Please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to the book of Psalms.
The book of Psalms. We're going to be in chapter 34 this morning.
If you have not opened up your Bible to the book of Psalms before,
you just take it right to the middle and open it up.
You'll probably land somewhere close by and flip to the 34th chapter.
And our text this morning is just going to be verse 3.
And our passage is short this morning, but I promise you it is loaded.
And so if you would, Bibles open to Psalm 34 verse 3.
Please follow along with me as I read the word of God.
David writes,
Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.
Let's pray.
Lord, this is our aim.
This is our desire that your name would be magnified.
And we pray you would do it now through the preaching and the hearing of this word.
We pray in Christ's name.
Amen.
Southwest Airlines made the news over the holidays and not in a good way.
You may be familiar that the airline company, they canceled over 15,000 flights between December 22nd and December 30th
as travelers were attempting to make their way to their destinations for the holidays.
The bags were missing.
Connecting flights were missed.
Passengers were left stranded at the airport.
And nobody had any answers.
And by all accounts, this was a customer service nightmare.
The airline, to their credit, has since tried to make up for the mistake by apologizing over and over and over and over again.
And even going so far as to offer frequent flyer miles to those who were significantly affected by the issues.
But let's be honest.
They are not coming back from this one anytime soon.
This was a major blow to the reputation of Southwest Airlines.
Southwest, as a company, has had several different versions of their mission statement over the years.
Right now, their mission statement is to connect people to what's important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.
And their vision is to be the world's most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline.
And that's, I think, three strikes and you're out.
After all of this, they certainly have a long way to go.
A former version of their mission statement, you can look it up, was dedication to the highest quality of customer service,
delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.
And the point here is not to pile on to Southwest.
I'm sure that they're doing the best that they can.
The point is that these words of their mission and their vision, they sound wonderful.
But from December 22nd to December 30th, at least, they did not translate into action.
They were clearly not understood and certainly not applied.
And now, in the aftermath of this customer service disaster,
they have to set out on the hard work of rebuilding their identity as a company.
Well, why are we talking about Southwest Airlines this morning?
It's because, Lord willing, as we've already said, in just three weeks,
unless the Lord returns first, which would be much better,
in just three weeks, the church at Seaweed Bay will be reborn,
reintroduced as Seaweed Bay Baptist Church.
If you're just joining us this morning for the first time,
or you've just been blissfully unaware for the past six months or so,
we are in the midst of a major transitional milestone in the life of this church family.
So for roughly six years, the church at Seaweed Bay,
this gathering has existed as an extension of First Baptist Mount Pleasant.
It is a campus of First Baptist Mount Pleasant.
But over the past six months, even back further than that,
the elders at First Baptist Mount Pleasant, alongside Treg,
alongside the Pillar Network, alongside myself,
have been working towards what we believe God has providentially prepared
this church family to do in this place and in this time.
And so in just three weeks, Lord willing, January 29th,
we will officially form a new church body,
Seaweed Bay Baptist Church.
In the forming of a new church, I'm sure you're aware,
there are many moving parts,
many important questions to be asked and to be answered.
But the most important of these questions, I believe,
is do we understand the mission?
Do we understand the mission of the church as given by God?
Do we understand what we are here to do?
Do we understand the purpose of the church?
Do we understand why we are here and what we are here to accomplish?
What is it that is at the core of our identity that drives us,
compels us, makes us distinct in the world around us,
shapes the content of our message,
shapes the content of our gatherings,
shapes the form of our lives together?
We absolutely must be clear on this.
And so we have worked to clarify the mission and the vision
of Seaweed Bay Baptist Church.
And so over the next four Sundays, starting this morning,
leading up to the birth of this church,
we're going to talk about each part of our mission and vision.
Because what we don't want is for this to just be a collection
of nice-sounding words that never translate into action.
Amen?
And we want this to shape the life of this church body.
We want to drive and define the identity of this church family.
So, what is the mission of Seaweed Bay Baptist Church?
I would like for you to write this down.
If you have a pen and a bulletin or a notepad,
this is the mission.
This is the grand banner that we want to fly across
every ministry of this church,
everything that we are, everything that we do.
The mission is this.
We exist to magnify the glory of God
in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That's the mission.
We exist to magnify the glory of God
in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And in the coming weeks, Lord willing,
we will talk about how we plan to go about that grand mission.
