Let's turn together now to hear the Word of God in the New Testament, in Paul's letter to Romans and in chapter number 8.
! Romans chapter 8, reading at the beginning of the chapter, down to verse number 17.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.
By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh.
For those who live according to the Spirit, set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law.
Indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die.
But if by the Spirit you be to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive the Spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
and of children then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Amen.
This is God's word.
We trust that he will bless to us, reading from it.
We're now going to praise God from the Scottish Psalter from Psalm number 30.
And at the beginning of the psalm, Psalm number 30, it's on page 239.
Lord, I will thee extol, for thou hast lifted me on high,
and o'er me thou to rejoice, may it's not mine enemy.
From verse 1 to the verse mark 5, to God's praise.
Amen.
Rejoice, it's not mine enemy.
O thou who art the Lord my God, I am distressed to thee.
With thy cries lifted up my voice, and thou hast healed me.
O Lord, my soul, thou hast brought up, and rescued from the grave.
That I to play should not go down, a life thou didst me save.
O ye that are his holy ones, sing praise unto the Lord.
And give unto him times when ye this holiness reward.
For but a moment lost his wrath, life in his favor lies.
We may fall and I endure, a Lord of joy arise.
Let's turn together now to Paul's letter to Romans and chapter number 8.
And we're going to read at verse number 14.
Romans 8 and verse 14.
And so on down to verse number 17.
And I guess whatever we are looking at in life, if we have the opportunity to look from the outside inwards,
we can see something of the issues that are involved.
And at the beginning of our service this evening, we can perhaps pick up two lenses
that will help us to understand what this church looks like.
And that will help us, I hope, to understand what we look like ourselves.
And when we look at this church in Rome in the first place,
we see that in the masses of the population of the city,
there was a mix of cultures,
and most of them were made up of Greeks and of Jews.
And in the culture of the church in Rome,
there were two issues.
And the Gentiles in the church in Rome,
they found fault with the traditional Jewish Christians
because of their observance of the Old Testament law
and maintained that they were out of touch with reality.
On the other hand,
the Jewish Christians looked at the Gentile Christians
and saw them as modern-day lawless Christians
because they did not keep the Old Testament laws as the Jews did.
And when Paul is writing this letter,
he is writing it to,
in a way, to level out the whole of the experience
of all of the different cultures in Rome
so that they would understand the error of their thinking
and so that they would respect each other in the Lord.
The second lens that helps us to see what this church was like
is that there were two particular groups of people
that Paul is trying to address.
And the first of these is
there were those who were what we call self-righteous.
They saw themselves as good people.
They were upright people.
They were law-abiding citizens.
They were self-righteous.
But the problem with the self-righteous people in Rome,
as it is with the self-righteous people in Stornoway,
the problem is that they don't appreciate
the passion and work of Christ.
And Paul, in his writing,
he is addressing these good people
who saw themselves as good
and saw themselves as good enough
and he wants them to understand the gospel.
The other group that we focus upon
is a group that were Christians
but they didn't understand that they were
and they lacked the assurance of their faith.
And as surely as it is important for Paul
to address those who think they're so good,
they're okay,
Paul wants to address those who are Christians
and yet don't realize it.
He wants to give them the assurance of their faith.
And it's important for ourselves
to have that kind of lens
when we come to think of ourselves.
Where are we as we use these two lenses?
Are we good enough
and so good that we don't need the Lord Jesus?
Are we Christians
but perhaps we don't realize that we are
and we struggle with anxiety and concern
and we never come to a place
where we are sure.
and we know that
in the world in which we live
there is such an emphasis
on personal identity.
Who we are and who we think we are.
And there's a fluidity in that same
personal identity
so that we can move from being identified
as one thing to being identified as another.
There's a crisis of identity in society
and there is a crisis of identity
in the church
in the sense that
where the gospel is preached
there is a transition in our identity.
