Let's begin with prayer.
Father, our gracious Father, we do not pray out of habit.
We do not pray because it is something that is planned and a formal part of worship.
We pray because our hearts are inclined towards you by your grace.
We pray because we are needy.
We pray because you are sufficient.
We pray because we are frail, inclined to all the wrong things.
And this morning we would ask that your spirit would quicken our hearts, that the sweet words
of Psalm 119 would be true, that we would have hearts that are opened to hear wonderful things
out of your law.
We pray that we have soil that is suited, that the word of Christ may fall upon prepared hearts
and bear fruit that brings glory to your name.
We pray because there are some here that don't know Christ.
And that in the light of eternity, this moment is critical.
We pray that you would bring conviction where there is that need for revival.
We pray that you would enable me and my frailty and my very earthy vessel would reflect your glory.
And that your people would delight in you.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
I want to leave you with a couple thoughts.
I'm not leaving yet, but I just want to be sure these stick.
Whoa.
Early departure.
No.
Here we go.
I want you to kind of frame this in your life and think about it.
We cannot worship apart from truth.
I want you to hold on to that.
We cannot worship apart from truth.
We cannot grow apart from truth.
Now, I've got two pieces out here, so what I want you to do is,
and this is a little bit of foretaste of what we're going to do tonight, right?
All of you are going to be here, right?
All God's people said, well, maybe.
Okay.
I know.
Some of you have very pressing details.
Okay.
We've got two pieces on.
Here's what I want you to do.
I want you to think if you can attach a Bible text to the two statements I've made so far.
Is that fair?
Isaiah chapter 8 says this,
According to the law and to the testimonies,
if they speak not according to this,
it's because there's no truth in them.
And we know what the Bereans did.
You know, they were more noble than those in Thessalonica
because what they did was,
as they listened to Paul preach,
and they didn't have their phones in front of them,
they were swiping to kind of check and see,
but they were cross-referencing everything Paul said against the Scriptures.
So I made the statement,
you can't worship apart from truth.
Yeah?
Where's that?
I made the statement,
you can't grow apart from truth.
Yeah?
Where's that?
There's the third one.
We cannot love him apart from truth.
And so one of the things that I trust
is happening in this slow and methodic journey
that we're taking through the book of John,
and we are in John chapter 12,
verse 1.
As we are taking this slow and methodic journey
through the book of John,
one of the things that I sincerely trust is happening
is that you are growing in your affection
for the Lord Jesus Christ.
We live in a wicked and perverse world.
And not only do we live in a wicked and perverse world,
but every one of us who are here,
at least that are sensible to spiritual realities,
know that we also carry in us this very frail heart
that is inclined towards things of less than noble propositions, right?
I like the words of the songwriter.
It said,
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.
Take my heart, oh, take and seal it.
Right?
Do something with this heart I have.
In relationship to this passage,
I'm going to close with a statement.
That's at least the plan.
I'm going to tell you ahead of time
so that you know how it's going to end up.
And you may even write it on your notes
because it's something I want you to frame and hold on to.
Two choices on the shelf.
Worship Christ or worship self.
Not original with me.
I want you to know that for certain.
But really, at the heart of the lesson
that we're going to take from this passage
in John chapter 12
is this fundamental truth of the reality
that we are all worshipers.
As I listened to you sing this morning,
I couldn't help but take pleasure in it.
I like the way you sing.
And you know why I like that?
Because I just cannot,
I cannot understand people who go to church
and say they're there to worship
and then kind of sit there
with kind of a glum spirit on their face.
You know, it's like,
yeah, I know the words,
but I'm not in it today.
Hey, you know what?
He is happy to help you with that attitude.
How many of you know that?
You know, one of the things I love about salvation
is you don't have to stay the way you are.
And people that love Jesus
have every reason to sing.
By the way, Pastor, I wrote this on my hand.
The last part of every sermon
or every service
is that your pastor is going to read
a passage of Scripture.
