Amen.
Please take your Bibles and open them up to John chapter 12.
Our text this morning is John chapter 12 verses 20 through 36.
And when you found that there in your Bibles, I do ask that if you're able, physically able to stand,
would you please stand as I read God's Word.
John 12 verses 20 through 36 this morning.
Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
So these came to Philip who was from Bethsaida in Galilee and asked him,
Sir, we wish to see Jesus.
Philip went and told Andrew.
Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
And Jesus answered them,
The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,
it remains alone.
But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it.
And whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
If anyone serves me, he must follow me.
And where I am, there will my servant be also.
If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Now is my soul troubled.
And what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour.
But for this purpose I have come to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.
Then a voice came from heaven.
I have glorified it.
And I will glorify it again.
The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered.
Others said, an angel has spoken to him.
Jesus answered, the voice has come for your sake, not mine.
Now is the judgment of this world.
Now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
So the crowd answered him,
We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever.
How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up?
Who is this Son of Man?
So Jesus answered them,
The light is among you for a little while longer.
Walk while you have the light,
lest darkness overtake you.
The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
While you have the light,
believe in the light,
that you may become sons of light.
This is God's holy word.
If you would please be seated.
Let's pray together once more.
Lord, we pray that the light of your word and the light of your spirit would shine on us this morning.
That we would see the truth and not just see it,
but love it and believe it and become children of the light.
And walk as children of the light as we leave this place this morning.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Today we celebrate communion.
It's the Lord's Supper.
Remember, we do this once a month,
but it's good for us as we prepare ourselves to come to the table to remember and to remind ourselves
what exactly we're doing when we come and we take this meal together.
For us, this isn't just tradition.
It's not just something to fill the time.
We believe that this is a meal with a message.
It's proclaiming something to us this morning as we prepare to take it.
This is the body of Jesus broken for you.
This is the blood of Jesus poured out for you.
But we need to understand this morning why.
What's the point?
And why do we as a church family,
why do we as Christians make such a big deal about the death of Jesus?
Our mission as a church family, I'll remind you,
is that we exist to magnify the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Why?
Well, it's because we believe that the gospel is the place where we see God's glory most clearly displayed.
So we want to make a really big deal about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We believe that the best way to see a magnified, big vision of God's glory is to look through the telescopic lens of the gospel.
And so that's our aim this morning as we prepare to come to the table together.
And that's the aim of our passage this morning in John chapter 12.
The focus is narrowing here in John's gospel.
We're getting closer to the death of Jesus and his resurrection.
We're getting closer to the moment of the cross.
And as we make our way there, Jesus wants us to understand why he came to die.
The short answer to that question is that Jesus died for the glory of God.
Jesus died to magnify God's glory.
But what I want us to see in our passage this morning is two specific ways this happens in the death of Jesus.
So the question we're asking is how does the death of Jesus magnify God's glory?
And the answer is two ways.
God is glorified in the death of Jesus as sinners are saved and as Satan is defeated.
First, we see God is glorified in the salvation of sinners.
You remember our context here.
We're at the Passover feast in Jerusalem.
The crowds are gathering.
And last week, if you were here, you remember from last week,
Jesus entered into the city of Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowds.
They were celebrating his arrival.
And the Pharisees concluded in verse 19, if you look there with me,
he said, the whole world has gone after him.
They were wringing their hands at the attention that Jesus was getting.
The whole world has gone after this man, Jesus.
Well, ironically, here as we start our passage this morning in verse 20,
we see that they're not wrong.
Look there to verse 20 with me.
John tells us that among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
And these Greeks came to Philip and what did they say?
They asked him, sir, we wish to see Jesus.
Now think about what's happening here.
It's this Jewish festival, this Jewish Passover,
and this Jewish city with this Jewish Messiah coming in.
And here come these Greeks seeking the presence of Jesus.
What are they doing here?
Why is John drawing our attention to this?
Why is he telling us this?
Why is it that at this moment with the nation seeking Jesus,
that Jesus responds and says,
now my hour has come?
You know, up to this point in John's gospel,
that hour of his death,
that hour of his glorification,
every time it spoke of his hour,
it was future.
Not yet.
Now as the nations are seeking the presence of Christ,
Jesus responds and says,
now the hour has come.
Now is the time for the Son of Man to be glorified.
This has been the plan all along.
