For those of you who maybe haven't met Matt, he is our district minister.
! He gets to sometimes just pop into different churches in Saskatchewan and share what's going on with our wider church family.
But also offers often to share the word with us as a congregation, which is nice for me to get a break from doing that week after week and focus on other church responsibilities.
So I want to welcome you here, Matt, and thank you for coming.
And we look forward to hearing what the Lord's laid on your heart.
Thank you, Pastor Josh. It's always good to be here with you.
And, yeah, I can appreciate what Pastor Josh experiences when it comes to ministry and a young family.
That's what it was kind of like for my wife and I in 1996 when we started at a church called Lake Park Baptist Church near Birch Hills.
And it was a smaller church as well.
Being a solo pastor, trying to do youth ministry and run different kinds of other ministries to chair different groups so that they were organized and so on.
And it's a big, big role.
So I appreciate what Pastor Josh and his family go through.
And that's why I, every once in a while, I call them up and say, how can I help?
And if I can preach, that's one of the best things for me.
I have a hard time running a youth group these days.
But anyway, we've done that for many years as well.
So, okay, let's, I just would like to pray with you before I share.
Father, I thank you so much for this time together here this morning.
I thank you for the spirit of worship, the unity of this family of believers right here in this community.
And, Lord, as we've had time to share together about requests that we have on our hearts,
whether personally and then also for others,
Lord, we also want to remember the event that just took place here in Regina and this crusade.
And just hearing of those that came forward for prayer.
We don't know, really, every individual and why it was they came for prayer.
But for some, they came to respond to the call that came through the word, which was by your spirit.
And then also for those who maybe weren't living right and needed to rededicate their life.
And that you shone by your spirit a light in their life.
And you pinpointed things in their journey that they needed to organize, to deal with, and whatever it may be.
And so I pray for each of those and those who were encouraged in that crusade.
And that you would use them for the furtherance of your gospel here in our province or wherever they came from.
So I pray now that you would guide us as we open the scriptures.
I pray your protection over your word.
That I would not say something, Lord, that would cause an issue with it.
That you would guard my heart, my mind, and my lips.
And that you, Holy Spirit, would have full freedom to work.
I pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Okay.
We are going to be looking at John chapter 7 together this morning.
And it's really interesting that as you're going to find out in just a moment, as I'm sharing this,
some of the requests that we heard from one another that we asked for prayer for,
and how it will apply to what I'm going to be sharing with you.
And I'll try to draw that in as we go through this passage together.
Now, we're not going to look at the entire chapter of John 7.
We're going to look at the first part of the chapter, and then mainly at the last part,
and then a little bit of the verses in between to lead us and connect it all together.
But I just want you to know, that's how I used to read books.
I would read the first chapter and the last chapter.
And then I would put my English assignment together an hour before it was supposed to be handed in.
And so what we're going to be doing is reliving my past, okay?
So, no, not going to happen that way.
Now, before we read this, I need to set the theme for you as to what is this chapter getting at.
In our day-to-day life, we experience what I would refer to as fences or lines.
And what I don't mean according to agricultural fences and that kind of thing.
What I mean is there are lines or fences that people will either, they'll walk up to it,
and they'll say, I cannot cross.
There's other people on the other side of the fence that are saying, come on over.
And then there's those that are on the fence, and they're saying, I don't know what to do.
And so you see that, for example, in, let's pick on politics, right?
You have people that are saying, we are all for this party.
And somebody else will say, absolutely not.
I am not for that party.
And then there's others that will say, well, I'm kind of on the fence.
I don't know.
I like some of what they're saying.
I don't like this part.
I don't know which way to go, but I'll just entertain both.
Okay, so that just gives you an example of everyday life.
But this is also very practical when it comes to life with Jesus Christ or faith in Christ,
which we talked about and we've heard a little bit in this prayer time that we had prior to me coming up here and sharing with you.
There's these moments in life, in our world, where people have definitely chosen which side of the fence they are on when it comes to Jesus.
There are those who say, absolutely not.
I will not go there.
There's others of, for example, you who are gathered here this morning.
I don't know where everybody's at in your spiritual journey.
But for many of you, this is definitely, we are on the side of Jesus.
And then there are those who are saying, well, I kind of like Jesus.
I know what he's like.
I just don't know which way to go.
