1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,140 Be grateful if you’d open your Bibles at Romans chapter 11, which gives us a theme 2 00:00:05,140 –> 00:00:09,480 and focus of our time in the Scriptures today. 3 00:00:09,480 –> 00:00:16,719 We’ve been looking forward for some time to our new series, entitled, Worship, What 4 00:00:16,719 –> 00:00:19,120 We Do and Why We Do It. 5 00:00:19,120 –> 00:00:24,500 And if you take this leaflet out that was in the papers you received as you came into 6 00:00:25,139 –> 00:00:30,240 the sanctuary this morning, you will see there on the inside where we are headed. 7 00:00:30,240 –> 00:00:37,840 Our focus is going to be on the elements of worship, hence the title, What We Do and Why 8 00:00:37,840 –> 00:00:38,840 We Do It. 9 00:00:38,840 –> 00:00:41,240 We’re going to be asking some fundamental questions. 10 00:00:41,240 –> 00:00:44,060 Why do we sing? 11 00:00:44,060 –> 00:00:45,820 Why do we give? 12 00:00:45,820 –> 00:00:48,599 Why do we pray? 13 00:00:48,599 –> 00:00:49,959 Why do we have the Lord’s Supper? 14 00:00:49,959 –> 00:00:52,040 What’s it all about? 15 00:00:52,040 –> 00:00:55,720 These are going to be the questions that we’re dealing with together. 16 00:00:55,720 –> 00:01:01,759 After we’ve laid the foundation over the first three weeks, I would like to open up a discussion 17 00:01:01,759 –> 00:01:06,860 throughout the congregation, and particularly with parents of younger children, as to how 18 00:01:06,860 –> 00:01:12,580 we can help children engage with each of these elements of worship. 19 00:01:12,580 –> 00:01:17,360 I think this will be a very profitable discussion for us in which we’re able to help one another. 20 00:01:17,360 –> 00:01:20,360 How do we help our children in singing and praying? 21 00:01:20,360 –> 00:01:23,580 How do we help our children to relate to the elements of worship? 22 00:01:23,580 –> 00:01:30,199 It’s an important part of what it means to pass on the truth of God from one generation 23 00:01:30,199 –> 00:01:35,440 to another and to help younger people in the process of spiritual formation as they grow 24 00:01:35,440 –> 00:01:37,959 up within the family of God. 25 00:01:37,959 –> 00:01:42,800 So that’s what’s lying ahead of us over these next weeks together. 26 00:01:42,800 –> 00:01:48,120 My great desire is that all of us, in thinking about this subject from the scriptures, will 27 00:01:48,120 –> 00:01:55,879 be able to enter more fully into what it means to worship God in this coming year. 28 00:01:55,879 –> 00:01:59,720 And if we’re to enter into it more fully, we need to understand what it is that we’re 29 00:01:59,720 –> 00:02:05,120 trying to do and why it is that we’re trying to do it. 30 00:02:05,120 –> 00:02:10,639 Just so that you know that I wasn’t born on another planet or whatever, I am aware 31 00:02:10,639 –> 00:02:16,399 that preaching on worship today is like taking a walk through a minefield. 32 00:02:16,619 –> 00:02:17,839 You know, I know that. 33 00:02:17,839 –> 00:02:23,660 In fact, it’s hard to think of a subject that has been more difficult and, frankly, 34 00:02:23,660 –> 00:02:28,360 sometimes more divisive for churches than this. 35 00:02:28,360 –> 00:02:33,339 And one of the reasons, of course, is that a great deal of the discussion, whenever the 36 00:02:33,339 –> 00:02:40,199 subject of worship comes up, is often about matters of taste and of style. 37 00:02:40,199 –> 00:02:46,059 In other words, it’s about organs or guitars, it’s about new songs or old hymns, it’s 38 00:02:46,139 –> 00:02:51,820 about dressing up or dressing down, it’s about standing up or sitting down or whatever else. 39 00:02:51,820 –> 00:03:00,119 And, quite frankly, if you take anywhere in the world a random selection of 100 Christians 40 00:03:00,119 –> 00:03:04,419 and ask them to discuss these issues, you will find that there is a wide diversity of 41 00:03:04,419 –> 00:03:05,419 opinion. 42 00:03:05,419 –> 00:03:11,160 So, long, therefore, as the discussion in any church is on matters of taste and style, 43 00:03:11,160 –> 00:03:13,899 it is very unlikely that there will ever be agreement. 44 00:03:13,960 –> 00:03:17,600 So, there might be some consensus that is achieved, but not agreement. 