Good morning, church.
Happy Mother's Day.
It's good to be with you all today.
So you probably noticed from the tank being out
that we're celebrating a baptism today.
In fact, this Sunday and next Sunday,
over the course of these two Sundays,
we'll be celebrating five new baptisms.
So we're thrilled to see all that God is doing in our midst
as these folks make a public profession of faith in Christ,
which is what baptism is all about.
It's a way of saying publicly
that we've put our trust in the Lord Jesus
as our Redeemer and our King.
So if you're new or you're visiting,
we're glad you're here to celebrate with us.
Now, every Sunday, what we do
is we take a passage from the Bible
and we explain it and apply it to our lives.
And in order to make sure
that we're teaching what the Scripture says
and not just picking and choosing
what we think we should say,
we usually take a whole book of the Bible
and then just walk through it section by section.
We don't skip anything.
We just let God show us what He says to us in His Word.
Now, this spring,
we've been walking through the last book of the Bible
called Revelation.
And we're nearing the end of that book.
Today, we're looking at the last few verses
of Revelation chapter 20.
And it's pretty fitting
that we're coming to the end of this book
as we celebrate baptisms
because baptism is a sign, as we said,
that someone's come to believe and trust
in Jesus as their Redeemer and King.
In other words,
baptism is expressing faith
that Jesus is the one who saves us.
And the end of Revelation shows us
both what we're ultimately saved from
and what we're ultimately saved for
because of Jesus.
The end of Revelation chapter 20
that we'll look at this morning
and the beginning of Revelation 21
that we'll look at in two weeks
are this perfect pair.
Revelation 20 shows us what we're saved from.
Revelation 21 shows us what we're saved for.
And if we peek ahead,
we see that what Christ saves us for
is beautiful.
A renewed creation without suffering
or death or sickness or sorrow
with God in our midst,
the fountain of unending joy.
Just think of all the things
that you love in this life.
A great meal,
a great soccer game,
a great friendship.
Do you realize that the joys we experience
in these created gifts
ultimately come from God?
God is our creator.
He's the giver of all good gifts.
And what Jesus saves us for
is a future where sin and decay
are finally overcome
and we experience these good gifts
in full measure.
like a city alive
when your team has won the World Series.
Go Phillies, right?
Do you know they have the best record
in baseball right now?
It's unbelievable.
Or it's like a feast
where the wine doesn't run out.
That's what we're saved for.
But Revelation also shows us
what we're saved from.
What we're saved from.
I was listening to a podcast a while ago
that was a conversation
between Barack Obama
and Bruce Springsteen.
It was really excellent.
If you don't like Bruce Springsteen,
you can come talk to me afterwards
and I'll convince you otherwise.
But at one point in the conversation,
they were reflecting
on what kind of drove them
in their professional life.
Why were they sort of so driven
to do what they did?
Now, here are two men
who've reached the pinnacle of success, right?
The former president of the United States,
a rock and roll legend.
And as they were talking about
what drove them,
Barack Obama said something very insightful.
He said basically,
he said,
you know, Bruce,
ultimately in our work,
in our labor,
aren't we really looking for salvation?
Aren't we hoping
that through what we do,
we'll find redemption?
I think he's right.
I think we're all looking for salvation.
The question is,
are we looking in the right direction?
Revelation 20 shows us.
It shows us ultimately
what we need to be saved from.
So let me encourage you
to turn to Revelation chapter 20.
It's page 977
in the Pew Bible.
If you're new to the Bible,
the big numbers are the chapters
and the small numbers are the verses.
Revelation 20,
we're going to look at verses 11 through 15.
That's page 977.
The author of Revelation is the Apostle John,
and God gives him a vision of the end of history
in this passage,
and John writes this.
He says,
Then I saw a great white throne
and him who was seated on it.
From his presence,
earth and sky fled away,
and no place was found for them.
And I saw the dead,
great and small,
standing before the throne,
and books were opened.
Then another book was opened,
which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged
by what was written in the books
according to what they had done.
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it.
Death and Hades gave up the dead
who were in them,
and they were judged,
each one of them,
according to what they had done.
Then death and Hades were thrown
into the lake of fire.
This is the second death,
the lake of fire.
And if anyone's name was not found
written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Let's pray together.
Father, help us to understand
this weighty passage.
Give us grace.
Give us new light
as we grapple with these eternal realities.
And turn our hearts to your Son this morning,
our Lord Jesus,
through the power of your Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Now, there are three things
that this passage shows us,
and we'll just walk through each of them this morning.