I don't know if I should totally commit to him or not.
So we're going to begin by reading the first five verses of John chapter 7.
And we're going to see how this comes together.
So verse 1, starting there.
After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.
But when the Jewish feast of tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him,
you ought to leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.
No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.
Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.
For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
Now the first thing we need to know when we're looking at these first five verses because it comes up,
who are Jesus' brothers?
We don't often think about Jesus' biological family.
We know he grew up like he grew up in a family.
We know that he was born of Mary, which we celebrate at Christmas,
his father being Joseph as far as his earthly father, not his father who brought him into this world.
But we know there is a family, but we don't think about, well, did he have brothers?
Did he have sisters?
Who were these people?
Well, in Matthew chapter 13, verse 55, it says,
Isn't this the carpenter's son?
Isn't his mother's name Mary?
And aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Now that's not the Judas that would betray Jesus, by the way.
So these are Jesus' half-brothers.
Do you recognize any of those names?
You do, right?
There's some that are quite familiar.
One being James.
James was the one who wrote the epistle of James that you have in your scriptures right after Hebrews.
He's one of the brothers that is spoken of in John chapter 7,
who at this point in his life did not believe in Jesus.
Oh, yeah, he knew Jesus was a real person.
Jesus talked and ate and, you know, he worked with the family.
He worked possibly with his father in the carpentry business and so on.
But here is this James who would later write an epistle that you have in your scriptures.
At this point, he did not believe.
Now just a side note here.
No one is born a follower of Jesus Christ.
Right?
No one's born as a follower of Christ.
So you hear testimonies from time to time.
And, I mean, I heard so many of them pastoring in a church.
People giving their testimony maybe before they were baptized or sharing their testimony
before they became a member of a church, of our church.
And they would say, I was born into a Christian family.
And when I heard their testimony, just one-on-one, I'd say, can you please clarify what you mean by this?
Because no one is born a Christian.
Just because you were born into a Christian family does not mean your faith comes out of your parents
or your grandparents.
And there are so many people that live in this, in our world or in our province,
maybe even in your community, that if you were to ask them,
tell me a little bit about your spiritual heritage.
Oh, you know, they would say, well, we attended this church.
And they would explain, you know, what church it was, what denomination it was.
And I grew up going to this church.
You know, my family was very Christian.
And I just did it that way.
So, in other words, they're implying, I'm okay.
Because I grew up with that kind of heritage.
Every single person on this planet is born without a personal relationship with Christ.
And at some point must decide what are they going to do with Jesus.
Even men like the Apostle James, who is actually a brother to Jesus,
needed to make this decision for himself.
No one is exempt.
But there's something about James and his other brothers,
the other brothers of Jesus, that doesn't quite make sense.
They told Jesus in verse 3 and 4,
you ought to leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples,
okay, your disciples,
James isn't saying, you know, me being one of them.
He's saying, your disciples may see the miracles you do.
No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.
Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.
Now, if verses 3 and 4 would have Jesus' brothers saying something like this,
we don't think you can do these miracles.
We hear that you're doing these kinds of things in the community or the communities around.
We don't think that you can actually do these things.
We don't want to be associated with you.
Do you realize, Jesus, you're embarrassing our family?
Like, cut it out.
No one, in their situation,
no one really wants to be a part of someone who's going out there
and doing these wild and maybe even what they would think are strange things.
Now, if Jesus' brothers would have said something like that,
then it would kind of make sense what we're reading in verses 3 and 4.
But this is not the case.
Jesus' brothers believed that Jesus could do miracles.
They believed he could do these things.
They were amazed.
They loved what he could do.
And they even wanted him to make an appearance in Jerusalem to become more popular.
That, Jesus, you actually could become a celebrity by doing these kinds of things.
You need to take your show on the road.
Do you realize how much cash you could make?
We'll stand at the door and say,
if you want to see Jesus do this, pay up.
We'll do this.
We could make a boatload of cash.
Verse 10 tells us that Jesus' brothers even went to the same feast or celebration at the church in Jerusalem that Jesus did.
But to this, John says in verse 5,
For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
More plainly put, spiritually, they were on the wrong side of the fence.
After I read this and I pondered this, a terrible feeling came over me.
How many people do you know?
They like the idea of the person of Jesus.
They like his character of compassion for the sick and the hurting.
