How to Know the Will of God

Will you join me in prayer? Heavenly father, thank you today. That it is a day. You've made like every other day and help us to rejoice and be glad in it, not because of our circumstances. But because of the reality that you have chosen us before the foundation of the world and that we are in your Forever family. Got thank you that we get to choose you. That we get to have faith that we get to come together, each Sunday and worship and join together and praise. We thank you God because we are not worthy of this. We don't deserve it but you make us worthy because you've joined us with Christ. We are united with Christ and we celebrate that today. We worship you because of that. Today we worship you for who you are in Jesus name. Amen.

But before we get to started this morning with the passage and the sermon before us, I have a public plea for prayer that greatly impacts our Communications meeting today. On Thursday of this week. Jim writers mother was admitted to the hospital in Columbia Missouri with stage 4, cancer. Treatment options are not promising and so with this in mind and to be there for his family, Jim has declined to have his name before word for the to be part of the Elder board at this time in our Communications meeting later today. Please be in prayer for Jim and for his family. It's a hard time for them. On the opposite end of the cancer Spectrum with a very optimistic medical team as to the outcomes. Austin still goes back in for chemo today. So I'll be there for the most of the week, so please be in prayer for the stove family, as well for salmon for Austin and for their kids. There are other pressing needs prayer needs. Please be in prayer for them. Please be in prayer for each other as we come together and we recognize our need for a savior. Let's just pray for these things right now. God, we paused and we give thanks to you that you are willing to step in and participate with us your creation. God, we ask that you will grant healing to both gyms mother and to Austin we recognize that you were the Great physician. And that you, if you choose can supersede or work through all of the, the medical team, the advancements in scientific, understanding of them. God for Jim's family that seems unlikely at this time. So we asked for comfort and peace. We ask for understanding, we ask that you will glorify yourself in and threw them all in Jesus name. Amen.

I do want to thank Jim for being willing to go through the lengthy process that it takes to even get your name. Put forward to be considered as Elder and then we stand with him. The Elder board United in our affirmation of him as somebody who is a man worthy to take up that office. But we also understand that priorities can shift we live in a world where R Us to destroy and cancer kills and evil is committed constantly.

One evil. That seems to be in the midst of unfolding right now. Is the alleged murder of Tyree Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee.

You haven't seen the news lately on the city of Memphis released footage of Tyree being detained and mistreated by the police. And he died. Three days later.

I have no problem publicly affirming all human life to be sacred. Sanctity of human life. Sunday was last Sunday and every human life is sacred. Whether it's an unborn baby in Kirksville Missouri or whether it's an African American man in Memphis Tennessee.

What I want to draw your attention to this morning, is what reaction to these sorts of things. You might have had set it another way. What is your bias? To believe that you don't have a bias, is to deceive yourself, we all have biases of many times but the challenge is recognizing your bias and living with an awareness of them so that your bias doesn't keep you from seeing the truth.

If you believe the the the polls in the news, you might say that one reaction to the news in Memphis is one that might be anti-police if you want to put it that way in and not the reaction to the news footage, put forward is to say, we demand Justice for Tyree. And the answer to that is to convict these police officers. That might be one by us. That you might not be willing to consider all the facts because you're driving towards us. And I'm not making a statement about whether you should or shouldn't know whether that is or isn't the case. But, but to draw attention to how our reaction could be on the other end, maybe you might consider yourself and much of our country might consider itself, Pro police, and you might say, where the liberal media is is affecting. The situation is not telling the whole story. Tyree got exactly what he deserved and there should be no punishment of the police officers at least this is a this An extreme example of some of our bias. Amazon Fire stick. I think one of the challenges in determining your bias. Is becoming aware of it. Becoming aware that we have things that we think about that. We don't see reality for how it is. We see reality for how we perceive it. And the question is, do we have some trusted people from trusted sources as it were that might be able to inform us and challenge. Our biases, that might lead to life change because we understood the facts differently.