45 00:03:17,600 –> 00:03:27,160 Now, before we get too upset about that, let’s remember that it is precisely the same when 46 00:03:27,160 –> 00:03:30,960 it comes to cars. 47 00:03:30,960 –> 00:03:40,000 If you take a random selection of 100 Christians and ask them to sit down and talk about cars, 48 00:03:40,000 –> 00:03:47,460 you will find the same diversity of strongly held opinions over matters of taste and of 49 00:03:47,460 –> 00:03:49,160 style. 50 00:03:49,160 –> 00:03:53,979 One person will say, I would never go past a Buick. 51 00:03:53,979 –> 00:03:58,020 In fact, if the 100 were taken from this congregation, it would be a lot more than one person would 52 00:03:58,020 –> 00:04:00,919 say, I’d never go past a Buick. 53 00:04:00,919 –> 00:04:03,639 But then someone else would say, hey, Buicks don’t do anything for me. 54 00:04:03,639 –> 00:04:08,000 I wouldn’t thank you for one, but I would never part with my Jeep Cherokee. 55 00:04:09,000 –> 00:04:14,320 And then someone else who’s into a different approach of life will say, hey, I wouldn’t 56 00:04:14,320 –> 00:04:18,839 be seen dead in a Jeep Cherokee, but I would go for a Dodge Viper. 57 00:04:18,839 –> 00:04:23,679 Now, we have these different brands of cars, and they all represent different tastes and 58 00:04:23,679 –> 00:04:24,679 different styles. 59 00:04:24,679 –> 00:04:27,959 We have very strong opinions about them, actually. 60 00:04:27,959 –> 00:04:30,079 We get attached to them emotionally. 61 00:04:30,079 –> 00:04:31,899 We have deep feelings about them. 62 00:04:31,899 –> 00:04:36,579 I’d probably get some letters from Lexus owners complaining that they felt left out and that 63 00:04:36,579 –> 00:04:38,700 I chose the wrong selection. 64 00:04:38,700 –> 00:04:46,399 Now, if our discussion of worship revolves around questions of taste and style, there 65 00:04:46,399 –> 00:04:52,260 will be no more agreement than we would expect to get in a discussion over the choice of 66 00:04:52,260 –> 00:04:54,459 a car. 67 00:04:54,459 –> 00:05:00,820 And on that approach, all that you end up doing, you see, is taking opinion polls, which 68 00:05:00,820 –> 00:05:03,420 is, of course, what they do in the car industry. 69 00:05:03,420 –> 00:05:09,339 The polls tell you what is the best-selling car, they tell you what people are buying 70 00:05:09,339 –> 00:05:13,679 today—which, of course, is very different from what they will be buying tomorrow. 71 00:05:13,679 –> 00:05:18,320 Now, I don’t think that the subject of worship should be approached in that way at all. 72 00:05:18,320 –> 00:05:22,540 I don’t think that we should start from the question, what are people buying today? 73 00:05:22,540 –> 00:05:25,619 That’s entirely the wrong way to approach such a subject as this. 74 00:05:25,619 –> 00:05:28,679 And so I want us to take an entirely different approach. 75 00:05:28,679 –> 00:05:31,019 Think about it this way. 76 00:05:31,079 –> 00:05:38,260 You can buy a shiny new Buick, you can buy a Jeep Cherokee or you can have a Dodge Viper. 77 00:05:38,260 –> 00:05:46,000 But if your Buick doesn’t have a battery, if your Jeep Cherokee doesn’t have a transmission, 78 00:05:46,000 –> 00:05:53,500 if your Dodge Viper does not have pistons in the engine, you are going nowhere fast. 79 00:05:53,500 –> 00:05:58,399 Now this series is therefore not going to be about what is the sleekest, coolest, most 80 00:05:58,399 –> 00:06:01,339 popular way to do worship. 81 00:06:01,339 –> 00:06:05,179 This series is going to be about what makes worship work. 82 00:06:05,179 –> 00:06:11,160 In other words, this is going to be like a kind of auto-shop on worship. 83 00:06:11,160 –> 00:06:15,880 We’re going to open up the parts that make it function. 84 00:06:15,880 –> 00:06:22,000 Our focus is going to be on the elements of public worship, what we do, and why we do 85 00:06:22,000 –> 00:06:23,000 it. 86 00:06:23,000 –> 00:06:28,760 Now, most of you already know that as God is drawing more and more people to our church, 87 00:06:28,760 –> 00:06:34,640 we are planning to launch two additional services in September of this year. 88 00:06:34,640 –> 00:06:39,119 The music will be of a different style from what we normally do in the sanctuary here, 89 00:06:39,119 –> 00:06:43,440 but the values will be precisely the same. 90 00:06:43,440 –> 00:06:49,459 In other words, to use this analogy, it will be a different look and feel of car, but it 91 00:06:49,820 –> 00:06:56,720 all the same working parts, and it will be traveling on the same road. 92 00:06:56,720 –> 00:07:00,660 And if you look at the message titles of this series, you will see what that road is and 93 00:07:00,660 –> 00:07:01,779 where we are going together. 