Thank you.
Well, if we could turn in our Bibles, please, to Genesis chapter 27.
Genesis chapter 27, which is right at the beginning of the Bible.
We've been looking at the life of Abraham, his family,
and we've been looking in particular at his son Isaac and his sons, Isaac and Jacob.
Or Jacob and Esau, rather.
So we've got a long reading today.
It's chapter 27, but it's very hard to just pick little bits out.
It's something we've got to read together.
So I've got a few helpers this morning.
So if they could come up ready to jump in as we need to, that'll be great.
So Genesis chapter 27, starting in verse 1 through to verse 45.
So Genesis 27, starting at verse 1.
When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see,
he called for his elder son Esau and said to him,
My son, here I am, he answered.
Isaac said, I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death.
Now then get your equipment, your quiver and bow,
and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me.
Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like,
and bring it to me to eat,
so that I may give you my blessing before I die.
Now Rebecca was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau.
When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back,
Rebecca said to her son Jacob,
Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau,
Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat,
so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.
Now my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you.
Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats,
so that I can prepare some tasty food for your father,
just the way he likes it.
Then take it to your father to eat,
so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.
Jacob said to Rebecca, his mother,
But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin.
What if my father touches me?
I would appear to be tricking him
and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.
His mother said to him,
My son, let the curse fall on me.
Just do what I say, go and get them for me.
So he went and got them and brought them to his mother,
and she prepared some tasty food just the way his father liked it.
Then Rebecca took the best clothes of her elder son Esau,
which she had in the house,
and put them on her younger son Jacob.
She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goat skins.
Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.
He went to his father and said,
My father.
Yes, my son, he answered.
Who is it?
Jacob said to his father,
I am Esau, your firstborn.
I have done as you told me.
Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.
Isaac asked his son,
How did you find it so quickly, my son?
The Lord your God gave me success, he replied.
Then Isaac said to Jacob,
Come near so I can touch you, my son,
to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.
Jacob went close to his father Isaac,
who touched him and said,
The voice is the voice of Jacob,
but the hands are the hands of Esau.
He did not recognize him,
for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau,
so he proceeded to bless him.
Are you really my son Esau?
he asked.
I am, he replied.
Then he said,
My son, bring me some of your game to eat
so that I may give you my blessing.
Jacob brought it to him and he ate,
and he brought some wine and he drank.
Then his father Isaac said to him,
Come here, my son, and kiss me.
So he went to him and kissed him.
When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,
he blessed him and said,
Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.
May God give you heaven's dew
and earth's richness,
an abundance of grain and new wine.
May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be Lord over your brothers
and may the sons of your mother
bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.
After Isaac finished blessing him
and Jacob had scarcely left
his father's presence,
his brother Esau came in from hunting.
He too prepared some tasty food
and brought it to his father.
Then he said to him,
My father, please sit up
and eat some of my game
so that you may give me your blessing.
His father Isaac asked him,
Who are you?
I am your son, he answered,
your firstborn, Esau.
Isaac trembled violently and said,
Who was it then that hunted game
and brought it to me?
I ate it just before you came
and I blessed him
and indeed he will be blessed.
When Esau heard his father's words,
he burst out with a loud and bitter cry
and said to his father,
Bless me, me too, my father.
But he said,
Your brother came deceitfully
and took your blessing.
Esau said,
Isn't he rightly named Jacob?
This is the second time
he has taken advantage of me.
He took my birthright
and now he has taken my blessing.
Then he asked,
Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?
Isaac answered Esau,
I have made him lord over you
and have made all his relatives his servants
and I have sustained him with grain and new wine.
So what can I possibly do for you, my son?
Esau said to his father,
Do you have only one blessing, my father?
Bless me too, my father.
Then Esau wept aloud.
His father Isaac answered him,
Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness,
away from the dew of heaven above.
You will live by the sword
and you will serve your brother.
But when you grow restless,
you will throw his yoke from off your neck.
Esau held a grudge against Jacob
because of the blessing his father had given him.
He said to himself,
The days of mourning for my father are near.
Then I will kill my brother Jacob.
When Rebecca was told what her older son Esau had said,
she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him,
Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.
Now then, my son, do what I say.
Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran.
Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides.