But this morning, I want to ask why.
Out of all the things that we could have put our foot down
and said this is what we want to be about,
why this?
Why this mission?
And there are about a billion reasons why.
But this morning, I want to give you three.
Three reasons why this is our mission.
This will be our outline this morning.
And if you're taking notes,
three reasons why our mission
is to magnify the glory of God
in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
First, first reason why
is because this is the purpose of your life.
This is the purpose of your life.
Everyone, man, woman, boy, girl, rich, poor,
everybody wants to understand their place in the world.
Everybody wants to know their purpose.
And everybody wants to thrive
and live a life that's full and satisfying
and filled with meaning.
Let me tell you where that starts.
It starts with the realization
that your life serves a purpose outside of yourself.
It starts with realizing that there is a God
and you're not Him.
And that your purpose,
the reason that you exist
is not to draw attention to yourself,
not to make much of yourself,
not to serve your own interests,
but it's to draw attention to Him
and to make much of Him.
That's the purpose of your life.
So I have two questions here
that we need to understand.
First is, what is the glory of God?
If our goal is to magnify the glory of God,
what is it that we're supposed to be magnifying?
And that's not easy to define, is it?
What is the glory of God?
But here's a shot.
God's glory is the sum total
of all of His infinite goodness,
all of His infinite holiness,
all of His perfections,
all of His worth.
It is all of His praiseworthiness.
And so when we say that we are magnifying the glory of God,
we are magnifying Him.
And we're saying that He is worthy of our praise.
When we say that we glorify God,
we're not adding anything to Him.
We're simply acknowledging with our minds,
with our hearts,
with all of our entire selves,
that He is supremely worthy of worship.
That's what it means to glorify Him.
This is what we were made to do.
Do you realize that we are born as worshipers?
Do you realize that?
Sometimes we do this all the time
without even realizing it.
We praise what is praiseworthy.
That's just how we're wired.
That's how we're made.
We are made to worship.
We're designed to praise what is praiseworthy.
And whatever it is that our heart finds satisfying,
whatever it is that our heart finds worthy,
we will praise it.
When you eat a good meal,
what do you do?
You praise it.
You celebrate.
When you see something beautiful,
a beautiful sunset,
you go out to the ocean,
what do you do?
You praise it.
You declare its worth.
You make much of it.
Tomorrow night,
when the Georgia Bulldogs win the national championship,
thousands of people throughout the country
will praise the team
and the coaching
and the final score.
There's nothing wrong with this.
This is good.
And it's right.
That is not wrong.
That's how we're wired.
We are meant to enjoy
and to praise
and to declare worthy
to magnify what is good.
It is right to praise what is praiseworthy.
But get this,
so long as
it is proportional
to its praiseworthiness.
You follow that?
It is right to praise
what is praiseworthy,
so long as
it is in proportion
to its praiseworthiness.
Christians
are those who have had
our eyes opened
to the truth
that God
is infinitely
worthy
of our praise.
that He is
infinitely
praiseworthy.
So we worship God
because God is
infinitely
good.
He is infinitely
satisfying.
He is infinitely
wise.
He is infinitely
sovereign.
He is infinitely
perfect
in every single one
of His glorious
attributes,
which means
He is infinitely
glorious
and worthy
of our praise.
So my second question
then is
what does it mean
for us to
magnify
His glory?
To magnify
His glory
it means
to make
much
of Him.
It means
to
proclaim
Him,
to enjoy
Him,
to worship
Him,
to revere
Him,
to celebrate
Him.
It means
you stop
living
and working
and thinking
and acting
as if
we,
me,
you,
were the
center of
the universe
and instead
we begin
to orbit
our life
around Him
and His
glory.
John Piper
says that
there are
two kinds
of magnifying.
There is
microscope
magnifying
and there is
telescope
magnifying.
The one
makes
small things
look bigger
than they are
and the
other makes
a big
thing
begin to
appear
as big
as it
really is.
When we
say that
we want
to magnify
the glory
of God
we are not
microscope
magnifying.
We are
striving
and pursuing
with all
of His
energy,
all of His
power at
work in
us to
begin to
see Him
for as
big and
as glorious
as He
really
is.
We are
striving to
focus the
lens with
our lives
and with
our speech
so that the
whole world
around us
can look
and taste
and see
how
magnificent
God
is.
That is what
it means to
magnify
His glory.