Pastor Shear, I'm going to be in that place,
so I'm going to ask you to read
Psalm 96, 7 through 9.
It's...
Got it.
I make little notes to myself.
That's the way I get around.
John chapter 12.
Six days before the Passover,
Jesus therefore came to Bethany
where Lazarus was,
whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
So they gave a dinner for him.
There Martha served,
and Lazarus was one of those
reclining with him at the table.
Mary therefore took a pound
of expensive ointment
made from pure nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus
and wiped his feet with her hair.
The house was filled
with the fragrance of the perfume.
But Judas Iscariot,
one of his disciples,
he who was about to betray him,
said,
Why was not this ointment
not sold for 300 denarii
and given to the poor?
He said this not because
he cared about the poor,
because he was a thief.
And having charged the money bag,
he used to help himself
to what was put in it.
Jesus said,
Leave her alone.
So that she may keep it
for the day of my burial.
For the poor you always have with you,
but you do not always have me.
Let me remind you
that essentially
what we're looking at
in this passage,
kind of press it together,
is we're looking at
two stark differences
in what worship looks like.
Remember what I said
the end of the sermon is?
But two choices on the shelf,
worship Christ or worship self.
You can see here,
Mary is one illustration of worship
and Judas is another illustration of worship.
We tend to think that worship
is something that we only do towards God,
and that's not true at all.
We are worshiping all the time.
I was struck
by the fact that
yesterday there were
30 of our men,
I don't know how many ladies,
were ladies involved in the move as well?
Absolutely.
Children as well?
We had 30 people show up
to conduct worship services
at Drew and Melissa Clausen's home.
Okay, now you're wondering
what's that all about?
Hey, when you sacrifice
your Saturday morning
to go and move
a brother and a sister in Christ,
that's worship.
Isn't it?
And worship is something
that we're always doing.
And I think it's important
to realize that.
And so as you look at this passage
and you step into it,
there are a couple things
I think are important
to lay out for us
that we have in mind.
First of all,
let's grasp the setting.
It is worth remembering
that John's gospel
is substantially different
from Matthew, Mark, and Luke,
which we refer to as the synoptics.
And John really only gives us
seven miracles.
He gives us very, very little detail
about Christ's life.
On the other hand,
John's gospel is the most focused
on the last week
before the crucifixion.
In fact,
John actually spends
about half of his gospel
in the week
preceding and in the crucifixion.
Mark only uses about 20%
to cover the crucifixion.
Matthew uses about one-third.
Luke, only a fourth.
And as we step into the passage
in this particular study,
I want you to recognize
that we're actually stepping
into the last week
of Christ's ministry
and what takes place
actually happens
less than a week
from his death.
Now, did Jesus know
he was going to die?
Did he know that?
Did he know how many days
were going to pass
before that happened?
Absolutely.
There was not a thing
hidden from him
and he had spoken
over and over again
to his disciples
about what was coming.
And so as our passage
records this week
before the cross,
I want you to kind of
fix in your mind
that this week
before the cross
is really the most
momentous week
of all of history.
Now, again,
when a pastor makes
a statement like that,
God's people should be
doing what?
Yeah?
I'm not sure about that.
There's some other
pretty important weeks,
am I right?
What would be
an important week?
Creation, right?
And yet,
as someone threw
resurrection out there,
we'll kind of tag that in
with the week,
I suppose.
But, yeah,
without the resurrection,
the cross is worthless,
correct?
But,
it tells us in 1 Peter
that angels,
when they look at
the issue of grace
and what Christ has done
in saving us,
that they're just
kind of overwhelmed
and awed.
And we do know that
during the creation week,
what were they doing?
They were hooping it up
because they were pretty
impressed with
God's creative power.
They enjoyed what they saw,
they were impressed by it.
But during the part
of time that passed
in Christ's redemptive work,
they kind of put their hand
over their mouth
and they're just in awe.
