason why it gets muddled up is because we haven't fully surrendered.

Because we are not dead. If we're dead in Christ, what is God's and what is not God's is very simple. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's simple. When you're a child and you have nothing to worry about, and you're not worried about the future, you're not worried about your bank account, you're not worried about what other people are gonna think, you're not worried about how the decision that you're gonna make, how it's gonna affect you, how it's gonna affect your family, you're not worried about any of that.

All you're worried about is, what did God say? What did he say? So when you're a child, you're not worried about, if I do this, what if I can't go to school, what if I, if God, if my dad told me to do it, I just do it, and it's simple.

May not be easy, but it's simple. But reason why it's difficult is because we add to that, well, if I do this, then what about this? If I do that, then I might get fired. If I do that, then I might lose my friend. If I do that, then I might not get married.

If I do that, then I'm gonna have to do this. And so we intermingle my concerns and my worries with what it is exactly that God is saying. Well, God said it clear. Who's gonna go from it? Here am I, send me. Well, where am I gonna go? Go over here.

Well, they're not, well, I'm gonna go there, and they're not gonna listen? He said, yeah, that's what I would. What if I go, and they don't listen? He said, don't worry about it, I told you. What if I can't speak? Don't worry about it, I made your mouth, go.

So much of our confusion is because we're not dead yet. And we are trying so hard to align God's will with my will, and so we're only obedient when his will aligns with our will. But if we don't have a will, if we're dead in Christ, all we're concerned about is what did he say?

What does he want? What brings the greatest glory to him? What's going to spread the gospel to the greatest degree? What's going to bear the most fruit? That's all you're concerned about, and the consequences are in his hands. See, when an individual who's wrestling with all the decisions entangled with my will, my concern, my worries, the word of God begins to get choked, because when the word of God goes out, we don't hear it directly.

We hear it with a filter of my will. And then the word of God gets choked. Secondly, it says the deceitfulness of wealth, or riches, just plainly like Luke says. Again, some of the most godliest people that I've met in my life were very, very wealthy. In fact, there's countless number of people in the Bible who are very wealthy.

Millionaires, in our standard, could be billionaires, and they were very godly. The issue is not with money. Just like anything else, if you have health, God can use that. We live in a free country, God can use that. Anything that we have, we offer up to God, God can use that.

I know plenty of people who are very wealthy who uses their money for the kingdom of God. He said it's the deceitfulness of wealth. It is the love of money. What you think having money is going to accomplish. But if you step back and look carefully of why we believe that we need to have more money, money will satisfy your coveting.

There's things that you've allowed and said, I want that, and B, if I had money, I would have that. And we have created our wants, and we've made it our needs. But so much of what we think that we need is simply us coveting, coveting. What they have, what they drive.

Like, oh, I wanna do this, I wanna do that, I wanna take care of my family. And so, it's not a need, it's a want. So we are deceived, thinking money is going to satisfy my coveting. Money will satisfy your pride, your status. You go somewhere and everybody else is driving a nice car and you're not, and so I need it.

And so what it feeds is your pride. I don't want my kids to be the only one at school who doesn't have this. I don't want my kids not to experience this. And so we're feeding so that our children have these things that other kids have. And so we made that a need, to build up status for my children.

And sometimes the worst decisions that we make against God are in the excuse with our children. Because for me, it's selfish. I don't have love of money, I don't care what I drive, I don't care what I wear, but my children. So I won't covet for me, but I will covet for my children, and somehow we think that that's godly.

That's how you're deceived. That's how we get deceived. It satisfies our flesh. If I don't have money, my friends are traveling, they're doing this, they're buying that, but I can't do that. So in order for me to live a certain lifestyle, I need to have this. Now, nothing ungodly about having that, but when we are deceived to think I need that, that becomes our priority.

An anonymous writer said this, and I want to read this to you because I think it captures the right attitude, right perspective. Money can buy a house, but not a home. A bed, but not a rest. Food, but not an appetite. Medicine, but not health. Information, but not wisdom.

Thrills, but not joy. Associates, but not friends. Servants, but not loyalty. Flattery, but not respect. The things that we desire, things that may give us value and happiness in our lives, money cannot buy. But because we convince ourselves that these are things that we need, not want, we make that a priority.