When your brother is no longer angry with you
and forgets what you did to him,
I'll send word for you to come back from there.
Why should I lose both of you in one day?
Thank you, Chris and Kirsty.
Keep your Bibles open there at chapter 27.
We're going to pray
and ask for God's help.
Father, teach us wonderful things in your word.
Teach us so that our lives are changed and transformed.
Teach us today by your spirit
that it may be for our good,
for our blessing.
We need you.
So please help in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, we've been looking together, haven't we,
at the family of Abraham.
You may say,
well, is there not a better family we could study together?
Well, the reason is
God has a plan to redeem the world,
to undo the curse
and bring blessing,
to bring humanity back into relationship with God.
Now, this big plan of redemption
is all being worked out
through the chosen family of Abraham.
God's big plan,
but it's being enacted
through the family of Abraham.
From this family,
God promised that a son was going to come,
a son who would restore our disordered lives
and renew this broken world.
through this family,
all the nations of the world
were going to be blessed.
So according to God's plan and promise,
the blessing was passed from Abraham
down to his son Isaac.
And now Isaac,
as we've just been reading,
is getting old
and must pass the blessing on to his son.
You see,
the family of Abraham are important.
They're central to God's plan of redemption
for the whole world.
But what happens
when this special chosen family
don't want to play ball?
What happens
when this chosen family,
instead of going with God's plan,
actually start opposing God's plan?
What's going to happen then?
Well,
that's what chapter 27
is all about.
Three things we're going to see
from the text.
Here's the first big one.
God's plan
is always opposed.
God's plan is always opposed.
His plan is to redeem the world,
to bring humanity
back into relationship with God.
But it seems
that humanity
don't want to go along with it.
People
are opposed
to God's plan.
And we see this
in the family
of Isaac and Rebecca
and their two sons,
Jacob and Esau.
We can see
their opposition
to God's plan
in the deadly
D's.
Here's four deadly D's.
Here's the first one.
Isaac
disobeys
God's word.
He's getting old,
he's nearing death,
and he's getting ready
to pass the blessing
on to his son.
And so in preparation,
at the beginning of 27,
he calls in his eldest son,
Esau,
verse 4,
prepare me
the kind of tasty food I like,
bring it in to me to eat,
that I may give you
my blessing
before I die.
Seems normal enough,
doesn't it?
Except for one
glaring fact.
Before
Jacob and Esau
were ever born,
God had revealed
to Isaac and Rebecca
that the blessing
wasn't going to go
to the eldest son,
Esau,
but it was going
to the youngest son,
Jacob.
That would be like
the crown
bypassing
William
and going to
Harry.
Oh my goodness,
you couldn't do that,
could you?
But this was
God's choice.
God was clear.
The elder
is going to serve
the younger.
But Isaac,
oh no, no, no.
Isaac has his own plans.
He wants it
to go to Esau,
the son that he
loved,
the one who made
special dinners
and, well,
he loved him.
So secretly
and without even
telling his wife,
he plans to give
the blessing
over to Esau.
He knows
what God has said,
but he just
chooses to disobey
what God says.
So there's Isaac
and his disobedience.
And then
we've got
Rebecca
and her distrust
of God's promises.
It seems
that Isaac's secret
wasn't really
a secret at all,
was it?
Look at verse 5.
Because, well,
just outside the bedroom,
Rebecca was listening
as Isaac spoke
to his son Esau.
She too knows
what God had said,
that the blessing
would be passed
to Jacob.
But instead of
dealing with it rightly,
instead of trusting God
with the way
he would do things,
she decides
to take things
into her own hands.
She takes
the place
of God.
To Rebecca,
it just seems,
well,
God is just
incapable
of fulfilling
his promises.
He needs
help.
So Rebecca
plays
God
herself.
Her plan is
to trick her husband
and so she
tells Jacob,
look at verse 9,
go out to the flock
and bring me in
two of your choice
young goats
so that I can prepare
some tasty food
for your father
just the way he likes it.
Then take it
to your father to eat
so that he may give you
his blessing
before he dies.
She knows
the promise.
But she decides
to distrust
the promise.
And then we've got
Jacob.
Well,
Jacob deceives
God's people,
doesn't he?
