Pastor Brian and Jacque Lother
Brian: Today, brothers and sisters around the world, most, 99.9% of whom none of us have ever met are going to be taking communion today around the world. It's worldwide communion Sunday, and I'm so grateful that there are people that believe in Jesus all around the world today. I hope your heart is encouraged by that today. I have a message that I want to share a little bit. I've actually titled this message, the beautiful birthmark. Most of us think of birth marks as not something that's beautiful. We'll get into this in a moment here.
When Jesus died, this horrible death of crucifixion, nobody thought that he was a hero. When he died nobody thought he was a hero, did they Trevor? Nobody thought he was a hero. Nobody was saying that his death was a splendid victory, were they? When we read the crucifixion account in the scriptures, the disciples, the women who were the closest followers of him, nobody was saying that this was this great victory. His movement, whatever that may have been thought to be was actually thought to be over, wasn't it? The followers of Jesus... We had hoped... Remember the two disciples on the road. We had hoped that he was the one, but he wasn't because he is dead.
Nothing had changed for his followers; rather just another young leader had been brutally lost along with a succession of other leaders during that time. You could say he had been liquidated, in a sense. This was the sort of thing that Rome actually did really, really well. They got rid of competition. Caesar was still on the throne after Jesus died and death, as usual had had the last word. Death had had the last word or at least so it appeared. At least so it appeared. But in this case, we know 2000 years later that death didn't have the last word because as the followers of Jesus looked back on that day, a few days after that, soon afterward, they themselves came up with this very shocking, what many people, even today claim to be nonsensical, this nonsensical claim that his death actually had launched a revolution. It launched a revolution; not the kind of revolution that were somewhat experiencing today with violence, not a revolution of overthrowing an existing government, but a whole different revolution.
Believe it or not, the counterculture movement of the sixties had a little bit of a snippet of it. They just didn't know how to actually operate in it; those of us who remember the sixties. Whether we believe in Jesus or whether we approve of his teachings, whether you are a believer or not, whether we even like the look of the movement of those who are followers of Jesus today, we have to see that his crucifixion is one of the most pivotal moments in human history. The crucifixion of Jesus was one of the most pivotal moments in all of human history. And then of course, probably the most pivotal movement followed three days later with the resurrection. It marks the end of one era and the start of another.
Remember, we've heard in America, this phrase, “the shot heard around the world”. Well, this was the crucifixion that had been heard around the world. Jesus wasn't the only person that had ever been crucified. There had been thousands. As a matter of fact, when Jesus was about 12 years old, Rome actually crucified about 2000 people all virtually within about one or two days and lined them up on the roads. That's where crucifixions took place, so everybody could see them. It was thought to be a deterrent for revolution. It was the deterrent for anybody that was attempting to undermine or overthrow the government. Crucifixion was a horrible, horrible death, probably not even realized by us. I think the movies that came out a few years ago, The Passion probably showed it as clearly as any portrayal has ever done. But my guess is unless you were actually there to witness one, you would never really know how brutal and terrible a death that would be.
It was the crucifixion, however, heard around the world, because of all the people that have been crucified, very few of us know the names of any of them, except for Jesus, except for Jesus. The first followers of Jesus believed that with this one event, the one true God had suddenly and dramatically put into operation his plan for the rescue of the world, his plan for the rescue of the world. I think I could ask you today to look around, and wouldn't you agree that our world needs some rescuing today? Jesus is the rescuer for sinners. We, who know the Lord, understand that.
The early followers of Jesus saw that day as the day the revolution began, but it wasn't a revolution to overthrow a government. In fact, if you look at the teachings of Jesus, he made very, very few references to the government of his day. If you look at the teachings of the apostle Paul, his instructions to us as followers of Jesus are to pray for our leaders. It doesn't say, it doesn't give us an out, depending upon what party they are in. They could be democratic or Republican. They could be actually part of the communist party. If you live in a communist country, the instruction to you as a believer is to pray for your leaders.
Sometimes I have a hard time with that. I don't know about you, but there are some things I find much easier to pray for than others. To pray for a political leader who I don't agree with and find myself really in consternation over, that's a sticky wicket for me at times, but the word of God is true, isn't it? It commands all of us to do that. This revolution, the first visible sign of this revolution was the resurrection, and there were going to be more signs to follow as well in this revolution. So the early Christian writers began to incorporate what I call very stunning expressions of that crucifixion. Can you imagine with me for a moment to think of an execution of someone, whether it's by electric chair or hanging, lethal injection. Can you imagine describing that as delightful? Yet that was a word that the early followers of Jesus used to describe his death and filled with gratitude for it. I would like to read some scriptures here. One is found in Galatians chapter 2, verse 20. Jacque, why don't you read that for us, please, Galatians chapter 2, verse 20 out of the Message Bible.
