WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.819 We're on chapter 8. 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:11.620 And maybe we could read at verse 30, but it's in verse 31 particularly. 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:15.759 And as he was saying these things, many believed in him. 00:00:16.379 --> 00:00:19.480 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:24.199 If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:27.800 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. 00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:32.380 But particularly if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. 00:00:34.020 --> 00:00:40.480 Now as we know, obedience to God's word is absolutely fundamental to being a Christian. 00:00:41.120 --> 00:00:49.859 It's probably the great overriding fact where you are quite happy to call Jesus Lord and Master. 00:00:50.659 --> 00:00:56.700 And when you become a Christian, you want your life to be moulded and shaped by the truth. 00:00:56.700 --> 00:01:01.260 Because Jesus asks the question, we find that in other occasions, 00:01:01.260 --> 00:01:09.079 and he says, Why call me Lord, Lord, when you don't do the things that I ask you to do? 00:01:09.379 --> 00:01:13.460 And it's a question that we always have to ask ourselves as well. 00:01:13.459 --> 00:01:24.000 Now, we find in this particular chapter here, how important the word of God is. 00:01:24.679 --> 00:01:29.539 And we know that the word Lord means an owner and a master. 00:01:30.419 --> 00:01:35.319 And that's who Jesus becomes in our lives the day we become Christians, 00:01:35.919 --> 00:01:39.099 where he becomes our owner, he becomes our master. 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:41.959 He takes charge of our will. 00:01:42.819 --> 00:01:48.280 And you and I know that the most difficult thing to part with is our own will. 00:01:48.979 --> 00:01:51.000 It's the one thing we don't want to give up. 00:01:51.839 --> 00:01:54.859 And that's what happens when we become Christians, 00:01:55.500 --> 00:02:01.139 that we are ready and willing that God's will will be most important. 00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:06.680 It's a great obstacle to becoming a Christian, because we want to be in control. 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:09.020 We want to be in charge of our own lives. 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:10.180 It's a natural instinct. 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:13.439 It's my life and I'll do what I want. 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:15.639 That's what the human heart thinks. 00:02:16.819 --> 00:02:17.939 And so it's very difficult. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:24.460 In fact, it's an impossibility apart from grace to submit ourselves to the will of another. 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:28.620 And that's what God does when he comes by his spirit. 00:02:28.920 --> 00:02:36.219 He breaks the stubbornness of our own will and enables us to be subject to his will. 00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:40.900 And so that is the great evidence of becoming a Christian, 00:02:40.900 --> 00:02:45.680 is that you are quite happy to hand over your life to the Lord. 00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:51.480 Now, of course, as Christians, we still want to do our own will. 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.459 And I'm sure every single one of you know what it's like. 00:02:55.359 --> 00:03:01.939 And so often we have to say, Lord, not my will, but yours be done. 00:03:02.839 --> 00:03:10.319 But so often we find there's this conflict goes on between the drawing of God's spirit 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:18.339 and through the way God's word works within us against the stubbornness of our own self-will. 00:03:18.340 --> 00:03:24.640 And it's one of the evidences of grace is when we're aware of this clash, this conflict, 00:03:24.640 --> 00:03:27.560 and we find ourselves like the apostle saying, 00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:33.719 the good that I would, I do not, and the evil that I don't want to do, that's what I end up doing. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.300 And that's part and partial of our Christian journey. 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:43.080 But Jesus tells us that this word sets us free. 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:48.100 And it sets us free first and foremost from the dominion of sin. 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:49.760 It's not that sin is eradicated. 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:50.900 Sin isn't removed. 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:52.700 You and I are still sinners. 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:59.300 But sin no longer has absolute mastery and control. 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:04.800 We didn't realize it before, but we were utterly slaves to sin. 00:04:05.340 --> 00:04:07.740 Sin had total control of our lives. 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:11.620 But when Christ comes in, that changes. 00:04:12.020 --> 00:04:13.280 He now becomes Lord. 00:04:13.420 --> 00:04:14.700 He now becomes master. 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:17.600 He is now owner of our lives. 00:04:17.780 --> 00:04:22.060 Even although sin still rages, it doesn't rule. 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:25.560 Christ is now the ruler of our lives. 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:37.420 Now, what we find here, this word disciple, where we find it so often that Jesus says, 00:04:37.540 --> 00:04:41.019 if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:46.459 And I think a disciple is best understood like an apprentice. 