Now Jesus knows God's wise plan of salvation
was to glorify his name by sending his Son to live and to die
and to rise in place of sinners,
not just from the Jewish people,
but sinners from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
God is glorified in the death of Jesus
because his death on the cross opens up the door wide
for the nations to come to him,
for the nations to be forgiven of their sin,
for the nations to be transformed,
and then to praise the name of God
for his glorious grace to the rest of eternity.
That's the purpose.
And we see a hint of that purpose here, don't we?
See, ethnic Jews were God's chosen people
in the old covenant,
but here in the death of Christ,
as we come to the table,
we're reminded, Jesus says,
a new covenant is being inaugurated in my blood.
My blood is poured out for undeserving sinful Jews
and undeserving sinful Gentiles,
any who would come to me in faith.
This has been one of John's points of emphasis
throughout the book.
You remember, John 3.16, what does it say?
For God so loved, what?
The world that he gave his only Son
that whoever believes in him
may not perish but have eternal life.
Philip and Andrew, they came to Jesus,
they tell him, hey, the nations are here.
The Greeks, they're seeking you out.
They've come to see you.
And Jesus responds to them,
it's time.
I have come for this purpose.
I have come to die
in order to bear the fruit of salvation
and transformation,
not just for the Jews,
but for the nations.
Truly, truly, truly, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth
and dies, it remains alone.
But if it dies,
if it dies,
it bears much fruit.
We see here the necessity
of the death of Jesus
for salvation of sinners like us,
don't we?
It is necessary that Jesus die
for sinners like us to live.
Unless he dies,
he remains alone.
But if he dies,
he bears much fruit.
You see, if all Jesus does
is come and live perfectly,
all we have is a good example.
If all Jesus does
is come and live perfectly,
all we have is maybe inspiration,
motivation,
a great example of how to live.
If he doesn't die in our place,
in the place of sinners,
all we have is inspiration.
But what good is that
for sinners who are dead
in the trespasses and sins
in which we walk?
Sinners need more than just inspiration.
Sinners like us,
we need salvation.
Sinners need more than just salvation.
As Jesus says,
that's exactly why I've come.
To die.
Jesus died to save us,
helpless sinners like us
who couldn't ever save themselves
for the glory of God
and then to transform us
into his image.
You have to get the order right,
don't we?
I grew up during the WWJD bracelet phase.
You remember seeing those,
what would Jesus do?
Most of you are probably familiar with that.
What would Jesus do
is a fantastic question to ask.
But only if it's the second question you ask.
The first question we have to ask
has to be,
what did Jesus do?
And when we come to this table
together this morning,
we're reminded of what Jesus did.
He came to do what we couldn't do.
He lived perfectly.
And then he died in our place
so that now,
now if you trust him
and you receive his finished work,
what he has done,
now,
now you look to him
for an example to follow.
And now you look to him
for inspiration
of how to live your life.
See, they go together.
Salvation and imitation,
salvation and transformation,
salvation and motivation,
salvation and replication.
Should I keep going?
The order is important.
Receive his work first
by faith
and then,
Jesus says,
then,
then you must
follow him.
You must
imitate him.
Look there again
to verse 25.
Jesus says,
whoever loves his life
loses it
and whoever hates his life
in this world
keeps it
for eternal life.
If anyone serves me,
he must
follow me.
And where I am,
there my servant
will be also.
If anyone serves me,
anyone Jew,
anyone Greek,
if anyone serves me,
the Father
will honor him.
I'm in over my head
with these agriculture,
I can't even pronounce it,
agriculture examples,
farming,
gardening,
I don't know much about that,
but I do know
that if you
sow a seed
into the ground
and that seed
takes and it
reproduces
and it bears fruit
and there's life
that comes from that seed,
whatever grows up
out of the ground
ought to look a lot like
what was planted
into the ground,
right?
So Jesus says
the same thing
is happening here
for those who
receive the life
that comes from
my death.
If you have received
what I've given you,
then you ought to
look like me.
You ought to
imitate me.
What does it look like
to follow Jesus?
The answer is
it looks a lot
like dying.
The call
to follow Christ
is a call
to die
with Christ.
He says
you must
hate
your life
here on earth
in order to keep it
for eternal life.
This is
a hard saying,
isn't it?
That word hate,
that's a strong word.
How do we make sense
of this?
There's a parallel passage
in the Gospel of Matthew
that I think helps us out
in Matthew chapter 10.
You can write that down
for later.
