So folks, I'm driving to Aldi last Friday night.
It's 7pm.
And I've got Radio 2 on in the background.
And the presenter slash DJ
!
New Year nonsense.
Why?
Because there was nothing wrong
with last year's you.
And we're straight into Express Yourself by Madonna,
which is a decent tune.
But my first thought when I heard her say that,
and there's a reason that she gets prime time
on a Friday night on the radio, isn't there?
Because she's telling people exactly what they want to hear.
But my first thought when I clocked that and heard that was,
she clearly never met me last year.
And I want to put it to you,
I'd imagine that she probably never met you last year.
And all that takes us to the good news
of this passage in Matthew chapter 3.
Have you got it there?
Summed up in that one word you get in verse 2.
Do you know what Matthew 3 is?
It is the complete antithesis of Michelle Visage.
And it's really, really good news.
Do you see that word at verse 2?
Here it is.
Repent.
And it comes up three times in this passage.
Repent.
Let me just do a little bit of work on that word.
Maybe you hear that word,
and you have an instant allergic reaction.
This man, John the Baptist,
that we've been reading about,
he is, if you're honest,
everything that puts you off Christianity.
I mean, here's a guy
dressing like he's from the Bronze Age.
Here is a guy who's telling us
by his life that he is anti-vegan.
Yeah?
Here is a man who's peddling
a religious ritual that reeks of being a cult.
Here is a man who's preaching
a dated Turner Byrne message.
And you hear this word, repent.
You see this man, John the Baptist,
and you think,
how on earth is this word, repent, good news?
Well, here's why.
See, if you were to Google the word repent,
you would find a number of dictionaries
throwing at you a definition,
which means something like
to feel deeply sorry about something.
Right?
And dictionaries are always a good place to go
when you're looking at words,
because they tell you not so much
what the word means
as much as how we use the word
in modern day culture, right?
So the dictionary is throwing up
that definition of feeling deeply sorry
about something.
But when the Bible uses that word,
it's talking about something
way more all-encompassing.
That word means, at its core,
to change your thinking.
Right?
Saying to yourself,
I'm leaving behind my old way of life
because I'm choosing
to walk in a new way of life
and perform the very thing
that your driving instructor told you
never ever to contemplate doing.
and do a complete U-turn.
Which raises the question,
turn from what?
And this is where we need to get into
the Bible story as a whole.
See, at the beginning of the Bible story,
we read Adam and Eve eating
from the fruit in the garden
that God told them not to.
And the thing about that
is that it's not just
a momentary lapse of judgment.
What is going on there
is something cataclysmic.
What they are doing in that moment
is declaring,
as they dethrone God,
that they want to exalt themselves.
themselves.
And as they do that,
they are embracing
a total recalibration
of their reason for existence.
Sin is fundamentally
human beings turning away
from their creator
and worshipping ourselves
and created things
rather than him.
And because of who this God is,
because he is all glorious,
because he is supreme,
because he cannot tolerate
and look upon evil,
God is rightly
banishing them
from the garden,
from his very presence.
He would be denying himself
if he didn't do that.
They are his enemies.
Mankind is deserving
of his just judgment,
but not only that,
think about it.
What do you get
when you turn away
from the source of life
and light?
What do you turn to?
You turn to darkness
and death, right?
And I cannot think of two
more apt words
to describe the news
than I see on BBC
every single morning.
Right, let me put it like this.
Here's Tim Keller,
Uncle Tim.
He's always good for a read.
He puts it like this, okay?
In his wonderful book
that I read over the Christmas period
called What's Wrong With The World.
Right?
He wrote this.
What's wrong with us?
What could lead human beings
to do things like this?
If you don't ask that question,
if that question
doesn't burn in your heart,
your head is in the sand.
You hear what he's saying?
So the call to repent
is the gracious wooing
from a holy, mighty,
yet merciful God,
his invitation to flee
from our old sinful ways.
Flee from them
and run to him.
