A Final Charge (1 Timothy 6:11-21)

On Thursday morning this past week, I woke up early and instead of reading my Bible or praying, I decided to turn on the tv and there on the channel we had left the tv on was a pastor who was begging his listeners to sow a seed of faith and give a sacrificial gift of money to his ministry. Interestingly, he never mentioned how the money would be used to further God’s kingdom, but he told story after story of how others had given money and they were blessed with raises, promotions, and unexpected sources of income, and God would do the same for others, if they just trusted and gave. In frustration I turned on the news, and almost as if it was timed, the news anchor started arguing that their news channel was the only trust source of news to listen to. As if they present the truth, and every other news channel does not. As I sat in my recliner, I couldn’t help but think of our study in 1 Timothy and in frustration turned off the tv and pulled out my phone. Within seconds on my social media feed, I discovered another Christian celebrity pastor who was saying that God accepts us all just as we are, including those in the LGBTQ lifestyle. There was no repentance of sin in his message that he proclaimed, none at all. Church family, this is the world in which we live in, this is our Babylon. Truth is attacked from every angle; you cannot escape this ragging war over truth. Thankfully, scripture, and specifically 1 Timothy, gives us guidance on how we are to live and act when truth is attacked. Today, as we come to the end of this letter, Paul shares with Timothy and the church at Ephesus his final instructions. Read along with me as I read verses 11-21… Today, I want you to see four actions we must take when truth is attacked…

1) (We must) Wisely engage in the battle over faith and truth (vs. 11-12).

With things spiraling out of control in Ephesus, as truth seemingly was up for debate, the apostle calls upon Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. Like a commanding general giving orders to his subordinate soldiers, Paul calls upon Timothy and the faithful elders of Ephesus to embrace a wartime mentality. In the book of Ephesians, Paul charged this entire church, and indeed every follower of Christ, to share in this same mentality. He wrote in Eph. 6:11-13… “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Church family, the Bible, calls us to take action. We are not to sit idly by as the truth that we love and have been entrusted with is attacked by Satan and his forces of darkness. But listen, we must be renegades either, for God gives us clear rules of engagement that we must faithfully and wisely follow. These special rules of combat are exactly what Paul details for us here.

Look at verse 11… “But flee these things, you man of God…” Now you may be thinking, Pastor Kevin, I’m not a trained soldier, but this certainly sounds much more like a command to retreat than call to bear arms. But church, we must understand here that the first thing a good soldier needs to know is what dangers are to be avoided in warfare. Listen, smart soldiers do not aimlessly nor carelessly walk into minefields. The word flee here caries the idea of seeking safety through flight. So, Timothy’s first rule of engagement is an order on when to make a strategical withdrawal. You see, Timothy wasn’t to be like the false teachers of this world, he was to be radically different, and part of that difference is discovered in what he runs away from.

Paul simply says the man of God was to flee from these things. “These things” is clearly a reference to what we read and studied last week. Timothy was to flee from the sins of materialism, self-indulgence, deception, self-glory, and self-centeredness. He was to quickly run from the selfish desires of his own heart, for this is the only strategy that succeeds against evil. Timothy wasn’t even allowed to consider or think about these things, he was simply called to run from them as quickly as possible.