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:53.660 You and I know that an apprentice is somebody who learns from their master. 00:04:53.660 --> 00:04:55.580 And they imitate. 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:57.480 They watch what's being done. 00:04:57.800 --> 00:04:59.480 They listen to what's being taught. 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:04.180 And they try to put into practice what they see and what they hear. 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:07.320 And that's exactly how it is for us as well. 00:05:07.380 --> 00:05:09.900 Because Jesus is our Lord. 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:11.260 He's our master. 00:05:12.020 --> 00:05:13.220 And we're the apprentices. 00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:14.820 We're the disciples. 00:05:15.400 --> 00:05:17.720 We are taking on board what he says. 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:21.760 We are seeking to do what he says. 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:23.399 So it's not just a matter of listening. 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:28.719 James warns us against that because he says, we are not just to be hearers of the word, 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:32.800 which is vital, but we are also to be doers of the word. 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:36.920 That if we simply hear the word and don't do, we deceive ourselves. 00:05:37.620 --> 00:05:39.759 And he goes on to say that the truth actually isn't in us. 00:05:39.819 --> 00:05:48.219 But it's so important that we lay it up on our heart and we practice in our lives what the word of God teaches us. 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:57.640 And so when we look at what's before us here, we find that Jesus, I believe that he's talking to two groups. 00:05:57.900 --> 00:05:59.440 Because the Jews are here. 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:01.180 It's one group of Jews. 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:09.460 But as he speaks, we find that it tells us there, as he was saying these things, many believed in him. 00:06:09.459 --> 00:06:12.959 Now, I don't know at what level that belief was. 00:06:13.479 --> 00:06:21.959 Were they accepting just who he was or had they come to actually embrace him as Lord and Master? 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:27.319 But there are also other Jews there and they completely reject. 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:35.000 Because I think if we hold that in our mind as you go through that chapter, you realize that there are two branches of Jews. 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:36.979 And that's just still the way it is. 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:38.920 There's always two. 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:42.000 There's some who hear and some who refuse to hear. 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:43.120 It's always the same. 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:48.040 Because Jesus, he says in verse 37, for instance, 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:56.060 I know that you are offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me because my words find no place in you. 00:06:56.580 --> 00:07:03.160 So it's obvious that he's speaking to those who believe in him and those who have no place for him. 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:08.100 And so we have these two groups that are being spoken to here. 00:07:08.660 --> 00:07:14.939 Now, the unbelief of the Jews really is quite extraordinary here because they say in verse 33, 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:21.480 we are offspring of Abraham and never have been enslaved to any. 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:29.060 You see, when Jesus is telling them that if they accept his truth, his word, they'll be free. 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:31.020 And they're saying free. 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:31.960 We are free. 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:34.000 We've never been enslaved to any. 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:40.840 Now, when you think about it, if any group of people ever talked rubbish, it was that group there. 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:51.279 Because the history, just at a natural level, of the Jews was one of constant slavery, being enslaved. 00:07:52.119 --> 00:08:01.539 You go to the Book of Judges, and there were seven different nations that enslaved Israel until they cried to God. 00:08:01.599 --> 00:08:05.219 And you had the different deliverers like Gideon and Samson and so on. 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:14.080 And then you look at the formation of the kingdom of Israel under Saul and eventually David and then Solomon. 00:08:14.260 --> 00:08:19.240 And then after Solomon, it broke into two with Jeroboam and Rehoboam. 00:08:19.960 --> 00:08:23.660 And there was a northern tribe of Israel and a southern tribe of Judah. 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:25.940 And remember what happened. 00:08:26.380 --> 00:08:30.220 The northern tribe was taken into captivity by the Assyrians. 00:08:30.220 --> 00:08:34.960 The southern tribe was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. 00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:42.600 And so there was this constant enslavement of being in bondage to others. 