Rebecca's plan
might be good.
It seems to be
pretty well thought out
but has she
forgotten something?
Verse 11,
Mum!
Well,
what about
Esau?
He's hairy.
I've got
smooth skin.
What if my
father touches me?
I would appear
to be tricking him
and would bring
down a curse
on myself
rather than
a blessing.
Don't worry,
Jacob.
I've got a plan
for this one.
You go off
and dress in some
of Esau's old
smelly clothes.
I'm going to take
some of that goat skin.
We're going to put it
on your arms
and on your neck
and he's going to
think you're Esau.
Anyway,
he can hardly see
so he's never
going to know
anyway.
So,
verse 22,
Jacob went
close to his
father Isaac
who touched him
and said,
the voice is
the voice of
Jacob,
but the hands
they're hairy.
They're the hands
of Esau.
He did not
recognize him
for his hands
were hairy
like those
of his brother
Esau,
so he proceeded
to bless him.
Now,
not for the
first time,
Isaac asks,
are you
really
my son
Esau?
I am,
he replied.
Lies
and deceit
just drip
from his mouth.
Jacob
was prepared
to say
whatever
and do
whatever
just to get
that blessing.
He was
a deceiver.
And then
we've got
the other
brother,
Esau.
Well,
he
despises
God's
blessing.
It's quite
the story,
isn't it?
No sooner
has Jacob
brought in
his food
and got
the blessing
and the
dirty deed
done,
than he
goes out
and Esau
arrives
with his
tasty food.
But it's
all too
late,
isn't it?
His shock
of being
done over
by his
younger brother
was clear
for all
to see
and hear.
He
shouts
out with
a loud
and bitter
cry.
He's
distraught.
Now,
Esau
might be
angry,
but let's
not be
fooled
by Esau's
tears.
Remember
back when
these brothers
were younger,
Esau was
hungry,
and he
handed over
his birthright
to Jacob
for just a
bowl of
stew.
The author
actually records
for us and
tells us
what was
going on
inside Esau's
heart at that
time.
It tells
us in
25
verse 34,
Esau
despised
his birthright.
He might
have lots
of regrets,
but deep
down in
his heart,
Esau was
despising
God's
blessing.
What a
mess.
This is
the family
chosen by
God,
a special
family,
to bring
redemption
and blessing
to the
whole world,
but this
family is
riddled
with
disobedience,
distrust,
deception,
and despising.
Rather than
supporting the
plan of God,
they're opposing
the plan of
God.
At least
they're opposing
the way God
wants to do
his work.
And the
consequences are
disastrous.
Isaac ends
up being
distressed,
Esau is
plotting to
kill his
brother,
Jacob runs
away in
fear,
and Rebecca,
if we read
on in the
story,
never ever
gets to
see her
son again.
What a
mess.
But let's
not think we
would do
any better.
The story
of this
family,
well,
it's like
any Irish
family,
isn't it,
really?
in fact,
it's the
story of
humanity.
You see,
we might
all want
redemption.
We may
want this
world to
be sorted,
and we
want things
to change
in our
lives.
We long
for restoration
and renewal,
but you
know what?
God's got
his plan,
but let
him tell
me my
plan.
I want
to do
things my
way.
You see,
this family,
as disastrous
as they
are,
are alive
and well
in each
of our
own hearts.
Because
don't we
too,
well,
you know,
I know
what God's
word says,
but just
sometimes I
just choose
to disobey
what it
says.
And I
know God
has given
us promises
in his
word,
and he's
promised to
be with
me,
and he's
promised to
do this
for me,
and,
well,
you know,
think about
it.
Sometimes he
just doesn't
quite deliver
in the way
I want him
to,
so I'll
just do
things my
way.
Or maybe
we're just
a bit like
Jacob,
and we
think,
well,
maybe I
can just
kind of go
in under
the radar
a little
bit,
and just
give a
little bit
of pretense,
and,
well,
God's not
going to
really know
any difference,
is he?
I can
deceive my
way along.
Or maybe
we're just
thinking,
you know,
I've been
told all
these stories
about God
and Jesus,
and I've
heard it
so often,
and,
well,
I think I
can just
live without
it,
and we
despise
the blessings
that have
been given
to us.