But the battle to be fought entails much more than fleeing evil and sin. For just as the servant of God must run away from certain things, he must also run after others. A good soldier in God’s army will pursue godliness with great passion and energy. Notice, in that same verse Paul also gave Timothy a rule for pursuit, as he calls the man of God to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” In rapid succession the apostle listed six-character qualities of godliness that every born-again Christian must passionately and constantly pursue. Paul starts with righteousness, which in this context implies right thinking and living. It speaks of how we are to live our lives horizontally among others, caring for others, considering them more important than ourselves. Second, Paul says Christians are to run after godliness, referring to godly belief and behavior. It infers living our lives for God in obedience with a vertical focus seeking to please Him alone. Next Paul calls on Timothy to pursue faith and love, which is to say he was to seek a deeper trust in God and grow his affection for both God and others. Paul often paired these two characteristics together for they are closely related, for to have faith in God is to love Him above all and be willing to sacrifice everything for His glory and renown. After love, the apostle mentions perseverance, which is the strength to continue in the faith in the face of opposition. It speaks of patience amid difficult circumstances. It implies moving ahead in the faith even when times are extremely difficult, and no end is in sight. Finally, Paul ends his lists of virtues to be pursued with gentleness. Now gentleness is not usually considered a desirable quality in a soldier, is it? I mean the Marines don’t advertise that they are look for a few gentle men. But gentleness has great value in the church and in the war over truth. You see gentleness is the ability to respond without anger. It suggests being kind toward difficult people. You see our greatest strength in this war must be displayed with a gentle nature, and a humble strength that overflows with kindness. These are the six qualities of godliness that we must passionately pursue in our walk with Christ as we stand in His truth.

But notice the rules of engagement don’t end there. You see not only are we to run from certain things and pursue others, but we must also fight the good fight of faith (v 12). This command has to do with doctrine. Faith in this verse is a reference to orthodox Christianity. You see, the faith for which we fight is the body of doctrine regarding our salvation in Christ, that was taught by the apostles and recorded throughout the New Testament.

But this sound doctrine will not persevere on its own. It must be defended. The Greek word Paul uses for fight in this verse is the Greek word for struggle (agonizo). You see the man of God must agonize and struggle to maintain the faith and defend the truth. Listen, my church family, if an army lacks the courage to fight, they must surrender or be defeated. And sadly, I believe many Christians are just walking away from the faith all together, many of our young people in droves leaving the church behind. Listen, choosing not to fight the fight of faith has devastating consequences for our children’s and grandchildren’s future. Over the last thirty or so years the church in America has embraced a pacifist mentality when it comes to the faith, and we are reaping that which we have sown. Now, more than ever, is the time to stand and get in the good fight of faith. The early 1900’s Theologian Abraham Kuyper once said, “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.” Oh, church, it’s time to wake up and humbly and wisely take our stand, following the rules of engagement provided for us in Scripture.

Lastly, under this first point, Paul has one more rule of engagement to share. Notice in verse 12, the apostle calls Timothy to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” This verb take hold of literally means to grasp at something, to make something your own by force. Timothy already had eternal life, the verse is clear on that: he had been called by God, meaning God chose him and called him to faith, by an effectual call that Timothy could not deny, and furthermore Timothy had made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses. This would be a reference to his public baptism. But Timothy was also instructed to reach out and take hold of this life in the here and now and then live it to the full. You see eternal life is not just something we inherit when we die, it something we are to grab ahold of and experience and live in the present. Eternal life is abiding in Christ, its trusting and obeying His word. It’s living for Him, to please Him and glorify Him and living such a life requires maintaining an eternal perspective. In Jesus’ high priestly prayer, the Son of God prayed in John 17:3 reads, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” We take hold of eternal life, by growing in knowledge that leads to obedience. Timothy, as well as we, are to live above the mundane and trivial matters of this world, and seek to know God and live Oh, how easy it is to get lost in the moment, to get so caught up in the present, where we get stressed out and worry about things that have no eternal value to them at all. Instead, we must be consumed with that which will never pass away.

Church family we have been given our rules of engagement: We must flee from sin, pursue godliness, fight the good fight, and take hold of eternal life. We must engage and not sit on the sidelines, but second, our texts calls us to…

2) Focus your heart on worshiping and knowing God (vs. 13-16).

The epistle of 1 Timothy fittingly ends with a doxology. As Paul closes his letter, he points us once again to the glory of our great God. He wants us to understand that the courage, strength, and the motivation we need to engage and endure in this war over the truth is found not in ourselves, but in God alone. You see the apostle knew that our theology drives and controls our behavior. He understood why Jesus could pray, this is eternal life, to know God.