Wonderfully, Moses has somebody that steps into his life and points out an apparent bias that he has and it leads to a positive life change and Israel. I invite you to stand for the reading of God's word. As we come to Exodus 18 will read through the entire chapter Exodus 18, verse 1, I'm reading from the English Standard Version, you can read from whatever version you want. Or you can read from the screen Jethro, the priest of Midian. Moses father-in-law heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people how the Lord he brought his real out of Egypt. Now Jethro Moses father-in-law had taken zipporah Moses wife after he had sent her home along with her two sons the name of one with gershom for. He had said I've been Sojourner in a foreign land and the name of the other Elie Azar. For he said, the god of my father was my help and delivered me from The Sword of farro. Jethro, Moses father-in-law came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was in Camp to the Mountain of God. And when he sent word to Moses, I your father-in-law Jethro and coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her Moses, went out to meet his father-in-law and bow down and kissed him. And they asked each other of the welfare of their welfare and went into the tent. Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake. All the hardship that had come upon them in the way and how the Lord had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptian, the Lord who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of pharaoh and is delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods because in this affair, they dealt arrogantly with the people and Jethro, Moses father-in-law brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God and Aaron came with all the Elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses father-in-law before God. The next day Moses at to judge the people in the people stood around Moses, from morning, till evening. And when Moses father-in-law, saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, what is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone at all? The people stand around you from morning till evening? And Moses said to his father-in-law because the people came to me to inquire of God. And when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another and I make them know, the statutes of God and his laws, Moses father-in-law said to him. What are you doing? Is not good.

You and the people. With you will certainly wear yourselves out for the thing is, too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now, obey my voice. I will give you advice and God be with you. You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you should warn them about the statutes in the laws and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. More over look for able men from all the people men who fear, God, who are trustworthy and I hate a bribe and play Such men over the people, as chief of, thousands of, hundreds of $0.50 of 10th. And let them, let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter, they shall bring to you. But any small matter, they still decide themselves. So, it'd be easier for you. And they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct your path and you'll be able to endure in all. This people also will go to their place in peace. So, Moses listen to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that. He had said, Moses chose able man out of all of his real and made them heads over the people. She's of thousands of hundreds of 50 Tens. And they judge the people at all times, and he hard case, they brought him Moses. But any small matter, they decided themselves than Moses, let his father-in-law depart and he went away to his own country. This is God's word. I'd like you to take your seats.

The people of Israel wanted to know how do I know the will of God?

There are obviously legal disputes here that are the focus but but really what it revolves around it. How do I know what the will of God is between me and another person or probably in most circumstances? What is most likely between me and another family? We have disputes over. Who's Ted goes where over whose animal over, whose child is marrying, who's daughter etcetera, etcetera, and whatever these instances were that we can only guess that. Because the passage doesn't tell us, they came to Moses for the answers. And Moses stepped up seem to pop out his chest, not in a, probably way. But in a kind of let's get this done, sort away and he decided to take on all of the work himself.

And he seemed to have some sort of a bias that said, because God is with me, I have to do it all myself. I do it all myself.

I kind of relate to this. I don't know if you sometimes think you need to do it all yourself but this morning I was out in the parking lot with the leaf blower blowing off the parking lot from just a little bit of snow, that was on there and then I said to myself, and what are you doing?

So I texted one of the deacons a picture and said hey this is what the parking lot looks like, if you want to take care of it, great. But I don't need to be doing this right now. This morning.

People are in positions for reasons. We all have some biases that we are born with. I am bias because of my circumstances, right? I was homeschooled K to 12. I have a certain perspective that I grew up with. I I was in a wonderful city. The city of God, Chicago for a number of years.

And learned many things there. And in that, that changed my biases. The way that I look at the world, my world of you. And you all have biases based on your similar or dissimilar life circumstances and experiences. In one of the things that I think most of us have universally as a bias here. In Kirksville Missouri. Is that we are distrustful. Of structures.

