It’s time for us to begin this morning. It’s good to see everyone here. I know we’ve got at least one that’s out with the flu. Uh, Eric Halverson is home dealing with, uh, that thing that’s going around. And uh, so keep him in your prayers.
Hopefully he will recover quickly. We are in first Kings chapters five and six this morning dealing with the building of the temple and the preparations for it be turning over there w again in a moment. Well, let’s begin with a word of prayer. Our Lord and father in heaven, hallowed be thy name. We are so grateful for all of your many blessings for your tender mercy that has been granted to us for the blessing of life and health that we have to assemble for the opportunity that we have and the freedom that we have in this country to do so without persecution.
We pray that we will continue to daily utilize that freedom to boldly proclaim the truth, no matter what comes and never shy away from the truth because of the influence of evil. We pray that you will help us to learn the lessons that you’ve placed in this text for us to learn to come to a better understanding of your will and to have better appreciation of your presence.
We ask that you forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory and are willing to repent of those things. We pray for those that are dealing with illnesses and difficulties, pray that they be returned to their desired health and their desired positions. We pray for those who may be traveling, pray that they have a safe travels and reach their destination safely and we pray for those who are doing mission work throughout the world.
May they be able to continue in those labors and may they be fruitful in those labors, whether in edification or in evangelism. Pray that all that they do will be in accordance with your will in Jesus name. Amen. We read in chapter four and verse 30 thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt for he was wiser than all men than Ethan the as were height and Heman.
Ciao Cole and Darda the sons of Mount may hole and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He spoke 3000 Proverbs and his songs were 1005 also he spoke of trees from the Cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that Springs out of the wall. He spoke also of animals, of birds of creeping things in a fish and the man and men of all nations from all Kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom came to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
Solomon’s fame and his fame concerning his wisdom specifically. Notice this isn’t fame about his great military power. This isn’t fame about the nation of Israel and its grander. This isn’t fame about this vast land that they’re ruling over because let’s face it, Israel even at its largest extent is a small footprint compared to many other nations around them. You think about the size of Egypt?
Do you think about the size of Israel? There’s no comparison, but it was his wisdom that brought from all the Kings and all the nations around them and all the ones who had heard of Solomon and his wisdom to come and to find out if this was true and to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Verse chapter five verse one says, now Hiram King of tire sent his servants to Solomon because he heard that they had anointed him.
King in place of his father for Highroom had always loved David. Now do you remember a King that David heard about who his father had died? And David was one who had been helped by his father. And so when David heard that his father had died, he sent his servants to go and to comfort him. Well, here Highroom does the same thing except Solomon doesn’t treat Hiram servants the way that that other King treated David surface.
The other King listened to his counselors and said, these men are spies. These men are here to spy out the land and the Congress. And so he mistreated them. Solomon won’t do that with high room or with Hiram servants. He will treat them as they were as friends. And uh, the servants of a King who was a friend. But then notice verse,
uh, verse two, then Solomon sent to Hiram saying, you know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord, which his, excuse me, the name of the Lord his God. Because of the Wars which were fought against him on every side until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side.
There is neither adversary nor evil. Occurrence and behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God as the Lord spoke to my father, David saying, your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for my name. Now therefore command that they cut down Cedars for me from Lebanon.
And my servants will be with your servants and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say for you know, there is none among us who has skills to cut timber like the side donations. So Hiram is the King of tire, tire and Sidon or two cities and, and, and nation cities that were in the North above, uh,
Israel over the coast of the, uh, uh, Mediterranean sea. And so Solomon returns back of message to Hiram. Hiram has sent his servants down. Solomon sends back a message saying, you are aware, and I think this is interesting. This is not a detailed a skip over. He says, you’re aware that my father desired to build the temple,
the house of his God while he was alive, but wasn’t allowed to. David has communicated with Hiram and has discussed this. Now, this may have something to do with the fact you remember we read about all the preparations that David made in advance for the temple and for the things of the temple and how he gathered, uh, timbers. And gathered materials all together so that when Solomon started this project,
he was not going to have to start at zero. These preparations had been made already, so now Solomon is going to communicate with Hiram and said, you know about the situation. You know what was going on. You know why David wasn’t allowed to build the temple, but now I’m ready to build. But you have something. We don’t, not just the timber of tire inside in,
but you have timber workers that we don’t have. They have skills we don’t have. Some have come to these passages and they’ve looked at these, these statements, and I don’t know if they’re correct or incorrect, but they’ve drawn the conclusion that perhaps because of the influence of David and because of the communication of David and relationship of David and Hiram, that perhaps Hiram has been one who as a Gentile has been worshiping the Lord and that seems to make sense that there’s more than just a political Alliance here.
There’s more than just a civil Alliance here, that there is a friendship that went deeper than that. So that Hiram was actually one who worshiped the Lord and recognize the Lord as God because of his relationship with David. That may be the case. That may not be the case. I just know that there are some who have drawn that conclusion, but either way Solomon suggestion is and his request is you send us workers and you send us timber and I’ll pay you whatever.
I’ll pay your servants whatever you require. Okay, so it was when Hiram heard the words of Solomon that he rejoiced sprightly and said, and here’s one of the key verses that they they go to, to to bring forth this idea of higher rooms, recognition of God, blessed be the Lord this day for he has given David A. Wise son over this great people.
Hi room’s response to Solomon’s message is to praise Jehovah. Hiram doesn’t say, well bless be the gods of Tyre and Sidon. He said, blessed be the Lord and that word there is Jehovah. Then room sent to Solomon saying, I have considered the message which you sent me and I will do all you desire concerning the Cedar and Cypress logs. My servant shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea.
I will float them in rafts by the sea to the place you indicate to me and we’ll have them broken apart there. Then you can take them away and you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household. Tires are the Hiram. The King of tire says, I’ll do as you ask, here are the logistics. Here’s what we need to do.
