So let's read John chapter 17, starting at verse 1.
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,
Father, the hour has come.
Glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you.
Since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.
Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.
For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them,
and have come to know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.
I am praying for them.
I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.
Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me.
I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
I do not ask for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one,
just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one.
I in them, and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me,
and loved them, even as you loved me.
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am,
to see my glory that you have given me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you,
and these know that you have sent me.
I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known,
that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.
That's the word of the Lord.
Okay.
We're eight weeks into a nine-week series,
considering how we experience God's sovereignty, God's power, in our salvation.
I just want to recap a little bit before we jump into the question this morning,
because I think it's important to remind ourselves that as we've looked at this whole issue of experiencing God's power and salvation,
we've been swept away by the language of salvation.
We've seen that the nature and extent of sin leaves a person in a totally hopeless situation before God.
But then the language of salvation sweeps in.
God takes the initiative in his love, in his mercy.
He initiates our salvation.
He initiates everything that's required to bring us back into good relationship with himself.
Very powerful, compelling language.
And all of that effort on God's part is received by us as pure grace.
That's another word of salvation.
It's something that we're so totally contrary to what we deserve.
And we've been reminded, as we work through what are commonly called the doctrines of grace,
we've been reminded that salvation from start to finish is due to God's actions, powerful actions for us and in us.
And we saw last week that God's golden chain of salvation with inseparable links that speaks so much of security and completeness
and the fact that God's got us, at no point are we left to our own resources.
That's so lovely, that language, isn't it?
So reassuring.
In Romans 8 and 29, we saw last week that God, at the start, God determines who will be saved.
Then he acts decisively to save them.
Then he guarantees that a saved people will make it all the way home to heaven,
where we'll be with Jesus and we'll be like Jesus.
It's just incredible as that language just sweeps over us.
Yet, and this is something I find is really incredible, yet incredibly, for many believers,
God's golden chain of salvation is not a cause to praise him, to praise him for his grace.
It's not something they find wonderful assurance in,
but in actual fact, for so many Christians, that has been the cause of angry division
and separation within Christian communities.
It's actually been the cause of some Christians to doubt God's character and God's goodness.
It just seems so counterintuitive to have the language of grace and love and mercy
and to end up really thinking that God's not good.
Oof.
I think I'm starting to sound like Dave Bott just in the way I said that, didn't I?
He's channeling me from on holidays.
Okay, so in response to that, we've been addressing some of the common questions
posed in response to God's absolute sovereignty and salvation.
And this morning, the question is, as Matt introduced us,
does God's absolute sovereignty or power,
does that make evangelism and prayer for us as Christians pointless?
Since God has already set his love upon specific individuals,
since he's already marked them out for salvation,
and since only those ones will be saved,
then what is the point of me evangelizing?
What is the point of me praying for the salvation of people in general
or a specific person in particular?
And as Matt rightly said, it's a big question.
All these questions we've been dealing with are big questions.
Now, I want to push this in four directions.
Well, it's not actually four directions.
I want to sort of step through this in four steps.
There might well be other steps.
I just couldn't think of them.
You might come up with a better answer than I've got this morning.
But it is what it is, and you can deal with me afterwards.
The first step I wanted to take is to say this.
We need to recognize that there is no ultimately satisfying answer
in any of these questions about God
and God's action and salvation.
We can go so far in philosophical analysis,
but inevitably we'll come to a point where we can't go any further,
and there'll still be a point we just don't understand.
And because of that, it's really important
to be aware of our presuppositions and assumptions
that we might bring to any of these questions
regarding God's absolute sovereignty.
Now, here's the point, you see.
I think we're victims of our so-called scientific,
evidence-based culture.
That's what we hear all the time.
And it runs like this.
Science really claims, or perhaps it's pseudoscience,
science claims that if I cannot understand something fully,
if I cannot explain the logic of something,
the process of something then,
it's probably not real
and probably foolish to believe it.
Now, when armed with our assumptions of human logic,
such as those,
when we go looking for the logic of God
and we intersect God saying on the one hand
that salvation is his sovereign initiative
and action from start to finish,
yet on the other hand,
God's saying that he commands us to pray and evangelize.
