(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) (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) (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) (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) (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. I'd like to begin our service with reading from 2 Peter 3:9. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. As we've been going through the book of Luke and learning the importance and the urgency of our repentance, let this song be our prayer that we would return to a genuine devotion and true worship to the Lord, to turn away from sin as a response of a true affection for Christ, for the mercy and love that we have been shown.

(soft piano music) ♪ When the music fades ♪ ♪ When the music fades ♪ ♪ And all is stripped away ♪ ♪ And I simply come ♪ ♪ Longing just to bring ♪ ♪ Something that's of worth ♪ ♪ That will bless your heart ♪ ♪ I'll bring you more than a song ♪ ♪ For a song in itself ♪ ♪ Is not what you have required ♪ ♪ You search much deeper within ♪ ♪ Through the way things appear ♪ ♪ You're looking into my heart ♪ ♪ I'm coming back to the heart of worship ♪ ♪ And it's all about you ♪ ♪ It's all about you, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made ♪ ♪ And when it's all about you ♪ ♪ It's all about you, Jesus ♪ (soft piano music) ♪ King of endless world ♪ ♪ No one could express ♪ ♪ How much you deserve ♪ ♪ Though I'm weak and poor ♪ ♪ All I have is yours ♪ ♪ Every single breath ♪ ♪ I'll bring you more than a song ♪ ♪ For a song in itself ♪ ♪ Is not what you have required ♪ ♪ You search much deeper within ♪ ♪ Through the way things appear ♪ ♪ You're looking into my heart ♪ ♪ I'm coming back to the heart of worship ♪ ♪ And it's all about you ♪ ♪ It's all about you, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made ♪ ♪ And when it's all about you ♪ ♪ It's all about you, Jesus ♪ I'm coming back.

♪ I'm coming back to the heart of worship ♪ ♪ And it's all about you ♪ ♪ It's all about you, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made ♪ ♪ And when it's all about you ♪ ♪ It's all about you, Jesus ♪ - Hi, good morning.

Welcome to Breen Community Church. And again, I just want to encourage you, if you are new to the church and you're visiting us, and I know there's a lot of college students who are starting to trickle into town, and our welcome booth, as you were coming in, you probably saw that, and if you visit that table, any kind of question that you have about Bible study, your age group, affinity group, and what kind of activities are happening, how do you jump in and get involved, all of that information is at the table, so we encourage you to go to those tables.

And also, there's a separate college table for those of you who are coming in and asking questions about that. So visit them, and then they'll be able to answer any kind of questions that you have. Along with that, today at 1 p.m., I know in the previous, before we said 1.30, but it's actually at one o'clock, we have a newcomer's luncheon that's taking place in our old cafe.

Not the new cafe, but the old cafe, where the current cry room is. And so at one o'clock, even if you haven't signed up and you want to go and you have some questions, meet some of the leaders there, it's taking place in that room at 1 p.m. So lunch is provided.

So if you've signed up, please be there by one o'clock. Even if you haven't signed up, go to the welcome table and let them know that you want to take advantage of that today, so that's happening at one o'clock. One other thing is, as you were coming into the parking lot, you probably saw in front of the other building, not this building, but the other building, there were signs there that says visitors parking.

So we're designating that area, that whole stretch, there's maybe about six, seven, or eight spots there, for people who are visiting for the first time, okay? Not the second time or third time, but the first time, okay? And the reason why we're doing that is, as you come to church, because our parking spaces are all spread out, it's a bit harder for visitors to kind of know where to go.

So if you're visiting for the first time, please direct your friends, if you are coming, and tell them that they can park there. Otherwise, everybody else is welcome to park anywhere else, all right? So that's starting from this week, but if you didn't see that starting from next week, make sure that you see that, and that's designated for that, okay?

New members class starting next Sunday at 9 a.m. It's gonna be in the current youth group room on the other side. So that's a eight-week course. If you are planning to become a member, please sign up for that. And Pastor Nate is doing that. It's an, again, eight-week course from 9 to 10.30 a.m., and then you can attend the second service afterwards, okay?

That's starting next Sunday. Next Sunday is also a communion service. So tomorrow, next Sunday, as I've mentioned before in the previous communion, that we need to really come prepared, that we participate in a manner that's worthy, that we examine our hearts before you come so that we can participate in a way where God brings us together and reminds us of what it is that we're actually celebrating.

Next Sunday, we are going to go back to our old system. We're not gonna use those tiny cups. We are gonna go back to the old system where people are asked to come up, but we are going to be sanitary. We're gonna be using gloves, and we're gonna be giving it to you so that all your dirty hands don't get on there and then share all the germs with each other.

So we're gonna make sure that all that's taken care of, but we do wanna go back to our old system because the symbolism behind our communion is for us to come together, and we want you to be willful participants and not passively just receiving it. And so just remember that.

That's happening next Sunday. Sign up for men's ministry. If you came in to the campus and you probably saw a table out there, and it says men's ministry, on October 16th, okay, not next Friday, next Saturday, but Saturday afterwards, from nine to 12 o'clock, we have a men's ministry fellowship that we're having quarterly.

And so we have a guest speaker that's coming in, Pastor Paul Pack, not our, Paul Pack, our BBAG League commissioner, but we have Pastor Paul who's gonna be coming, and he's gonna be speaking for us for our men's ministry that morning. And then we have lunch provided afterwards, but the cost of it is gonna be $10 for the lunch and the snack.

So please go outside and sign up for that, or you can sign up online. And then one other announcement. Women's ministry film-o-ship, that's happening on October 8th. Is this correct, October 8th? Okay, so it's happening on October 8th, and so today is the last day that you can sign up for that, and that's, again, for our sisters.

And as you guys know, many of you came to participate and to watch Pastor Lee from Dropbox come and give his testimony, and I think we were tremendously blessed. But that film-o-ship for our sisters, they're gonna be watching the full film, Dropbox, I think it came out maybe about seven, eight years ago.

