God’s Word at the Centre
Notes
Transcript
PASTORAL PRAYER
PASTORAL PRAYER
Lord, Your Word says…
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
We ask that You would give us desire to walk in Your ways Lord.
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have revealed Yourself and Your ways to us in Your Word…
Would it be our longing to seek You and Your ways in Your Word with our whole heart.
4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
You Word is not a list of suggestions,
but commands that we are to keep.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
By the power of Your Spirit in us,
would it be our deepest longing to obey Your Word!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
Help us to know that when we fix our eyes on all Your commands,
it won’t bring us shame,
but will lead to joy and blessing.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
Teach us Your holy Word Lord,
and as we learn,
would You stir our hearts to worship You!
8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
Though it is our desire to keep Your Word,
we know that we will all fall short.
Therefore we do not put our trust in our ability to be good enough,
rather, our faith is in Jesus, through whom we are made righteous,
and have the hope of eternal life.
Would it be our desire to follow the ways of Jesus,
through the power of the Spirit
as we seek to bring glory and honour to You Father!
Amen!
God’s Word at the Center: How God Shapes His People
God’s Word at the Center: How God Shapes His People
OPENING
OPENING
ILLUSTRATION — Visit Church on Vacation
ILLUSTRATION — Visit Church on Vacation
We had the blessing of enjoying a week in a cabin in Tennessee with some family last week.
Thank you for those who prayed for safe travels and relaxation.
Wanted to attend church on Sunday.
Found a church
Found out they were preaching through Nehemiah as well.
Excited to go.
As the service began, the music team sang a song AT us…
it was a song from the radio from about 10 years ago.
Then we were asked to stand a sing a worship song.
Then we sang a song from that great Christian band… The Beatles… “Let it Be…Let it Be. Let it Be. Let it Be.”
Then the pastor preached a sermon ABOUT the end of Nehemiah.
I do not remember him actually reading the Bible at all.
If he did it was only a verse or two and I missed it.
If you go to this church’s website, the first thing you read is that they are a “Bible Believing, Bible Teaching Church”.
Yet the whole service… we didn’t read the Bible!
TRANSITION TO SERMON
TRANSITION TO SERMON
As we pick up our sermon series in the book of Nehemiah,
That’s kind of what the Israelites were like.
They called themselves God’s people,
but they didn’t know or obey His Word.
His Word was not at the centre!
Instead, the Israelites had abandoned the Lord and His Word.
They experienced His discipline as a result (exile).
But now God brought them back, and through the leadership of Nehemiah:
They have rebuilt the wall:
overcame problems from the outside, from their enemies… and
overcame problems from inside…
they rebuilt the wall in 52 days!
They began to reinstate the worship of God:
listed the returned exiles…and
reinstated the priests, Levites, and singers,
so that they could worship God!
What we are going to see this morning is,
God’s people putting God’s Word back at the centre!
My title this morning is:
God’s Word at the Centre: How God’s Word Shapes His People
Billboard
Billboard
Today we are going to learn what happens to people when they put God’s Word at the centre.
God’s Word is powerful, and when we make it our priority:
God’s Word Unifies Us…
God’s Word Transforms Us… and
God’s Word Grows Us.
Prayer for Illumination
Prayer for Illumination
LORD…
Announce/Read Scripture
Announce/Read Scripture
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. 13 On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. 14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.
Transition
After having experienced the discipline of God for abandoning His Word,
now the people of Israel put God’s Word back at the centre of their lives!
There are many benefits and blessings that come when God’s people centre their lives around His Word.
The first thing we see is that…
1. God’s Word Unifies Us
1. God’s Word Unifies Us
When you read the history of Israel in the book of Judges,
one of the scariest statements at the end of the book is…
“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
This is what led to all the chaos and sin, and ultimately God’s judgement,
as His people turned away from Him,
to follow their own ways.
Here in Nehemiah,
God’s people desire to once again centre their lives on God’s Word,
and be unified in it.
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
Transition
“God’s Word Unifies Us”
when we gather to:
a. Hear the Word
a. Hear the Word
The Israelites gathered together to “Hear the Word”,
which unified them.
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
The Israelites gathered together as one man…
they gathered as one body.
And they wanted Ezra to read from:
“the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel.”
So Ezra read the Law to both men and women,
as well as all who could understand (children and foreigners).
And as he read,
everyone’s ears were attentive.
Summary
God’s Word… God’s commands… God’s covenant…
are to be the centre of His people when they gather.
