[0:01] Let's open up our Bibles once again to Isaiah chapter 55. Isaiah chapter 55. And some people might wonder why spend six weeks on just one chapter of the Bible?
[0:14] And why this particular chapter of the Bible? And the answer to both of those questions is that there is just so much to unpack here in these words of God in Isaiah chapter 55.
[0:26] More than we have a lifetime to unpack. So six weeks I think is being generous. So let's take up his word again once more. Isaiah chapter 55. We're going to be reading verses 10 and 11 this morning.
[0:40] Follow along with me as I read. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven. And do not return there but water the earth.
[0:54] Making it bring forth and sprout. Giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty.
[1:07] But it shall accomplish that which I purpose. And shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. As Isaiah says in chapter 40 verse 8.
[1:19] The grass withers. The flower fades. But the word of our God will stand forever. Let's pray. Lord we thank you for this word that we've just read.
[1:30] And we pray what we've already sung. Lord that you would reveal your glory to us through the preaching of your word. Would you show us Christ here in Isaiah. We ask this in Jesus name.
[1:42] Amen. Amen. Amen. Several years ago my family was moving from Charlotte, North Carolina. Where I attended seminary to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
[1:54] And so we had packed up all of our things. We had all of our stuff boxed up. We planned the move out day. We reserved a moving truck. And as you normally do I received an email from the moving company.
[2:08] It was a confirmation of my reservation. I said you have reserved a 17 foot truck. Complete with a reservation number. And a pickup time.
[2:20] And as far as I was concerned that settled the matter. Everything was set. But when we arrived on the appointed day.
[2:32] Boxes packed. Ready to go. Ready to move. Reservation in hand. Lo and behold there was no truck. And I asked where it was.
[2:45] And they said that it had been rented. And I asked by whom. And they said by somebody else. I asked what somebody else was doing with the truck that I had reserved.
[2:57] They said well they're probably moving. I asked why they threw this curve ball in the plans for my day. Why they were happy to hold my money but not hold my truck.
[3:10] Why they would say something but not follow through on what they had promised. And they said I should probably call another location. I won't tell you who that company was.
[3:21] I don't think that information would be helpful for you. Not really necessary. I will tell you that it rhymes with shoe haul. But as I studied this passage this week.
[3:32] And prepared for this morning. This instance came back to mind. And I remember this instance. Because in retrospect as I look back and think about this. This was not just a failure of good business practice.
[3:45] Although yes it was. This was a failure of effective communication. In my words they failed to effectively create what I called for.
[3:58] I spoke it. I ordered it. I asked nicely for it. And then not so nicely for it. But there was still no truck. And as much as I tried. As much as I wanted to.
[4:10] I could not just speak it into existence. My word was not effective to accomplish my will. And their word failed to follow through on what they had promised.
[4:22] They spoke something. They spoke a guarantee. They gave a confirmation to my inbox. And yet there was no truck. They failed to follow through on what they had promised.
[4:35] Promise. So the result was I trusted their word. And I was let down. Their word was not trustworthy. And sadly. I'm sure all of you can attest.
[4:47] This is all too common. In the world in which we live. All the time. Our words are not effective. We speak what we don't mean. We're misunderstood. We speak.
[4:58] But we don't follow through. We can't take everyone at their word. But Isaiah says here in chapter 55 verses 10 and 11. Not so with God. Not so with God.
[5:11] Our passage this morning is meant to deepen our trust in the word of God. And not just our trust in the word. But our love for the word.
[5:23] See we're meant to feast on the word of God. We're meant to hunger for it. We're meant to come to it day in and day out. Day after day after day. And find our souls satisfied in the word.
[5:37] And so this morning what I want to do is just ask two very simple questions. To deepen our love for the word. This is going to be our outline this morning. If you're following along. Two questions to help us love God's word.
[5:51] Two questions to help us love God's word. Number one. How has God's word come to us? And number two.
