Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.
! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.
Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application.
This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.
Let's dive in together into God's Word.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Today, we are doing something a little different.
We finished our series on the parables of Christ.
That was a 38-week sermon series.
We thank God for that.
We thank God that, number one, we had the opportunity for us to go over His Word,
but also for us to learn and grow together.
We think of parables as these simplistic teachings from Christ.
And these teachings are all part of God's plan, God's story.
It helps us to not only minister to us, but for us to minister to others.
And so I felt it appropriate.
This next week, we're going to celebrate Ontario Community Church's 80th anniversary.
And so before this celebration, I felt it was so appropriate for us to do a recap
and to go over, in a very simplistic manner, what it is we have gone over
and what it is we will go over.
I originally titled this, Thy Kingdom Come, Parables from Heaven for Life on Earth.
And this is to help all of us, no matter where we are in our spiritual walk and in our journey
in faith, to grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord.
For those of you who may not know the Lord, it's coming to know who Jesus is.
And for those of us who do know the Lord, to strengthen in your walk.
It's a great encouragement that no matter where it is you come from,
no matter what it is you have been through, what you have gone through,
what you're going through or what you will go through,
God extends that invitation for you to receive the free gift of salvation.
And so typically, what we do is we use the OIA method,
and I did the best that I could to follow that method, right?
Observation, interpretation, and application.
So let's go to this next slide here.
And we have in here parabolic symbols, right?
We have things that show up as patterns within the Word,
specifically within these parables that help us understand.
We began with the seed and the soil.
The seed representing the Word, and the soil representing our hearts.
And that our hearts should be softened towards the Lord.
That our hearts should be transformed.
For many of us, we may know someone who has a hardened heart.
Someone that we can pray for.
Someone who has bitterness or hatred towards Christ or to the Church.
For many of us, we may have even been hurt at times.
But it's such an important call for us to ask God to soften our hearts
and to receive His Word, much like how we are called to receive salvation.
We had all these soils representing different statuses of the heart.
Sometimes there are moments where there's sin that is occupying our lives,
represented by weeds.
That we need to clear out these weeds, as it were,
and focus on becoming more Christ-like,
following in the footsteps of Christ,
and letting God transform us from the inside out.
So we have the Word, right?
The seed gets planted into the ground,
and it grows into a tree,
representing our spiritual walk in the Lord,
and that we are to bear fruit.
We also went over this idea of the treasure and the pearl.
That salvation in Christ,
truth, the truth that we find in Christ,
should be regarded higher than any other truth.
When we went over the treasure and the pearl,
you had different scenarios where one person stumbled upon the truth.
They just happened to find something of such great value
that they were willing to trade everything for it.
Then you had the guy who was seeking after fine pearls,
who was seeking those pearls with everything that he had
to find something of great value.
And so, whether you stumble upon who the Lord is,
or you're seeking truth with all that you have,
it is important for us to seek after Christ,
the truth of his Word,
and the salvation that he offers to each and every one of us.
So, truth.
We also have the lamp and the householder.
The lamp representing,
we find this in the parable of the ten virgins, right?
Where some of them are holding their lamps,
and the lamp representing a vessel,
representing a person,
also representing churches.
That you want to have it filled with oil,
representing the Holy Spirit.
And you need to have the flame, right?
You need to have the light that shines in the darkness.
And as we went over last week,
let it shine.
We want our lamps to shine,
not only in our own households,
but for the world to see.
To be examples.
And the householder is someone then,
who is able to discern,
and take out the treasures new and old.
Some scholars have said,
it's the ability to distinguish the difference
between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Some have said it's the old promises
and the new promises.
But it's the ability to shine your light,
and also to be able to spiritually discern.
Right?
Knowing the difference between right and wrong.
Truth from lies.
And in discernment,
we train in discernment.
We also have the shepherd and the sheep.
And what's really powerful about that
is the shepherd is represented,
and a lot of us know this language,
it's represented by Christ,
the chief shepherd, right?
Or the great shepherd.
And his sheep are represented
as those that know him, right?
Just as when scripture says
that the sheep know his voice, right?
And it's always interesting,
in a Bible study that I went to the other day,
there was a man there,
if Kermit is watching on YouTube or wherever,
he'll appreciate this.
He told me this story of when he would go outside,
and he would call for his cows, his cattle,
and hundreds of them would just come
right from over the hill, as it were.
