And then turning to the New Testament, we'll look there at John chapter 3.
John's gospel, you know, John has the seven miraculous signs.
He has the seven I am sayings.
But John captures conversations that no other gospel writer captures.
And one of these momentous conversations occurred at night
and occurred between the religious man Nicodemus and Jesus.
And you'll notice if you read through John's gospel that we read of Nicodemus three times.
It's, again, quite unique for a peripheral character that we see a character like Nicodemus more than once.
And we see the way in which God is at work.
And maybe there's a point of connection here because you might be, it's night,
you might be coming to find out a bit more about Jesus.
You might be coming for any number of reasons.
Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night and he got more than he expected.
And my prayer is that we all get more than we expect tonight.
John chapter 3.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.
He came to Jesus at night and said,
Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God.
For no one could perform the miraculous signs you were doing if God were not with him.
In reply, Jesus declared.
Now actually what this says is Jesus answered him.
And you'll notice in verse 2, there's no question.
Nicodemus isn't asking a question.
But Jesus is answering the unasked question.
And each one of us has unasked questions.
Each one of us has questions that have no easy answer.
And Nicodemus, the religious man, is coming to the public figure Jesus at night.
Not just to give him compliments, but because there's answers that he is looking for.
Jesus answered, I tell you the truth.
No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.
How can a man be born when he is old?
Nicodemus asked.
Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born.
Jesus answered, I tell you the truth.
No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again.
The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound.
But you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the spirit.
How can this be?
Nicodemus asked.
You are Israel's teacher, said Jesus, and do you not understand these things?
I tell you the truth.
We speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen.
But still, you people do not accept our testimony.
I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe.
How then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the son of man.
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the son of man must be lifted up,
that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only son.
This is the verdict.
Light has come into the world.
But men love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light,
so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.
Amen.
And may God add his own blessing to this reading of his word.
We're not going to sing again a portion of the Psalms.
We're going to sing from Psalm 48b, and we'll sing from the beginning down to verse 9.
Let's stand together to sing these words to God's praise.
Great is the Lord, his praise all else excels.
In our God's city, on his holy hill,
Mount Zion is the joy of all the earth.
So high and fair like mountains of the north.
Here is the city where the great King dwells.
God is the fortress of Jerusalem.
When kings joined forces ready to advance,
They looked and fled in terror and surprise,
Gripped like a woman who in childbirth cries,
Like ships destroyed by storm, you shattered them.
As we have heard, now have we have seen it so,
Within the city of Almighty God,
The city of the Lord,
Which by his grace,
He makes secure within your holy place,
Your never-failing love,
We seek to know.
Many years ago, it was helpfully explained to me that there's a significant contrast
between Christianity and all other world religions or world philosophies.
As a rule, most world religions suggest that the problems of life are primarily outside of ourselves,
Whereas the solutions to life's problems are primarily within ourselves.
Look deeply, look deeply, dig deep, look into yourself and you will find the way,
And you will come to know the truth, and then you can live the life.
However, Christianity is not one of those world religions.
It's not one of those world philosophies,
Because it has quite a different outlook.
It says the problems are primarily in here.
And the solution lies outside of myself.
So if I want to look for the way,
I'm not going to find it by looking in.
If I want to find the truth,
I'm not going to dig deep into my own heart or strive in my own mind.
And if I'm looking to live the life that I'm intended to live,
I do not have the ingredients for such a life within me.
I must look outside of myself.
And you see, that strand, that theme is seen throughout the whole of Scripture.
That there is a profound problem that is within us.
But that there is a solution that comes from outside of ourselves to us,
in the person and in the work of Jesus Christ.
So whether we read from Isaiah 45, or John 3, or Romans 8,
which we'll turn to in a moment,
this strand brings together the old and the new,
brings together the law and the prophets.
You see, we need help.
We need guidance.
We need wisdom.
We need direction.
But it must come from a different source.
We can't figure out our own problems.
We can't even understand the problems, let alone devise a solution.
But if you turn with me to Romans chapter 8,
we have in that first verse,
a summary statement that captures something profound.
Therefore, Romans 8, 1,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
No condemnation.
You see, sin, and by sin we mean doing those things you ought not to do.
