that you discover that your teachers are actually human.
There's a little bit more to them.
Your teachers might even be married, they may have kids,
they may be friends of some people.
And this came as a shock to me because up to that point in my life,
all I saw was the person down the front yelling at me
and giving me work to do and making my life miserable.
But it turns out there is different aspects to this teacher.
And it is important for me to actually relate to them as a person
to understand these various different aspects.
Yes, they're a teacher, they have a job,
but they are also a friend to some people,
potentially a dad or a mom or a husband or a wife.
And the same is true of God.
It is great to know that there is a God,
to know that there is one God,
but we are missing something if we leave out or skip the fact
that he is Father.
That's where we're going to spend time tonight.
To leave that out is to actually miss out on God as he is.
It's to get a deficient or a not complete view of him.
It's to make God less than he is.
And so it matters that if we're going to know God,
which is what being a Christian is,
if we're going to have a relationship with him,
it matters that we understand him as Father
so that we see him clearly and we can actually relate to him well.
Now before we get into this passage,
I want to give you some context really quickly.
And these are some things that I'm going to say over and over
through this series,
four things that the Bible teaches to be true.
First one, there is only one God.
Second one, that God is three persons,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Third one, each member of the Trinity is equally God,
eternally God and fully God.
Fourth one, each member of that Trinity
is a distinct personal expression of the one divine nature.
Now there is a whole lot wrapped up in those four things,
but we need to have that as a context
as we begin to wrestle with God as Father
because God as Trinity is a difficult thing to think about.
We learned last week it's incomprehensible,
but it's still important.
It's not easy,
but that doesn't change the fact that it's true.
And so tonight as we wrestle with it,
the question we need to ask is,
what is it that makes the Father the Father?
What is it that makes Him distinct?
And what impact does that have on us knowing Him?
I want to show you three things from Ephesians 1.
This isn't the whole list of what makes the Father the Father,
but this is a good starting point for us tonight.
So let's look at Ephesians 1.
First thing that we need to grab out of here
is that the Father is supreme within the Trinity.
Now, even though the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
have absolute equality,
they're all eternal,
they're all all-powerful,
they're all all-knowing,
yet somehow the Father is supreme
over the Son and the Spirit.
He's the Boutros Boutros of the Trinity, if you will.
The America of the UN,
the Steve Jeffrey of our St. Paul's staff team.
Maybe not.
But the point is,
the Father has authority over the Son and over the Spirit.
Let's have a look at this passage in Ephesians again
and try and see how it's showing us this.
First one, in verse 4.
Now, jump down to verse 9.
Verse 11.
And then right down the bottom,
in the end of verse 14,
all this stuff being done,
we have the Spirit that's a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance
until the redemption of those
who are God's possession
to the praise of His,
the Father's, glory.
It's the Father's will.
It's the Father's choice
from start to finish.
Don't get me wrong.
The Son gets some serious billing
in this particular passage.
Jesus gets mentioned over and over and over.
But in those verses,
we see that the Father's will
is the plan that's happening.
It's the Father who executes His desires.
It's the Father who planned out creation
before it was there.
It's the Father who planned
that He would send the Son to save people.
And even that final day,
when everything gets made right,
when Jesus comes back,
all of that is restored
according to the plan
of the Father's will.
It's the mystery of His will
that has been revealed.
And you can be sure
that every detail in all creation
is according to His will.
In verse 11.
In Him we were chosen,
predestined according to the plan
of Him who works out everything
in conformity with the purpose of His will.
Everything is worked out
according to the Father's will.
There's no gap.
God doesn't plan the big stuff
and then send in the Son and the Spirit
to fill the gaps and sort out the details.
He doesn't leave the rest to them
or even to us.
It is the Father who works out everything
in the conformity of His will.
It is Him who guides and directs all things.
And everything in heaven,
everything on earth,
even the Son and the Spirit
are subject to the authority
of God the Father.
But it's not an oppressive authority.
We have this negative picture
of authority in our existence.
Think about the way that you react
for those of you who drive
when you see a parking cop.
Whether you're getting a ticket or not,
are you excited?
Are you reverent towards their authority?
They have an authority.
They are delegated by the local council
or whoever it is that's empowered them
to come around and make sure
that the laws are adhered to.
But immediately,
you think something along the lines of,
jerk.