When we “Hear the Word” together,
it unifies us.
Transition
We are also unified when we…
b. Worship the Word
b. Worship the Word
God had given His people His Word,
and His Word pointed them and taught them about Him,
and so the hearing of the Word led them to Worship God, the Word.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
As Ezra stood in the presence of all the people,
with leaders on his right and left,
reading God’s Law to them,
he led them in worshiping the God… the Word!
The reason it is so important to centre our lives on the Word,
is because it teaches us who God is,
and how we are to live and worship Him!
Summary
As Ezra read the Law, they came to be reminded of the great God they serve.
As Ezra leads in worship,
the people respond in worship,
and they are unified.
Transition
We are also unified when we…
c. Understand the Word
c. Understand the Word
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
After Ezra had finished reading the Word,
and the people had worshiped God, the Word,
the leaders went around to the people, and continued teaching,
to make sure that they understood what was being read.
If the people heard the Word but did not understand it,
then how were they supposed to obey it?
Understanding leads to obedience!
Summary
As the Israelites put God’s Word back at the centre of their lives as God’s people,
they were unified as they devoted themselves to:
Hear,
Worship, and
Understand the Word.
ILLUSTRATE — Unity in the early church
ILLUSTRATE — Unity in the early church
The early church had this same kind of devotion to God’s Word.
In the book of Acts we read of the early church.
After Christ rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven,
the Holy Spirit came on the disciples as they gathered.
A huge crowd gathered to see what all the commotion was about,
and taking advantage of the opportunity,
Peter preached a sermon,
leading to about 3,000 people joining the church.
We know that there were people from many different places, cultures and backgrounds.
How could they come together when they had so many differences?
They were unified as they put God’s Word at the centre!
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
How did all these people stay unified?
When they came together,
God’s Word was at the centre.
Summary
The apostles faithfully taught the Word of God,
and as they understood God’s Word together,
they were unified as they worshiped the same God!
APPLY
APPLY
We too will be unified when we gather with God’s Word at the centre of all that we do.
As we grow as a church,
we have people coming from different backgrounds and cultures,
and we run the risk of having disunity and quarrelling.
How do we fight against this possibility?
By keeping God’s Word at the centre!
That is exactly what we are striving to do here at LEMC!
We believe that God the Father,
working through His Word by God the Spirit,
will transform us into the image of God the Son.
Therefore,
God’s Word is the emphasis of all that we do as a church!
When we gather on a Sunday morning:
We begin with God’s Word/prayer…
We sing songs that are based on God’s Word…
We read God’s Word throughout our singing…
We pray pastoral prayers based on God’s Word…
We preach God’s Word/biblical sermons.
When we gather on Wednesday Nights:
We study God’s Word.
We may at times study books, or learn disciplines/principles based on God’s Word.
When our children and youth gather on Sundays and throughout the week:
They are taught from curriculum’s based on God’s Word.
As we centre all that we do on God’s Word,
God will unify us!
————————————————————————
Personal Application (bring to point #3???)
How about you?
Is God’s Word at the centre of your life?
As we strive for unity here at LEMC,
it is important that you keep God’s Word at the centre of your life.
Each and every day you should be seeking to:
Hear from God in His Word…
Worship God…
as you come to know and understand Him in His Word!
One way you can join us in centre-ing your life on God’s Word,
is by reading through the Bible with us.
At the beginning of this year we began a new church-wide Bible reading plan.
How many of you are reading through that with us?
Amazing!
If you have another Bible reading plan that you’re doing that’s fine.
But if you don’t, we welcome you to join us as we centre our lives on God’s Word.
Summary
As we faithfully put God’s Word at the centre of our lives as the people of God,
He will unify us through the power of His Spirit,
as we seek to make His name great!
Transition
The next benefits that comes from putting God’s Word at the Centre is:
2. God’s Word Transforms Us
2. God’s Word Transforms Us
The Israelites were putting God’s Word back at the centre,
and God began to transform them through the power of His Spirit working through His Word!
I heard a quote about the Bible this week that said…
“These texts are not designed to be mastered. They master you.”
This is the reason we come to God in His Word,
to know God;
to understand how God requires us to worship Him;
to understand how God calls us to live;
and then to be transformed by that knowledge!
When we pursue God through His Word,
we are transformed by what Jeremy Pierre calls,
the PIERCING COMFORT of God’s Word.
On the one hand,
God’s Word PIERCES…
it punctures, divides, separates,
because it exposes our sinful hearts.