This is
exactly what
David is
doing here
in our
psalm.
Psalm 34.
Look there
with me
again.
You see
this language
that he is
using here
throughout the
psalm.
Verse 1.
He says,
I will
bless the
Lord at
all times.
His praise
shall continually
be in my
mouth.
My soul
makes its
boast in
me,
in my
kingship,
in my
wisdom,
in my
accomplishments.
No.
My soul
makes its
boast in
the Lord.
See,
these are the
words of
someone who
has had
his eyes
opened to
the worth
of God.
He has
realized by
the grace
of God
that the
purpose of
his life
is to
make much
of him.
Oh,
magnify
the Lord
with me.
Let us
exalt
his name.
So David,
he invites
us here
to praise
him for
his work
of salvation.
Verse 4.
I sought
the Lord
and he
answered me
and he
delivered me.
He invites
us to
praise him
for his
mercy and
his grace
to poor
men and
poor women
like us.
He says,
verse 6,
this poor
man cried
and the
Lord heard
him and
saved him.
He invites
us to
praise him
for his
constant
protection
over his
people.
The angel
of the
Lord
encamps
around
those
who
fear
him.
Verse 7.
He invites
us to
praise him
for his
promises,
to praise
him for
his goodness,
praise him
for the
hope he
gives
to his
people.
He's
just rattling
off reason
after reason
why God
is worthy
of your
worship.
We praise
him because
he is
infinitely
worthy
of our
praise.
Do you
see the
Godward
magnification
of this
psalm?
The Godward
orientation
of David's
heart?
That is
what you
were created
for.
And here
at the
beginning
of a
new
year
and at
the
beginning
of the
new
life
that God
is giving
this
church,
now is
the time
to ask
yourself,
is this
how my
heart
beats?
Is this
what my
heart
sounds
like?
Is this
the
orientation
of my
heart?
And if
not,
there's a
very clear
simple
reason
why,
and it's
sin.
It's
sin.
Sin is
failure to
magnify the
glory of
God.
And so we
magnify the
glory of
God's
gifts and
minimize or
completely ignore
the glory
of God.
I said
earlier that
Christians are
those who
have had
their eyes
open to
behold the
truth of
God's
glory.
glory of
God's
glory of
God.
If you have
not had your
eyes open by
his sovereign
power,
then you are
blinded to
the glory of
God.
You cannot
see it.
The heavens
declare it,
the earth is
full of the
glory of the
Lord,
and you
don't see
it.
You don't
have the
capacity to
see him for
what he's
worth.
All you see
is what you
see around
you,
and so that's
what you
love,
that's what you
pursue,
that's what you
build your life
around.
You wonder
why our
non-believing
friends just
ignore God
completely,
make their
lives about
money,
about success,
about whatever
it is,
you fill in
the blank.
The reason
is they
can't see
the glory
of God.
They are
blinded to
it.
If they
could see
him for
what he's
worth,
they would
love him.
They would
worship him.
They can't
see it.
2 Corinthians
4,
verse 4
says,
The God
of this
world has
blinded the
minds of
the unbelievers
to keep
them from
seeing the
light of
the gospel
of the
glory of
Christ,
who is the
image of
God.
And if
that's you
this morning,
I just want
to invite you
this morning,
right now,
to pray in
your heart
something simple
like this.
God,
give me
spiritual
sight,
that I
might see
you for
how good
you are.
God,
give me
spiritual
sight,
that I
might begin
to understand
your worth,
that I
might see
it and
live in
light of
it,
that I
might see
the light
of the
glory of
Christ.
It starts
there.
But we
know even
as believers,
we still
struggle with
this,
don't we?
this is not
just a
non-believer
problem.
Instead of
magnifying
his glory,
we tend
to still
stray and
fixate on
earthly
treasures,
money,
earthly
systems,
politics,
earthly
worries,
all of it
where moth
and rust
destroy.
And all
too often,
our biggest
problem is
that we
want to be
magnified.
That we
want to be
the one
at the
center of
the lens.
We want
God to
look through
a telescope
at us.
Magnify
us.
So our
lives are
about us.
Our
decisions
are about
us.
Our
thoughts
are about
us.
Our
needs,
our
comfort,
our
preferences,
our
actions
are about
us.
Everything
is about
us.
I may have
told this
story before,
forgive me
if I have,
but I will
never forget
this.
