Well, please do have a seat.
It sounded like the strangest chant I think I've ever been involved with.
It was beautiful.
But Jesus is the Son of God, and we come to his word this morning expectant.
So can I invite you now to turn to Luke chapter 4,
and let's finish our reading for this morning,
reading from verse 1 of chapter 4 down to verse 13.
Verse 1 of chapter 4, Luke writes this,
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
And the devil said to him,
If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.
Jesus answered,
It is written,
Man shall not live on bread alone.
The devil led him up to a high place,
and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
And he said to him,
I will give you all their authority and splendor.
It has been given to me,
and I can give it to anyone I want.
If you worship me,
it will all be yours.
Jesus answered,
It is written,
Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
If you are the Son of God, he said,
throw yourself down from here,
for it is written,
He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully.
They will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against the stone.
Jesus answered,
It is said,
Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
When the devil had finished all this tempting,
he left him until an opportune time.
Amen.
This is God's word to us this morning.
Let's just pause for a brief moment,
and let's pray together.
Father, we thank you so much for this morning.
Lord, thank you for the gift of being able to sing your praises,
that you are the incomparable,
you are the indescribable God.
And our prayer, Father,
now as we come to your words,
is that you would blow our minds
with the greatness,
the incomparable greatness,
of your Son, Jesus Christ.
And it's in his name
that we make this prayer.
Amen.
Well, it's fantastic to see so many new faces this morning,
and so many returning faces as well,
and so many familiar faces.
It's wonderful to be here together as a church family.
If you are joining us this morning for the first time,
as John said,
you're joining us one sermon in.
This is the second sermon of this new series we're on in Luke's Gospel.
We're just going to be spending the next while as a church,
and our morning service is just hanging out in Luke's Gospel,
spending time getting to know this man, Jesus Christ.
Dr. Luke,
Dr. Luke, the good doctor,
he's taking the time to write this Gospel
so that Theophilus would have,
and so that we would have as his readers,
certainty about this man, Jesus Christ.
This is why he's written this thing,
certainty.
His generation,
he wants certainty.
Every generation following it,
we are included in that.
He wants them to have certainty about Jesus Christ,
who he is,
what he did,
what he's all about,
and why that infinitely matters for your life,
and my life.
This is the story of Jesus Christ.
And we began last week by looking at John the Baptist.
We met him in the first half of Luke chapter 3,
and we saw that John the Baptist was the great preparer,
the great forerunner, if you like,
the voice in the wilderness,
whom God had sent as God had promised
to get people ready for the coming of the Messiah.
And we thought about the fact that John was kind of like a best man.
He didn't want the spotlight to shine on him,
he wanted the spotlight to go over him
to the one who was to come.
That's John the Baptist.
And if John the Baptist,
we thought,
was a bit like a best man,
well here,
verse 21,
Jesus the groom,
steps into the limelight.
Question is,
what will Jesus be like as we meet him here
at the outset of his public ministry?
Well, a few months ago,
I had,
or we had the pleasure rather,
of taking a family holiday down in Cornwall.
Anyone meet to Cornwall?
Keep your hands up.
Have you driven from Edinburgh to Cornwall?
Nan has.
Deb has.
A few of us have.
Okay, can you join with me in telling everybody that it's a long way?
Yeah?
The road, it just keeps on going.
Now, I would love to stand here and tell you that I had 10 hours of sparkling conversation in me on that road trip.
But I don't.
So what do you do when you don't have conversation on a car journey?
You stick on the radio, don't you?
You stick on the radio,
and you listen to what's on there.
My wife, Alex, she's determined to make a cultured man of me.
So now and again, we ditch the football phone in on 5 Live and we head to Radio 4.
So we're listening to Radio 4 on this car journey and we're tuning in to what I think was the Today program on Radio 4.
And it's two days after the Brexit referendum.
And they're having a phone in.
They're having a phone in.
I love phone in.
So they're having a phone in.
And they're inviting callers to phone up and tell the whole listening audience how they are feeling,
their concerns, their thoughts, their doubts.
And we're listening to this phone in.
And we're listening to this one caller who phones in.
The presenter says, what's your concern, caller?
And the caller, as he perceives the world around about him that's changed so much,
not just Brexit, the whole thing, the whole world that he doesn't understand,
his comment is, we're in a mess.