Once I have this, and that's why Jesus says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, "and all these things shall be added unto you." But if we're not careful, we say, "We want to seek these things first." And hopefully God will honor this later. First Timothy 6, nine through 12, it says, "But those who want to get rich fall into temptation." Now, some of you guys may read that.

It's like, "I don't want to get rich. "I just want to have enough, enough." And so, what is the standard of enough? How much of what you have called enough, coveting? How much of what you and I have called enough, status? How much of what you and I have been convinced of enough is feeding our flesh?

There's not a single person in this room who didn't have shoes to wear. How many of you starved last night? Not because you're on a 18-hour fast so you can get rid of your chin, right? I'm saying 'cause you just didn't have food. There's not a single person in here.

We're rich, every single one of us. They said that if you are an average pay person in the United States, making somewhere between 50, 60,000, which I know most of you make more than that 'cause we live in California, right? You're top 1% of the world, the world, right?

But we convince ourselves that we're not. And so we think and pursue wealth like a poor person. And so the worries and concerns and the deceitfulness of riches, so when you have money, you're afraid that the decisions you make following Christ, picking up your cross, is gonna cause you to lose money.

And then if you don't have money, if you pick up your cross and follow Christ and obey everything that God tells us, that I'm not gonna have money. So whether you have money, whether you don't have money, the deceitfulness of riches causes you to say not now. Not now.

This is not a rebuke to the rich. This is not a rebuke simply to the poor 'cause we can all easily be deceived. Our concern this morning is, is your shoes gonna match the sock that you wore? You know what I mean? My biggest struggle is what am I gonna eat today?

I ate sushi the other day, so I don't want sushi again. You know what I mean? I don't want a heartburn, so I can't eat that. You know, I'm gonna have Korean later tonight, so I can't have Korean, that's my biggest struggle. Right? And probably most of you. But somehow we convince ourselves that we need it.

What we need is Christ. But we made the only thing that we actually need into a want. So we want Christ, but we're not desperate for him. We're not yearning for him. We're not committed to him. We're not actively pursuing him. So we want Christ, but even if that doesn't happen, there's no serious consequence.

But when we're not actively pursuing finances, something's wrong. We feel a sense of urgency. The bills are not paid. We cannot eat. My kids are not taken care of. And we pray and we cling to God because our wants are not being met. But the only need that we have is Christ.

Is when our value is flipped upside down, the word of God begins to get choked in our lives. And so when the word of God is exposed, I can preach to you about the grace of God, the love of God, the security of Christ, and how your salvation you can never lose.

And I can preach to that every single Sunday until the day you die, and you will thank me for it, and bear absolutely no fruit. You're in a slow-moving boat to condemnation in the church, singing songs, actively maybe even serving, but the word of God has been choked in your life for years.

Because when you hear the imperatives, when you hear the commands, and it doesn't align with your fears and your worries, it can't be from God. When your concerns and your desire for wealth and the word of God is exposed, and it doesn't fit, and it makes you feel uncomfortable, automatically it's good for them.

But God didn't call all of us. God didn't challenge all of us. And so we harden our hearts deliberately so that that word doesn't have any effect. And the easiest way to do that is, Pastor Peter is on his hobby horse again. I knew this church was gonna be like this.

Or just shut your ears. You go out, maybe you're disturbed, or maybe you heard, you didn't hear it, but you go out and nothing ever changes. You just committed to the horse that you rode in on. That's the horse that you're gonna ride 'til the day you die. And the next time you're gonna hear the unadulterated truth that's gonna change you is when you meet the living Lord.

And he says, "Not everybody who calls me Lord, Lord, "shall enter the kingdom of heaven." And you've been hearing that all your life, but you deliberately choked the word of God in your life. So he warns us, "Anyone who wants to get rich "falls into a temptation and a stare, "and many foolish and harmful desires "would plunge men into ruin and destruction.

"The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil." Some of you guys may listen to that and say, "I don't love money. "I don't get $100 bills and throw it on the bed "and jump on it and take Instagram pictures. "So I don't love money. "I don't even like the color green." Right?

Obviously, the love of money is not expressed in paper bills. Love of money is expressed through love of comfort, love of ease, love of pleasure, love of security, love of things. Love of money is not so, "Oh, I don't care if I have a." All those loves are an expression of love of money.