He would just, they knew his voice so well
that they responded,
and it's such a real-life connection
when we think of the shepherd and the sheep, right?
When you have animals,
be that cows or sheep or horses,
they know who you are,
and how often they're happy to see you,
even when you're having a bad day, right?
There are, that goes to show the familiarity
of us knowing the Lord.
What beautiful imagery that is,
and also the fact,
the simple fact that we also can think of
those that are watching the gate.
We talked about gatekeepers,
that that unfortunately has a negative connotation,
but a gatekeeper is someone who is to protect
and assist the shepherd.
So we see Christ as the great shepherd,
but also we think of pastors
as they are to lead their congregations,
not to be a hireling,
but someone who cares for the flock, right?
Who watches out and checks in with their,
makes sure there's no injury
or they're not stuck in a rut or whatever it is,
but takes care of them.
And even in the image of gatekeepers,
people who are assisting the shepherd in that,
what beautiful language.
We also had the,
a lot of the language about virgins and the banquet
used as this idea of anticipation
and being prepared, right?
Preparing for the wedding feast.
And that kind of language is very,
it's difficult for us to think of nowadays,
but think of someone who's waiting
for their wedding day.
That sense of anticipation, right?
Is the same type of anticipation
when we are waiting upon the Lord to return,
waiting upon Christ for,
well, the new heaven and the new earth, as it were.
So there's so many connections that we're seeing here.
And of course, the banquet,
which is talking about the great feast.
When we think about this,
we, when we've just partook in communion,
it is the table that is available
for those to come and celebrate,
to taste and see that the Lord is good.
We think about it,
just as the table is open for you
to partake in communion,
so too is the table of plenty
when it comes to salvation, right?
We've talked about many parables
where invitations were invited to certain people
and they rejected the messengers
or they said that they were too busy
or whatever it was.
But the invitation now is for everyone.
Much like how when we think of Christianity,
the mystery of Christ,
that which was hidden,
is now revealed for all.
That which was once exclusive
is now inclusive
for everyone to come to Christ
by believing in the death, burial, and resurrection.
We also had the minas and the talents here.
Now, it's always interesting.
Most people, they go over the talents, right?
And we think of, you know,
stewarding your money, right?
We think of all these different things,
but it's so much more than that.
The importance of stewardship.
Many of us, I know in my own background,
I think of how I was taught,
you gotta steward your time, talent, and your treasure.
I remember learning that very young from my mother.
But we also steward our very lives.
We steward what God has given to us,
even our own testimony.
How are you going to use your story?
How are you going to use your resources
for the glory of God?
How you answer that is unique to you.
For some of us,
especially when we're younger,
we may have more time.
We may have a little bit of talent.
We may have a lot of talent.
We may not have a lot of treasure.
It's how we are going to use
what God has given to us
for his honor and his glory.
And so minas and talents,
it's just the main idea of stewardship
and how important that is for us.
And then we have the wheat and the weeds,
the net and the sheep and the goats.
This kind of language has been shown
throughout the parables,
showing this distinction of separation, right?
When we were doing our interactive reading,
the final separation or the final judgment
between good and evil, right?
And when we think of this idea
of sheep versus the goat,
the goats is,
who do you belong to?
Do you belong to the great shepherd
or do you not?
And even though that can be scary language
and to some capacity,
it's a call for us as Christians
to be able to share to the gospel
the goats of the world
or the weeds of the world.
It's also important for us to know
that there will be a final judgment
or a final sorting as it were.
That's nothing to be afraid of.
That's actually something
that we should be encouraged by.
That God has the final say
and that God is in control
and that we are to trust in him,
knowing that you see all of these references
about final judgment.
It's something that we need to take to heart.
And then I put on here,
there's a few other ones I haven't gone over,
but one important one was the friend at midnight
and the persistent widow.
Those are some of my favorite ones, right?
This widow who is asking for justice
from a wicked judge, right?
And the judge gets so bothered
by the fact that this old widow
is just bothering me for justice.
I'm finally gonna give her justice.
I think of this old guy
or I think of this judge
and he's like, leave me alone.
I'm not giving you justice.
And then finally she keeps coming,
asking for justice
and it finally happens.
And the whole premise of that parable
was God saying,
look at this wicked judge
who neither feared God
nor respected man,
as the text says, right?
That's a pretty wicked person.
Look at how much more God will give justice.
How much more God loves us.
So that is something that was very powerful.
And then the friend at midnight
was very similar
in the sense of being,
asking for assistance
and being persistent in prayer, right?