We are either those sinners
who are lost with our grace and salvation
or we are those sinners
who are saved and who are in Christ.
And the nature of the gospel is
that God takes us from this place
to that place.
From being lost sinners
to being sinners saved by grace.
And I want us to bear these things in mind
and as we look at these verses
to consider our Christian identity
and our status as
the sons, the children of God.
First of all, I want us to notice
that there is confusion
facing us in these verses.
And the confusion is with regard
to the characteristic
that makes us the children of God.
There is only one way this evening
that we are Christians.
There is only one way this evening
that we are the children of God.
And through these verses
Paul lays his finger on that.
It's those who have
the Spirit of God.
And it's important for us
to always remember
that in our thinking
that we think the Holy Spirit
is so much lesser
than God the Father
and the Lord Jesus.
When we read about the Spirit of God
anywhere in the Bible
there's an equality
at the level at which
the Holy Spirit
is held in honour
and respected
and he has the same level
of honour and respect
as God does
and as the Son of God does.
And what marks us out this evening
and in any other time in life
as the children of God
is what we see referred to
for example
in verse number 9
where he speaks about
the Spirit of God
dwelling in you.
And remarkably
for you and I this evening
if your life is going to be changed
it's God coming home to you.
It's a wonderful thought
that the eternal God
in all of his power
and in all of his glory
that for us to become
the children of God
he is coming to dwell
in our hearts.
Our hearts are to be
his home.
God is in that sense
coming home to us
to dwell with us
forever.
He's not coming
as a visitor
who's going to speak to us
through his word
this evening
in the church
in Kenner Street.
He is
the Holy Spirit of God
who will be with us
forever.
And we should
never be so confused
in our thinking
that we think
we can be Christians
and we can be
the children of God
without this
God coming home
to you.
And in all of your
thinking this evening
as we enter into
looking at these words
we remind ourselves
of that important fact
if you're a child of God
it is because
of what the Spirit
of God has done
and not because
of what you have done.
And when we think
of that characteristic
that makes us
the children of God
let us notice also
that God does not
make a forced entry
into our hearts
to make us
the children of God.
In this moment
at which we become
the children of God
he comes to dwell
with us
and as we read
in version number 15
you have received
the Spirit.
And the whole picture
that we have
in receiving everything
is welcoming.
It's going to my door
and seeing who's
at the door
and welcoming
this person
with open arms
because we have
longed to see them.
It's that welcome
of faith
that self-prompted
action
that movement
of our hearts
that receives
and welcomes
the Spirit of God.
And however much
we understand
what it means
to be the children
of God
if we are
children of God
tonight
we will know
something of that
welcome
something of God
coming home to us
as if he comes
to knock on the door
of our hearts
which by grace
he opens himself
and we
welcome
the Spirit
of God
into our hearts.
No one ever
had salvation
pushed down
their throats
by God.
It is
the point
at which
two parties
who were estranged
from each other
suddenly come
together
embrace each other
and God
comes to dwell
in the
person's
heart.
And Paul
Paul says
in version
number 9
of this
chapter
that
the person
who does
not have
the Spirit
of Christ
does not
belong
to Christ.
And as we
look further
into the confusion
it is
important
for you
and for me
to recognize
that
critical fact.
Could you
be confused
into thinking
that you are
the child
of God
and this
has not
happened
to you.
It is
the work
of God
that opens
the hearts
of the sinner
like you
and like me
so that
he himself
comes into
our hearts
and brings
about
that change.
And perhaps
one of the
signs of that
already taking
place
is what
Jesus
promises
in John
chapter 16
when the Holy
Spirit comes
to dwell
in our
hearts
he will
do many
things
but one
of the
things
he will
do
is
he will
take
what
belongs
to Jesus
and he
will show
it to you.