He says
whoever loves
father or mother
more than me
is not worthy of me.
Whoever loves
son or daughter
more than me
is not worthy
of me.
And whoever
does not take
his cross
and follow me
is not worthy
of me.
Whoever finds
his life
will lose it.
Whoever loses
his life
for my sake
will find it.
Now of course
we're not called
to actively
hate one another.
Right?
We understand this.
Husbands
love your wives
as Christ loved
the church.
Children
honor your father
and your mother.
Love one another.
It doesn't mean
we actively
hate one another
but what it does
mean is that
to follow Jesus
that we have
to radically
change how
we view
our priorities
and our
relationships
and our
very own
lives.
Following Christ
is not just
about receiving
salvation
it's about
transforming
affection.
If we want
to be
like
Jesus
the glory
of God
has to be
the greatest
affection.
of our heart.
If we want
to be like
Jesus
God's glory
must be
the greatest
treasure
of our heart.
Not your
spouse
whom you love.
Not your
children
whom you
love.
Not your
job
your career
your goals
your comfort
your safety
your money.
Jesus'
glory
must be
the greatest
love
of your
heart.
So now
Christian
the question
for us
becomes
every single
day
how do I
die to
myself
today?
How do I
die to
my self
seeking
desires
and live
for the
glory of
Christ
today?
How do I
love my
spouse
today as
one who is
seeking to
bring honor
and glory
to King
Jesus
today?
How do I
love and
serve my
children in
ways that
don't make
it all
about my
children?
That's
difficult
isn't it?
But I
seek to
bring glory
and honor
to King
Jesus
today.
How do I
reframe my
goals, my
desires, my
ambitions, my
career, my
priorities in
ways that
it's not just
climbing the
ladder of
success and
bringing honor
to self but
instead is
now transformed
by a new
heart affection
to bring
glory to
God.
God, the
glory of
Christ must
now be the
greatest love
of your heart,
Christian.
And if it
is, your
life will look
totally different.
And if we
live like this
for the glory
of God, guess
what?
Church, the
world takes
notice and
God is
glorified.
This is a
high call.
The following
Jesus is the
highest, costliest
call in all
the world.
Hate your
life.
Die to
yourself.
If you're
here and
you're not a
believer, if
you're here
just joining
us for the
meal this
morning, again
you're welcome.
We're glad
that you're
here.
Maybe you're
wondering right
now, why in
the world would
anybody live
like this?
This sounds
crazy.
And I want
to say, that's
a fair question
to ask.
I'm glad you
asked.
Maybe you
remember the
call of
Abram.
You remember
his call?
Go from your
country, from
your kindred, go
from your
father's house,
leave everything
you know, leave
your comfort, leave
your family, leave
your life, and go
to a land that I
will show you.
That's a high
call.
Costly call.
Difficult call.
Do you remember,
do you know what it
was that propelled
him forward and
caused him to go?
Go.
He had the
command of God
and he had the
promise of God.
That's it.
A difficult
command and a
simple promise.
Obeyed and
believed by faith.
Go.
That's the
command.
And I will
make of you a
great nation.
And I will
bless you.
And I will
make your name
great so that
you will be a
blessing.
And I will
bless those who
bless you.
And him who
dishonors you, I
will curse.
And in you all
the families of
the earth shall
be blessed.
A difficult
command with a
clear promise.
Don't we see the
same thing here
with Jesus?
Look there to
verse 27.
Verse 27.
We see the
humanity of
Jesus on
display here,
don't we?
He says,
now my soul
is troubled.
What shall I
say?
Father,
save me from
this hour.
He knows the
cost he's
about to
pay.
But what is
it that pushes
Jesus forward
towards the
cross?
For this
purpose I have
come to this
hour.
What purpose?
Why has Christ
come to die?
Father,
glorify your
name.
Jesus went
to the
cross because
he loved the
glory of God
more than
his own
life.
Do you see
that here?
A difficult
command, go to
the cross, lay
down your
life, die, but
a clear promise.
I have glorified
it, God said, and
I will glorify it
again.
What about us,
church?
What about us,
Christian?
We are called
like Abram
and like
Jesus to
die to
ourselves, to
lay down our
life, to leave
everything we
know and love
behind for the
glory of God.
But he has not
called us to go
anywhere where
he's not already
gone before us.
Christ has gone
before us.
And he's not
called us to go
anywhere without a
very clear
promise.