So we can think of how we seek God
and asking for justice,
for love,
or sometimes for some of us
we've asked for patience
and we're still waiting for it, right?
We think of these different things.
But it's being persistent in our prayers.
Just like how scripture tells us
that we are to pray without ceasing.
We are to continually to pray for others.
And there's a few other ones
that I haven't listed on here.
These are the main patterns.
For example,
the children in the marketplace
was the idea of
in good times or in bad,
respond and be a part of the community, right?
There's certain ones in there
that just we would be going on and on
basically the entire thing.
But these are the main patterns that we see.
In other words,
pursuing truth,
receiving salvation,
letting your light shine,
knowing who Christ is
and knowing the sheep,
being in preparation
for the final judgment,
being in preparation
for Christ's return,
the importance of stewardship,
knowing about the final sorting, right?
And then also being persistent in prayer
when you're seeking God.
That's how we bring it all together.
We now go to the next slide then
is what can we learn?
So we'll condense this even more
so that we can understand this.
An entire almost 40-week series,
how do we condense that
into something that we understand, right?
What we can learn is
from the seed to bearing fruit.
That's the first point in here, right?
And so it's a call for us
to respond to the gospel, right?
That let our hearts,
let our soil be ready
to receive not only the word,
but salvation into our hearts.
Some of you may know someone
who has that sense of bitterness.
You may know someone
who has a hardened heart.
Pray for them.
Pray that their heart will be softened
and be ready
to make that decision for Christ,
believing in the death, burial,
and resurrection.
But it's also,
it's not only the fact
about salvation though,
it's the fact of the kingdom of God.
When we're talking about
that which is small, right?
From the Jewish people,
going all the way to salvation
available for everyone.
Just as I had mentioned
many times throughout the series,
the stone that knocks over
the giant statue
and grows into a mountain,
very similar,
just as the seed, right?
It grows into a tree
and it bears fruit.
So not only can we think of this
at an individual level,
we can see how the kingdom of God
is expanding.
That is very powerful.
That is very beautiful.
And so,
when you receive salvation,
let God work in and through you.
Be ready to follow
in the footsteps of Christ.
Let God stir your hearts
as it were,
much like how the Lord will do that,
stir our hearts
and convict us
to become more like Him.
So we have from the seed
to bearing fruit.
And I pray that all of you,
first and foremost,
believe in Jesus Christ.
that you grow in Him
and that you bear fruit.
The second thing then
is stewardship
and counting the cost.
I had talked so much
about the idea
of when we had
our response stones, right?
When you're thinking
of counting the cost,
it's the very notion,
the language is
casting your pebble, right?
We can kind of think
about that nowadays,
about casting your vote,
but I don't want to get
too political here, right?
But it's basically
where are you going
to put all your,
what are you going
to put your life in,
so to speak, right?
And so counting the cost,
it's calculating,
it's considering
these kind of things, right?
But also the fact
when we think of stewardship,
that we are to,
everything that God
has given to us,
it's just like
when scripture says,
every good gift
comes from above, right?
The gifts that we are given,
right?
Our time, talent, treasure,
our testimony,
our very lives,
we are to use
and we are to discern,
we are to steward
our very lives
in honor and glory
to the Lord.
Now, again,
how you do that
is very different
from the one person
to the next person
to the next person.
And so that's very,
very important.
And it's also important
as we steward, right?
As we're growing in faith,
that our intentionality,
us, just as we should
all seek Christ
and his salvation,
we should continue
to seek God
and having him
transform our lives,
saying,
I am ready, God,
for you to mold me
into who you want me to be.
In other words,
we think that,
let us remember
that discipleship
is intentional,
that our faith
is built upon
the solid rock
and that we,
we are to cast our pebble
and let God work
in and through us
till the very end.
And then finally,
we have grace,
compassion,
and prayer.
These are three things
that we find
throughout the parables here.
That God seeks the lost.
That God provides grace.
God gives us
this opportunity,
this invitation
for us to respond to him.
salvation,
newness of life,
a new identity,
God provides
for all that we need.
And as we are given,
let us give back to God
and let us be that light
for others to see.
And so,
let us be
like the good Samaritan.
Let us be good neighbors,
right?
Just like,
what is it,
Mr. Rogers,
won't you be my neighbor,
right?
We think about
these kind of things.
How we can be
an example
for others to see.
Good neighbors
who show mercy
and kindness
and compassion,
love,
grace,
and the truth
of Christ.