Here’s how it will get done. Here are the things you need to figure out and here’s the cost. So when you look at this, you have two nations working together, you have two Kings working together, they’re bringing together skills that one has that the other doesn’t. And the one thing that Hiram recognizes in this communication is Solomon’s what His wisdom And the rejoicing that Hiram has when he receives the message is not,
Oh look, we’ve got money coming in. Our GDP is going to be better this year. No, that wasn’t it. His recognition and his rejoicing was, David, my friend had a son who came to the throne who was wise instead of a fool. Go over to the book of Proverbs in your mind and think about, uh, not, not just Proverbs,
but Ecclesiastes. Think about the statements that Solomon makes when he considers the wise person who gathers all of these riches, who builds wealth, who does all of these things and is industrious and then dies and leaves it to his son. Who’s a fool. What good was it? He says, what good was it to go do all of this and build all of this?
Ended up delivering it to a son who’s a full Hirem rejoices because David’s son is no fool but is wise and is carrying out the wishes of his father. Also consider this idea that you have a situation quite often where sons reject the choices of their fathers. Son say, you know what, that may have been my father’s plan for me, but I don’t care what my father’s plan was for me.
I’m going to do what I want to do. That wasn’t Solomon Solomon in his wisdom, chose to follow the path of his father. Now he’s not always going to do it perfectly. He’s not always going to do it right and certainly going to be issues. But in this context, that’s part of what you’re seeing. Um, do we know how old Solomon was?
Um,<inaudible> what, what age is he when or do we have, is his age at his death? Um, let me see. Right. It is in the third year that he begins to build. Yeah. Um Hm. Okay. I, I’m not, we know that he reigned 40 years, say same as same as his father. We know that three years into his reign is when he begins to build the temple.
But we also recognize he technically began to reign before David died. So, um, I don’t know that we’re ever told his age when he dies. Um, if it’s not top, yes, yes. I, the impression is as well that he is even from his own statements that he’s a young man coming to the throne, uh, most likely in his twenties,
uh, perhaps even his early twenties. Okay. So then Hiram gave Solomon verse 10 Cedar and Cypress logs according to all his desire. And Solomon gave high room 20,000 cores of wheat as food for his household and 20 cores of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year. So this is an agreement. Solomon, you give me food for my house now.
We talked on Wednesday about what it took to feed Solomon’s household on a monthly basis, probably very similar situation for Hiram. And so Hiram says, listen, you send me food, I’ll send you timber and workers. Okay. So this happened year by year. So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom and he as he had promised, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon and the two of them made a treaty together.
Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel and the labor force was 30,000 men. So he sent them to Lebanon 10,000 a month in shifts. They were one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And uh, Donna Ram was in charge of labor force. Solomon had 70,000 who carried burdens and 80,000 who quarried stone in the mountains besides 3,300 from the chiefs of Solomon’s deputies who supervised the people who labored in the work and the King commanded them to quarry large stones,
costly stones and human stones to lay the foundation of the temple. So Solomon’s builders, high rooms builders and the Gable lights quarry them and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple. So again, we return back to the statement that Samuel made to Israel. You want a King? Well, here’s what you’re going to get with it. You’re going to get a King,
but he’s going to take your sons and your daughters and your best and those who are the most productive and they’re going to work for him. Well, that’s exactly what’s going to occur here as opposed to all of these men being in the fields, being those who were working at home, working on their inheritance, they’re off entire and in the quarries building or preparing to build the temple.
Now there’s also an indication from other passages that some of the EAs are going to be part of the people who were not driven out of the land. There were still Canaanites who were in the land and some of them will be put to the work of building the temple and serving as the, in quite Frank terms, slaves of Israel, but you remember all the way back to the Caribbean nights they give you the nights were those that came to a Joshua and they said,
listen, we’re from a far off land and they addressed as though they’d come on a long journey and they had moldy bread and they came and they said, let us make a treaty with you because we’re from this far off country. Israel makes a treaty with them only to find out they weren’t from a far off country. They were from right there in Israel.
They were part of the people that had been commanded to be put to death and God said, here’s what’s going to happen to you. You’re going to be woodcutters and water bearers for my house. And so they had been put into a position of being bond servants, slaves of Israel, and specifically for the function of the temple and the service of, or the function of the tabernacle at the time and the service thereof.
So there seems to be others as well who have still been in the land who’ve been brought under subjection during David’s reign. These were some who constantly were fighting battles against them and now they’re placed as those who are doing part of this service and part of this labor. But there were certainly those of Israel as well. You see, part of the wisdom of Solomon in what did the Egyptians do with the Israelites when they wanted them to build these great cities and when they were using them as slaves,
they took them and they overworked them and they made it. They said, listen, as long as we keep them working, they’ll be obedient. They’ll be subjugated. But Solomon takes them and he does what, one month working two months off, one month working two months off. He gives them sufficient rest to keep them working and laborous and productive but conscious of their,
their needs and their physical work. I mean this is, this is not going to be easy work. This is going to be hard labor. Uh, and so he will be wise even in his choices in that regards. Chapter six it came to pass in the fourth, excuse me, he came to pass in the 480th year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel in the month of Ziv,
which is the second month that he began to build the house of the Lord. Now the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was 60 cubits, its width 20 and its height 30 cubits. The vestibule in front of the sanctuary of the house was 20 cubits long across the width of the house and the width of the vestibule extended 10 cubits from the front of the house and he made for the house windows with beveled frames against the wall of the temple.
He built chambers all around against the walls of the temple all around the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. Thus he made side chambers all around it. The lowest chamber was five cubits wide. The middle was six cubits wide. The third was seven cubits wide for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the temple and the temple when it was being built was built with FA with stone finished at the quarry so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.
This is an interesting detail here because if you remember back to the book of Exodus when they’re building the tabernacle, initially that was one of the requirements. They weren’t to do the work of building the tabernacle and and hewing out the stones or making the poles or beating the the gold into and into its form. They weren’t to do any of that at the tabernacle.