And it deceives us. He says, "Flee from these things, you men of God, "and pursue righteousness." Godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight. Fight the good fight. Before we commit ourselves to fight the good fight to the outside world, that we wanna be the light to the darkness, we have to fight the good fight that is in us.

We have to fight the temptation in us. We have to fight the things that choke the word of God in us. Before we can be effective in being the light to the world, we have to first be the light. You can't turn on the light when you go outside if your light is dim when you're inside.

So he says, "Fight the good fight." First and foremost, the fight is in you. Fight is here. It needs to happen here. The things that we can't see, the word of God needs to judge the thoughts and intentions of your heart so that what is right and wrong, what is from God, what is from the devil, is not so complicated.

We spend so much time being worried about the gray area. Is it sin or is it not sin? The primary concern that we should have is, is it from God or not? Is God pleased with this or not? Is God glorified with this or not? That should be our primary concern, not how much can I get away with, how much of this world and pleasure that I can experience while not being judged by the living God.

That's what complicates our decision making. But if we are committed to Christ and we are surrendered and we are crucified, it's not that complicated. It's difficult, but it's not that complicated. Fight the good fight. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

That's why it says in 1 Timothy 3:3 that elders must flee from the love of money. An elder who is holding on to that, allowing the love of money, concern for money, concern for safety, concern for this, how is that not gonna translate into the way we run the church, how we make decisions?

That's why it says an elder must flee from the love of money. Matthew 6:24, no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God. You cannot. How many people professing to be Christians are living their lives to prove God wrong?

I'll show you. I'm gonna serve God and money. I'll show you. How many Christians are living their lives dedicated to prove God wrong? And I guarantee you 100%, you're gonna wake up one day and say God was right. You're gonna find yourself making decisions that will lead you away from God, word of God choked in your life, and you have deliberated, you have forsaken your first love.

God warned the nation of Israel. The greatest struggle for the nation of Israel was when they are blessed. He said when you go into the promised land and your food is paid and your enemy is conquered, he says you're gonna become proud, verse 14, Deuteronomy 8, and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

He says the temptation's not gonna come because of your enemies. The temptation's not gonna come because of hardship. Temptation's gonna come when your bills are paid, when your children are taken care of, when you have all the freedom in the world to establish worship, and then you become proud when God is no longer your need and simply a want, and when pride comes in, you're gonna forget God.

Now, did the nation of Israel forget, like I don't know who Yahweh is? Is that what happened? What does he mean by forget God? He's no longer at the center of their camp. He's somebody that's important, but he's not the cause of their life. He's somebody that they need when they are desperate and they got no other way to turn, but he's not their refuge.

That's exactly what happens in Hosea 13, six, when God warns the nation of Israel, judgment is coming, and all of Hosea is summarized in this statement. As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their hearts became proud, therefore they forgot me, exactly as God warned them, and that's exactly what happened to the nation of Israel.

Finally, it says the desire for things. That's what it says in the Gospel of Mark, or in Luke, it says pleasures of this life. How much of people, the word of God is just being choked simply because you are so committed to the pleasures of life? Now, that may not be sinful, but you're always filled.

When you come into this service, some of you, I don't know if the Dodgers are playing today, some of you are already thinking like, are they gonna win? Or maybe you made plans to go to Disneyland, right? This guy better finish his sermon, 'cause if I get there five minutes late, I'm not gonna get parking, right?

Or maybe this boba store is gonna, new one open up, if I go there five minutes late, that line's gonna be a little bit longer than normal. Whatever it is, whatever it is that we're entangled with, those have consumed our mind and our heart, and so the word of God is not penetrating, 'cause you're here to fill the time, right?

So we have an unseen covenant each Sunday, one hour, 15 minutes. Beyond that, you're robbing my life, right? Whatever it is that you're pursuing. 1 John 2, 15 to 16, "Do not love the world, nor the things of the world. "If anyone loves the world, "the love of the Father is not in him.

"For all that is in the world, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, "and the boastful pride of life "is not from the Father, but is from the world." The world is not neutral to God. The God of this world uses entertainment to draw you away from God, so that there is no space for God in your life.

It's not because you have rejected God, it's because you have already filled your life with pleasures, and so when the word of God goes out, there's no room. You already came into the room filled. So it's not that you are rejecting God, but the word of God has no room in your life.