It's okay to admit it
because I know I've done it.
Whether they're giving me a ticket
or someone else a ticket
or just walking to get their lunch.
I see the ticket machine
and I don't think,
wow, authority that is to be feared
and respected.
I think, authority,
what a shackle.
What a limitation.
Don't they understand?
I'm just running into the shop for a second
and it's not that I'm ignoring
the no standing sign.
It's just that the no standing sign
doesn't understand my situation.
We don't like authority.
We're happy to submit with authority
as long as it fits in
with what we want it to do anyway.
But we have this negative picture
of authority that is over us.
Whether it's parents or teachers
or police or parking cops,
we have this sense that authority
belittles us
or reduces the one
who is under authority.
But here in Ephesians
and throughout all of Scripture,
we see the Son and the Spirit
under the authority of the Father.
Even in the parts of the New Testament
that proclaim the greatness
and majesty of Jesus,
and there are a lot of them,
even in the final exaltation of Jesus,
the Father is still supreme.
He's still in the box seat.
I'm going to put a couple of passages
up on the screen.
Philippians 2 is the first one.
This is the hymn about Jesus
who is in very nature God
and humbles himself to death,
becoming obedient,
death on the cross,
and then God exalts him.
And it says here,
therefore God exalted him
to the highest place,
gave him the name
that's above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth,
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord.
This is exhaustive.
Everybody is going to acknowledge
Jesus as king,
but Jesus' kingship is to what end?
To the glory of God the Father.
He's given this name,
he's exalted,
he's lifted up,
but even in that moment,
the Son remains subject
to the authority of the Father.
Another passage,
1 Corinthians 15.
I'll read a little bit extra
that comes just before the stuff
that will be on the screen for you.
1 Corinthians 15,
and I will begin at verse 20.
This is talking about resurrection,
and it says,
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those
who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through one man,
the resurrection of the dead
comes also through a man.
For as in Adam all die,
so in Christ all be made alive,
but each in his own turn.
Christ the firstfruits then,
when he comes,
those who belong to him.
Then the end will come,
when he hands over the kingdom
to God the Father,
after he has destroyed
all dominion, authority,
and power.
For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies
under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed
is death.
For he has put everything
under his feet.
Here's the key bit.
Now when it says that
everything has been put under him,
still talking about Jesus,
it's clear that this does not include
God the Father himself
who put everything under Christ.
When he has done this,
then the Son himself
will be made subject
to him who put everything
under him
so that God may be
all in all.
Even at that final moment
when every authority
has been laid low,
when everyone has acknowledged
the kingship of Jesus,
at that point,
the Son will not make
much of himself.
He will joyfully
and willingly
subject himself
to the authority
of God the Father.
Even in that moment,
Jesus willingly
and wholeheartedly
submits to authority.
And it's important
for us to recognize
that the Father's authority
and his supremacy
is eternal.
In this passage in Ephesians,
we see that before
the creation of the world,
God the Father
had already planned things out.
He was exercising
his authority
before he spoke
the earth into motion.
He had already told the Son,
this is what you will do
before the world
had begun.
And we see there
in 1 Corinthians 15,
that at the end
and for all eternity,
the Son will make himself
subject to God the Father
because God the Father
was, is, and always
will be supreme.
Now there's two
important implications,
well at least two
important implications
for us in this.
Authority
is therefore
inherently good.
God is good
and authority
is part of who God is,
it's part of him
as Father
for all eternity,
therefore
authority
is good.
Now,
we need to acknowledge
authority can be abused,
authority can be misused,
but it's part of who God is
and we need to be careful
as Christians
how we approach those
who are in authority
over us.
Because if authority
is good,
we're not justified
in our default position
of just disliking authority
because it limits me.
Because authority
is going to be there
for all eternity.
It's not like
when we go to heaven,
suddenly all authority
will be removed
and you will be a Lord
unto yourself.
Therefore,
all eternity,
you too
will be subject
to the authority
of God the Father
and so we cannot
just throw authority
out as a bad thing
that the world
has given us.
Authority is part
of who God is.
But more importantly,
if we fail
to submit
to earthly authority,
parents,
teachers,
police,
even church leadership,
we actually
handicap ourselves
when it comes
to our relationship
with God.
If we lack
the ability
to submit
to authority,
then we will struggle
when it comes
to submitting
to God.
