-
Would you please open in God's Word
-
to 1 John 1:1.
-
1 John 1:1.
-
"That which was from the beginning,
-
which we have heard,
-
which we have seen with our eyes,
-
which we looked upon
-
and have touched with our hands,
-
concerning the word of life -
-
the life was made manifest,
-
and we have seen it,
-
and testify to it
-
and proclaimed to you
-
the eternal life,
-
which was with the Father
-
and was made manifest to us-
-
that which we have seen and heard
-
we proclaim also to you,
-
so that you too may
have fellowship with us;
-
and indeed our fellowship
-
is with the Father and with His Son,
-
Jesus Christ
-
We are writing these
things so that our joy
-
may be complete."
-
Brothers and sisters,
-
when we read John's Gospel -
-
not this first epistle, but his Gospel -
-
John is pretty plain to tell us
-
who he's addressing.
-
Let me just quote John.
-
John 20:30.
-
You don't need to
turn there but listen.
-
This comes from John's Gospel.
-
It gives us John's own reason
-
for writing the Gospel.
-
"Now Jesus," he says,
-
"did many other signs
-
in the presence of His disciples
-
which are not written in this book."
-
The book is the Gospel of John.
-
"But these are written,"
-
here he is going to tell
us the reason why,
-
"so that you may believe
-
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
-
and that by believing you may have life
-
in His name."
-
John writes his Gospel to the lost,
-
so that they might believe.
-
But when we come to John's first epistle,
-
John is not seeking to convince the lost
-
in hopes that they will believe.
-
John distinctly writes this letter
-
to those who are already Christian
-
and I want to show you this.
-
Let your eyes go down to 1 John 2:1.
-
"My little children,"
-
he's writing to Christians,
-
"I'm writing these things--"
-
what "these things"?
-
All of chapter one.
-
"To you so that,"
-
well all of chapter one
and all of the epistle.
-
"But I'm writing these things to you..."
-
to who? To "little children."
-
1 John 2:7:
-
"Beloved."
-
You use beloved because
they're beloved of God.
-
"I'm writing you,"
-
that's who he is writing too.
-
1 John 2:12:
-
"I'm writing to you little children..."
-
who are these little children?
-
Well, they're the ones
whose sins are forgiven
-
for His namesake.
-
He says in verse 13,
-
"I'm writing to you fathers
because you know Him."
-
These are people that know God.
-
If you go to 1 John 2:18:
-
"Children."
-
1 John 2:21:
-
"I write to you," who?
-
"Not because you do not know the
truth but because you know it."
-
These are people that know the truth.
-
1 John 3:1: "See what kind of love
-
the Father has given to us."
-
John's including himself
with his audience.
-
That what?
-
"We should be called
the children of God."
-
That's who this is to and for.
-
And so we are.
-
We're the children of God.
-
If you go to 1 John 3:2,
-
"Beloved, we are God's children..."
-
That's who this is written to.
-
1 John 3:7,
-
"Little children;"
-
1 John 3:13,
-
"Do not be surprised, brothers..."
-
1 John 3:18,
-
"Little children."
-
1 John 3:21,
-
"Beloved;"
-
1 John 4:1,
-
"Beloved."
-
I mean what you see is:
-
"Little children,"
-
"beloved,"
-
"God's children."
-
You see this kind of terminology
-
literally every few verses.
-
1 John 4:11,
-
"Beloved."
-
1 John 5:13,
-
"I write these things to you who believe."
-
That's who he's writing to.
-
1 John 5:21, the book ends:
-
"Little children, keep
yourselves from idols."
-
I think you get the idea.
-
1 John is not written for
the same purpose
-
as John's Gospel.
-
It's not written to unbelievers
-
that they might believe.
-
This epistle is specifically targeting
-
God's children.
-
It's not like James
-
You remember when David
went through James?
-
I mean when I read James
-
I try to follow,
-
"Ok, is he talking to a believer here?"
-
"Is he talking to an unbeliever?"
-
When you were going
through it, I always thought,
-
"How's David going to handle this?"
-
Because with James,
-
you're just not certain
a lot of the times.
-
But there is no doubt
with John in this epistle
-
who he's writing to.
-
There's no doubt whatsoever.
-
Now that doesn't mean
the lost can't read it
-
and even, you know, perhaps get saved
-
through exposure to its truths.
-
But the principle audience
-
John has in mind are Christians.
-
Now there is a reason
I am emphasizing this.
-
I emphasize this
-
because it helps us recognize
-
what's going on back up in 1 John 1:3.
-
When you hear this,
-
"So that you too--"
-
he's saying we "proclaim this truth
-
about this Christ whom we felt,
-
and heard, and saw.
-
We proclaimed this to you
-
so that you too may
have fellowship with us
-
and indeed our fellowship
is with the Father
-
and with His Son Jesus Christ."
-
We don't want to imagine
-
that these words are aimed
-
primarily at unbelievers.
-
Listen.
-
1 John 2:13
-
"I am writing to you, fathers." Why?
-
"Because you know Him."
-
These are people that do know Him.
-
They do have some intimacy with Him.
-
Again in verse 13.
-
of chapter 2.
-
"I write to you children
-
because you know the Father."
-
There's some level of intimacy there.
-
Verse 14,
-
"I write to you fathers
because you know Him
-
who is from the beginning."
-
Look, John speaks about fellowship
-
to these people much the same way
-
and in much the same manner
-
as he speaks to them
about abiding in Christ.
-
You go to 1 John 2:28,
-
What does it say?
-
"Little children, abide in Him."
-
Now let's think about that truth,
-
"abiding in Christ".