The first thing it shows us
is the reality of divine judgment.
The second thing that it shows us
is the outcome of divine judgment.
And then third,
it shows us our hope
in the face of divine judgment.
So the reality and the outcome
and our hope.
So first,
let's consider the reality
of divine judgment
that we see here.
Verse 11
is a picture of God
in His holiness.
By picturing God on a throne,
John is saying that God
is the world's true king and judge.
And here,
God steps into human history at last.
And what happens?
His presence is so awesome
that earth and sky flee away.
Do you know what happens
when someone important
walks into a room?
What happens?
Well, oftentimes what happens
is people get quiet
and they turn their heads and look.
And then,
if they want to get somewhere,
the crowd just sort of parts
to let them through, right?
But here,
when the Creator
finally steps into creation,
earth and sky turn their heads.
And they don't just part,
they flee
before the one
who is supremely worthy
and awesome.
This is the God who made us
and everything else.
And what verses 12 through 13 show us
is that everyone
will give an account
to their Creator.
John says,
the books will be opened
and you will be judged
according to what you have done.
There will be universal,
final,
divine judgment
of every human being.
You and me
and everyone
will stand before God.
Now, maybe you have
a hard time believing
that the books of your life
will be opened
before God
as your judge.
But let me suggest
that there are actually
two reasons
why you should believe
or at least should want
to believe
in the reality
of God's judgment.
First reason is
that the reality
of God's judgment
means
that your life
actually has meaning.
Notice,
John says,
even the dead
are raised to life
and are brought before God.
Well, why does that happen?
Well, because what they've done
matters to God.
It matters for eternity.
You see, friends,
your life will continue
for eternity
because God wills it so,
because it matters to Him.
But if there's no
final judgment,
if death just means
at best
our memory lives on
for a generation or two,
then we're forgotten
until eventually
the sun expands
in a few million years
and everything turns to ash.
If there's no final judgment,
then the day-to-day decisions
you make,
they don't really matter
in the end.
It's all empty.
It's all without
ultimate meaning.
But if there is a God
who sees,
who cares,
who judges,
then your actions
do matter.
What you do in this life
is not meaningless.
So the reality of God's judgment
means that our lives
actually have meaning.
Our lives count
because God takes them
into account.
So that's one reason
we need to believe
in God's judgment.
But the second reason
is that the reality
of God's judgment
is the only way
that you can really
live in freedom
in this life
from human judgment.
If you believe
that God is the ultimate judge,
then you can actually
break free
from being controlled
by what other humans
think or say about you
from their judgment.
Listen to how Paul the Apostle
puts this in 1 Corinthians
chapter 4
verses 3 through 4.
Paul writes,
he says,
But with me
it's a very small thing
that I should be judged
by you
or by any human court.
In fact,
I do not even judge myself.
For I'm not aware
of anything against myself,
but I'm not thereby acquitted.
It is the Lord
who judges me.
So what will give you
freedom
from the opinions
and judgments
of others?
What will free you
from being elated
when people think
well of you
or dejected
when people don't?
I think there are only
two kind of ways
at the end of the day.
One way is to say,
well,
I'm better than
those stupid people
so I don't care
what they think, right?
You know,
but is that really
the sort of person
you want to become, right?
Is that the price
you want to pay
for your freedom
to become proud
and self-righteous
and despising
other people, right?
You sort of
kind of end up
becoming a monster
that way.
No,
the only real way
to be free
from human judgment
without ending up
like that
is to realize
that there's
a higher court.
Ultimately,
you need to be able
to say with Paul,
it's ultimately
the Lord
who judges me.
That's what really
frees you
from being enslaved
to the judgment
of other people.
Only the reality
of divine judgment
will do that.
So it turns out
we need to believe
in this fact
of universal
final judgment.
And this means
your life
and mine
will be opened up
before God's judgment
seat on the last day.
We will stand
before our Creator
and the books
will be opened.
And every thought
and every word
and every deed
will matter
and will come out
into the open
before the gaze
of God.
So that's the reality
of judgment.
But what will the outcome
of that judgment be?
Well, that takes us
to our second point,
the outcome
of divine judgment.
And this point
brings us face to face
with what is perhaps
the most sobering truth
that all of us
must come to terms with.
Because the question is,
what do we deserve
apart from Christ?
I think our knee-jerk reaction
is to say,
well, I'm a good person,
right?