They were to do that out, away from it and bring it to the place where it was to be built and assembled together separately and so Solomon carries that same idea forward into this work, but it’s interesting to consider just exactly what that means. I mean that means they were fashioning these stones, fashioning this structure and and building it all out, carving it out of rock,
quarrying it out and then moving the finished pieces and when they get there with the finished pieces, it all had to fit. I mean, you know, this whole a measure twice cut once philosophy of of carpentry is, is not necessarily the way it’s going to work out with this type of situation. You’ve got to have someone who knows this is exactly the right size in the right dimension in everything before that stone ever moves because no tools are leaving the quarry to go with the stone to get it right on site.
There would be no hammer, no sound of of a, of a chisel, no fixing it when it gets there. It had to be right before it ever left the Cory before it ever went to Jerusalem to be part of the temple. So, uh, it’s also interesting this idea that, um, if you notice it, let’s see here. Mmm.
Verse six, the lowest chamber was five cubits wide. The middle was six cubits wide, the third was seven cubits wide. Four, he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the temple. So you’ve got these support beams and they’re created in such a way that on the, my impression of what it’s saying is on the inside of the temple,
you wouldn’t see them. They were on the outside. So they, they were fastened in such a way. So because you’re going to read later on that when they put the Cedar and the Cyprus and the wood on the inside, once you went into the temple, once it was finished, you saw no stones. So it was stone on the outside,
but on inside it was completely covered with the wood, uh, from, from the Cedars. And so all of this is done in such a way. It’s constructed in such way designed in such a way to end up looking a certain way. Now, one thing that another individual pointed out in, uh, commenting on this is nowhere in any of these passages do you specifically read that God is giving the instructions.
You, you, you see Solomon’s wisdom, you see the wisdom of others. You see all of that being stated, but unlike the old Testament, uh, or excuse me, unlike the tabernacle where God said, you do this, you do this, you do this, you do this, you make it according to this. And, and every instruction from beginning to end is laid out.
You don’t have the record that that’s how this happened. You do see the wisdom, uh, mentioned and the wisdom of God given to Solomon, but there’s no specific reference anywhere in the old Testament about God said, do it this way. Some of it follows the pattern of the tabernacle. Some of it doesn’t. But here’s the, here’s the detail.
Here’s why I mentioned that. Here’s why it’s significant. Remember the discussion in second Samuel where God tells David after David decides I’m going to build a house for the Lord. He’s, he’s dwelling in a tabernacle and I’m dwelling in a, in a panel in house. God said, at what point did I ask you to build me a house? I have journeyed with this people.
I have sojourned with this people for all of these years and at what point did I ask anyone to build me a house because God is more concerned about the people being aware of his presence than impressed with his house and here’s the detail. That’s interesting. Yes. The temple will be important. Yes. The temple will play a part in the history of Israel,
but Solomon will reign for 40 years. He’ll start building the temple on in the third year. He’ll take seven years to build it. So year 10 of his reign, 10 out of 40 the Temple’s finished<inaudible> Without very much time into his son’s rain. Less than 50 years later, The people will be worshiping in front of idols in Dan and bear Sheba and not coming to the temple at all.
Least 10 out of the 12 tribes. They weren’t impressed with what the temple was supposed to be and they weren’t so impressed with the temple that they chose to go there instead of go to, uh, an idol that was created in Dan and bear Shiva. You know, we get wrong headed about this. I think the same way that maybe David and Solomon were and think I want,
I want the place where we worship to be something that makes an impact. I want people to be impressed when they walk in the door. I want people to have a certain perspective when they want. And a perspective is fine and, and all of those things are okay, but it like Solomon misses the point because whether we worship in a building or under a tree,
what matters is, is God there? What matters is, is his presence there and are we doing it in accordance with his will? And God’s going to make that point to Solomon. This house doesn’t change the central detail. You follow my laws and if you substitute this house for my laws, you’re going to have a problem. Notice what we read.
So the temple was in B, uh, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. The doorway for the middle story was on the right side of the temple. They went up by stairs to the middle story and from the middle to the third.
So there’s three levels. This is a three story building. Uh, the doorway of, I already read that verse line. So he built the temple and finished it and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of Cedar and he built sign chambers against the entire temple. Each five cubits high and they were attached to the temple with Cedar beams. Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon.
Now notice this statement, then the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying concerning this Tembel which you are building. If you walk in my statutes, ex execute my judgments, keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will perform my word with you, which I spoke to your father David. Stake moment and step back and think about that God has just said.
Now this hearkens back to second Samuel chapter seven, God establishing his kingdom, God carrying forward the covenant. All of that’s true, but what part of this commandment was any different than what God had told Israel from the beginning? You keep my laws, you keep my statutes, you keep my commandments, you follow me and walk after me with your whole heart.
What part of that is any different? Now that there’s a temple here? None. Not a bit. And so God is making the point. Solomon, you don’t merit any special favor by building a magnificent house. You merit my favor by following my commandments and my laws and my statutes and guiding this people in right actions and a right heart. And that is where Solomon is going to get off track is the placing of things of things as a higher importance than God’s laws.
Now you come all the way forward to the new Testament in Matthew chapter 24 here are Jesus’s disciples and they, after Jesus has declared that I’m going to destroy this temple and in three days build it again. The disciples are going to, as Jesus is there in the city of Jerusalem, there for the feast of Passover, they’re going to show him the grander of the temple.
Now, this temple, the temple of Herod is nothing by comparison to the temple of Solomon, no comparison whatsoever in grander to the temple of Solomon, and yet they’ll show him the stones and the gold and all the things of the temple, and then Jesus will make it clear, not one stone will be left upon another. And you know what? In 80 70 when Rome came in and destroyed the temple and tore it down and took every stone apart to get all the gold that was in laid in the temple stones,
guess what? Never changed God’s presence among the church because the stone and the building weren’t the point of God’s presence. Those who were faithful to him was the point of God’s presence. Jesus said in John chapter four when he was speaking to the woman at Samarria, the woman who said, you know what? My father say that we all do worship God in this mountain,
and your father say that we ought to worship in Jerusalem. And Jesus says, there’s coming a time where God won’t be determined by who worships were. But whether or not they will worship in spirit and in truth and God will seek such to worship him all the way back here in first Kings chapter six God was seeking for such to worship him in those days,
in spirit and in truth. That’s why God makes this point to Solomon. So then we read verse 13 and I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel. So Solomon built the temple and finished it and he built the inside walls of the temple with Cedar boards from the floor of the temple to the ceiling. He paneled inside with wood and he covered the floor of the temple with planks of Cyprus.