And we are distrustful of anyone who has a parent, power or authority. We come by this distrust, honestly. It's a little bit different in different parts of the country, but we as Americans are a government of the People, by the people for the people that buy the people part. That means that that. Well, if there's a structure that we don't agree with, we should just tear it down, right? Like, you know, for sample, England, should take that thing out and we'll do it ourselves. It gets reinforced by our own personal experience is when you experience pain or, you know, someone that experience is Pain by somebody in power, then you learn to distrust power. I use the term power. Generally, not as a negative term. Most people use it, rather negatively. I need to power my car in the morning and and I need a little bit of a battery to do that. One of the deacons told me this morning that, you know, there's there's power in the blood but there's also power in the court if you want to get the crock pots all turned on and so ever since then, thanks a lot. I didn't think there is power. Power, power power power in the cord. you told me that happened in fairness, but

That. Distrust of power and structures and Authority is taken to the extreme in church because of our cultural experiences. This is valid, this is something I share with you. I'm not saying you and me together as a community. We distrust Church structures and authorities and all you have to do is go to Twitter and look at The largest. Denomination. A Protestant in the world and you will see reasons for massive distrustful of authority by people in positions of power. In the church, all you have to do is look at the largest. If you want to call it denomination in the world Roman Catholicism, you can see that people who've been in positions of power and authority have abused that power and authority repeatedly and then the people about them. Have swept it under the rug, trying to save face. And so we come together on January, 29th, 2023 in Kirksville, Missouri, as people, that can affirm that, we love each other, and we love the truth of God's word, but we don't really like hierarchical structure. It's a bad thing. And I just want to tell you. I want to tell myself. That's a bias. That we should be aware of and then act accordingly. Jethro was the priest of Midian. He was Moses father-in-law, and he heard all that. Got it done. He'd heard about it. Probably. I think, from zipporah, I think Moses had his wife with him during a many of the events that had happened so far and exodus and maybe during the fight with the amalekites we really have no idea. This is a good guess we have maybe during a fight with your malachite's. He said you know what? I'm going to send my wife and children were kind of close by to be with her family, to protect them. They can they can go have some family time together and Moses. Father-in-law Jethro is now returning with zipporah and the two children at least the two children. We don't know about the others. We could only guess.

They come back and they have an antithesis of the experience that Moses had with the amalekites. They are similar experiences. If we compare the two narrative side-by-side there's the coming together, there's the there's there's a lot of similarities in opposites and we don't have time to deal with them today but I just want to let you know that this is beautiful storytelling. Where are the amalekites have a response or reaction to a God has done in Egypt and they want to destroy the nation of Israel. But hear Jethro, one of the midianites make, they come together and they sent word to Moses. I your father-in-law Jethro coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her and instead of meeting an opposition, like the amalekites, Moses goes out in meets his father long bow down and kissed him. They asked each other about their welfare and went into the tent, they care about each other, they love each other and then Moses told his father-in-law all that, the Lord had done to pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake.

Sometimes we talked about the New Testament and its inclusivity, that is to say anyone, everyone may come to to God through Jesus Christ. And then we look at the Old Testament and it seems to have exclusivity. That is only the Jewish people may come to God. They are the chosen people of why that is correct. They're the chosen people. God's plan all along was for the Nations. That one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the father. And here we see a picture of how that can happen in the Old Testament even

You see, God didn't miraculous works in the midst of the people of Israel. And we have reports of some of the non-israelite people in Egypt joining with the Israelites. If you remember that a couple months back, it has a way of kind of affirming. It's not just the Israelites, it's God for the Israelites for the world. So that all nations of the world may be blessed one day through Jesus Christ. But ye even then, by grace through faith.

Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord has done to Fair, went to the Egyptians for Israel sake. All the hardship that have come upon them in the way and how the Lord had delivered them in, what is midians response. Jethro kind of has a representation of many. And at this point I'm and Jethro. What does that next word say? Hubert Joyce Jethro rejoiced. For all the good that the Lord had done to Israel and that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians, the proper response to the miraculous works of God is rejoicing. It all the nations have that opportunity. At this point, this news is spreading like wildfire. In California. Not just slowly, but me. In every nation on Earth that hears about it. I tend to think it was Every Nation on Earth that heard about it had the opportunity to respond as Jethro responded and rejoice for all the good that the Lord had gone to Israel. And in that, he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 1st and Jeffery said blessed, be the Lord who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptian Circle, verse 11 underlined highlighted book market. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all. It seems to be before this, that gesture has some Affinity of a priest of Midian. He seems to have an understanding of the one true God, the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but we seem to get a glimpse here into the mind of Jethro that He was not a monotheists.

Bet he saw competing spiritual forces. And he wasn't sure which one was most powerful. He wasn't sure if there was one overall and threw the relationship with Moses. We don't know what happens in his heart but by this time he says now I know that Yahoo is greater than all gods All spiritual powers are subservient to the one true God. Because in this affair, they dealt arrogantly with the people. They be in the Egyptians. They'll arrogantly with the people of Israel and God got the last word. And I wonder is that your response to God during times of trial? During times of rejoicing during times of trial, it's easy to run to God and to blame him and he can handle it. We can go to. We can say, God you let this happen, how dare you why? But when we go and we start talking about God to other people and say I can't believe that God did this, let's talk to God, not about God. Are you going to God? And are you? Are you saying God? I can't believe this is happening but I recognize that you are sovereign Over All. That you are good and that you are God. You are greater than all other powers in this universe and I praise you as the ultimate Authority in the globe. And in the universe, how about during the good times when you celebrate the good times when that came from KC wins today, are you going to celebrate by giving glory to God, a couple of non-fans in your that's okay if it's just his tongue at you, the other side is saying the same thing. So that's okay. That's okay. We love the people in Cincinnati. They have great chili. My Alexander.

do you celebrate by recognizing the good hand of God in things or do you kind of

Thank yourself. Thank the people that made it happen, you know. I want to take my mom. Nothing wrong with that. My mom is a great person. but I want to thank God because he is good and he is great. End. Jethro didn't know this, for sure. Until he heard about what God had done? Are you like, Moses and you're willing to tell of the good things that God has done for you as well as the trials, notice, he doesn't start with look up here at verse 9. Let's start at verse 8. Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to pharaoh to the Egyptians for Israel sake. All the hardship that had come upon them in the way and that the Lord had delivered them. The hardship is Israel. All of the stuff previous to that, to the Egyptians for his real safe with then all of the hardships, they had come upon Israel in the way and that the Lord who delivered him choose. Your story. Read something. Like, you know what? I've been beat up, I've been chewed up. I have been spat out even by the people in church, but God is working in my life and in the lives of others. God is working in this way. Yes, I have a friend. Whose mom is dying of cancer. In that is sad. I have another friend whose husband is dying of cancer, and I want to go to Donna's and God why is this happening? But I have another friend who God is using medical interventions to heal him of cancer. And I have to say that God is in each of those situations work, his will for his glory.

It's not that we're only focused on the good or that were promising. People that when you come to God, only good will happen but the reality is that God is good and God is Sovereign in his presence in those hard times. And that he will Deliver Us. Not in the way that we expect. Oftentimes not even the ways that we demand our act or wish or pray for But that God is The Rescuer. And he will rescue you. From the power of sin. That you were born with. That is the ultimate rescue. The ultimate rescue is when I told the kids when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and his death burial and resurrection and you live out that face that reality that is the rescue and the ultimate rescue comes when you die or when Jesus return and you are whisked into the presence of God. United to Christ for eternity. So that you don't have to be punished but you can live out the grace of God, for all of eternity. No more crying, no more cancer, no more rust. Hallelujah.