If we breed
within ourselves
a default setting
and a culture
where authority
is bad,
it is inevitable
that that will begin
to flow into the way
we relate to our God.
We will see authority
as a negative thing
and instead
we will treat him
as equal with us,
important,
but not in charge.
God the Father
is supreme
over Jesus the Son
and over the Holy Spirit
and you can be sure
that he is supreme
over us as well.
To reject authority,
to reject his authority,
is to reject him
as Father,
to reject him
as Father
is to reject God
because that's
who he is.
Second implication
of the authority
of the Father
is that in God
we have a model
for what fatherhood
looks like.
We all have
different experiences
of fatherhood,
for some of us
it's been positive,
for some negative,
but for those of us
who are fathers
or who will be
one day,
we must recognize
that authority
is an appropriate position
for a father
over a child.
It is right
for fathers
to demand respect
and to demand obedience
from their children,
not oppressively,
not in a burdensome way,
but the respect
that is commanded
from kids
will teach kids
that God,
their Heavenly Father,
also demands respect
and obedience.
As fathers,
we will be the model
for our own kids
and for the world
around us
of what the fatherhood
of God looks like
and so we need
to look to Him
and seek to fulfill
the pattern
that He's given us.
The right response
to the authority
of the Father
is found in the perfect
submission of Jesus
but we're going to get
to that a little bit
more next week
so you're just going to
have to hold that
on the shelf
a little bit.
The Father is supreme.
It's the first thing
that Ephesians 1
wants to show us
but not only supreme,
secondly,
the Father is
abundantly generous.
Part of what makes
the Father's authority
perfect and good
is the love
that goes hand in hand
with the authority
that He exercises.
Love for His Son,
love for the Spirit
and love for us.
If you look at
Jesus' life on the earth,
Jesus is provided for
by His Father.
The Father sends
the Spirit on Jesus
at His baptism
so that the Spirit
will empower Jesus
for His earthly life.
The Spirit is the one
who's giving Him
the power
but the Father's the one
who gave Him the Spirit
and so it is the Father
who provides
for His Son.
Jesus is often referred
to as the Son of the Father
but more than that,
in Mark chapter 1
where Jesus is being baptized,
it says this,
at that time Jesus came
from Nazareth in Galilee
and was baptized
by John in the Jordan.
As Jesus was coming up
out of the water,
He saw heaven being torn open
and the Spirit descending
on Him like a dove
and a voice came from heaven,
You are my Son
whom I love.
With you I am well pleased.
Jesus knows
the Father's love for Him.
He knows the Father's provision.
He knows the Father's
abundant generosity
and so the authority
that He is called
to submit to
is in no way oppressive
or negative
or difficult.
But the amazing blessing
is that we too
know the loving provision
of our Heavenly Father.
Have a look at verse 7 and 8.
In Him we have redemption
through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins
in accordance with the riches
of God's grace
that He lavished on us
with all wisdom
and understanding.
The love of our Heavenly Father
is lavish.
It's abundant.
It is poured out on us.
It is overflowing.
God the Father
is generous.
James 1.17 tells us
that every good
and perfect gift
is from above
coming down
from the Father
of heavenly lights
who does not change
like shifting shadows.
In Ephesians verse 3
we read,
Praise be to the God
and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ
who has blessed us
in the heavenly realms
with every
spiritual blessing.
God's love
is lavish.
It is abundant.
It is overwhelming.
Every good gift
comes from God.
Every good thing
you have in your life,
everything that you
are thankful for
is a gift
from the Father
for which he is worthy
of our thanks
and praise.
But the greatest gift
of the Father
to us,
his children,
is himself.
As the creator
of anything
that is good,
there is nothing better
than himself.
It's like
when you watch
those Disney cartoons
and somebody finds
a genie lamp,
what's the first wish
of a smart person?
More wishes.
They want the source
of the goodness
and in the same way
the Father
who gives us good things
gives us the greatest gift
in that he gives us
himself.
He gives us access
to the unlimited,
abundant,
and lavish love
of our heavenly Father.
Now the Son
gets that in a measure
that we can only begin
to dream about.
That's the marvel
of the Trinity
is that the Father
and the Son
are so interconnected
and so closely related
that they get each other
in fullness
but for us
the Father's love
climaxes
in Jesus
on the cross.