[6:03] How should we come to God's word? Two questions to help us love the word of God. How has God's word come to us? And second. How then should we come to God's word?
[6:16] First. How has God's word come to us? I see at least three ways here in these verses. There's many others throughout scripture.
[6:27] But I want to focus in on just these three this morning. And the first is that God's word has come to us effectively. God's word has come to us effectively.
[6:40] Now if you've been with us over the past several weeks you might remember the context here. Israel is in exile for their sin. They've rebelled against the Lord. God is judging them for their sin against him.
[6:53] And Isaiah he's holding out some very very big promises here for sinners. He's saying come to me. Come to the Lord. Listen to me. Listen to my word.
[7:04] Turn from your sin. Forsake your ways. And you will be abundantly pardoned. And God will forgive you of your sin. He will redeem you. He will wash you clean.
[7:15] He will receive you if you would simply turn and trust in the Lord. And if you put yourself in their shoes you're hearing this. You might say well that that sounds a little too easy doesn't it?
[7:26] That sounds a little bit too good to be true. That's that's too simple too easy. How can this how can this be? How can we trust that this promise will come to fruition? How can we believe that God will say that God will do what he said that he's going to do?
[7:42] And so Isaiah here in in verse 10 he gives an illustration to help deepen the trust of the Israelites in God's word. So look there with me to verse 10. He says God's word is is both good and it is effective.
[7:58] You can trust him to do as he's promised because for verse 10 for just as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there.
[8:09] But the water the earth making it bring forth and sprout giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth.
[8:21] It shall not return to me empty but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in that for which I sent it.
[8:31] In other words he's saying God's word is 100% effective. It always does what it is supposed to do.
[8:42] See God does not not act like us. His ways are not our ways. God does not think like us. His thoughts are not our thoughts. And guess what? He also does not speak like us.
[8:56] God's words are always purposeful. That's what it says in verse 11 isn't it? His word always accomplishes that which he purposes. They succeed always in the thing for which he sent it.
[9:10] You see God's words are not just spoken. They are they are sent out as as missionaries out on a on a mission. They're sent with a with a purpose. And the word of God is 100% effective in accomplishing the purposes of God.
[9:28] Our words don't work like that. Do that. We we speak empty words. How many empty words do we speak a day? I wonder. And how often do we have to put our foot in our mouth when we when we say something we shouldn't?
[9:42] We speak out of line. We speak out of turn. Or we thought that we communicated clearly. But then we wind up our words have been mis misinterpreted or misunderstood. We thought that we clearly communicated.
[9:54] But they came back and they didn't understand exactly what they what we said. Our words were not effective. But God's word says here in verse 11.
[10:04] God's words are always effective. They always succeed in the thing for which he sent it. And of course the question then becomes well what is it effective for?
[10:21] Effective for what? What is God doing with his words? What's the mission that he's sending these words on? It is it is this. It's to bear fruit on fertile soil.
[10:32] To bear fruit on fertile soil. This is the second way his word comes. It comes effectively and it comes fruitfully. God's word comes fruitfully.
[10:45] And here's again where this illustration helps us out. You remember last week. I hope if you were here with us last week. If not if you miss it I'll sum it up for you quickly. We saw last week that there is an infinite gap that exists between us and God.
[11:03] Between his ways and our ways. Our ways are wicked. We are sinners. God is holy, holy, holy. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts.
[11:15] Every single one of us here today is a sinner. We are desperately wicked. And because of that there is a separation. A chasm. There's an infinite gap between us and God.
[11:27] And his wrath is against us in our sin. And when he speaks words of warning. And words of judgment. And incoming wrath.
[11:38] We had better listen. We had better repent. And we try and try and try and try to bridge that gap with our deeds.
[11:49] And our efforts. And our goodness. And our works. Just climbing ladder after ladder after ladder. And none of it works. The gap is too big.
[11:59] As big as the gap is between heaven and earth. That was last week. Now follow Isaiah's train of thought here. In verse 10. Follow Isaiah's train of thought.