The world is not neutral. The Bible clearly tells us that God of this age, blinds the unbelievers so that they do not see the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You know what that means? The word of God is not penetrating. And the way that they do that is fill you with things that have nothing to do with God, so that when the word of God comes, there's no room to get in.

How much of the people in the church simply drift away from God, and accept that as normal. Your first love was forsaken many years ago, but because that's all you see around you, you've accepted that as normal Christian life, and you've made cultural Christianity, Christianity. When was the last time you actually examined yourself?

Do I believe this? And if I actually believe this, is my life, is my decision making, is the way that I look at finance, what I pursue, what I get entertained by, is it consistent with somebody who professes these things? I want to remind you of this. When Eve fell, Eve didn't fall because Satan came and shook his fist and said, "If you don't follow me, "if you don't subject yourself to me, I will destroy you." That's not how they felt.

In Genesis 3, 6, it says, "When the woman saw "that the tree was good for food, "and that it was a delight to the eyes." "And that the tree was desirable to make one wise. "She took from its fruit and ate, "and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." The fall of mankind did not come as a threat.

It wasn't because of a persecution. It was simply a promise for pleasure, 'cause it was good to eat. It was good to watch, and it's going to raise my status. And as a result of that, mankind fell. If you look at the judgment of the nation of Israel, they split between north and the southern kingdom.

The northern kingdom is taken by a brutal enemy, the Assyrians. They would cut off their hands and cut off their head and pile it up so that whoever was remaining would live in fear of the Assyrians. But the greatest threat to the nation of Israel was not Assyria, because Assyria, what they did, caused them to fear and run to God.

If anything, it would bring revival because of fear. But that's not how the devil comes to us. You know how the Bible describes the end times? It doesn't say, "Beware of Assyria." He says, "Beware of the Babylonians." Babylonians came and took the southern kingdom into captivity, but the Babylonians had a completely different philosophy.

We're going to give them status, we're going to give them citizenship, we're going to make life great for them. So when God calls a nation of Israel to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, almost nobody comes. Because they've so assimilated to Babylon. That why risk, why risk harm, why risk danger when they've already found status and citizenship in Babylon?

So when you look at the book of Revelation, it doesn't warn us about Assyria, it warns us about Babylon. The greatest struggle in the church is Babylon. And that's why it tells us that the third soil, the third soil, which is very difficult to discern because every Christian wrestles with it to some degree.

But the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is a Christian will hear, they will heed, they will recognize, and then they will follow. A non-Christian has accepted. Their hearts have become cold, they haven't truly worshiped God for years, the word of God is being choked, there is no fruit, people are surprised when you say you're a Christian, and then you hear the word of God, and you just close the door.

And you just continue on that path. If that's you, if that's you, this warning is for you. I pray, I pray that our church would truly be Bereans, not simply by name. Test, test what is being said. Rejecting me is easy. But if anything I said is true in the word of God, simply being at church is not enough.

And let me conclude with this. Some of you guys may have read news that Richard Dawkins, he's probably the most famous atheist of our generation. He wrote a popular book called God Delusion, and so everybody knows he's the most well-known atheist in our generation, and recently he said he is very concerned about how the Islamic faith is penetrating into his country.

And so they're talking about replacing Christmas with Ramadan. So he came out disturbed, and this is what, this is an atheist who lives his whole life debating Christians and religion, and this is what he says. I love hymns, I love Christmas carols, I feel home in the Christian ethos.

I feel that we are a Christian nation, and he wants to keep it that way. But let me make a distinction. I am a cultural Christian, not a believing Christian. He wants the Christian values without genuine faith. How many people in the church are cultural Christians without faith? I pray that the word of God would cause you to open your ears, examine yourself, and pray with all my heart that you would follow Christ.

Nothing else will satisfy. You cannot come halfway and wonder why it's so hard to worship. You cannot come halfway and wonder why it's so hard to pray. You cannot half-hearted, committed to Christ, and wonder why you're not bearing fruit. You must come all the way to Christ, all the way to Christ.

You cannot just sip on the living water, you must drink of the living water. You cannot just taste the bread of life, you must eat of the bread of life, that we may bear fruit and bring the greatest glory to God in our life. Let's pray. Father, you are worthy of all our praise.