With our human logic,
we quickly conclude, or easily conclude,
that these two things just don't sit with each other.
In fact, we conclude that they've got to be enemies
because we can't quite work out
how they work together.
And so we quickly move to the conclusion
that they're enemies.
They cannot both be true.
And from there,
we conclude that God cannot be sovereign in salvation,
as he claims.
Or, we conclude that God is sovereign,
but a monstrous tyrant.
Because our understanding of his sovereign action
doesn't fit with what we think would be a good action.
Now, the problem with all that is
that it actually lies in the face
of what we live with practically and constantly
at so many points in our life.
At so many points of trying to interact with our universe.
The best scientific minds
concede that at so many points
we observe things in the universe
that don't fit our logic,
that don't fit our ideas of how things should work,
that can't be understood,
that can't be explained.
Yet,
the reality of them cannot be denied.
And so,
that creates a tension.
Where is the tension sourced?
The tension is sourced
not in what we observe,
but in our understanding,
our ability to understand and comprehend
and articulate
in the process of what we observe.
The problem is ours.
How much more, then,
when it comes to understanding
the infinite character
and working of our God
with our finite brains?
Scientists don't understand, really,
how the universe can be both expanding exponentially
and also deteriorating.
And so,
for us,
when we come to bring our logic
to God
and make God
fit our logic
and our ideas
of what's good
and consistent
and right
and how things should work,
then,
I think it's both foolish
and arrogant
to conclude
that because we cannot understand
to our satisfaction
and logic
how God's absolute sovereignty
and human responsibility
fit together,
it's arrogant
and foolish
to conclude
that, therefore,
because we can't understand it,
therefore,
it can't sit together
or it won't sit together.
And that,
therefore,
if we see these two things
and they don't fit together,
then,
our option is either
that we're puppets
or
that God's not absolutely sovereign.
Now,
J.I. Packer,
in his book
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God,
and I think that book
still was written
in the 70s or 80s,
but I don't think
it's been surpassed.
Get a copy of it
if you can get a hold of it.
Actually,
this is a moment to say
somebody out there
has got my copy.
Anyway,
Packer says this,
a God
whom we could understand
exhaustively
and whose revelation
of himself
confronted us
with no mysteries
whatsoever
would be a God
in man's image
and, therefore,
an imaginary God,
not the God
of the Bible at all.
The problem's ours
where we find
these tensions
and lack of understanding.
So, my friends,
since God puts
his sovereignty
and human responsibility
together
constantly
in the Bible,
then
we should believe
and accept,
comma,
even though
we don't fully understand.
Having said that,
we move on
to the second point.
We can dig into the Bible
and there's lots
we can understand.
And here,
the point I want to make
is that we should be
instructed by the clear
emphasis of Scripture.
In other words,
when you read the Bible
just with an honest mind
for comprehension,
it will give us a lot
to answer this question.
And it goes like this.
It appears that Christians
have found an issue
that Jesus himself
had no sense of.
And that's why
I want to touch us down
in John 17.
Throughout his ministry,
Jesus is up front
about two things.
Firstly,
he's up front
about God's
absolute sovereignty
in every step
of salvation,
every stage
of salvation.
We see that right
through John's Gospel,
particularly.
But at the same time,
we find Jesus
in John 17
praying
and urging
his disciples
to evangelism.
No problem for Jesus
at that point.
If you look at
chapter 17,
verses 2 through to 12,
I don't have time
to touch down
in great detail,
but you can just
check it out
on your own
this afternoon
if you're interested.
In chapter 2
through to 12,
sorry,
chapter 17,
verses 2 through to 12,
Jesus is reflecting
on his sentness.
He's very much aware
that he's been sent
into the world
by his Father
to achieve
the Father's purposes,
eternal purposes
in salvation.
To give eternal life
to all those,
and the language
is in John 17,
the language
of God's sovereignty.
He's been sent
into the world
to give life
to all those
that the Father
has taken out
of the world
and given to Jesus.
There's the language
of election.
And in verses 18
through to 20,
Jesus takes
another step
and the connection
is this.