We're in a mess.
The presenter says back to him, what are we going to do about the mess?
And he says, we need a leader.
We need a leader who's going to take us out of our mess.
Now think about that sentence for a minute.
Brexit aside, is that sentence our sentence?
This morning, is that sentence your sentence?
As you look out on the world out there, as you think about the contours of your life,
as you look out on the world, as we see it in our TV screens every day,
the conflict, poverty, famine, the mess of this world.
And then you look at your own heart,
and you don't even know where to begin with the mess that's going on in your own heart
and in your own life.
The thoughts, the words, the deeds.
It's not true that we live in a messy, messy world.
I wonder if you are like me.
Every time I see the mess,
every time I experience the mess,
there's a bit inside me that thinks,
where is the leader who is going to take us out of this mess?
Where is he coming from?
Now what do we need in a leader?
What do we need in a leader?
We need a leader who is not like us.
He's not of the mess.
He is outside the mess.
And he will come in and deliver us from the mess
because he's not tainted by the mess.
And we need a leader who will not just look on at a distance to the mess,
but will come and be involved in our mess.
And we need a leader who will succeed in the mess
where you and I fail every day in the mess.
That's the kind of leader that we need.
So where are we going to find such a leader?
Great question.
I'd argue it's humanity's question ever since the fall in Genesis chapter 3.
Where is that king coming from?
Well, here's what we need to understand this morning.
And here's what Luke is doing in these verses.
He is showing us that Jesus is that leader.
Jesus is that leader.
In fact, he's more than a leader.
He's a king.
He's a king who has come down from above,
not to lord it over us,
but to step into our mess and rescue us.
That's what Jesus has come to do.
It's what the angels told the shepherds at Jesus' birth.
Chapter 2, verse 11, if you've got it there.
What do they say?
Today in the town of David, a saviour has been born to you.
It's what Simeon, this devout man that we meet in chapter 2,
waiting on God's Messiah to come.
He meets the baby Jesus and he holds him in his hands
and he exclaims,
I have seen your salvation, God.
Jesus is the saviour of the world.
This is what Luke's trying to be.
He's been dropping the breadcrumbs up to this point of the gospel.
Jesus is the saviour of the world.
So when it comes to finding that leader,
this is what we need to understand this morning.
What is Luke doing?
He's showing us that Jesus fits the bill.
Jesus fits the bill.
Come with me to verse 21 of chapter 3.
And see that Luke shows us that verses 21 and 22,
with Jesus' baptism,
that Jesus has a name that we don't have.
So in these verses, Luke tells us about Jesus' baptism.
John is baptising in the wilderness
and as the crowds of people respond to his message,
as they repent of their sins,
as they turn to God, they are baptised.
And Jesus also is baptised.
Now, let's just pause there for a minute.
Why is Jesus being baptised?
Is he repenting of sins?
Of course he's not.
Jesus is the perfect one.
There's no sins that he needs to repent of.
He's not repenting of sins.
So what is he doing getting baptised?
Well, here is our Saviour Jesus Christ
identifying with sinful men and women.
You see, here is a leader who is getting involved,
who is stepping right into the heart of the mess
of the very people that he came to save.
And as he is baptised,
what does Luke record for us at verse 22?
That the heavens opened
and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus
and the voice comes from heaven,
you are my son.
Who is this man?
He is none other than God's eternal son.
Now, one of my hobbies is reading.
I know it was something you always put in your CV
when you were young
and you never actually were into reading,
but you wanted the employer to know you were into reading.
But I am actually into reading.
So every time I go to a bookshop
and I pick up a book that I want to buy
or I go into Amazon
and I click the thing that lets you see the first few pages,
do you know the thing that I'm looking for every time is?
Is the endorsements page.
I want to see this book.
I want to see who's putting their name to this book.
I want to see who has read this book
and is recommending that I read this book
and purchase this book.
Because if it's a name that I trust
and I know and I respect
and I'm buying that book,
but if it's a name that I don't recognize,
if it's a name that doesn't really mean anything to me,
then I probably will put it back on the shelf.
I'm a guy who's into endorsements
when it comes to buying books.
What is going on in Luke chapter 3?
Who is endorsing to me the son?
Answer, God is.
This is,
my son is the voice from heaven,
is the cry from heaven.