But we have to be willing to have those positive conversations with the are believing and unbelieving, Friends alike, and say, this is the goodness of God that I see him doing. This is the goodness of God, even in the midst of extreme pain,

I didn't ask for permission to share this. I'll keep the name private, but many of you are aware of someone who grew up in this congregation, whose husband has been dealt a devastating diagnosis recently. And the, the goodness of God that the evidence in his communication on Facebook and and in person

is proof in someone that we know of the goodness of God in the worst of times and we as a congregation as his friends as her friends, we were Joyce in that we rejoice in the goodness of God, even in the hard times. And that, that goodness. And grace of God is for the Nations, not just for the nation of Israel. But we see a hint of that here in verse 11 that even Midian who later Isaiah prophesize about in the same kind of language that is used right now the Egyptians that Midian B, arch, enemy of Israel will come to ruin, but now we see people at least a person and I think many persons putting their faith in the one true God. And I think that Hebrews could probably put Jethro in similar language with Moses and he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. I don't know that, but I just look at this affirmation and I said that to me, seems the South Pacific

And then what is their next step? Verse 12 Jethro, Moses, they bring a burnt offering they sacrifice to God. Aaron comes all the Elders of Israel. Come, they eat bread? I don't know where they got the bread. Probably, it wasn't Manna. Cuz otherwise, the specific word for man would be used my guesses, that Jethro brought it with him at all, this stuff to make probably would have been eating bread in the wilderness and not manner. They probably would have had to depend upon God cuz they would have provision of their own cell. So I think that probably Jethro brought along this bread or or ingredients to make a bread the 8th it together with Moses father-in-law. Before God in the presence of God, there are these Whispers of the next, several chapters.

In this passage, we see that they go into the 10th, the 10th, not the 10th of meeting, but there's something that is almost Whispering of the future of the Tabernacle they go in and they have they have sacrifices, an errand is a part of it. In the next day, verse 13, Moses have to judge the people and the people stood around from morning, till evening and Moses, father-in-law saw all that was doing for the people. And he said, what is it that you were doing? Why do you sit alone? All the people stand around you from morning to leave me. Moses said his father-in-law because the people come to me and to inquire of God, verse 16 is key. When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another and I make them know the statutes of God in his laws. What statues of God and his laws?

Up until here including Cain and Abel. There seems to be some knowledge of the statutes and laws of God that we are unaware. Of them being communicated, when did Cain and Abel learn that they were supposed to make a sacrifice. I don't know. Bible doesn't tell us. How do we know what did did things? Get out of order in the story of Exodus? And, and really that, the they've already had the laws. No. But there seems to be a very basic understanding at least of the statutes and laws of God. It's the Covenant that becomes important in the next chapters as the law is given not just the laws themselves.

So they seem to know some of the laws.

But they don't understand how there to live them out so Moses stands as the legal and as the religious judge over the people, solely decide disputes and there's a line to see him from morning until evening. And here, Moses apparent bias comes into play. This is my job.

I don't time for my family. I bet probably barely have time to eat. I'm exhausted the people that are waiting in line or exhausted, but this is just how it's got to be.

Hand gesture seems to come up to him and say Moses.

I love you but you're being dumb, man.

Why are you deciding all of this by yourself?

I wonder if you're open to some critique of how church structure benefits you and me, it's about as I share with you. And maybe you're like, no, I love structure, I love, I love organizational leadership, it's a fantastic thing. I think we should put the flow chart on and decision-making flow chart at every wall. You know we got a lot of different walls in this room, you know what I mean? But if you're like me, you have an inherent distrust of structures in the 40.

Moses, father-in-law, sent him. What you are doing is not good, not only does he critique him, he even says that what he's doing is - what you're doing now, equals bad.

Moses said his father-in-law because the people come to me and choir of God, that's why I'm doing what I'm doing when they have a dispute, they come to me, I decide between one person another night, make another statues of God his laws and what does he say? He says this is what you're to do obey me.

