So this morning's reading is from Ephesians 2, verses 1 to 10.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,
following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.
But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
By Christ you have been saved, and raised us up with him and seated us with him
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in the kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.
It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
for good works, and for good works.
But I was struck this week again that my nine-year-old grandchild,
who was doing a speech at his school up in Gandawindi,
can speak with some knowledge about Anzac Day.
Why is that?
Well, it's because, very simply,
what I might call this morning the doctrine of Anzac Day
is well and truly taught every year in the schools.
The doctrine is just a set of beliefs and values.
An Anzac has a set of beliefs and values.
And they shaped us as a nation,
and they're taught without embarrassment or without apology
in our schools every year.
Why?
To use the cliche,
lest we forget.
Today we also begin a nine-week doctrinal series
focusing on how we experience God's grace and salvation.
And yet an interesting thing might just have happened.
That sentence alone would be enough
to make lots and lots of Christians,
perhaps even some here this morning,
switch off,
because it mentioned that dreaded word doctrine.
The modern evangelical spirit
says,
look, I just want to praise and worship God,
so don't offend me
by trying to teach me doctrine.
I just want to praise and worship God,
so don't bore me
with the notion of doctrine.
I don't need it.
I don't want it.
Now that sort of statement sounds humble.
I just want to praise the Lord.
It sounds appealing.
It sounds virtuous.
But in actual fact,
as it's stated,
it's quite contrary to Scripture,
particularly verses like Romans 12, 1-3,
where it actually urges us as Christians
to pursue radically transformed minds.
And practically, it's nonsense.
I mean, at the end of the day,
how can we respond appropriately?
How can we praise in thankfulness
thankfulness?
Unless we understand God's character.
Unless we understand God's dealings
with the world.
Unless we understand
what his mercy and compassion
is meant to us in salvation.
Unless we're aware of how we've experienced
the salvation,
quite contrary to anything we deserve.
So my friends,
as we start this series,
it sounds as if I have to start negative,
and that may be my character,
but I just long
that we might be excited about doctrine.
That we might actually
think that it's valuable
to put the effort in
to learn it.
Why?
Lest we forget.
Lest we forget
the beauty of the Lord.
Lest we forget
his compassion and mercy to us
who deserve
only his condemnation.
Lest we forget
the firm foundation
we have to stand upon.
The foundation from which
we speak to others
in our world from.
Lest we forget.
Well, let's jump into the series then
with a question.
Very general question.
What is the Bible about?
And you won't get any prizes
for saying it's about God.
Dig down into that a little bit more.
And we say,
well, it's about God
and his relationship
with mankind.
And then we have to dig
a little bit more and say,
well, okay,
that's a relationship
that collapsed
and has become hostile
because of the rebellion
of the image bearer
against their creator.
And then we dig
a little bit more
and say,
well, that's not the full story
of the Bible
because the Bible tells us
about God's action
to undo that rebellion.
To fix the mess.
To restore the relationship.
To fix the mess.
So,
in a simple statement,
what is the Bible about?
Well, the Bible is actually,
it's of itself,
a systematic
or doctrinal statement
of God's answer
to the problem
of human sin.
And so we can say then
that the interrelated,
the key interrelated themes
in the Bible are
human sin
and how we experience
God's grace
in salvation
in response
to our sin.
And here's the rub.
Unless we actually
understand
the problem
of sin,
we will not
appreciate
or desire
God's solution.
Call me canon
is a song
along these lines
that says,
well,
it's only when you know
you're seriously
and totally lost
that you can fully
appreciate
being found.
Unless we understand
the problem of sin,
we will not appreciate
or desire
God's solution.
We won't even think
we need
a solution.
And certainly
not God's solution.
So this morning
I want to start
the series
by doing
just a brief
examination
of what I'm
going to call
Paul's case study
in Ephesians.
The passage
you just read to us.
And Paul's writing
to Christians
in Ephesus
and he's describing
to them
how they experienced
and why they needed
to experience
God's grace
and salvation.
It's typical,
this passage,
I've just chosen one,
but it's typical
of dozens of passages
across the Bible
I could reference
today but don't
have time.
And in this passage
Paul makes two
very, very simple
points but they're
profound points.
Sets out the case
beautifully as he
speaks to these
Christians at Ephesus.