Jacque: It's so good from the message Bible. I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not mine, but it is lived by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Brian: He loved me and gave himself for me. How did he give himself for us? On the cross, on the cross. So there is this, I guess I would call it a little strange, in a sense when the early church people, the disciples and the apostles, when they were reflecting upon his death, they reflected upon it with gratitude. They reflected upon it, almost in a sense with delight. There is another scripture found in first Corinthians 15 verse 3 where it talks about this very same thing.
Jacque: The first thing I did was place before you, what was placed so emphatically before me.
Brian: Paul is talking to the church of Corinth and he said, “The very first thing that I did that I put before you was the very first thing that was put before me.” Who put it before Paul? Jesus, on the road to Damascus. This was this encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, where Paul, we recall was persecuting the followers of Jesus. He was killing some of them, putting them in jail, others, just basically wrecking (1:00:00) havoc in the church, early church. Jesus kind of comes alongside of them, knocks him off his horse. As he is in this visionary state, the very first thing that Jesus shows him was this.
Jacque: That the Messiah died for our sins exactly as scripture tells us.
Brian: That Jesus died for our sins. He did that for me, for you, for the apostle Paul and for all people in all history. He loved me and gave himself for me and the Messiah died for our sins. Now, it's interesting to me that he uses the word Messiah here because the Messiah to the Jewish people was like the General of the Army, if you want to call it that. There wasn't anybody above him. Maybe he was the president, commander in chief of the army or the king of the army. I find it interesting that Paul says the Messiah died for sins, not a new recruit who was a private. It was the top guy of all was the one that did this. The leader of it all was the one that did this. And then of course, the verse that we probably first memorize for those of us who have memorized scripture, John 3:16. I want to read it from, again, the Message Bible. I actually have this inscribed on our family tombstone, our headstone out in our cemetery here because when I'm dead and gone and my father is already dead and gone, and when my mom who is 98 is dead and gone, and when we are dead and gone and people go out to that cemetery, I want them to read this. This is what it says.
Jacque: This is how much God loved the world.
Brian: This is how much God loved the world.
Jacque: He gave his son, his one and only son. And this is why, so that no one need be destroyed.
Brian: Wouldn't you agree that there are a lot of people being destroyed today? A lot of people's lives are just crumbling around them. There are so many people who have no future, no hope for tomorrow because they are in a process of being destroyed. Jesus came so that no one would need to be what?
Jacque: Destroyed.
Brian: Destroyed. Go ahead.
Jacque: And by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
Brian: Anyone can have a whole and lasting life. At first glance, these verses may appear to just be about individuals. In other words, our personal need (1:03:00) for forgiveness, which we all need. We all need that. On first glance, it could appear that this is just our need for forgiveness for the here and now, and of course, our need for salvation for the future. Are you going to go to heaven when you die? This idea. It also appears that there is very little focus if any, on making a difference in the wider world at large, but I can assure you when you look at church history and when you study, especially the first century church, in fact, the first four centuries of the early church that the early Christians were very clear in their minds, that the death of Jesus made all the difference, not just for an individual, but in the whole world. It made a difference in the whole world and all the difference to the world. It made an option available to the world that the world didn't have to destroy itself.
It feels to me, doesn't it to you, that our world right now is in a place of self-destruction? As a matter of fact, if you go to the last century, people were a gassed after the first world war. None of us were around at that time, but the people who were our parents who were young during those times or born maybe during that time, if any of them had any memories, the memory that they had was this was the war of all wars. Virtually, within two decades, the whole world was back at it again in a destructive way that probably 100 to 150 million people lost their lives within a five-year period of time. It culminated of course, with the atomic age being ushered in, which was so incredibly destructive, was it not? I understand why President Truman ordered that weapon to be used. I do understand, militarily speaking. I remember as a child growing up in the cold war and the nuclear age and having tests or whatever, where everybody would sit their desk at school.
Jacque: Or go to the fallout shelter.