[12:12] Picture this with me. We go outside. We stand right here with our feet on the earth. We look up to heaven. We wonder how in the world we can possibly bridge this infinite gap.
[12:25] We're looking up towards the heavens. And seemingly out of nowhere. A drop of rain comes. Hits you right in the head. And you hear the sound of more rain.
[12:37] Beginning to fall. The raindrops get more and more and more frequent. So now all of a sudden as the phrase goes. The heavens have opened up. And it begins to pour down rain.
[12:48] Your hair is wet. Your clothes are drenched. Where did that rain come from? From the heavens. Where did it come? Down to the earth.
[13:01] To you. To me. Do you see the image that he's giving us here in verse 10? Follow with me. Follow the train of thought here. Verse 9. It said. As the heavens are higher than the earth.
[13:13] This infinite gap. So are my ways higher than your ways. But verse 10. Just like the rain and snow that comes down from heaven to the earth.
[13:24] So shall I send my word to you. Here's the point. The word of God is sent from heaven to earth.
[13:35] To bridge the infinite gap that stands between us and God. That just as the rain and the snow come down from heaven to earth.
[13:47] Bridges the gap. So shall the word of God. He says. So shall my word come down to you. To give life. And to bear fruit. On the soil that God himself has tilled.
[14:00] And made ready. And made fertile. And made ready to receive it. See the word of God comes down. To give life. Rain and snow come down from heaven.
[14:14] And do not return there. But water the earth. That's life giving. Fruit bearing imagery here. They make it bring forth. And sprout.
[14:24] They give seed to the sower. And bread to the eater. And God says. So shall my word be. It goes out from my mouth. I will send it down with sovereign power.
[14:36] To bridge the gap. To come into the ears of sinners. To call them to repentance. To draw them to myself. To give life and happiness. Where there is death and dryness.
[14:48] That's the power of the word of God. Isn't that amazing? The word of God. Is effective. To give life.
[14:59] God. And it's always been that way. Hasn't it? In the beginning. Genesis chapter 1. In the beginning. God created the heavens and the earth.
[15:09] And how did he do it? All things. He spoke. And it was. He spoke. All things into being. But guess what? He didn't just create the world. And then leave it alone.
[15:20] He continued to speak. He continued to reveal himself. Through his word. He continued to send forth his word. From heaven to earth. Through the mouths of his servants.
[15:32] His prophets. Warning. And teaching. And calling his people to trust. And to dependence on him. Hebrews chapter 1. Says. Long ago. In many times. And in many ways.
[15:43] God spoke to us. Through the mouths of his prophets. But do you realize that God didn't have to say anything at all? Do you realize that? God does not have to speak at all.
[15:57] But why does he? He speaks to reveal himself. He speaks to communicate his glory.
[16:08] Why? Not because we deserve it. But because he's full of mercy. And grace. Which is why third. The word of God comes to us.
[16:20] Graciously. The word of God comes to us. Gracefully. Just reflect for a minute. What a grace this book is.
[16:32] Have you thought about this? That God would speak to us. That he would reveal himself to us.
[16:42] That he would reveal his character to us. That he would reveal his will to us. That we could read it in a book. Anytime we want. That God has condescended to us.
[16:54] To speak to us. This incomprehensible God. Has spoken to us. In ways that we can understand. And comprehend. By the power of his spirit. As we open up a book.
[17:05] And read. And that we can share it. And teach others his ways. That we can teach our children. The ways of God. This book. This revelation. Is a treasure.
[17:16] Of God's grace. I love the hymn that we sang this morning. How firm a foundation. It's one of my favorite hymns. How firm a foundation. You saints of the Lord.
[17:27] Is laid for your faith. In his excellent word. What more can he say. Than to you he had said. To you who for refuge.
[17:37] To Jesus. Have fled. By God's grace. Church. He has laid a sure foundation. For the faith of any.