It might've been longer than that, but they're gonna be watching the whole film together. And so if you haven't watched it, it'd be a great opportunity to fellowship with our sisters and see the full story. I mean, I wish we had more time to hear from him because spending dinner and then some time in lunch, and there's so many things that he was sharing, just kind of just talking about, that when somebody has gone through so much in their life, and their testimony is not just things that they heard or read, or it's coming from so much pain and tears.

And so the things that he was saying was just so empowering. I wanted, I wish we had more time to kind of have him share with us. Maybe we can have that again at some point. But again, we wanna highly encourage you, if you haven't signed up for that, to sign up for that, for the sisters on October 8th.

And maybe after October 8th, we can borrow the video, and then the men can watch that next time, okay? So again, today is the last day to sign up, so please sign up for that. Let me pray for the offering, and then afterwards, after our pray set, our sister Emily Kang is gonna come, give her testimony, and she'll be baptized this morning.

All right, let's pray. Gracious Father, we have gathered together as a church to honor you, to worship you, to adore you, to follow you, to listen to you. Help us, Lord God, to put aside all our distractions, and may your word and your spirit speak to us powerfully. We ask, Lord God, that even in our offering, may it be multiplied for your use.

May your grace be sufficient, and your Holy Spirit speak to us powerfully. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) Let us all rise as we sing these praises. (upbeat music) All hail the power.

♪ All hail the power of Jesus' name ♪ ♪ Let angels prostrate fall ♪ ♪ Bring forth the royal diadem ♪ ♪ And crown him Lord of all ♪ ♪ Bring forth the royal diadem ♪ ♪ And crown him Lord of all ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) ♪ Ye chosen seed ♪ ♪ Ye chosen seed of Israel's race ♪ ♪ Ye ransomed from the fall ♪ ♪ Hail him who saves you by his grace ♪ ♪ And crown him Lord of all ♪ ♪ Hail him who saves you by his grace ♪ ♪ And crown him Lord of all ♪ ♪ Let every kindred ♪ ♪ Let every kindred, every tribe ♪ ♪ On this terrestrial ball ♪ ♪ To him all majesty ascribe ♪ ♪ And crown him Lord of all ♪ ♪ To him all majesty ascribe ♪ ♪ And crown him Lord of all ♪ ♪ Lord of all ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Oh that with yonder sacred thrall ♪ ♪ We at his feet may fall ♪ ♪ We'll join the everlasting song ♪ ♪ And crown him Lord of all ♪ ♪ We'll join the everlasting song ♪ ♪ And crown him Lord of all ♪ (upbeat music) , , ♪ The love of God is greater far ♪ ♪ Than tongue or pen can ever tell ♪ ♪ It goes beyond the highest star ♪ ♪ And reaches to the lowest hell ♪ ♪ The guilty pair bow down with care ♪ ♪ God gave his son to win ♪ ♪ His erring child he reconciled ♪ ♪ And parted from his son ♪ ♪ His son ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ When years of time ♪ ♪ When years of time shall pass away ♪ ♪ And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall ♪ ♪ When men who year refuse to pray ♪ ♪ Are rocks and hills and mountains call ♪ ♪ God's love so sure shall still endure ♪ ♪ All measureless and strong ♪ ♪ Redeeming grace to Adam's race ♪ ♪ The saints and angels song ♪ ♪ Love of God ♪ ♪ Oh love of God ♪ ♪ How rich and pure ♪ ♪ How measureless and strong ♪ ♪ It shall forevermore endure ♪ ♪ The saints and angels song ♪ ♪ Could we would think ♪ ♪ Could we would think ♪ ♪ That the ocean fill ♪ ♪ And were the skies of parchment made ♪ ♪ Were every stock on earth a quill ♪ ♪ And every man a scribe by trade ♪ ♪ To write the love of God above ♪ ♪ Could drain the ocean dry ♪ ♪ Nor could the scroll contain the whole ♪ ♪ Though stretched from sky to sky ♪ ♪ Oh love of God ♪ ♪ How rich and pure ♪ ♪ How measureless and strong ♪ ♪ It shall forevermore endure ♪ ♪ The saints and angels song ♪ ♪ Oh love of God ♪ ♪ Oh love of God ♪ ♪ How rich and pure ♪ ♪ How measureless and strong ♪ ♪ It shall forevermore endure ♪ ♪ The saints and angels song ♪ And then you may be seated.

- Thank you. Hello, my name is Emily Kang and I'll share my testimony. I received infant baptism and I was raised in a Christian family, attending Sunday service every week, serving and being involved at church. In my adolescence, I felt that I understood the depth of death and the greatness of Jesus's selfless sacrifice and obedience to his father.

I felt like I believed that there is a being called God who loved and cared for me, but I didn't know at the time that I was blind to my sins and that I was just a Sunday Christian who was content knowing God only on the surface level. Then during my second year of college, a pastor asked me to enter in her children's ministry.

I wrestled with this decision because I desperately wanted to go into nursing, but had no time to serve more at church. But the need for someone to fill in was urgent and I felt unfit for the role, but with good intent, I did it for the next six years and eventually leading.

My Mondays showed how thin and easily shatterable my efforts were for the ministry. I tried my best to glorify God through worship services and events. I was saying all the right prayers, but I still felt out of place, confused, constantly anxious and worried about every Sunday, all the while unwilling to let go of pursuing nursing.

Without dealing with my heart first, I just pushed myself to do more. But committing more without completely centering my heart to Christ blinded me of joyfulness and contentment that God wants from me while serving him. I poured out my energy and time on people so that they could volunteer in my ministry.

I was physically, mentally and emotionally drained. By the time I came home, I had no time for family and friends and completely shut myself in emotionally, wanting to be left alone. I was completely different while I was at church versus when I was at home. I was never satisfied because I was focused on the efficiency and success of ministry.

I felt guilty on a weekly basis as soon as I came home from church. I felt sick of myself for repenting of my sins every single week so that he could help me carry out the worship service well. My life wasn't fully dependent on him who was completely sufficient.