It's a deliberate echo of the language of Psalm 2,
the great psalm about God's chosen king.
And with that backdrop,
do you see that this baptism here
is less like a kind of religious service?
And actually,
it's a lot more like a king's coronation.
Here is heaven's king,
says the voice from above.
And how does God feel about his son?
He loves his son.
And he is well pleased with his son.
Jesus Christ gets heaven's affection
and heaven's commendation.
Luke is showing us that Jesus,
as we meet him here,
is coming with heaven's endorsement.
And would you notice that
all three members of the Trinity,
of the Godhead,
are involved in this section of Luke's gospel?
They're all involved here
in the plan of salvation.
You see, the truth is here
that God hasn't just advised
about the plan to save men and women
from their mess.
He hasn't just got the ball rolling.
He's not just financing this gig
to save men and women
from their mess.
He's not just an interested party,
an investor,
in the plan to save people
from the mess.
God is the plan
to save people
from their mess.
That is what's going on here
in this section.
Charles Spurgeon said this,
from the depths
of divine compassion
come the gift
of the only begotten son.
That's what's going on here.
God is stepping in.
Here is God's son.
Here is God's eternal king.
You see, our mess,
to solve it,
the leader,
we need a leader
who is not like us.
Here is one who is
God's eternal son,
says Luke.
Here's one who is fully divine.
See, Jesus Christ,
as we meet him here,
he's got a name
that we don't have.
And secondly,
verses 23 to 37
of chapter 3,
the genealogy,
that I'm sure
we've never read
like that before,
Luke shows us
that Jesus has
a lineage
that we do have.
And to help us see that,
Luke tells us
Jesus' family tree.
That's what was going on there
in these verses.
Luke tells us
about Jesus' family tree.
Now why
has Luke
included
a family tree
at this section?
Great question.
Full of great questions
this morning.
Great question.
Why is it there?
Well, I was speaking
to a pastor
the other day
and he was telling me
a wonderful story
about a group
of Bible translators
who were working
in the Philippines.
And these Bible translators
were working
to translate
Luke's gospel
from English
into the native tongue
of the people
who they were amongst.
Days passed,
months passed,
they were slogging
away at this,
translating it
and reading it
every day to the people.
And if truth be told,
they had not seen
one single ounce
of inspiration
from the people.
They weren't that
interested in Luke's gospel.
They'd almost translated
the whole thing
except they hadn't
translated this part
of Luke's gospel.
They hadn't translated it
because why would people
need to know
about a bunch of names?
It's probably what we thought
this morning
as we came to this passage.
Why do people
need to know?
And so they thought
to themselves,
we've got nothing to lose,
we may as well
translate the genealogy.
And would you know it,
as they read this out
to the people,
as they translated it
and read it out,
the people applauded,
they clapped
and they cheered.
Fascinating.
Why did they do that?
Well, people were hearing
for the first time
in their native language,
in their native tongue,
that Jesus Christ
was not a mythical figure.
He was one
who had a family tree
and was one
who was truly
one of us.
Maybe that's a word
for some of us
this morning.
But here is one
who can sympathize
with us
in every single weakness.
He is God
in the flesh.
He is one
who is unstained
by the mess,
yes,
but what a glorious truth
that he is one
who can sympathize
with those
who are living
in the mess
because he knows
what it means
to be in the mess.
You see,
Luke is telling us
that Jesus Christ
is not just a savior
for a certain demographic,
for a certain group
of people.
Jesus Christ
is the savior
of the entire human race.
For all those men
and women around the globe,
boys and girls,
who would come
and put their faith
and trust in him
as their savior,
he is their savior.
That's what Luke
is telling us there.
But if that's all
we take away
from that genealogy,
then I think
we're probably
just falling
a little bit short
of the entirety
of doing Luke's,
of what Luke
is trying to do there.
Look at the last name
on the list
at verse 38.
The son of Adam.
Now why is Adam
in there?
Well, of course,
it's with Adam's rebellion,
Adam's failure
in the Garden of Eden
to worship God fully,
Adam's failure
to resist the lure
of Satan
that sin enters
the creation equation,
and what God
had made
as good,
as perfect,
is now marred
with brokenness,
frustration,
and mess.
And we read it
in Genesis 3.15
that God addresses
Satan,
and what does he promise?