So, here we are
in John chapter 12,
verse 1 and 2.
And what we find
is that John,
in a good journalistic approach,
he gives us the who.
He tells us when
and he tells us where.
And we're not going to
delve into all of that,
just mark the fact
that we have a picture here
of Jesus coming
to a dinner
and he is coming
with at least 17 other people.
There's Lazarus,
there's Martha,
there's Mary,
and himself,
and then his 12.
And I want you
to just imagine,
if you would,
that here is Jesus
walking towards
this dinner party,
knowing what is going
to happen.
knowing the things
that are going to be said.
Knowing the import
and the significance
of what lay in front of him.
And he steps into this setting
and we find that the dinner
is in the process
of being played out.
We know that
because it tells us there
that Martha served.
It was happening.
It is interesting,
and I think it's worth noting
that previously,
in the last dinner
that we have
when Martha and Mary
were together,
remember,
Martha was busy
doing her thing
and what was Mary doing?
She wasn't participating
in dishes and dinner.
She was just sitting there
listening to Jesus.
And in that case,
Martha takes it upon herself
to go and talk to Jesus
about the fact
that her sister
was falling down
on the job.
I'm impressed
by the fact
Martha evidently
learned something
and she didn't make
the same mistake twice.
She listened.
She observed.
She went about her business.
And we find that Mary
was not attached
with that serving part.
What does Mary do?
I want you to look
at the passage there
in verse 3
and mark,
if you will,
just the absolute brevity
with which Scripture
describes what Mary did.
Let me read it to you.
Mary therefore took
a pound of expensive ointment
made from pure nard
and anointed the feet
of Jesus
and wiped His feet
with her hair.
The house was filled
with the fragrance
of the perfume.
I'm struck by
such a significant act
being given
merely one text,
a verse.
It's interesting
to actually find
that this ministry
that Mary engaged in
is also referenced
in at least two
of the other Gospels.
And let me just
read the passage for you
so you can frame it
from what we find elsewhere.
There in Matthew 26,
verse 7,
it says this,
A woman came up to Him
with an alabaster flask
of very expensive ointment
and she poured it
on His head
as He was reclined
at the table.
Mark 14, verse 3,
A woman came
with an alabaster flask
of ointment
of pure nard
very costly
and anointed the feet
of Jesus
and she broke the flask
and poured it
on His head.
So I want you
to stop just for a moment
and we're going to
step back
and recognize
something about Martha
before we move on.
You'll remember earlier
in John chapter 11
that when Jesus came
to Bethany
where He had come
to raise Lazarus
from the dead,
it was Mary
who was grieving
in the home
and didn't come out
to greet Jesus.
When Martha came
and she had that discourse
with Jesus,
one of the things
that I am impressed by
is that Martha
had worshipped Christ
with her confession
of faith.
Do you remember
what she said?
John 11, verse 27,
You are the Christ,
the Son of God,
who is coming
into the world.
A very significant
declaration
of her absolute
confidence
that Jesus standing
in front of her
was indeed the Christ,
the Son of God,
the one that had been
prophesied
as a fulfillment
of God's promise
going all the way back
to Genesis chapter 3.
She believed in Christ
and her worship
was a confessional one,
something she said.
We find a different
picture here of Mary
and Mary's worship
was one of her
costly act of giving.
The alabaster jar
of pure nard
must have been
hers personally
and we're not told
the details of it
but I can imagine
that,
just imagine
that you have
something
that is
so expensive.
It represented
one year's wages.
Now,
let's just do
a little bit
of exercise here.
How many of you
remember what was
on your taxes
when you filed them?
Does anybody remember?
Just in broad terms,
I see some of you smiling.
You don't need
to shout out numbers
but I just want you
to imagine that
proportionally
that's what this represents.
Now,
if we're going to spend
a year's wages,
right,
what kind of things
would we like
to get out of that?
I see you're going
to buy yourself
a house.