Then he built the 20 cubit room at the rear of the temple from the floor to ceiling with Cedar boards. He built it inside as the inner sanctuary as the most Holy place, and in front of it, the temple sanctuary was 40 cubits long. The inside of the temple was Cedar carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All with Cedar, there was no stone to be seen,
so the outside was stone. The inside you go inside and you’d never see a stone on the inside because of how it was done inside with the Cedar, and he prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple to set the arc of the covenant of the Lord there. The inner sanctuary was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 20 cubits high. He overlayed it with pure gold and overlay the altar of Cedar.
So Solomon overlayed the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched the gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary and overlayed it with gold. The whole temple. He overlaid with gold until he had finished all the temple. Also, he overlaid with gold the entire altar. That was by the inner sanctuary. Inside the inner sanctuary, he made two cherubim of olive wood,
10 each, 10 cubits high. One wing of the chair was five cubits and the other wing of the cherub, five cubits, 10 cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other, and the other cherub was 10 cubits. Both cherubim were of the same size and shape. The height of one cherub was 10 cubits and so was the other cherub.
Then he set the cherubim inside the inner room and they stretched out the wings of the chair boom so that the wing of the one touched one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. Also, he overlaid the chair boom with gold. Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around both the inner and outer sanctuaries with carved figures of cherubim,
Palm trees and open flowers and the floor of the temple. He overlaid with gold. Both the inner and outer sanctuaries for the entrance of the inner sanctuary was made. He made doors of olive wood and lentils and doorposts were one fifth of the wall. The two doors were of olive wood and he carved on them figures of cherubim, Palm trees and open flowers and overlaid them with gold.
And he spread gold on the cherubim and on the Palm trees for the door of the sanctuary. He also made doorposts of olive wood, one fourth of the wall and the two doors were of Cypress wood. Two panels comprised one folding door and two panels comprised the other folding door. Then he carved chair of them Palm trees and opened flowers on them and overlaid them with gold.
Applied evenly on the carved work and he built the inner court with three rows of human stone and a row of Cedar beams. In the fourth year, the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid in the month of Ziv in the 11th year in the month of bowl, which was the eighth month, the house was finished in all its detail according to all its plans.
So he was seven years in building it. Okay. So it took him a year to lay the foundation. It took them another seven years to complete the building of the temple. And so in in a total of eight years, uh, from the third year to the, uh, 11th year, they complete the temple. Um, now there are more details that are going to be given in the next chapter concerning the cards,
the, the bronze work of the temple. The other details, and we’ll get into that in another class. But all of this is, is important. All of this is useful information, especially as you go throughout the remainder of the old Testament, but it’s of worthy note with all the grander and all the gold and all of this precious things and all of the time and all of the years spent doing it,
it won’t take long and it will be in disrepair. It will be that which is not kept up. It will be that which is not important because it will not be that which directs the hearts of the people toward God. You go over to the book of Ezekiel and you’ll find a Zeke you’ll saying and making it clear through God, making it clear to his ego through a vision that there were priests in the temple,
bowing down to idols in the temple of God. We can get off track so quickly when we start worrying about the physical more than the spiritual. Let’s go through the questions. Why did Solomon say that his father was unable to build a house for God because of the Wars? Uh, around him. W whom did God promise David would build his or God’s house?
His son Solomon. What aid in preparation of building God’s house, did Solomon ask of Hiram, King of tire, Cedar and Cyprus, trees and craftsman who could do the work? A yes or no. Did Solomon use any forced laborers in preparations for building the temple? Yes, he did. Number four stones used for the foundation of God’s house were a cut or B<inaudible>.
Cut. Cut. Okay. Uh, describe the noise of hammers used in building God’s house. None at the location of the temple. Uh, how many stories high did Solomon build God’s house? Three how many years did it take Solomon to build God’s house According to the verse seven? Um, under what conditions did God say he would keep his promises to David and Solomon if they would keep his commandments and walk in his ways.
Was gold used in the construction of God’s house? Just a little bit. Just a little bit. Describe the wingspan of the two cherubim, which Solomon had built for the inner sanctuary. Alright. They touched the walls on both sides. Another would be a total of 20 cubits. Another answer could be 10 cubits each with whichever way you want to describe it.
Five cubits per wing, whatever works. As long as it’s in accordance with the passage, you can, you can go with that. So<inaudible>. Right, right. Well, and that’s part of what I, I was wondering is you get the impression, at least I got the impression that they actually took the logs, came down the sea on the sea and then came inland with them.
Uh, so good question of where, Right, right. Gotcha. It’s a long way to Jerusalem. Uh, of course, you start looking at the size of some of the stones themselves that they quarried out. And I mean, you’re, you’re talking massive stones. Um, So I guess maybe they had some of those leftovers skills from building the pyramids in Egypt,
figuring out how to move those things. So<inaudible> They were smart, smarter than me. Okay. They figured it out. Alright, we’re dismissed. Thank you for your attention.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Good morning. Welcome to the call. You have a church of Christ Sunday morning worship service. Uh,
we’re glad to see everybody. We do have a shortage of people this morning, but most of them own their sick list, so we’ll mention them anyway. We need to remember them all in our prayer. Uh, first of all, I want to mention this card that I got from Janie Marlin. Uh, it says to my church family, I’m truly touched by,
by your thoughts. While I was ill, thank you so much for the prayers, phone calls, food, and all of the lovely cards and fruit basket. And Christian loved Janie Marlin. Oh, I hope I get all these announcements right. There’ve been so many changes on in my handwriting. I probably get some of them wrong, but anyway, we’re going to mention our sick first,
which is pretty long list and some have been added since I got here. Uh, Rodale and Dorothy are still struggling with their health problem. Julia cation is still in Germantown Methodist and Joan Springer’s. It is at home. Marie said she might be doing a little bit better, but she’s still pretty sick recovering from our Bronco pneumonia. Tommy O’Neil is waiting,
uh, results from tests. Uh, he had done this past Thursday and Friday for his blood pressure heart or whatever. They’re checking it out. Gladys Laos came home yesterday morning, but she didn’t feel like coming this morning, but she is going to try to come. I’m going to go get her at, uh, for the one 30 service. Joe caisson is at home,
I guess did adjusting his medication for heart rate and uh, Rebecca Rushmore’s at home with uh, bronchitis and fever and Riley Henson has the flu and Amber has a fever and a possible virus. Eric Halverson has the flu. Oh Krista, Sandra McCall’s daughter is having problems with her blood pressure and also blood pressure problem. Um, Janet Jones stayed at home this morning because hers was elevated this morning.