He promises
that one of Adam's
descendants
is going to come
and end
the reign of sin.
He's going to defeat
Satan
and defeat
his power.
Genesis 3.15,
what do we see?
That God promises
the serpent crusher
who will come
from Adam's line,
and God says
to the serpent,
he will crush
your heads,
and you will
bruise his heel.
So from that point
on in the Bible story,
we're asking ourselves
the question,
where is this
serpent crusher?
And in passing,
notice just one other
name on this list.
Notice David
at verse 31,
Israel's greatest
and most celebrated
king,
and God had promised
David in 2 Samuel 7,
it's recorded for us,
where David is thinking
about building a temple
for God,
and what does God say?
No, David,
I'm going to build
a temple for you.
I'm going to build
my temple,
and I will ensure
that one of your
descendants
will establish
the kingly throne,
and will sit on that
throne and rule
forever.
And David dies,
and his son Solomon
dies,
and as the kingdom
of Israel crumbles,
we're left thinking
to ourselves
as the readers,
where is this
promised king?
Where is this king
who will come
from David's line
and who will sit
on the throne
of David as a king,
God's king,
and do that forever?
So let's pull Adam
and David together.
What is Luke telling us?
That Jesus
is in that line.
That Jesus
is that promised
serpent crusher.
That Jesus
is the descendant
of David
who will rule
as a king forever.
Jesus Christ
is God's
promised king.
When God
promises something,
God delivers.
See,
we need a leader
who is
not like us,
but we need
a leader
who is
like us.
Here is one
who is
fully divine,
says Luke,
and here is one
who is fully human.
Jesus
fits
the bill.
He is a name
that we don't have
and he has
a lineage
that we do have.
And thirdly,
Luke wants us
to know
that Jesus
is the king
who has
the victory
that we need,
that we must have.
Chapter 4,
verses 1 to 13.
And it's no coincidence
that Luke takes us
from thinking about
Adam,
in verse 38
of chapter 3,
straight into
the temptation
in chapter 4.
Adam,
in the garden
of Eden,
he lost
his battle
with Satan.
He succumbed
to the lure
of sin
and as a result
he is banished
from the garden
and he's sent
into the wilderness
as it were.
That's where
mankind's been
ever since,
in the wilderness.
And so where
is Jesus here?
He's not in a garden.
Actually,
he's in the wilderness.
And he's there
by choice,
will you notice,
in passing.
He's there
by the Spirit's
leading.
He's not there
by accident.
He's not there
hitting his faulty
sat-nav saying,
I knew I should have
updated the software
before I left
this morning.
He's there
by choice.
You see,
yes,
we see Jesus
on the defensive
here,
but that defensive
is in the context
of him being
on the offensive.
Jesus is there
by choice.
And what is he doing?
Well,
there's a purpose
to what he's doing.
Luke wants us
to see that
Jesus goes
to the wilderness
to defeat
the enemy,
to win the battle,
to undo the effects
of the battle
that Adam lost.
And the battle
that all humanity
ever since,
and the battle
that you
and I
lose
every moment
of every day.
and Jesus
goes there
to take on
the greatest
enemy
and to defeat
him
by defeating
him,
rescuing people
from the position
and the mess
that sin
has left us
in.
And this battle
sees the devil
tempt Jesus.
We get three
little accounts
of it.
Firstly,
verse 3,
to a hungry
entire Jesus.
Look with me.
What is the devil?
What does he go for?
If you are
the son of God,
let's turn
these stones
into bread.
Now what's the devil
up to there?
Well, he's questioning
Jesus' identity,
isn't he?
Has anyone ever
questioned your identity
of something that
you know is true
about you
and your first
reaction is,
yes I am?
We don't see Jesus
doing that here.
What's the devil
doing?
He's trying to get
Jesus to doubt
God's provision
and doubt
God's goodness.
You see,
Adam in the garden,
he had absolutely
everything going
for him.
He had absolutely
everything that he
could ever want
and yet he
and Eve,
they doubted
the goodness
of God.
What did the devil
say then?
Did God really say?
As if to say,
can you really
trust God?
Adam who had
everything going
for him,
Jesus here has
quite literally
absolutely nothing
going for him.
And what does he do?
He trusts
in the goodness
and he trusts
in the provision
of God.