Jesus says,
Father,
as you have sent
me into the world
to speak of your glory
and your salvation,
so I send
all my saved people,
this elect group.
I then have brought them,
or sorry,
you've brought them
out of the world
and I'm sending them
back into the world.
Why?
To speak
about Jesus
so that others
might know
Jesus
and come into
eternal life
as they themselves
have done.
in other words,
evangelism.
Now friends,
I just want to make
this very simple point.
Jesus prays
for his disciples,
for his people,
and it's not just
his disciples
because he prays
for those who have
not yet
become believers.
He's praying
right down
through the generations
as it were.
Jesus prays
for his people
in the context
of evangelism
and in the context
of God's
absolute sovereignty
and there's not
a skerrick
of embarrassment
or tension.
Now I realize
that doesn't answer
all the questions
but it normalizes it,
doesn't it?
Because the same pattern,
it's not just
in John 17
I find that.
You can actually
get a hold of that
concordance
and look through
the whole of the Bible
and you'll see
this repeatedly.
Same pattern
across the whole Bible.
In Deuteronomy
chapter 4
that goes right back
to God's people
in the wilderness
ready to go
into the promised land
and in Deuteronomy
chapter 4
verses 5 through to 8
God makes clear
essentially the same point
that he wants,
he tells his people
that he expects them
to go before
all the nations
and make clear
to all the nations
his sovereign power
and loving character
and the goodness
of God's laws
as the means
to the good life.
Why does God
do that?
So that all nations
might know him
and might have
the opportunity
to come and bow
before him
and serve him
and worship him.
Isaiah 66
verse 19
and there's many
many places
between that.
Isaiah 66
verse 19
at the other end
of the exodus
the exile
sorry exile
I said
I should have been
exile not exodus
the other end
of the exile
God's intent
in that verse
is very clearly
to send survivors
of the exile
to the nations
for what purpose?
Nations that have not
heard of his glory
and his character
and his works
and God's sending
he says
I intend to send
my people
to those nations
why?
So that they might
know of God's character
and God's glory.
Evangelism.
Again in Luke chapter 24
verses 45 through 47
you remember that
just that little
cameo
with Jesus
just before Jesus
returns to heaven.
and he's reminding
his disciples
of two things.
Firstly he reminds
his disciples
that somebody's locked
out there
you need to open
the door from the inside.
He reminds his disciples
of two things.
Firstly that the Old Testament
spoke clearly of him
and anticipated his coming
and that God's intention
had always been
secondly
through his people
to make known
repentance
and forgiveness
of sin
in Christ
to all nations.
There is no
incompatibility
in the scripture
between God's
absolute sovereignty
and global
sentness
of his people
to speak of God's glory
to make his name known
which is really
what evangelism is.
And friends
I think if we move
from there
to look
historically
across the
ages of the church
that particular
emphasis of scripture
that sentness
in the context
of God's
absolute sovereignty
of God going
before them
as it were
that has been
the motivation
for countless
missionary movements
over the generations.
It's not been
a detraction
from missionary
zeal
it's been
the motivation
to it
because God
goes ahead of them
because God
has it
even before
they get there.
They're not
going in
to a state
of
it being
left up to
themselves
and their own
efforts
and their own
cleverness
and their own
ability to articulate
things, their own
ability to identify
wrong thinking
in a person's
heart and change
their attitudes
and desires.
No, they go there
because God
is sovereign
and God will do
that.
Their job is
simply to take
the gospel
and speak it
as God's
intention always
was for us
people.
Go and speak
of my glory.
And step again
into the third
point as we're
thinking about this.
So as we
dig down into
this, then I
would say
thirdly, we've
got to be
really careful
as we
sort of
swim into
this big
issue not
to confuse
God's stuff
with our
stuff.
Think of
two sides
of one coin.
Two sides
of one coin
are inseparable
but different.
We'll get
ourselves in a
tangle if we
don't know
which side of
the coin
we're dealing
with.
God's stuff
and our
stuff.
How does
that work?
Well, let me
tell you what
God's stuff
is.
God's stuff
is what
describes God's
character and
activity in
his world.