Pastor and author A.W. Tozer, in his book, Knowledge of the Holy, argues this same point with these well-known words, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” In other words, our view of God and knowledge of Him inevitably shapes our life. You see, our words and our actions are fashioned most by our theology and worship. The way we live and what we believe cannot be divorced from one another. For Our lives are simply a reflection of that which we worship and what we believe.

In verses 13-16, the apostle draws our attention to five astonishing attributes of God that should motivate us and make us courageous to act in faith. Notice first of all, that God is all powerful, and His omnipotence is most clearly revealed in his ability to create and give life. Paul says, I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things. In other words, God alone creates, preserves, and sustains all life. It is God who spoke this world into existence and it is God who gives us air to breathe and causes our hearts to beat. Psalm 139 speaks of how He formed us in our mother’s womb and has numbered all our days. But, not only that, eternal life is also only God’s to give. This resurrection power was most clearly demonstrated by Christ. Paul alludes to this in the next phrase of our text where he writes, “Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate.” You see, Jesus was able to stand in His trial and proclaim the truth to Pontius Pilate because He knew, that even though this powerful man would eventually hand him over to be crucified, He would live because an even more powerful God would give Him life and raise Him from the dead. Listen, that same confidence that Jesus displayed, should be ours, as we trust that our God will give and sustain our lives as we too proclaim His truth. Let us never forget that our God is powerful!

Next notice God is both blessed and sovereign. Paul writes in verse 15, “He who is blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” By blessed, the apostle means “happy,” “content,” and “fulfilled.” Listen our God is never anxious, frustrated, or unhappy. Instead, He is satisfied, at peace, and perfectly joyful, and those who enter into a relationship with Him, enter into His peace. The psalmist wrote, “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 2:12). You see whatever challenge and hardship we may face; we can have peace in that storm as we seek our blessing in Him who is blessed and who is in complete control.

Paul stresses God’s absolute sovereignty by saying He alone is sovereign and that His is King over all the kings, and Lord over all the lords. The sovereignty of God is certainly the most encouraging and comforting doctrine in the Bible. A proper understanding of God’s sovereignty removes anxiety and worry from our life. It comforts us and makes us courageous in our faith. Listen as crazy as this world may get, we must rest in the doctrine that God is Sovereign. He is complete control of all things. Isaiah 46:11, God says, “Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surly I will do it.” According to our passage today, at the proper time God will send His Son back to us. Church family, He is returning, therefore we must hold on to our confession and stand in the truth trusting in power, His blessing, and His Sovereignty, but that’s not all.

Notice next Paul, speaks of God’s incorruptible nature. He writes in verse 16, “who alone possesses immortality.” Which means God is deathless, everlasting, and just. Oh how we can take great comfort in knowing that God is far above history and beyond time. No matter what happens during our time on earth, no matter how dark things may appear. Our good and just God reigns over all and He will make all things right in His eternal plan. Paul shared this perspective in Romans 8:18, he wrote, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Lastly, notice the apostle completes his hymn of praise by highlighting the holiness of God. That’s what Paul is stressing when he writes He “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.” Our great God is totally transcendent and beyond us. The author of Hebrews described God’s holiness by comparing Him to a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29).This imagery of God as a blazing fire and bright light fittingly expresses His purity and separation from sin. Because God is holy it is impossible for Him make a mistake, for He always acts in a way that is right and just. And, this my friends, should make us quake in fear, for we often love darkness far more than the light. We are not like Him at all, are we. Our lives our stained with sin, and to look at God in His perfect holiness will only make us aware of our own sinfulness. But praise be to God, that out of His great love for us, He sent His Son. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and yet died for our sin so that we could be forgiven and made righteous in Him. One of the greatest verses in the Bible is 2 Corinthians 5:21… “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” On Calvary’s cross, on the cursed tree, Jesus became our sin, and God the Father justly treated as such. He was whipped, beaten, shamed, and crucified as the Father poured out His holy anger against our sin on His sinless Son until His justice was completely satisfied. And by grace, through faith and repentance of sin, God offers us His Son’s spotless righteousness to bear as our own. You see, this is the only way we can stand in God’s holy presence. Because God is holy and just He must punish every sin every committed. You see, the punishment for you sin was either punished in Christ on His cross, or it will fall upon you in hell. The only way in which we can ever enter heaven’s gates is if you have been made clean by His blood. We can’t do it on our own, our good deeds will never be enough to satisfy God’s holy wrath toward our sin. He’s a consuming fire, but through the cross, we can be forgiven and made righteous in Christ. You simply must repent, meaning you must continually die to your selfish heart and you must believe. You must believe the Word of God as completely true and live as if it is. Listen, this gospel is not a call to live a perfect and sinless life, for that is impossible, but it is a call to live by faith and grow in Christlikeness. Which my friend, is possible when God calls you and enables you to believe. Perhaps, that’s occurring right now. If you sense God may be tugging on your heart, I implore you to start living for Christ who died in your place. Notice, at such thoughts the apostle Paul can only exclaim, “to Him be honor and eternal dominion amen.”