Through that moment
of sacrifice
that the Father pays
we come to know him
as Father.
Chris was sharing
this morning
that as you range
through the Old Testament
you will very rarely
find God
referred to
as Father.
It's not that he's
not Father
because we've already
looked at in all
eternity
he has been
the Supreme Father
but it's that
it's not until
we get to Jesus
the Son
that we are invited
to know him
as Father.
That is the lavish
love of the Father
that he would sacrifice
his Son
and John 14
puts it explicitly
when Jesus says
I am the way
the truth
and the life
no one comes
to the Father
except through me.
The love
of the Father
for us
is to draw us
into a relationship
with him
where he remains
supreme.
but where he
pours out
his abundant
love.
It's amazing
that we come
to know him
not just as
a Father
or even
the Father
but our Father
and so Jesus
can teach his
disciples
and we can read
in Matthew 6
we pray
our Father
in heaven.
Verse 5
puts it this way
he predestined
us to be
adopted
as his
sons
through Jesus
Christ.
The Father
who cares
for his Son
and provided
his Holy Spirit
for him
has adopted
us into
his family
and again
here God
the Father
is the model
of what a real
father should be.
He models
what fatherly
love should look
like.
Fathers are called
to so smother
their children
with love
that there will
never be a question.
Jesus heard it
explicitly
from his
father's lips
and Jesus
experienced it
directly
through his
father's
provision
and so
for those of us
who are fathers
and those of us
who may become
fathers
we are called
to the same
sort of love.
If you are a
father
do your children
know that you
love them?
Are they confident?
Have you told them?
Have they experienced
it?
God our
father
is our model.
There's an amazing
promise in Romans
8 that says
if he did not
spare his own
son but graciously
gave him up
for us all
how will he not
also along with
him give us
all things?
As children of
God we are
confident in
God's love
because he has
told us
that we are
loved and he
has shown us
that we are
loved in Jesus
and not loved
a little bit
we are loved
lavishly
abundantly
even excessively
our own
personal experiences
of authority
and love
in our
relationships
with one
another
might have
you feeling
a tension
how can
authority
and love
fit together
in God
but we must
understand
that in God
they are
perfectly
complementary
we need
to be careful
that our
own failures
to exercise
authority
and our
failures to
submit to
authority
in no way
affects or
defines God
we need to
seek to let
go of our
baggage and
let God
define himself
as he reveals
himself in
scripture
the trinity
father son and
holy spirit
brings authority
and love
into perfect
harmony
and even though
we will continue
to fall short
in our own
relationships
despite our
best efforts
as fathers
as children
as those in
authority
those under
authority
we must
not let
our failures
become an
excuse
not to see
the pattern
that God
has given
us
God is giving
us a vision
of what we
could be
we are created
in his image
to bear his
image
to reflect him
as a relational
God
who exercises
authority
who submits
and who loves
extravagantly
and all of
this
is to the
praise of
God the
father
verse 14
we get to
the end
having looked
at the
amazing plan
of salvation
and redemption
that God
has purposed
in his son
and we read
that it is
to the praise
of his
glory
may his
abundant
love for us
drive us
to marvel
at him
again
may his
perfectly
exercised
authority
give us
a new
energy
and fervor
to obey
him
to submit
to his
rule
and to
recognize
that he
is the
generous
loving
God
who has
poured
out
his
love
in
every
minute
of
every
day
God
as
father
is
supreme
authority
God
as
father
is
generous
but let
me show
you one
last
thing
in this
passage
look
again
at how
God
as the
supreme
member
of the
trinity
works
verse
three
praise be
to the
God
and father
of our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