You see,
the reality
is we are
a broken
mess,
due to
our sinful
decisions
and selfish
choices.
And there's
never any
winners when
we go against
God's plan,
when we
decide we
know best
for ourselves.
Going our
way is only
going to lead
in one
direction,
more destruction,
more disorder,
more mess,
and more
chaos in the
family.
What's God
going to do?
His plan
seems in
tatters.
This is the
chosen family
to bring
redemption to
the whole
world.
They're meant
to be blessing
the nations,
but instead
they're bringing
curses on
themselves.
If God
has a plan
to redeem,
well,
he hasn't
sought it out
very well,
because it's
not going
to plan,
is it?
What's
God
to do?
Well,
God's plan
will always
be opposed,
but second,
God's plan
is going
to be
accomplished.
You see,
despite the
mess of
Isaac and
Rebecca and
their family,
God's plan
actually remains
on track.
Despite all
the opposition
and the
deadly deeds,
God's plan
is going
just as
he says
it would.
Two big
things we
can learn
here as
we read
between the
lines of
what's going
on in
this family.
First,
sin or
rebellion
can't
frustrate
God's
plan.
It can't
frustrate
God's
plan.
In all
the plotting
and all
the scheming,
God's plan
can't be
derailed.
Just as
God had
said at
the very
beginning,
the younger
or the
elder will
serve the
younger and
Jacob will
be blessed.
And that's
what happens.
Look at
verse 27.
So when
Jacob went
to Isaac
and kissed
him,
and Isaac
caught the
smell of
his clothes
and blessed
him and
said,
Ah,
the smell
of my
son.
It's like
the smell
of a
field that
the Lord
has blessed.
Isaac
thought at
that moment
he was
giving the
blessing to
Esau.
But no,
God's
plan wasn't
going to
be frustrated,
it was
going to
Jacob.
And so,
end of
verse 29,
the blessing
came,
may those
who curse
you be
cursed,
and may
those who
bless you
be blessed.
And even
when Esau
pleads for
his father,
when he
finds out
about what's
gone on,
he goes
to his
father and
pleads for
somehow that
he could
get a
blessing,
that somehow
things could
be changed.
What does
Isaac say,
verse 37?
I have
made him
Lord over
you and
have made
all his
relatives his
servants,
and I
have sustained
him with
grain and
new wine,
so what
can I
possibly do
for you,
my son?
You see,
God's plan
can't be
frustrated.
Sinful
humanity
can never
halt or
hinder the
purposes of
God.
Well, not
only doesn't
sin frustrate
God's plan,
something bigger
happens.
Sin only
fulfills
God's plan.
God uses
sinful
behaviours
to accomplish
his plan.
Now, this
doesn't mean to
say that God
takes part
in sin,
or that God
is turning a
blind eye
to sin.
No, God
is pure
and holy.
He cannot
tolerate it.
In fact,
he's going to
hold the
whole world
to account.
However,
God is
sovereign
over sin.
He's
sovereign
over evil,
and he
works all
of it
for his
good
purposes.
You see,
Isaac and
Esau
disobey and
despise God.
Rebecca and
Jacob may
distrust and
seek to
deceive God.
They're all
acting in
selfish ways,
but God
uses their
schemes to
achieve his
very purposes.
The promises
of blessing
are being
passed down
to Jacob,
just as God
had said,
so that the
nations of the
world would
be blessed.
Christ.
Now,
this is
true,
not just
in the
grand
redemption
scale,
but it's
also true
in each
of our
own
individual
lives.
Maybe
you've
been involved
in some
sin,
or you're
just aware
of it,
and you
think,
that's it,
end of
story,
that's put
up a
barrier,
God can
do no
more work
in my
life.
Or maybe
you've
been on
the receiving
end of
somebody's
sin or
behaviour
towards you
that's
changed your
life or
your
circumstances,
and you
think,
the plan,
God's
plan,
it's
ruined.
They've
wrecked it.
Well,
you know
what,
there's
nothing we
can say
or do,
and there's
nothing that
can ever
happen to
us by
anybody
else that
will
frustrate
or derail
God's
purposes
and plans
for your
life.