But I would suggest that sin, even more,
is not doing the things that we ought to do.
So it's not just the unkind words.
It's not just the thoughts or the actions.
But think of all the generous words that you should speak.
Think of all the kind deeds that you should do.
But you know what?
We just don't have enough time.
We just don't have the opportunity.
And we just leave all those good things undone.
Well, you bring those together,
what we call the sins of commission, what you do,
and the sins of omission, what you don't.
You bring them together.
And there's a verdict that is passed against humanity.
Against the rich and the poor.
Against the wise and the foolish.
Against the east and the west.
The north and the south.
There is a universal verdict.
And that verdict is condemnation.
Now the Apostle Paul begins at chapter 8 by saying,
there's now no condemnation.
Well, something's happened.
Because my heart condemns me.
My mind condemns me.
My life condemns me.
If I am honest with myself,
I am not the person I am meant to be.
I am not the person I was made to be.
And I'm certainly not the person
that will satisfy the righteous requirements of a righteous God.
So I want to notice a few things tonight with you.
You see, we read from some monumental portions of God's word.
Isaiah 45 is a chapter that's rich in a prediction of a worldwide gospel.
Where the whole world is told,
look, look to me and be saved.
All the ends of the earth.
For I am God and there is none else.
And then there's an image of every knee bowing,
every tongue confessing,
that somehow, some way,
there will be a proclamation to the world
and there will be a message of salvation
that is made available not just to one nation,
not just to one people,
but to all nations and to all peoples.
And then you have that evening encounter with Nicodemus.
He comes to Jesus looking for answers.
But the answers that he gets,
he could never have predicted.
You must be born again.
Something has gone wrong fundamentally
and it must be transformed.
But the transformation does not take place from us.
The transformation takes place within us
from God who now dwells in the hearts and lives of people.
And the message to Nicodemus, again,
was presented very clearly.
It's a message of salvation, not condemnation.
So you see, if you come tonight
and you're searching or seeking or curious
and you wonder what God's desire is for this world
and for its people,
Jesus sums up that very simply with the word of salvation.
Jesus has not come to condemn,
but he's come in order that the world might be saved.
And the Apostle Paul here is drawing together
in chapter 8 an argument,
a profound argument to a clear conclusion.
He says, therefore.
Now, I'm not sure if it's Martin Lloyd-Jones or John Stopp,
but one of these great 20th century preachers said this.
Whenever you see the word therefore,
always ask, what is it there for?
4.
Now, the Apostle Paul is a logical reasoning argument.
You know, he's creating a logical, reasonable argument.
Now, it's not surprising.
You might say, well, the beginning of chapter 8,
he's obviously drawing together something from chapter 7.
And you'd be right.
Because Paul in chapter 7 is talking about a struggle.
He says, you know what?
The things I want to do, I don't do those.
The things that I don't want to do,
those are the things I do.
You know, what a wretched person I am.
What a struggle.
I find myself conflicted in my heart,
conflicted in my mind,
conflicted in my life.
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
But you know, this chapter 8,
I think is even bigger
than a conclusion from chapter 7.
Because I think what Paul is doing here
is he's drawing together
his argument
that he began in chapter 1.
At the very beginning of the letter,
he said in chapter 1, verse 16,
I am not ashamed
of the gospel.
Now, this is quite remarkable
because the Apostle Paul is speaking
to a people in Rome,
the very center of the empire.
And this group is small.
This group is weak.
This group is poor.
This Christian community
is not up to much.
You see, it's fragile.
It's fragmented.
You just wonder,
how is it possible
that such a movement
will ever have a second generation?
So on one level,
there's much to be ashamed about.
But Paul says,
I am not ashamed of the gospel
because it is the power of God
for the salvation
of everyone who believes.
You see, the power
in the ancient world
resided in Rome,
resided with the emperor,
resided with the army.
But Paul says,
no,
the real power of God
resides in a message
concerning his son.
How remarkable that is,
that the power of God
is now found
in a person
called Jesus,
and that power
is demonstrated
in the life
and the death
and the resurrection
and now the proclamation
of Jesus.
I am not ashamed
of the gospel
because it is the power
of God
for the salvation
of everyone who believes.
That's his proposition.