They like his sympathy and empathy for those who are grieving.
They like to hear of him being a forgiving person.
They like that he can look after our needs.
They like the person of Jesus.
And they love what the person of Jesus can do.
They even pray that maybe Jesus would do it for somebody in their own life.
But they do not believe in him for salvation.
They are on the wrong side of the fence.
To like or even love the character and the things that Jesus can do.
Does not mean that Jesus likes or loves you or them to the point that just because they like what he can do,
they're good to go for eternity.
You won't find that in the Bible.
What you will find in Scripture are words like this.
John 1 verse 12.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believe him,
Why is this so important?
John 3 verse 36 tells us,
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.
But whoever rejects the Son will not see life.
For God's wrath remains on him.
People on the wrong side of the fence
are more interested in committing to religious activity
than committing to Jesus.
Jesus' brothers were all for Jesus,
doing his miracles and going more public with his miracles.
They were interested in going to Jerusalem
and going to the special church meetings,
but they were not interested in making the commitment
that Jesus was actually whom God sent,
that that is to be the Savior, the Messiah for all of mankind.
They were not interested in believing in him,
which means that they would not put their faith in him
or entrust themselves to him
or make a commitment to him.
So the question is, do you know anyone like that?
Do you know anyone who says,
Oh, I'm okay with going to church.
I'm okay with going to a special meeting maybe,
but don't ask me to cross the fence.
I'm okay.
I'm okay with just attending or accepting some things about Jesus,
but not committing to him.
In this previous chapter of John,
in chapter 6, verse 2,
it says,
There are a great crowd of people followed him
because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.
Why were they following Jesus?
Because they liked what he was doing.
We like that Jesus is going to heal people
and do those kinds of things,
so we really like that he can do those things.
And we will follow him as long as he keeps doing that.
Or in Luke,
when Jesus was brought before Herod,
a Roman official to be questioned
to see if he deserved the death penalty,
it says in Luke 23, verse 8,
When Herod saw Jesus,
he was greatly pleased
because for a long time
he had been waiting to see him.
Why was he waiting to see Jesus?
From what he had heard about him,
he hoped to see him perform some miracles.
That's why he wanted to see.
If I could just see Jesus do this stuff,
I hear he does such a great job
of wowing people
with doing all these great miracles.
I would love to see some of that.
There's absolutely no desire
for the truth of Jesus
and to live for Jesus.
The only desire was
we only want to see Jesus
do these great things that he does.
Like they're watching a magician.
You know, they've gone to the show,
they've watched the magician
do what he does,
and then in the end,
all they can say is,
what a fantastic show.
You need to go watch him sometime.
So for proof
that they were only interested
in the activity of Jesus
and not in committing to Jesus,
John says in John 12 verse 37,
even after Jesus had done
all these miraculous signs
in their presence,
they still would not believe in him.
They still wouldn't believe.
They saw all these great things
that Jesus was doing,
but they would not believe in him
by faith.
So this does not mean
that there haven't been people
who have committed their life
to Jesus because of a miracle.
There have been.
But there's more about liking
the activity of Jesus
rather than simply,
or than the person of Jesus.
So I ask again,
do you know anyone
on that side of the fence?
They like the activity of Jesus,
the social justice,
the caring for and befriending
the marginalized in society.
He was a great man
and a great example
is what they're thinking,
but they aren't interested
in submitting to him
as their savior.
So that was the first point.
People on the wrong side
of the fence
are more interested
in committing
to a religious activity
than committing to Jesus
as their savior.
So Jesus eventually
goes to the feast
in Jerusalem,
but instead of going
to keep a religious ritual,
he goes to teach.
Verse 14 tells us this.
Not until halfway
through the feast
did Jesus go up
to the temple courts
and begin to teach.
And while he was teaching,
people started
to ask questions.
Questions like this one
found in verse 15.
How did this man
get such learning
without having studied?
Or this question
in verse 26.
Here he is
speaking publicly
and they are not
saying a word to him.
Have the authorities
really concluded
that he is the Christ?
Or verse 31.
Still many in the crowd
put their faith in him.
They said,
When the Christ comes,
will he do more
miraculous signs
than this man?
In other words,
what they are saying is
he must be the Christ.
Questions like these
didn't sit well
with the Pharisees.
Verse 32.
The Pharisees heard
the crowd whispering
such things about him.