So I deserve something good.
But when we say,
I'm a good person,
what standard
are we using?
Are we actually
measuring ourselves
against God's word for us,
against God's standard for us?
Or are we really
just measuring ourselves
against other people?
If we're not measuring
ourselves
according to God's standard,
word,
then when we say
or think,
I'm a good person,
all that you can
really mean is,
I'm a better person
than some other people
I know of.
It's like when I say,
I'm a good chess player.
What I really mean is,
I'm a better chess player
than a lot of other people
I've played chess against
who are mostly my children.
Right?
But is that good enough?
Is that good enough?
You know,
you can kind of imagine
two swimmers
on the shore of California
with a dream
of reaching Hawaii,
of getting to Hawaii,
of visiting Hawaii one day.
Right?
You know,
one is sort of
an average swimmer.
The other is
an Olympic level athlete.
And if they both
hit the water
and start swimming,
right,
I mean,
how many miles
does the average swimmer go?
Right?
Like a mile?
Two miles maybe?
Three?
Four?
But then they sink.
But the Olympic swimmer
hits the water
and they go maybe
five or ten times
that distance,
right?
Like clearly
the Olympic swimmer
is good.
In fact,
they're great.
But what's the goal?
Which one of the swimmers
made it to Hawaii?
Neither of them.
Neither was even close.
In fact,
from that perspective,
right,
those two swimmers
weren't actually
all that different.
One went five miles,
the other went 50,
but there's still
like 2,400 miles
left for both of them.
So which one was better
on that perspective?
You see,
when the books
of your life
are opened
before God,
it might be better
than your neighbor,
but that final day
will not be a day
of comparison.
You won't be judged
on the basis
of what someone else
did or didn't do,
but according to
what you have done.
Verse 13 says,
they were judged,
each one of them,
according to what
they had done.
And when you start
turning the pages
of your life
before God,
how will you fare?
Did you love God
with all your heart,
soul,
mind,
and strength?
Did you love your neighbor
as yourself?
But that's an impossibly
high standard,
you say.
Who could meet that?
But it is a just standard,
isn't it?
Isn't that a just standard?
I mean,
if God is God,
He deserves
our total affection.
If our neighbors
are created
in God's image,
they deserve our love
as much as we love
ourselves.
But just for the sake
of example,
well,
let's lower the bar,
right?
Did you do that
75% of the time?
Probably not.
Did you live that way
50% of the time?
Meh.
10%.
1%?
And for whose sake
did you do those things
even at the lowest level?
Was it for God's glory?
Or was it also
for your own?
Did you gladly submit
to God's rule
in your life,
treating your very existence
as a gift from Him,
which it is,
to be joyfully lived
according to His will,
which it should,
or did you run
your life
your own way
and treat God
as a nice idea
but not really
the center
of your life?
Turn the pages
of your life.
Open the books.
Can you really say
that you've given God
what He deserves
with your life?
Have you returned
to God
even a fraction
of what He deserves
as your creator
and sustainer?
Have you treated Him
with even the modicum
of respect
and honor
and love He deserves
as the infinitely worthy
and holy
and beautiful one?
No.
No one has.
Not you.
Not me.
Instead,
we dream
of big careers
and easy retirements
and making a mark
and yes,
at times we dream
of doing good
and leaving the world
a better place
but God?
He's not really part
of the equation,
is He?
He's like a footnote
on a couple of pages
of the books
of our life.
In fact,
most of the time,
God just gets in the way.
So we ignore Him
and we push Him
to the margin.
We give Him lip service
and we get on
with our lives.
And so what do
our lives deserve?
What do we deserve
before the only
judgment seat
that really matters?
The truth is,
we,
all of us,
live our lives
wanting to be independent,
wanting to run
our lives without God
and so,
at the final judgment,
God will render
a completely fair
and just verdict.
He will look at our lives
and say,
you've chosen to live
your life without me,
on your own,
as your own king,
as your own queen,
so this is my verdict.
Thy will be done.
And God will give us
what our lives
have in essence
truly asked for
every waking moment,
separation from Him
forever.
We wanted a life
without God
and God in His justice
will give it to us.
But what does
eternal separation
from God mean?
Well,
in Matthew chapter 25,
Jesus tells
three parables
about what
that final reality
entails.
We actually read
one of those parables
from Matthew chapter 25
earlier in the service.
And these metaphors
that Jesus uses
describe something
that is
unimaginably
terrible.