And here
is the
clear indication
that God
has changed
my heart
and God
has changed
your heart
if suddenly
you see
Jesus Christ
in a way
that you
have never
seen before
and in a way
that makes
you leave
everything else
behind
and realize
that Jesus
Christ
is my
savior
I am
saved by
grace
alone
on the
basis
of what
Christ
alone
has done
that's
the defining
characteristic
and it is
with regard
to that
characteristic
that we
find
confusion
in this
passage
and we
see that
confusion
in verse
number
15
for you
did not
receive
the spirit
of slavery
to fall
back
into
fear
the spirit
is not
the one
who produces
slavery
and whether
they're Jews
or Gentiles
whoever they
are
the history
is such
that
they were
slaves
ask a Jew
what slavery
means
and the Jew
will tell you
the children
of Israel
were slaves
in the land
of Egypt
they were
pushed into
serving the
Egyptians
they knew
what slavery
was
they knew
what a hard
taskmaster
was
they knew
what it was
to fear
the taskmaster
and the
confusion
here
in Rome
is such
that
those who
have the
spirit of
God
in their
hearts
the spirit
that we
see at the
beginning
of this
chapter
bringing
about
freedom
are actually
falling back
again
returning
to
the
sense
of
slavery
they were
rescued
from the
fear
of the
taskmaster
who expected
them to
give perfect
obedience
to his
most holy
law
they had
that fear
of God
it was a
slavish fear
and God
has rescued
them from
that
but now
they're
reverting
to that
default
position
where they
see
themselves
having
to
keep
the
law
of
God
perfectly
and
because
they
see
that
they're
not
able
to
do
that
instead
of
enjoying
their
freedom
they're
going
about
with
anxiety
with
no
assurance
and
doubtless
doubting
their
very
conversion
to
Christ
and
their
being
the
children
of
God
confusion
that
arises
between
the
freedom
that
God
gives
by
a
spirit
in
Christ
and
the
inclination
that we
have to
always
look at
fulfilling
God's
law
to be
accepted
by
him
and
I'm
fairly
confident
that in
this
gathering
tonight
there
are
those
who
have
faith
there
are
those
who
are
the
children
of
God
and
yet
spend
their
lives
feeling
themselves
as a
complete
failure
because
they don't
understand
what
God
has
done
and
because
of what
God
has
done
they
are
striving
earnestly
!
To
keep
the
law
of
God
perfectly
trying
to
achieve
what
cannot
be
achieved
and
failing
to
understand
that
they
have
been
set
free
from
the
law
as
their
taskmaster
or as
the
means
to
which
they
are
to
be
saved
that
Jesus
Christ
is
what
Paul
calls
later
on
this
letter
!
to
God
is
the
end
!
I
need
no
longer
to
look
at
achieving
or
looking
at
my
own
performance
in
order
to
know
that
I'm
the
child
of
God
I
simply
need
to
understand
what
God
has
done
and
I
think
it's
a
question
that
we
can
all
ask
ourselves
how
much
will
our
lives
be
governed
by
our
own
performance
instead
of
by
the
promises
of
God
and
the
power
of
the
Spirit
of
God
in
our
lives
let's
ask
ourselves
that
question
are
we
confused
are
we
dependent
on
our
own
performance
or
do
we
have
the
freedom
that
we
depend
on
the
performance
of the
Lord
Jesus
who
lived
the
perfect
life
who
died
the
death
of
the
cross
who
was
raised
again
and
to
his
glory
do
we
trust
in
his
finished
work
the
confusion
secondly
there is
a
correction
and we
see the
correction
in that
same
verse
you did
not
receive
the
spirit
of
slavery
to
fall
back
into
fear
but
you
have
received
the
spirit
of
adoption
as
sons
what
does
this
God
coming
home
to
me
mean
what
does
the
spirit
of
God
in my
heart
mean
for me
and what
does it
mean
for you
it's
not
the
spirit
that
produces
the
sense
of being
a
slave
it
is
the
spirit
that
produces
the
sense
of being
a
son
of