If I missed anybody, let me know about it cause I’m like, I read everything that was on here, so maybe I didn’t miss anything. Colleyville cares. We’ll meet tomorrow night at seven. And um, Kevin<inaudible> is a guy with Potter’s children home. He’s supposed to be here between services to load up all of the stuff that, uh, the commodities and stuff that we,
uh, give to them. The children’s home every year a ruin. Remember them rush mowers, they’re still in Ghana. And the Bible bowl last night, uh, I forgot to ask Aaron hat went, went good. Good. And ladies a day at Coleman Avenue will be Saturday that February the 29th, Eddie will be one of the speakers if you would like the car carpool.
There’s a list on him, on the bulletin board. Michael Dale will be leading saying, Gary, Kali has the opening prayer and Eric Richardson is doing the sermon And uh, yeah, Erin will have a closing prayer. Okay, I got it right.<inaudible> Our first song this morning will be number seven and more tool invisible. God only wise number seven.<inaudible><inaudible> Oh my nah.
Greek name. We pray. Hey, rusty nun. Hey SNI and silent<inaudible> no more wanting, no wasting.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> no clouds. Which amount of goodness. Two alive<inaudible> to<inaudible> the true life.<inaudible> We<inaudible> as leaves on that Three<inaudible> parish.<inaudible> Gray<inaudible><inaudible> Oh, praise. We<inaudible> To see<inaudible><inaudible> uh, hi.
Uh, Our heavenly father, we come before they was praise and Thanksgiving. We come before thee expressing to the our gratitude, our indebtedness that can never be paid for the great blessings that are so richly bestowed upon us. Father, we thank thee for the daily blessings that we receive. We’re especially thankful on this Lord’s day, that the memories of our Savior’s resurrection and for his death and suffering on the cross for our sins.
And we’re thankful that we can approach the knowing that that face is toward us and the thigh eyes being on us, that the eyes heard our prayer. Father, we’re so grateful for that love. We’re grateful for the continues to drink and blessings that we’ve received. We asked you to continue to be mindful of us and care for us and help us father bless those who are in need about us,
especially the sick, those who are widows and those who are orphans in their affliction and father help us to do good unto all men, but especially those of the household of faith. We’re thankful for those who stand to preach thy word and may they do so faithfully only as the articles while to keep us in that care through this day and throughout all of our lives.
We look forward to the time when we can gather around that throne to sing, die precious forever and forever and we’re so grateful for those promises and the hope that we have. And father, we pray that continued blessings not only upon ourselves but those about us who are in need. In Jesus’ precious name. We pray The song to prepare our minds for the Lord’s supper will be number 376 he paid a debt.
Number three, seven, six. He paid a dad. He did not<inaudible> dad. I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins.<inaudible> And I see being a brand new song, amazing grace all day long. Christ Jesus paid yeah. That uh, I can never<inaudible> He paid that<inaudible> Calvary. He cleanse my soul and set me free.
I’m glad that, jeez us all<inaudible><inaudible> I know I can see a brand news song. Amazing grace all day long. Christ Jesus paid that I can have a<inaudible> One day he’s coming back for me to live with me. Turned Ali wanted me glory to see him on that<inaudible> I then well see a brand news song, amazing grace all day long.
Christ Jesus paid the dad, uh, never<inaudible><inaudible> Set aside this time of our worship to spend in remembrance as Jesus commanded that we might remember the death and the sacrifice that he made on the cross for us. Let us pray. Gracious father in heaven. We bow before your throne coming with praise and honor and glory. The one who was sacrificed on our behalf.
We pray that this bread, this emblem of his Bonnie, which was broken for us might be taken in a manner that which is pleasing to you all. This we pray in Jesus name,<inaudible> spray, Gracious father. As we continue our prayer to you and remembrance of and his sacrifice, we’re mindful of the blood that was shed on our behalf and we thank you for that sacrifice and that redeeming blood that paid the price for us that we could never pay.
We pray that as we partake of this emblem, may we do so in a way and in a manner that is pleasing to you all this we pray in Jesus name, amen.<inaudible> As a spray, we’re thankful father for that the living that you provided for us, we are thankful that taken care of us. It was food, clothing, and shelter.
All these years, pray that we have purpose in our heart. To give back to the portion of what you’ve given to us. These things that we asked you to Christ’s name. Amen.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Let’s turn to song number 650 send the light. 650 There’s a car comes ringing. Oh, they’re restless waves.<inaudible> Sin, Right? There are souls to rescue.
There are so hard to say.<inaudible> Sin, Right? Send them<inaudible> The gospel lie<inaudible> From Shaw.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> The gospel. I learned it.<inaudible> Four of ’em<inaudible> We have heard the Macedonian car two day session<inaudible> Sin<inaudible> And a golden offering at the cross. We lay sin<inaudible> Sin<inaudible> The blessing gospel lie<inaudible> From Shaw.<inaudible> Send them<inaudible><inaudible> Four<inaudible> Let us pray that Grace May everywhere about sin.<inaudible> Sin And Christ like spirit.