I mean,
you know,
well,
not a year's wages
but you want
something that's
going to last.
Would you like
something that would
last?
How many of you
would willingly
pour out,
how many of you
would burn
a year's wages,
just light it up
and let it go?
Now,
perfume
has a little
longer
last
to it
than
burning
dollar bills.
But I do want
you to know
that within
a short period
of time,
what happens
to perfume?
It evaporates.
It disappears.
The aroma,
the odor
from that perfume
is dissipated.
It's gone.
And so,
here is Mary.
She brings that
which belongs
to herself.
And I'm struck
also by the fact
that just earlier,
her brother
had died.
Right?
It was not
unusual
for the Jews
in preparing
the body
of a loved
one
to use
spices,
anointments,
and perfumes.
They did not
embalm
individuals back
in the good
old days,
right?
And nobody
walked past
the casket
and said,
my,
don't they
look good.
You know,
they used
heavy perfumes
and things like
that.
Guess why?
In place
of refrigeration
and embalming,
they were hoping
in some kind
of,
and you remember
when they prepared
Jesus' body
for burial,
how many pounds
of spices
did they use?
Who knows?
75 pounds
of spices,
okay?
I just finished
reading that passage
this morning,
so it's kind of
fresh in my mind.
75 pounds
of spices.
That's a lot.
Martha
and Mary
had lost
their brother.
Mary had
chosen not
to use this
for her
brother's burial.
And yet,
here she comes
and she
pours it out.
She breaks
the neck
of the alabaster
flask
and she pours
it on his head,
Jesus' head,
and down
onto his feet.
And I've got
to tell you
that it goes
without saying
that Mary
did something
exceptional
and stunning.
Let me spell
it out for you.
For one thing,
Mary's expenditure
was great.
This had to
represent
a very significant
part
of her life.
I want you
to imagine
the thought
processes
that went
through her mind
in actually
coming to the
place of deciding
that it was
a reasonable
thing
to buy
that perfume.
One of the
things I did
last week
was I actually
did a little
bit of
internet search
of what
kind of
perfumes
were really
expensive.
Just raise
your hand
from the elbow
up.
How many
of you
know of
perfumes
that cost
over a dollar?
You're good.
Okay.
How many
of you know
perfumes that
cost over
a hundred
dollars?
Just up
from the elbow.
That's all I'm
looking for.
How many
of you know
perfumes that
cost more
than a
thousand
dollars?
Ah,
yeah,
I got it.
How many
of you
can imagine
spending
let's say
fifty thousand
dollars
for a
little
flask
of perfume?
How many
of you know
what buyer's
remorse
and anxiety
is?
How many
of you
should I
have done
that?
You know,
and here
is Mary
who bought
that.
There's
hers.
And here
is Jesus.
And she
willingly,
consciously,
deliberately
broke that
flask and
poured it on
his head
and poured
it on
his feet.
great.
There's
something else
that I want
you to
appreciate.
Mary's
humility
was great.
I think
it's safe
to say
that there
is not
a single
woman in
this room
that has
ever
abased
herself
at
anyone's
feet
and ever
wiped
someone
else's
feet
with her
hair.
Huh?
Anybody?
No?
My bride
is homesick
today and
I'll tell
this,
you know,
she doesn't
mind rubbing
my shoulders
but when I
say,
would you
rub my
feet?
She says,
I don't
touch feet.
Now,
I know
some of you
are just
wonderful,
godly
exceptions to
the rule
but for
the most
part,
it's not
something that
most of you
like doing,
right?
here was
Mary
willing
to let
her hair
down.
Did you
know that
in Jewish
culture you
didn't let
your hair
down in
public?
You never
did.
You never
did.
This was
something that
simply was
not done
and Mary
let her hair
down ahead
of going
in and
anointing
Christ's
feet and
then as
she was
stooped at
his feet,
she took
her hair
and she
rubbed her
hair over
his feet.