-
Do you know that John tells us
-
in John 15
-
that if you don't abide in Christ
-
what happens to you?
-
"If anyone does not abide in Christ
-
he is thrown away like
a branch and withers,
-
and the branches are gathered,
thrown into the fire and burned."
-
Here's the truth:
-
does every Christian abide in Christ?
-
Yeah!
-
Well if they do,
-
I mean if that's part of the essence
-
of what it is to be a Christian,
-
why do you tell the little children
-
to abide in Him?
-
Brethren, that's just
consistent with the way
-
Scripture operates.
-
Scripture all over the place,
-
gives us these indicatives, these truths.
-
This is the way it is.
-
And then it comes right around
-
and gives us the imperatives.
-
And it commands us to do the very things
-
that over here it tells us
-
will always be true of the Christian.
-
Over here it tells us to do those things
-
that are always true of the Christian.
-
That's the way it is.
-
"Little children, abide in Him."
-
And it's the same with fellowship.
-
John presses us into the inner circle
-
of this fellowship with the
Father and with the Son.
-
Why?
-
Not because he thinks
we are on the outside
-
of those windows
out there looking in,
-
wishing, well, you know
-
we could have a part
with the people of God.
-
That's not it. But
because we, as Christians,
-
need to be pressed.
-
We need to be pressed to continue
-
more and more in this fellowship
-
and to dive further and further in!
-
In fact I want you to notice
-
what John says in 1 John 2:1.
-
Now we looked at it
-
but I want you to look at it more closely.
-
"My little children,
-
I'm writing these things to you
-
so that you may not sin."
-
Now notice three things about this verse.
-
First, again, who's John
specifically writing to?
-
Believers!
-
"My little children."
-
Second.
-
What's his purpose for writing to them?
-
That they may not sin.
-
But third,
-
what are "these things?"
-
that he writes to them
that they may not sin.
-
I mean if someone just got done writing
-
to you, and they just wrote
-
a couple paragraphs
-
and you're reading through the letter
-
from them to you
-
and you've read a couple paragraphs
-
and then you come to where it says,
-
"I'm writing these things
so that you may not sin;"
-
it's pretty normal and naturally intuitive
-
to think that "these things"
-
are the things he just
got done writing to you.
-
Now that doesn't mean that there's
not application to the whole letter.
-
But certainly he's
talking about chapter 1!
-
Chapter one is in view here.
-
And chapter one is about fellowship.
-
Listen, fellowship gets mentioned
-
four times in chapter one.
-
Fellowship with God is
certainly a major incentive
-
to not sin, is it not?
-
Isn't fellowship with God
-
an incentive not to sin?
-
Maybe you're not making the connection.
-
Why is fellowship with God
an incentive not to sin?
-
Well, obviously because sin is the major
-
disturber of fellowship with God.
-
But again, my point that I'm making to you
-
is that I want you to see that John
-
is addressing Christians in chapter 1.
-
He tells us that
-
by the very thing that
he says in 1 John 2:1.
-
You know what John's doing?
-
He's coming alongside us believers,
-
in 1 John 2:1,
-
and he's encouraging purity.
-
I mean he's saying,
"I'm writing these things..."
-
the encouragement to purity
-
is in the things that
he's writing. But he says,
-
"I write these things to you
that you might not sin."
-
Now yes, there may be failure,
-
and if so we have an advocate,
-
Jesus Christ the Righteous.
-
But we're to be pressing towards
-
more and more purity.
-
I'll tell you this,
-
fellowship with God
-
and purity go hand and in hand.
-
There's a real connection there.
-
Now, if we fail, there's blood.
-
If we fail, we can confess.
-
But they go hand in hand,
-
and he's encouraging purity and progress.
-
He's pressing us onward and inward
-
fighting to maintain fellowship,
-
striving to abide in Christ.
-
And so, I come to the
question of the hour.
-
How is your fellowship with God?
-
That's the question that
I want us to think about.
-
Every Christian ought to be able to say -
-
doesn't John say it so boldly?
-
He says, "Our fellowship
is with the Father
-
and with His Son Jesus Christ."
-
I mean are we all able to say that?
-
Can we say that boldly?
-
Can you come in here today and say that,
-
"Yes! I know it!"
-
"That is my life!"
-
"My life is one of fellowship
-
with the Father and with His Son.
-
I know it!"
-
"Since I've been saved, that is true!"
-
That is normative of my life.
-
That is descriptive of my life.
-
That is true!
-
I see it!
-
Oh it's not where I want it to be!
-
Some days, I can't find Him
the way that I want to find Him.
-
But as a rule,
-
I have walked with the Lord,
-
and I know what that is.
-
And it's heaven on earth.
-
It's as best as it gets here.
-
And the little bit that I've tasted
-
I would not turn back from the world."
-
Can you say that?
-
Can you say that dogmatically
-
like he says it?
-
Or are you seized by hesitation?
-
Does conscience hold back?
-
And look you know what
I'm talking about here.
-
John hit on it.
-
We're not talking doctrine here.
-
We're not talking just the knowledge,
-
a head knowledge.
-
I'm not talking about whether you
made it to church on Sunday.
-
I'm talking about this, can you say
-
"I walk with the Lord"?
-
Can you say that?
-
Are you walking with Him?
-
Jesus Christ died to purchase us
-
the privilege to walk with God.
-
That's what He died for.
-
That's what this is all about.
-
So let's think about this
relationship with God.
-
Let's put our minds there.
-
Let's think about how we nurture this.
-
And I want to give you
some thoughts this morning.
-
Maybe that's what we'll call it,
-
"Some Thoughts on Walking with God."
-
That's the title.