You see,
Jesus will not
fail where Adam
failed and where
you fail and where
I fail.
What does he say?
God is good
and his word
is good
and man shall
not live by bread
alone.
And the second
temptation,
verses 6 to 7,
what does the devil
say?
If you worship me,
all authority and
splendor will be
yours.
All authority
and splendor.
And I'll be honest,
I found it quite
difficult this week
understanding what's
going on here.
I'm indebted to a
guy called
Sinclair Ferguson
for helping me to
see what's going
on here.
Because the devil,
as he offers Jesus
all authority and
splendor,
not only does the
devil not have
all authority and
splendor,
but that's already
all authority and
splendor is already
coming to Jesus
later on.
He knows it's
coming,
he knows it's his,
so what's the devil
trying to do here?
Well, he's trying
to offer Jesus a
shortcut to all
authority and
splendor.
You see, that road
to all authority
and splendor,
it is a road that
goes via the cross,
not around the
cross.
Devil offers Jesus
a shortcut to that
authority and
splendor.
Jesus says,
no, I know what
I've come to do.
Jesus will not
fail where Adam
failed and where
you fail and where
I fail.
Worship the Lord,
your God,
and serve him
only, says
Jesus.
Third temptation
at verse 9,
if you are the
Son of God,
throw yourself down
from here.
After all, is that
not what God's
promised in the
scriptures that you
love to quote to
me?
But no, Jesus will
not fail where
Adam failed and
where you fail and
where I fail.
What does he say?
Do not put the
Lord, your God,
to the test.
Jesus wins in the
wilderness.
He wins in the
wilderness.
Praise God that he
wins in the
wilderness because it
is massively
significant, as we'll
come on to see in
just a second.
But incidentally,
notice in passing
how Jesus wins in
the wilderness.
I don't think that's
the immediate purpose
of why Luke is
recording this for us
here, but we can't
help but notice it
as we read it.
What does Jesus arm
himself with?
How does Jesus
defend himself?
Every time he gives
an answer, what does
he say?
Verse 4,
it is written.
Verse 8, it is
written.
Verse 12, it is
said or it is
written.
Jesus defends
himself with
scripture.
Or more
particularly in this
case, he defends
himself with
Deuteronomy.
Jesus knows what
God has said.
And Jesus knows
what God has not
said.
Jesus knows the
real deal and
Jesus knows the
fake.
I was here this
week about the
U.S.
Secret Service.
I've never been
part of the U.S.
Secret Service, but
I heard a story this
week that I didn't
know.
U.S.
Secret Service, I've
got two jobs.
Firstly, defend the
president.
Secondly, defend the
currency.
Did anybody actually
know that?
Nope, we didn't know
that either.
Great, we're learning
stuff this morning.
Defend the
president, defend
the currency.
How do you
recognize fake
money?
How do you
recognize a faulty
transaction?
By being so in
touch with the
real deal that you
spot the fake a
mile off.
Same for us as
Christians, is it
not?
As we take our
stand against the
schemes of the
devil who would
seek to steer us
off course and away
from worshiping our
God.
How do we know
what God has said?
By immersing
ourselves in the
scriptures.
By getting our
noses in the
Bibles.
Because it's not
going to go in by
osmosis, is it?
It's not like if I
hold it there and I
just stare at it
funny that it's
going to go in.
We need to work at
this.
Because Jesus worked
at this.
We need to get this
into our minds.
We read God's
words.
We meditate on
God's word.
We devote ourselves
to learning God's
words.
And we find times in
our massively busy
schedules to make
that happen.
Pull out all the
stops to make that
happen.
Read it with
friends.
That's why home
groups, small
groups are such a
vital part of what
we do here is we
encourage each other
with God's words.
Find ways of getting
God's word into your
bloodstream.
It was said of the
old Puritan John
Bunyan, most famous
for writing Pilgrim's
Progress, that his
peers used to joke
that if you pricked
him, he would bleed
the Bible.
That's what they
used to say of that
man.
Would that not be a
wonderful thing to
someone to say about
you?
But more than that, I
think that's exactly
what we can see and
say about Jesus here.
That he breathed
scripture.
That he lived it.
He breathed it.
He trusted it.
And when trial came, he
wielded it and used it.
And where Adam was
faithless, and where you
and I are faithless,
Jesus was faithful.