And in so doing,
run back to the source
of life and light
and return to the very thing
that we were made for,
which is to delight in God,
savour him,
live for him
and serve him
and love him forever.
Do you know that's the reason
that you were made this morning?
Friends,
repentance is
throwing open
the doors of your soul
before the Lord
and saying,
would you come in?
Now John might look strange,
give you that,
but his message
is the constant drum
that God's been banging
through the pages
of the Bible story,
right?
It's nothing new
as it were,
all the way through
the Old Testament
as God sends prophet
after prophet
to his people
to address them
and to address
the nations.
And it's the exact same message
that Jesus will preach
and it's the exact same message
that the apostles
as they take the message
of the gospel
to the world
that they will preach.
So repentance,
the call here,
is not something new.
Jesus will say
the very first words
of Mark's gospel,
the very first words
that Mark recalls
coming out of his mouth,
repent,
turn back.
And all I want to do
this morning
is allow this text
to tell us three things
about repentance.
And here's number one
and this is verses one to six
if you want to scan
your eye over it.
It's that repentance
means confession.
Okay?
Repentance means confession.
Now it would be so easy
to think about John
and what he's doing here
that it's kind of like
some novel
social media craze
that's taken off
on TikTok, right?
Everybody wants this
because it's novel,
it's new,
it's strange.
What's this all about?
But we've got to see
that his arrival
in the scene here
is not random.
It is both timely
and it's hugely significant.
It's so significant,
in fact,
that all four
of the gospel writers,
Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John,
spotlight his ministry.
So it's a big,
big deal here.
But what Matthew
is doing
in particular,
remember,
he's writing
for his fellow Jews
to help them understand
who this Jesus is.
He's wanting them
to show
that as John
comes on the scene here,
that this is the moment
we've all been waiting for.
Right?
Do you see verse 3?
You got it there?
Do you see how he quotes
from the prophet Isaiah?
Do you see Isaiah 40 there?
And the context
of that quote
is everything.
God's people,
if you remember the reading,
are about to be taken
into exile
by the Babylonians.
That's the context.
Not because the Babylonians
are stronger
or scarier
or mightier,
but they're about
to be taken into exile
because God is using them
as the instrument
by which to punish
the sins of his people.
But God is promising
in chapter 40
that he's one day,
if you picked it up
in the reading,
he's one day
going to come
in the future
personally
to rescue his people
from their biggest problem.
And the biggest problem
is not another superpower.
Their biggest problem
is their sin
against him,
a holy God.
And you'll know
that that day
is about to hit
when you hear the voice
of my messenger.
That's what Isaiah 40
is saying.
When you see my messenger,
when you hear his voice,
when you hear his call
to repent,
you can bet your bottom dollar
that I'm about to turn up
to save you.
And this messenger,
his job is going to be
simply
to get you
ready
for my coming.
And that's John.
Do you see him here?
Remember,
there's no words
in this text
that are wasted.
There's no filler here.
Do you see the description
of him?
Come here.
Leather belt,
camel's hair,
eating locusts.
Yeah,
anti-vegan.
We're not doing that
if you're vegan, right?
Do you see that?
Why is he telling us
that, Matthew?
He's telling us
because
he's trying to get us
to see that this guy,
John,
is dressing like
Elijah.
If you know the Bible story,
this guy Elijah
that comes up
in the Old Testament
and his ministry,
his message
is to say to the people,
to the nation,
you need to turn back
to God.
He's challenging
the religiously compromised
of his day,
Elijah,
saying,
you've got to pick
who you're going to serve.
Right?
If Baal is God,
worship him.
Just go for it.
Go for it.
But if Yahweh is God,
if the Lord is God,
then worship him.
But you're doing
this whole half-hearted thing.
It's like the hokey-cokey.
You're in, out, in, out.
You've got to choose.
And John is
dressed like Elijah.
He comes on the scene here
in the spirit of Elijah.
And here's the question
as this guy rocks up.