You're not able to do it alone. I will be my voice. First 19, I will give you advice and God be with. You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, you should warn them about the statutes in the laws and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.

You wanted to write down three points today. One trust structures by communicating well within them.

It's very easy to say. I have concerns that needed rest. That's one of the reasons we're having a Communications meeting today. The Constitution says that we shall annually, hold a meeting in January and we shall make time is the elder board to allow the congregation to say something if they want to. That's the structure. I created. I live within it. So the structure of our church says, one of the ways that you can communicate with the whole church is by a church Communications meeting. If you remember, that's part of your Allowances responsibilities Duty, right? Privileges kind of powder, whatever word you want to say. And then there's there's an elder board, there's a deacon board, there's a Deaconess for, there's a glow team, overseeing local and Global Outreach. There's a connection steam, overseeing Sunday morning, greeting, and kind of Fellowship time. There are Sunday school teachers, teaching Sunday school for your children and for the adult and for the Youth there's a youth group. There's a worship team there. So many different wonderful structures in place that help the about 50 people that volunteer on a weekly basis here operate. Simply

And it is not out of line with what we see revealed as the heart of God in this text that God is not a god of chaos, but of order and structure. And Moses is told you should put cheese of thousands of hundreds of 50s and of pens. And I'm not saying we're trying to make a church structure. Just like this because you know what this is governmental. If not also probably primarily governmental. This is this is the government as well as if you will the church the religious structures and if you have an issue, probably 10 families are overseen by one individual who is overseen by another individual who has overseen by another individual is overseen by Moses and there's his beautiful hierarchy that protects them. Trust structures by communicating well within them. But the second one is also extremely important know and obey the law of the Lord, by dwelling on it day and night.

You see, even all of these structures that happen. Even all of the laws that are communicated. What happens? The spoiler alert in the desert for 40 years and it is not until Moses his giving his farewell speech which is the book of Deuteronomy. Do we read Deuteronomy, 6, verse 6 through 9. In these words I command you today. She'll be on your heart, no longer is he saying there's to be in your head. You are to know them and be able to recite them. Know they're to be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently or to your children and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you ride, you shall bind them. You should buy them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes, you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and have your gate. And other words, you should know and love the law of the Lord. So well that you can't escape it.

This is the law of the Lord. Do you do that?

Do you know it? Do you love it? Do you understand it?

Black Point would be let it get more than Skin Deep.

The Israelites hear the law. But no longer do they see the presence of God will find out soon? Then they start making it idle a cat. They can worship. How inappropriate how much against the heart of the law. Much less the letter of the law. Is it to repel in such a way?

It's not Skin Deep it's heartbeat. And when you know the law of the Lord like that, then that's what you communicate within the church structures appropriately. When something comes up that unbiblical that's inappropriate. That is simple and can be addressed in the proper ways. This is a wonderful thing. Most church discipline happens under the radar. We have this as an elder board. Have been blessed to not have to have dealt with much of that. At least in my tenure, I asked the Elder chairperson at the church that we are in Chicago when we joined there about there, about 900 people there. So it's pretty big church by by Kirksville and standards and I asked him.

I said just church this month after work.

Can you just hear about it when it goes bad, you know, so-and-so, confronted, you know the Elder board, whatever. They they confronted this person cuz they weren't staying to make sure they left the church. And he said, Ben. It normally works. Are you kidding me said, of course.

News to me.

He's on my speed dial, by the way.

You told me this really works. I was figured out now. How wonderful it is when the Sheep get to eat grass, without getting swept away, by Swift Waters, how wonderful it is when the Sheep get to prance and play on the top of a mountain without having to worry about wolves coming in their midst and fighting and tearing and destroying how wonderful it is. When the Sheep get to eat grass, that is green and healthy, that's what church structure is. Nobody in this church that I am aware of think, I'm pretty aware by now. Is it all power hungry?