[17:48] Who would come to him. In his word. What more can he say. Than to you he hath said. But you know. So often we don't. Act like that. We act like this.
[17:59] This somehow isn't enough. That somehow we want more. Something. Something else. God speak to me. Speak to me clearly. Lord. I want to hear. Your voice. We want some other way.
[18:10] For God to speak to us. And hear me. I believe that God. May prompt us. May lead us. In many ways. Through our. Our desires. Through the wisdom.
[18:21] Of other Christians. Through the church. Through various works. Of providence. In our lives. As he moves. And he acts. But he will never. Speak to you. More clearly.
[18:32] More directly. More authoritatively. More supernaturally. More graciously. More perfectly. Than he has already.
[18:43] Spoken. In this word. And as Jesus says. In Luke chapter 16. I brought this up. In Sunday school.
[18:54] As Greg was. Was preaching my sermon. Before we got in here. Jesus says. If you will not believe.
[19:04] What is written. Here. You wouldn't even believe. If you saw someone. Rise from the dead. Jesus spoke this parable. Between. The rich man.
[19:16] And Lazarus. The rich man. Is in torment. Lazarus. Is in paradise. And the rich man. Looks across. And sees Lazarus. There. He's. He's in anguish. And he says.
[19:26] Please. Would you send somebody. To my brothers. I have five brothers. Send somebody to them. If they see someone. Rise from the dead. They will believe. And they won't have to come. Into this place. Where I'm in anguish.
[19:38] Do you know what he says? They have Moses. And the prophets. If they won't believe this. They wouldn't believe. Even if someone.
[19:49] Rose. Rose. From the dead. And came and spoke to them. What's the point? The point is. If you are looking. For the grace of God.
[20:01] Here it is. If you are looking. For the revelation. Of who God is. Here it is. If you are looking. For an explanation.
[20:11] Of how sinners. Can possibly bridge that gap. And be forgiven. And restored. And come into the presence. Of God. Here it is. If you are looking.
[20:21] For God to speak. To you. Here it is. This is the perfect. Word. Of God. That graciously.
[20:32] And effectively. Comes to bridge. The gap. Between heaven. And earth. To give life. To all. Who would incline. Their ear. And listen. And believe.
[20:44] This is how God's word. Has come. To us. So second. If that's true. How then.
[20:54] Should we come. To his word. How then. Should we come. To his word. With the rest of the time. That we have. This morning. I just wanted to get. Very.
[21:05] Very. Practical. Okay. Very practical. With some application. And just ask. Well. So what. What. Okay. So this is the second point. This morning. Is.
[21:15] If this is true. What does this mean. For us. If the word of God. Is his. Sovereignly. Appointed. Means. To effectively. Give. Life.
[21:25] To the spiritually. Dead. And to feed. The spiritually. Hungry. How then. Should we come. To his word. And I have five ways. Number one.
[21:35] Is to come hungry. Number one. Is to come hungry. To his word. I'm sure you've been invited. To a meal. Before. Where the host. Has planned out.
[21:46] Tons of good food. Plenty to eat. And they tell you. What time to come. And they say. Come hungry. That's what Isaiah. Has been saying. All through this chapter.
[21:57] Isn't it? Verse. Verse one. He says. Come. Everyone who thirsts. Come to the waters. And he who has no money. Come. Buy. And eat. Come buy wine. And milk.
[22:07] Without money. And without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not food. Not bread. And your labor for that which is not satisfied. And get this. He says.
[22:18] Listen diligently to me. He says. And eat what is good. And delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear. And come to me.
[22:29] Hear. That your soul may live. So you see. The feast that he's inviting us to. Is enjoyed by listening. It's enjoyed by receiving the word of God.
[22:43] By hearing. By inclining our ears to his word. To become hungry to the word. But let me be clear. Don't wait until you feel hungry to come.
[22:58] Okay. Do not wait until you feel hungry to come. There's an irony here. There's. There's a cyclical relationship here.