Then the chief priests
and the Pharisees
sent temple guards
to arrest him.
In the meantime,
right to the very last
day of the feast,
people are still
listening to Jesus' teaching.
What was Jesus
teaching about?
verses 37 to 39
tell us that
on the last
and the greatest day
of the feast,
Jesus stood
and said in a loud voice,
If anyone is thirsty,
let him come to me
and drink.
Whoever believes in me,
as the scripture has said,
streams of living water
will flow from him.
By this he meant
the Spirit,
whom those who believed
in him were later
to receive.
Up to that time,
the Spirit had not
been given,
since Jesus had not
been glorified.
Jesus' teaching
gets the people talking.
Verses 40 to 42.
On hearing his words,
some of the people said,
Surely this man
is the prophet.
Others said,
He is the Christ.
So others asked,
How can the Christ
come from Galilee?
Does not the scriptures
say that the Christ
will come from David's family
and from Bethlehem,
the town where David lived?
David's family
said,
Their talking tells us
where they are
in relation to the fence.
They are not on the wrong
side of the fence,
nor are they on the right
side of the fence.
They're on the fence.
They're living a way
and trying to live
in such a way
that they don't really
have to make a commitment,
but they like the side
of the people
that are on the right side.
They're also agreeing
with some of the things
that people are on the wrong side,
but they don't know
which way to go.
Do we go with Jesus
or do we not?
And they're actually
telling us
what it's like
if you are on the fence.
People on the fence
are more interested
in talking about Jesus
than committing to Jesus.
There are many people
across the nation,
province,
local communities
who are on the fence
in respect to Jesus,
and you may have experienced
that right here
in this town
or the region of Davidson
from wherever you are from.
You've talked to people
and they've said,
well, okay,
I understand
what Jesus is like
and I can agree with you,
but again,
I'm not interested
in going all the way.
There may even be
someone here this morning
that you're in
exactly that situation.
You're on the fence.
You don't know
what to do with Jesus.
And so if you're
on the fence
concerning Jesus,
I ask you,
won't you come down
off the fence?
Living on fences
is not a great place
to live.
So come down
and commit your life
to Jesus.
Don't just talk about Him.
Come down
and talk to Him.
Talk to Him
about your unbelief.
Talk to Him
about your sin.
Talk to Him
about whatever
is troubling you
or causing this guilt
or frustration
that you're dealing with.
The same thing
Jesus taught
on the last day
at the feast
in Jerusalem
in John 7
verses 37 to 38,
He teaches you today.
If anyone is thirsty,
let him come to Me.
Let him or her
come from either
the wrong side
of the fence
or off the fence
and drink.
Whoever believes in Me,
which means
put your faith in Him,
trust in Him,
commit to Him,
as the Scriptures
has said,
streams of living water
will flow
from within Him.
So come down
off the fence.
So there were those
who heard Jesus teaching
and they said,
no,
not interested.
There are those
who were on the fence
and saying,
we're thinking about it.
But then there are those
who actually did cross over.
Remember how the Pharisees
sent the temple guards
to go and arrest Jesus?
They were so fed up
with people
entertaining the thought
that Jesus was actually
the Messiah
that they said,
go and arrest Him
and bring Him here.
Well, look what happens,
verse 45.
Finally,
the temple guards
went back to the chief priests
and Pharisees
who asked them,
why didn't you bring Him in?
And look at their answer.
No one ever spoke
the way this man does.
The guards declared,
you mean,
He has received you also?
He has deceived you also?
The Pharisees restored.
Has any of the rulers
or the Pharisees
believed in Him?
They forgot about Nicodemus,
which is coming up.
No.
Pretty clear
which side of the fence
they're on, correct?
We're not going over that fence,
so neither should you.
Now Nicodemus,
who had gone to Jesus earlier
and who was one
of their own number,
asked,
does our law condemn anyone
without first hearing Him
and finding out
what He is doing?
They replied,
are you from Galilee too?
Look into it
and you will find
that a prophet
does not come
out of Galilee.
Okay,
side note.
When the wise men
came
to try and find
Jesus at His birth,
or He had actually
been born already,
they found Him
somewhere else,
but when they came
at the time
of Jesus' birth,
remember they went
to the Roman official
of that time
and they asked,
where would we find
Jesus,
born King of the Jews?