Brian: Go to the fallout shelter. How many of you remember those times? It was a scary time because the world was at a place where it could virtually destroy itself. Jesus came so that we wouldn't destroy ourselves. Jesus died in order to restore human beings. Jesus died so that we would be restored, not just individually, but in a sense with a vocation to play a vital part in God's purposes for the world that you and I would actually have a role to play. Every single child that's born, every single person that breeds has a role to play, in a sense in the redemption of the world and bringing this great story to the world. He didn't die just to make us rescued non-entities. He died to make us relevant. We have great significance. You have great significance and believe it or not, I have great significance.
God is complete in of himself. He doesn't need us. God didn't make us because he was incomplete. He wasn't looking for more fulfillment, so therefore he made us. That's not why he made us. God is complete in and of himself. He doesn't need us. He is not more fulfilled because of us. God made us because he had so much love in his heart, he wanted to share that with children, with children; same way that when we had children, we had great love in our relationship. I do remember after Micah was born, I thought what has happened to my happy home?
Jacque: Well, only because there was...
Brian: Jacque was waiting on me, hand and foot, and now that wasn't happening anymore.
Jacque: It was very messy. And he said, what happened to my happy home. I said you had another child. Fold all those clothes, please.
Brian: So if you ever want to understand something about the sovereignty of God, just look at our lives. Sovereignty is basically everything goes how you want it to go. That's really the basic kind of layman's definition of what sovereignty is. All you have to do is get married and then everything isn't going to go how you want it to go.
Jacque: You give up a little sovereignty.
Brian: You give up a big portion of the sovereignty, but to get something greater. You get someone who is saying, I will be devoted to you for the rest of my life. I will love you like nobody else will love you. I will give to you as no one else will give to you. So you slice off a bunch of your sovereignty to get that. Well, a few years down the road, this happy couple decides to what, have children. Now what has happened to their sovereignty? It has been sliced off again. Well, look at God. He has got 8 billion kids right now. So how sovereign is he? There is a lot of things that are happening that God is not happy with and not pleased with, but his love, I love this, endures forever. His love endures forever.
What God is wanting to do is take you and I or allow you and I to partner with him in this worldwide vocation of making a difference in our world, to our world, by bringing his unconditional love to everybody we meet. By bringing his unconditional love to everybody, it's not just telling them about his unconditional love, but it's actually displaying his unconditional love through us. Now that's a much bigger challenge than just telling people about God, isn't it? It's much harder to love the world unconditionally than it is to simply tell them that God does.
Jacque: It's living out his love.
Brian: It's living out his love. Yeah. I don't know if we have... One of my favorite cartoons is The Far Side. Anybody ever read The Far Side. I think The Far Side has some of the greatest cartoons. I don't know. Do we have this cartoon? Good. This is one of my favorite all-time cartoons. This is two deer in the woods. The guy on the right is saying to the deer on the left, whose name is Hal. He is saying to him, "Bummer of a birthmark Hal" Bummer of a birthmark, Hal. Well, this birthmark was not good for Hal. That made him stand out, especially during hunting season, doesn't it? But you know what? You and I have a birthmark and it's not like this one. It's not like this one. It's not external. It's an internal birthmark. It's a mark that says you are made in the image and likeness of God. You have been made in the image and likeness of God, himself, an image that says loudly, you matter, an image that says you are significant, not just for what you can do, but for who you are. And like, Hal, we all have a target on us, but the target is his love. We are the target of the love of God. God has his sights aimed on every single one of us. He has his sights set on every single one of us. You and I, we are the very reason he came. This is how much God loves the world. He gave his only begotten son, flesh, incarnation.
There are two great stories that... Well, there are more than two, but there are two stories that I like that stand out in Luke chapter 11. They really bless and inspire me. The first one we find, I'm just going to read a couple of verses in this, or have Jacque do it. The first one is in Luke chapter 11, verses 14 and 15. Let me set the stage here. There was a man who had been demonized. He had been possessed by demonic power. There are a lot of people in the world, there are a lot of Christians, actually that do not believe in the demonic realm and so forth, people who claim to be followers of Jesus who identify themselves as Christians and they don't believe in this demonic realm. I think that a good way to get freed from that way of thinking is to go to Haiti for a while and just walk the streets and engage with the people there a little bit. I think your experiences there will change your thinking on that. I'll just tell you that. At some time I'll tell you about the baptismal service we had in Haiti and how I changed my thinking about the whole demonic realm after that and so forth. There was a man that Jesus encountered that couldn't speak because this demon was a demon that caused muteness. He couldn't speak. Jesus encounters this man. Jacque is going to read this.