who has
blessed
us
in the
heavenly
realms
with
every
spiritual
blessing
where
in
Christ
for
he
chose
us
in
Christ
before
the
creation
of the
world
to be
holy
and
blameless
in his
sight
in love
he
predestined
us
to be
adopted
as
his
sons
through
Jesus
Christ
in
accordance
with his
pleasure
and will
to the
praise
of his
glorious
grace
which
he
has
freely
given
us
in
the
one
Christ
he
loves
in
Christ
we
have
redemption
through
his
blood
the
forgiveness
of
sins
in
accordance
with
the
riches
of
God's
grace
that
he
lavished
on
us
with
all
wisdom
and
understanding
and he
made
known to
us
the
mystery
of
his
will
according
to
his
good
pleasure
which
he
purposed
in
Christ
to
be
put
into
effect
when
the
times
will
have
reached
their
fulfillment
to
bring
all
things
in
heaven
and
on
earth
together
under
one
head
even
Christ
in
him
Christ
we
were
chosen
having
been
predestined
according
to the
plan
of
him
who
works
out
everything
in
conformity
with
the
purpose
of
his
will
in
order
that
we
who
were
the
first
to
hope
in
Christ
might
be
for
the
praise
of
his
glory
and
you
also
were
included
in
Christ
when
you
heard
the
word
of
truth
the
gospel
of
your
salvation
having
believed
you
were
marked
in
him
Christ
with
a
seal
the
promised
Holy
Spirit
who
is
a
deposit
guaranteeing
our
inheritance
until
the
redemption
of
those
who
are
God's
possession
remember
God
the
father
is
all
knowing
God
the
father
is
all
powerful
God
the
father
is
everywhere
at
all
times
there
is
nothing
that
he
cannot
do
he
has
no
need
for
the
help
of
other
people
even
the
son
and
the
spirit
but
he
chooses
in
his
love
for
them
to
include
them
in
his
work
the
father
doesn't
have
to
do
it
this
way
but
out
of
love
for
the
son
and
the
spirit
he
chooses
to
work
this
way
he
chooses
to
work
through
Jesus
he
chooses
to
make
Jesus
the
center
piece
and
the
excitement
it's
through
Jesus
that
we
experience
God's
lavish
and
abundant
and
generous
love
the
spirit
is
even
in
there
as
a
deposit
it's
the
means
that
the
father
chose
to
use
for
us
to
have
his
presence
in
our
lives
each
and
every
day
the
spirit
is
how
God
the
father
gives
us
peace
and
confidence
that
we
are
forgiven
and
saved
but
again
we'll
get to
in
the
perfect
execution
of
his
will
he
knows
that
there
is
joy
for
others
even
though
he
has
no
need
for
them
and
so
he
draws
the
son
and
the
spirit
in
so
they
might
also
have
his
joy
but
the
amazing
thing
is
as
followers
of
Jesus
the
father
has
drawn
us
into
his
work
as
well
he
didn't
need
the
son
or
the
spirit
or
you
or
me
or
anyone
else
to
fulfill
his
plans
but
for
our
sake
he
gives
us
his
work
he
includes
us
in
his
eternal
before
creation
and
for
all
eternity
plan
if
you
ever
had
the
joy
of
being
used
to
draw
someone
to
Christ
maybe
you
shared
the
gospel
with
a
friend
or
a
neighbor
or
a
work
colleague
and
you
finally
seen
them
come
to
know
God
as
their
heavenly
father
as
well
you
don't
need
convincing
you
know
that
there
is
no
better
joy
God
includes
you
in
that
moment
for
your
joy
not
because
he
needs
you
but
he
includes
you
that
you
may
find
joy
and
that
he
may
be
glorified
but
his
work
is
more
than
just
ministry
this
was
an
amazing
thing
for
me
reflecting
this
week
if
you
go
back
to
the
beginning
of
the
Bible
how
does
the
Bible
begin
God
creates
God
starts
and
there's
a need
for
people
in
his
creation
so
what
does
he
do
he
collects
some
dirt
he
molds
it
together
and
he
breathes
life
into
it
that's
the
only
time
that
people
are
created
like
that
from
then
on
God
wanted
us
to be
a
part
of
the
joy
of
creation
and
so
he
made
people
able
to
produce
people
that
is
a
gift
of
God
that
we
can
be
a
part
of
his
work
of
creation
it's
not
just
about
preaching
it's
not
just
about
the
gospel
it's
the
work
that
God
has
given
us
in
our
time
here
on
the
earth
it
is
a
gift
from
God
because
remember
everything
is
his
work
he
is
working
out
everything
with
the
conformity
of
his
will
nothing
is
outside