[23:09] Is that often times we don't feel hungry until we start to eat. We don't feel desire for the Lord until we start to open up the book and read and spend time with him.
[23:21] The relationship is a cycle. You start reading the word. And guess what? Your desire for the word begins to increase. And as your desire for the word increases. Guess what?
[23:31] You start reading more of the word. They feed each other here. It's cyclical. And sometimes we don't realize how hungry we are until we open it up and start to consume the word.
[23:44] So come hungry. But don't wait until you happen to feel hungry to come. Second. Come regularly to the word.
[23:58] How should we come to the word? Second. Come regularly. Y'all I am so glad that you are here. Sitting under the preaching of the word.
[24:09] And this is. I believe. Honestly. I believe this is the most important hour of your week. I truly believe that. And most of my time throughout the week is spent thinking and praying and studying and preparing for this one moment of delivering the word of God to you.
[24:26] That you might hear it. And that the Lord, I trust, would effectively accomplish his purpose through it. But. This one hour. As important as it is.
[24:38] Is not enough. It is not enough. We are regularly in need of the grace of God in his word. We are regularly in need of conviction for our sin.
[24:52] We are regularly in need of a reminder of the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to feast on this book regularly.
[25:04] In the best way that I can think to get myself consistently through this book. 66 books are here. Okay. 66 books in this one book.
[25:15] 929 chapters in the Old Testament. 260 chapters in the New Testament. The best way that I can get myself into this whole counsel of God is not to just wake up and wonder if it is going to happen that day.
[25:29] In other words. I believe that in order to maximize your joy in the word of God.
[25:41] You need a plan. You need a plan. That plan may look different for you than it does for me from person to person.
[25:51] You don't need to use the same plan that I do or anybody else does that plan. The pace may be different from person to person. The time of day may be different from person to person. But all of us need a plan for spending time in the word of God.
[26:07] What will you read tomorrow? And the next day? And the day after that? And the day after that? How will you choose? How will you know? How will you decide?
[26:18] I'd be willing to bet that if you don't have a plan for how you're going to digest this word. You have some sections of your Bible where the pages still stick together. That just have barely been explored.
[26:32] And there's probably other sections where the pages are falling out because you keep coming back to those same sections of God's word over and over and over again. They're comfortable. They're familiar territory to you.
[26:43] You may have noticed as you came in that we've printed out some lists to help you. If you got one of those, great. If you didn't, I encourage you to get one on your way out the door.
[26:54] They're right there on the desk. It's a way to help you to get through the word of God this year. And what it is, it's just a checklist of every chapter in the Bible.
[27:04] It's not a plan. It's meant to be used alongside whatever plan you choose to use. But it helps you to track your reading through God's word. I've done this for several years now, and it helps me to see, man, I've been spending a lot of time in the New Testament here.
[27:19] Maybe I need to read some of the prophets. I've been spending a lot of time in Genesis and Exodus. That's my January and February every year. I start in Genesis. I've read it a hundred times. Maybe I need to read some over here in the New Testament.
[27:33] It helps you to track your progress through the word of God. So here's my challenge for you. Make a plan to read the word. You don't have to wait until January 1st.
[27:45] You don't have to wait until the new year to do this. You can get a jump on your new year's reading schedule. Start right now to read the word of God. Did you know that if you read three chapters a day, you can make it through the whole Bible in a year?
[27:58] Actually, 3.25, but who's counting? Three chapters a day. You can make it through the whole Bible in a year. And if you don't know where to start, if this is new to you, just even thinking about where do I start?
[28:12] How do I read God's word? Come speak to me. Come speak to Trey. I promise you there is nothing that would please us more than to be able to help you to read and to study God's word this year.
[28:26] Third, come reverently to the word. Come reverently to the word.
[28:37] Now, this may sound like a contradiction, but I promise you it's not. We just got done talking about lists and plans and checklists and procedures and strategy. But listen to this. If you reduce your Bible reading to a simple task to be completed and a checklist to be completed and moved on from, you have missed it.