He then goes on
to demonstrate
that all have sinned
and fallen short,
that there is a shared guilt
and that there is
a shared responsibility
on our part.
We don't do
what we ought to do
and we leave undone
the things
that we ought to do.
So salvation
is found in the gospel.
So if that's his proposition
and then he goes on
to demonstrate
the reality
of the gospel
and if you're wondering
who is this gospel for,
well, in chapter 1 he says,
first for the Jew,
then for the Gentile.
That's another way
of meaning everyone.
So ethically,
your nationality,
so whatever your nationality is,
you're in one of those
two categories.
You either have
a Jewish heritage
or a Gentile heritage.
But if you're not sure
that you're included,
you can just flick a few pages
to chapter 5
because Paul describes
the kind of people
that Jesus has come to help.
If you look at Romans 5
at verse 6,
he says,
you see at just the right time
when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone
die for a righteous man,
though for a good man
someone might possibly
dare to die.
But God demonstrates
his own love for us
in this.
While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
There are three descriptors
in this passage
that sum up us,
individually and collectively.
We're described here
as the powerless,
we're described here
as the ungodly,
and we're described here
as sinners.
That characterizes you
and me.
It characterizes
all of us in here.
It characterizes
all of them out there.
We are not strong.
We're weak.
We are not godly.
We are ungodly.
And we are not sinless.
We are sinful.
And this is exactly
the class and category
of people
that the gospel
is intended for.
You see,
Jesus did not come
into this world
to make good people better.
He came to find
lost people.
He came to give life
to spiritually dead people.
He came to give salvation
to those whose category
was otherwise
only condemnation.
So the Apostle Paul
is drawing his conclusion
to a clear end.
There is therefore
now no condemnation.
But he's doing something as well.
The second point
I'd like to identify
is that Paul
is drawing a critical contrast.
Now I used to teach English.
And one way
of building vocabulary
if you're learning English
as a second language
or if you're learning
another language
one way of building
your vocabulary
is learning opposites.
You learn tall
and you learn short.
You learn thin.
You learn fat.
You learn old.
You learn young.
The Apostle Paul
is showing us
that there are
two clear opposites here.
There's the word salvation
condemnation
and there's the word condemnation.
And these two never meet.
You are in one
or the other.
You are in the category
of those who are saved
or you are in the category
of those who are condemned.
And you see
John 3.16
that magnificent summary
of the gospel
for God so loved
that he gave.
He so loved this world
that he gave his son.
That whoever believes in him
will not perish
but have everlasting life.
And if you didn't get it
in chapter 3.16
chapter 3.17
goes on to say
for God did not send
his son into the world
to condemn the world
but in order that the world
might be saved through him.
So there you have the contrast.
John is great at this
because John tells us
about light and darkness.
He tells us about darkness
which is ignorance.
He tells us that darkness
is evil
and he tells us
that darkness is confusion.
By contrast
he says light
is knowledge
and light
is goodness
and light
is clarity.
And he draws
this contrast
in chapter 3
saying
there's salvation
and there's condemnation.
So the apostle Paul
begins the letter
to the Romans
saying
I am not ashamed
of the gospel
because it is the power
of God
for the salvation
of everyone
who believes.
And in chapter 8
verse 1
therefore
there is now
no condemnation
for those
who are in Christ Jesus.
If salvation
is found in Jesus
the one thing
that the follower
of Jesus
will never experience
is condemnation
is judgment.
And this is a present reality.
It's not just
a future event
because in John 3.18
what do we read?
Whoever believes
in him
is not condemned
but whoever
does not believe
stands condemned
already
because they have
not believed
in the name
of God's
one and only
son.
So this evening
there are two categories
of people here.
It's not the rich
and the poor
it's not the educated
and the illiterate
it's not the wise
and the foolish
the young or the old
but the categories
that we have here
in the Bible
are this.
There are those
who are saved
and there are those
who are condemned.
Those who are saved
are those
who have come
to know Jesus
they've come
to trust him.
Those who are condemned
are those
who do not yet
believe in the name
of God's
one and only son.
At the end
of his first letter
John puts it this way
he who has the son
has life.
He who does not
have the son of God
does not have life.
So this is a matter
of life
or death
a matter of salvation
or condemnation.