All of these things.
And let us also remember
to, again,
be persistent
in prayer,
be faithful to God
in anticipation
for his return.
Now,
here's the thing.
We don't know
the time
when Christ
will return.
I know there's
many books out there,
many magazines
and articles
that'll say
it'll happen
at this moment
or another moment,
right?
How many of you
remember Y2K,
right?
The Y2K bug
that'll wipe out
everything,
right?
Other people said
it was 2012
because of the Mayan calendar,
right?
We had that.
It's almost like
every year
someone wants
to make a lot
of book sales
saying when it'll happen.
But how embarrassing
it must be
when you're proven wrong,
right?
But it's important
for us
that we wait
in anticipation
for Christ's return.
We live
as waiting
for him,
being faithful
to God
and to his word,
living and loving
like Christ
for other people.
And so,
that's what we can learn
when it comes
to parables
in the most
simplistic of senses.
And then finally,
it goes into,
then what can we
do about this?
How do we live
with these parables?
Something I did not
put on here.
Every parable
is a way
that you can minister
to someone.
Let me give you
an example.
There's the parable
of the
Pharisee
and the tax collector.
the Pharisee
representing someone
who's religious,
who,
the text says
that he gave
10% of everything
that he owned.
On the surface,
this man
looked like
he got
everything under control,
but yet Christ
said that he
is not justified.
Well,
what a way
to minister
to someone
who is more
focused on
the rules
and the rituals
and the religion
as opposed
to the relationship.
Does that make sense,
church?
Because it goes
over to the tax collector.
He goes in there
and some scholars
say he was in
the outer courts.
Some say he was
in the Holy of Holies.
We don't know
specifically,
but it says
that he wouldn't
lift his eyes
towards heaven
because when you
go in there,
you are going
to pray
with your arms open
and lift your eyes
towards heaven.
But this man,
he ends up
banging on his chest
saying,
God,
have mercy
on me,
a sinner.
This man
did not have it
together.
That parable
is a way
that you can
minister to someone
by sharing
a simple truth
to another person.
That's just
one parable.
And we,
as Christians,
are to think of
how can we
minister to people
by sharing
in the power
of parables.
So,
we still have
these three things.
I wanted to share
that as something
that's important
for when it comes
to sharing
our faith
with others.
Well,
the most important
thing, right,
receive the word,
right?
Christ being
the word.
Christ being
the solid rock,
the foundation.
In other words,
receive salvation.
Let it take
roots,
grow in it,
and produce
fruits.
Treasure the kingdom.
Treasure what you have.
Don't take it
for granted.
The very salvation
that we have
by you believing
in Jesus Christ.
The death,
burial,
and resurrection
is the single
greatest decision
that you could make
that not only
affects your life
here on the earth,
but has eternal
consequences.
Okay?
Us choosing
what we're going
to eat
or dress
or what college
we're going to
has no
eternal significance
compared to that
of believing
in Jesus Christ.
Christ.
So receive
the word,
receive Christ,
and treasure
what you have.
I've always
found it so
wonderful.
Some of you
may identify,
you may know
someone who just
became a Christian,
and they're so excited.
And they say
things like,
I know Jesus
saved me.
I know Jesus
loves me.
I know that
my sins are
forgiven.
And you're like,
man,
I hope I never
lose that enthusiasm.
I want to be
like that new
believer who
realizes the
heaviness of the
salvation they've
received.
May we never
grow cold or
bitter towards
that.
May we appreciate
the treasure,
the pearl of
great price,
the very word
that we have
received,
the salvation
that we hold
dear.
May we hang
on to it.
So ready your
heart to respond
to the gospel.
Seek God,
respond to the
invitation,
cast your stone,
enter through
the gates.
All of this
is very similar
language.
Believe in the
Lord and be
saved.
Let go of the
former life and
the former
things.
Let God work
in and through
you.
The second
thing then is
to steward your
life and count
the cost,
right?
Steward
everything that
you have.
Do it.
If God gives
you everything,
won't you give
but a little bit
back to him?
That's,
I remember
learning that
when I became
a new Christian
and I hated
that.
I'm like,
what do you
mean?
But when you
really think
about it,
write down
every blessing
that you have.
Write down
every gift
that you have
and just think
for a moment.
Take inventory
of that.
What can I
give back
to the Lord?
So your time,
talent,
your treasure,
your very life,
your mina,
follow in the
footsteps of Christ
and honor the
King.