Every Werribee sin<inaudible> Sin, Right? Sin<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> From shore<inaudible> Them Right. The blessing gospel lie<inaudible> Four<inaudible> No, no, it’s not grow weary in the work of<inaudible> Sin, Right? Let us gather Jew crown sin<inaudible> Sin<inaudible><inaudible> From shore<inaudible> Sin<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Four<inaudible>. If you’d like to Mark the song of invitation,
it’ll be number 948 it will be on the screen so you don’t have to Margaret. But if you are one of those people that like to, you can, um, if you would, let’s turn to song number 38 before the lesson. Awesome God. And if you’re able that stand at this time please. Number 38. Oh God isn’t us God.
He reigns from heaven above, with<inaudible>. Ah, God isn’t in us. Um, ah, ah, As in us God<inaudible> From heaven above with<inaudible> And love a God isn’t a us. Um, ah, ah, God isn’t a us. Um, ah, ah.<inaudible><inaudible> The scripture reading will be taken from the book of Jonah chapter one verses one through three.
Jonah one one through three. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of a Mai Tai saying, arise, go to Nineveh, the great city and cry out against it for their wickedness has come up before me. But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish.
He paid so he paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. You may be seated. Good afternoon or good morning, I guess. Not afternoon yet, getting close. Good morning. We’re going to be spending some time in the book of Jonah this morning. Jonah is a book that we know very well.
We’ve learned a lot of times from a young age. We heard about Jonah in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, but this morning I want to focus on the time that the path that Jonah took from verse one to chapter three and we’re going to focus on what Jonah did. We’re going to talk about the path of Jonah. Look at verse one Jonah chapter one verse one it says,
now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah. The son of Amittai saying, arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and cry against it for their wickedness is come up before me. Jonah was from the Northern tribe of Israel. He was, he grew up in the area just South of the sea of Galilee. This would be about 50 years before the Northern kingdom was destroyed.
When Jonah is riding that at this time, and God had told him to go to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was the capital of a Syria. Syria at this time was one of the, there was the, the power, the great power of the day. They were conquering nation after nation and they were also oppressing the Northern kingdom. A series a series had been taken and now Sumeria is being,
or the Northern kingdom. Israel is being oppressed by a Syria. Uh, Syria was a wicked people. God says here, but they were also a very brutal, people look at it from Jonah’s eyes in his life. He was seeing his fam, possibly family, friends, those that he knew being carried away into captivity by the Assyrians. They were a small people,
but they ruled by brutality. Some of the worst things you could ever imagine. Someone do this. Syrians did it. They were known for their brutality and for their torture. The mention of the Assyrians brought fear into people’s minds. They ruled by fear and God told Jonah, go to them. I want you to go to Nineveh and preach to them.
Cry out repentance, repent, repent of what they have done. That would be hard for us to imagine, but it would be similar to God telling us today to go to the epicenter of the headquarters of ISIS and stand up in front of them and yell that they need to repent. What would happen? There’s a good chance we lose our head, wouldn’t we?
Jonah was told to go there and to preach to them. At that moment, Jonah had a choice to make. What is he going to listen to what God said or was he going to choose a different path? We can be faced with similar, maybe not this type of command, but choice that we have to make in our life. They may be difficult.
What choice do we make? What a Jonah choose? Look at verse three but Jonah Rose up to flee and to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He chose not to go to Nineveh. He chose to let fear take hold of him and he chose to run away from God from the far as he could. I think a couple of weeks ago and Wednesday we talked about Tarsus.
Its harshest is in Spain. The distance from where Jono was to Nineveh was about 500 miles, about three or four days journey as it talked about, but harshest was 2,500 miles as the Crow flies away, Spain and France, that area where Tarsus was, was to believe, to be at that day, the farthest away the edge of the earth. In a sense,
he was trying to get as far away from God that he could, but can we get away from God? We can’t hide. Psalm one 39 in verse seven the Psalmist says, where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? We cannot hide from God. We may think that we can. We may think that the choices we make,
nobody will know. But God does. This is the same thing that had him and Eve made. What did, what did? What did they do in Genesis chapter three first thing that they send. What do they do? They went and hid. They thought they could hide from God, but they couldn’t. Jonah made a choice. Instead of going the direction God told him he went the complete opposite direction.
He had to make a choice. And James chapter one and verse 12 through 14 says, let no man say when he is tempted, he was tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil. Neither tempt he any man, but man is T when he is tempted as drawn away of his own lust and enticed, and when loss have conceived that bring it for sin and sin.
When it is finished, bringing forth death, sin, that pathway to sin starts in our hearts. It starts with that first choice. Jonah made that choice to go away from God towards sin, towards a path that led far away from God. He made that choice, but notice will happen next. Look at verse three but Jonah Rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord and went down to Joppa and he found a ship going to Tarsus.
He tried to get as far away from God as he could and he chose, I’m going to, he said, I’m going to go as far as way as I can, but as he goes down there, he finds a ship going to Tarshish. Think about that. Their ships from Rome, their ships from Alexandria, different all across the Mediterranean, but there was a ship that took him a far away as he could go.
The opportunity was there ready and waiting for him. The opportunity to get as far away from God as he could. He thought when we choose to go to make that choice to go away from God, there’s always going to be opportunities waiting and upon waiting for us to sin, they’re always there. Go with me for an example. Go to Proverbs, Proverbs chapter eight Proverbs chapter eight in the book of Proverbs,
we have the simple man. He’s like a man on a fence. He doesn’t know which direction he wants to go yet he could go this way or that. But notice verse one Proverbs eight verse one says, death, not wisdom, cry and understanding. Put forth her voice. She stand it in the top of the high places. By the way,
in the places of the path she cryeth at the Gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in of the doors as Tim Sipple man is coming into the city, wisdom is there crying. I’m here. Come to me. This is personified. Wisdom is personified here choose me. Choose wisdom, but notice there’s another one crying out in a sense.
Go to chapter seven look at verse five that they may keep the from the strange woman from the stranger with flatter with her words for out the window of mine house. I look through my casement and be held among the simple ones. I discern among the use a young man void of understanding, passing through the street near her corner and he went the way to her house and the Twilight in the evening and the black and dark.
Night and behold there met him, a woman with the attire of a harlot and susceptible of heart. She is loud and stubborn for her fee to buy if not in her house. She isn’t now is she without now in the streets in life to wait at every corner. So she caught him and kissed him with an impudent face, said unto him, I have peace offerings with me this day.