When I was
in college,
I was a
brand new
believer,
being discipled
for the
first time
in my
life,
and I
was just
awestruck
with the
way that
these men
loved and
studied the
word of
God.
I had never
seen someone
so seriously
think about
God as
these men
did.
And one of
the assignments
that they
gave me in
our discipleship
meeting,
this was me
and like four
other guys,
and so you
did the
homework,
otherwise
they knew.
The assignment
that I was
given was to
make a pie
chart of my
time.
And I was
supposed to
think through
how my
time worked
and how I
allotted my
time and what
portion of my
life I was
giving to
selfish things,
what portion of
my life I was
giving to the
Lord.
And I tried to
make some
positive changes
as I did the
assignment at
the last minute,
but what I
handed in was a
pie chart that
had a section
here for
sleeping,
a section
here for
eating,
a section
here for
studying and
classwork,
a section
here for
friends and
recreation,
sports,
a section
here just
for whatever
I have
free time
wanted to
do,
and a
section
right over
here for
God.
This is
when I
plan to
read my
Bible and
pray,
and this
is the
portion of
the pie
that I
give to
God.
And I
handed it
to the
student who
discipled me,
and he
said,
what is
this?
I
said,
well,
this is
my pie
chart.
You
asked me
to do
this.
This is
the section
here that
I want
to give
to God.
And he
said,
let me
see that
for a
minute.
He
wrote in
big letters
over the
entire
thing,
God.
He
handed it
back and
said,
keep your
time in
the word,
keep your
time in
prayer,
don't lose
that,
but you
need to
remember
that all
of your
time,
all of
your life
is for
him.
You
don't just
fit God
into your
schedule.
You don't
fit him
around your
plans and
your desires
and your
wants and
your needs,
your ambitions
for your
life.
You
live
every
minute
for him,
for his
glory.
He's the
one that
gives purpose
and meaning
to everything
on your
schedule,
whether you
eat or
drink or
go to
school or
take a
nap.
Do all
for what?
Help me.
The glory
of God.
Some of us
need to
remember this
morning that
our life is
not about
us.
It's about
him.
And you
will never
find more
joy,
more
satisfaction,
and more
genuine,
lasting,
purpose than
when you
live as
you were
made to
live,
to magnify
the glory
of God.
So reason
number one
why this
is our
mission as
a church
is because
this is
all of
our mission
as
individuals,
but not
just as
individuals,
which is
why number
two,
the second
reason why
this is
our mission
as a church
is because
this is the
mission,
this is
the purpose
of the
church.
This is
the purpose
of the
church,
not just
our church,
not just
our gathering,
our body,
but the
church.
Don't you
think that
our church
ought to
fit in with
the purpose
of the
church?
That our
mission needs
to be the
mission.
We're not
trying to be
unique here,
we're trying
to understand
what has
God said
the mission
of the
church is.
And Lord
willing,
again,
we'll talk
over the
coming weeks
about how
we go
about this
mission by
equipping the
saints,
by enjoying
God,
by evangelizing
the lost,
but the
end goal
of all
of these
things,
the point
of all
of it,
is to
magnify
the glory
of God,
not just
as individuals,
but together
as a
church
family.
That's the
purpose of
the church.
Look what
David does
here in
this psalm.
I love
this.
See,
he starts
with personal
devotion,
but that
personal
devotion
spills
over
into
corporate
devotion.
His
personal
commitment
cannot
remain
singular.
It lasts
about a
verse and
a half,
and then
it's plural.
Look there
to verse
one again.
He says,
I will
bless the
Lord at
all times,
and his
praise shall
continually be
in my
mouth.
My soul
makes its
boast in
the Lord
personal.
Let the
humble hear
and be
glad.
That's
corporate.
You see,
David knows
delight is
not meant
to just
stay
personal.
It's meant
to be
shared.
It's
better
shared.
It is
great to
go watch
the game
by yourself
at home
on TV,
but how
much better
is it
when you
go and
gather
and celebrate
and shout
and cheer
in the same
direction as
10,000 other
people.
It is
good and
right and
necessary to
have a
personal
relationship
with the
Lord,
but that
relationship
is never
meant to
be private.
It's meant
to go
public.
It's meant
to be
shared with
others in
a big,
messy
family called
the church.
And so
David says,
let's do
this together,
together,
magnify the
Lord with
me.
Let us
exalt his
name together.
He shares
his own
personal
testimony in
verse 6.
It says,
this poor
man cried
and the
Lord heard
him and
saved him
out of all
his troubles,
but it is
for corporate
rejoicing.
Verse 8,
oh,
taste and
see that
the Lord
is good.
He has
personally
tasted the
joy of
the blessing
of fearing
the Lord,
so he
invites
others.
Verse 11,
come,
oh,
children,
listen to
me that
I might
teach you
the fear
of the
Lord.
See,
he is
inviting
others to
join in
to his
exaltation.
David
knows that
joy is
compounded
in community.
That's why
the church
exists.
I don't
know how
anybody can
come and
gather with
this church
family and
not understand
this.
I don't know
about you,
but when I
come and I
gather here
with you all
on a Sunday
morning,
I am
encouraged by
the fellowship
of the saints.
Amen?
I am lifted
up,
I'm built
up and
spiritually
strengthened
when I
hear you
sing songs
of truth
as we did
this morning.
I am,
my soul
is nourished
and fed.
As Randy
read the
words of
scripture from
John chapter
12 this
morning,
my soul
was encouraged
as I heard
you recite
the answers
to these
catechism
questions.
What is the
chief end
of man?
And it's
to,
what is it?
And enjoy
him forever.
I'm encouraged.
My soul
is built
up and
edified.
That's the
purpose of
the church
family.
We need
to remember
that God
never intended
to just save
us as
individuals,
distinct and
separated
individuals.
His plan
from the
beginning of
time was
to create
a people
for himself.
a family
of worshippers,
a collective
group of
redeemed
sinners who
would gather
together,
encourage one
another, spur
one another on
to love and
good works,
correct one
another,
admonish one
another on
occasion,
rebuke one
another if
necessary,
teach one
another,
train one
another,
love one
another with
brotherly
affection,
proclaim the
gospel alongside
one another
bear one
another's
burdens and
so fulfill
the law
of Christ,
to submit
to one
another,
a people
who would
magnify the
glory of
God together.
That's the
mission of
the church.
Our mission
is to magnify
his glory
together.
You know,
if we could
just get
this right,
everything else
would fall
into place.
If we could
just keep
this simple
mission before
us, it
sounds so
simple,
and it is,
but believe me,
churches have a
hard time keeping
this central.
And the enemy
does not want
a church to
magnify the
glory of
God.
So he will
do anything
and everything
he possibly
can to
distract us
from this,
to keep us
from this,
to cause our
attention to
divert from
this,
focus on
anything else
but the glory
of God.
God,
we need to
be clear
on this.
You may have
been to church
your whole
life and for
whatever reason
never quite
caught this.
Maybe you've
been a part
of a church
that just
never made
this the
central aim,
never made
so much
about this
main priority
of the church.
Some of your
church experiences
I know are
just so
messed up
from your
past that
whether you
realize it or
not,
you may have
absorbed some
of these
misunderstandings
about what
the church
is and what
the church
is supposed
to do.
And so let
me tell you
some things
the church
is not.
I want to
be very
clear.
The church
is not a
social club
that exists
primarily to
build relationships
and to build
community.
Good things,
not the
primary thing.
The church
is not a
political
organization
that exists
for public
policy or
to promote
any individual
candidate or
political party.
The church
is not a
charity.
It just
exists primarily
to do good
deeds.
The church
is not a
business
that exists
primarily to
make a
profit.
The church
is not a
theater
where you
come to be
entertained
or where
you come
feeling like
you need to
be the
one to
put on
a show
and to
be something
you're not
and to
act as
something you're
not to
entertain or
to deceive
others.
The church
is not a
gathering of
perfect people.
Tim Keller
says the church
is not a
museum for
saints.
It is a
hospital for
sinners.
Here's what
the church
is.
The church
is a
family.
bound
together
not by
common
blood
or by
common
skin
or by
common
country
but by
common
exaltation.
We share
one Lord
one faith
one
baptism
one God
and father
of all.
our
heartbeat
as a
family
is to
magnify
the glory
of God.
It's that
simple.
And let me
tell you
something.
When that
is made
primary
here
we will
see God
work and
move like
we have
never seen
it before.
Don't you
want that?
Don't you
want to be
a part of
that?
a church
that makes
that the
mission.
So let me
invite you
to do
something.
When you
go to
pray this
week and
next week
and the
week after
that and
I would
just invite
you to
pray every
single day.
If you
would commit
with me to
pray every
single day
leading up
to February
5th our
first Sunday
as Seawee Bay
Baptist Church
and then go
ahead and keep
praying every
day after that.
That would be
great.
I want you
to pray not
only for the
Lord to be
magnified in
you personally
in your life
but would you
just pray
every day
that the
Lord would be
magnified in
this church
family?
It's very
simple.
Here's what I
want you to
do.
Just take
Psalm chapter
34 verse
3 and pray
it over this
church.
It'll look
something like
this.
Lord magnify
your name at
Seawee Bay.
Let us
exalt your
name together.
Amen.
Simple.
Pray it for
one another
by name.
Lord I pray
that Linda
and Breeze
and Priscilla
and Joe
and Dick
that they
would magnify
the glory
of God
in their lives.
Work your way
down a list.
Pray for
one another
that God
would be
magnified
here in
this family.
Would you
pray over
our gatherings
as a church?
Pray for
me.
Would you
please?
Would you
please pray
that the
Lord would
magnify
his glory
through the
preaching of
the word
here at
this church?
Would you
pray that
the Lord
would be
magnified
in our
singing
together
as a
congregation
as we
gather
to worship?
worship?
I'm
confident
the Lord
is already
answering
that prayer
here.
And I'm
confident
he will
continue
to answer
that prayer.
Would you
pray that
God would
magnify
himself in
this church
family?
Third
and finally
our mission
is to
magnify
the glory
of God
because
this is
the purpose
of the
gospel.
This is
the purpose
of the
gospel.
Mission
statement
we exist
to magnify
the glory
of God
in
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ.
Why do
we add
that?
why do
we add
that
phrase?
Why not
just leave
it as
magnify
the glory
of God
and call
it a
day?
It's
shorter
sweeter
we probably
easier to
memorize
and remember
why do
we have
to add
in the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ?
It's
because
the gospel
of Jesus
Christ
is the
clearest
the
grandest
the most
spectacular
display
of the
glory
of God.
God
what
could
display
God's
wisdom
more
than
the
gospel
where
the
wisdom
of
this
world
is
just
shattered
to
pieces
as
the
Son
of
God
becomes
man
and
comes
to
die
the
death
that
we
deserve.
What
could
display
God's
holiness
more
than
the
perfect
righteousness
of
Christ
never
sinning
living
in our
place
succeeding
where we
have
failed
perfectly
fulfilling
the
law
of
God?
What
could
display
the
wrath
of
God
against
sin
his
perfect
justice
more
clearly
than
the
death
of
the
Son
of
God
on
the
cross
in
the
place
of
sinners?
What
could
display
God's
perfect
power
more
than
the
victory
of
Christ
over
the
grave?
his
triumph
over
sin
and
death
and
the
devil?
What
could
display
God's
perfect
faithfulness
more
than
every
promise
answered
and
fulfilled
in
Christ?
What
could
display
God's
perfect
mercy
and
grace
towards
sinners
more
clearly
than
this
wonderful
plan
of
redemption
that
all
who
call
upon
the
name
of
the
Lord
shall
be
saved?
See
the
glory
of
God
is
revealed
and
extended
to
sinners
most
clearly
in
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
this
is
why
we
must
keep
this
message
central
to
everything
we
are
and
everything
we
do
the
gospel
is
the
good
news
that
although
we
have
sinned
against
him
God
has
made
a
way
for
us
to
be
saved
through
the
blood
of
his
son
so
that
we
might
enjoy
and
extol
his
glory
forever
that's
the
point
of
the
gospel
do
you
ever
wonder
why
God
saves
sinners
why
does
God
save
sinners
why
would
God
who
is
infinitely
totally
completely
perfect
does
not
need
a
thing
does
not
need
anybody
why
would
he
work
all
of
this
up
why
put
this
plan
into
place
and
create
a
world
create
people
knowing
full
well
we
would
rebel
and
sin
against
him
why
would
he
send
his
own
son
to
die
in
the
place
of
rebels
and
sinners
why
go
through
all
why
create
anything
at
all
why
not
just
snap
his
finger
and
bring
us
straight
to
him
why
go
through
all
this
trouble
have
you ever
asked
those
questions
I'll tell
you what
your
answer
to
questions
like
those
they say
more about
you and
your
theology
than just
about any
question I
could ask
because
your answer
tells us
where the
telescope
is pointed
it's
like
when
you
have
a
child
you
remember
having
children
that
were
young
and
you
say
something
and
they
just
keep
asking
why
get
in
the
car
we're
going
to
the
store
why
because
we
need
to
get
groceries
why
because
we
have
to
eat
why
because
we'll
be
hungry
if
we
don't
eat
why
just
get
in
the
car
I'm
going
to
leave
you
some
of
us
stop
asking
why
when
the
answer
gets
to
us
we're
satisfied
why
did
God
save
you
because
he
loves
you
absolutely
that's
true
but
why
does
God
shower
his
love
on
undeserving
sinners
it's
because
in
his
infinite
wisdom
God
made
a
plan
to
create
a
redeemed
family
of
worshipers
from
every
tribe
tongue
and
nation
who
would
never
cease
to
praise
the
glory
of
his
name
for
the
rest
of
eternity
in
the
words
of
Ephesians
we
are
saved
through
the
gospel
to
the
praise
of
his
glorious
grace
Ephesians
chapter
one
this
is
where
we'll
close
in
Ephesians
Paul
just
overflows
with an
explanation
of the
gospel
and he
spans
all the
way
from
eternity
past
all
the
way
to
eternity
future
and
all
throughout
he
is
giving
us
why
he
says
he
chose
us
in
him
before
the
foundation
of
the
world
in
love
he
predestined
us
for
adoption
as
sons
through
Jesus
Christ
why
to
the
praise
of
his
glorious
grace
in
him
we
have
redemption
forgiveness
knowledge
of the
mystery
of
his
will
unity
between
heaven
and
earth
and
inheritance
hope
in
Christ
why
to
the
praise
of
his
glory
in
him
we
heard
the
word
of
truth
we
heard
the
gospel
we
believed
it
we
were
sealed
with
the
promised
holy
spirit
who
is
the
guarantee
of
our
inheritance
until
we
acquire
possession
of
it
why
to
the
praise
of
his
glory
we
exist
the
church
exists
the
gospel
exists
for
the
glory
of
God
for
the
praise
of
the
glory
of
God
and
because
of
this
gospel
you
know
what
our
hope
is
it's
not
just
to
arrive
in
heaven
and
to
be
free
from
this
world
it's
not
just
to
go
and
to
live
forever
you
know
what
our
hope
is
all
those
who
belong
to
him
have
all
of
eternity
to
plunge
the
depths
of
the
glory
of
God
in
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
that's
our
hope
as
Paul
says
in
Ephesians
chapter
2
God
loved
us
made
us
alive
with
Christ
raised
us
with
Christ
seated
us
with
Christ
why
so
that
in
the
coming
ages
he
might
show
the
immeasurable
riches
of his
grace
and
kindness
toward
us
in
Christ
Jesus
why
that he
might be
glorified
forever
these
are
important
words
church
very
important
words
I
want
every
one
of you
to
know
these
words
I
want
to
just
sear
the
mission
of
this
mission
statement
this
sermon
onto
your
heart
but
it
cannot
remain
just
words
if
it
remains
just
nice
sounding
words
we
have
missed
it
I
want
you
to
live
it
I
want
you
to
love
the
glory
of
God
in
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
so
would
you
help
me
would
you
help
drag
help
one
another
to
keep
this
mission
central
that
we
might
magnify
his
glory
as
we
enjoy
him
as
we
equip
one
another
as
we
evangelize
the
lost
let's
pray
Lord
there
is no
greater
purpose
than
to
magnify
your
glory
and
we
pray
that
as
individuals
that
would
be
the
desire
of
our
hearts
God
would
you
correct
and
convict
where
there
sin
where
we
either
rob
from
your
glory
or
ignore
it
all
together
would
you
give
us
eyes
to
see
your
worth
and
together
as a
church
family
Lord
we
want
to
just
make
much
of
you
that's
our
aim
Lord
you've
put
that
desire
in
our
hearts
and
we
ask
that
you
would
magnify
your
glory
here
at
Sea
We
Bay
make
your
name
known
and
praised
and
enjoyed
and
delighted
in
throughout
this
area
and
throughout
the
world
we
pray
in
Christ's
name
Amen