The first thing he
says to them is,
verse 1 there,
at one time
you were dead
towards God
spiritually.
Just read the
passage again.
Very clear.
And you were dead.
And as we read this,
just see in your
mind that which is
dead.
So you can think,
oh, if you've seen
a person that's dead,
think of that.
If it's just
roadkill,
then think of that.
But,
and you were dead
in the trespasses
and sins
in which you once
walked.
Following the course
of this world,
following the prince
of the power
of the air,
the spirit that is
now at work
in the sons
of disobedience,
among whom
we all once
lived
in the passions
of our flesh,
carrying out the
desires of the body
and the mind,
and were by nature
children of wrath.
It's graphic
language,
isn't it?
And Paul
uses graphic
language
to make
absolutely
clear
the problem
of human
sinfulness.
What's the problem?
Well,
at one time,
every single person,
says Paul,
is like
a corpse
in terms
of their
relationship
with God.
What does that
mean?
Well,
it means
every part
of the heart
and the mind
and the will
is dead
or deadened
towards God.
your attitudes,
your emotions,
your affections
effectively
deadened.
the result
leaves people
totally
unaware
of their
true
spiritual
situation.
That's by nature
what it is
to be dead.
You can
see a
body there
and you can
poke it
or you can
see a dead
animal on the
side of the road
and you can
kick it
and poke it
and drag it
but it's
unaware of
its situation.
It gets
run over
multiple times
by vehicles
but it's
just there.
It doesn't
know what's
happening.
That's the
picture language
here.
Totally
unaware of
their true
spiritual
situation
and we're
still totally
unable to
do a thing
about it.
To do
anything to
change.
How did
such a
desperate
situation
develop?
Well,
verse 2
is the
direct
consequence
of our
sin
or rebellion.
the
expression
of which
is,
in verse 2,
following
Satan's
rejection
of God
and his
determined
opposition
to be doing
things God's
way.
Not God's
way,
but my
way.
Now,
in
classic
theological
terms,
we call
this
total
depravity.
Now,
that word
depravity
have to
work on
because
it's not
a common
word these
days,
so I've
sort of
gone for
total
inability,
which isn't
quite the
same,
but it's
close enough,
I think,
for our
purposes.
Total
inability.
Total
inability to
even recognize
your predicament.
Total
inability to
change your
predicament.
Just like
a corpse
is defined
by total
inability.
God's
will.
And it's
called that
because when
a person
is born,
they have
no awareness
of God's
will,
no inclination
to serve
God,
no inclination
even to
pursue God.
God's
will.
What we're
talking about
here is a
state of
total
disconnect
between God's
intentions for
his image
bearers and
the reality
of life for
his image
bearers.
When God
created his
image bearers,
he created
them with a
mind to
know his
will.
He created
them with a
heart to
do his
will.
He created
them with
affections to
love and
delight in
him.
But in
a spiritual
coup d'etat
of sin,
that's all
gone.
Instead,
people now
claim,
image bearers
now claim the
world to be
their own and
dismiss God,
the creator.
They live
actively as
though they
are autonomous,
as if they
don't have to
answer to
anyone else,
especially not
God.
They live as
though they
are God.
the image
bearer has
now become
the image
setter.
It's a
total disconnect.
But more
than that,
it's a
relational
problem.
The
natural
inclination
of any
person in
their natural
state when
they're born
in this
world is
hostility to
God.
sometimes
that's
expressed in
a really
aggressive
rejection of
God.
But if you
read Romans
1,
sometimes it
can be
expressed in
a religious
veneer,
where it
appears as if
people are
seeking God
and searching
for God,
but actually
they're not.
They're actually,
according to Romans
1,
reshaping or
rejigging God
and bringing
them down to
something that's
manageable and
something that's
acceptable to
them.
And so in
a sense,
it's another
form of
rebellion.
You say,
well God,
I'll acknowledge
you, but not
like that.
I'll acknowledge
you whenever I
can shape you
in a way that's
convenient to
me or in a
way that you're
no threat to
me.
Either way,
it's a deep,
deep relational
problem.
And it
becomes then a
legal problem.
Children of
wrath.
Verse 3.
We're told
God speaks.
He takes
himself very
seriously.
He responds
to such
rebellion by
justly condemning
the rebel.