In classic
theological terms,
these are called
the secret decrees
of God.
The secret
decrees of God.
Now, these are
things and
they're often
the why of
God's actions.
These are
things which
we cannot
understand fully
at points
because we
cannot fathom
the mind of
God and
at points
because God
simply hasn't
told us.
They're the
secret things
of God which
you cannot
understand but
which are
nevertheless
true because
God says
they're true.
For example,
in this golden
chain of
salvation,
we are simply
told by God
that he in
eternity past
has elected
or set his
love upon a
specific group
of people and
determined that
they would be
saved.
God just
makes that
statement.
But immediately
we realize
there's so much
about that
process that
we simply do
not know
and cannot
understand.
but in
that God
tells us
what he does
want us to
know.
He tells
us that
he does
what he
wants
because he
does have
sovereign power
and nobody
can challenge
him or limit
him.
And he
tells us
alongside that
that his
purpose in
salvation is
to display
his grace,
mercy and
manifold wisdom
with a
multitude so
great that no
man can number
them to use a
picture of
revelation.
Being brought
from death to
life.
A multitude
so great that
deserves judgment
and condemnation
being pardoned
and restored.
That's what God
tells us his
purpose is in it.
And we still
can't understand
how it works.
God wants
this great
community across
the world that
will respond to
him in praise and
worship and
obedience.
And we still
can't understand
how it all
works or why
God has
chosen the way
he's chosen.
That's God's
stuff.
And dare I
say, like
as a parent
I've said to
my children so
many times over
the years,
it's none of
your business.
What is very
clear is what I
want you to
do.
Don't you worry
about the rest
of it.
That's up to
mammon may
to sort.
Have you said
that to your
children?
There you go,
you've answered
your own
question.
The other
side of the
coin is our
stuff.
Words or
commands,
commands directed
clearly to
people,
describing our
character,
describing the
activity that
the Lord
intends us to
have, and
describing our
proper response
to God.
So, I want
you to do
this, says
the Lord.
I want you to
do that, says
Jesus.
Now, here's the
point, and this
is a really,
really important
point.
Never in
scripture that I
can find, and
if you want to
argue with me,
please wait to
the end of the
sermon, don't
embarrass me
now, but as
far as I can
see, never in
scripture are
we asked to
respond on the
basis of God's
stuff, or
God's secret
decrees.
We are only
ever asked to
respond on the
basis of our
stuff, on the
basis of God's
commands, on the
basis of what God
tells us and makes
clear.
God's secret.
And Christ
commands us to
evangelize.
Matthew 28, verse
19, the Great
Commission.
Simple, isn't
it?
The apostles also
taught and modeled
evangelism.
Again, these
passages are listed,
so I'm not going to
even go to them.
You can check them
out for yourself
later.
1 Corinthians 5,
11 to 21.
Paul speaks at
length about being
entrusted with the
ministry of
reconciliation.
That is, to go
and speak to
people, to argue,
to persuade, to
reason, to draw
people, to listen
to the truth of
the gospel that
salvation has
found in no one
else except Jesus.
His motivation?
The compelling
love of Jesus.
Not election, not
predestination, not
a theological
treatise does he
go to these people
with.
It goes because of
the compelling love
of Jesus.
That's our stuff.
And the task of
evangelism, my
friends, of being
witnesses of
salvation in Jesus,
is never
described as a
call to explain
the detailed
workings of
election.
Never, ever.
is a call to
explain God's
effectual call by
which he
mysteriously acts
within a person,
takes the gospel
message to hear and
mysteriously acts
within a person to
renew them and give
them life.
No.
Never in those
terms.
Paul's ministry of
reconciliation, the
focus was on sin,
the need for
repentance, the
reality of
forgiveness in
Christ, a new
life.
Salvation is found
in no one else
but Jesus.
That's our
stuff.
And likewise,
Christ commands
us to pray.
Many, many
verses.
1 Thessalonians
5, verse 17,
only one.
Pray continually,
pray urgently.
to command.
And again, John 17,
Christ modeled that
command in his own
ministry.