The message of 1 Timothy is clear: Though your calling and mission are immense, the God how commissions you is far greater- and He will enable you to stand in the battle and do that which He has called you to do. Nothing can motivate a believer more than a true understanding of the greatness and glory of our God for our theology fuels our worship and shapes our lives.Those who know Him and keep their hearts focused on Him can boldly say with the writer of Hebrews, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me” (Heb. 13:6). Well, after exhorting his readers to engage in the battle over truth, and to keep our hearts focused on worshiping and knowing God, Paul gives a third charge…

3) (We must) Be generous with what God has given you (vs. 17-19).

In the closing chapters of 1 Timothy, Paul has already addressed the widows, the elders, and slaves, and now he turns his attention to one last group that needed specific instruction: the wealthy. Paul says in verse 17, “instruct those who are rich in this present world…” By rich, Paul isn’t addressing the top one percent of the church, but rather anyone who has more than the mere essentials of food, clothing, and shelter. Listen, I know you might not feel rich or wealthy in this economy but the Bible tells me that you are indeed rich. Let me explain, a recent study proved that households that had a combined income of $71,000 or more a year, make up the top 4% of wealthiest people in this world. I realize the pains of inflation have been hard this year. I understand how the financial pressures of our culture have made us worry about having enough, but folks, biblically and globally speaking we are of the wealthiest people in the world, and so the following words of scripture rightfully apply to every one of us here today.

Notice how in verse 17, Paul mentions two sinful attitudes that are common among the wealthy. He says first of all that they may struggle with a false sense of importance. So, Paul warns us “not to be conceited.” Do not be haughty or prideful. Understand that Riches and pride are frequently found together and the wealthier the individuals are the greater the temptation. Oh how hard it is, to be wealthy and keep our hearts truly humble. The second sinful attitude that Paul mentions in this verse is having a false sense of security. Instead of relying on God, they depend on their financial instincts and trust in their own resources. Notice that Paul reminds us in our text of the shaky foundation that money provides. He calls us to not fix our hope on the uncertainty of riches. Proverbs 11:28 warns us, “he who trusts in his riches will fall.” Oh how easy it is to trust in our retirement funds, to trust in our savings account, our stocks, and in our inheritance. When God wants us to trust Him. I think it rather amazing that on every American dollar and every US coin you have in your pocket, all have the words “In God We Trust” embedded on them. It’s as if God want to ask ourselves every time we spend money, to whom do we trust?

Instead of trusting in such things, Paul calls believers to fix their hope on God, who richly supplies with all things to enjoy. Church family, God provides far more security than all our earthly investments combined. Listen to how the Bible describes God’s immeasurable wealth. Listen to Psalm 150:10-12 “Every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and everything in the field is Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all it contains.” God owns it all and He graciously and richly supplies us all things to enjoy.. Listen, it is not sinful to enjoy the gifts that God has graced us with– it is only a sin to enjoy them more than the Giver.