-
Here's the first point
that I want to make.
-
Fellowship with God takes effort.
-
Look if I were to ask you this,
-
"Does God want your love?"
-
I mean you can think about the
chiefest of all commandments.
-
Are we to love the Father?
-
Are we to love the Son?
-
Well, any of you that are married
-
for any amount of time,
-
you're past your honeymoon,
-
is love always easy?
-
I mean, fellowship with the Father
-
and with the Son is not automatic.
-
And it is not effortless.
-
Any relationship in this world
-
that has any sort of real depth or value
-
takes time.
-
And it takes effort.
-
I mean you answer this,
-
do good marriages happen spontaneously?
-
I hear "no's."
-
I mean does anybody raise their hand
-
and says, "yes mine
happens spontaneously."
-
Della.
-
She's laughing, so I take that as a no.
-
There's effort there. Effort!
-
Look, you know what you know.
-
if you look over and you
see a good marriage -
-
I mean it's good.
-
You can see, they are happily married.
-
You can be certain about this.
-
You can be certain that somewhere
-
in that good marriage,
-
you're going to find somebody
-
who's doing something to keep
-
that marriage close, warm, healthy.
-
Are you not?
-
I mean somebody in there
-
is working to communicate.
-
Somebody is working to keep
-
the kind of words and actions that tend
-
to cause distance.
-
They're working at that.
-
They're working to keep
those things out of there.
-
They're going after them.
-
Somebody is committed to
battling through hard situations
-
and hurt feelings and suspicion
-
and anger that crops up
-
and distrust and hostility and grudges
-
and resentment and offenses.
-
I mean somebody there
-
is making an effort.
-
And look, the thing is God regards Himself
-
as our Husband.
-
This is a relationship that we're in.
-
The Lord is our Husband.
-
Is this any different? Yes.
-
In some ways it is different.
-
He is invisible to my naked eye.
-
He is high and He is holy.
-
And He is lifted up.
-
And that is true.
-
But you remember this,
-
we have a personal God.
-
Scripture tells us He feels.
-
Scripture tell us He is sensitive.
-
That's what it tells us.
-
And I recognize that this is different
about the relationship too,
-
one of us -
-
one of us is perfect.
-
And it's not me.
-
That's different.
-
And you know what that means.
-
It means that whenever
my relationship with Him
-
becomes strained or there's distance,
-
it's never His fault.
-
It's mine.
-
That I know.
-
It's always my fault.
-
But it is a relationship.
-
And it's one that we have to
work at and make time for.
-
Listen, any relationship in
your life that's healthy,
-
you need to work at it.
-
And we need to work.
-
There's priorities.
-
This walk with the Lord
needs to be a priority.
-
It needs to be something that
we are giving thought to,
-
that we are giving our mind, our heart to.
-
There has to be a prioritization.
-
We must make choices
-
that nurture this relationship.
-
We must turn away from the things
-
that create distance between us and God.
-
Priority! Priority!
-
This takes effort!
-
This takes time!
-
There's going to be an exertion.
-
It doesn't happen for free.
-
Oh yeah you get into it for free.
-
But there's effort.
-
That's the thing we need to recognize.
-
There is effort.
-
Did James not say, "draw near to God."
-
God says that to us,
-
"draw near to Me
-
and I will draw near to you."
-
When you think about fighting
the good fight of faith,
-
fighting the good fight of faith,
-
I mean one of the points of that fight
-
is just staying where we trust God.
-
That's what faith is all about.
-
We're fighting to trust Him.
-
We're fighting to keep our hope in Him.
-
We're fighting for that.
-
There's a battle in this.
-
You have all manner of enemies
-
that are moving at you
-
to distract you away.
-
And to take your time away.
-
And to take your eyes off.
-
To move you away from this relationship.
-
You've got to fight for this relationship.
-
A man will fight for his marriage.
-
We got to fight for this.
-
This is the chiefest of all relationships.
-
We've got to fight for it!
-
That means priorities in your life!
-
Is it a priority in your life?
-
You know, if you hesitated,
-
your conscience wouldn't let you say,
-
"Yes, I can boldly say
-
my fellowship is with the
Father and with His Son!"
-
One of the reasons you may have hesitated
-
is because you don't
have your priorities right.
-
And your conscience knows it.
-
Your walk with God is not
what it ought to be
-
because your priorities are
not what they ought to be.
-
Effort brethren!
-
Effort!
-
The second thing.
-
Worship and honor are essential
-
to this relationship.
-
Now John was telling us in
the Sunday school about missions.
-
And he's calling us, you
know, to give ourselves
-
to one another in love
-
and help encourage one another
-
so that we might see this church grow
-
and people being able
to be launched forth.
-
But you just remember this,
-
missions is never the end.
-
Missions is not the goal.
-
What does God want most?
-
He wants our heart.
-
He wants our love.
-
He wants our worship.
-
This thing is about worship, by and large.
-
That's the chief thing.
-
Piper said it in his book on missions.
-
You know the reason we launch
-
off to those foreign coasts
-
is because there isn't worship there.
-
That's what we're after.
-
That's what we're longing for.
-
Now look, I want you to
all turn to over to Malachi 1.
-
Some of you, you're familiar with this.
-
But I want you to see this,
-
I want you to feel this.
-
We're talking about
-
some thoughts on walking with God
-
and we're going to let the Lord Himself
-
speak to us about some things that,
-
to Him, are of chief importance
-
in this walk that we have with Him.
-
If you go to Malachi 1:6.
-
Watch this. Last book
in the Old Testament,
-
if you're looking for it.
-
Right before Matthew.
-
"A son honors his Father
-
and a servant his master.