Jacque: Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon gone, the man started talking a blue streak.
Brian: Notice, he didn't say he was swearing a blue streak. He is just said he started talking a blue streak.
Jacque: Taking the crowd by complete surprise. But some of the crowd was cynical. Black magic, they said. Some devil trick he has pulled from his sleeve.
Brian: Here Jesus comes and caste out this demon, and the religious onlookers began to say and accuse that he was operating in black magic. Jesus goes on to say, well, this is crazy because the devil doesn't cast out the devil. Any time there is a civil war that happens, it's very destructive. That's basically what Jesus was saying. I like what Jesus says in verse 19 of this same chapter, where he kind of puts everything back on the religious leaders. Let's read that, verse 19 real quick.
Jacque: Now, if I drive out demons by [inaudible 1:15:08], the devil by whom do your followers drive them out?
Brian: Jesus says to them, well, by whose power and name do your people cast out demons? The answer to that was what? They didn't. That was the answer. It wasn't that these people went around bringing deliverance to all these demon-oppressed people. They weren't coming and bringing healing to those who were afflicted and sick. They weren't doing anything. They were just religious people. They weren't bringing anything to the world. As a matter of fact, what they were bringing was more bondage and more heaviness and more weights upon the people, more burdens upon the people. In fact, at one point in time, Jesus says, "After you get done evangelizing, you make people twice the devil that you are." Help us, Lord not to do that.
The question that Jesus put to them was basically a rhetorical question. The answer was they weren't casting out any demons because they didn't have the power and authority and know-how to do so. They couldn't positively affect this man's future. This man's betterment, but this man and his unfortunate circumstance that caused him to be afflicted by this demonic power, and who knows, maybe he had been the victim of an abuse. The devil uses all sorts of circumstances where people have been victims in the course of their lives to have an opening to come into their lives, to bring his schemes of destruction to them. What we can't ever do is look at a present condition of somebody. What we have to do is just bring the solution to the condition of that person. The solution is Jesus. The solution is Jesus. He brought himself. He actually inserted himself into this man's life because Jesus cared for him. He was in essence, the target of the love of God. Jesus came for what? Those who were oppressed and in need and afflicted, that's who Jesus came for. This man mattered to God. After he was delivered, you couldn't keep him quiet. You couldn't keep him quiet.
Here is the thing that sometimes we forget. Today, at this moment, that man is in the presence of God. That man is in the presence of God and has been for 2000 years and has a wonderful future in store for him because he encountered the living savior. There is another story that Jesus goes on to tell in this same chapter, beginning in verse 21. Why don't you read just a couple verses there, Jacque?
Jacque: When a strong man armed to the teeth stands guard in his front yard, his property is safe and sound, but what if a stronger man comes along with superior weapons, then he is beaten at his own game. The arsenal that gave him such confidence hauled off and his precious possessions plundered.
Brian: Let me kind of define everything here. The strong man in this particular story is Satan. When a strong man armed to the teeth, stands guard in his front yard, his property is safe and sound. What does armed to the teeth mean? It's the demonic host that has been cast out of heaven that is at his disposal, because we know it wasn't just Satan was cast out of everyone, but a third of the angels. I talked about that on the message I gave back in June about this systemic issue that we have with prejudice in our country, but it's systemic because it's a demonically schemed prejudice. That's why the answer to the prejudice in our country is you and I praying, you and I praying first for our hearts to be changed if there is any wicked way in us, but then to bind the strong man as in this case.
So Jesus talks about this strong man and a property that he has, and he is armed to the teeth, demonic host cast out of heaven and his property... Is that Jesus calling? I don't know, maybe so. Okay. All right, all right. It's all right. Call me, Lord. I'm listening. So this stronger... Then it says his property. Well, what is this strong man's property? It's the fallen world, isn't it? It's people in bondage. It's like this man who is mute. It's like the Demoniac of the Gadarenes. That was his property. But then it goes on to say, but what if a stronger man comes? What if a stronger man comes with superior weapons? We've got the secret weapon. Remember Fievel? Fievel, this little mouse, we've got a secret weapon. Well, you know what? You and I have a secret weapon. His name is Jesus. Unfortunately, he is too secret today. We need it to not be secret anymore.