God
and
Paul
is
using
the
sense
of
being
placed
as a
son
in a
family
which
was
understood
in the
days
in which
Paul
was
writing
where
there
would
be
a
family
where
there
was
no
obvious
heir
where
there
was
no
male
son
to
whom
the
family
lineage
would
belong
and
to
have
that
responsibility
as
the
head
of
the
family
and
in
that
kind
of
situation
it
was
the
legal
thing
to
do
the
obvious
thing
to
do
was
to
adopt
a
son
to
take
a
son
who
belonged
to
another
family
and
to
place
it
in
that
person's
own
family
to
give
that
new
son
the
same
rights
the
same
privileges
the
same
obligations
the
same
responsibilities
to
be
in
that
family
as
a
real
living
active
son
with
all
of
the
rights
and
that
son
that
was
now
adopted
into
that
family
would
conform
to
all
of
the
family
life
and
all
that
was
involved
in
the
family
home
he
is
taking
what
they
understood
from
what
happened
around
them
but
he
is
also
going
back
to
the
Old
Testament
sense
of
God
saying
in
Exodus
chapter
4
Israel
my
covenant
people
those
whom
I have
come
to
rescue
from
Egypt
they
are
my
firstborn
son
when
I read
sonship
in the
Bible
with
regard
to
the
people
of
God
it
reminds
me
of
God's
covenant
commitment
to
save
a
people
for
himself
and
down
through
the
Old
Testament
into
the
new
the
people
that
he
saves
they
become
his
sons
we
saw
in
Psalm
2
the
way
in
which
there's
that
conversation
between
the
father
and
the
son
you
are
my
son
today
I've
begotten
you
there is
that
sense
of
sonship
that
belongs
to
Jesus
Christ
as
God's
son
and
now
there
is
the
sense
of
sonship
that
belongs
to
the
children
of
God
and
Paul
wants
them
to
understand
that
when
God
came
into
their
lives
and
God
changed
their
hearts
that
this
is
what
the
spirit
of
God
produces
he
does
nothing
different
whoever
they are
whether
they were
self
righteous
before
whether
there
were
Gentiles
before
whether
Jews
before
it
does
not
matter
God
does
not
have
a
different
way
of
dealing
with
different
people
and
different
cultures
there
is
one
way
it's
the
new
birth
and
it's
the
spirit
of
God
coming
to
dwell
in
our
hearts
it
is
the
spirit
that
produces
sonship
and that
of course
brings us
to
our
identity
if
God
has
come
home
to
your
heart
if
you
are
welcomed
to
the
Lord
Jesus
into
your
life
who
tonight
do
you
think
you
are
do
you
understand
who
you
are
do
you
understand
that
there
has
been
the
transition
where
God
has
taken
you
from
being
a
sinner
under
his
judgment
and
lost
to
being
a
sinner
saved
by
grace
who
is
now
the
son
of
God
the
child
of
God
who
do
you
think
you
are
who
do
you
believe
you
are
our
identity
is
defined
by
external
things
and in
this
case
defined
by
who
God
is
and
what
God
has
done
and
what
he
has
done
in
our
hearts
and
our
lives
and
we
need
to
ask
ourselves
that
simple
question
who
do
we
think
we
are
God
knows
who
we
are
God
doesn't
want
us
tonight
to
be
lost
in
the
sense
of
anxiety
and
of
fearing
and
the
absence
of
freedom
God
wants
you
and
me
as
the
children
of
God
to
know
to
understand
his
love
the
prophecy
of
Jeremiah
there's
a
great
passage
in
chapter
31
where
God
is
speaking
about
Ephraim
as
his
own
people
and
he's
raising
the
question
himself
is
Ephraim
not
my
dear
son
in
whom
I
delight
as
if
would
anyone
dare
suggest
that
even
although
the
children
of
God
are
in
exile
would
anyone
dare
to
suggest
that
they
are
not
the
children
of
God
I
still
remember
him
says
God
my
heart
yearns
for
him
that's
the
love
that's
the
care
that's
the
correction
that
you
and I
need
tonight
to
let
the
light
of
the
sonship
that
the
spirit
of
God
produces
in
our
hearts
to
let
that
shine
in
our
hearts
to
bring
about
the
sense
of
freedom
that
is
so
often
so
far
from
us