I'll never
forget
the wedding
that I went
to in which
Jimmy,
I think she
married Kadar,
this is
Christy Brown's
sister.
It was an
Indian wedding
and after the
wedding service
was performed,
the ceremony,
you know how
it is,
you have the
wedding and
out go the
bride and
the groom and
everybody's
cheering and
Jimmy stopped
and at the
first pew she
knelt and
kissed her
mother-in-law's
feet.
I've never
forgotten that.
And here
is Mary
who with a
heart that is
so unbelievably
thankful,
she willingly
pours out
not only a
costly gift
but a
profoundly
humbling
gift.
You know,
it's interesting
when you stop
and think about
it that all
worship really
shows worth.
Can you say
that with me?
All worship
shows worth.
All worship
shows worth.
Let me illustrate
that for you
just for a second.
I want you to
look in your
Bible, turn back
to 2 Samuel
chapter 24.
Just look at
this.
This is at the
very end of
2 Samuel and
you remember that
David was tempted
and decided that
he would number
the people and
God comes to
him and says,
you messed up
and here are
the consequences.
In verse 18 it
says,
David runs off
there because
the people are
suffering and the
nation of Israel
is suffering because
of David's sin.
And when Arunah
sees David coming
he says,
what's up?
And David says
in verse 21,
I don't know if
you have the next
verse underlined.
All this,
O king,
Arunah gives to
the king.
And Arunah said
to the king,
may the Lord
your God accept
you.
Now mark this.
And the king
said to Arunah,
no, but I will
buy it from you
for a price.
I will not
offer burnt
offerings to the
Lord my God.
That costs me
nothing.
Do you
understand that?
Here was David
expressing the
worth of his
God.
And here is
Mary expressing
the worth of
our Savior.
Now what Mary
did was a
display of her
view of Christ.
She declared
his worth.
And when we
speak of
worshiping Christ
and really at
the end of the
day, remember
what I said,
but two choices
on the shelf,
worship Christ
or worship
self.
The truth of
the matter is
we are always
engaged in the
activity of
worship.
The question is
who is on the
throne and who
are we focused
on?
Allow me a
couple practical
notes before we
move on here.
For one, I'm
struck by the
fact that we
find no rebuke
from Christ or
from Lazarus or
from Martha.
Jesus accepted
this worship and
I'm struck by the
fact in other
passages you'll
remember when
John fell at the
feet of an
angel.
The angel says
don't be doing
that.
Worship God.
Here's Jesus
accepting this
worship and not
rebuking Martha
or not rebuking
Mary for this
exceptionally
expensive and
costly gift.
Furthermore, we
know that Mary's
act of worship
while condemned
by wickedness
lifted up her
sacrifice to
eternal significance.
What do I mean
by that?
Turn back.
You're in
John.
You were in
another passage,
2 Samuel, but I
want you to look
at John.
I'm sorry.
Turn to Mark
14.
Mark 14,
verse 9.
Truly I say to
you, wherever the
gospel is
proclaimed in the
whole world,
what she has
done will be
told in
memory of
her.
That's
something,
isn't it?
Mary's act of
worship was one
that ended up as
a benchmark and a
reminder to all of
us of what real
genuine worship
looks like.
So let me stop
just for a minute
and ask yourself
this question.
What have you
given him?
When have you
ever consciously
chosen to give to
him something that
you were reserving
for yourself out of
nothing other than a
mere expression of
your worth for him?
So a practical
question to follow
that would be
this.
How often has
your worship been
as significant and
as sweet as
Mary's?
How often has
your worship been
as significant and
sweet as Mary's?
I got to tell you,
we live in an age
where the
vocabulary of our
culture is a dead
giveaway.
How many of you
have ever heard
somebody say,
I'm worth it?
Two weeks ago I
was having a
conversation with
an individual and
we were dealing
with the issue of
sin.
And the person
was trying to
understand why I
was concerned about
what had been going
on in the
individual's life
morally.