On the other hand,
God’s Word COMFORTS…
it soothes, reassures, relieves,
because it gives us the remedy.
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
Transition
Let’s look at how the Israelites were…
a. Transformed by Piercing
a. Transformed by Piercing
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.
As Ezra read from God’s Word,
the people began to mourn and weep.
This is because as they read from the Law…
They were reminded of how God had saved them from the hand of the Egyptians,
and called them to be His treasured possession… a holy nation.
They were reminded of how God walked with them for forty years in the wilderness,
providing for all their needs.
They were reminded of how God had helped them defeat all their enemies,
and brought them into the Promised Land…
a land flowing with milk and honey.
God had been so good to them,
and how had they repaid His kindness?
By abandoning Him,
which led to His discipline.
Summary
As they were reminded of God’s goodness toward them,
and how they had failed to love Him and follow His Word,
they hearts were transformed through PIERCING!
Transition
Then something unexpected happened…
The Israelites were…
b. Transformed by Comfort
b. Transformed by Comfort
Rather than experiencing judgement from God,
they are comforted!
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
It is true that God had disciplined His people for their disobedience,
but now he had been faithful to:
bring them back to their land…
to rebuild the wall… AND
work to restore Israel as a nation devoted to the praise of God.
For that reason Israel had gathered to celebrate the Lord’s favour,
but now, instead, they are mourning and weeping after hearing God’s Word.
So Ezra and the leaders comfort the people,
and command the people to continue the celebration,
“for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
God isn’t angry with His people,
He is rejoicing that they are turning back to Him,
to worship and obey Him!
Summary
As the Israelites put God’s Word at the centre,
God transforms them through the piercing comfort of His Word!
ILLUSTRATE — Prodigal Son
ILLUSTRATE — Prodigal Son
Throughout Jesus’ ministry,
he told many parables to teach people what God was like.
One of the most incredible parables Jesus told,
is the parable of the prodigal son.
There was a man who had two sons.
The Father had blessed his sons and took care of them.
They had all they ever needed.
But the youngest son didn’t want anything to do with his father.
He wanted his inheritance and to get out from under his father’s roof.
So he took his money and left.
He went far away from his father and began to live it up,
wasting every last penny!
That’s when a famine hit,
but rather than turning back to his father,
he tried to make it on his own.
He got a job feeding pigs,
and was so hungry he longed to eat the food the pigs had,
but no one gave him anything.
Finally he realized he couldn’t make it on his own,
and decided to return to his father.
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Summary
The son had been pierced with the reality of his sin against God and his father.
But he was not met with the judgement he deserved and expected…
instead, he was comforted with joy of his father,
who had been eagerly praying and waiting for his son’s return!
APPLY
APPLY
Non-Believer
Non-Believer
Maybe you’re like the prodigal son,
and you want nothing to do with God.
You think:
He hates you,
is mad at you, or
wants to punish you.
It is true that He pierces our hearts by exposing our sin,
but it’s because He knows sin leaves us broken and hurt.
He wants whats best for you…
He wants you to come to Him and find comfort in Him,
so that He can satisfy you with His goodness.
Turn to Him today,
and you will find a Father who is waiting with open arms!
Maybe you’re like the prodigal son,
and you have been pierced with the reality that you are a sinner,
but you are afraid to turn to God because you think he won’t accept you, so you try and make it on your own.
Maybe all your friends and family have abandoned you because they think you’re a lost cause,
and so that’s how you think God looks at you too.
Friend, God loves you!
He is waiting for you to turn to Him and find comfort!
He doesn’t want to punish you,
He wants to
forgive you…
clothe you in the righteousness of Jesus… and
celebrate with you!
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Turn to God in humble repentance, confessing your sins…
believe that God paid for all your sin through sending Jesus to die for you,
and you will be saved!
It doesn’t matter what sins you have committed,
God’s mercy and forgiveness is more.
He will cleanse you….
make you new,
and we as a church would welcome you to our family of faith.
If you have done that, or would like to talk to someone about how to do that,
we would love to have a conversation with you!
Believer
Believer
If you are a part of God’s family,
you must recognize the need to be in God’s Word every day,
so that we can be transformed by it.
God’s Word is challenging!
The Holy Spirit will pierce our hearts each and every day as it shows us where we fall short…
But it will also offer us the continual comfort of God’s grace and love through our unity with Jesus,
as we continually trust only in Him!