of
his
sovereign
hand
and
what
an
amazing
truth
we
find
in
this
our
sovereign
supreme
and
loving
heavenly
father
because
when
we
know
his
absolute
authority
when
we
know
that
he
is
going
to
accomplish
his
will
no
matter
what
then
our
inclusion
in
work
our
inclusion
in
serving
society
and
other
people
is
not
a
burden
it's
a
gift
it's
a
joy
we
need
to
recognize
the
significance
in
whatever
it
is
that
God
has
given
us
to
do
because
it
is
his
work
that
he
doesn't
need
us
for
but
he
has
included
us
so
that
we
find
joy
in
him
it's
almost
like
I
remember
as a
young
child
I
was
useless
in
terms
of
handy
tasks
I'm
still
useless
in
terms
of
handy
tasks
but
I
remember
one
day
being
invited
around
with
my
dad
to
a
friend
of
his
house
because
they
were
going
to
work
on
a
boat
it
was
an
old
fiberglass
boat
that
needed
a
fair
bit
of
TLC
and
so
to
keep
me
out of
trouble
they
gave
me
a
piece
of
sandpaper
and
a
little
cork
sanding
block
and
said
just
sand on
the
edge
down
there
and
so
I
went
to
work
sanding
away
and
eventually
I
sanded
right
through
it
and
put
a
nice
hole
in
the
front
of
that
boat
but
I
realized
as
my
father
lovingly
and
as
his
friend
graciously
continued
to let
me
work
on
the
boat
for
the
ensuing
Saturday
after
Saturday
that
there
wasn't
anything
helpful
I
was
bringing
but
they
were
including
me
so
that
I
would
get
a
sense
of
significance
I
was
doing
what
the
adults
were
doing
I
was
doing
a
real
job
a
man's
job
and
it
is
the
same
with
God
and
everything
that
he
gives
us
to
do
often
we're
almost
working
against
him
we're
almost
causing
trouble
but
in
his
grace
he
continues
to
invite
us
back
into
the
workforce
he
continues
to
call
us
back
we
might
have
said
all
the
wrong
things
when
we
tried
to
share
the
gospel
at
work
the
other
day
and
yet
you
will
find
that
tomorrow
God
is
still
going
to
call
you
in
to
do
it
again
you
might
have
struggled
to
be
a
Christ
like
example
at
your
work
you
might
struggle
to
work
hard
for
a
boss
that
you
don't
particularly
respect
and
yet
God
will
again
call
you
to
do
his
work
of
shining
his
light
of
working
hard
of
cultivating
the
earth
that
we
have
been
given
because
he
wants
us
to
find
joy
in
this
his
creation
in
this
his
sovereign
plan
where
his
children
who
he
loves
and
he
wants
us
to
know
his
joy
God
the
father
is
supreme
he
expects
and
deserves
your
respect
and
obedience
God
the
father
is
generous
he
loves
you
extravagantly
and he
blesses
you
abundantly
God
the
father
is
gracious
he
includes
you
in
his
work
for
your
joy
what
a
glorious
heavenly
father
we
have
let's
pray
father
god
we
want
to
thank
you
for
your
word
tonight
we
want
to
thank
you
that
we
can
come
to
you
and
pray
and
call
you
our
father
we
want
to
thank
you
for
the
ultimate
act
of
love
that
you
showed
us
in
sacrificing
your
son
father
we
want
to
acknowledge
that
so
often
we
resist
authority
in
our
lives
even
your
authority
and for
that
we
want
to
apologize
give
us
eyes
to
see
your
majesty
and
power
and
glory
that
we
might
joyfully
submit
that
we
might
confident
in
your
love
and
provision
obey
you
wholeheartedly
and
eagerly
father
thank
you
for
including
us
in
the
work
that
you
are
doing
help
us
to
look
for
and
find
the
joy
that
you
have
provided
for
us
even
in
the
apparently
mundane
tasks
of
life
help
us
to
find
the
significance
that
you
have
placed
in
the
jobs
that
we're
doing
in
the
relationships
that
we
have
father
please
place
yourself
front
and
center
for
us
help
us
to
stop
putting
a
lesser
version
of
you
as
the
thing
that
we're
going
to
follow
help
us
to
stop
trying
to
cut
bits
out
of
you
that
are
uncomfortable
that
make
it
harder
for
us
to
live
instead
may
we
see
you
in
all
your
glory
as
supreme
may
we
see
your
authority
and
rejoice
God
give
us
a
thirst
to
know
more
of
you
keep
us
from
settling
and
instead
lift
our
eyes
to
your
son
where
you
have
shown
us
your
authority
your
love
your
generosity
God
please
glorify
yourself
in
us
Amen