In fact,
Jesus Himself
talked more
about this reality
than anyone else
in the Bible.
So,
even if you don't believe
that Jesus
was the Son of God,
if you at least
think that Jesus
was a great
spiritual teacher,
you have to consider
what He says
about this.
And the metaphors
that He uses
to describe
this eternal
separation
from God
are exclusion
and darkness
and fire.
Exclusion,
it's like being
cut off
from a feast,
Jesus says,
and left alone.
And after all,
if God is the source
of joy and love,
which He is,
the eternal
separation
from Him
must mean
the absence
of those things.
So,
what's left
then?
Bitterness,
regret,
anger,
gnawing,
loneliness?
darkness?
And then Jesus
says,
it's like darkness.
After all,
if God is the source
of all light
and truth,
what must
eternal separation
from Him
mean
but the cold
reality of darkness
and fear
and deception?
And finally,
Jesus says,
it's like fire.
Of course,
fire is not just
painful.
It's not,
fire is not just
an image of suffering
but fire also
disintegrates,
doesn't it?
It turns everything
it touches
to ash.
And after all,
if God is the source
of our wholeness
and our safety
and our peace,
then to be separated
from God
must mean
the eternal
anguish
of seeing
our lives
amount
to nothing
but ash.
And you know,
the greatest terror
of all
is that this outcome
of divine justice,
this separation
from God
will be without end
and without repentance.
We've all experienced
exclusion
and darkness
and even fire
in this life.
But it's been
temporary,
right?
Eventually,
there's a stay.
Eventually,
there's a reprieve.
But when the books
are opened
and God renders
his judgment,
when the final
thy will be done
is issued,
it will be forever.
And what's more,
in every picture
that the New Testament
gives of this
eternal state
of separation
from God,
we see this.
in that final state,
no one repents.
No one admits
they've done wrong.
No one asks God
for forgiveness
and release.
Instead,
it's only a perpetual
hardening of heart
as our earthly trajectory
of self-justifying,
self-centeredness
just continues forever.
forever.
It's like a coin
that's dropped
in a bottomless well
and it just keeps falling
and never rises.
this outcome
of divine judgment
is what
Jesus calls
hell
and what John
calls here
the lake
of fire.
And like so much
else in Revelation,
the image of a lake
of fire
may be symbolic,
but if it is
a metaphor,
don't you see?
It's a metaphor
for something
infinitely worse.
The just wrath
of a holy God
poured out
on those
who have rejected him.
Now when we think
about eternal
separation from God,
we sometimes think
that,
man,
the punishment
doesn't seem
to fit the crime.
I mean,
how could my 60,
70,
80 years on earth
deserve eternal
separation?
But the reality is
to sin
against an
infinite God
creates an
infinite offense
with an
infinite debt
to be paid.
When the books
of our life
are opened,
how many offenses
will we read there?
how many times
have we disregarded
and disobeyed
this infinitely good
and holy
and beautiful God?
How many infinites
have we piled up
in our short
span of life?
the cost
of our sin
is mathematically
impossible
to grasp.
So what is it
that we need
to be saved from?
Well,
we need to be saved
from the books
of our own life,
from the record
that we've written.
the reality
of this final judgment,
it's our only hope
that our lives
have any meaning
at all,
but what we find
is that the books
we bring,
the record
that we arrive
with,
they write our
own condemnation.
So what do we do?
Where do we go?
Well,
maybe we think,
I'll start writing
some new chapters,
right?
I'll turn over
a new leaf,
I'll be a good person,
I'll arrive
with a better book,
but friend,
it won't work.
Sin is too great.
Maybe you'll swim,
maybe you'll swim
an extra 10
or 20 miles offshore,
but you won't reach
the destination.
you'll still sink.
And even those
extra chapters
that you've written,
won't they just be
another testament
to your desire
to try to live life
independently of God,
to try to write
a righteous record
of your own,
to do it your own way
so you don't have
to submit
to God's righteousness.
You arrive
with just another
testament
to your self-justifying
project
to be your own
Savior and Lord.
So what do we do?
How can we be saved
from the books
that we bring
to the judgment?
Well, this brings us
to our last point.
We see in this text
not just the reality
and the outcome
of divine judgment,
but we also see
our only hope
in the face of judgment.
You see,
in John's vision,
the books of our lives
are opened
and they render us
condemned,
but there's another book.
There's another book
that's brought forth
what John calls here
the book of life.