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:48.040 And as they spoke to Jesus, in fact, they were in slavery to Rome. 00:08:49.040 --> 00:08:52.860 Rome were controlling the Jews at that time. 00:08:52.860 --> 00:09:00.320 But when they applied at a spiritual level, they were saying, we're the seed of Abraham. 00:09:01.180 --> 00:09:03.460 We cannot be anything but free. 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:04.899 We have a freedom. 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:06.440 We are the people. 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:08.760 And they were looking at their people. 00:09:08.760 --> 00:09:10.860 They were looking at their privileges. 00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:17.740 And they were absolutely taking real umbrage at what Jesus was saying. 00:09:18.280 --> 00:09:21.980 And they couldn't understand that they were anything but free. 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.660 Naturally, they were slaves. 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:27.240 Spiritually, they were slaves. 00:09:27.700 --> 00:09:28.780 But they couldn't see it. 00:09:28.779 --> 00:09:39.939 And still the same today, that every person outside Christ cannot see that they're trapped, that they're slaves to sin, to Satan. 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:41.959 They're not free. 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:54.420 And when you look back in your life, you remember when you first gained the liberty of the gospel, where it opened up. 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:57.740 Can you remember the freedom that you got? 00:09:58.560 --> 00:10:01.320 There was this realization that you'd been delivered. 00:10:02.460 --> 00:10:05.900 And there was this new sense of wonder. 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:11.240 Your eyes were open to see things in a completely different way. 00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:12.799 You were free. 00:10:12.939 --> 00:10:16.139 You felt free for the first time ever in your life. 00:10:17.199 --> 00:10:20.079 And so that's what these Jews didn't understand. 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:24.120 They weren't able to lay hold upon what Jesus was saying. 00:10:25.579 --> 00:10:29.799 But you notice how important the word of God is in all this. 00:10:29.939 --> 00:10:33.740 Because Jesus is here talking about if you abide in my word. 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:35.960 Now, the word, of course, we know is central. 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:37.480 It's key to everything. 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:42.159 That's where people come to faith. 00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:43.120 That's what it says. 00:10:43.259 --> 00:10:47.360 As he was saying these things, the word, many believed in him. 00:10:48.060 --> 00:10:52.180 Paul said, as we preach these things, many of you believed. 00:10:53.419 --> 00:10:58.560 And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:03.639 And that's why it's vital that people will hear God's word. 00:11:03.739 --> 00:11:05.719 We need to get people to come to God's house. 00:11:06.099 --> 00:11:08.459 We need to get people reading God's word. 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:17.699 Because there is always hope for a person who has a Bible that is open and a Bible that's being read. 00:11:18.179 --> 00:11:23.399 And there's always hope for a person who puts himself under the word of God. 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:29.299 If a person closes a Bible and closes their ears to the word, you don't hold out that hope. 00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:37.240 But as long as the word has a place in a person's heart and life, there is always hope for that person. 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:41.899 Because as we said, that's where faith, faith comes by hearing. 00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:47.819 But we find here that Jesus is talking about the importance. 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:51.120 He's saying to them, many believed in him. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:58.100 And Jesus goes on to say, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciple. 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:01.840 This is the key, is continuing. 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:07.120 Because Jesus makes it very clear, for instance, in the parable of the sower, 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:12.960 that when the good seed goes down into the ground, there are different responses. 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:21.800 And you remember on the rocky ground that the seed sprung up very quickly. 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:23.840 And it looked promising. 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:26.400 And you'd say, that's rapid growth. 00:12:26.980 --> 00:12:28.340 But then what happened? 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:34.480 When the sun came out and beat down upon it, it withered because there was no root in it. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:38.580 And Jesus is saying, that's how it's going to be with some people. 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:41.920 There's like an instant response to the gospel. 00:12:42.440 --> 00:12:45.360 It seems that they're following the Lord. 00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:46.019 They're out there. 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:47.220 Yeah, this is it. 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:50.379 But very quickly, they disappear. 00:12:50.379 --> 00:13:01.559 But the proof that you are truly a Christian is continuing because God's word is abiding in you. 00:13:02.419 --> 00:13:03.580 And you're following. 