and
that
very
spirit
that
produces
sonship
it is
evidenced
also by
the way
in which
that
spirit
produces
a family
conversation
there's
something
wrong
in any
family
there's
a
breakdown
in
any
family
if
people
aren't
talking
to
each
other
there's
a
serious
breakdown
if
children
aren't
talking
to
their
parents
the
family
unit
works
and
operates
on the
basis
that
relationships
are
working
as
they
should
and
here
in the
sense
of
the
family
of
God
and
the
sonship
and
the
children
of
God
we
have
received
the
spirit
of
adoption
of
sons
by
whom
we
cry
Abba
Father
the
newborn
child
cries
the
person
who
is
a
newborn
child
of
God
cries
to
God
cry
in the
Old
Testament
is
a
cry
that's
expressed
by the
person
who's
crying
in a
case
of
emergency
crying
out to
God
in the
day
of
trouble
it's
a
come and
rescue
me
cry
it's
a
come and
help
me
cry
it's
a
cry
that
sometimes
may not
have
words
but
there's
that
sense
of
groaning
and
of
reaching
out
to
God
for
the
help
that
only
God
can
give
and
in a
sense
our
relationship
with
God
always
leads
us
and
brings
us
to
places
where
we
are
in
an
emergency
and
the
emergency
means
that
we
need
always
to
trust
in
God
and
to
depend
upon
him
I
may
go
out
from
the
service
this
evening
and
something
may
happen
something
may
trigger
something
in my
mind
in my
life
something
that I
did not
expect
it is
an
emergency
what does
the child
of God
do
with the
emergency
the child
of God
cries
Abba
Father
that
double
cry
that
speaks
of
warmth
of
intimacy
of
love
and
of
care
my
father
and
it
is
a
cry
that
remarkably
we
share
with
the
Lord
Jesus
himself
in
the
garden
of
Gethsemane
in
the
emergency
in
the
crisis
of
going
to
the
cross
and
the
darkness
of
that
moment
Abba
Father
all
things
are
possible
with
you
there's
a
closeness
there's
a sense
of a
bond
there's
a sense
of an
unbreakable
relationship
the
situation
is
changing
but it
doesn't
alter
the
cry
of
the
son
to
the
father
Abba
father
and
perhaps
it is
worth
noticing
that
the
same
Jesus
who
says
Abba
father
in
the
garden
is
the
same
Jesus
who
goes
to
the
cross
and
who
says
my
God
my
God
why
have
you
forsaken
me
there
is
at
least
the
suggestion
that
when I
address
God
as
my
God
it
may
be
in
a
place
of
crisis
but
it
does
speak
of
distance
whereas
when I
address
God
as
my
father
it
does
suggest
intimacy
and
tonight
what is
your
prayer life
what does
it look
like
or what
does
your
prayer life
sound
like
is
it
is
it
a
prayer
life
that
speaks
loudly
of
your
distance
from
God
or
is
it
a
prayer
life
that
speaks
loudly
of
your
closeness
to
God
and
sometimes
in the
life of
the
church
it
was
claimed
to be
a
sign
of
humility
if
we
did
not
use
the
address
my
father
but
the
Bible
makes
clear
as
we
see
in
the
life
of
the
Lord
Jesus
in
this
passage
and
also
in
Galatians
chapter
4
it
is
the
kind
of
cry
that
the
children
of
God
have
with
regard
to
their
father
what
does
your
prayer
life
sound
like
if
you
are
the
child
of
God
you
will
have
a
prayer
life
what
does
it
sound
like
how
do
you
see
God
is he
the
distant
God
that
you're
not
that
intimate
with
or
is he
the
God
who
is
close
to
you
the
God
who
is
dwelling
in
your
heart
by
his
Holy
Spirit
and
that
you
sense
the
closeness
and
you
know
the
intimacy
and
you
speak
to
him
as
your
father
the
correction
and
thirdly
there is
confirmation
how can
you be
sure
how can
I be
sure
tonight
that we
are the
children of
God
and we
have something
of the
confirmation
in
version
number
16
the
spirit
himself
the
spirit
that
produces
the
sense
of
sonship
the
spirit
himself
bears
witness
with
our
spirit
that
we
are
children
of
God
there
is
a
sense
of
a
legal
process
there
is
the
sense
of
two
witnesses
!