And those whose names
are written
in the book of life
are rescued
from the judgment
that their own lives deserve.
And what is this book of life?
Elsewhere in Revelation,
it's called
the Lamb's book of life
or in another place,
the book of life
that belongs to the Lamb
who was slain.
And if your name
is written in that book,
then you do not need
to receive the judgment
your books deserve.
If your name is written
in that book,
you won't receive
the judgment
your books deserve.
Why?
How could that be?
Because for every name
that's written
in the Lamb's book of life,
their judgment
has already been paid.
Their sentence
has already been served.
It's a record of everyone
whose judgment
has been paid.
But how could that be?
Think of it this way.
Here's the book
of your life, right?
Not the Bible.
I'm just using it
as an example, right?
Think of this as,
this is the record
of your life, right?
Well, it's books
in Revelation,
so there should be
two of them, okay?
Here are the books.
You've brought them, right?
This is all your thoughts,
all your words,
all your deeds,
all your sins,
all your failures,
oh wait,
all your secrets
that no one
but God knows,
okay, they're all here.
But God saw you.
He saw you
carrying that record.
He knows the weight
and He knows the guilt
and the shame.
And in love,
He came in the person
of His Son, Jesus.
Jesus Christ,
the eternal Son of God,
became human
and lived a life
of complete obedience
to the Father.
Jesus actually did love God
with all His heart
and soul and mind
and strength.
Jesus actually did
love His neighbor
as Himself.
His record was flawless.
But His mission
wasn't just to live
the life that humans
should have lived.
His mission was also
to come and to die,
to be the Lamb
who was slain.
So you see,
on the cross,
Jesus wasn't just
laying down His life
for His own sins.
He didn't have any, right?
Like, there's no record
of wrong in Jesus' life.
He was laying down
His life for your sins.
At the cross,
your record,
your books,
were laid on Him.
So what's left for you?
You see, on the cross,
Jesus was willing
to undergo
the exclusion
and the darkness
and the fire
of separation
from the Father.
Jesus descended
into hell
on the cross
to pay the full
judgment of sin
for everyone
who repents
and trusts in Him.
And because He
is the eternal Son,
the infinite God incarnate,
He can actually pay
an infinite cost.
So do you see
how much
He loves you?
You know,
we often think
about hell
and we ask,
how could God
be a loving God
if hell is real?
But don't you see,
hell actually
shows us
the utter depths
of God's love
for us.
He was willing
to pay
even that price
to win you
and rescue you
and save you
from your own record.
heart.
Jesus endured
hell for you
so you can face
the final judgment
and live.
This is how
we're saved,
by trusting
in the One
who bore
our sins
on the cross
and who was
raised from the dead
three days later
to demonstrate
that the sacrifice
was complete,
that the penalty
was paid in full,
and that all
who trust in Him
receive the full
forgiveness of sins
and resurrection life
so that your name
could be written
in another book.
So the choice
before us
is this,
will you arrive
at the final judgment
trusting
in your own books
or trusting
in Christ?
And if you have
trusted in Him,
then your name
is written
in His book of life
and no one
can blot it out,
no one
can erase it,
it's there
permanently
and forever.
forever.
You didn't deserve
to have your name
written in there,
so there's nothing
you can do
to deserve
having taken it out.
So Christians,
do you realize
what this means?
Do you realize
what it means
that your name
is written
in the book of life?
First,
it means
that you have
a ground
for rejoicing.
You have a reason
for rejoicing
like nothing else.
It's very interesting,
in one point
in Jesus' ministry,
the disciples
come back to Jesus
after a super
successful ministry tour.
They've preached
and people believed,
they've cast out demons
and they've fleed,
and the disciples
come back
and they're ecstatic.
And Jesus says,
I saw Satan
fall like lightning
from heaven.
In other words,
He's like,
good job.
But then Jesus
says this,
He says,
nevertheless,
do not rejoice
in this,
that the spirits
are subject to you,
but rejoice
that your names
are written
in heaven.
To know
that your name
is in His book
written in heaven,
that you're known
and loved
by the King
of the universe,
free from condemnation,
free for eternal life,
that will give you joy
like nothing else.
It's a joy
that your failures
can't touch
and it's a joy
that your successes
can't even compete with.
Jesus looked at them
and said,
you had a great day.
Don't even rejoice
in that.
There's something
even better.
Your name's written
in heaven.
But if your name
is in His book,
if your name
is in His book,
it's not just
a ground for rejoicing,
but it also means
that your books
take on a new meaning.