How do people respond
in the text?
Do you see verse 5?
Again, remember,
none of this is filler.
People didn't stay away.
Do you see it?
Thinking,
who is this guy?
They came to him
in droves.
Do you see it?
All sorts of different people.
You get that
in the other Gospels.
But Matthew wants you
to see
they're from all sorts
of different places.
Do you see that?
They're from Jerusalem.
They're from all Judea
and the whole region
of the Jordan.
So this is not just
one and twos.
This is people
in droves
coming to see
what's going on.
So this is big news.
And what do they do?
What's the word?
What do they do?
They confess.
Now can I call
a time out
at this point?
Just think on that
for a moment.
According to the Bible
for you and I
to get right with God
we need to not
present him
with a portfolio
of all the reasons
that he should
accept us.
According to the Bible
we need to rather
confess to him
every reason
that he should
reject us.
Now how
counterintuitive
is that?
You see it?
And they get
baptized.
Now why would
anyone want to
do that?
You know
growing up in Scotland
we were made
to
study this book
called Macbeth.
And so
etched in my mind
every time
I read something
like this
is that line
from Lady Macbeth
just after
she's committed
murder
and she cannot
wash the blood
off her hands.
Do you know
the line?
Oh damn spot
out I say.
This is what she says.
She cannot
make herself
clean.
She's guilt ridden
and she cannot
change.
Friends
going down
underneath the water
do you see
people are publicly
declaring symbolically
that I feel
like I'm covered
in dirt.
and I cannot
carry the
sense of
shame
and guilt
and regret.
I am tired
of pretending
and I need
to be made
clean.
Now let me
just make two
real quick
fire bits
of application
at this point.
as we seek
to be a
church
that is
seeking
to
make
confession
great
again.
Okay.
When we think
about this word
confession
friends
this should
be a
natural
thing
that we
do.
We are
saved by
grace
we are
united
to
Jesus
the moment
we put
our
faith
and
trust
in
him
but the
Bible
is
calling
us
to
that
lifetime
of
repentance.
Where is
God calling
us to
change?
What is
he putting
the finger
on in
our life?
Here is
number one
bit of
application.
That our
churches
shouldn't be
easy places
for sin
but they
should be
safe places
for sinners.
Can I say
that again?
Our churches
shouldn't be
easy places
for sin.
I was on a
safeguarding call
the other day
doing the
training.
We need
to make
sure that
happens.
But they
should be
safe places
for sinners
where we
can be
honest about
our
failings
and the
ways that
we struggle
and the
fact that
we need
each other
in our
lives.
We've got
that saying
in our
culture
made popular
by Elton
John
and I
think
Blue
did an
incredible
cover of
it back
in the
90s.
What
seems to
be the
hardest
word?
Sorry.
Yeah?
Here's a
question I
ask myself
in response
to this
this week.
When was
the last
time I
said sorry?
I said
sorry to
God because
my sin has
offended him
and I'm
pleading the
blood of
Jesus on
my behalf.
But I
said sorry
to the
people that
I've
sinned
against.
Do you
know what
one of the
wonderful
things that
is a sign
of spiritual
maturity and
I'm trying to
make this
more a
prayer of
mine and
invite you
to do
the same.
that the
time lag
between us
sinning and
us repenting
and coming
clean and
saying sorry
the time lag
there gets
not greater
but shorter.
And so
this asks us
to think
about the
ways that
we have
wronged the
Lord and
wronged his
people and
just the
people that
we rub
shoulders with
every day.
number two
friends what
though might
the Lord be
laying specifically
on your
heart and
my heart
this morning
that we need
to confess.
The claim
here is that
there is one
who is coming
who is able
to deal with
your sin
and my sin.
And so the
invitation here
is to not
deny it.
Don't
bottle it
but come
clean honestly
come to the
Lord with it
and experience
the joy in
Christ of
being forgiven.