So the
outworking of
all that is
that when
we're born,
we are
guilty before
God.
We are
objects of
his wrath.
verse 3.
That's pretty
strong language,
isn't it?
It's picture
language we
don't like
today.
Because it's
not flattering
to us.
it speaks of
our helplessness,
our inability.
But friends,
we have to
say it's a
very common
problem.
The way of
the world,
the course of
this world.
It is what
every person
is born into.
we're
wrong.
We often
think, well,
the majority
of people
can't be
wrong when
they think
life is
like this.
But the
Bible's
telling us
quite the
opposite.
The majority
of people
are wrong.
together,
blissfully
unaware
of that
predicament
that they're
in,
and the
judgment
that's looming
and impending
on them.
People
neither realize
their predicament
nor realize
they're unable
to please
God in any
way,
or make
themselves
acceptable
to God
when they
die.
That's what
it is to be
spiritually dead
towards God.
Now,
at this point
I want to
address two
common questions.
It might be a
question that's
in your mind.
You might be
saying, well,
come on,
are people
really that
sinful?
Well,
total depravity
or total
inability
does not
mean,
does not
mean that
any given
person is
as bad
as they
possibly
could be.
That's not
what the
Bible's
teaching at
all.
It's not
teaching that
a person is
not capable
of doing
good things
in our
community,
in our
society.
It's not
teaching that
people don't
have a sense
of right
and wrong.
The Bible
affirms all
those things.
People do
good things
in our world.
People do
have a sense
of right
and wrong.
That's not
what we're
meaning,
talking about
when we
talk about
total inability,
total depravity.
But it does
mean this,
that sin
has mutilated
every faculty
of us
image bearers.
Sin has
disabled
every good
thing that
the Lord
created in
us.
See,
people are
not born
morally
neutral.
It's hard
to believe
that when
you pick
up my
grandchildren.
It's hard
to believe,
well,
for a little
while,
it's hard
to believe
they're not
born morally
neutral.
By the time
they get to
six months,
you get no
doubts about
that.
But when
they look
sweet and
innocent and
newborn,
you think,
wow.
people are
not born
morally
neutral.
People are
born
hardwired
to reject
God,
to oppose
God,
to be
hostile to
God.
We might
say it's
in their
DNA.
And the
Bible's
constantly,
if you can
read the
Bible from
comfort to
comfort,
and constantly
it's
describing
this
condition
overflowing.
It overflows
from our
hearts,
and it
messes up
everything we
do in
our natural
state.
And it's
especially
true of
how people
treat God.
And you
can see it.
It's sort
of intuitive.
We don't
need to,
in a sense,
have the
Bible stand
alone in
this.
We can see
it as we
engage with
people.
People in
our world
generally
couldn't
care less
about God.
But even
where they
do have
some sense
of God,
they cannot
think or
choose or
do anything
that would
be acceptable
to God.
So,
are people
really that
sinful?
Well,
in terms of
the Bible,
yes.
Total
inability.
second
question
that's
often
thrown
up
then is
don't
people
have
a
free
will
whereby
they
can
choose
to
serve
the
Lord?
Don't
people
have a
free
will?
Well,
the problem
here,
it's a real
problem,
but not as
difficult as
what people
sometimes think.
The problem
here is that
people can
choose real
choice,
which we
all have,
with what the
Bible calls
free will.
I like to
use an
illustration
here,
I don't
know where
it come
from,
I've
plagiarized
it from
somebody or
somewhere else,
but I can't
remember where
now.
The illustration
goes like
this,
a vulture
circling over
the top,
and on the
ground here,
under the
vulture,
there is,
over here,
a rotten
sheep carcass,
stinks,
and beside
the rotten
sheep carcass,
a couple of
meters away,
there's a
beautiful
baked dinner
with veggies,
gravy,
mint sauce.
Which one's
the bulk
you're going
to go for?
It will go
for the
carcass.
Why?
Because that's
its nature.
It looks at
the two,
it has a
choice,
but it
goes for
the carcass
because
its choice
is bounded
by its
nature.
It makes
a choice
based on
how it
is hard
wired.
And it's
the same
way,
I think,
that people
are hard
wired to
reject God
in their
hearts and
minds and
attitudes.
it's a
real choice
that people
make,
but that
choice is
shaped and
limited by
their nature
they're born
with.