94 00:07:01,779 –> 00:07:06,839 It is the same road on which we have been traveling and from which we are not deviating. 95 00:07:06,839 –> 00:07:13,380 We are going to pursue worship that is God centered, Christ focused, Spirit-filled, singing, 96 00:07:13,420 –> 00:07:19,399 praying, giving, preaching as we celebrate the gifts of baptism and the Lord’s Supper 97 00:07:19,399 –> 00:07:20,399 together. 98 00:07:20,399 –> 00:07:21,619 These are the things that really matter. 99 00:07:21,619 –> 00:07:23,140 These are the things that we do. 100 00:07:23,140 –> 00:07:27,059 I want us to understand why we do them. 101 00:07:27,059 –> 00:07:28,059 That’s our focus. 102 00:07:28,059 –> 00:07:34,279 Secondly, our aim by way of introduction, one aim is that when we talk about worship, 103 00:07:34,279 –> 00:07:40,420 that we’ll be able to talk about it in an informed and considered way. 104 00:07:40,760 –> 00:07:46,279 You know, God’s people should be able to talk about worship in a considered way, in an intelligent 105 00:07:46,279 –> 00:07:48,260 way. 106 00:07:48,260 –> 00:07:55,459 I want us to understand clearly why discussions about, I like this and she likes that, are 107 00:07:55,459 –> 00:08:00,839 really of very limited value and significance when it comes to worship. 108 00:08:00,839 –> 00:08:07,420 I want us as a congregation to grow in the area of discernment. 109 00:08:07,420 –> 00:08:12,579 A sleek car with no battery takes you no place fast. 110 00:08:12,579 –> 00:08:18,119 And the most important questions to ask about a church’s worship are not about the attractions 111 00:08:18,119 –> 00:08:25,720 of its style, they’re about whether it has the component parts that will take you where 112 00:08:25,720 –> 00:08:27,179 you need to go. 113 00:08:27,179 –> 00:08:32,780 Thirdly, by way of introduction, a word about our approach, two words to be precise. 114 00:08:32,780 –> 00:08:34,039 The first is conviction. 115 00:08:34,799 –> 00:08:40,599 You see, while God has given us wonderful freedom in how we do things, he has also given 116 00:08:40,599 –> 00:08:45,559 us clear instruction about what we are to do. 117 00:08:45,559 –> 00:08:49,419 There are certain things that God has called us to do, and they’re not up for discussion 118 00:08:49,419 –> 00:08:50,700 or negotiation. 119 00:08:50,700 –> 00:08:55,340 We are called to pray, that’s the calling of the church. 120 00:08:55,340 –> 00:09:01,059 We are called to read and to explain the scriptures. 121 00:09:01,059 –> 00:09:03,599 We are called to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. 122 00:09:03,599 –> 00:09:06,479 These are the things that God has told us to do. 123 00:09:06,479 –> 00:09:08,880 They are the givens of worship. 124 00:09:08,880 –> 00:09:13,039 Now, there may be some folks who have the idea that we do what we do because we haven’t 125 00:09:13,039 –> 00:09:14,960 thought about it. 126 00:09:14,960 –> 00:09:20,000 I want you to know that we do what we do because we have thought about it, and we’ll continue 127 00:09:20,000 –> 00:09:22,000 to do so. 128 00:09:22,000 –> 00:09:26,419 From time to time, it’s a useful thing within the context of the church family to explain 129 00:09:26,419 –> 00:09:32,380 what we do and why we do it, and that is especially important as we seek to communicate the faith 130 00:09:32,419 –> 00:09:35,840 from one generation to another. 131 00:09:35,840 –> 00:09:40,179 Secondly, humility. 132 00:09:40,179 –> 00:09:45,500 I want you to understand as I speak that none of us who are trusted with responsibility 133 00:09:45,500 –> 00:09:49,299 of leadership in these things feels that we’ve got it all sewn up or that we’ve got it all 134 00:09:49,299 –> 00:09:51,039 right. 135 00:09:51,039 –> 00:09:55,299 One of my prayers for this series is that, in thinking through what we’re called to do 136 00:09:55,299 –> 00:10:03,440 together, we may be able to enter more fully into what God has called us to do, as we engage 137 00:10:03,440 –> 00:10:07,659 ourselves fully in the worship of Him. 138 00:10:07,659 –> 00:10:10,859 Now with that introduction, let’s plunge into our subject. 