Have I paid my vows? Therefore came I for to meet the diligently to seek thy face and I have found the notice the difference. Sin is personified here. Wisdom was crying at the Gates and she’s on top of the house, top yet sin and was in that dark alley in a dark, the dark time of day, just waiting, not yelling out and crying like wisdom,
but just there. The opportunity was there for him to just walk by the opportunities for us when we choose to turn away from God, are there everywhere? Just turn on the TV, pull out your phone for a drunk. Someone that’s has a problem with drinking. The bar’s always right down the road. The opportunity’s there. If we make that choice to go that direction.
Jonah had a choice. When he got to Joppa, there was all those ships. He could’ve stopped right then and said, Nope, I’m not doing this, and he could have went home or going back towards Nineveh. That ship that was going to Tarshish would have sailed off without him on it, but he made that choice to seize that opportunity. There is always an opportunity waiting for us if we choose.
There was a choice that Jonah made. The opportunity was there waiting. He chose it, but notice what else happened back in Jonah chapter one verse three but Jonah Rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord and went down to Joppa and he found a ship going to Tarshish, so he paid the fare there of that ship. That fare to get on that ship was not free.
It costs him sin cost us, it cost him financially. You can imagine Jono walking down the street, fiddling in his pockets, pulling out the money and going, I have just enough I can pay to get on that ship. It cost him. It also costs him physically when he was in that belly of that fish for three days and he was spit back out.
Do you think a person that is in a wet environment for three days with complete darkness is not going to have some physical problems at that point? He did. He also heard himself spiritually sin cost him physically, spiritually, and financially. Sin is not free. It will cost us. Think about our health today. The choices that we make to follow a path of sin can affect us,
whether it be smoking or drinking or whatever the case may be. They can cost us physically. Think about the cost that it has towards others. Think about that drunk driver who chose to get in that car and to drive down the road and not only hurt himself, but possibly kill another person. It costs him. Think about what it does to families that are destroyed because of sinful choices that we can make.
Think about financially, if someone smokes a pack a day, it can cost almost $2,000 a year. A person that is an average drunk will spend $3,400 a year drinking. It is said that the average gambler who is addicted to gambling can have a debt of up to $55,000 sin costs us financially. Think about the medical costs, maybe the court cases, the things that we have to pay for when we choose a path of sin.
Jonah paid that cost financially, spiritually and physically. Proverbs chapter seven that simple man who made that choice that we read in Proverbs seven look at verse 19 says, for the Goodman is not at home. He has gone a long journey. He have taken a bag of money with him and we’ll come home at the day appointed with her much fair speech. She caused him to yield with the flattering of her lips.
She forced him. He’d go with after her straight away as an ox go with to the slaughter or as a fool to the correction of the stocks till a dart strike through his liver as a bird hastening to the snare and know if not that it is for his life. He thought he would be fine. The husband came home and he was killed. That dart went into his liver.
He lost his life for his choice. Romans chapter six in verse 23 it says, for the wages of sin is death, sin can cost us spiritually. First Corinthians chapter six verse nine through 10 tells us that those that are in that lifestyle choose to stay in, that lifestyle will not inherit the kingdom of God. So there was a choice. The opportunity was there,
it cost him. But notice next what happened to Jonah. Continue reading verse the rest of verse three says, so he paid the fare thereof and went down into it to go with him unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea and there was a mighty Tempest in the sea so that the ship was like to be broken.
Then the Mariners were afraid and cried every man into his God and cast forth the wares that were in the ship in the sea to lighten it of them. Here, he gets on this boat and here they are out in the sea and God sends a storm and these men are afraid. They’re crying out to their gods, which is not doing anything. They’re starting to throw what they’re weighed,
their wares over the edge talk about sin affecting others. They thought they were going to lose their life. This storm was terrible, but where was Jonah? The rest of the verse. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship and he lay and was fast asleep. Fast asleep means he was unaware of anything going on. He was in a deep sleep.
He was comfortable. He thought he was fine. When we choose that path, it can get to the point where we harden our hearts to the truth. We may be deceived thinking that we’re fine. That’s exactly what happened to Jonah. He was comfortable. He was asleep. Fast asleep, nothing bothering him. Go to Hebrews chapter three Hebrews chapter three in verse 13 says,
but exhort one another daily while it is called today. Les, any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Sin can harden our hearts. Why? Because it’s deceitful. If you don’t think it’s the CVL turn on the TV, Hollywood makes sin look like it’s great, it’s glamorous, it’s an amazing life, but yet it brings death. It brings trouble and pain and sorrow in our life.
It’s the seat full. It can make it look like we’re fine and we can harden our hearts to what’s the to reality. That’s why the Hebrew writer here says to exhort one another daily. It’s our responsibility to look out for one another because we can be in this state. Jonah was in this state. He had hardened himself to what he had done.
He was comfortable and where he was. Sin also does not show the real consequences. In John chapter 12 verses 39 through 40 it describes a state of being comfortable. Those that are blinded to the truth, they’ve closed their eyes. They did not. Here go to second Thessalonians second festival, Ionian chapter two second Thessalonians two starting in verse eight and then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
Even him who’s coming in or coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and line wonders and with all the seat fullness of unrighteousness and them that perish because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved and for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believe not the truth,
but have pleasure in unrighteousness. When a person chooses to harden their hearts, God will let them go. God’s not going to stop them from believing that lie being deceived. Think about Pharaoh. We always say, well, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Why would he do that? But if you read the rest of that text, guess who else hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
Moses did. Aaron hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The Israelites hardened Pharaoh’s heart.<inaudible> hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The magicians, the astrologers, those he trusted in hardened his heart. Why? Because he rejected the truth. He did not want to hear the message he closed his ears has blinded his eyes to the truth. This can be a state that we reach. We have to be careful.
There is possibly a hardening that comes going down that path that Jonah chose. Jonah chose made the wrong choice. He sees that opportunity that laid there for him. It cost him. He hardened his heart, but guess what? He woke up. He spent three days, eight Canadians. He tells him, cast me into the sea. He, he goes into the sea.