What's the promise
for us?
Look there again
to verse 25 and
26.
I see three
promises here.
Why would
anybody live like
this?
Consider these
promises, church.
First, the
promise of
eternal life.
Whoever hates
his life in this
world will keep
it for eternal
life.
Here's the
promise.
Forsake your
life now, die
to yourself now,
and live forever
with Christ.
That's a deal.
Promise number
two, the
presence.
presence of
Jesus.
Verse 26, if
anyone serves
me, he must
follow me.
And where I am,
there my servant
will be also.
Do you want the
presence of Jesus?
Follow him.
Serve him.
And Paul says
in Romans 6, if
we have died with
Christ, we believe
that we will also
live with him.
If we have been
united with him in
a death like his,
we shall certainly
be united with him
in a resurrection
like his.
Die with him
that you may
live with him.
Promise number
three.
The promise
of the honor
of the father.
Verse 26,
if anyone
serves me,
the father
will honor
him.
God
himself
will honor
you.
This is
the highest
aim of the
human life,
is it not?
God
himself
will honor
you.
God
himself
will bless
you.
God
himself
will be
with you.
Whatever
it costs
to get
this,
it's worth
it, is it
not?
Whatever
gain we
had, we
count as
loss for
the sake,
for the
surpassing
worth of
knowing Christ
Jesus our
Lord.
God is
glorified in
the salvation
of sinners,
but not only
this second,
we see God
is glorified
in the death
of Christ
because God
is glorified
in the
defeat
of Satan.
Look at
verses 31
and 32
with me.
Verses 31
and 32,
they show
us that
at the
cross,
at the
death
of Jesus,
something
of cosmic
significance
happened.
at the
death
of Jesus,
a decisive
victory
was won
that opened
up the
door for
salvation
to now
go out
to the
ends
of the
earth.
Look
there
to
verse
31.
Jesus
says,
now is
the judgment
of this
world.
Now
will the
ruler of
this world
be cast
out.
This is
very
interesting,
isn't it?
We know
that there
is a
future
judgment.
All the
earth,
every single
person to
ever live,
all of us,
we will all
give an
account of
ourselves to
God,
but Jesus
says,
it's here.
Now is
the judgment
of this
world.
Romans 2
verse 16,
it tells us
that God
judges the
secrets of
men by
Christ.
Christ
himself is
the dividing
line of
history.
You are
either
perfected in
him,
by trusting
in him,
by receiving
his perfect
work,
by faith
alone,
or you
are judged
outside of
him,
according to
the standard
of perfection
that he
alone
obeyed.
The cross
of Christ
is the
dividing
line,
separating
line of
judgment for
all the
world.
Now that
final day
of judgment
is yet
to come,
it's future,
but Jesus
speaks of
it as
absolutely
and as
certainly
as if
it is
already
here.
As if
to say,
you want
to know
how that
day plays
out?
Look to
the cross
now.
Those who
look to
the cross
in faith,
the verdict
is in,
they are
cleansed,
they are
forgiven,
they are
accepted,
the verdict
is in,
they are
innocent by
virtue of
what I
have done
and those
who reject
the cross
are guilty
lest they
turn and
repent.
The final
day of
judgment,
Jesus says,
now is
the judgment
of this
world,
but also
he says,
now will
the ruler
of this
world be
cast out.
What does
that mean?
What does
that mean?
Who is
the ruler
of this
world?
I think
it's clear
Jesus,
he's speaking
here about
Satan.
There's other
places of
scripture that
speak this
way,
2 Corinthians
4 says,
the God
of this
world has
blinded the
minds of
unbelievers
to keep
them from
seeing the
light of
the gospel
of the
glory of
Christ who
is the
image of
God.
Ephesians
calls Satan
the prince
of the power
of the air,
the spirit
that is now
at work
in the
sons of
disobedience.
It's clear
that in
the wisdom
and sovereignty
of God,
Satan has
been given
a sort
of measured,
delegated,
temporary
authority to
operate here
on earth,
to reign over
the domain
of darkness,
and to influence
the world,
to rage against
the Lord and
his anointed.
but Jesus
says,
here,
now,
at the
cross,
in my
death,
the ruler
of this
world is
cast
out.
And God
is glorified
in the
death of
Jesus because
it is here
at his
death that
Satan is
kicked out
of his
position of
authority
in the
world.
Jesus
says the
cross is
victory over
sin,
death,
and the
devil.