This stronger man is the word Jesus who became flesh. The fact of the matter is Satan held humanity captive in a sense, in a purse on his side, until Jesus met him. Then Jesus came. I like to think that Jesus committed highway robbery. Only this highway robbery was legal because what Satan had done was he had robbed Jesus in the first place. He had entered the Garden of Eden and robbed what was gods. Some 4,000 years later after humanity had gone through self-destruction and a whole world of destruction through the flood and people wars after wars and killing after killing and hatred after hatred, Jesus shows up on the scene and says, "I'm taking back what is mine." I'm taking back what is mine, what was his to start with.
We begin to see the story of how that was going to happen in the Passover. When the Passover was implemented... and you have to remember that Israel or the Israelites had been in Egypt for 400 years plus, 430 to be exact. What they had brought into the land of Goshen and to Egypt, they had lost. On a spiritual level, they had lost all of that during their years in slavery. The scripture says there was a Pharaoh that arose that knew not Joseph and all of the inroads and the positive things that were happening to the nation of Israel while they were in Egypt that had been lost. Another Pharaoh came to power and he saw this free workforce, and he put them to work as slaves. For well over 300 years, that culture was a culture of slavery. Jesus said, “I'm going to show them the way to freedom”, and he began the Passover.
What ended up happening was Moses gave an instruction about this Passover. This instruction was you put the blood over your doorways. Anybody who goes inside will be protected. I can imagine some of the conversations that some of the people had at that time, because the fact of the matter is most of Israel were pagan. They had been living in a pagan country, under pagan dictatorship for 300 years. I'm sure that some people said, well, I don't know much about this God that's telling me to go put blood on the doorpost, kill a lamb, come inside my house, and eat it. I don't know much about that. I wonder if I should do this thing. You know what? You don't need to know how to cook to enjoy food. You don't need to know music theory to be able to enjoy music. You don't need to be able to answer the question, why did Jesus have to die, in order to get the benefits from it. You don't need to know any of that. You just need to be willing to say yes and believe. Come into the house; allow the blood to go over the door posts of your home.
We can know that were loved and we matter to God and that were forgiven because of the death of Jesus. The Israelites knew that they mattered to God because their freedom was on their horizon. There is freedom on our horizon today, for those who will believe in Jesus. I've said for years that the one place where all of us are at the same level is at the communion table. It's at the table of the Lord. You may be watching today by live stream or you might be visiting with us today here in our sanctuary, and you might say to yourself, "I really don't know anything about this God that you are talking about, but there is something in my heart that wants to believe." I encourage you today to take communion. What a wonderful place to start; putting his blood over the doorpost of our heart, letting his sacrifice be appropriated for our sin.
We need to be like those Israelites who virtually knew nothing about God. In fact, Moses knew very little about God. The first time God showed up to Moses, he showed up as a bush that was on fire. But Moses had to learn, did he not, how to walk with God, believe in God, trusting God and God all along the way began to show him that he could be trusted. There have been disappointments for Flo and Ernie through the years, and same for you and Jacque and I and all of us, but we can also look back and say he has been faithful to us. He has got a purpose for you and I today. That purpose is to demonstrate his love first, by how we receive it, and then by sharing it with others.
We are going to take communion together. We have these new inventions that someone came up with. It’s a great idea. If you don't have any, Paul is in the back there and he will be glad to pass out any more emblems. If you haven't, just raise your hands. Raise your hands. And so please do that. Dave, if you could help too, I would appreciate that. The night that the Passover was implemented these… The practice of celebrating Passover was implemented and it lasted for 1500 years. And then when Jesus came on the scene, he was meeting with his disciples 24 hours before his crucifixion, and he takes this bread and he broke it. He said to them, "This is my body, which is broken for you, so eat it in remembrance of me."
As he did that, I don't think the disciples understood very well what the significance of that was at the moment, but they did it. And you know what happened when they partook of that? They received all of the blessings and benefits of what was about to take place the next day at the cross. Just as I said... I love food, but I know very little about cooking. I know a little bit more about music. I know music theory, but I don't know how much music theory Brad and Mike know, but boy, they sure know how to play guitar good. I don't know if Keith and Paula know much about music theory and if they could write music, but boy, we sure love to hear them sing, don't we? So you don't have to know all of this information about the cross to get the benefits of the cross.