-
If then, I am a Father,
where is My honor?"
-
God wants honor.
-
God deserves honor.
-
God is worthy of honor!
-
"If I am a master, where is my fear?"
-
Now you see, intimacy - yes.
-
But you need to remember this,
-
the one that we are
in relationship with here
-
is God Almighty.
-
And there needs to be a fear on our part
-
and there needs to be an honor.
-
We are not equals.
-
"'Where is My fear?'
-
says the Lord of Hosts,
-
'To you, O priests who despise My name.'
-
But you say,
-
'How have we despised your name?'"
-
And you know what that
happens to many of us.
-
If God could speak to you right now -
-
well, He can.
-
But if He did speak to you audibly
-
or in written word through a prophet
-
just like this,
-
He may say the same things about you.
-
"You despise Me."
-
And for many of you who do despise Him,
-
you would say, "Where do I despise Him?"
-
"Well, by offering polluted
food upon My altar."
-
Now look, we offer sacrifices
-
as New Testament believers.
-
Our sacrifices are good works.
-
Our sacrifices are sharing what we have.
-
Our sacrifices are the praise of our lips.
-
You get many texts in the New Testament
-
that talk about the
sacrifices that we offer.
-
But you say,
-
"How have we polluted you?"
-
"By saying that the Lord's
table may be despised."
-
Now watch this,
-
"When you offer blind animals in sacrfice
-
is that not evil?"
-
Now here's the thing.
-
Here's a thing that I want you to see.
-
These priests were making the offering.
-
You say, you know, I do this.
-
I do that. I'm at church! Right?
-
I mean I'm there.
-
God looks at the quality
-
because the quality has a lot to do with
-
where your heart is.
-
He says, when you're offering
-
substandard sacrifices
-
God says, "Is that not evil?"
-
And He's looking for
-
an answer that you all know.
-
Yes, it is evil when you offer
-
substandard sacrifices to God.
-
"When you offer those that are lame
-
or sick is that not evil?"
-
Present that to your governor.
-
You know when I think about worship,
-
I think, oh, I want to be in my seat
-
when God's word begins to be preached.
-
I want to be in my seat
-
when they begin to sing His--
-
I want to hear from Him.
-
I want to be ready.
-
You know,
-
the problem with this whole setup here is
-
everybody that walks in late
-
you all see it.
-
And you know, the thing is
-
would you guys walk into work like that?
-
Offer it to your governor!
-
Offer it to your boss!
-
Will he accept it?
-
And I'm not saying
-
that whether you make it on time
-
is the pinnacle of all this.
-
But I can tell you this,
-
when somebody's
walking with the Lord
-
and their heart - their heart is hungry,
-
Oh, I want to be there when
the Word's opened up.
-
I don't want to miss any of it.
-
I want to be there when they sing.
I don't want to miss any of it.
-
Where are your priorities?
-
You see this has to do
with walking with God,
-
not just appeasing
those who are watching.
-
But as what are you offering to Him?
-
What are you offering?
-
Are you giving?
-
And I know some are.
-
There's sacrifice.
-
But when you walk with the Lord,
-
He watches to see the qualtity.
-
Why? Because the quality matters.
-
Men, you come to this woman
-
and you say, "will you marry me?"
-
And then she finds out you got
the ring from a pawn shop,
-
Is she going to be affected by that?
-
Well, some might not be.
-
But some might just be prudent,
-
"Well I'm glad he did that."
-
He saved a bunch of money,
-
now we can get into a house sooner.
-
Ask her first if that's ok.
-
But look, the reality is,
-
I mean he might as well say
-
not just your governor,
-
would your wife accept that?
-
I mean the truth is,
-
that we become negligent
-
with the way that we serve God.
-
We give Him the leftovers.
-
You wake up in the morning
-
and boy, the best part of your day,
-
and what do you do with it?
-
Well you wake up fifteen minutes
before you got to be at work,
-
and so the best part of your day,
-
those first hours
-
you give to your employer.
-
Or you hit the weights.
-
Or you turn on the news.
-
Not all of you do that.
-
But are you giving God the best?
-
I mean when you walk with Him,
-
He's mindful of that.
-
You can see it right
here in the Scriptures.
-
I mean He says,
-
"Present that to your governor,
-
will he accept you or show you favor?"
-
says the Lord of Hosts.
-
I mean, come on!
-
Don't give to God
-
what you wouldn't give to your parents!
-
Don't give to God what you
wouldn't give to your spouse.
-
Don't give to God what you
wouldn't give to your boss.
-
Or to your governor.
-
Don't do that!
-
God is worthy of your best.
-
Walk with Him this way.
-
He's says,
-
"For from the rising of
the sun to its setting
-
My name will be great among the nations."
-
Do you all remember when David -
-
remember David did a foolish thing,
-
and he went and he numbered the people.
-
And you remember the prophet
came to him and said,
-
"Well God sent me with a message.
-
David, you got to pick
one of three bad things.
-
I mean you're either going to get
-
three days, three months, or three years
-
of some really horrible stuff."
-
And David said,
-
"I don't want God to turn me
over into the hands of men;
-
let God do it."
-
And He brought three days of pestilence.
-
And you may remember what happened there.
-
In the end of that whole scenario,
-
he was to go to this man Araunah.
-
To his threshing floor.
-
Araunah saw him coming and said,
-
"I am coming and I have to build
-
an altar and make a sacrifice here."
-
And Araunah said, "David, it's all yours."
-
Do you remember what David said?
-
He said, "I will not give to the Lord
-
that which cost me nothing."
-
Are you giving to the Lord
that which costs you nothing.