Then in my fourth year of ministry, my dad was taken to an emergency room with a heart attack. And my mom and my sister immediately went to the emergency room, but I was stuck at home with ministry work. All I could do was drop down and beg God not to take my dad away.

This was the moment when I realized that there's absolutely nothing I can do but only hang on to him. It was a time of completely surrendering to God. I kneeled and begged in prayer that if God would let my dad live, I will dedicate my life to God and to do anything that he asks of me.

And I finally realized that a life of obedience to Jesus is never a life of doing only what I want to do. It was about denying myself and taking up the cross. God expected my repentance to be complete and uncompromising. I then repented for how I've been serving without acknowledging him as my Lord in every aspect of my life.

I learned that serving others required me to love Christ first. Serving his people and his church meant nothing if I didn't hold on to Christ first. I am now in a place where I realize my deeply self-absorbed and egocentric self is in no way close to having Jesus as the center and Lord of my life.

Realizing my sins made me feel all the more insufficient and inadequate than ever before. However, Acts 10.43 says, "Everyone who believes in Christ "receives forgiveness of sins through his name." My wages of sin was death, but I am now so thankful for Christ's boundless love and grace and his power to forgive my sins, cancel my debts, and kneel to the cross if I repent.

To sum up, all of my life I wanted to be someone, pursuing my dream career, and it was difficult to understand why God would place me where I thought I didn't belong. I was focused on my abilities and on doing than on being, but I realized that I need to fix my eyes on God and seek him and his will first, humbly trusting in his guidance and his loving and sovereign hand.

No matter where God has placed me, by the boundless love and grace of Jesus, I can be joyful in the fact that he calls me his child. My identity in him is now my living identity, and I'm sincerely grateful to become new and be filled with new potential that he gives.

My hope is that I would diligently grow in knowledge and love for Jesus and not be blinded to the fact that my Lord is glorious in every way, and not only that, but that he meets me in my weakness with strength that only he can give, and therefore magnify his love and grace that he constantly showed in my life.

I thank God for all the people who invested in me, shepherded me, prayed for me, and modeled for the great patience, grace of Jesus. By his grace, I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord and my savior. I hope to walk humbly before God, actively and passionately seeking him and acknowledging him in all the ways of my life.

Thank you for listening. (audience applauding) (audience member speaking faintly) like that. (audience member speaking faintly) (audience applauding) (audience member speaking faintly) (audience applauding) (audience member speaking faintly) - All right, thank you, Emily, for that testimony. If you can turn your Bibles with me to Luke chapter three, I'm gonna finish the message that I started last week.

Luke chapter three, I'm gonna be reading from verse 15 to 17. Luke chapter three, verse 15 to 17. Reading out of the NASB. Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John as to whether he was the Christ, John answered and said to them all, as for me, I baptize you with water, but one is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to thoroughly clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we ask for your strength. We know, Father, that we can study, we can hear, but only by the power of your Spirit that we can understand, be convicted, and be changed.

So I ask, Lord God, that you would illuminate your word, that you would soften our hearts, open our ears, that we may hear from you and you alone. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. As we talked about last week, last week is a transition that's taking place from John the Baptist's ministry to introduce Christ.

And so he did such a great job that people were beginning to wonder, could he be the Christ? And so obviously that needed to be corrected. It would be a huge sin for him to take any of that glory. And so he tells them that Jesus is much mightier than he is, which is more than an understatement, and that he's not even worthy to untie his sandals.

And then the statement that really differentiates between him and Christ's ministry is that he says, "I baptize you with water, but the one that is coming "will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and a fire." And we talked about that last week, where John the Baptist was a last prophet sent from the old covenant.

And so you have to understand that for 400 years there was silence, not because they didn't have the word of God, not because they didn't have temple worship. They had plenty of leaders, scribes and Pharisees. It wasn't because they weren't able to worship God in religiousness. The Bible says that God speaks not only through the mouth of men, but through the Holy Spirit.

So when there was a 400 years of silence, it wasn't because they didn't have access to the word of God. It was God himself was not speaking. And so when John the Baptist came, he said, "God was speaking through this man." And so what John was able to do is garner a lot of attention.

People were coming, something's happening. God is stirring up. All of a sudden there's, he's speaking like everybody else, humanly speaking, but there's something different about him. They knew that there was an anointing on him that they haven't seen for hundreds of years. But what he says about John the Baptist, about Jesus, is a distinction between life and death.

It's a distinction between coming to church all your life and knowing and understanding and practicing a form of godliness without any power. John the Baptist, his baptism didn't save anybody. It had no power to deliver you from sin. It just brought attention to sin, to cause you to be aware of sin, just like the law, it came to make sin utterly sinful.

So when he says, "I baptize you with water. "I can go through ceremonial cleansing, "but the real power is coming in Christ "when he baptize you in the Holy Spirit." I believe that you and I are living in a generation where we need to be on our knees desperately praying for revival because we live in a post-Christian culture where there is a lot of religiousness.

We have conferences. We have different translations of the Bible. If you don't like this church, you can jump to the next church down the street. If you don't wanna go to missions here, you can go to the missions to another country. I mean, you and I have so much option.

The concern that we have and the questions that we need to answer is which one? Out of the abundance of opportunities that we have, which one am I gonna choose? So it naturally causes us to become consumers. Which translation's the best? Which pastor do I like the most? I can wake up in the middle of the night and choose to listen to a sermon or not listen, and as a result of that, we have become experts in religiousness.

But we also need to, I believe, admit that there's very little power. Every once in a while, we travel to remotest parts of the world, and we're gonna head back to India, and so little opportunities, so little finance, so little training, and yet their ministry is so powerful. Men who, some of them are illiterate.

They're literally learning the Bible through pictures. Most of them have never gone to seminaries. They're not properly funded. Many of them who end up going to villages for a week's end have to leave their work to go. That means they're not getting paid. Were they getting paid a dollar a day to take care of their family, and they have to forfeit that in order to go evangelism, and yet they go.

People who have so little access to what we have, why is there so much power in their ministry? Leonard Ravenhill, he says this about revival. As long as we are content to live without revival, we will. If this is satisfactory, then this is what you will have. If you look at the spiritual condition of where we're at, where you're at, where we've been, then that's where we will be.