Desiring for things to happen. Well, absolutely frustrated by when there's a plan and things kind of get up, and if you have course, we're all human but nobody's out there. None of the elders in these meetings. None of the deacons in these meetings, only gone a couple Deaconess meeting and now, I only hear about it. Nobody's in a trip for trying to get power. Nobody's saying, let's see, let's see.

We just want to lovingly protect the sheep and guide them to the great Shepherd. Jesus Christ, we're simply under Shepherds as elders. And so that's, that's my case. For my encouraging, you to. Maybe be aware of any bias you may have in your own self. I'm just trusting and, and, and pushing against Church structures or authority. And maybe broader culturally at your job. Structures, are there for a reason? I get geeked out about structure. I've written papers on flat structure versus hierarchical structure versus and it's a lot of fun for me but this is not fun. This is important. Our church structure was set up 47 years ago. Why Us? Not by anyone in this room.

I don't think right.

But it is been good for all of us. I can have him say that been apart of this church since I was born and that it is helped. So many of us come to Christ. I was saved while attending this church growing in Christ, my primary spiritual growth happened while I was here. Serving Christ.

the first time I remember getting to serve way too early for this,

was because clean gave me a chance to About this big.

It's one of the reasons were celebrating her today, not just say, no, it just retire. Clean is because she has been a part of the church structure, in many ways, she has held the church structure together sometimes like, you know, Spider-Man on the New York City, you know, Subway I'm guessing, I don't know that for sure.

And it's a one, right? I'm guessing Bob nose.

And it is a wonderful thing to be able to gather together and dwell in the unity of all believers. And that's what we want to be about today. I wonder if you will recognize the own biases, that you have within yourself, more broadly, than even that. And saying, God help me to know, truth, and to act upon it. Most of us just want to see the world. The way, we want to see the world, I'm including that but allow us to have people like Jethro in our lives sources, like, Jasper, that can challenge your assumptions and that you can not just believe what they tell you believe, but that we can hold it up against the lens of scripture and that are bias.

Is known. I will very happily tell people and I've told people this many times this you're ready, you're right about that from your perspective, but my bias is through the lens of scripture. and, It affects everything I think. Through the faithful interpretation by Orthodox, understanding scripture handed down, thousands of years, interpreted by us in this generation, trying to be faithful to our God. Will you join me and continue to join me in celebrating and participating in Christ together United together, as a body of Christ? We are the body of Christ, the church. This is the word, the Lagos because Jesus is the Lord in the log off and we celebrate together that We Are Family. As we have this meeting together, we're going to go through some of the business of the church. I'm really excited about it. I'm really excited to get it over with

I'm really excited about the future of our church with with Margaret. Stepping up to fill some big shoes that Killeen has a lived in for many years. I'm excited about our elders and our deacons in our deaconesses. I'm excited of dozens of people serving every single Sunday. I hope all of you will stay for the communications meeting. I think it's going to be sweet. I can't promise brevity because you guys get the mic

And the Impalas moderating. So I mean, you know, so probably will be brief and then Is is is is a great moderator. He's very efficient. I appreciate that about him and then we'll have a soup lunch together. Soup's already in the flex room. The cats out of the bag. Clean, there's a cake There's a cake, there's some other things. So I hope that you'll stick around, let's close in prayer and in responding song, your lord. Jesus, we thank you that you have put walls up through your law. So that we can know what to do and what not to do for our good. That we know that it's not healthy for us to to run into rabbits. Get swept away. By every change of Doctrine, is James would say. But God, we can look to you and we can look to your law on. We can understand where we are to go and where we are to. Not go God. We thank you for faithful men and women who have been helping us to walk the walk of faith for decades for some of us for two or three years for others, God will continue to bless the structures that are around us are government. Are police or fire department structures, that help to Aid us got our elders in our deacons in a Deaconess, will you bless them today are various teams and committees that make decisions about how we can help people in kirkstone around the world. Come to Christ grow in Christ and serve Christ in Jesus name we pray. Amen.