Now,
how can
this be
true?
How can
this be
true?
Because if
you're paying
attention and
you're seeing
the same
things that
I'm seeing
when I turn
on the
news and
I look
around and
I pull
up social
media or
I drive
down Highway
17,
it looks
like Satan
is alive
and well,
doesn't it?
Amen?
Now,
we look around
and we
see that
he's active,
he's at
work,
he's seeking
to devour
you,
believer.
He's seeking
to devour
the witness
of the
church,
he's influencing
people all
over the
world.
How do we
understand this?
Did Jesus
get it wrong
here?
Did he fail
in his
mission?
Because
everywhere I
look,
there's not a
place on
earth where
Satan isn't
at work
seeking to
rob God
of his
glory.
How is
this victory?
The truth
is,
there is
one place
in all
the earth
where we
can look
and see
the victory
Jesus won
on the
cross.
Do you know
where it is?
It's not a
place even,
church.
It's a
people.
It's the
church.
It's you.
Do you
want to
know why
I give
my life
to build
up the
church?
I feel
called that
the Lord
has led
me to
give my
life for
the good
of the
local
church.
It's
because this
is the
only entity
in the
world where
victory is
guaranteed
before the
return of
Christ.
We may
never win
countries,
cities,
policies,
politics,
but we
have the
church and
the gates
of hell
will not
prevail against
it.
because of
the cross
of Christ
there is
now a
people from
every tribe,
tongue,
and nation
where the
enemy has
no power
at all.
Because of
the cross
of Christ
there is
now a
people called
the church
who have
been delivered
from the
domain of
darkness
and now
transferred
into the
kingdom
of his
beloved
son.
what happened
on the
cross was
a devastating
decisive
fatal blow
to our
enemy
Satan.
This is
the head
of the
serpent
crushed.
He's a
roaring lion
lashing out
because he
knows he's
been beaten.
He's been
dealt a
fatal blow.
He's a
roaring lion
but he's
on a leash
that's being
pulled tighter
and tighter
closer and
closer to
his end
as the
number of
the redeemed
bears fruit
and multiplies
over all
the earth
like grain.
This is
why Jesus
says now
he's cast
out.
Now when
I am
lifted up
I will
draw all
people to
myself
Jew and
Gentile
the gospel
will go
forth and
bear fruit
and Satan
can't do
anything to
stop it.
I will
build my
church.
So now
church the
good news
for us
we are
fighting a
defeated
enemy.
This is
a little bit
like the
difference
between
D-Day
and V-E-Day.
Okay historians
in the room
know what I'm
talking about.
Do you remember
on D-Day
allied forces
they stormed
the beaches
in Normandy
this was
the decisive
victory
the decisive
turning point
of World War
II
in essence
at this
point
the war
was over
the influence
of the
Axis powers
their effectiveness
began to
recede
and erode
but on
the ground
on the ground
the battle
continued
the war
continued
on the ground
the battle
raged on
until it was
about a year
later when
Germany
officially
surrendered
and there
was victory
in Europe
V-E-Day
Church
for those
who belong
to Christ
the battle
is over
it's won
the enemy
has been
defeated
at the cross
but he's
not yet
surrendered
when Christ
comes
our enemy
will finally
be defeated
and the war
will finally
be won
but for now
church
as we
as we wait
for that day
and long
for that day
this ought to
give us
great confidence
amen
Satan
has been
disarmed
at the cross
for all
who trust
in Christ
by faith
Satan
has no
new weapons
did you know
that
just the same
old tricks
recycled
for generation
after generation
I want to
focus on
just four
of his
greatest weapons
this morning
four of his
greatest weapons
that were disarmed
at the cross
for any
who trust
in Jesus
by faith
deception
temptation
accusation
and darkness
every single
one of them
was ripped
from the hands
of Satan
lost its power
and effectiveness
for the church
right now
because of the life
and the death
and the resurrection
of Christ
because of the gospel
all who are in him
truly by faith
are safe
from his schemes
of deception
temporarily
we may fall
but those
who are covered
by the blood
of Jesus
will not
ultimately
finally
be deceived
we are
safeguarded
by faith
in the truth
of the gospel
so we're called
now in Ephesians 4
to grow up
into mature manhood
to the measure
of the stature
of the fullness
of Christ
so that we may
no longer
be children
tossed to and fro
by the waves
and carried about
by every wind
of doctrine
by human cunning
by craftiness
in deceitful schemes
and now
because of the gospel
all who are
in Christ
are free
from the power
of sin
and the enticements
of temptation
do we struggle
with sin?