So in
practical terms
that means
then that
people are
not sinners
because they
choose to
sin.
People are
not sinners
because they
choose to
sin.
People
choose to
sin because
they're born
sinners.
Born
hostile to
God.
Born with
the hard
wire to
reject God,
to go
against what
he represents,
what he
calls them
to.
So where
do we go
from here
then?
Well,
we used
this illustration
before.
When you
seek treatment
from a
doctor,
the doctor's
assessment of
your illness
determines
the treatment.
Headache,
or if you
go and
have a
Panadol.
A tumour
in your
brain,
much more
radical
approach.
Life
threatening
disease,
major
surgery.
His
starting
point
determines
what follows.
That's
precisely
Paul's
point
here.
People
are not
just
spiritually
off
colour.
People
are not
just
spiritually
distracted
and just
need a
little bit
of urging
to get
back onto
the right
track
again.
Paul
says
people
are
spiritually
dead.
They
need
something
major
to
happen.
person's
predicament
before
God
is
much
more
serious
than
just
something
that
requires
a little
pick-me-up,
spiritual
pick-me-up,
or a
spiritual
injection.
Before
God,
they're
spiritually
dead,
spiritually
helpless.
Verse
12 of
Ephesians 2,
Paul puts
it in
slightly
different
words.
He
says,
people
are
without
hope
and
without
God
in
the
world.
Now,
whatever way
you look
at it,
that's a
pretty
bleak
prognosis,
isn't it?
Or it
would be
without
more
graphic
language
that Paul
uses here
in verses
4 through
10.
And just
feel the
way this
sits neatly
in opposition
to the
first part.
And you
were
dead.
Verse
4,
but God
made you
alive.
Just
feel the
balancing
and the
removing
of that
terrible
predicament.
God
made you
alive.
Friends,
just let
that statement
sink in.
And
then keep
reading to
see that
everything
mentioned
in these
verses is
something that
God does
for us
and does
in us.
Now,
why would
we expect
that to
follow?
Because
we've already
established
there's total
helplessness,
total inability,
total blindness,
total unawareness.
So if anything
significant is going
to happen,
if we're going
to be rescued,
if we're going
to be turned
around,
if we're going
to be made
alive,
then God
will need
to do it
for us.
God will
need to
do it
in us.
The two
parts go
together.
Salvation
is God's
work from
start to
finish.
God's
love and
mercy
combine to
give new
life to
the sinner.
God knew
because God
had the
proper
diagnosis.
God knew
that it would
never be
enough just
to say,
well,
look,
hang on
a sec,
now,
I'm going
to make
salvation
available and
I'll put
it on the
table over
here.
And so
when you're
ready,
you just
go and
make use
of it
as it
pleases
you.
God knows
that that
wouldn't
work because
we're dead
spiritually.
We're unaware
that we even
need what
he's provided
for us if
he did it
like that.
people need
to be
renewed,
not just
told that
renewal is
possible.
They need
to be
resurrected.
They need
to be
brought back
to life.
And only
God's power
working in
us can do
that.
It's not
enough to
bring the
gospel message
to people
who have
no desire,
no ability
to respond.
God needed
to bring the
sinner
to his
solution,
the Lord
Jesus
Christ.
He needed
to actually
not just
bring them
but actually
make them
alive.
Do radical
surgery in
the inside
out.
Change their
DNA if you
like.
And we'll
see more of
that over
the coming
weeks.
It is not
that we come
alive by our
own choice,
by our own
efforts.
it is by
God's grace.
We're
chatting about
this as elders
past Monday
night.
And one of
the comments
was that
one of the
elders said
that for
years they'd
never really
understood why
these things
are called
the doctrines
of grace.
Don't all
Christians
believe in
grace?
We'll see
more of this
over the next
few weeks
as well.
But the
idea of
doctrines of
grace is that
grace every
step of the
way because
we're left
to ourselves
we're unable,
unwilling.
It's not
just some
grace to
get us up
and running
and then
we're on
our own or
some grace
to then help
us get over
the death
line into
heaven.
It's God's
grace every
moment of
the way.
Because apart
from his
actions in
us and for
us we just
would not be
able to do
it.
But more
of that as I
say over
the coming
weeks.
verses 6
and 7
quite
instant when
you see
exactly what
God has
done for
us.