-
The lame thing,
-
You see when they brought the blind thing,
-
what did that say?
-
Well, it was the lamb they didn't want!
-
Don't do that to God?
David wouldn't do it.
-
He was a man after God's own heart.
-
Imitate David in this.
-
You remember what was
said in the days of Eli?
-
That God honors those who honor Him.
-
Just that's the second thing.
-
Worship and honor are essential
to this relationship.
-
The third thing I would say.
-
Sin wrecks intimacy.
-
And here we might go back to 1 John 2:1
-
where it says, "My little children
-
I am writing these things to you
-
so that you may not sin."
-
Remember one of the things
he's written to them
-
or he's mentioned four times
-
in that first chapter
-
which is clearly an emphasis to him
-
is he's talking to Christians
-
about fellowship with God.
-
It's the perfect thing to
talk to God's children about,
-
who you want to encourage not to sin.
-
And why?
-
Is the danger that they're
going to go to hell?
-
Perish forever?
-
Well, not for God's true children
-
who are trusting in Christ alone.
-
Who are clinging to His cross work
-
as their only hope.
-
For the true Christian,
-
sin - there's no condemnation.
-
And we have an Advocate.
-
That's what he's assuring us of.
-
But it ruins close
fellowship and intimacy.
-
Brethren!
-
Throughout history, the men and the women
-
who have, among God's children,
-
who have had the privileges
-
to ascend that hill of the Lord
-
into the secret places
-
of God's most glorious manifest presence.
-
Brethren, throughout the age of man,
-
there have been those
that had been invited
-
most closely into manifestations of God.
-
And I'll guarantee you this,
-
you're hard pressed to find
-
that it's ever been
the spiritually sloppy.
-
We have too many professing Christians
-
who sin cheap!
-
You just sell it for a song!
-
Walking with Him.
-
Some of you need to stop and think
-
before you do and say
the things you do and say!
-
You need to count the cost
-
of the intimacy with God
-
that's going to be lost
-
for doing those very things
-
that some of you do
-
and some of you say.
-
Brethren, we have to walk
-
recognizing God is sensitive.
-
Our sin hurts closeness.
-
And I know, the Lord is gracious.
-
And I know that there are times
-
that when we do stupid and foolish things,
-
and we are expecting Him
-
to turn His back on us
-
or to take the rod to us,
-
and He just lavishes us
with hugs and kisses.
-
I know that, but listen,
-
the innermost regions
of fellowship with God
-
goes beyond anything in this world.
-
It's glorious without description.
-
Those that have tasted of it
-
can barely put words together
-
to describe to other people.
-
But it's a very sensitive place to walk.
-
Very delicate.
-
Martin Lloyd-Jones,
-
I came across this,
-
I don't even know where I got this from,
-
but he said,
-
"The air here in this region--"
-
these innermost regions,
-
he said, "it's very pure and very rarified
-
and slight changes are immediately felt."
-
You know we can grieve God.
-
Ephesians chapter four warns us
-
against grieving the Holy Spirit.
-
Brethren you think
about grieving the Spirit
-
We don't have a God who is
-
cold and indifferent
-
and distant and disinterested.
-
Brethren, grief.
-
You think about grief.
-
Who has the greatest
ability to cause you grief?
-
I mean, you think about it.
-
If John happens to be walking over
-
somewhere in Mozambique or in Nepal,
-
and somebody, you know,
-
somebody just said,
-
"I hate you Christians!"
-
Well, John just shakes that off.
-
If his wife said that to him...
-
Who has the greatest
ability to cause you grief?
-
And here we have God,
-
He's bidding us not to grieve Him.
-
The more one person loves another
-
the more the person doing
the loving is affected by
-
any coldness or any distance
-
or any failure
-
on the part of the one who they're
-
extending their love to.
-
Brother. Sister.
-
Would you suppose that your sins
-
don't grieve God?
-
I mean do read that text and say,
-
"Well, that's for somebody else
-
it's certainly not for me when I sin."
-
Brethren, that's given to common
-
brothers and sisters at Ephesus.
-
People just like you and just like me.
-
I mean did Jesus not say -
-
speaking of His manifest presence -
-
He said this,
-
"I will love him and
manifest Myself to him."
-
Who is that?
-
Well, "whoever has My commandments."
-
You see this is a person
that's walking in truth.
-
This a person walking in righteousness.
-
They are walking in obedience.
-
"Whoever has My commandments
and keeps them,
-
he it is who loves Me,
-
and he who loves Me
will be loved by My Father
-
and I will love him and
manifest Myself to him."
-
Look, are you going to forsake
-
a closer walk with Him
-
for some cheap sin?
-
Is Jesus not making it clear
-
that our fellowship with God
-
is clearly impacted by our obedience?
-
I mean look, the doctrine of justification
-
is a wonderful doctrine.
-
But the reason some of you walk around
-
with a cloud hanging over
your head all the time
-
is because you sin way too easily.
-
Yeah, the doctrine of
justification is wonderful,
-
but if you're living an impure life -
-
you're regularly giving God
-
the off-scouring, the leftovers;
-
if you're walking like that,
-
brethren, it's not surprising
-
that you're not enjoying
-
the manifestations of God
-
the way others are.
-
I mean the more we humbly obey Him,
-
empowered by His Spirit,
-
helped by His grace,
-
the more intimate is our fellowship
-
with the Father and the Son.
-
I mean ask yourself this,
-
(incomplete thought)
-
Choices.
-
Sin.
-
Intimacy.
-
Do I want this empty, fleeting pleasure
-
of this sin, or do I want
-
the unsearchable riches
-
of what this fellowship
-
with the Father and with His Son
-
is going to be.