There
is
the
sense
of
two
witnesses
making
their
statement
about
the
same
event
in
order to
confirm
the
reality
of
that
event
and
here
we
see
that
statement
that
evidence
is
brought
about
with
our
spirit
that
we
are
the
children
of
God
there
is
a
communication
between
the
Holy
spirit
of
God
and
our
inner
beings
Paul
speaks
in
1 Corinthians
of
no one
knowing
the
thoughts
of a
person
but the
spirit
of that
person
no one
knows
tonight
what you
are
thinking
what's
going
on
internally
in
your
mind
as we
sit
together
as we
stand
to
worship
God
no one
knows
that
but
you
alone
but the
picture that
we have
here is
that
your
internal
being
your
intellect
your
thinking
your
spirit
that it
is the
place
for this
legal
setting
and for
these
evidences
and for
these
witnesses
to speak
out!
And the
spirit
himself
bears
witness
that we
are
the
children
of God
at the
very
outset
we
spoke
about
the
way
in which
when
God
comes
home
to
us
and
we
welcome
God
into
our
lives
that
makes
us
the
children
of
God
and
Paul
is
reminding
us
here
that
as
we
go
on
our
journey
the
spirit
speaks
about
that
event
and
we
remember
that
event
and
these
two
witnesses
give
to us
confirmation
every
day
that
we
are
the
children
of
God
we
listen
to
the
evidence
we
may
doubt
the
evidence
that
we
raise
ourselves
but
what
Paul
is
seeing
here
is
that
the
key
witness
is
the
Holy
Spirit
himself
who
has
worked
to
make
us
the
children
of
God
he
bears
witness
with
our
spirit
that
we
are
the
children
of
God
and
that
suggests
to
us
strongly
that
we
need
to
have
space
for
God
in
our
lives
we
have
space
for
our
daily
work
and
responsibilities
we
have
space
for
our
daily
learning
we
have
space
for
recreation
we
have
space
for
our
interaction
with
others
we
make
space
for
all
of
these
things
justifiably
as part
of
living
in
our
world
but
we
must
have
space
for
God
because
unless
we do
have
that
space
for
God
the
noise
of
the
world
and
the
culture
in which
we
live
the
noise
that
is
around
us
will
dampen
will
drown
and
will
remove
the
sense
that
the
spirit
of
God
gives
to
us
to
give
us
the
assurance
of
our
identity
as
the
children
of
God
and
perhaps
tonight
if
you
are
a
child
of
God
and
you
doubt
your
salvation
and
you
doubt
that
you
are
the
child
of
God
and
you
cannot
dare
say
to
anybody
that
you
are
because
you're
not
sure
perhaps
the
reason
for
that
is
that
you
have
too
much
clutter
in
your
life
that
you
have
no
real
space
for
God
and
that
you
have
not
created
that
and
therefore
you're
not
hearing
what
God
is
saying
to
you
there
has
to
be
that
sense
of
noise
cancellation
with
regard
to
the
things
in
the
world
we
live
in
a
society
where
there
are
so
many
demands
on
our
time
whether
we're
young
or
old
or whoever
we are
even
technology
itself
places
so much
demands
upon us
and we
are all
close
if not
already
there
close to
being
addicted
to our
devices
and to
all that
the whole
of the
world
can bring
into our
lives
sitting in
our
homes
lives
we are
making
space
for the
world
and
creating
more
and more
space
for our
world
and less
space
for God
and when
I'm saying
that
I'm saying
it to
myself
first of
all
and I
think it
is reflective
of what
is happening
in the
world
in which
we live
and as
we close
tonight
perhaps
the
greatest
take away
from