We can be that ignorant Israelite that went into his house and said, boy, I don't know anything about this God. Should we do this? Maybe we should. Maybe we should do this. And by doing it, what happened? Here is what's interesting. It didn't matter how they had lived. It didn't matter what they had done, how they had lived, what mistakes or sins, whatever term you want to use, mistakes they had made, what bad choices they had made, where they found themselves at that present time, if they went into the house, put the blood on their posts, they were saved. I'm sure there were others. I can almost guarantee you because I know human nature. There were others who had lived maybe very circumspectly lives and follow whatever rules there were to follow as a slave and did everything right, and they say I'm not going to do that, and they were placing their trust in themselves, in their own behavior, in their own accomplishments. The death angel came and they suffered. Today is a day about placing our trust again in Jesus, placing our trust again in Jesus, not in our accomplishments, not what we know, not in what wisdom that we think we may have. We are just going to place our trust in Jesus.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took the bread and he broke it and he blessed it. He said, this is my body, which is broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of me. Let's eat it together. After they had finished eating the bread, he took the cup and he lifted it and he blessed it. And then he said, "This is my blood, which is shed for the remission of your sins." That was the first time in all of biblical history that that word was used. It was a different word that was used by Jesus that night, because up until that time, people's sins were covered, covered over. That's what the word atonement means. It's like a cover, a covering, a covering of their sins. But Jesus didn't say our sins would be covered. He said they would be remitted. They would be removed. They would be gone. So there would be no more shame and no more sorrow. There wouldn't have to be a memory.
Even the next verse, after John 3:16 says this- for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him would be saved. So there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. When Jesus said for those who will drink my cup, believe in the blood that I will shed, their sins will be remitted removed. This is what happens when we trust in the wonderful saving blood of Jesus Christ.
So father, we thank you for your gift of Jesus and Jesus, we thank you that you were willing to go to the cross. I thank you that today we can drink this cup in remembrance of you. We remember your sacrifice and we place all of our trust in you. We know that Lord, you have won the victory over Satan. We know that you have won the victory over the schemes of the enemy for our lives to keep us in bondage, to keep us from speaking Lord, to keep us from having freedom in our lives. Today, we say to you, we trust in you. Jesus. Boy, there is so much I don't understand about you, Lord. I'm so thankful I have eternity to keep learning, but I don't come to you today based on what I know. I don't come to you based on the knowledge that I've learned through the years in studying your word. I just come to you because I'm your child. I need again, your forgiveness. I need again, Lord your grace in my life, and I placed myself into your care. As we drink this cup together, we demonstrate our trust in you for our salvation. Let's drink the cup together.
Jacque: We remember you, Jesus. We love you, Jesus. We are so grateful for your sacrifice. We are so grateful for your forgiveness. We just receive you.
Brian: Many a man have sought to be God, destroying the world on their way, but there is only one God who sought to be man, so he could come and bring redemption with which we would have nothing to pay. Thank you, Jesus for coming. Thank you that you cared. Thank you that there is a birthmark in us, Lord. It's in our hearts, this birthmark of having been made in your image and in your likeness. We all have it. You've made us like you because you want us to have a relationship with you and you want to have one with us. You have pursued us, Lord. Even when we were lost, and even when we've been in bondage or captivity to destructive behaviors in our lives, Lord, you have pursued us and you've overtaken us and you promised that we would recover all that the enemy has stolen.
You said that our latter years can be much greater than our former years and you've given us a future and a hope. I just thank you Jesus, today that there is life to be had in you. There is hope to be had in you. There is a future for all of us to be had in you. There is hope for the world today, Lord. That hope is in you. That hope is in you, Jesus. So I pray that we would be willing to again, come under instead of trying to power over people, that we would come under in a way to serve and be you to this world. We pray for your glory to fall. We pray for your spirit to fall. We pray for your presence to fall in a greater way on our earth, today, in our communities and in our lives. This, we pray, Jesus in your name. Let's lift our hands together.
Now, may the Lord bless you and may the Lord keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face towards you and give you his peace. May you sense his love and forgiveness, always. This, we pray, in the name of the father, son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. God bless you. Thank you for being here today. It's great to have you here. Enjoy the sun and enjoy the weather. It needs to be this way very long. God bless you.
Jacque: I never got my bread open.
Transcript taken from the Sunday morning service 10-11-20. If you would like to watch the full service, click one of the links below.