Friends, we may never
or we may not
understand fully how
and why God does it
this way.
but that's God's
business.
Our business is to
get on with the
task of what God
has called us to
and made clean to us.
That is, get on with
the task of being
witnesses, being my
witnesses, of telling
anyone who will listen
of their need for
Christ and praying
urgently that the
Lord will actually
open their hearts to
hear those words of
Christ so they
become real and so
that person might be
swept into the
kingdom and enjoy
a new life.
And the fourth step
then in that is,
and in my mind
these sort of follow
on but maybe not
in the presentation
but in my mind
we take another step
and we say, well,
we need to remember
then that God
determines both what
will happen and how
it will happen.
God determines not
only that a specific
group called the
elect will be saved,
he also determines
how they will be
saved.
He provides the means
by which they will
be saved.
So God sets his love
on this group we
call the elect before
eternity.
That's the what or
that a group will be
saved.
then he determines,
provides the means,
the how.
What does he do?
He sends Jesus to
redeem.
He sends his Holy
Spirit to renew.
Again, we can push
back so far but
ultimately we have to
say, well, we don't
understand why God
does it this way.
But it's clear that he
does.
And at that point,
there's a mix
between God's stuff
and our stuff.
And at that point,
it's so terribly,
terribly important to
know which one we're
dealing with, which one
we're addressing.
In Romans chapter 10,
verse 14,
Paul talks there about
preaching the gospel.
And he says that our
work as Christians is
like the work of
Messiah.
We're drawn into the
work of Messiah.
How beautiful are the
feet of those who bring
glad tidings and good
news.
That's the work of
Messiah.
Preaching or declaring
the gospel is the
appointed means of
working out God's
purposes in salvation.
How will they believe
unless somebody tells
them, says Paul.
How does it all fit
together?
Why does God do it
like that?
Why does God draw us
into his purposes in
salvation?
I'd have to ask some of
my colleagues for the
answer to that one.
I have no idea.
I might know one day
when I'm in heaven,
but I might not.
The same point is made
in 2 Thessalonians 2,
13 and 14,
Acts 18,
1 Corinthians 1,
and a plethora of other
places across the New
Testament.
God has determined that
those he intends to save
will actually come to
salvation in response to
what?
In response to one of his
people actually gossiping
the gospel to them.
I mean, imagine that for
goodness sake, that here's
God's sovereign plan and
purpose from all eternity,
one eternity to the other
eternity, all put in place
and somehow or other, for
some reason or other, God
uses us as a means by which
people will hear the gospel
and, as it were, trigger that
process by which the spirit
will take those words and
make them real in the heart
and mind of the person we
speak to.
Phenomenal, isn't it?
How can we sort of encapsulate
that?
That that's what the scripture
leads us to.
Sometimes it will require, as
Paul says, sometimes it will
require reasoning, debating,
persuading, using all our
God-given abilities and
talents to make the gospel
message that we want to say
to people winsome, compelling.
Speaking to people who might
at first be reluctant to hear.
Speaking to people that, from
our human logic point of view,
is a waste of time to speak to
because clearly we can see that
they're not suitable for the
gospel.
They're too dead in their sin.
Friends, rather than election
being a reason not to evangelize,
it's quite the opposite.
God's sovereignty is the
greatest encouragement to
persevere in declaring the
gospel to our family, friends,
and world at large.
God's sovereignty is the
greatest encouragement to
persevere in prayer.
God's sovereignty is the
gospel to anybody I can find
who will listen to me.
And let God do his stuff.
Change people from the inside
out.
Not my place to decide if he
should speak, you know, change
that person and not that person
or change them all or change
none of them.
I'm to get on with my stuff.
Why?
Why preach?
Why speak the gospel?
Why pray?
Well, because it's the means by
which God will actually
effect the salvation of those
he set apart.
God's purpose will be achieved.
And that's guaranteed with the end
result that God's cause will
triumph.
God's purpose will be achieved
and he will be praised and he
will be honored as he deserves to
be.
What's faithfulness in evangelism?
It's actually not seeing people
converted, which is what we've
sort of pushed to believe these
days in modern evangelicalism.