We've been
raised up
with Christ.
In other
words all
the privileges
all the
power of
God that
brought
Jesus back
to life
and took
him back
to heaven
as it
were all
of that
has been
invested in
us Christians
you and
me.
verse 8
for by
grace you
have been
saved
through
faith
and this
is not
your undoing
it as the
gift of
God.
Even our
faith and
we'll see
more of this
over the
next few
weeks.
Even our
faith
has been
given to us
as a gift
of God.
That's been
something God's
enabled us to
do.
And he had
to do that
because previously
we were
unwilling and
unaware of
our
predicament.
God needs
to actually
give us
the
willingness
and the
ability.
And God
does that
through his
spirit.
He actually
opens our
eyes to
our predicament.
He changes
our desires
and attitudes
so that we
actually reach
out and take
the gracious
gift of
salvation.
And finally
verses 9 and
10.
Even the
changed
lifestyle of
new obedience
and service
of Jesus
that results
from being
saved, from
having new
attitudes, from
having desires,
even that is
something God
has intended to
give us and
plan for us all
along.
It's grace from
start to finish.
Now just let
me sort of wind
up now with
a couple of
so what.
Given this, why
do people find
this truth so
hard to accept?
And people do.
People stumble at
this very starting
point.
This notion of
our total
inability before
God.
Now why?
Why do we
stumble on it?
Why is it so
hard to accept?
Well I think it's
because the
starting point for
thinking about
God and people
and salvation has
changed massively.
And throughout
history the
pattern is always
the same.
When people
move away from
God's description
of sin, when
people move away
from God's
description of
the sinner, then
people start to
believe they can
save themselves.
Albeit they'll
recognize they need
some help from
God, but generally
people will think,
well, yeah, I need
God to help me do
this, but generally
I can do this and
this and this.
So it's a sort of
cooperative effort.
And that can only
happen when people
have moved away from
God's view of sin
and the sinner.
In our day the
pattern's the same.
So many so-called
evangelical
Protestant churches
have as their
starting point the
humanist philosophy of
our society rather
than the Bible.
And our humanist
philosophy of society
says that we're
basically good people.
Yes, we need some
help, we're not as
good as we could be,
and we need some
help at particular
points, but
essentially I work
with Jesus as a
good person.
That's not what the
Bible says.
The belief of our
world is that man
is at the center of
things.
Given the right
circumstances, given
our own reason, given
our own logic, we'll
be able to work
things out and get
it right.
And history and
experience tells us
that's nonsense.
And so with this
starting point,
churches have lost a
real sense of what
it means for God to
have a holy character,
what it means for
God's demands in
response to the
rebellion of his
image bearers.
And so churches
actually teach that
by and by God is
happy to respond to
what essentially we
think and decide is
right.
And God is like a
grandfather figure who's
just grateful for some
attention, who's just
grateful for people to
treat him nicely.
And people have lost a
real sense of sin, I
think.
So if you look at the
word sin, I mentioned
this a few weeks ago,
the word sin mostly
today has been
secularized in its
usage.
It's no longer a
theological word, I
don't think, in our
society.
If people use it at
all, it's usually in the
context of a failure to
accept reasonable
standards of decency,
decent conduct.
And that's generally
defined by our
culture, by our
community.
Or, as I said a
couple of weeks ago,
sin is just an
indulgence in some
food that's really not
good for you but so
intensely desirable and
pleasurable, like the
lollies here this
morning.
And so the problem is
that when we start,
when people start to
define sin, then we
just start to slide
over the definition and
make it more palatable,
make it more comfortable
for us.
And that's under
pressure to do so from
our so-called progressive
society, intolerant
society.
Don't dare speak to me
as if I'm in this sort
of condition.
I'm a good person.
Yes, I've got flaws, but
essentially I'm a good
person.
Give me a chance and I'll
get it right.
But in the Bible you
see sin is defined
always as an offense
against God.
It may have
implications in our
behavior before and
towards others, but
primarily sin is about
rejecting God and his
authority.
And once we lose that
sense of sin and that
sense of God's holiness,
then, and we see it in
churches, everything just
slides and becomes
flexible.
And gospel can become
about people.
And the gospel is so then
it's about my needs, my
desires.