[28:58] If you reduce your Bible reading to just information to be learned, you have missed it. If you treat this book like any other book to be read, you've missed it.
[29:10] The word of God is a miracle. This is a direct line from the heart of God to us.
[29:22] It reveals his character, his power, his grace, his might, his mercy. It's his tool for our salvation and for our growth and our maturity.
[29:33] This word shows us the glory of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we must come to it ready to encounter the living God.
[29:45] Ready to be in his presence. Ready with a posture of worship. And when we do, forth, we should come expectantly.
[29:57] Forth, we should come expectantly. What do you expect God to do when you open up your Bible and read? What are you expecting God to do when you come and you sit under the preaching of the word?
[30:13] What are you expecting God to do when you speak the word to others? If God's word is 100% effective, as we've seen, then we should expect him to accomplish his promises.
[30:28] We should expect him to accomplish his purposes every time this word is opened up. We should expect him to change us as we read the word. We should expect conviction for our sin.
[30:40] We should expect growth in holiness. We should expect spiritual transformation. We should expect confirmation. We should expect to be strengthened and encouraged and fed and challenged.
[30:51] Every time this book is read. Every time this book is preached. Every time the word of God is sent forth.
[31:04] God is at work. And it will accomplish the purposes for which he sends it. That is rock solid confidence for time spent here.
[31:19] The rate of return of your energy and time spent reading this work is, your rate of return is 100%. You will never waste a moment opening up this book.
[31:32] And we should expect that it will accomplish the ultimate purpose of his word, which is this. To magnify the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[31:50] That is the ultimate purpose of the word of God, which is why fifth church, we must come Christ exultingly. We must come Christ exultingly.
[32:04] Is that a word? Yes, it is. I looked it up. I promise. Christ exultingly. Church, I want you to love the word of God. I want you to love the scriptures.
[32:20] I want you to be eager to come to study, to master this word of God. But not as an end in itself.
[32:31] You love them. You consume them. You read them. You come to them day after day after day. You feast your souls on them. Because in them you see Christ.
[32:43] In them you see the glory of God. In the gospel. Isn't this what Jesus said in John chapter 5? He said, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.
[32:58] And it is they that bear witness about me. That you refuse to come to me. That you may have life. See, we come to the word that we might come to him.
[33:12] That we come to the word that we might meet with him. And worship him. And hear from him. And be delighted in him. And be saved. And strengthened. And satisfied. And sustained by him.
[33:25] You see, this whole book from beginning to end is about the glory of God. In the gospel of Jesus Christ. This word is a story of God's magnificence.
[33:38] Of his holiness. And of our wickedness. Our failure. And his constant bridging the gap between heaven and earth.
[33:50] His constant reaching down. His constant speaking. Communicating. And increasing clarity. How it is that sinners might be saved.
[34:01] And so Hebrews chapter 1 again. Long ago. At many times. And in many ways. God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But listen to this. But in these last days.
[34:13] He has spoken to us by his son. Whom he appointed the heir of all things. Through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance.
[34:25] Of the glory of God. And the exact imprint of his nature. And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. Christ Jesus is the son of God.
[34:40] Through whom this says. Through whom God created the world. When God spoke this world into being. Guess what? It was through Christ. Christ Jesus is the one who sustains the universe.
[34:53] By the word of his power. He upholds the universe. With his effective and life-giving word. Christ Jesus is the one who most clearly communicates to us.
[35:03] The glory of God. He is the radiance of the glory of God. The exact imprint of his nature. No one has ever seen God. John says. The only God who is at the father's side.
[35:16] He has made him known. If you want to know what God is like. Look to Christ. If you want to know the heart of God. Look to Christ. If you want to have your sins forgiven.
[35:28] You come to Christ. Christ Jesus is the eternal word of God. And as we celebrate here at Christmas time.
[35:39] This word became flesh. And dwelt among us. Christ is the one who has like life-giving rain.