And He said,
I have no clue,
but I'm going to ask
for you.
Who did He ask
to find out
where Jesus would be born?
Do you remember?
Pardon?
Well,
the Magi came,
the Magi asked,
where would we find Him?
Where did the
governor official
of that time say,
well,
I know where you can
get the answer.
Who did He ask
for the answer?
The Pharisees.
The Pharisees
said,
we know,
according to the prophets,
where He would be born
when He comes.
He'll be born
in Bethlehem.
But they didn't go.
And now they're saying
in this verse
to Nicodemus,
are you from Galilee too?
Look into it
and you will find
that a prophet
does not come
out of Galilee.
And it was just prior
to this in the same passage
that the people knew
He's coming from Bethlehem.
Now consider this
very carefully with me.
The temple guards
came back
to the chief priests
and the Pharisees
and when questioned
why didn't you
bring Him with you,
they didn't say,
well,
we were thinking about it
but we thought
that's just going to
cause a lot of trouble.
They didn't say
something like that.
What they did say is,
no one ever spoke
the way this man does.
And then one of their own,
a Pharisee by the name
of Nicodemus
from John chapter 3
who came to Jesus
in the night
and Jesus explained to him
this doctrine
of being born again.
This man perks up
and he starts
defending Jesus.
Verse 51,
does our law
condemn anyone
without first
hearing him
to find out
what he is doing?
So what's going on
with these people?
I'm referring to
the guards
and Nicodemus.
What's going on
with these people?
The key is
that the guards
came back.
They didn't have to.
Another key action
is that Nicodemus
spoke up
in defense of Jesus
knowing that
this group of Pharisees
disliked Jesus
so much
that they actually
wanted to kill him.
So in regard
to the fence,
where are the temple guards
and Nicodemus?
They have crossed over.
And how do we know?
What is the telltale sign
of somebody
that's going over the fence
and they're actually
on the right side
of the fence
regarding Jesus Christ?
People who are
on the right side
of the fence
are more interested
in publicly identifying
with Jesus
than remaining private.
Now here's where
the prayer request
came in
about how people
that you're experiencing
there's a hostility
toward the gospel.
That's happening
in our communities.
It's happening
in Canada.
There's a hostility
toward the gospel.
Why?
Because it speaks
about the very fact
that there are
specific values,
specific guidelines,
specific truths
that people
should be living by.
And it's not
our idea,
by the way.
It's God's idea.
And people get
opposed to that
because
who are you
to tell me
how I should live?
Now even if it means
there could be
tension,
people that are
on the right side
of the fence
are okay with
publicly identifying
with Christ
rather than
remaining private.
Even if it means
they could be
questioned,
they will willingly
take their relationship
with God
to another level.
They put their
commitment
right out there
for all to see.
They don't do this
for pride's sake.
Look at me,
I'm a Christian.
They do this
because they know
that in Christ
and Christ alone
their eternity
is secure
and that's the only
way anyone
will come
to eternity
with Christ
forever.
It is through
Christ and Him
alone.
So their
conviction,
if you're on the
right side of the fence,
your conviction,
you don't have to be
concerned about
verses like Matthew 10
verses 32 to 33
where it says,
whoever acknowledges
me before men,
I will also acknowledge
him before my
Father in heaven.
But whoever
disowns me before men,
I will disown him
before my Father
in heaven.
See, the people
on the right side
of the fence,
this isn't a concern
for them.
People on the right
side of the fence
publicly identify
with Jesus.
So when is the
last time you saw
someone go public
with their
relationship with
Jesus?
When is the
last time that
you have gone
public with
your relationship
with Jesus?
You might ask,
well, what exactly
would that look
like?
Well, one of the
examples would
be baptism.
Baptism is a
very real public
example of going
out front of
people and saying,
I am a follower
of Jesus Christ.
I believe that
He died for me.
I believe that
He went to the
grave and took
care of my sin
but rose again
victorious,
conquering death.
I know it's
only through Him.
Now, if you
haven't been baptized,
talk to your
pastor or some
of the leadership
here at the
church and they'd
love to talk to
you about that.
But what about
when a conversation
goes toward the
spiritual discussion?
You know, you're
going and you're
doing business
here in Davidson
or in your region,
wherever it is,
you meet up with
people and the
conversation goes
to the spiritual
part of it.