A significant character
in the missionary movement
in the 19th century
was a man called
A.B. Simpson
he was an American guy
he founded the
Christian and Missionary Alliance
it's not a large church
in the west
but if you go to
south and central America
the Christian and Missionary Alliance
church is a large denomination
and he summed up
the gospel in this way
he said
the gospel tells
rebellious men
that God
is reconciled
that justice
is satisfied
that sin
has been atoned for
that the judgment
of the guilty
may be revoked
the condemnation
of the sinner
cancelled
the curse
of the law
blotted out
the gates
of hell
closed
the portals
of heaven
opened wide
the power
of sin
subdued
the guilty
conscience
healed
the broken
heart
comforted
and the sorrow
and misery
of the fall
undone
that's what we mean
by the gospel
that's what we mean
by the message
of Jesus
so Paul says
no condemnation
but you might say
but why does he need
to emphasize that
why does he need
to stress that
because I would suggest
that there are voices
that speak
of condemnation
you see the Christian
has three graces
we're told that
our lives
should be characterized
by three things
by faith
by hope
and by love
but the Bible
also tells us
that we have
three enemies
the Bible tells us
that we have
the world
and the flesh
and the devil
and each of these enemies
has the capacity
to condemn
to accuse
and to make us
think
that we are not
saved
but rather
lost
so the world
the world that
lives without Jesus
the world that is going
in a different direction
the world that prioritizes
different things
we can be condemned
by the world
we can be condemned
by ourselves
by our conscience
by our mind
by our heart
and we can be condemned
by the devil
the evil one
I was reading
Pilgrim's Progress
and there was a remarkable
scene in Pilgrim's Progress
Apollyon
the character
that represents
the devil
and Christian
you know
the follower of Jesus
they meet
and Apollyon
begins by condemning
or accusing
Christian
and he says
you have failed
your prince
many times
how have I failed
my prince
and then Apollyon
goes on to list
all of the mistakes
that Christian made
and you know
we could list
all the mistakes
that we made
and there are many
and what I love
is Christian responds
to Apollyon
and says
all that you have said
is true
and much more
but my prince
is a forgiving prince
you see
when the evil one
accuses you
respond by saying
your accusation
is insufficient
I am much worse
than you say
I've done far worse
than you accuse me of
and that's exactly
why I'm a Christian
I'm not a Christian
because I'm strong
I'm a Christian
because I'm powerless
I'm not a Christian
because I'm godly
I'm a Christian
because I'm ungodly
I'm not a Christian
because I'm sinless
I'm a Christian
because I'm a sinner
the terms and conditions
of Romans 5
are a great response
to the world
the flesh
and the devil
we are not
good people
made better
we are ungodly
powerless sinners
saved and set free
transformed
by the grace
of God
so we have a conclusion
to Paul's argument
we also have a contrast
a contrast between
salvation
and condemnation
they are completely
opposite
so if I am not ashamed
of the gospel
because of the power
of God
for the salvation
of everyone who believes
for the everyone
who believes
one thing that is
never possible
is that you or I
would ever be condemned
but I want to
my final point
is this
is that this whole verse
indeed this whole gospel
hinges
on a crucial
connection
this small word
in
for those who are
in
Christ Jesus
you see
it's not what you know
now what you know
is important
there's a certain knowledge
that's needed
it's not what you know
but it's who
you know
we've heard that
haven't you
that you know
if you know somebody
with power
or with authority
somebody that can
make things happen
well you see
when we are
believers in Jesus Christ
we are now
united to him
we know him
he knows us
but even more than that
we are united
to him
he is within us
we are within him
story was told
in London
in the end of the
19th century
a regular visitor