Transition
The next benefits that comes from putting God’s Word at the Centre is:
When we put God’s Word at the Center:
God’s Word Unifies Us;
God’s Word Transforms Us; and
3. God’s Word Grows Us
3. God’s Word Grows Us
As the Israelites came together and put God’s Word at the Centre:
God’s Word Unified Them;
God’s Word Transformed Them;
but now, as they committed themselves to it,
God used it to “Grow Them” to become more faithful to Him.
If we will follow their example of putting God’s Word first,
God will grow us as well.
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
Transition
“God’s Word Grows Us”
as we:
a. Study God’s Word Together
a. Study God’s Word Together
13 On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. 14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.”
Here we see a true, humble, godly example of leadership.
These men had been so impacted by the truth of God’s Word,
that they came together to study God’s Word,
so they could learn more and teach others.
Men wanted to lead their families in God’s Word…
Priests and Levites wanted to faithfully serve in the temple… and
Ezra humbly taught them,
as they studied God’s Word together.
Summary
These men grew in God’s Word,
as they studied together.
Transition
“God’s Word Grows Us”
as we:
b. Obey God’s Word Together
b. Obey God’s Word Together
As they studied,
they realized the feast of booths was coming up.
This was a feast to remember:
God’s protection and provision in the wilderness for 40 years.
Immediately after learning this, they obey!
16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.
The Israelites immediately obeyed God’s Word.
They came together in the city,
and made booths to live in for the week.
This led to great rejoicing and worship!
It also led to a desire to continue growing in understanding of God’s Word.
They continued reading God’s Word all week long!
Summary
God used His Word to grow His people,
as they studied and obeyed it together!
ILLUSTRATE — Growth in the early church
ILLUSTRATE — Growth in the early church
Earlier I mentioned the early church in the book of Acts, and
how they were devoted to the Word of God.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
As they put God’s Word at the centre,
God was faithful to grow them!
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Summary
As the early church devoted themselves to God’s Word,
God worked in powerful ways,
uniting them in worship…
transforming them through radical acts of love… and
growing them in number,
as souls were coming to faith in Jesus!
God’s people grew and experienced joy as they followed God’s Word together!
APPLY
APPLY
As a church,
we must be faithful to keep God’s Word at the centre of all that we do!
When we do, God will be faithful to grow us.
We must be committed to studying and obeying God’s Word together.
Like the Israelites, we need to meet together to study God’s Word,
and then work together to obey it!
As a church we are seeking to do this in two primary ways:
WND
The purpose of our WND classes,
are to meet together to study God’s Word together.
We are just wrapping up an 8-week session,
but will be running another 8-week session beginning April 2.
Another way we seek to study and obey God’s together is a:
Discipleship Group
These are small groups of men and women,
who meet weekly to:
study the Bible…
memorize the Bible… and
pray for one another.
They do this together for the purpose of growing together.
Summary
As we commit to studying and obeying God’s Word together,
God will grow us.
CLOSING
CLOSING
Why is God’s Word so important?
In our church Bible reading plan we’ve been reading through Exodus,
and after delivering His people out of Egypt with a strong and mighty hand,
God brings them to a mountain and tells them…
4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
God commands them to obey Him because of His salvation!
Then God gives them instructions on how to build:
a tabernacle…
an ark…
a table for bread...
a golden lampstand… and
all the priestly garments...
There is a lot of instructions,
and God says…
9 Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.
Why is God so concerned about their exact obedience?
The answer is in…
8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
God wants to dwell with His people,
but He can’t because of their sin!
BUT… if they follow His Word exactly,
His presence can be among His people,
leading, guiding, and blessing them.
Point to Christ
Point to Christ
But now Christ has come!
Through His life, death and resurrection,
He has fulfilled all the ceremonial/sacrificial laws.
So we no longer have to offer sacrifices,
or celebrate the feasts/festivals…
because all these things point to Christ!
He has defeated our enemies: sin and death!
He has saved us through His sacrifice,
and through faith, we can have God’s presence dwelling in us.
Therefore, because of the sacrifice of Christ,
it should be our joy, our longing, our greatest desire,
to obey Him!
We should LONG to be pleasing to our Lord who saved us,
seeking to bring glory and honour to His name for His greatness!
But in order to please God,
we must put His Word at the Centre!
We must meditate on His Word day and night…
Saturating our minds with the truth of God’s Word.
When we are faithful to do that as God’s people, He will:
Unify Us…
Transform Us… and
Grow Us…
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Let’s Pray!