-
John tells in chapter 1
-
how this deeper walk with God
-
can become a reality.
-
What did he say?
-
He said, "Walk in God's light."
-
Bring all your words,
-
bring all your actions into the light.
-
Bring your sin into the light.
-
Be honest about your sins.
-
Confess them to God for
forgiveness and cleansing.
-
But press on brethren.
-
Walking in the light.
-
Walk in the light.
-
That's where your fellowship with God is.
-
It's in the light.
-
And he says, "I write these
things to you that you sin not.
-
Well, that's the third thing.
-
Sin wrecks intimacy.
-
Let's move on even into the realm
-
where we're not talking
specifically about sin.
-
I would say fourthly,
-
beware of distractions.
-
Of course sin always hinders fellowship.
-
But so often our problem is not with sin.
-
It's with the things that are permissible.
-
And you remember how Paul said it.
-
He said, "All things
are lawful," but what?
-
He said it various ways.
-
But what?
-
Not all things are profitable.
-
Not all things edify.
-
Not all things build up.
-
Beware!
-
Beware of the things that pull you
-
away from the Lord!
-
I'll tell you this, the devil
-
will happily have you doing lawful things
-
if it keeps you away from
-
intimacy with God.
-
Be sure of it.
-
Be sure!
-
How many professing Christians
-
squander precious time?
-
O brethren!
-
If we could have all the time
-
from every one of you that has been
-
spent foolishly in social media!
-
And we can just put it together
-
that precious time like gold
-
and take it back from Facebook
-
and whatever other things
they got out there now.
-
They're just inviting new
ones one after another.
-
They're just time
absorbers for Christians.
-
How many professing Christians squander
-
that precious time spent with the Lord
-
not just on social media but
-
laying in bed!
-
Or, TV.
-
Or movies, music, and clothes,
-
and houses and gardens and yards,
-
and hobbies.
-
There's all this stuff that just chews up.
-
If you live a life
-
where you regularly make choices
-
allowing other things,
-
it just becomes a pattern.
-
You're making these choices.
-
Constantly making choices that crowd out
-
time spent with the living God
-
and in His Word,
-
and talking with Him,
-
and in meditation;
-
You're not going to grow closer.
-
You're not going to grow more intimate.
-
Brethren, the place where the glory comes;
-
the place of transformation,
-
Paul tells us is when
you behold His glory.
-
And that doesn't mean,
-
oh, you wake up in the morning
-
and five minutes you're there
-
and then you're out.
-
That's all you gave God.
-
The best of your time
you've given to the world.
-
You've given to other stuff.
-
You think that is just going to emblazon
-
the image of Christ on you?
-
No!
-
You do not have a quality walk with God,
-
any less then you can have
a quality walk with a wife
-
if it's just five minutes.
-
That doesn't work.
-
Beware of the distractions.
-
Beware! Beware! Beware!
-
Brethren, if you can
put on spiritual glasses
-
and but see and look with me
-
at the Song of Solomon.
-
Go back there.
-
Right after the Proverbs.
-
You have this Song of Solomon
-
after the Psalms
-
and after the Proverbs.
-
Like I say if you can put
the spiritual glasses on,
-
did Christ not tell us
-
that Scripture is all about Him
-
and I believe the Song of Solomon
-
is not just a story about Solomon
-
and one of his earthly wives.
-
I believe that this is a picture,
-
as many of the forefathers
-
have down through history
-
believed that this is a picture
-
of Christ and His Church.
-
And if you look at the Song of Solomon 5:2
-
the church is saying this,
-
"I slept, but my heart was awake."
-
I mean this is a person
who's thinking on Christ.
-
"...the sound;
-
my Beloved is knocking."
-
Christ has come knocking.
-
"Open to Me, My sister."
-
This is Christ calling out to the church.
-
My sister open.
-
I want even a greater closeness.
-
"My love, My dove, My perfect one,
-
for My head is wet with dew,
-
My locks with the drops of the night."
-
How the church responded,
-
with an excuse.
-
That's all this is.
-
"Well, I've put off my garment,
-
how can I put it on again?"
-
I've bathed my feet;
-
I'm going to get them
dirty if I go on the floor.
-
And do you known what this moment
-
of hesitation cost her?
-
My Beloved put His hand to the latch
-
and my heart was thrilled within me.
-
I arose to open to my Beloved,
-
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
-
my fingers with liquid myrrh,
-
on the handles of the bolt.
-
I opened to my Beloved,
-
but my Beloved had turned and gone.
-
Brethren, there are times when the Lord
-
is bidding us to come.
-
You feel prompted to pray.
-
You feel prompted to get alone.
-
And you don't do it.
-
You know what?
-
It's not even that she didn't do it.
-
She did it.
-
She just took too much time
-
thinking about it.
-
Give yourself freely to Christ.
-
Oh, be ready when He prompts, to go.
-
To you who are young,
-
you're full of health and strength.
-
We need to stop and think.
-
What are all those
things that you're trading
-
for time with Christ?
-
What are they? You tell me!
-
What real rest have they
brought to your soul?
-
What real joy have they brought to you?
-
What quietness in your spirit?
-
What true satisfaction?
-
You know it. You know it as well as I do.
-
Their pleasures are fleeting
-
and they're quickly hollow.
-
But Christ is never that way.
-
He's truly satisfying.
-
Do those things that you trade,
-
I mean are they really fit
-
objects for your highest love?
-
Think about what you're
giving your life to?
-
You're walking with God.
-
Christ bought us the privilege!
-
Don't squander this in idleness
-
and foolishness,
-
wasting your precious time!