That's what our children will inherit. J.I. Packer says this about revival. Revival is the visitation of God, which brings to life Christians who have been sleeping, and restores a deep sense of God's near presence and holiness. Where he takes just mundane things, and when God shows up, and his presence becomes real, all of a sudden, sleeping Christians wake up, and you begin to see the power of God.

Last week, we talked about how Jesus' baptism is a baptism of the Holy Spirit, and we said the baptism of the Holy Spirit is what you and I depend on to be able to live out our faith. It is not just strong emotions. It's not just tears in worship.

It's not just some strange, miraculous spiritual sensation. He said it is the power behind what God has called us to do. So after the training, before he sends out the disciples, he says, "Do not go yet, because you do not have the power. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, "and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, "to the remotest part of the world." So we looked at it last week, how the Holy Spirit, being baptized with the Holy Spirit, is the power behind what you and I are called to do.

J.I. Packer, sorry, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones says this about that text that we all know, "Be still, and know that I am God." And he said, "Oftentimes, we misunderstand this text." And he says this, "We must not interpret that 'be still' "in a sentimental manner, some regarded as a kind "of exhortation to us to be silent.

"But it is nothing of the sort. "It means give up or give in, and admit I am God. "God is addressing people who are opposed to him. "It is a call to revival. "Be still." He said, "We learned last week, well, how, "if the power behind our spiritual life "is the power of the Holy Spirit, "being baptized by the Holy Spirit, "how do we receive this baptism?" Peter makes it very clear.

He says, "Repent and be baptized, "until we truly repent." Just like John the Baptist, just like Jesus said, "Bear fruit in accordance to repentance." Repentance isn't feeling bad. Repentance isn't acknowledging what is good. Repentance is turning away from our sins. And so he says, "Repent and be baptized by the Holy Spirit." Why is this so important?

Because we cannot walk without it. We can produce everything that we can produce through man's work. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we can gather people. If I make it more entertaining up here, keep my sermon short, that always seems to help. Make sure we have proper groups.

I mean, our generation is hungering for community, because we don't have it in our culture. We don't have it at work. We don't have it in our neighborhood. So people are hungry for community. So if they come to church and they find a bunch of people that loves them, care for them, then automatically that will draw people.

If what we do up here, if they grew up at church all their lives, they're gonna go to church anyway, might as well go to a church that's entertaining and the time passes quick. Kind of like going to driving school, 'cause you got a ticket and you gotta burn it anyway, might as well go to the comedy school, right?

Instead of this dead serious, like, S-Officer, you know? Yeah, I don't know how many of you have been. I've been to plenty of traffic schools where time goes by much faster if the guy's entertaining, right? Lot of people see church that way. Well, I'm gonna go to church anyway, since I grew up and I'm a professing Christian, I don't want to disappoint my friends and family.

So might as well go to church where it's gonna be entertaining. But there's no power. So we can gather people, we can make people feel good, we can make people want to be at church, we can build nice buildings, we can do even mission work, but the power to save someone from hell to Christ is not in us.

We cannot bear fruit by ourselves. It's just more work. You have work of taking care of your children, you have work of paying your bills, you have work of taking care of your aging parents, you have work of saving enough for retirement, you have all kinds of work you need to do, and then you're just adding more work without the power of the Holy Spirit.

It's like trying to buy in a car and then pushing it all your life, 'cause you got no gas. See, he says we have to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and that's why it says in Ephesians 5, 518, he says be filled with the Holy Spirit. If you've been baptized, maybe some of you have never truly repented, so you've never experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, so you don't know what we're talking about.

Some of you who've been baptized by the Holy Spirit, and I'm not talking about some emotional high. I'm talking about all of a sudden your perspective changes. You're able to pray, the Word of God begins to make sense. Worship begins to bring life to you. You know what that feels like, but maybe it's been a long time since you've actually worshiped God in spirit.

He says maybe 'cause you haven't been filled with the Holy Spirit. Well, the filling of the Holy Spirit is interesting. In Ephesians 5, 518, the word to fill is the word in Greek, pleru, and it's in the middle voice, middle voice meaning that he's not the one actively doing it, he's not passively doing this, sitting there doing nothing.

Middle voice is used in the Greek to describe an action that you take to receive. So the best way to describe it and the best way to translate this word is let yourself be filled. Let yourself be filled. The Holy Spirit is not something that we control. We don't summon the Holy Spirit and this Holy Spirit comes running to us.

He says the Holy Spirit is God. We don't tell him what to do. In fact, Jesus himself said that. Holy Spirit's like the wind. You don't know where it's gonna come, you don't know where it's gonna go, but you know when it's there. So when he says to Christians to be filled with the Holy Spirit, let yourself be filled, the Holy Spirit is not up in heaven hiding from us and we're going to look for him.

Holy Spirit is in us actively working and he says to make sure that you live in such a way that the Holy Spirit, when it does move us, that we're able to receive. And so that word is used. The image that we have of this word to be filled is kind of an individual who is on a sailboat getting his sail ready and directing the sail toward the wind that's coming so that when the wind comes, that the boat can be moved by the power of the wind that comes.

That's the imagery that we see about being filled with the Holy Spirit. See, the Holy Spirit is in us, groaning on our behalf, but maybe the way that we live, that we don't give room. We could put up the sail, but if the sail doesn't have room to catch the wind, it's useless.

And so maybe we are living in such a way where we're coming and asking for the filling and the power of the Holy Spirit, but there's no room. You filled your life with the things of this world. Your mind is filled with movies and activities and desires and hopes.

And then when you come to God, you say, "God, why don't you fill me?" But there's no room to be filled. So when he says to be filled, let yourself be filled. Live in such a way that when the Holy Spirit desires to move you, that you are ready.

That's what it means to be filled. Why is the power of the Holy Spirit so important? One, we already talked about that. The power to live our Christian life is given to us in the Holy Spirit. Not your willpower, not your training, not your education, not your experience, but it says it's the power of the Holy Spirit.