In fact, notice that Paul next does not warn against the possession of wealth, but against its misuse. Therefore, he gives us guidance on how we are to manage that which God has blessed with. As we turn our eyes to the text once more, there are several surprises that I don’t want you to miss. First, pay attention to Paul’s play on words in verse 18. He actually commands the rich to be rich… he writes, “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works.” This powerful verse reverses the values of our world. Everyone wants to be rich, everyone is willing to make sacrifices to earn or obtain money, but are you willing to sacrifice what you have to be rich in good deeds? Have you grown to understand that the way to be truly wealthy in our world is to give your life away for the King of kings and Lord of lords? You see true riches are found in our giving, not in our possessing.

Another surprise we find in our text is that God doesn’t come to us begging for our money. In fact, the first two points of guidance that Paul gives Timothy on generosity do not even require money at all. Listen, you can do good and be rich in good deeds without a penny in your bank account. Church family, the very first thing God wants from us is not our money; He wants our hearts. He longs for each of us to have a servant’s heart. You see, more than God wants you to throw your money towards advancing His kingdom, He wants you to be willing to actively serve. It’s one thing to pay for someone to go on a mission’s trip, and it is another all together to say to God, “here am I, send me!” God wants our hearts, far more than He wants our finances.

Now, at the same time some good deeds require money. Thus, another way that wealthy Christians should glorify God, is by the way they invest and use their money. Notice the closing words to verse 18, “be generous and ready to share.” Oh, how important it is for us to embrace a lifestyle of giving. This of course, as we saw last week, stands in stark contrast to the false teachers and their followers who were looking to Christianity to be a means of great gain. Yet, what we see clearly in Scripture, is that God desires us to sacrificially invest our money into advancing His kingdom. The second century theologian Clement of Alexandria wrote, “In the end it is not the one who keeps, but the one who gives away, who is rich; and it is giving away, not possession, which renders a man happy.” Oh, what a timely lesson for us during the Christmas season to hear that true joy and lasting contentment are found not in the acquiring of wealth, but in giving it away.

That’s the lesson of verse 19, where the apostle wrote, “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”Notice another surprise here… God says, storing up earthly treasures is a bad investment. As the apostle earlier said in our text last week: verse 7, “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.” When we live generous lives and invest our finances and energy into God’s kingdom, we lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, and according to Paul, we store up for ourselves “the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that we might take hold of that which is life indeed.” Earthy treasures, my friends, have no ability whatsoever to give either abundant or eternal life. That is what Paul is saying here. But please don’t think the apostle is somehow promoting a works-based theology with these words. He’s certainly not. But Christians by nature should grow into being generous and sacrificial, they should reflect Christ and His work on the cross, even in the way they steward money. Listen, our bank accounts have something in common, they may not have the same amount of money in them, but they all tell a story. Let me ask you, is it a gospel story? Does your bank account reflect the cross? Do you give joyfully and sacrificially to His church to advance His gospel message. As the year is coming to a close, what does your bank account say about your heart in the 2022? Church, generosity, according to the Bible, is proof that salvation has occurred. For the true Christian will find life indeed, indescribable joy, tremendous peace, and great contentment in living a life of sacrificial giving.

Well, so far Paul has challenged us to engage in battle over faith and truth, he’s called us to focus our heart on worshiping and knowing God, and he has exhorted us to live generously, but there one final plea that he must make… Lastly, Paul calls us to…

4) Diligently guard the sacred truth of Christ’s gospel (vs. 20-21).

As the apostle writes these last words, you feel and hear His emotion through his pen. He once again calls out to his son in the faith, “O Timothy!” Timothy, what a great name. The name Timothy means “one who honors God.” In a way, as Christians we all share in this special name. We are to live for God, please Him, worship Him, and certainly honor Him with our thoughts, words, and actions. And the action that Paul calls Timothy to with his last words, is to guard what has been entrusted to him. In the original Greek language, the phrase “what has been entrusted to you” is just one word, which literally means “deposit.” Now, there were no banks in the ancient word, so when a man traveled, he would place his wealth under the care of someone he trusted. It was up to the one he chose to keep watch over his wealth. He was to protect it and keep it safe at all costs. In Timothy’s case, and in ours, we are called to protect the apostolic doctrines of the Christian faith. We are to guard the saving truths of Scripture with diligence and great care.