God is
sovereign
over every
single
detail.
God
doesn't
do
mistakes,
as one
writer put
it.
Sorry,
you'll just
have to,
whoops,
just listen
here, I
don't have
it there,
but listen
to this.
God is
not just
sovereign
over your
best deeds,
he is
sovereign over
the darkest,
most selfish,
and most
destructive
acts that
you will
ever commit
or that
others will
ever commit
against you
and he
will use
these to
accomplish
his good
and perfect
will in
your life.
So God
overrules
our rebellion,
he even
uses our
rebellion
to accomplish
his plan.
Isaac and
Rebecca,
Jacob and
Esau,
they may
stand
opposed to
God's
plan,
they may
stand
opposed to
how God
works,
but nothing
and no one
is going to
hinder what
God has said
he is going
to do.
His plan
is going to
be accomplished.
Now that's
good news for
us.
It's good news
for our
church,
because people
are opposed
to God's
plan,
people are
opposed to
the gospel,
but nothing
is ever going
to hinder
what God
has said
he is going
to do
through his
people and
through his
church.
He will
build it
and nothing
will stand
against it.
This is
good news,
because we
also are
in need
of redemption.
So God's
plan is
opposed,
God's
plan will
be
accomplished,
and then
third,
God's
plan
achieves
our
redemption.
You see,
God doesn't
give up on
sinful humanity.
We look at
a family like
this and we
go,
right,
that's it,
write it all
off,
that's the
end of
humanity.
In fact,
God works
in spite of
our sin
and through
our sin
to achieve
what he
wants to
do.
And we
see this
being worked
out in
God's
ultimate
promised
son,
who comes
down through
the family
of Abraham,
from Isaac
to Jacob
and so on,
till we
come to
his ultimate
son,
Jesus
Christ.
The son
who was
unlike
this family,
who obeyed
God's word
and trusted
God's word,
the true
son who
came to
bring blessing
to all
nations.
Have a
look with
me,
please,
in Acts.
Go to
Acts chapter
2.
Here the
apostle Peter
is preaching
to a
gathering
that includes
what,
guess what,
nations
from all
around the
world.
People from
all kinds of
different countries
have gathered,
it's Pentecost,
they've come
into Jerusalem
and Peter
has an
audience of
all these
different
nationalities.
And his
message is
all about
the redemption
of Jesus
Christ.
Now look
at what he
says about
Jesus'
death.
We're going
to pick it
up in
verse 22.
fellow
Israelites,
listen to
this.
Jesus of
Nazareth
was a
man accredited
by God
to you by
miracles,
wonders and
signs which
God did
among you
through him
as you
yourselves
know.
This man
was handed
over to
you by
God's
deliberate
plan and
foreknowledge
and you
with the
help of
wicked men
put him
to death
by nailing
him to
a cross.
But God
raised him
from the
dead,
freeing him
from the
agony of
death because
it was
impossible for
death to
keep its
hold on
him.
Now can
you see
the rebellion
and the
opposition
and the
sin of the
people here
in these
verses?
Do you
see it
there?
Wicked
men
put him
to death.
That's how
the death
of Jesus
is described.
Wicked
men
put him
to death.
Disobedient,
distrusting,
deceiving,
despising people,
opposed God,
turned against
his son and
they crucified
him.
But this
was God's
plan.
verse 23.
This man
was handed
over to
you by
God's
deliberate
plan and
foreknowledge
and you
with the
help of
wicked men
put him
to death.
You see,
God's
plan can't
be derailed.
It was
God's plan
that his
son would
die,
that Jesus
would come
to redeem
us from
the brokenness
and disorder
of our
lives.
He comes
to families
like you
and I.
He becomes
our sin.
He's treated
as disobedient,
as distrusting,
as deceiving
and despising
on the cross.
He's punished.
The curse
that should
fall on us
falls on him
so that we
might receive
the promises
of blessing.
God
overrules
all the
rebellion
and uses
all the
rebellion
to achieve
our
redemption.
You see,
God is
sovereign
over the
darkest,
most selfish
and most
destructive
acts that
anyone could
ever commit
against God.
He uses
the betrayal
and the
hatred,
the thorns
and the
crowns to
do what
he set
out to
do.