The gospel will make me
happy.
The gospel will build my
self-esteem.
That Jesus will help me
be fulfilled.
Or it can be the gospel
of works, performance.
You know, it says, well,
okay, yes, you need help
from Jesus, but alongside
that help, he expects you
to read your Bible and get
to church and pray and
help people and do all
these other things.
And a combination of
these two things will get
you over the line.
The Bible is totally
opposed to any such
thinking.
The word of the Bible is
that God saves sinners.
Now, when you think about
it, we actually pray that,
don't we?
Now, why do we pray that?
God, because intuitively,
we have a sense of God
when we come to him,
especially in this context,
we have a sense of God
that is so far removed from
us, and a sense of our own
unworthiness.
We intuitively know that we
need to be saved.
Contrary to what we deserve,
we need God to do for us
what we could never do for
ourselves.
Friends, this truth is hard
to accept because it is a
blow to human arrogance.
It's a blow to human
self-confidence.
And it's such a blow
that people, even
professing Christian churches,
would prefer to replace this
truth with a lie,
or a sort of
a cheap substitute
of this truth.
And we can understand
why, because naturally,
you'll understand this,
I see it in myself,
naturally,
we quickly and easily
reject any assessment
of self which is not
complimentary.
our instinct is to
excuse self
and blame others
for our behavior
as required.
And that is an
evidence of the very
point I'm trying to make.
Well,
second, so what?
Given this,
what sort of people
ought Christians to be?
And I finish fairly
briefly on this.
What sort of
people ought we to be
as Christians?
If we get a hold
of this truth
of being spiritually
dead to God,
totally unable,
totally inability,
but God
making us alive.
Well,
if we understand
what God has done
for us and in us
in making us alive,
then
surely,
of all people,
we ought to be
totally fanatic,
total fanatics
in responding
to God.
Surely we'd be
people who'd love
to sing his praises
as I started,
but now with the
full depth
of theology
driving those
praises.
If you and I
really believe
we're dead in sin
and under God's wrath
before God's grace
burst into our lives,
then, my friends,
we will be humble
and compassionate
in our dealings
with others,
especially as we engage
in the community.
How bizarre is it
that Christians
sort of want to
step back
from
contact
with unbelievers
who are just
doing what
unbelievers do?
How can that be
if we understand
that we also
were dead
to God
at one stage
but were made
alive by God's grace?
Why would we
recoil
from that
sort of behavior,
that sort of
person?
Surely,
my friends,
we'd be wanting
to reach over
to that person
and say,
hey,
yeah,
that's just
exactly what
I was like
and let me
tell you,
let me point
you to
the solution
to your problem.
Humble
and compassionate.
We ought
never,
my friends,
I think,
look down
our noses
at those
who perhaps
come among us
who are struggling
or whom
we engage
with at work
or elsewhere
in the community.
and if we
really believe
that sin
is so offensive
to God
that nothing
less than
the death
of a son
can deal
with,
then,
my friends,
I think we'll
be careful
about our own
sin,
will we not?
If the very
purpose
of
Jesus coming
into this world
was to rescue
us in our
deadness
where sin
didn't even
rate on our
radars,
if he gave
us new
life so we
might be
true image
bearers,
then surely
we'll want
to be careful
about our
own sin.
Lest that
make a mockery
of the very
thing that
Jesus came
to do.
Let me
close in
prayer.
Lord,
even this
morning,
some maybe
find it hard
to hear this
description,
this biblical
description of
what we are
before you
in our
natural state.
Lord,
help us
not to trip
over that,
for Lord,
even as we
try and
protect
ourselves
in some
semblance
of goodness,
we are
immediately
and radically
cutting back
and paring
back your
goodness and
your mercy
and your
grace.
Lord,
help us
to make
you really,
really big
in our
lives.
Your wisdom
in the
path of
salvation
you've set,
your kindness
and love to
us in the
Lord Jesus
Christ,
your commitment
to us in
following through
and making
sure we get
home to
heaven to be
with you,
not giving
us the
rains at
any point
Lord,
because you
know we'll
mess it up.
Lord,
help us
to make
you so
big and
ourselves so
small that
we just put
out our
hands,
empty hands
and say,
thank you
Lord,
help me to
live for you
this day,
in Jesus'
name,
Amen.