Somebody who had no training, never went to seminary, just a brand new Christian filled with the Holy Spirit is more empowered than an individual who's been walking with God for 60 years with all the training, with all the knowledge, with all the experience, yet no Holy Spirit. The power to live our Christian life is the Holy Spirit, so we are dependent upon the filling of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says that he is the counselor, the helper that comes. Jesus said that I'm going where I am going, you cannot come, but it is better for you if I go, because when I go, the Holy Spirit, the counselor, the helper, he's going to come. You know, today, probably more than ever that I've experienced in ministry where people are looking for counselors left and right.

In and of itself, there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, my wife trained to be a biblical counselor, and I think that's one of the, in my opinion, the best training that she's gotten in 30-some years that I've known her. So I have nothing against counseling. I think it's a huge benefit, biblical counseling in particular, but we have created a generation filled with people who are looking from person to person, place to place, looking for human help before they run to Christ.

Again, human counseling is good, especially if it's biblical counseling, but first and foremost, the Bible says our counselor is the Holy Spirit. He is our helper. Before we turn to any human institution, any leader, any counselor, are we running to him first, because the Bible says the Holy Spirit was sent to us so that he can counsel us, he can help us.

Jesus also says that the Holy Spirit's gonna come, and he's going to remind us of all that he has said and done. If we're studying through 2 Peter, we know how much Peter has been emphasized to remember, to remember, don't forget, remember, remember, remember, especially this next text that we're gonna be looking at, because we have a tendency to forget.

We can hear the word of God today, and you go out with your friends and grab some coffee or boba and eat some food, by tonight, you don't remember, right? Anybody remember why I did this? Yeah, you remember I did this, especially the younger ones, but why did I do that?

What was the context of this? What was the message? See, you already forgot, right? I know, I've been preaching long enough to know that there are certain things that catch you, but there are certain things that you're not gonna remember, right? It's our tendency. When we're not empowered by the Holy Spirit, we kinda catch those funny little things that we say, oh yeah, I remember that.

Why did he say that? I say, I don't know. So 10 years later, you're just gonna remember, oh, he did this, right? He said the Holy Spirit is gonna come. He's going to remind you of all the things that has been said and has done, because by being reminded of what it is that we have in Christ is what causes us to continue to persevere, of what we already have in Christ.

He says the Holy Spirit's gonna come. The Holy Spirit is the one who's going to convict the world of sin. So we can organize, we can be trained, we can read books, but the power to cause somebody to be convicted of their sins and to repent and come to Christ is not in us.

It's not because of our great training. It's not because of years of experience. He said it's the Holy Spirit. So when we're not filled with the Holy Spirit, we can go through the motion, we can go through the exercise, but you never see any fruit, because the real fruit comes in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Why is this so important? Obviously, our whole Christian life is based upon, is empowered by, directed, reminded, and convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit. So when we're not filled with the Holy Spirit, I can teach, and you may like it or not like it. I can bring you to church.

We can market the church in a way where it's more attractive to more people. We can go through the motion and do discipleship, and then build up strong relationships, but there's no real fruit. Real fruit comes from abiding in Christ, in His Word, and by the Holy Spirit. He says when Christ comes, the Holy Spirit's gonna come, and He's gonna baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire.

And He also says in verse 17, when He comes, His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. He said when Christ comes, He's going to separate the wheat and the chaff.

If you can put up that picture for me. That's a picture of the wheat and the chaff. The wheat is on your right, and the chaff is on the left. The chaff basically is what covers the wheat. And in order for them to be able to eat the wheat, they have to separate the chaff.

So if you can go to the next one. And so this is an image of a farmer who is separating the wheat and the chaff. So he would basically take the fork, and he would throw it up in the air, and when the wind blows, because the chaff basically has no weight, the wind will blow, and because wheat has weight, it'll fall to the ground.

That's how they separate. So Jesus is using this imagery of something that's worthless with something that they've been laboring for, and how when He comes, when revival comes, He's going to separate the two. And He's going to burn what is useless, and He's going to take the others into the barn.

Obviously, the imagery that He's talking about is about eternal reward and eternal judgment. We typically think that when Jesus comes, we're all gonna stand together, hold hands, and sing kumbaya, and whatever the race, whatever the background, all denominations gonna be gone, and we're all gonna stand together, no matter what your background, no matter what your theology, no matter what your life, we're all gonna be together.

That's not what the Bible says. The Bible says that when Jesus comes in His glory, He's going to separate. And that language is consistent all throughout Scripture, that when God shows up, the first thing He does is divide. He determines right and wrong, holy and unholy, the rebellious and obedient.

That's the first thing that He does, He divides. In Exodus 32, 26 through 28, when Moses was up in the mountain and received the law of God, Israelites already began to rebel, and they made the golden calf, and God sends them back down to deal with the sin and rebellion.

He says this in verse 26, "Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me, "and all the sons of Levi gather together to Him. "He said to them, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "'Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, "'and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, "'and kill every man his brother, "'and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.' "So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, "and about 3,000 men of people fell that day." God didn't just look at the rebellion of His people and say, "Oh, what am I gonna do with you?" In fact, God became so angry with their sin, He said, "If I go with them, they're going to die, "and Moses had to plead with God, "if you don't go with us, we shall surely die, "you must come." And so God relents, He says, "I will go, "but I will go from a distance, "because if I draw near, they will all die." Joshua, after leading them into the promised land, conquering their enemies, at the end of his life, he saw Israelites going back and forth, and back and forth, of worshiping idols, and coming to God, worshiping idols, coming to God, at the end of his life, he says, "Enough." In Joshua 24, 15, it says, "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, "choose for yourself today whom you will serve." He's not talking to the Midianites, he's not talking to the Canaanites, he's talking to Israel, people that God calls apple of His eye, He personally chose, His covenant was upon these people, and upon these people, the people of God, he said, "Choose!" The reason why he told them to choose was because they kept on going back and forth.