It's just like
when we've
talked so much
about parables,
about this idea
that we are
to build
upon the
solid rock,
right?
We are to
build our
house.
Or just like
even how
scripture says
we are to
have treasures
in heaven.
Let us be
reminded that
we are saved
by grace
through faith.
We are not
saved by
what we do.
We are saved
by what has
been done.
We have
been saved
by grace
through faith
so that
we can do
good in
the name
of Christ.
And that's
very powerful.
It can be
convicting for
sure.
Build upon
the rock
and let
God work
in and
through you.
Journey
with Christ
in your
spiritual walk.
Be a
hearer
and a
doer.
Choose
the rock
over the
sand as
well.
And then
finally,
practice
love,
mercy,
prayer,
and shine.
Of course,
there's other
things.
Speak the
truth in
love.
Be an
ambassador for
Christ.
There's so
many different
things in
this.
In other
words,
it's being
Christ-like.
It's
considering how
you speak
to people.
It's
considering how
you act,
your words
and your
deeds,
your words
and your
actions,
but even
your very
presence
life.
When you
are with
someone,
how are you
exhibiting the
light of
Christ towards
others?
And we
have these
parables to
help us
to see
examples.
We think
of putting
our lamp
on a stand
and letting
it shine.
Let what
you do
point to
the Father.
Your very
life can
have such a
profound impact
on other
people.
From the
everyday,
the people
we meet at
the gas
station,
whether it's
Shell or
Maverick or
whatever it
is,
wherever it
is you go
to get
gas,
right?
Or wherever
you shop,
your co-workers,
students that
you know,
different things
you can exhibit
the light,
love,
and truth.
So this is
part of what
we found.
Love,
mercy,
right?
Prayer,
and let your
light shine.
And so,
be encouraged
by all of
this.
That God
is that
Jesus Christ
is the
good shepherd.
That Jesus
Christ is
the way,
the truth,
and the
life.
Let us
continue to
grow and
to make a
greater impact
for Christ.
Let us
consider the
words we
speak,
the actions
that we do
for others.
Now,
granted,
we're not
going to be
perfect,
right?
But we
still continue
to do the
work for
Christ.
I want
to go
ahead and
shift over
for a
moment,
if we
can put
the
revelation
slide
coming up.
Now,
in
studying,
preaching,
and teaching
the parables
of Christ,
this next
week,
we're having
our 80th
anniversary.
The following
week,
on September
21st,
we will be
getting a
new sermon
series on
revelation.
The parable
series was
called
Thy Kingdom
Come.
This is the
continuation of
this,
Thy Will
Be Done,
the final
parables of
the kingdom
going over
revelation.
The reason
for this is
because so
much of the
language in
revelation
can be
understood
by what we
learn from
parables.
Let me give
you a couple
examples here.
we had
the
ten
virgins
that were
holding their
lamps full
of oil,
right,
representing
the Holy
Spirit,
much like
how we
have the
churches in
revelation
and their
lampstands.
Very
similar
language to
what we
have learned
in parables.
We also
have the
harvest and
the city
that there's
so much
about the
final judgment
and things
that will
happen.
This is the
continuation
of that.
We also
have the
unknown
language where
there's a lot
of debate
on the
scrolls and
the seals and
the trumpets and
the bowls.
There's a lot
of people asking
which bowl
means what,
right?
But a lot
of that language
is similar to
God's plan for
final judgment.
I always
found it very
interesting when
we look at
the Old
Testament and
how when you
have the story
of Moses,
right, and
the people of
God in Egypt
and all of the
plagues that
happened, how
they're almost
exactly identical
to the judgments
in revelation.
That's
fascinating.
Like a lot
of that
apocalyptic
language that's
happening goes
right into
what we see
in revelation.
We also have
the lamb and
the shepherd
from revelation
five, just
like how there's
the parable of
the good shepherd
who takes care
of his sheep.
Very similar
in there.
You also have
the marriage
supper and the
white garments.
That's interesting,
right?
Just like how we
talked about the
wedding feast and
the great banquet
and being in
preparation for
the return of
the bridegroom.
So many
similarities in
there.
So we have
that.
We have the
books open and
the reward.
We have the
sickle and the
throne talking
about the
separation,
right?
Talking about
the final
sorting of
judgment, just
like we talked
about the
sorting of
the fish, the
separation of
the wheat and
the tares, the
sheep and the
goats.