-
I can remember reading -
-
I think Spurgeon tells this story
-
about a man who was in his eighties,
-
and he got converted.
-
Yeah, I think he got
converted in a meeting,
-
and in the very same meeting
-
he just wailed.
-
Seeking to console him,
-
"You've been saved."
-
He just wailed because
-
he had wasted his life.
-
It was gone.
-
I mean Isaiah says it,
-
"Why spend your money for that
-
which is not bread?"
-
And I would say fifthly this,
-
prayer is vital to this fellowship.
-
Prayer.
-
Listen to this again in Song of Solomon.
-
If you're still there look at 2:14.
-
Song of Solomon 2:14.
-
This is Christ speaking
to His church again,
-
"O My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
-
in the crannies of the cliff,
-
let Me see your face,
-
let Me hear your voice,
-
for your voice is sweet,
-
and your face is lovely."
-
It's like Christ is saying to His people,
-
"Don't go hide
-
in the cracks and crevices.
-
Come out and speak to Me.
-
I want to hear your voice."
-
I mean sometimes we feel like
-
oh, we can hardly pray.
-
All it is groans and sighs.
-
But Jesus is saying,
-
"Your voice to Me is sweet.
-
Come out to Me in all your weakness."
-
I mean, it's like a parent whose child
-
struggles to get these words out.
-
The child is not despised by his parents.
-
Christ is saying,
-
"Your sighing and groaning is sweet to Me.
-
I'm not going to mock at it.
-
I'm not going to mock at your weakness."
-
Look, you won't enjoy
-
the deepest of fellowship with God
-
unless you learn to speak
-
with your Beloved in prayer and praise.
-
I mean, brethren, we need
-
seasons of prayer.
-
We need seasons where we talk.
-
I would say sixthly,
-
God's Word is vital to this fellowship.
-
I mean you know this text well,
-
most of you, Isaiah 66:2.
-
Don't turn there. But God says,
-
"This is the one to whom I will look..."
-
who does God look to?
-
He looks to those who are
-
humble and contrite in spirit
-
and tremble at His Word.
-
Coming to His Word.
-
Trembling at His Word.
-
"To them I'll look."
-
That look of God.
-
That means He'll look on them with favor.
-
It means, it's a look
that is very desirable.
-
It's not only that God needs
to be hearing our voice,
-
we must hear the voice
of God in our souls.
-
You're never going to enjoy
fellowship with Him
-
unless your ear is
trained to hear His voice.
-
It's in the Word, yes.
-
It comes from pulpits, yes.
-
We see that the Psalmist says,
-
"The heavens declare it."
-
It's in the creation.
-
God speaks to us by His Providence.
-
He speaks to us in creation.
-
He speaks to us through His preachers.
-
He speaks to us in His book.
-
He speaks to us in
promptings of the Holy Spirit.
-
He speaks to us in conscience.
-
He's given Himself a voice
-
through many means.
-
We need ears,
-
not just that are trained to hear,
-
but take time to hear.
-
O, when you got all the noise coming!
-
That's one of the things
-
about all the technology today
-
it just bombs us with noise!
-
I would say seventhly, meditation.
-
Close, sweet communion with God
-
is kept up by meditation.
-
You remember there in Genesis 24.
-
Remember what Isaac was doing?
-
Here comes his bride-to-be.
-
And what was he doing?
-
He was walking in the fields.
-
Oh, if there is a time
to walk in the fields -
-
sunrise and sunset.
-
Especially here in hot Texas.
-
But there's a time to get out.
-
I don't know, maybe not
all of you need to walk.
-
But oh, walking outside is the place
-
for me to meditate.
-
I know
-
you know Charles and
John Wesley's mother,
-
hers was under an apron.
-
The place isn't what's most important.
-
But Isaac was out there meditating.
-
Meditation is giving real time
-
to think and chew,
-
to contemplate God's works,
-
and His wonders, and His glory,
-
and His beauty, and what He says
-
in His word.
-
And what our needs are, our wants,
-
it's how He's working.
-
Meditation just rivets the mind
-
to biblical truths, and it brings
-
God and the soul close together.
-
Those of you that know
something about meditation,
-
you know that's true.
-
Meditation tends to open our eyes
-
to the invisible glory of God.
-
Brethren, I'll tell you,
there have been times -
-
Yes, you go in the Word.
-
Yes, you have some time in prayer.
-
But you walk and you walk,
-
and you linger in prayer,
-
and just communing with God
-
and meditating.
-
And you get into that
-
maybe a half hour, an hour,
-
an hour and a half
-
and suddenly God comes!
-
If you only did that for ten minutes
-
it wouldn't have happened.
-
Meditation, brethren.
-
Oh, Psalm 63:6, we read there today.
-
"I remember You upon my bed
-
and meditate on You in
the watches of the night."
-
And I would end with this last point.
-
Number 8.
-
Christian,
-
Scripture says that you are God's garden.
-
That is a such a picture for fellowship.
-
If you're still there in Song of Solomon
-
I want you to turn to chapter 4.
-
Scripture describes you as God's garden,
-
which means it's a place He wants to come
-
and delight Himself in the beauty.
-
It's a place God delights to walk.
-
I mean, what this is
-
is it's God telling His people,
-
"I want fellowship with you.
-
I want to find the sweetness there.
-
I want to enjoy it.
-
I want to delight in it."
-
If you look at the Song of Solomon 4:10.
-
Look what Christ says.
-
Christ says this to His church,
-
"How beautiful is your love
-
My sister, My bride!
-
How much better is your love than wine
-
and the fragrance of your oils
-
than any spice!
-
Your lips drip nectar, My bride;
-
honey and milk are under your tongue;
-
the fragrance of your garments
-
is like the fragrance of Lebanon."