Whenever it was convenient, they would worship God, when it became inconvenient, when it became difficult, and when they were afraid that the rain wasn't coming, that God wasn't answering their prayer, they would go and worship these idols. So at the end of his life, Joshua says, "Enough is enough.

"Choose you this day whom you will serve, "whether the gods which your father served, "which were beyond the river, "or the gods of the Amorites, "in whose land you are living, "but ask for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." And we come to the new covenant, and that same God is the God of the New Testament.

We may look at that and say, "Well, God was harsh in the Old Testament, "but in the New Testament, He's all about grace and love." That same language exists all throughout the new covenant, in 2 Corinthians 6, 14 to 18. Here's a church who's going astray. Division, all kinds of immorality in the church, and they were just allowing it to happen, and Paul writes this harsh letter to them, and this is what he says.

"Do not be bound together with unbelievers, "for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, "or what fellowship has light with darkness? "Or what harmony has Christ with Belial? "Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? "Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? "For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said.

"I will dwell in them and walk among them, "and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. "Therefore," he says, "because I will be among you, "I will be with you, "therefore come out from their midst and be separate, "says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean.

"And I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, "and you shall be sons and daughters to me, "says the Lord Almighty." God says, "Separate." If you want me to be in your midst, if you want revival, he says, "Separate." Put aside your idols. Genuinely repent.

Stop dabbling in the things of this world. Make room for the Holy Spirit so that we may be consumed and be empowered by the Holy Spirit. You cannot ask God for revival and continue to live playing around with the temptation of the world. If you want me to be in your midst, he said, "Separate." Separate from the things that are unclean.

Separate from the things that are in rebellion against God. In Hebrews chapter 13, 12, 13, says, "Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people "through his own blood, suffered outside the gate, "so let us go out to him outside the camp, "bearing his reproach." This invitation to come to him is to follow him outside the camp, outside.

How much of our frustration is because we're trying to meet Christ inside the camp? While we retain this life, while we retain all the blessings, all the temptations of this life, while having one eye toward the world, one eye toward God, and pleading with God to meet me here inside the camp, the whole time where God is waiting for us to come out.

Come out. How much of the frustration in the church, in our lives, in our families, is because we have committed to be in this camp and want Christ to come where I am instead of going where he is. See, this language of separating is all throughout the New Testament.

Matthew 25, 32, "All the nations will be gathered before him "and he will separate them from one another "as a shepherd separates a sheep from the goat." Whenever God appears, he always separates. He always separates. In fact, Jesus reminds us in Matthew 10, 34 to 39, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.

"I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. "For I came to set a man against his father "and a daughter against her mother "and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, "and a man's enemies will be the members "of his own household. "He who loves father or mother more than me "is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter "more than me is not worthy of me, "and he who does not take his cross and follow after me "is not worthy of me.

"He who has found his life will lose it, "and he who has lost his life for my sake will find it." This text is not a welcoming text for families who are looking for a good church for their children to attend. Right, I know that we're starting UCI, and usually this time of the year, we have a lot of parents who are bringing children to church, and then first sermon you hear is separate from your parents.

Right, that's not what you wanna hear. You wanna hear honor your father or mother if you wanna live long and prosperous. That's what you wanna hear, right? But that's what he says. You know, people have a tendency to think that if I follow Christ with all my heart, I am gonna end up forfeiting my parents.

Or sometimes your parents think the same thing, that if I take my faith to that degree, then I'm gonna end up forfeiting what's good for my children. God never causes us to choose what is good for our parents for what is good for God. Because what is the best for our parents is for you to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Is to go to Christ and bring your parents with you. For the parents, it is never a choice between taking care of your children versus loving God. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and take your children with you. It is not a choice between the two.

It's just that we don't have enough faith to see that that's the best place to be. And sometimes challenging our unbelieving families is the best thing for them. And I was a youth pastor many years ago, and I remember dealing with parents who would bring their children to church because their children are getting into trouble.

They're joining gangs, or they're not doing well at school, or they're being rebellious or disobedient. And so they would say, hey, can you take care of these kids? And they would come, and some of them would change. They would receive Christ, and they would begin to serve the Lord, come to Bible study, and this kid was going out getting drunk, and all of a sudden, he's at Bible study and prayer meetings, and his parents are very happy.

We're so thankful for this ministry. And then these kids would go too far. And then they would love the Lord, and they'd say, I wanna go into ministry. And then some of them decided to go into missions, and all of a sudden, these same parents who were thanking me started hating my guts.

You know, there's one particular student that I remember, he was one of the top students in his class, and he decided he wanted to go into ministry, and that same mom, who was so appreciative of me, and I ran into her at a restaurant, and she looked straight at me, just walked straight by.

And I found out later she was angry because her son told her that she wanted to go into ministry. Eventually, he decided not to go, and he went to a good school, and then he became a medical doctor, and then all of a sudden, the mom came back and said, thank you so much.

(congregation laughing) If you are a nominal Christian, you better hope that your children don't get on fire for God, 'cause if they do, you'll lose them. 'Cause they're gonna see that your faith wasn't real. If your children, who are raising in the church, sees that your faith isn't real, and they come to faith, and they get baptized with the Holy Spirit, the first thing that's gonna happen is you're gonna lose them, 'cause they're not gonna be able to listen to you.

They're gonna make Christ their Lord, not you. This is what he means when he says, when you are walking right with Christ, and the Holy Spirit comes, and he empowers individuals, he will separate even family members between the righteous and unrighteous, believers and unbelievers. The Bible says, Jesus said when he introduced the church, "The gates of Hades will not prevail against it." Gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Who's behind the gate? Not the church. We're not in a defensive position. We're not behind the gate waiting, and concerned that the darkness is gonna come into our homes. No, he said the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. We're in the offense. We're not the one in defense.

He put us here to be the light. We're in a spiritual battle, and the Bible reminds us that. We're in this battle. That's why we don't live in glory. We live to glorify God. When we are glorified, the gospel gets messed up. It gets tainted. It gets watered down.