That's not evangelism, faithfulness
in evangelism.
Oh, faithfulness in evangelism
is speaking as clearly and truly
the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ and salvation
finding none else.
That's faithfulness in evangelism.
A person could do that all their
life and not see anybody
converted.
That would be faithful.
Because that's our stuff.
And we've got to learn to let God
do his stuff.
as he's promised he would do.
And as we see evidence of him
doing around us here this morning.
And the same applies to prayer.
You look at Ephesians chapter 1.
Paul launches into a very, very
confident prayer in verses 15 and
following for the Ephesians.
Now what's the motivation to his
prayer?
Well, he's just finished rehearsing
God's salvation bundle.
He's got his mind full of God's
sovereignty and salvation
from start to finish.
And it's with that he launches
into prayer for the believers
at Ephesus.
Why?
Why does Paul pray in response to
that?
Because he understands that prayer
is not about changing God's mind.
Changing God's plan for his people
and his world.
If that was the case, then prayer
is a waste of time.
But Paul prays because
he recognizes that prayer
is a means of accomplishing
what God has really purposed
and planned.
Paul's prayer is asking the Lord
to do what he's already purposed
to do in their lives.
And that's why prayer is worth
praying.
We're not twisting God's arm.
We're not wrestling blessings
out of a God who's reluctant
to give blessing.
We're asking God to do
what he's promised to do.
And God loves to hear his children.
It's an act of honor in itself
when we say,
Lord, we know your character
and we're asking you now
to do what you've promised to do.
And in brackets,
we're asking you to do
what we know we could never do
in this person I'm praying for.
My friends,
since it's a gospel message
that God will use
to bring people to salvation,
since God alone
can resurrect
dead people
by a secret inner working
of a spirit,
since those two things are true,
then as a church family,
we ought to be noted
above all else
as being a people of prayer
and a people of speaking,
a people of sentness.
Great programs operating
within our church
are terrific.
Extending into the community
even better.
A united and radically
countercultural community here
is essential,
compelling
as the world looks at us.
But nothing replaces
the centrality
of the words spoken
and prayer.
They're the means
by which God
will save his people.
The rest is bling,
as it were,
on the side.
It will make it look
more attractive
and appealing
and compelling.
It will make it look authentic.
But at the end of the day,
the means of people
being converted
is when we speak the gospel.
We don't have to reinvent
the wheel.
We don't have to be
keeping ahead
of the current trends,
being seen to be cool,
being seen to be novel.
We just speak
the truth of the gospel
and we pray.
Lord,
make this word true
in the life of this person
I've just spoken to.
bring them into your kingdom,
Lord,
as you've brought me
into the kingdom
through your word.
And in the end,
you know,
it's more important
for us as a church family
that we're pleading
with our Father
to make effect
of our words
as we speak the gospel.
That's more important
than it is for us
directly to try
and persuade
any given sinner
of their need for Jesus.
The second one's
not unimportant,
but the other one's primary.
But of course,
we do both,
knowing that this
honors the Lord
and will be the means
by which our secular family
and workmates
will be saved.
You've got family members
not converted like me
to break your heart,
you long to see them,
respond to Jesus.
Do you wonder why,
as I do,
why four siblings
respond to Jesus
and the fifth one
is hostile?
I have no idea
how it works.
But I continue
to ask the Lord
to use his word
to make
my other brother
alive in Christ
as he's made me alive
in Christ.
I'll let God
do his business
because only God
can do his business
in my brother's life.
I'll just be content
to do my business.
Let me pray.
Lord,
these are
perplexing questions
for us
and questions,
Lord,
sometimes that
we allow to become
bigger in our minds
than they ought to be.
And sometimes,
Lord,
we allow tensions
to debilitate us
or even derail us
in a way
they should never.
Help us,
Lord,
to both
have inquiring minds
for your gospel
and your Bible,
Lord,
is sufficient
to
take on
the
most robust
of inquiries
from any
of your people.
And yet,
Lord,
we also pray
you might give us
believing hearts
so that we might
actively move
and hold
to things
we don't fully understand.
I pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Thank you very much
for listening to me.
Thank you.