00:13:04.179 --> 00:13:06.779 And you've been, you know, we have a lovely expression here. 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:08.820 It's, I don't know that they use it in other places. 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:16.020 But when a person becomes a Christian, we use the expression, so-and-so started following. 00:13:17.040 --> 00:13:20.740 I don't know if they use it in other places, but it's used here. 00:13:20.940 --> 00:13:22.740 And it's a very biblical expression. 00:13:23.100 --> 00:13:24.600 It's a very, it's a lovely expression. 00:13:25.760 --> 00:13:28.400 Did you hear that so-and-so started following? 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:32.200 Nothing else needs to be said, but just that they're following. 00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:36.100 And when you follow, you continue to follow. 00:13:36.260 --> 00:13:37.380 You don't follow for a little. 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:39.120 You follow forever. 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:41.980 Doesn't mean that you follow perfectly. 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:53.460 We know all too well that throughout our following, there are times that you just need to go to the Bible and you look at some of the great saints. 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:55.639 And you look at people like David. 00:13:56.059 --> 00:13:58.220 And you look at people like Peter. 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:01.500 They fell really badly. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.360 But they weren't derailed. 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:06.600 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:13.080 And though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down because the Lord is holding him by the hand. 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:14.420 Isn't that great? 00:14:15.060 --> 00:14:19.899 So that even if you fall, you won't fall all the way down because you're being held. 00:14:20.180 --> 00:14:21.000 You're being kept. 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:29.019 And so the great proof of really following the Lord is continuing. 00:14:29.019 --> 00:14:35.679 And you look back, whether it's been two years or five years or 10 or 30 or 40 or 50 years. 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:39.000 And you think of all the ups and downs in life. 00:14:39.459 --> 00:14:41.359 And you think of all the temptations. 00:14:41.859 --> 00:14:44.159 And you think of all the things that have happened. 00:14:44.599 --> 00:14:49.799 And the many times that Satan has said, you know, you've been fooled. 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:51.500 You've been deceived. 00:14:52.599 --> 00:14:53.699 It's not real. 00:14:54.699 --> 00:14:56.359 And you know what you say? 00:14:56.759 --> 00:15:00.559 You say to Satan, you say to everybody else, to whom else can we go? 00:15:02.079 --> 00:15:04.159 For thou is the words of eternal life. 00:15:04.699 --> 00:15:05.699 And you know it. 00:15:06.579 --> 00:15:08.719 And that's why you're still following. 00:15:08.859 --> 00:15:10.439 That's why you're still hanging on. 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:17.060 Despite all the batterings and blows and all the ups and downs, nowhere else you can go. 00:15:17.760 --> 00:15:20.520 Because Jesus is your owner. 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:21.820 He's your Lord. 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:22.920 He's your master. 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:26.960 And you are happy to be his disciple, to be his follower. 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:32.020 And so we find that this word, this word is key to our lives. 00:15:32.260 --> 00:15:35.660 This word is what does everything within our life. 00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:43.079 And this word, we could say, there's a lot of things we could say just very briefly as we come to conclude. 00:15:43.699 --> 00:15:48.100 That the word, the word is an ever-growing word. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:53.039 You know, when God's word comes into your heart and into your life, that's not the end of it. 00:15:53.659 --> 00:15:57.299 It continues to grow and develop. 00:15:57.299 --> 00:16:11.279 And that's why when you come to God's word, and you've all experienced that, and you read a verse that you've, or a chapter or a section, and you've read it often enough before. 00:16:11.819 --> 00:16:16.719 And then as you're reading it, you're saying, well, you know, I never saw that before. 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:18.199 You read it. 00:16:18.899 --> 00:16:19.759 You know it. 00:16:20.459 --> 00:16:21.539 So what's happened? 00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:32.399 The Lord is opening your mind to see more so that the word of God continues to grow and to develop. 00:16:32.599 --> 00:16:35.799 Just like a tree, you'll see sometimes new branches growing out. 00:16:36.039 --> 00:16:39.219 So it is in the Christian, bearing more fruit. 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:41.500 So it's ever-growing. 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:47.779 And also this word, when it goes down into our lives, it's an invigorating word. 00:16:47.779 --> 00:16:51.720 It gives new life and new strength. 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:58.980 And I'm sure, particularly on a Wednesday, when you're, maybe you've had a busy day, and there's been a lot on. 00:16:59.079 --> 00:17:03.720 It's different, maybe, to the Lord's Day, because the Lord's Day is a quieter, it's calmer. 