And in the flow
of conversation the
individual said
this, I should
think more of
myself and not
keep doing this.
I thought,
what?
You're not the
problem.
It's your view of
God.
Do you follow
that?
I'm worth it.
Here is Mary
saying, Christ,
you're worth it.
And I find my
pleasure and my
satisfaction in
giving to you
that which is my
best and most
prized.
Well, there's
another person in
the picture and I
don't think we
should miss him.
Look at Judas
at his altar.
Verse 4, but
Judas Iscariot, one
of his disciples, he
who was about to
betray him, said,
you can hear his
attitude, right?
Kind of snarky.
Hey, stop just for
a minute.
How many of you
specialize in being
critical of other
people?
Raise your hands if
you want to wave at
me and say, I'm
good at that.
Why was this
ointment not sold
for 300 denarii and
given to the poor?
Here is Mary's
beautiful act of
worship that Christ
accepts.
Have you ever been
amazed at how stupid
you can be and put
your foot in when you
really should think
more carefully?
There is wisdom
sometimes in just
being quiet.
Judas would have
been well served to
keep his comments to
himself.
No, he opens his
mouth.
Why did he do that?
I mean, you know,
hey, he could have
said, well, hey, it's
her business, it's her
stuff, let her throw
it away if she wants
to.
No, he had to step
into it and really
show his heart.
The truth is, whether
it is in regards to
moral purity or
honesty or the value
of human life,
ultimately, truth is
something that is
offensive to the
sinner.
And the sinner is not
going to let truth go
unchecked.
think with me just for
a moment of a passage
over in John chapter
3, verse 19 and 20.
Remember, Jesus, in
essence, says this.
He says, listen, I've
brought light into the
situation, and those
who hate the light,
right?
They hate the light
because their deeds
are evil.
I want you to
understand that true
worship exposes false
worship and will always
stir hatred.
You don't have to go
out of your way, but
you have to worship.
And you shouldn't be
surprised if your
worship ends up being
something that is
maligned, is hated,
because of your joy and
satisfaction ultimately
in Christ rather than a
fallen and broken world
in the messiness of the
place we live.
It's interesting to
notice that Judas hid
his wickedness behind
false piety and a
well-known discipline of
generosity.
It is clear from the
passage that Jesus and
his disciples collected
money, and one of the
things that they did was
they shared it with
others who were needy.
And Judas knew that.
Now, if you want
something to kind of
chew on when you go
home, ask yourself
this question.
Why would Jesus, did
Jesus know everything
about Judas' heart?
What's the answer?
Over in John chapter 2,
it says, for he knew
the hearts of men.
Remember when his
disciples were having
arguments and Jesus
would say, what's up?
And they'd say, oh,
and he'd say, bang,
he'd tell them.
He knew what people
were thinking.
Why did Jesus let
Judas be the
treasurer for the
disciples?
Go home and chew on
that one, right?
But here we find
Judas having no
problem whatever in
voicing his
criticism.
By the way, I think
this is the first
place in the
Gospels where we
actually see Judas
saying anything.
Not very nice thing to
comment on, is it?
A critical and
dismissive spirit is
often a sign of
spiritual issues
elsewhere in a
person's life.
Wouldn't you agree
with that?
How many of you
recognize that?
You don't have to
work hard to be
critical and
sarcastic and
belittling of other
people when your
own spirit is
frail and struggling
in your walk with
Christ.
When your heart is
overwhelmed with the
beauty of his
grace, there's not
much of that
bitterness there.
Am I right?
So we find here this
criticism of Judas
recorded not only in
John, but let me
strike something else
for you to attend to.
Sadly, sadly, when you
look at Mark and you
look at Matthew, you
find that the other
disciples picked up and
ran with Judas'
criticism.
That's a little
shameful, isn't it?
So, just a little
note to self.
Do not be a person
who spends energy in
being critical of
everybody else because
usually it's a
reflective note of
your own heart.