[35:51] Bridged the gap. From heaven to earth. He is the one who has lived and died. And risen again. That he might give life to any who incline their ear.
[36:04] And listen to him. Have you turned from your sin and trusted him? Are you seeking him daily? In his word. That he would come to the word of God.
[36:16] Ultimately. To exult in the glory of God. In the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen. But there's one more.
[36:29] A bonus. There is a danger here. That we need to be aware of. Before we go. As we come and we feast.
[36:40] And we fill ourselves with the word of God. As we grow in maturity. As we grow in knowledge of him. And love for him. And trust in him. It cannot stop there. So here's a bonus.
[36:52] And this is where we close. Church. We must go. Obediently. We must go. Obediently. That word.
[37:04] That came from heaven. Down to you. Believer. Is not meant to stop there. At you. It is not just for you. Pastor Eric Reed.
[37:15] He says this. He says there's a direct correlation. Between growing in biblical knowledge. And growing in your faith. But there's something we need to be wary of. Growing spiritually obese.
[37:27] Because we don't exercise. Our faith. This word is meant to be lived. It is meant to be shared.
[37:39] With others. I've talked to so many of you about personal evangelism. That's our strategy. Church. You realize this? That's our strategy. For impacting this community. For seeing others come into the kingdom.
[37:51] For seeing our lost friends. Family. Neighbor. Co-workers. Connections. Come to faith in Christ. The strategy. Is that. Each of us. Individually. Would. Would go.
[38:02] Obediently. And proclaim the gospel. Of Jesus. Christ. And you see. The rock solid confidence. That this passage gives us. As we go. Our confidence. Is not in us.
[38:14] It is not in our. Our ability. It's not in our knowledge. It's not in our. Our comfort. It's not in our. Ability to answer every objection. And every question. And every hesitation. Our confidence.
[38:25] In proclaiming the gospel. Is that. Every time. The word is preached. God will accomplish. What he sent it for. It's the sovereignty of God. And his appointed means.
[38:36] To accomplish his. Purposes. The only way. We will fail. In evangelism. Is if we don't go. And preach. And speak the word of God.
[38:49] Now that's how you became a Christian. Do you realize that? If you're a believer. In the room. It's because somebody. Somewhere. Somehow. The word of God. Spanned the gap.
[39:00] Came from heaven. Down to you. Into your ears. Into your heart. On fertile soil. And you believed. So now we go. And we proclaim.
[39:12] This message. Of hope. And life. To others. Some of you. May be dreaming.
[39:24] Of a white Christmas. Here in all in all. Anything's possible. But that's probably. Going to stay a dream. I grew up in Georgia.
[39:36] And snow was rare. But I have seen. A good snowfall. Or two. And you know this. It's just beautiful. You know. When the snow. Covers the ground. Everywhere you look.
[39:46] Is white. Bushes covered. Trees covered. Plants covered. Nothing but snow. On the ground. And you look up. To the heavens. And it just keeps. Coming. And coming. And coming. And coming.
[40:00] Could you imagine. What it would be like. If through us. God covered. This community. With his word. Like a blanket of snow.
[40:12] Every neighborhood. Every school. Every corner. Every street. Saturated.
[40:23] With a life giving word. Of God. He can do it. And he'll do it. Through us. If we would go. And start right here.
[40:36] Would you pray with me church. Lord. There is. No way. To express. How grateful.
[40:47] We are. For this word. That has given us. Life in Christ. That has shown us. Your. Your will. And your. Character. Father.
[40:58] And we pray. That we would be a people. Who are marked. By love. For your word. Lord. We praise you. That. That you always. Accomplish. Your will. Through.
[41:09] Through sending your word. Even when it appears. To our eyes. Like. Like it's failed. God. You are at work. In ways we can never understand. And we pray. Lord. That this church.
[41:20] Would be one. That would share. This word. With such confidence. In you. And your power. God. That this community. Would be shaken. By it. We love you. Lord. We ask all this.
[41:32] In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen.