WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.160 As many of you will know, over the past week we've been doing our seven days of prayer, 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:11.640 which is something that we do twice a year in order to try and encourage us and remind 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:17.199 us of the centrality and importance of prayer in our lives as individual Christians and 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:22.480 in our life as a congregation together. 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:27.640 While it's really good to focus on prayer for this week and while it's good to have 00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:32.039 reached the end of that week, I want to make sure that I don't give the impression that 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:36.920 now that it's finished we should stop praying because the opposite is true. 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:43.719 In many ways we want our seven days of prayer to just be a boost and a catalyst to help 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:50.280 us grow further in our prayer lives as a congregation because it's so important that prayer remains 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:58.480 at the very heart of our life as a church and our lives as individuals. 00:00:58.480 --> 00:01:01.840 Prayer is something we need to do every day. 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:06.719 Prayer is something that we need to think about as a church all the time and prayer 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:14.879 is something that we want to work at and it's something that we want to invest in. 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:23.799 Today I want us to focus on a word that is probably always in your prayers and it's always 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:29.479 probably the last word of your prayer and that's the word. 00:01:29.479 --> 00:01:30.640 Amen. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:35.039 We're going to turn back to 2 Corinthians chapter one and we're going to read these 00:01:35.039 --> 00:01:36.640 two verses that are on the screen. 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:42.560 For the Son of God Jesus Christ whom we proclaimed among you, Sylvanus and Timothy and I, was 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:47.560 not yes and no but in him it is always yes and then verse 20 in particular for all the 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:49.159 promises of God find there. 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:56.920 Yes in him that is why it is through him that we utter our amen to God for his glory. 00:01:56.920 --> 00:02:07.400 We say amen all the time in church but why do we say it and what does it mean? 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:09.800 That's what I want us to think about a wee bit today. 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:16.320 When I was young I remember being told that amen means so be it and in many ways that's 00:02:16.320 --> 00:02:17.320 true. 00:02:17.320 --> 00:02:24.640 It makes sense at the end of a prayer you're saying amen, so be it, let it be so and that's 00:02:24.640 --> 00:02:25.640 not wrong. 00:02:25.640 --> 00:02:31.560 That's a good, very good starting point but as with many, many other things in the Bible 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:36.920 there's kind of more to it than that and if we look more closely we'll see that this 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:41.759 wee word amen is an absolutely amazing word. 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:47.359 I want us to start off by looking at five verses and there's three and then there'll 00:02:47.359 --> 00:02:49.479 be two more on another slide. 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:55.199 Deuteronomy 32 20 he said, I will hide my face from them I will see what their end will 00:02:55.199 --> 00:03:00.199 be for they are a perverse generation children in whom there's no faithfulness. 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:05.679 Isaiah 65 16 so that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:07.120 of truth. 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:11.200 Jeremiah 11 5 that I may confirm the oath that I swore to your fathers to give them a 00:03:11.200 --> 00:03:17.439 land flowing with milk and honey as it is this day then I answered so be it Lord. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:25.040 John 8 58 Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you before Abraham was I am and then 00:03:25.040 --> 00:03:29.800 Revelation 3 14 to the angel of the church and Leo to see a right the words of the amen 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:34.600 the faithful and true witness the beginning of God's creation. 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:41.400 Every word there's an every verse there's an underlined word and each of these underlined 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:51.439 words is the word amen in all of those different verses and so seeing that immediately tells 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:55.959 us that amen is more than just so be it. 00:03:55.959 --> 00:04:03.599 It's a very rich and deep word and it's well worth studying so what exactly does it mean? 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:11.879 Well amen is one of the few Hebrew words that have transferred across to English and the 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:16.759 Old Testament was written in Hebrew the New Testament written originally in Greek there's 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:20.639 tons and tons and tons of Greek words that have come into English but there's hardly 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:26.279 any Hebrew words that have come from Hebrew into English. 00:04:26.279 --> 00:04:36.519 One of them is amen the only one other one that I know is camel so who knew that camel 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:41.319 Hebrew word you knew a bit of Hebrew there may be some more but that's the ones I know 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:45.599 now Hebrew words work a wee bit differently to English words and I think it's going to 00:04:45.599 --> 00:04:49.839 be helpful for us just to think about that for a moment in Hebrew you have what you call 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:56.119 a basic root which is usually a combination of three letters and then lots of other words 00:04:56.120 --> 00:05:01.160 are kind of built on that root so it's almost like you've got a kind of foundational group 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:06.600 of letters and then lots of other words are built on that. 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:14.680 The word amen comes from a root that basically means to be firm or to be able to give support 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:21.120 okay so if you can see that there the idea of being firm solid able to support so in 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:26.519 second Kings you've got a related word that's used to describe pillars okay so you look at 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:32.000 these pillars here you think they're firm they're able to give support that's that's 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:40.439 part of this word this amen word family in Numbers chapter 11 it's the word fact the 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:47.360 word is used to describe a parent's strong arms holding a child again you see the idea 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:54.439 of firmness support holding a child so that they're safe and secure so that that amen word 00:05:54.439 --> 00:06:03.000 family is basically conveying the idea of being firm or solid and from that Hebrew is 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:10.280 then able to express various other things so you have the concept of reliability so firmness 00:06:10.280 --> 00:06:14.639 is something that you can rely on it's a reason to be sure of something that's why we had 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:22.800 the word faithfulness in that verse from Deuteronomy it also conveys the idea of truth so again 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:29.319 you think about it if something's true then it's dependable it's reliable it's firm and 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:35.639 stable you also get the idea of agreement and so that's why when you say amen you're 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:42.399 expressing commitment and agreement to what's being conveyed to you you're saying that that's 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:48.799 that's firm that's certain and it also conveys the idea of faith sorry I meant too far there 00:06:48.799 --> 00:06:54.359 conveys the idea of faith or trust so again if you think about all you people upstairs 00:06:54.359 --> 00:07:02.000 right you are trusting those two pillars aren't you because if those pillars can't hold you 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:07.279 up well in fact no it's not you people upstairs it's the people under the balcony who are 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:11.599 trusting those pillars because they're going to be even even more trouble if these pillars 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:16.640 aren't able to hold you up but there's that idea of trust isn't there you are you are 00:07:16.640 --> 00:07:24.160 putting your faith in the firmness and stability of something and so when it says in Genesis 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:31.840 15 that Abraham believed the Lord it's the same word family that that word believed comes 00:07:31.840 --> 00:07:38.400 from and that makes perfect sense Abraham is believing the Lord he's convinced that what 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:46.000 God is saying is firm it's secure it's trustworthy and from that we get the idea of seriousness 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:51.079 which is what we saw from the example of Jesus's words when he said truly truly or in the old 00:07:51.079 --> 00:07:57.319 version he used to say verily verily in Greek he said amen amen and it's basically conveying 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:02.239 the idea what this is these words are solid they're firm they're reliable you need to 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:09.879 take them seriously so when you hear that word amen I want you to be thinking in terms 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:18.280 of firmness certainty and reliability and on that basis I want to ask the question what 00:08:18.280 --> 00:08:24.680 does that teach us about prayer because we associate the word amen with prayer and we 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:31.480 will very often almost always end our prayers with the word amen and what I hope we can 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:38.800 see is that this idea of firmness that lies behind the word amen is immensely helpful 00:08:38.800 --> 00:08:43.800 for us to bear in mind when we think about our own prayer lives because when you say 00:08:43.800 --> 00:08:49.639 amen you're doing more than just telling everyone that your prayer is finished and you're doing 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:58.680 even more than simply saying so be it amen is an incredibly important word and briefly 00:08:58.679 --> 00:09:07.559 I want to give five reasons why that's the case so number one amen reminds us of the 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:15.159 absolute firmness and reliability of God when you say amen it's a bit like you're standing 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:19.279 on a solid rock those of you who like going walking in Scotland particularly those who 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:24.000 maybe go walking in winter time very often it's a kind of squelchy experience you can 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.840 go walking through the hills and the ground can be boggy and soft and you wobble you 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:35.159 slip you stumble you stretch but as you go along if you find a rock it's completely 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:43.360 different if you get your feet on that solid rock beneath you you are stable and secure 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:52.320 and your whole experience changes when we pray we are stepping onto a rock we are stepping 00:09:52.320 --> 00:10:00.240 onto God himself he is a place of total stability a place of security and safety and so when 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:07.040 you say amen I want you to be thinking in terms of standing on solid safe stable ground 00:10:07.040 --> 00:10:12.000 because that is where we are when we pray we are on solid ground in fact we can never 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:20.280 ever be on firmer and more solid ground than we are when we pray to God every time we pray 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:29.480 we are resting on his consistency his power his strength his reliability and that's such 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:37.439 a comfort for us as we go through the kind of chaos and instability of life you can go 00:10:37.439 --> 00:10:43.000 through a week and you're just constantly swamped by pressures by busyness by all sorts 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:49.639 of things that knock you and can often leave you feeling as though you're sinking and yet 00:10:49.639 --> 00:11:00.199 the word amen is reminding you that there is a solid rock right beside you all the time 00:11:00.199 --> 00:11:05.720 and he's just a prayer away and so when you say amen you're saying to God Lord you are 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:17.200 firm and secure number two amen reminds us that we can lean on God as we were saying 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:22.960 amen it's the same word family is the word for pillars so the idea of giving support 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:28.120 if you look at these pillars they are taking the weight of the roof and of the balcony 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:34.480 and there's pillars below us taking the weight of this floor these are holding up the weight 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:38.960 that's placed on top of them and that's a very comforting and important thought because 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:47.120 so often we can feel weighed down by the burdens that we carry so we worry about our love 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:52.879 loved ones we feel the pressure of work we go to our inbox tomorrow morning and you 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:59.440 kind of wince because you think oh man there's so much to do already we can feel concerned 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:05.560 about our finances we have the stress of work and life and all the busyness that brings 00:12:05.560 --> 00:12:12.560 and we can have feelings of failure or as Don prayed about and expectations that haven't 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:21.239 gone the way we hoped all of these things can leave you feeling so weighed down and 00:12:21.239 --> 00:12:29.319 yet all the time God is saying to you I'll take the weight that's exactly what Jesus 00:12:29.319 --> 00:12:34.159 said when he said come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:43.279 he said I'll take the weight and so when you say amen I want you to think of it as if you 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:51.879 are placing the weight of all these burdens on to God we're casting our cares onto him 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:59.199 as 1 Peter chapter 5 tells us so as we pray we can pour out our every worry our frustrations 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:06.640 our fears or disappointments our concerns our burdens and our amen is reminding us that 00:13:06.640 --> 00:13:14.480 God will take the weight of these we can leave all our burdens with him so always really 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:20.759 important to remember that prayer is much more about giving to God than about getting 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:24.200 from God as soon as we think of prayer and we think well it's just about asking God for 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:30.920 stuff well it's not really like that and in many ways it's far more about giving to God 00:13:30.920 --> 00:13:38.360 and in prayer we want to give God our best so we give him our praise our worship our 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:44.440 thanks and our adoration we want to give him our very best but the amazing thing is at 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:52.240 the same time God also wants us to give him our worst in prayer in the sense that we give 00:13:52.240 --> 00:14:02.279 him all of our worries all of our fears all of the stuff that's really hard in life and 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:09.519 he's ready and willing to take the weight so when you say amen you're saying to God 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:17.960 Lord please take the weight of this for me number three amen reminds us of the seriousness 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:25.080 of prayer I hope that already we can see that that amen is not a casual word and Jesus 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:30.360 makes that very clear for us because he uses it as his introduction to the statements that 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:35.759 he made which were of the utmost solemnity and importance as he said amen amen I say 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:43.080 to you whoever believes has eternal life and so when we say amen it should remind us that 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:48.600 we're engaging in a serious business as we pray so prayer is lots of brilliant things 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:54.960 prayer is amazingly accessible we can do it anytime any place at any age at any stage 00:14:54.960 --> 00:15:00.840 prayer is beautifully personal we come as we are and we are just completely ourselves 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:07.759 before God prayer is wonderfully simple you're just talking to God that's all you're doing 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:13.840 and and at the same time God listens to us to every word prayer is all these wonderful 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:24.200 things but at the same time prayer is always always a serious business it's a serious thing 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:29.519 prayer matters prayer is essential prayer is powerful prayer is precious and we must 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:40.279 never ever forget that God takes our prayers immensely seriously God takes your prayers 00:15:40.279 --> 00:15:48.079 incredibly seriously now he's under no obligation to listen he doesn't need our prayers we've 00:15:48.079 --> 00:15:55.639 got no claim on his attention he's under no obligation to listen and yet he hears you 00:15:55.639 --> 00:16:04.639 with perfect attention and total devotion no matter how poor or needy we are the Lord 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:11.799 takes thought of us and so our amen reminds us that our prayers are not casual and it 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:16.679 reminds us that they're of the utmost importance to God and they're also a way of us to say 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:22.679 to God that we are taking our prayers seriously so prayers not amen is not just this kind 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:27.239 of like final sort of tick off the list at the end of a prayer it's a way of actually 00:16:27.239 --> 00:16:39.319 saying Lord I really mean this I'm serious about what I'm asking prayer is an astounding 00:16:39.319 --> 00:16:49.759 privilege and our amen should always remind us of that number four amen is a statement 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:56.600 of understanding and agreement we see that often in scripture people use the word amen 00:16:56.600 --> 00:17:02.559 to say that they to express that they're in solemn agreement with what has been said 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:06.119 we're going to see a very good example of this tonight because Derek is going to be 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:11.400 preaching on Nehemiah chapter eight and you can see it here that in that chapter Ezra 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:15.319 opened the book of the law on the side of all the people for he was above the people 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:19.919 and he opened it and as he opened it all the people stood as a blessed the Lord the great 00:17:19.919 --> 00:17:27.480 God and all the people answered amen amen lifting up their hands and they bowed their heads 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:33.599 and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground the people affirmed the truth of 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:38.799 what they were hearing and they expressed their agreement with the words that Ezra spoke 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:44.599 by saying amen it's picked up later in the chapter at verse twelve they went away eating 00:17:44.599 --> 00:17:52.039 and rejoicing because they had understood the words that had been declared to them so 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:59.240 that amen of the people was an expression of understanding of agreement and of commitment 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:05.439 to the Lord so when we say amen when we read a passage of the Bible or if somebody is leading 00:18:05.439 --> 00:18:11.759 in prayer then we are expressing our understanding and our agreement with that and it's important 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:18.640 to remember that because amen is not like a mystical or magical word it's about being 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:25.319 firm solid and reliable it's about truth not about mystery so if somebody reads a passage 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:31.920 of scripture when you say amen you're basically saying I'm standing on that and when someone 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:37.680 prays and you say amen with that prayer you're saying I'm standing on the same ground and 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:42.480 it's a great reminder that the Christian faith is not about vagueness or mystery Christianity 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:50.240 is about solid clear firm truth and we saw that with the fact that amen and truth it's 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:56.720 all part of the same word family in Hebrew amen is a way for us to say I understand that 00:18:56.720 --> 00:19:03.640 and I agree with it and I know that this is true that's why there's nothing wrong with 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:08.759 saying amen in a service it can be out loud it can be in your heart but you're saying 00:19:08.759 --> 00:19:15.400 when you're hearing the word of God and saying amen you're saying I'm standing on that I 00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:20.920 am holding on to that as well and so when you say amen you're saying to God Lord I agree 00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:29.400 with you I am standing with you so amen reminds us of the firmness and reliability of God 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:34.640 amen reminds us that we can lean on him amen reminds us that prayer is a serious business 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:43.519 amen is a statement of agreement and of understanding number five amen is a statement of trust 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:47.480 we said that when we were looking at the Hebrew word family the word Hebrew word for faith 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:54.800 comes from the same family that makes perfect sense if something is firm if it's reliable 00:19:54.799 --> 00:20:03.000 if it's secure then we can trust it and so when we close our prayers with the words amen 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:09.879 with the word amen we're making a statement of our trust in God we're saying that we're 00:20:09.879 --> 00:20:15.159 convinced of the truth of all that he said in his word that's why Paul highlights the 00:20:15.159 --> 00:20:19.759 certainty of God's promises in this verse he says all the promises of God find there 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:29.039 yes in him that's why it's through him we utter our amen to God we're trusting in God's promises 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:33.640 we're saying that we believe what he says we're also saying that we're committed to him we're 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:38.519 not just affirming that his word is accurate we're actually personally committing ourselves 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:43.519 to him and to what he says and so when we pray we're not putting God to the test we're 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:50.079 not giving a half-hearted request we are wholly committing ourselves to him we're not just 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:55.599 saying that he is the rock we're saying that he is our rock and we're standing on him and 00:20:55.599 --> 00:21:02.759 we're relying on him and when we say amen we're saying that we trust God to answer us 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:09.119 we are expressing our understanding that he is sovereign and that we agree with his answer 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:14.919 whatever that may be we're not demanding that our will be done we're saying that we know 00:21:14.919 --> 00:21:21.439 that God will do what's best so when you say amen at the end of your prayer you're saying 00:21:21.439 --> 00:21:32.639 to God Lord I trust you and that's a brilliant way to always end our prayers so amen is an 00:21:32.639 --> 00:21:38.439 awesome word it's a really cool word it tells us about God that he is firm and reliable 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:43.240 that he can take the weight of our concerns it tells us about ourselves that we are expressing 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:49.080 our seriousness our agreement our commitment our trust and that's where we see that this 00:21:49.080 --> 00:21:55.080 word amen is actually binding us together with God it's conveying his commitment to 00:21:55.080 --> 00:22:00.840 us it's conveying our commitment to him it's pointing to the fact that we have a relationship 00:22:00.840 --> 00:22:06.480 with him as our God and that takes us back to the blue circle at the top in the middle 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:13.960 there with this word amen conveys the idea of a parent holding a little infant in their 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:25.960 arms because that's really what prayer is like you are the child running to your father 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:33.640 independence and in need of his love and God is the amazing father who just takes you in 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:45.040 his arms that are so firm and so secure and he holds you and keeps you safe it's an amazing 00:22:45.040 --> 00:22:53.640 privilege to be able to say amen to God it's expressing a relationship with him and it's 00:22:53.640 --> 00:23:02.280 reminding us of his commitment to us and as Paul emphasizes in the verse that we've been 00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:09.839 looking at or that we've been starting from that all of that is possible because of what 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:17.000 Jesus has done all the promises of God find their yes in him it's through him that we 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:22.639 utter our amen to God for his glory so think of every promise that God has fulfilled in 00:23:22.639 --> 00:23:28.279 Jesus his promise to defeat evil his promise to cleanse us from sin his promise to gather 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:33.559 people into his family from all nations his promise to dwell with us and his promise to 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:40.720 be our God all of these are fulfilled in Christ it's in him that these promises find their 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:48.399 yes and that's why it's only through Jesus that we utter our amen to God it's through Christ 00:23:48.399 --> 00:23:58.000 that we have a relationship with him and so that word amen is a reminder for you of everything 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:05.400 that Jesus has done for you and that's why every time you say that word amen you are glorifying 00:24:05.400 --> 00:24:13.359 God it's expressing the fact that he has done so much for us through Jesus we're glorifying him 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:22.960 because we're expressing our total dependence and trust in the one who's for him so amen is not 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:28.799 just a wee word to end your prayer it's not just a wee word with which to end our service it's a 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:36.840 brilliant word and it expresses so much key teaching in terms of a relationship with God 00:24:36.840 --> 00:24:45.759 but last of all it also raises a really important question about how you respond to the Gospel 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:57.279 the Gospel is a message of God's promise to you it's a promise to save you if you trust in him 00:24:57.279 --> 00:25:08.920 it's a promise of eternal peace eternal security eternal joy a relationship of immeasurable love 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:20.680 with God and with every other Christian as you sit here today God is promising that to you and 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:32.759 he is offering it to you if you're not yet a Christian and the key question is can you put 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:41.920 your amen to that offer so when God says that he has loved the world so much that he gave his 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:49.879 only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life can you put your 00:25:49.879 --> 00:26:00.759 amen to that in other words is that where you're standing is that where you're placing your security 00:26:00.759 --> 00:26:13.079 is that the rock on which you're building your life and it's so important to think about that 00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:17.119 because you really have to ask yourself you know who is getting your amen in life we read the 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:23.720 question from the New City Catechism about idolatry and idolatry is trusting and created 00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:29.119 things rather than the creative for our hope and happiness significance and security another 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:37.759 way of saying that is idolatry is giving your amen to something other than God and I really hope 00:26:37.759 --> 00:26:49.919 you're not doing that today God is looking for your amen he's saying I will be your rock stand on 00:26:49.920 --> 00:27:06.720 me you'll be safe forever please please give him your amen let's pray dear God our father we thank 00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:15.080 you for the fact that you are the one source of stability and security that we can find we thank 00:27:15.079 --> 00:27:20.919 you that you've poured out your love towards us in Jesus Christ that you have made and kept so 00:27:20.919 --> 00:27:32.639 many promises and as we stand before you today we want to give you a wholehearted amen and confess 00:27:32.639 --> 00:27:42.319 that that we need you and that we're committing our lives to you and without you we have nothing and 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:48.559 so Lord we thank you that you are our strength and we thank you that we can come and pray to you 00:27:48.559 --> 00:28:16.119 and build our lives on you so please lead us all Lord in your ways amen