Secondly, don't cause
other people to
stumble by your own
bitterness.
Yes.
So I want you to
think with me as we
close of some
practical application.
We're all
worshipers.
We're all
worshipers.
And we're
worshiping all the
time.
The question is not
if we worship.
The question is
who.
There are some of
you here today that
do not know
Christ.
How many of you
know that sermons
usually end up with a
conversation about who
Jesus is?
Does that make
sense?
There are some of
you here that do not
know Christ.
Can I tell you that
being a worshiper of
self is a miserable
unhappy journey
towards an eternal
heartache and hell?
One of the things it
says in the book of
Isaiah, it says it
repeatedly, there is no
rest for the wicked.
It's not just this life
that will be hard.
Eternity will be
marred with unending
sorrow.
And the most bitter
experience of separation
from the glory and
sweetness of Christ.
And I would plead with
you this morning,
understand this, that
there is no remedy for
the self-focus of your
heart.
And there is no way to
overcome the bitterness
of where you are apart
from coming with
brokenness and saying,
I am a sinner justly
condemned by God.
And yet Jesus came
and lived a sinless life
and was the sacrifice
for my sin.
That I, recognizing my
moral bankruptcy, could
reach out and repent and
call upon the name of the
Lord and be saved.
Can I tell you, salvation
doesn't happen because I
persuade you.
It is the work of the
Spirit of God.
And if you are here and
you are under the
convicting power of the
Spirit, I would plead with
you in Christ's stead.
Stop being a miserable
worshiper of yourself.
Call upon the Lord and be
saved.
I told you how it'd end.
So here's the last line.
But two choices on the
self, on the shelf.
Worship Christ or worship
self.
John, would you come and
lead us as we prepare for
baptism?
And Jessica, if you would.
stand together.
sing together.
Simple prayer to the Lord.
Jesus, draw me close.
Closer, Lord, to you.
Let the world around me fade away.
Jesus, draw me close.
Closer, Lord, to you.
For I desire to worship and obey.
We're going to sing that one more
time.
Jesus, draw me close.
close.
Closer, Lord, to you.
Let the world around me fade away.
Jesus, draw me close.
Closer, Lord, to you.
For I desire to worship and obey.
And holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name.
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning.
It's time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me,
let me be seen in the evening comes.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul, worship His holy name.
You're rich in love, and you're slow to reign.
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind.
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing.
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise
High and deep
Ten thousand years in there forevermore
Bless the Lord, O my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord, O my soul
Oh my soul
My soul
Oh my soul
Worship His holy name
Lord, I'll worship Your holy name
I'll worship Your holy name
Lord, I'll worship Your holy name
Amen. Please be seated.
I took my microphone off
So I have to lean in here a little bit
But just to let you know that for us
Baptism is not something that saves a person
Baptism is an outward sign of the inward work of grace
And when a person comes forward to be baptized
What they are doing is coming to give public testimony
To the power of the cross
And the sweetness of our Savior
And it is always fitting for us to hear the testimony of an individual
When they willingly come forward in humility to be baptized
As a public testament of their salvation
So I'm going to ask Jessica to share her testimony of faith in Christ
I went to Awana
I was listening to Miss Denise Harless teaching the lesson
And we came home from Awana
And I asked Dad questions
I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior
I accepted Jesus into my heart after all of that night
And I accepted Jesus into my heart after all of that
Jessica, on the basis of your testimony of knowing Christ as your personal Savior
and your desire to be baptized this morning,
I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Thank you.
Pastor Shearer, will you come and close with a word of Scripture?
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples.
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.
Bring an offering and come to His courts.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
Tremble before Him all the earth.
Take a spirit of worship from this place to every place God will take you this week.
You are conduits of worship to Him wherever you go.
Please Him this week through worship.
Thanks for coming this morning.
You're just amazing.
Congratulations.
Thank you.