to the United Kingdom
also to Edinburgh
was D.L. Moody
D.L. Moody
was a physically
large man
he was from
Massachusetts
and he commenced
a worldwide
evangelism campaign
he was educated
in the fourth grade
he was not well educated
his pronunciation
was unique
and yet
he felt
called by God
to bring the gospel
to the world
by the end
of the 20th century
19th century
he didn't succeed
but he did
succeed in preaching
to 100 million
people in person
that's not
not bad
for someone
with a 10 year old
education
but the scene
was told
in London
a young boy
made his journey
across London
to hear Moody
preach
he was poor
he wasn't
particularly well
dressed
he wasn't
particularly clean
and he came
to the hall
where Moody
was preaching
and the usher
asked
what are you
doing here
I've come to hear
Mr. Moody
preach
not looking like
that you don't
and he was
told to go
away
just then
as the boy
was sitting
on the curb
crying
a carriage
pulls up
a large man
steps out
and says
young man
what's the
problem
I've come
to hear
Mr. Moody
preach
but they
won't let
me in
he said
put your
hand in
mine
and let's
see if I
can help
you
something
strange
happened
because the
door that
was shut
a moment
ago
was now
open
the
same
ushers
that had
said
go away
now
welcomed
the
large
man
and
the
small
guest
now of
course
the
large
man
was
Moody
himself
but you
see
so it
doesn't
matter
what
you
know
but it
matters
who
you
know
closed
doors
become
open
when we
know
Jesus
Christ
the
doors
that
were
otherwise
shut
have
now
opened
to
us
when
we
come
to
know
Jesus
Christ
all
the
benefits
and
all
the
blessings
that
belong
to
all
the
people
of
God
come
to
us
Sinclair
Ferguson
who's
a
21st
century
Bible
teacher
put it
this
way
he said
remember
these
three
words
he said
remember
that there
are
benefits
for being
a
Christian
remember
that
these
benefits
belong
to
all
of
us
we
are
beneficiaries
but
he
said
never
lose
sight
of
the
benefactor
you
see
it's
quite
easy
to
focus
on
forgiveness
you
might
focus
on
grace
you
might
focus
on
justification
or
sanctification
or
regeneration
all these
big
theological
words
and
these
are
so
important
but
what
Ferguson
is
saying
is
always
focus
on
the
one
through
whom
all
of
these
benefits
flow
to
all
of
these
beneficiaries
never
lose
sight
of
Jesus
because
it's
our
connection
with
Jesus
that
brings
all
of
these
benefits
all
of
these
blessings
long
time
ago
in
Oxford
John
Owen
was
preaching
and he
said
this
he said
that our
union
with
Jesus
those
who
are
in
Christ
Jesus
is
the
cause
of
all
the
other
graces
that we
are made
partakers
of
they are
all
communicated
unto
us
by virtue
of our
union
with
Christ
hence
is
our
adoption
our
justification
our
sanctification
our
fruitfulness
our
perseverance
our
resurrection
our glory
when we
are united
to
Jesus
everything
that belongs
to him
flows
to us
everything
that he
earns
we
receive
every
benefit
every
merit
that he
achieves
that he
is worthy
of
flows
to
everyone
who is
connected
to him
no other
world
religion
no other
world
philosophy
presents
the message
in this
way
there's
no
solution
within
the
only
solution
that
we
have
to
life's
problems
comes
in
a
person
Jesus
his
life
his
death
his
resurrection
and
when we
come to
know
him
everything
that
he
deserves
is
ours
by
gift
he
we
are
united
to
him
so
there's
this
crucial
connection
that we
now
have
with
Jesus
so
we
have
Paul
drawing
his
argument
to a
conclusion
we
have
him
drawing
this
very
sharp
contrast
between
salvation
and
condemnation
if you
are
saved
one
thing
that
is
never
going
to
happen
is
that
you
will
be
lost
remember
the
language
of
John
10
I
give
them
eternal
life
said
Jesus
and
no
one
can
snatch
them
out
of
my
hand
he
is
placing
his
reputation
on
his
ability
to
hold
on
to
his
people
sometimes
we
as
Christians
we
look at
our
lives
we
look at
our
faith
we
look at
our
commitment
to
God
and
it
seems
very
inconsistent
it
seems
very
weak
it
seems
very
fragile
it
seems
very
sometimes
it's
here
today
sometimes
it
appears
to be
gone
tomorrow
primarily
the
Bible
does
not
define
our
relationship
with
God
based