You know my
friend Paul
Reese down at
Charlotte Chapel
I remember he
did a funeral
of an old
man in his
church family
a number of
years ago
and he went
to visit the
family at
the home
and they
showed him
this man's
old Bible
and he had
circled the
word I think
it's Psalm
130 about
the joy of
forgiveness and
he'd gone to
town just
circling this
word forgiveness.
This man had
found joy in
the forgiveness
that Jesus had
won for him
and so that's
the invitation
with this
word confess.
You are
declaring in
this moment
we are
declaring that
we are
patients that
need to get
to A&E
because we
desperately need
a doctor to
heal us
and Matthew's
gospel the
rest of this
story is him
showing us how
Jesus is the
great physician.
He is the one
who is able to
heal your
every spiritual
need and we
come to God
confessing that
we have blood
on our hands
what he does
in this moment
the spirit
says I will
take you to
Jesus and
his blood
spilt on
your behalf
for your
sins.
He died so
that you don't
have to.
Repentance
means
confessing
but secondly
repentance
means
change.
Do you see
verses 7 to
10?
Do you see
again?
Not filler.
See the two
groups of
people who
come to
see what
on earth
is going
on here.
Right?
Matthew names
them as the
Pharisees and
the Sadducees.
Do you see it
there?
These are two
religious groups
in Israel
who although
they believe
different things
are both
passionately
devoted to
religious
observance
and they
are both
intrigued by
John's
message and
we've got to
ask ourselves
why do these
guys come all
the way down
to see what
the fuss is
all about?
Do you know
why they're
coming?
They're coming
because what
John is saying
is a threat
to their whole
way of life
and it's the
fellow Jews
who are going
to this man
John and
saying what
he is saying
is resonating
with us in a
way that what
they are teaching
isn't?
And do you
see how
John he
clocks them
coming and
he lets fly
right?
And how about
this for an
opening line?
Students you
can use this
in your
lecture hall
tomorrow but
you've got to
get the tone
of the text
here okay?
He's not
looking for
friends.
He's not
looking for
popularity.
He's looking
for these guys
to repent as
well.
Do you see
it?
What does he
say?
You brood of
vipers.
You pet of
snakes.
That's what
he's saying.
Because John
perceives that
here are two
religious groups
who are
assuming that
because of
their religious
looking lives
and their
Jewish roots
and links
to Abraham
that they have
a free pass
and all
this
repentance
stuff.
It's what
they're
presuming.
John
smells
presumption
in the air
and he wants
to rock
them, shake
them out
of it.
But we've
got to ask
the question
at this
stage
friends,
what might
we,
what might
you be
presuming on
this morning
when it comes
to being right
with God?
Maybe you
think my
parents
christened me
as a
child.
Maybe you've
been reading
Jordan Peterson
and you're
thinking,
I'm sympathetic
to Christian
morality.
Maybe you do
your bit for
charity,
maybe you say
grace at
mealtimes,
the list could
go on.
But all the
things that
maybe we're
tempted to
think when it
comes to this
whole repentance
and coming
clean before
the Lord,
that that
doesn't apply
to me.
can understand
how it
applies to
Putin,
but I
can't see
how it
applies to
me.
Friends,
what's the
proof of
repentance?
See it in
the text.
What is the
proof that
the love of
God has
totally
transformed and
invaded a
human heart?
What's the
proof of it?
Deep,
convictional,
tangible,
fruit.
You see
him say it?
You know,
it's a true
story told
about Harland
and Wolf
shipbuilders
in Belfast.
Famous for
being the
place where
the Titanic
was built.
They always
tell us that
it was fine
when it
left there.
Famous for
being the
place where
the Titanic
was built,
right?
At its
height,
it employed
some 35,000
men in its
workforce.
You can
imagine with
that number
of people on
a building
site,
construction
site.
When the
bell went
at the end
of the
day and
that number
of people
left en masse,
what people
soon discovered
is that it
was the
easiest thing
in the
world just
to steal
something.