God sends us great fish, swallows him up for the three days he has time to think about his state. He has reached rock bottom. He has three days to think about where he was at. And notice Jonah chapter two now Jonah chapter two says, then Jonah prayed unto the Lord, has got out of the fish’s belly and said, I cried by reason of my affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell,
cried I and thou hurt us. My voice for thou had had us cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas and the floods compassed me about all the high belows and I ways passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight. Yet. I will look again toward thy Holy temple. The waters compassed me about even to the eyes into the soul.
The depth closed me around about the weeds were wrapped around my head, about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth with her bars was about me forever. Yeah, it has brought up my life from the corruption. Oh Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came in unto the,
into the nine Holy temple. They that observe lying vanities, forsake their own mercy, but I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of Thanksgiving. I will pay that I have vowed salvation is of the Lord and the Lord speak into the fish and it vomited out. Jonah upon the dry land, Jonah hit rock bottom, but he remembered God. He repented of what he had done.
God showed him mercy when he was given that second chance. He got off the path he was on and went back to the path that he should have been on towards God. Look at chapter three verse one and the word of the Lord came unto Jonah. The second time. Arise. Go on to Nineveh, that great city and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
God tells him again, do what I say. What’d he say in verse three? So Jonah arose and went into Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now known as well was a great, explicit, exceedingly great city, a three days journey. Jonah did exactly what God said. The second time God showed him mercy by the mercy of God,
he was given another chance. Notice Jonah was ready to do it precisely what God commanded him this time. See, God shows us mercy today through the gospel. Go to first Timothy, first Timothy chapter one first Timothy chapter one verse 15 and 16 this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am.
Chief, how be it for this cause I obtain mercy that in me first Jesus Christ, my show forth all long suffering for a pattern to them. What should hear after believe on him? To life ever lasting. Paul found mercy, so can we. God has shown us mercy. We can get back on that path. If we are a Christian,
we can pray for forgiveness of our sins. First John chapter one verse seven through nine. If we are willing to make a change, God is there waiting for our repentance to be back in favor with him. In Matthew chapter seven and verse 13 and 14 there are two paths. There’s the Broadway and there is a narrow way. Jonah chose a path towards the Broadway.
He made a choice. He was faced with a tough command. He was faced with that temptation to either go or not. He chose not to. As he went down that path, the opportunity, he wanted to flee from God as far as he could and that opportunity was there waiting on him. It cost him financially. It costs him physically and it costs him spiritually because of what he had done and he hardened his heart to the truth.
But notice there’s another path that path towards God. If we can make that choice instead of turning away from God but turning towards God and guess what? When we make that right choice, there’s an opportunity waiting on us. That opportunity is salvation. If we hear, believe, repent, confess and be baptized, we can be added to the church. We can be on that path going to heaven,
but it’s going to cost us. It’s going to cost us physically. It’s going to cost us financially. Why? Cause when we deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him, we give our all to him. We give our life to God. We are not serving ourselves a choice as we want to make, but we choose to do what God wants us to do.
It’s going to cost us financially because we realize the money that we have is not ours, but it’s God’s the choices that we make our what God wants us to do. And when we do that instead of being hardened to sin, we have horse in and we try our best to stay away from it. And therefore, because of the mercy and grace of God,
we can be in him with him someday. What path are you on this morning? Are you on the path that Jonah took? Are you on a path towards heaven? You can make that choice this morning to put Christ on in baptism. Don’t put it off or maybe you have fallen off that path. You can get right back on. All it takes is praying to God to forgive you and to change your life,
to turn back towards him. If you need help this morning, we will pray for you. We will help you and encourage you if you would like to become a Christian. Today is the day to do that. I pray that you come forward as we stand and as we sing the<inaudible><inaudible> Uh huh. Well, Hey son to him. Hey son.
So Gladden<inaudible><inaudible> well come to, I am resolved to go to the same, you know<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> he is a true one. He Is that just one. He had<inaudible><inaudible> Uh huh. Hey son to him. Hey son.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> I am resolved to<inaudible>.<inaudible> He is<inaudible> Yeah.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Hey son to him.
Hey son. So Gladden<inaudible> Ah, that’s great. Hi. Yes. Uh, well come to<inaudible> I am resolved to and the King John, the being the pass ups<inaudible> Friends may oppose me. Maybe he to me.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Hey son to him. Hey son. So Gladden<inaudible> Jeez. Ah, that’s great. Ah, yes.
Uh, well come to The song for our closing prayer will be number 979, nine, seven, nine. I am a poor wayfaring stranger. You’ll need your book for this one, cause they didn’t have it in the slides.<inaudible> number 979 I am up<inaudible> Wayfair green street. Well traveling<inaudible> This<inaudible><inaudible> Yeah, there’s no<inaudible><inaudible> Uh,
And a drive<inaudible> To which<inaudible> I’m going To see my wife.<inaudible> Um, wait. No on too.<inaudible> I’m an<inaudible>. No, uh, George, uh, uh, uh, ni<inaudible> I mean of a<inaudible> Uh, I’ll soon be free from every try or My bodies and the, and uh,<inaudible> A drop.<inaudible> Dean.
Uh, you Oh, And then<inaudible> My Grade we<inaudible> I’m gone To see my save. Yeah. To seeing, Hey<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> uh, uh, I’m a knee<inaudible> Oh, uh, Let us pray. Bother of mercies. We come before you. Grateful for this day. Grateful for the opportunity to hear your word proclaimed, to stand in your presence and to boldly come before your throne prayer.
Thankful for the opportunity to use the fruit of our lips to offer up praise to you and grateful for the time of remembrance of your son and his sacrifice on the cross for us. Thankful to give back and to give that others might be provided for and that your word might be preached. We pray that as we depart from this assembly, we might carry with us the lessons that we have learned and the faith and knowledge that we have grown in that we might grow in grace and understanding in favor with you.
We ask that you help us in hard times and forgive us when we sin all this. We pray in Jesus name.