If your name
is written
in the book of life,
then your books,
the books of your life,
start to take on
a new meaning.
You know,
it might be tempting
to think,
well,
look,
if I'm not saved
by my works,
then my works
must not mean anything,
right?
And the truth is,
your works
will never justify you.
They will never save you.
But for those
who trust in Christ,
God says,
I've prepared good works
in advance
for you to do.
You'll see the hungry
and you'll feed them.
you'll see the naked
and clothe them.
You'll see the sick
and imprisoned
and you'll go visit them.
You will become
a force of love
that the world
doesn't understand.
Only those
who know the freedom
of having their names
written in heaven
can love freely.
Because it's those
who know mercy
that show mercy.
And that means
that there's this
new thread,
there's this new
literary motif
that starts to weave
its way
through your books.
It's this thread
of grace.
It's a thread
of God's glory.
It's a thread
of the Holy Spirit
making you more
and more like Christ.
Because now
your story
isn't about you anymore.
Suddenly,
the books you bring
to the judgment,
they're not about you.
They're not about
how far you can swim.
They're about Christ.
The hero of your story
isn't you anymore.
It's the Lord Jesus.
And that's what
baptism says.
In a beautiful
and symbolic way,
it says,
my life is about Christ now.
So for those of you
who are getting baptized
over these next two Sundays,
let me say this
to you,
when you go down
into the water
and come back up again,
you're saying
that your life
from now on
is about Him.
Jesus united Himself
to you
in the incarnation,
taking the judgment
you deserve
and rising again.
In other words,
He went down
and came back up.
And now,
through faith,
you've united yourself
to Him.
Your old life
has gone down
and your new life
has risen up.
He's the hero
of your books now.
But remember
what Jesus says,
because some days
will be good
and some days
will be full
of trials and doubts.
But remember
that you have a joy now
that outstrips
even your best days.
Rejoice in this,
Jesus says,
that your names
are written in heaven.
In other words,
keep eternity in view.
The King has gone
through the eternal fire
for you.
He's engraved you
on the palms
of His hands
and in His grip
He'll never let you go.
Your name will never,
ever be erased
from His book.
And that's true
of everyone
who's put their trust
in Christ.
So live with that in view.
Live with the freedom
and the joy
and the perseverance
that that brings.
And friend,
if you haven't
put your life
into the arms of Christ,
what do you wait for?
Christ has done everything
to save you
from the eternal consequences
of your sin
and to save you
for a life of joy
and purpose
now and without end.
It doesn't matter
how thick or thin
your books might be.
It doesn't matter
how young or old you are.
It doesn't matter
how dark or shameful
your pages may be.
Jesus said,
the one who comes to me,
I'll never cast them out.
Never.
So come to Him.
Let's pray together.
As we bow before God,
let's take a moment
of silence
before God.
We've considered
some weighty things today.
Things that our minds
often push to the margins
of our hurried lives.
But right now,
we have the opportunity
to consider
the most important question
a human could ever ask,
where do I stand
with God?
Some of us
have been attending services
and hearing the things
about Christ
and the gospel
and some of us
are maybe realizing
for the first time
that it is time.
It's time to lay down
your books
and give yourself
to Christ.
If the Holy Spirit
is convicting you
in that way,
you might even pray
something simple
in your own heart
like this.
Father,
I realize that
in my own deeds,
I don't deserve
to be called
your child.
In fact,
I deserve eternity
apart from you.
But I trust
in what Christ
has done,
dying for my sins.
So I turn
from my sins
and my efforts
to save myself
and I take you,
Jesus,
as my Lord.
I commit my life
to you
and thank you
for receiving me,
forgiving me,
and making me
your child.
Fill me
with your Spirit
and let me live
all my days
in the assurance
that my name
is now written
in your book
of life.
Father,
we also pray
for those
who have turned
to you
and are getting
baptized over
these next two Sundays.
We pray for Jack
today.
Next week,
we pray for Dawn,
for Sherry,
for Stacy,
for Mandy.
Fill them
with your Spirit
as they make
this public
profession of faith.
Fan into flame
the good work
that you've begun
in them.
Let their lives
be lived
for your glory.
And would all
who've placed
their faith in Christ
rejoice
that our names
are written in heaven.
And would we be eager
to share this joy,
this good news
of the gospel.
Use our church,
Lord,
for the glory
of your name.
and for the advance
of your gospel
among all nations.
Amen.