So they
used to
put,
many of
the men
used to
put little
bits of
copper or
lead pipe
in their
back pocket
in their
jacket and
just walk
out.
Nothing
that they
could do
about it.
But see,
during one
of the
periods of
revival in
Northern
Ireland,
many of
those men
repented and
became Christians,
put their
faith in
Jesus.
And what
began to
happen is
that one
by one,
all these
men began
to bring
back to
the shipyard
the stuff
that they'd
stolen over
the years.
To the
extent that
the shipbuilders
had to put
out an
announcement
over the
airwaves,
telling people
to stop
bringing back
the stuff
that they
had stolen
because they
didn't have
room enough
in their
warehouse to
store it
all.
But do
you see
what John
is saying
and how it
connects to
that?
What is
the thing
that God
is looking
for?
What is
the proof
of repentance?
It is
deep,
convictional,
tangible
fruit.
The proof
that God
has gripped
your heart
is that
your life
will begin
to change.
And so
John looks
at these
Pharisees and
Sadducees
and says,
you presume
that your
lives are
producing good
fruit,
let me tell
you that
God looks
on it and
he declares
over you
that you
are producing
bad fruit.
Repentance
means change.
But let me
just do a
little bit
pastoral
work here.
Maybe
like me
you hear
that
and you
think to
yourself,
honestly,
I'm not
sure where
the power
to change,
I love
your message,
I love
that,
but I
don't know
where the
power to
change
really comes
from.
I don't
rate my
ability to
do it.
Do you
know what?
See,
if you're
there,
I think
you're
exactly
where
John
the
Baptist
wants
his
listeners
to be.
This is
not about
turning over
a new
leaf.
What
John is
saying is
that I'm
getting you
ready to
see that
God's
come to
give you
a new
heart.
God's
love.
So here's
the third
thing that
repentance
means.
Repentance
means
Christ.
Come
with me
in verses
11 and
12.
See it.
What John
knows about
himself and
he keeps
telling people,
do you see
it?
The one
that's coming
after me,
can I
paraphrase?
I'm not
fit to
strap his
boots.
John is
saying in
that language,
I am
his
servant.
Elizabeth's
boy,
right?
Jesus'
second
cousin.
I'm not
fit to
strap his
boots.
And notice
the humility
of John
in that
moment.
Don't
look at
me,
look at
him.
Wouldn't
I'd love
to see
more of
that in
your life?
I take
it that's
what spiritual
maturity again
looks like.
I want
to see
less of
me and
more of
him.
He is
not interested
in the
limelight.
He is
not
interested
in building
a following.
His
delight
is that
he would
be
totally
eclipsed.
His
one aim
in life
is to
point to
Jesus
and say,
you don't
need my
baptism,
you need
his.
Because
I didn't
see this
for years.
There's a
difference
between
John's
baptism
and the
baptism
that
Jesus
will
give
people.
Do you
see it
in the
text?
Blink and
you might
miss it.
There's a
difference
between the
baptisms.
Maybe think
of it
like this.
You know
the worst
three words
you could
hope to
hear on
Christmas
day as
a child?
When you're
standing there
with your
new present
opened.
And I
heard these
words from
my sister-in-law's
boyfriend on
Christmas
day when our
kids opened
presents.
You know
the three
words?
Batteries
Not
included.
Batteries
Not
Included.
You're
standing there
with something
that looks
incredible.
It's wonderful
in your
hands but
there is
no power
to make
it work.
That's
John's
baptism
here.
That's
what he
is
declaring.
My
baptism
has no
power to
change.
It can
get you
maybe clean
on the
outside but
it has
no power
to change
you in
the one
place that
we need
to be
changed
which is
on the
inside.
But
coming
after me
is one
who will
give you
if you
turn to
him in
repentance
and faith
verse 11
he will
give you
the Holy
Spirit and
fire.
Do you see
that language
there?
So if you're
a Christian
here today
here's what's
true.