-
He says this in verse 12.
-
"A garden locked is My sister, My bride."
-
And then you go to verse 16.
-
And the church says,
-
"Awake, O north wind,
and come O south wind!
-
Blow upon my garden,
-
let its spices flow.
-
Let my Beloved come to His garden
-
and eat its choicest fruits."
-
And then you go to 5:1
-
and Christ responds,
-
"I came to My garden, My sister, My bride
-
I gathered My myrrh with My spice.
-
I ate My honeycomb with My honey,
-
I drank My wine with My milk.
-
Eat, friends, drink,
and be drunk with love!"
-
I just ask you this,
-
I mean this is a picture of Christ
-
wanting to come and enjoy
-
the delights of His garden.
-
We really need to see
the Lord desiring that.
-
I think sometimes we have this distant,
-
austere idea.
-
We don't see God really wanting
-
this fellowship.
-
Desiring it.
-
So I ask you this, how you would you
-
rate your fellowship with God?
-
We're going to move
on in 1 John after this.
-
But as we leave this topic,
-
at least for now,
-
how would you rate
your fellowship with God?
-
Is it distant?
-
Is it sloppy?
-
Disrespectful?
-
Casual?
-
Is it close?
-
Is it precious to you?
-
I mean, can you really say that?
-
Walking with the Lord is precious.
-
How would you rate it?
-
Is it intimate?
-
Are you the sort of garden
-
where God comes looking for fruit
-
and He finds it?
-
Delights in it?
-
I mean this, brethren,
this is heaven on earth
-
for the lover of God.
-
It really is.
-
And no matter how long
-
that you have been a child of God,
-
you've got to protect this.
-
You've got to make efforts at this.
-
This has to be a priority.
-
We all make choices.
-
We all have priorities.
-
We all get up in the morning
-
with the same number of hours in a day.
-
Those who walk close with God
-
have the same number of hours.
-
How do we spend them?
-
What are we doing with them?
-
You need to guard
-
your relationship with the Father
-
and with the Son
-
and with the Holy Spirit.
-
I mean brethren, ask yourself this.
-
Ask, "When was the last time
-
you had a sweet time with the Lord?"
-
Where your heart jumped because He came!
-
Oh, maybe it was overwhelming.
-
Maybe it was just that still, small voice.
-
He just came.
-
He thrilled your souls.
-
You felt your soul melt because His Word
-
came to you personally.
-
I mean, you know when that happens,
-
"He spoke to me!"
-
I mean you're in the Word and it's for me!
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Or you're out in prayer and
He comes and He says,
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"I'm going to give you
what you just asked."
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And you know it!
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Or you're just
mediating on something
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and suddenly you are so
blown away by His glory.
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And it's because His Spirit has come
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and opened your mind
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and your understanding
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and just swept you away.
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Brethren, when has that happened?
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Look, I'm not talking about
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knowing God in theory.
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I'm not talking about
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just knowing in theory that He loves you.
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Do you personally drink the love
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of the Father and the Son?
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Manifestly?
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I'm not talking about just
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diving into the theology book.
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Do you know this?
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Brethren!
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Do you know this?
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I mean, we have a Husband.
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Didn't He give us that picture in Hosea?
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But we're like Gomer.
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What a name! Gomer.
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But we're like her!
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I always think of Gomer Pyle.
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It's like a ridiculous name.
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But, Gomer.
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She's unfaithful.
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And Hosea is like Christ.
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Brethren, He comes along
to a bunch of prostitutes.
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That's what we are.
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That's what we were.
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You'd say that's what
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some of us are now.
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That's what many of us were before.
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Just prostitutes!
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Just these unfaithful -
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we were harlots.
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We just gave ourselves freely
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to our whoredom out there.
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And He comes along
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and He buys us off the slave block.
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Is that not what He did?
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He says, "I pay for you with My blood."
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And now, I want you for Me.
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I don't want you going and giving yourself
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to all your other lovers anymore.
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I want you for Me.
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Brethren, that's a picture of the gospel.
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That's what this is all about.
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He wants us for Him.
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He's bought us with a price.
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Calls us to leave our other lovers
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and surrender to His love.
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To be that garden that He delights in.
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If you all you ever
heard is Christianity is
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just be saved from your
sin and saved from hell.
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Brethren, this goes much deeper.
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This thing is beautiful and
precious to the uttermost.
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Don't sell it for a song.
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Brethren, priorities.
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Priorities.
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Choices.
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May God help us.
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Father, we ask for Your grace.
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We ask for the power
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of the Spirit of God.
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Make this a reality.
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Oh Lord, we know that you want us
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to walk with you in worship, in honor,
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in praise, in love.
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We know that this is
indeed the chief thing.
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Giving our lives to You.
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Giving ourselves entirely;
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a sacrifice upon the altar of God
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to be consumed
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by Your fire of love for Your people.
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Lord, I pray for the
grace for this church.
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That above all things
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no matter what you do with us,
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Lord, I pray,
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pray that you would make this church,
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at whatever cost necessary;
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whatever you have to bring,
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whatever fire to purify,
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whatever comforts to help,
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whatever is necessary, Lord.
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I pray that You would make this church
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what You want it to be.
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Fruitful, beautiful in your sight.
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Lord, spare us nothing
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that you've given to your elect people
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through the ages.
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Spare us nothing
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that will propel us forward
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into these degrees of glory.
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That will propel us forward
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into a deeper intimacy
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and knowing you with that knowledge,
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that oh, that is so sweet and so valuable.
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Help us, Lord,
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we pray in Christ's name.
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Amen.