It gets murky, but when he's glorified, life in darkness. That's why he says we have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer us or me who live, but Christ who lives in me, because Christ needs to shine. That's why he says he who finds his life will lose it.

When revival comes, God separates. Well, how does this separating happen? If the dividing line was between church people and people who don't go to church, there's no need for a winnowing fork 'cause we're already divided, 'cause we're here. Clearly, that's not the dividing line. If the dividing lines were people who confessed and didn't confess, what Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, "will enter the kingdom of heaven." So the dividing line is not between those who confess and didn't confess.

The dividing line isn't position of leadership because the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the scribes, they would have been clearly on the right, but clearly we know that that's not where the dividing line is. 'Cause the dividing line is hard work. Nobody worked harder than the Pharisees. Nobody went and traveled to make proselyte than the Pharisees.

Nobody prayed more than the Pharisees. Nobody gave more than the Pharisees. Clearly, the dividing line wasn't simply hard work. It says in Matthew 13, 24 to 30, Jesus gives a parable similar to what is said in verse 17, that in time, God will separate the wheat and the tares.

If you can put up the next picture for me, those are the pictures of the wheat and the tares, right? Now, the wheat on the left, the tares on the right. Now, in this picture, you can tell the difference because obviously the wheat is full and the tares are sparse.

But imagine putting the tares within the wheat. Imagine if that was one picture. How would you be able to separate between the wheat and the tares? So Jesus says in this parable, he said early on, you're not able to separate 'cause the danger is by separating, you're gonna end up pulling up the wheat with the tares.

But as time goes by, the wheat begins to bear fruit. And so wheat begins to grow. And as it grows, because of the weight of the wheat inside, it begins to bend. The tares, there's no fruit. And as a result, it keeps going. So in the early on, you can't tell the difference.

But as time goes by and as fruits begin to become obvious, it is very obvious what's the wheat and what's the tares. And Jesus uses that as an illustration of the church. Not the church in the world, but church. That in the church, he says the enemy has come and he has planted tares all over.

And I believe in a post-Christian culture because it had become so easy to confess Christ that we are filled with tares. And that is a scary thing to think. See, the tares probably wouldn't care what I say. It's not relevant to them. They don't believe anyway. They're not here to hear the truth anyway.

So tares will hear it and then go out the door and live like they've never heard this. But he says, eventually, you will be able to tell the difference by their fruit. We will be tested with relationship. We will be tested with temptation. We will be tested at home.

We're tested when we're young. We're tested when we're older. All kinds of trials will come into our life to see if we're gonna bear fruit or we're just going through the motion. In Titus 1:16, it says, "They profess to know God, "but by their deeds, they deny him." Their confession and their life just do not match.

Their confession and their life, their choices that they make, just do not match. In fact, most people in the church, in Matthew 13, 22, it says, "And the one on whom the seed was sown, "among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word "and worry about the world, "and deceitfulness of wealth choked the word, "and it becomes unfruitful." Most people who fall away don't fall away because of one event.

They don't fall away because there's this one temptation that they couldn't overcome or because of this one sin that they kept on compromising. Most people fall away because their life is being choked by the concerns over this world. There's no room for the Holy Spirit. You have form of godliness, you have titles, you're going through the motion, but there's no power.

There's no power. So it's like buying a car and just pushing it from behind. And it is difficult. And it's just work. I think about how hard life is, even if you weren't a Christian. You work hard to get into the right school. You work hard to graduate. You work hard to get the good job.

You work hard to make your marriage work. You work hard to raise children. You know how hard that is. You work hard to pay the bills. You work hard to survive. You work hard to save enough for retirement. You work hard. Even if you weren't a Christian, living in this fallen world, dealing with your neighbors, dealing with your wife, dealing with your children, dealing with your family, you have enough heartache, enough difficulties.

And then you come to church, says to give, sacrifice, love, serve. And when you are laboring in the church without the power of the Holy Spirit, all you've done is added more work to a difficult life. No wonder you don't make it. You can go for a little bit because of your passion.

You go for a little bit because of discipline. And eventually you just become a nominal Christian. Because you have just enough faith to be afraid to die without Christ. But you don't have enough to be thriving in your faith. To be coming to God and really understanding what it means to have this life and have this life abundantly.

And so you resolve to stay in the back. Just let the young kids do this. Let them do this. Because you have form without power. When revival comes, when revival comes, he brings the power. He separates the righteous and unrighteous. He separates the obedient and the disobedient. He separates the wheat and the tares, and the wheat and the chaff.

If we are content with what you experience, then this is where you will be. But this is not where it's going to stay. It's gonna get much worse, much worse. Because work without power doesn't stay the same. I can hold onto this Bible and it's not much work right now.

But ask me 10 hours later, my arm's gonna feel like it's broken. Work without power will eventually erode all your muscles to the point where you cannot persevere. Church is a miserable place to be without the power of God. We think if the church is divided, if we just get them together, spend more time together, kind of like the companies where they take you to, survival room, I don't know what that's called, break room, escape room, whatever.

So it's some kind of room everybody goes into. You do that for team building, because they try to build a team and says you can go to work, and you can be more productive if you care for each other. And so you artificially create this team, even though behind the scenes you could hate each other.

You're gossiping toward one another, and you get jealous when somebody gets a promotion. But this is artificial unity, all for the purpose of being more productive. But it doesn't last long, because it's just superficial. So if in the church you fill the room with people who are unrepented, who have not filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, eventually our sins come out.

Eventually our selfishness comes out. Eventually our pride comes out. The gossip comes out. Slander comes out. And eventually if you stay in one place long enough, more of that comes out. So in every church, if you're new to the church, and you say oh I love this church, I love the people, you're in a honeymoon stage.

Stay long enough, you'll see. You'll see my faults, I'll see your faults, and you'll see each other's faults. And eventually you'll say oh, it's not what I expected. Church is a miserable place, where more and more sinners are gathered together and holding on to a form of godliness with no power.

I remember as a young kid, I don't know that many people who hated church as much as I hated church. My dad was a pastor, my grandfather was a pastor, so I'd grown up in the church all my life. And I just remember, or as early as 13, 13, 13 is what, like seventh, eighth grade?