Because
Jesus has
paid for
our sins
the Spirit
has been
given to
us poured
out on
all the
people of
God.
The Holy
Spirit is
not just
for a
select
few.
It is
for all
those who
keep their
faith in
Jesus that
he comes
to live
in our
life.
So the
Holy Spirit
there, the
very presence
of God
come to
dwell in
us.
He is
ours.
It's what
Jesus has
come to
give us.
And his
business, the
Holy Spirit, is
to transform
our hearts
from the
inside out.
It's to
animate
us.
Holy Spirit
and fire.
You may be
thinking, what is
that fire
language all
about?
I take it
it's symbolic
there of
this inner
purity.
That Jesus
has made
us clean.
And he is
committed to
making us
into a
people who
are passionate
about purity.
Because here's
what this God
does.
He specializes
in raising
up children
for Abraham
from stones.
Do you see
the language
here?
If I could
just play
on it a
little bit.
God can
make these
stones into
worshippers.
Now how on
earth is he
going to do
that?
Well I think
what's going
on here,
remember the
Christian is
someone who
is spiritually
dead.
There was
not an
iota in
my existence
that wanted
anything to
do with
God until
the Holy
Spirit flooded
my life.
A Christian
is someone
who is
internally
inanimate
but who
has had
a heart
transplant.
Something that
Ezekiel,
something that
Jeremiah had
prophesied and
spoken about the
day that God
was coming to
give his
people a
new heart
and write
his law
inside of
them.
And just
remember back
to the
beginning of
the Bible
story.
What did
God do
to Adam?
He breathed
into him
the breath
of life
and he
became a
living being.
And it's
almost as if
God,
spiritually
speaking,
he's at
it again.
What is
he doing
into stones
but breathing
into them
the breath
of life
and causing
this rock,
this stone,
because of
his grace,
to sing
out in
praise of
worship to
him.
But do
you see
how I
wouldn't be
doing my
job right
and John
wouldn't be
doing his
job right
if we
didn't see
the language
at verse
12 that
he goes
on to
use.
Do you
see how
he goes
all lumberjack
on them
here?
Speaking
still to
the Pharisees
and the
Sadducees,
he says
the axe
is at
the root
of the
tree.
Again,
not a
guy looking
for friends
but looking
to be
faithful to
the job
that God
has called
them to
do.
The axe
is at
the root
of the
tree.
Jesus
has come
to save
but he's
also come
to judge.
But we've
got to see
and I think
this is what
John should
read on.
We'll meet
him again
in the
story.
It's maybe
the thing
that he
didn't
expect.
That that
judgment
that Jesus
has come
to give
isn't
now.
Today is
the day
of salvation.
Jesus'
blood is
open to
everybody
who would
believe.
But there
is coming
a day
when King
Jesus will
one day
return and
he will
judge the
whole earth.
And so
the axe
at the root
of the
tree is
this imagery
of saying
judgment
will come.
Are you
ready to
face your
maker?
When Jesus
separates the
wheat and
the chaff,
the Bible
talks about
or Jesus
talks about
heaven and
hell.
And so
the question
of this
passage that
John wants
to leave
his listeners
with and
I think
the aim
of this
passage for
us hearers
today is
are you
ready to
meet your
maker?
I'm going
to think about
more next
week about
Jesus and
the life that
he has come
to give.
But just as we
close, let me
tell you about
my friend
Pedram.
I've met
some wonderful
people in
my time
at Brunsfield.
You're all
wonderful, but
you know what
I mean.
Just people
from different
places doing
different things.
And they come
and God brings
them into your
life for a
season and he
takes them
on.
Pedram came
into my life.
He was part
of this church
a number of
years ago.
When he got
to know him
for about six
months, three
things about
Pedram.
He was Iranian.
He grew up
in London and
he worked at
Curry's PC
World.
So every time
he used to
meet for a
coffee, the
conversation
went all over
the place.