00:17:04.379 --> 00:17:10.740 But maybe Wednesday's been a busy day, or a Thursday, and you're tired, and there's the temptation. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:12.599 Oh, I'm too tired to go. 00:17:12.599 --> 00:17:23.059 And sometimes things are, and you can come to church, and rather than going out, you go out more invigorated than when you came in. 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:31.039 And that's because God has brought something from the word into your experience, into your soul. 00:17:31.899 --> 00:17:33.159 And maybe it's in the singing. 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:34.240 Maybe it's in the reading. 00:17:34.399 --> 00:17:38.419 Maybe somebody's quoting in something in the prayer or in the preaching. 00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:41.860 And it strikes a chord, and it lifts you up. 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:47.279 And the depths that you were in, you're up into the heights. 00:17:47.539 --> 00:17:52.980 And this is what God's word does and continues to do in our experience. 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:58.140 But it's also a sanctifying word. 00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:01.700 Remember Jesus in the high priestly prayer, he said, 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:04.240 Sanctify them through the truth. 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:06.480 Thy word is truth. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.819 And that's what God's word is doing. 00:18:09.940 --> 00:18:10.960 It's like a cleansing. 00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:11.960 It's like a shower. 00:18:12.099 --> 00:18:13.940 It's like a fast-flowing river. 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:19.279 And it's going down, and like we're in the stream, the stream of God's word. 00:18:20.120 --> 00:18:21.900 And God's word convicts us. 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:26.960 And I'm sure you all know at times that you're going to do something or say something, 00:18:27.019 --> 00:18:28.980 and God's word comes and stops you. 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:31.779 Because you are heading into sin. 00:18:31.779 --> 00:18:35.920 And so sometimes, sadly, we go against what God's word says. 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:38.579 And that grieves us afterwards. 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:44.339 And we say to ourselves, you know, Lord, you spoke to me, and I didn't listen. 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:46.160 And that hurts us. 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:49.820 But the thing is, God's word is at work. 00:18:50.500 --> 00:18:53.160 And there's an ongoing cleansing in it. 00:18:54.580 --> 00:18:56.640 In our whole battle with sin. 00:18:57.480 --> 00:18:59.100 So God's word is active. 00:19:00.120 --> 00:19:04.320 And God's word is a word that remains within us. 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:06.960 And that's what Jesus is saying here. 00:19:07.019 --> 00:19:11.700 The great proof is that if you abide in my word. 00:19:12.919 --> 00:19:15.659 It's one of the great words in the Bible, abiding. 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:18.980 It's one of the things that we will do with regard to glory. 00:19:19.500 --> 00:19:20.539 We will abide. 00:19:20.859 --> 00:19:21.619 Never go out. 00:19:22.639 --> 00:19:28.519 And when God's word comes, when the good seed comes into your soul, it abides forever. 00:19:28.519 --> 00:19:39.619 Nothing and no one, not even all the forces of hell, can pluck that seed out once it is embedded in your soul. 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:48.259 But the proof of that word abiding in is you're continuing to follow the Lord. 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:50.180 Let's pray. 00:19:50.180 --> 00:19:53.759 Lord our God, we give thanks for a wee while together. 00:19:53.940 --> 00:19:55.340 We give thanks for your word. 00:19:56.100 --> 00:20:01.799 And we give thanks for all the different things that your word is to us and your word does for us. 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:09.700 And we give thanks, O Lord, that we are being refreshed by your word and sometimes rebuked by your word. 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:12.080 Sometimes we're encouraged. 00:20:12.380 --> 00:20:14.200 Sometimes our hearts are full. 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:21.000 Forgive us, Lord, for the many times when we don't heed your word in the way that we should. 00:20:21.860 --> 00:20:27.779 Forgive us, Lord, for the times when our own will takes over and we push your will aside. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:29.640 Oh, forgive us, Lord, for that. 00:20:30.600 --> 00:20:35.920 Help us, Lord, to follow you and that every day that we may begin the day with your word. 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:41.980 And that every day we may seek to have our lives shaped and molded by your word. 00:20:41.980 --> 00:20:46.799 May it be obvious to all around that your word abides within us. 00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:49.180 Watch over us and we pray. 00:20:49.339 --> 00:20:49.980 Bless this congregation. 00:20:50.860 --> 00:20:52.039 We give thanks for it. 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:56.120 We pray, Lord, that you will continue to uphold us and do us good. 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:01.400 Take us to our home safely, we pray, cleansing us from our every sin. 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:03.000 In Jesus' name we ask it. 00:21:03.339 --> 00:21:03.640 Amen. 00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:06.620 We're going to conclude.