Do you engage
in sharing about
Jesus and that
you are a follower
of Him?
Or are you not
even on that
side of the fence?
You say,
well, it's been
a while.
I'm just not
that vocal or
I don't want to
come across as a
fanatic.
I don't want to
cause a scene.
Look at what
Jesus says in
Luke 9 verse 25.
Oh, I'm way
behind, sorry.
Maybe I'm not.
Hmm?
No, that's
the one.
If anyone is
ashamed of me
and my words,
the Son of Man
will be ashamed
of him when he
comes to his
glory and in
the glory of
the Father and
of the holy
angels.
Is this the
reason that
some people don't
want to go
public with their
relationship with
Jesus?
Are they ashamed
of him?
And if so,
it might be an
opportunity to
consider what
side of the
fence am I
really on?
For some of you
may say, well,
no, Matt,
that's not it.
I just don't
want to cause a
division between
myself and
people.
I prefer to keep
the relationship
going, so I
don't want to go
there because I
don't want to
disrupt that.
You know what?
There is no way
around that.
Division is very
possible if you
are on the right
side of the fence.
People who are
not on the same
side of the fence
as you concerning
Jesus, they will
not accept the
values and things
that you're sharing
about your
relationship with
him.
No matter how
tactful and
courteous you are,
if you go public,
division is very
likely going to
happen.
It's not that you
are going to cause
it intentionally,
it's just going to
happen.
Verse 43 said,
thus the people
were divided
because of Jesus.
You won't cause a
division, it will
be Jesus who
will cause it.
Jesus admitted
this in Matthew
10, 34-36.
Do not suppose
that I have come
to bring peace
to the earth.
I did not come
to bring peace
but a sword.
For I have come
to turn a man
against his father,
a daughter against
her mother, a
daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law,
a man's enemy
will be the members
of his own
household.
Jesus doesn't
mean this to
happen intentionally.
It's not like
he's saying,
okay, if you
accept me as
your savior,
really try hard
to get your son
to not like you.
That's not what
he's saying.
It's just a
byproduct of the
relationship.
It's not always
going to be
unifying in a
family.
It's not always
going to be
unifying in your
community.
I know of people
who have left
a religious
background to
live in a
personal relationship
with Jesus.
And then their
family found out
and they told
this dear loved
one of theirs,
they told their
son, this just
happened about a
month and a half
ago, I heard
about this.
If you don't
quit this
relationship with
Jesus stuff,
you are not
welcome here.
I know of families
where children have
grown up in the
teaching of Jesus
and have accepted
Jesus, but today
their children
don't see Jesus
like their parents
do and it has
caused them to
become estranged.
that happens in
my family, my
own son.
Going public with
your faith will
cause division and
it's painful.
But that's what life
is like on the
right side of the
fence.
When it comes to
the fence, which
side are you on?
Or would you say,
I'm not on any
fence, I'm on the
fence on this one,
really.
Just truthfully, I'm
on the fence.
I don't know which
side I want to go on
and that's fair.
And if you want,
don't hesitate to
talk to your
pastor about where
you're at.
Or if you know of
somebody that's on
the fence and they
want to talk about it
and you don't really
know if you feel
comfortable, then say,
I know someone who
can help you with
this and introduce
them to your pastor
or to a leader of
the church or
somebody who else
they may respect
within the dynamic
of who Jesus is.
And if you've
chosen the side of
the fence that
does not include
Jesus, I pray that
God by his spirit
will continue to
call you as you're
searching.
I'm going to pray
and then I'll
hand it over to
Pastor Josh.
Lord, thank you so
much for our time
together this morning
and Lord, we are
grateful that you
have shown us very
clearly through
scriptures, like even
the one we looked at
today, that there's
just times in life
where people are just
not willing to cross
over.
And Lord, it's
painful when people
on the fence just
aren't willing to
commit.
It's painful.
And Lord, we know
how painful it is
for us and we
can't imagine how
painful it is for
you.
But you've called
us to simply live
life according to
the values, the
ethics, the
doctrine, the
theology of
scripture and let
you take care of
the rest.
And that when we
have opportunity to
share, we'll share.
And we won't let
any of the division
stuff get in the
way because we
know how important
you are to
everybody in this
world and in our
lives.
In Jesus' name I
pray, amen.
Amen.