on the
strength
of our
commitment
to
him
that's
important
we
believe
we
trust
we
rely
upon
him
that's
important
but
primarily
the
foundation
of our
Christian
life
is based
on his
commitment
to us
his
promise
his
perseverance
his
victory
his
success
so
what do
we do
with this
what does
a life
look like
if this
is true
for you
and if
you're
trusting
in Jesus
it is
true
for you
how
should
this
find
expression
I'm
going to
suggest
three
things
I'm
going to
suggest
first of
all
safety
you
and I
are safe
in the
hands
of Jesus
we are
safe
in him
there is
no more
secure
place
than to
be
in
Christ
Jesus
because
he
will
keep
us
he
will
hold
us
he
will
protect
us
second
word
I want
to
say
is
confidence
we
have
confidence
to
commend
this
Jesus
to
others
we
know
what
he
has
done
we
know
who
he
has
done
this
for
so
we
have
every
confidence
to
share
this
message
with
others
and we
have
every
confidence
to speak
and every
confidence
to serve
and third
and finally
is this
if there is
such a thing
as an
optimist
and I'm
not talking
about
temperament
I'm not
talking about
the glass
half empty
person
or the glass
half full
person
but if
there's
ever such
a thing
as an
optimist
surely
the
Christian
should be
an optimist
you see
we are
filled
with hope
not to
spare
our
lives
are filled
now
with joy
with peace
with comfort
with meaning
with purpose
we are safe
we are secure
we are confident
in him
so we above
all people
should look
upon this
world
should look
upon this
city
should look
upon this
nation
with great
optimism
to see
what God
can do
to see
what God
has done
and to see
what God
is able
to do
in this
day
and in
this age
you see
he's not
the God
of the
past
only
he's the
God
of the
past
the present
and the
future
Jesus
Christ
is the
same
yesterday
today
and
forever
so as
you read
the pages
of scripture
you see
what God
has done
but when
you see
what God
has done
that should
give you
great hope
for what
God
is able
to do
today
what he's
able to
do
in your
family
what he's
able to
do
in your
community
what he's
able to
do
in this
city
what he's
able to
do
in the
country
of
Scotland
and to
the
ends
of
the
earth
you
might
not
believe
it
but the
21st
century
is going
to be
the
greatest
century
of church
growth
ever
more
people
are coming
to know
Jesus
in this
century
than they
have
in
any
other
century
the
expansion
of the
Christian
church
throughout
the
world
is
remarkable
we
don't
see
it
here
to
the
same
extent
but
you
go
to
Africa
you
go
to
Asia
you
go
to
South
men
and
women
coming
to
faith
so
let's
be
let's
recognize
that we
are
safe
let us
be
confident
in the
gospel
and
let us
be
optimist
to
see
what
God
is
doing
what
God
has
done
and
what
God
is
able
to
do
in
us
what
God
is
able
to
do
through
us
because
there
is
now
no
condemnation
for
those
who
are
in
Christ
Jesus
let's
pray
Father
we
thank you
for
your
word
we
thank
you
for
its
truth
for
its
power
we
thank
you
that
the
gospel
indeed
is
good
news
the
gospel
is
the
good
news
of
salvation
that
is
found
in
Jesus
and
for
those
of
us
whose
faith
is
in
him
all
of
his
benefits
and
blessings
belong
to
all
of
his
people
help
us
Lord
to
recognize
that
in
him
we
are
safe
that
we
are
secure
help
us
to
realize
confidently
serve
him
that
we
can
make
him
known
through
word
and
through
deed
and
help
us
Lord
to
look
upon
this
world
with
optimism
help
us
not
to
see
a
day
of
small
things
but
help
us
to
see
a
harvest
field
that
is
ripe
and
let
us
pray
to
you
oh
God
the
Lord
of
the
harvest
to
send
forth
many
more
workers
into
this
harvest
field
so
that
more
churches
could
into
the
world
into
those
places
where
they
don't
know
anything
about
Jesus
Lord
we
come
to
you
are
the
Lord
of
the
harvest
help
us
to
see
things
as
you
see
them
and
help
us
to
pray
as
you
command
us
to
do
and
all
these
things
we
pray
in
that
precious
name
of
Jesus
through
whom
every
blessing
and
benefit
flows
to
every
one
of
his
people
we
pray
in
his
name
amen
we're
now
going
to
conclude
by
singing
the
Lord
is
my
salvation
let's
stand
together
to
sing
and
then
we
can
remain
standing
for
the
benediction