We even have
the, we talk
about counterfeit
rule, right?
The dragon, the
beast, the
false prophet and
the mark.
And even the
river and the
tree of life.
So many things
are connected in
there that we
will go over.
It should be
about a 40
week, 40, 42
week sermon
series going
over revelation
and we will see
not only the
connections within
the parabolic
language from the
teachings of
Christ, but also
how revelation is
connected with
other things.
We are not
going to focus
on the things
that divide us
because I
realize, don't
raise your hand
here, I know
revelation is one
of the most
debated on books.
Pastor, what are
you doing
preaching revelation?
Do you want to
divide this church
or not, right?
You have
different perspectives,
amillennial versus
premillennial versus
postmillennial versus
rapture versus no
rapture versus is
the mark of the
beast the barcode,
right?
You have so many
different things,
right?
Is the beast
America?
Is the beast
Russia?
It goes on and
on.
But what we are
going to do is
look at where
are the patterns,
where are the
connections within
scripture and what
can we as
Christians, as new
believers, as
existing Christians,
how can we grow
and view revelation
as the final
parable?
That's why I put
it, final parables
of the kingdom
because the
apocalyptic
language is
very similar
to parabolic
language.
And so I have
to tell you as
your pastor, I'm
very excited to
go over this
series.
It will be
different.
It won't be the
typical, you
know, the beast
is, you know, the
antichrist is so-and-so
celebrity or so-and-so
politician, right?
We're not going to
necessarily go into
that, but what does
it mean?
What does the
antichrist mean?
What does the
mark mean?
What does it mean
in scripture, for
example, when it
says, blessed is the
man who washes his
robe?
What?
I've got to wash
my laundry and I'll
be blessed and make
them white?
No.
There's so much
more than that,
right?
Or when we think
of just all of this
language, we can find
a wonderful
understanding for our
growth and in our
preparation for things
that are to come.
And so I hope that
you guys will come to
as we begin our
revelation series in
two weeks and what a
great way to start
after celebrating our
80th year.
Amen?
Amen.
Well, let's go ahead
and pray together and
we'll go ahead and
we'll close it out.
Our final thing I want
to say.
Let us remember the
patterns.
When we find things
that are interconnected
with the Word of God,
we consider the
context.
We've got to know
what's going on in the
surrounding verses.
But we've also got to
see where is this
connected within the
entire body of
Scripture, right?
The Bible, right?
Meaning the library.
Where else is it in
the library?
Where else is it
found?
We think about these
kind of things and
there, let us receive
the Word, let us
steward our life, let
us practice being
Christ-like.
Let us let our
light shine.
And I'll read this
final verse and we'll
pray.
Every scribe who has
been trained for the
kingdom of heaven is
like a householder who
brings out his
treasure, what is new
and what is old.
Let us pray together.
Father God, we thank
you for this time and
this opportunity for us
to do this parable
recap, this parabolic
recap.
We're just grateful for
your Word.
We're grateful for your
Son, Jesus Christ, who
came down from heaven,
being born in a
manger, living, teaching
these parables, healing
the sick, walking on
water, even being
raised from the dead.
A fulfillment of
prophecy.
We're grateful for the
salvation that you give
to us.
May we never be
discouraged in taking
that believing in you,
making that decision to
receive this free gift of
salvation.
Father, I pray for this
congregation and I pray
for all of those who are
tuned in online.
However many there are,
we are grateful for all
of the people that are
here in this place,
whether physically,
digitally, or those who
are traveling, wherever you
are.
We're grateful for all of
them.
Father, we're grateful for
for your Son, for the
Word.
And we just pray that as
we conclude finally and
move on to our celebration
of our 80th anniversary,
may we consider how you
have worked in this
congregation, how you
have worked in this city,
the things that are
happening today and even
as we look forward to
tomorrow.
May we seek you and your
word.
May we become those
ambassadors for Christ.
May we be able to
discern and be a light,
holding your light, the
light of Christ for others
to see.
May we be transformed and
through you, may we
transform others.
We love you, we praise
you, we glorify you, and we
honor you.
It is in the name of
Jesus Christ that we
pray and we all say
together, amen.
Amen.
Thank you for listening for
this week's message from
Ontario Community Church.
I pray that you are
encouraged and strengthened in
your walk with Christ.
For more sermons and
resources, visit
OntarioCommunityChurch.org.
May God bless you as you
live out his grace and
truth every single day.
Thank you.