As early as 13, I resolved to not go to church when I'm old enough, at 13. Because my memories of my childhood is coming back from church, sitting in the backseat of my parents coming home, talking about what kind of problems that they were dealing with at church. So even as a young kid, I'm picking up all this stuff, it's like why do people go to church?

They don't like each other. They're ripping on each other, and then they come to church shaking hands, eating donuts, you know, having communion, and then in the back I'm hearing all of this stuff. It's like why do they go to church? So I resolved, again as a non-Christian, I'm observing this, what a miserable place to be.

I don't wanna leave church 'cause that's going to make it look bad on my dad, so when I'm 18, I'm gone. By the grace of God, I became a Christian. And I realized that what I saw was a church without the power of the Holy Spirit. The church has gone astray.

That the church that I experienced is not the church that God is building. And so if church is just a gathering of people, a lot of good intentioned people who's gathering money to do some good things, it is not enough to keep us together. We will eventually become sour.

We will eventually have a hard time bearing with one another, let alone loving one another. But when people are baptized by the Holy Spirit and we're filled with the Holy Spirit, man, it's heaven on earth. There's nothing like it. There's no relationship like it. And every time I come, it reminds me of where I'm headed, that we're gonna be worshiping God together in spirit and in truth, all nations, all backgrounds, all colors, when the Holy Spirit is the one gathering us.

I pray for revival. I pray for revival. Every day I pray for revival. Because I know that the only answer to whatever you are struggling with is Christ. If you meet Christ, if you know Christ, if you love Christ, and if you worship Christ, all your answers will be answered in Christ.

I know that with all my heart. I am absolutely convinced the only thing that can help you is to come meet Christ if Christ walks among us, if Christ is adored, if Christ is worshiped, if Christ is obeyed, if Christ is exalted. Your problem isn't finance. Your problem isn't direction.

Your problem isn't purpose. Your problem isn't your wife, it isn't your husband, it isn't your children. If you have Christ, all of a sudden, everything begins to make sense. All of a sudden, He delivers you. From years of bondage because of your sin, of hatred, Christ delivers you. Not counseling, not books, not fellowship, Christ.

When He comes, when He stands in our midst, when He is our object of worship, stop playing around with the world. Stop living your life with your cup filled. Stop asking Christ to come into the camp. Come to Christ. Repent. Truly repent. Receive Christ. And know this joy that He promised to all those who love Him and worship Him.

Let's pray. As our worship team comes, take a few minutes to come to the Lord in prayer. Be honest in prayer. It doesn't have to be emotional. You don't have to yell, scream. Just be sincere. Lord, I've been looking for answers in people, in finance, in family, in security.

But Lord, I need you. I need you. I need you. Come before the Lord in prayer. Seek Him with all your heart. Make a decision today. For me and my household, we will follow the Lord. We will worship the Lord. Let's take some time to pray again as our worship team leads us.

(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) Let's all stand up for the closing praise.

(soft music) ♪ What wisdom ♪ ♪ What wisdom once devised a plan ♪ ♪ For all our sin and pride ♪ ♪ Was placed upon the perfect lamb ♪ ♪ Who suffered blood and died ♪ ♪ The wisdom of a sovereign God ♪ ♪ His greatness will be shown ♪ ♪ When those who crucified your son ♪ ♪ Rejoice around your throne ♪ ♪ And oh, the glory of the cross ♪ ♪ When you turn your son for us ♪ ♪ I gladly count my life as lost ♪ ♪ And I might come to know ♪ ♪ The glory of ♪ ♪ The glory of the cross ♪ ♪ What righteousness ♪ ♪ What righteousness was there revealed ♪ ♪ That sets the guilty free ♪ ♪ That justifies a godly man ♪ ♪ And calls a filthy gleam ♪ ♪ A righteousness that proved to all ♪ ♪ Your justice has been met ♪ ♪ And holy wrath is satisfied ♪ ♪ Through one atoning death ♪ ♪ And oh, the glory of the cross ♪ ♪ That you would set your son for us ♪ ♪ I gladly count my life as lost ♪ ♪ And I might come to know ♪ ♪ The glory of ♪ ♪ The glory of the cross ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ What mercy ♪ ♪ What mercy now has been proclaimed ♪ ♪ For those who would believe ♪ ♪ A love incomprehensible ♪ ♪ Our minds cannot conceive ♪ ♪ A mercy that forgives my sin ♪ ♪ And makes me like your son ♪ ♪ And now I'm loved forevermore ♪ ♪ Because of what you've done ♪ ♪ And oh, the glory of the cross ♪ ♪ That you would set your son for us ♪ ♪ I gladly count my life as lost ♪ ♪ And I might come to know ♪ ♪ The glory of ♪ ♪ Oh, the glory ♪ ♪ And oh, the glory of the cross ♪ ♪ That you would set your son for us ♪ ♪ I gladly count my life as lost ♪ ♪ I might come to know ♪ ♪ The glory of ♪ ♪ The glory of the cross ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - Let's pray.

Now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the love of God the Father, rest, restore, revive every child of God that you have called to call you Abba Father. Lord, we pray that as you have called us to be a light in this dark world, open our eyes, Lord God, to see those who are suffering without you.

Help us, Lord, that we would not be so self-absorbed. Remind us again, Father God, of the tremendous gift that we have in Christ, that no matter how difficult this life becomes, that we have eternity to look forward to. But Lord, we are surrounded by people who do not know you, who don't understand the hope that we have in Christ.

Their eyes are still blind. They do not know you. They're rebelling against you. Help us, Lord God, to see them as you see them. As you were once broken for us, Lord God, to bring us to repentance. Lord, help us to understand your heart, that we would truly be the body of Christ, that we would be an extension of your heart, your word, your life to them.

Help us, Lord God, to lose our life in the pursuit of Christ, that we may truly find life in him and him alone. May your name be magnified wherever you send us. 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 prove ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ Amen.

♪ Open heart and love ♪ to be here.