But he always
used to tell me
about how
growing up,
his life was
surrounded with
people who
were all into
gadgets and
gizmos and
the good life.
And he talked
about how he
kind of absorbed
this worldview as
to he was
thinking, those
are the things
that I want to
pursue in my
life and make
it all about.
And we used
to meet up and
every time we
did, we chat
about life and
then we crack
open the Bible and
we look at
Mark's gospel.
And early on in
Mark chapter 1,
the first words
out of Jesus'
mouth, that
word, repent.
And Pedram
looked at it and
he thought about
it and he
mulled it over and
his response is
to this day one
of the most
profound things
I've ever heard.
He read that
call and he
said, it's almost
as if, isn't
he, Jesus is
calling me to a
life of
unlearning.
And I
thought, brother,
what a profound
comment.
Because it is
what a disciple
is.
Someone who
is learning
Jesus, seeking
to walk with
him all the
days of their
lives.
But part of
that learning
Jesus process
will be about
us unlearning
the things that
used to dominate
our lives and
our attitudes and
our ambitions.
And Pedram reads
this and he's
thinking to himself,
Jesus is telling
me in this moment
that my heart is
like a broken
compass.
He's telling
me that my
longings are
like a violin
that is so
badly out of
tune.
He's telling
me that my
ambitions and
dreams, it's
as if I'm
investing myself,
my life savings
into a bank
that God is
telling me is
just about to
go under.
And he's
come through
his death on
the cross and
his resurrection
to call me to
repentance,
which is to
turn from
myself and
my sin against
him, a holy
God, and all
the wrong ways
I used to
think to
turn from
them and
turn me into
someone who
absolutely delights
and longs and
lives to follow
him.
Friends, one of
the big themes
that we're going
to see in this
gospel is that
Matthew wants us
to know about
discipleship.
Chapter 3,
what have we
had this
morning?
We've had
baptism, right?
And we've
had the
fruit of
obedience,
yeah?
Chapter 28,
what will you
see is the
commission that
Jesus gives to
his disciples to
go to the
worlds to teach
them what?
To baptize
them and to
teach them about
the fruit of
obedience.
And it's as if
this whole gospel,
one of the
sub-themes is
this discipleship
process of
learning what it
means to
follow Jesus.
But right at
the beginning of
Jesus' public
ministry,
this is Matthew
is telling us.
You want to
follow him?
It all starts
here, with
repentance.
So friends,
why don't I
pray?
We'll just be
silent for a
few minutes.
I'm going to
pray.
But why don't
us maybe just
individually just
respond to what
we've heard this
morning?
I don't know what
God is maybe
doing by his
spirit in our
lives.
But just before
we sing our
couple of songs
and close our
time together,
why don't we
just be quiet
for a few
moments?
And just
still our
hearts come
before the
Lord and
maybe bring
our own
individual
prayers to
him.
And so
Father, we
thank you so
much for this
morning.
Lord, it
always feels to
me, gathering
on a Sunday,
meeting with my
brothers and
sisters, singing
your praises,
hearing your
word, it just
reorientates me to
the gospel.
Lord, our
hearts so often
wonder, they get
cold, they get
distracted, our
minds sometimes
go all over the
place.
But I pray,
Father, this
morning that you
would re-center
us on the
gospel, that
there is
forgiveness and
life to be
found in
confessing our
sins, in
repenting, in
turning, and
returning to you,
the God who
loves us.
We thank you so
much.
We're going to
see in this
gospel that
Jesus is the
great and
perfect
physician.
And so,
Lord, I pray
that as we
finish our time
this morning as
we respond in
prayer and
praise, that
you would help
us individually
respond to
this.
And maybe even
for some of
us today, for
the first time,
we put our
faith and
trust in
Jesus as we
repent of our
sins and turn
to him.
Father, we
thank you for
your goodness
to us this
morning.
We pray that
you'd be with
us as we
finish our
time.
In Jesus'
name we
pray.
Amen.