God's
plan
cannot be
frustrated
by our
sin.
In fact,
it is
being
fulfilled
through
our
sin.
How are
we to
respond
to such
a good
and gracious
God as
this?
Well,
flick over
the page,
Acts chapter
2,
verse
37.
Verse
37,
When the
people heard
this,
they were
cut to
the heart
and they
said to
Peter and
the other
apostles,
brothers,
what shall
we do?
What shall
we do
with all
our mess
and brokenness
and our
life of
sin?
Peter replied,
repent and
be baptized
every one of
you in the
name of
Jesus Christ
for the
forgiveness
of your
sins and
you will
receive the
gift of
the Holy
Spirit.
It's a
command to
repent.
to turn
and as a
visible
demonstration
of your
heart's
response,
be
baptized.
This is
what God
is saying
to us.
So how
are you
going to
respond to
what his
word is
saying?
Well,
maybe you
just think,
well,
I know
what it
says,
but I'm
going to
choose to
disobey
what it
says.
Oh,
I hear
the promise
that there
will be
forgiveness
and the
gift of
the Holy
Spirit,
but you
know what,
I think I
can do
things better
my way.
Or maybe
we think,
you know,
all this
business of
repenting and
following God,
I can just
get in under
the radar and
just do what
needs to be
done and,
well,
people won't
make any
difference and
maybe God
won't see any
difference either
and I'll be
okay.
Or maybe
it's a case of
just hearing the
same message
over and over
and over again
and go,
no,
not for me.
I really
think I can
do it myself.
What's our
response?
Whether this
is the first
time we're
ever confronted
with repentance
or there's
stuff in our
life personally
or within our
families that
we're just
ignoring and
not dealing
with,
what's our
response going
to be?
Well,
go with me
please to
Hebrews chapter
12,
because this
family that
we've been
looking at
is a
warning to
us.
Hebrews chapter
12.
As we
think about
our response
to God's
gift of
redemption,
his call to
repentance,
to deal
with things
in our life
that need to
be dealt
with or
perhaps we're
ignoring,
let the
weight of
Esau's
response
be heard
to us
today.
Hebrews 12
verse 16.
See that
no one,
not one of
us is
sexually or
moral or
is godless
like Esau.
well,
we've just
been looking
at him,
haven't we,
who for a
single meal
sold his
inheritance rights
as the
oldest brother.
Afterwards,
as you know,
and we do
know because
we've just
read it,
when he
wanted to
inherit this
blessing,
he was
rejected.
Even
though he
sought the
blessing with
tears,
he could
not change
what he
had done.
You see,
the time
will come
when the
opportunity
to change
will have
passed us
by.
And maybe
you're here
this morning
and you've
never done
business with
God,
you've heard
it,
but you've
never ever
repented.
you've
never dealt
with the
issues.
Or maybe
there's sinful
behaviour and
habits in
your own
life,
stuff in
my life I
need to
pay attention
to,
maybe things
going on in
your own
family that's
never been
worked through.
Don't
despise
the blessing
that God
is giving
you through
forgiveness.
and the
gift of
his spirit
and the
wonderful
offer of
redemption.
Time is
short.
Time
might pass
you by.
Don't be
like Esau.
Turn to
God
in repentance
and deal
with what
needs to be
dealt with.
let's
pray.
Want to
know what
a rebellious
sinner looks
like? Stand in front of the mirror. Father, your word has been a mirror to us today, helping
us to see how we can so easily and subtly disobey, distrust, deceive others, despise
the good gifts that you give us. We humbly come before you and say sorry. Sorry for our sin.
Sorry for our failure. Please work in us what is good and right and help us that we may come
running back to Jesus time and time again. Father, help us to deal with things in our own
life, things within our families, sin between husband and wife, parents and children, that
we would not let these things just drift by, but that we would take time to deal with it
because we know that opposing your ways will only end in further mess, further destruction
and chaos. We need your peace. We need your grace. And we thank you that that blessing is available
to us today. Help us, Lord, we ask. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. We're going to sing the wondrous mystery that God could work despite our sin and through
our sin to achieve his purposes in our life, our redemption. Let's stand together as we sing
this.
Amen.