tell me I'm not
the only one
do we struggle?
absolutely
we struggle
with its presence
yes
but we are
now decisively
freed from
its power
when we realize
this it begins
to lose
its persuasiveness
and we can actually
say no
we're no longer
dead in the
trespasses and sins
in which we walk
we have
by the grace
of God
woken up
we have now
a new
God given
grace enabled
Christ
purchased
capacity
to say
no to sin
and yes
to God
that is a
powerful weapon
ripped from
the hands
of the enemy
and although
we may fall
although we
we still wrestle
with sin
right now
because of
the gospel
all who are
in Jesus
are totally
completely
safe
from the
accusations
of the enemy
now this is
his biggest
gun
and what
case
could we
make
before God
when we
are guilty
when we
are sinful
when Satan
points his
finger at us
and he says
look at them
look at their
sinfulness
look at how
they've earned
your judgment
we had no
case to make
because he
was right
but now
because Christ
has taken
away our
reproach
because Christ
has borne
our sin
because God
made him
who knew
no sin
to become
sin for us
so that in
him we
might become
the righteousness
of God
our enemy
has nothing
to say
we're free
holy
in the sight
of God
and now
because of
the death
of Jesus
Satan's
weapon
of blinding
darkness
has lost
its effectiveness
how
because the
light
of the gospel
shines forth
in the
darkness
for God
who said
let light
shine out
of darkness
has shown
in our
hearts
to give us
the light
of the
knowledge
of the
glory
of God
in the
face
of Jesus
Christ
do you see
the confidence
this gives
us church
I want us
to come to
the table
this morning
with confidence
confidence
to say
no
to sin
confidence
to know
that the
evil around
us
and within
us
will not
have the
last word
confidence
to share
the gospel
of Christ
knowing that
by the grace
of God
he will
call his
own
out of
darkness
and into
the light
that's the
invitation
that Jesus
makes here
as we close
isn't it
he says
the light
is among
you for
a little
while
longer
walk
while you
have the
light
lest the
darkness
overtake
you
the one
who walks
in the
darkness
does not
know
where he
is going
while you
have the
light
believe
in the
light
that you
may
become
sons
of light
did you
hear that
now we
live in
a dark
world
church
everywhere
around us
all around
us
we have
friends
and family
neighbors
co-workers
who are
walking
in darkness
they don't
know where
they're going
they don't
understand
that they're
in darkness
because the
dark is all
they know
but there's
still time
while the
light shines
isn't there
for God
through us
to extend
this
invitation
would you
believe in
the light
would you
trust the
light
would you
come out
of the
darkness
and let
that old
life
die
that you
may not
just see
the light
but belong
to it
believe in
the light
that you
may become
sons
of light
what an
offer
has extended
to you
right now
in Christ
do you
want to be
free
do you
want to
know
God
do you
want to
truly
have
life
do you
want to
escape
the
judgment
that you
earned
for your
own
sin
you
are
invited
now
this is
the
invitation
that goes
out to
all the
ends
of the
world
from
Jerusalem
to
Judea
to
Samaria
to
the
uttermost
ends
of the
earth
to
the
Jew
first
and
also
the
Greek
do
not
walk
in
darkness
Christ
came
he
lived
he
died
he
rose
to
glorify
God
in the
illumination
of the
hearts
of men
come to
Christ
and live
as we
come to
the table
in just
a moment
church
I want
to invite
you to
fix
your
minds
on the
death
of Christ
for your
salvation
set
your
hearts
to
value
him
to
love
him
above
every
other
desire
of
your
heart
remember
his
body
broken
for
you
remember
his
blood
shed
for
you
to
bring
you
to
God
and
see
here
at
this
table
your
new
life
freed
from
the
chains
of
darkness
and
freed
to
magnify
God's
glory
in
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
let's
pray
Lord
that is
our
prayer
father
Christ
has
come
and
lived
and
died
and
risen
the
good
news
of
the
gospel
is
so
good
for
sinners
like
us
because
it
means
life
for
us
who
believe
so
would
you
now
by
your
grace
enable
us
to
live
and
to
walk
in
the
light
we
pray
in
Jesus
name
Amen
s
and
they
go
to