Where Adam failed, Jesus
succeeded.
You see, that is what
Jesus has come to do.
To live a life of
worship to God, to
defeat the schemes of
the devil, to defeat the
power of sin.
And by doing that, to
deliver his people from
the rain of darkness.
You see, Jesus, by his
perfect obedience, he
wins the victory that his
people needs.
And when I trust in him,
when we trust in him as
our king, living for us,
pleading for us before
the Father, his victory
becomes our victory.
This is the king that we
need.
This is the leader that we
need.
Here is Jesus, not like us
of the mess, but one with
us in the mess.
And one who has come to
win the victory that you
and I couldn't win for
ourselves.
Here is God's king, says
Luke, as he introduces
them here.
You know, I was telling
you just about Radio 4.
Let's go back to Radio 4.
I love Radio 4 now.
Radio 4 caller.
He called up and he said,
there's a mess.
We need a leader who's
going to take us out of
the mess.
Well, the presenter turns
around the very next
question and says, who is
that leader?
I wonder what you would
answer to that question.
Who is that leader?
Caller said, don't know.
All I know is that we're
in a mess and we need a
leader who's going to take
us out of the mess.
Let me ask you this morning,
are you in the hunt for a
leader?
Are you aware of your mess?
Do you feel the pain of
living in a messy world?
Luke says, here is the king
who has come to deliver you
from that mess.
Trust in him.
Come to him.
I was reading this story
this week in this book by
Tim Keller called Walking
with God through pain and
suffering.
It's a chunky book.
It's got a cracking cover.
Great endorsement.
It's worth a read.
Reading this book by Tim
Keller this week and he's
got real stories from real
people at the end of his
chapters as he teases out
what the Bible is saying
about this stuff.
You can come and borrow it
off me when we finish.
Let me read this story to
you from a woman called
Mary.
Mary's life, I'm presuming
she's American, I'm not
sure.
Mary's life is a life of
mess.
From dysfunctional parents.
From violent partners.
You can read it here.
A string of broken
relationships.
Her own family, her own
children being arrested.
And on top of that, complex
and terminal health problems.
Mary's life is a mess.
Some of it are a result of
our own sin.
Some of it are a result of
just experiencing the pain
of living in a messy and
broken world.
I'd love to sit here, stand
here and read you this
Cinderella story.
Like that's how it's going
to end.
Like she tries on the
golden stripper.
She meets the guy.
She goes to the ball and
everything's happy ever
after.
But this is what Mary
writes.
Life has not changed.
But God is changing me.
I have come to believe that
life will not always be as
it is now.
I find even more comfort in
being able to stop focusing
on all the heartache.
And instead focus on the one
who will someday take that
heartache away completely and
forever.
I spent my entire life looking
for and never finding a
recipe to go from despair to
hope.
It did not come from anything
I did or didn't do.
No.
Hope comes not in the
solution to the problem but
on focusing on Christ, the
one who facilitates the
change.
You see Mary knows what it's
like to live in a messy
world.
And Luke tells us this
morning that we are messed
up people.
We are messed up people living
messed up lives in a mess
messed up world.
But here is Jesus Christ, the
leader who fits the bill and
the leader who has come as
God's king, the savior of the
world to come and to rescue us
from our mess.
And Luke says, come.
Come to Jesus Christ.
Come and see him for who he is.
Come to him as you are and come
to him and say, Jesus be my king.
Save me from my mess.
Here is God's leader, says Luke.
And just before we stand to sing
our final song, let's just have a
moment of quiet.
And let's pause and just reflect on
what we've been hearing this morning
from God's word.
Maybe for many of us, your heart's
cry is, thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus, for what you've
done for me.
Maybe for some of us this morning,
a cry of our hearts is, I need you,
Jesus.
But whoever you are, whatever's going
on in your life this now, just take
this moment of quiet and bring your
prayers to our great God this
morning.
Mercy and grace are mine.
Forgiven is my sin.
Jesus, my only hope, the savior of
the world.
Great is the Lord, we cry.
God, let your kingdom come.
Your word has let me see.
Thank you for saving me.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being the
savior who came to rescue us from our
mess.
By your spirit working in us, would you
this week help us to know you more,
help us to trust you more, and help us
to love you more.
Our gracious father, this is our prayer
in our savior's name.
Amen.