You are worthy of our worship. You are worthy of our finances. You are worthy of our youth. You are worthy of our whole life. Help us, Lord God, in our weak faith to follow you, to persevere in you, and to bear much fruit for the sake of your glory.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Let's all stand up for the closing praise. (gentle music) the Lord is with you. (gentle music) , , , , Jesus, your mercy is all my plea. I have no defense, my guilt runs too deep. The best of my works is your hands and your feet.

Jesus, your mercy is all my plea. Jesus, your mercy is all my praise. The burdens I bear in the grounds of my home will never run out until God I behold. Jesus, your mercy is all my prayer. Christ, the King who bore my sin, took my place when I stood content.

Oh, how good you always did to me. I will sing of your mercy. (gentle music) Jesus, your mercy is all my praise. Comfort I came to in my begging day. Jesus, your mercy is all my prayer. Christ, the King who bore my sin, took my place when I stood content.

Oh, how good you always did to me. I will sing of your mercy. (gentle music) Jesus, your mercy is all my joy. Forever I'll lift my heart and my voice to sing of a treasure no man can destroy. Jesus, your mercy is all my joy. Christ, the King who bore my sin, took my place when I stood content.

Oh, how good you always did to me. I will sing of your mercy. Christ, the King who bore my sin, took my place when I stood content. Oh, how good you always did to me. I will sing of your mercy. (gentle music) - Let's pray. Now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, eternal love of God the Father, rest, restore, strengthen, challenge, rebuke, and build your church, Lord God, that we may be the light that you've called us to be.

Wherever you send us, help us to be the aroma of Christ. May Christ and Christ alone be magnified through our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. ♪ God sent his son ♪ ♪ They called him Jesus ♪ ♪ He came to love ♪ ♪ Heal and forgive ♪ ♪ He lived and died ♪ ♪ To buy my pardon ♪ ♪ An empty grave is there to fill ♪ ♪ My Savior lives ♪ ♪ Because he lives ♪ ♪ I can face tomorrow ♪ ♪ Because he lives ♪ ♪ All fear is gone ♪ ♪ Because I know ♪ ♪ He holds the future ♪ ♪ And life is worth the living ♪ ♪ Just because he lives ♪ ♪ To the praise of your mercy and grace ♪ ♪ To the praise of your glory ♪ ♪ 'Cause you are the God who saved ♪ ♪ ♪ The praise and glory ♪ ♪ By our God ♪ ♪ Who gives his grace in Christ ♪ ♪ It grows ♪ ♪ All our sins are washed away ♪ ♪ Redeemed through sacrifice ♪ ♪ In him God hath begun to us ♪ ♪ The mystery of his will ♪ ♪ And Christ should be the head ♪ ♪ Of all his purpose to fulfill ♪ ♪ ♪ To the praise of your glory ♪ ♪ To the praise of your mercy and grace ♪ ♪ To the praise of your glory ♪ ♪ 'Cause you are the God who saved ♪ ♪ You are the God who saved ♪ ♪ You set us free from our sin ♪ ♪ So we call upon your name ♪ ♪ Only you can save ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Come praise and glorify ♪ ♪ Come praise and glorify our God ♪ ♪ For we believe the word ♪ ♪ We believe the word ♪ ♪ And through our faith we have received ♪ ♪ The spirit of the Lord ♪ ♪ The spirit gave the keys, I hope ♪ ♪ Until redemption ♪ ♪ We anticipate this day ♪ ♪ Until we join in endless praise ♪ ♪ To God for free and one ♪ ♪ To the praise of your glory ♪ ♪ To the praise of your mercy and grace ♪ ♪ To the praise of your glory ♪ ♪ Oh, you are the God ♪ ♪ You are the God who saves ♪ ♪ To the praise of your glory ♪ ♪ To the praise of your mercy and grace ♪ ♪ To the praise of your glory ♪ ♪ 'Cause you are the God who saved ♪ ♪ You are the God who saved ♪ ♪ You set us free from our sin ♪ ♪ You are worthy of all our praise ♪ ♪ With every breath, with every song ♪ ♪ You are worthy, Lord ♪ ♪ Sing your praise ♪ ♪ Sing your praise ♪