In fact, there are two things every faithful steward must do in guarding the faith. 1) He must share the message as is. In other words, we are to pass on this message to all men without adding to it, subtracting from it, or twisting it in any way. 2) We must protect the message from the threats of Satan and the world. Both of whom, long to distort this message, deny it, and replace its truth with a lie. In the last ten years, these attacks on truth are becoming more and more frequent, and I promise you, things will get worse as the darkness in this world is getting thicker and darker by the hour. But church family, the gospel shines the brightest when the world is at its darkest. That’s we must protect this message, so that the world may see, repent from their sin, and turn to Christ.

And in order to guard this gospel, according to our text, we must do so by “avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of that is falsely called ‘knowledge.” The word avoiding simply means “to turn away from.” False doctrine must be avoided like a deadly plague. Notice the apostle doesn’t mince words when it comes to describing other worldviews and doctrine. All theological beliefs that have their origin outside of scripture, are empty, implying they are useless, in that they will never impart either life or godliness. Furthermore, they are falsely called knowledge. Even though the false teachers of this world may sound intelligent the Bible calls them foolishness.

Now, interestingly, Paul counsels Timothy to avoid getting into debate with those who hold to a different doctrine. Now, this doesn’t mean we are not to speak truth and show love and concern to those who need to hear it. We most certainly have that responsibility. But Paul’s advice to us is that we should not engage with them on their terms. These men were professional debaters, and they were only in it for the fight. Sadly, we see in verse 21 that Satan used these men to draw some people away from the saving truth of God’s Word. These men were not interested in having a humble discussion in which they might learn something, nor were they willing to repent of their beliefs. Listen, every one of us need to be able to defend the truth. We need to be trained in apologetics, but we are not to fight in the same manner that this world does. 1 Peter 3:15 explains… “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you but with gentleness and respect.” Please don’t miss the weight of those last five words. We are not to fight like the world fights, we not to respond in anger like they do. Instead, we must humbly, gently, lovingly, and respectfully defend the truth that has been entrusted to us.

Well, if all this talk about fighting has you feeling weak and discouraged, there is great news for you in the closing words of this epistle. Paul simply closes his letter with the familiar words, “Grace be with you.” The “you” in this final phrase is plural in the Greek, emphasizing that this letter was not just intended for Timothy but a much larger audience, including us today. Therefore, like Timothy, we need to be reminded of God’s ever present empowering grace. Grace that He freely and lavishly gives to His own to equip them for the battle at hand. Everything we need to faithful to God’s call is always abundantly supplied by His grace. We simply must trust Him and act in faith.

If you have put your faith in Christ and have been born again, you have great reason to be encouraged in this spiritual battle over truth. Though this world may be extremely dark at this hour, let me joyfully remind you that the victory has already been won. The baby who was born in a manger, the sinless Son of Man conquered sin and death on our behalf. He died in our place and rose again securing our hope and our salvation. Therefore, we have no reason to hang our heads in defeat or cower into a corner. Instead, we must humbly walk as children of Light, who have been set free from the curse of sin and have been given an abundance of enabling grace to obey His Word. Oh, that God would make us bold and confident in His powerful grace as we guard the eternal truths of His Word!

Church, that’s 1 Timothy. The entire letter is a call to action, it’s an inspired appeal for the church to be the church. In a world where the truth is hated and constantly attacked, God calls us to take a stand and be the church. If your tired of being discouraged in this dark world, may I simply encourage you to focus your heart on knowing God and being the church. This is God’s antidote for the discouraged, the weary, and the depressed. It’s here in this family that we will find grace upon grace for our troubled hearts. It is here that we will find peace, hope, and joy, not alone, but together as we worship Jesus, the Lamb of God, who wrapped Himself in flesh and came to earth, so that we might be forgiven, freed from sin, and granted eternal life.

Will you pray with me…