our time
together
would be
that we
commit
ourselves
to make
more space
for God
in our
lives
to go
apart
and to
listen to
what God
is saying
not just
what he's
saying to
us
in the
worship
of his
name
and in
the
preaching
of the
gospel
on the
Lord's
day
but to
ensure
that we
have that
space
every day
at some
point in
the day
that we
are disciplined
to make
space
for God
and the
promise is
from all
that God
says in
the Bible
that if
we give
space to
God
in that
way
that we
will
hear more
from
him
learn more
about him
learn more
about ourselves
and understand
our identity
as the
children of
God
more and
more
that was
the problem
in the
church in
Rome
they were
confused
are we
confused
about what
it means
to be the
sons of
God
do we
understand
what makes
us the
children of
God
and do we
understand
that only
by the
spirit of
God
coming to
our hearts
welcomed by
us
that that
is the
only thing
that makes
us the
children of
God
and do we
long tonight
to be sure
well God
wants us all
to be sure
of our
salvation
to be sure
that we
are God's
children
he wants
us to
understand
that if
we think
we are
Christians
and we
are not
he wants
us to
know the
truth
and he
also wants
tonight if
we are
Christians
and we
don't fully
appreciate
that that
he will
also come
and make
that clear
to us
may God
help us
to trust
to hear
to understand
and to
know who
we are
as the
children of
God
may God
bless his
word
let us
pray
most
gracious
God
we
rejoice
in you
as our
father
who is
in heaven
we bless
you for
your care
of us
your interest
in us
we give
thanks to
you for
that
close
and special
relationship
that you
give to us
as your
children here
in this
world
help us
to understand
that relationship
better
help us
to live
as your
children
help us
to have
joy in
you
and help
us to
know the
assurance
of your
love
and give
us to
rejoice in
you day
by day
as we
live our
lives
wherever
we go
so that
we may
have
strong
faith
and
deepening
love
and
daily
desire
to
do
things
that
are
pleasing
to
you
that
we
may
shine
forth
as
lights
for you
in our
world
we do
pray
hear us
and accept
us
for
Jesus
sake
Amen
so the
closing
psalm is
psalm number
103
and sing
psalms on
page
135
and we're
singing at
verse number
8
and I think
on your
bulletin it
says 8
to 18
but if we
can sing
from 8
to 14
and not
8
to 18
psalm 103
on page
135
at verse
number
8
the lord
is merciful
and kind
to anger
slow and
full of
grace
he will
not
constantly
reprove
or in
his anger
hide
his face
from verse
8 to
verse 14
to god's
praise
the lord
is
merciful
and kind
to
anger
slow
and full
of grace
he will
not
constantly
reprove
or in
his anger
hide
his face
he does
not
punish
our
mistakes
or give
our sins
their
just
reward
how
great
his love
has
been
as
far
as
far
as
far
as
he
is
from
the
west
so
far
his love
has
borne
away
our
many
sins
and
trespasses
and
and all
the guilt
that
on
us
lay
just
as
a
father
loves
his
child
so
God
loves
those
who
hear
his
name
for
he
remembers
we
are
dust
and
well
he
knows
our
people
frame
and
well
he
knows
our
people
frame
if you
allow me
to go to
the main
door after
the benediction
the grace
of the
Lord Jesus
Christ
the love
of God
the Father
the fellowship
of the Holy
Spirit
be with you
all now
and forever
more
Amen
Thank you.