139 00:10:10,859 –> 00:10:14,099 Perhaps the best place to begin is simply with a definition. 140 00:10:14,099 –> 00:10:18,539 The finest definition that I’ve ever come across of Christian worship was given many 141 00:10:18,539 –> 00:10:21,539 years ago by Archbishop William Temple. 142 00:10:21,539 –> 00:10:23,500 This is what he said. 143 00:10:23,500 –> 00:10:31,979 Worship is the submission of our whole nature to God, the quickening of conscience by His 144 00:10:31,979 –> 00:10:41,659 holiness, the nourishment of mind by His truth, the purifying of imagination by His beauty, 145 00:10:41,659 –> 00:10:48,919 the opening of heart to His love, the submission of will to His purpose. 146 00:10:48,919 –> 00:10:56,200 In other words, true worship takes place when all that we are is fully engaged with all 147 00:10:56,200 –> 00:10:58,080 that God is. 148 00:10:58,080 –> 00:11:04,880 That’s why the starting place in any serious consideration of worship has to be with God 149 00:11:04,880 –> 00:11:06,479 Himself. 150 00:11:06,479 –> 00:11:14,200 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. 151 00:11:14,299 –> 00:11:19,659 If, therefore, there is no glimpse of God’s holiness in what we do together, if there 152 00:11:19,659 –> 00:11:24,799 is no grasp of God’s truth, if there is no vision of God’s beauty, no experience 153 00:11:24,799 –> 00:11:29,520 of His love, no declaration of His purpose, if these things are not part of our worship, 154 00:11:29,520 –> 00:11:34,500 then whatever takes place on a Sunday morning is not worship as the Scriptures commended 155 00:11:34,500 –> 00:11:35,739 to us. 156 00:11:36,700 –> 00:11:44,780 I was raised in a Baptist church in Scotland, but I always admired the way that the Presbyterians 157 00:11:44,780 –> 00:11:51,580 began their services of worship with four words, and it was always the same. 158 00:11:51,580 –> 00:11:57,359 Let us worship God. 159 00:11:57,359 –> 00:11:58,979 You can’t get a better start than that. 160 00:11:58,979 –> 00:12:01,520 Let us worship God. 161 00:12:02,380 –> 00:12:08,039 That is the finest statement of purpose that you could have for a gathering together such 162 00:12:08,039 –> 00:12:09,039 as this. 163 00:12:09,039 –> 00:12:14,039 God is to be at the center of this hour. 164 00:12:14,039 –> 00:12:18,580 We are gathering together to Him. 165 00:12:18,580 –> 00:12:27,799 Every part of the service is a means to draw us in all that we are towards Him, that He 166 00:12:27,799 –> 00:12:38,000 may be brought into view, that we may fill our whole horizon with all that He is. 167 00:12:38,000 –> 00:12:42,359 We are to sing to Him and about Him. 168 00:12:42,359 –> 00:12:46,520 We are to give to Him and for His work. 169 00:12:46,520 –> 00:12:49,280 We are to pray to Him. 170 00:12:49,280 –> 00:12:53,659 We are to listen to Him speaking in His Word, which is the Scripture. 171 00:12:53,659 –> 00:12:56,479 We are invited to share communion with Him. 172 00:12:56,659 –> 00:13:02,460 We are to make Him the center of our whole attention. 173 00:13:02,460 –> 00:13:07,140 Now you see, if we’ve really worshipped, we will not go home saying, 174 00:13:07,140 –> 00:13:11,239 hey, wasn’t the worship great. 175 00:13:11,239 –> 00:13:16,640 We’ll go home saying, hey, isn’t God great? 176 00:13:16,640 –> 00:13:20,580 And if we go home saying, hey, isn’t the worship great? 177 00:13:20,580 –> 00:13:25,799 Then we’ve actually put the worship in the place of God. 178 00:13:25,820 –> 00:13:32,320 And that’s idolatry and it’s a very subtle temptation. 179 00:13:32,320 –> 00:13:38,140 Just as in our private lives, we set aside some time for undivided prayer and attention 180 00:13:38,140 –> 00:13:42,900 to God in his word, so we set aside together this hour in the week, it’s not everything 181 00:13:42,900 –> 00:13:51,780 we do in the life of the church, but this hour we focus our whole attention on Him. 182 00:13:52,080 –> 00:13:56,340 What does it mean then for us to be truly God-centred? 183 00:13:56,340 –> 00:13:59,299 Three things. 184 00:13:59,299 –> 00:14:09,559 First, being God-centred means hungering and thirsting after God. 185 00:14:09,559 –> 00:14:15,739 Now, I’ve been challenged and greatly helped by a question framed by John Piper, I’ve adapted 186 00:14:15,739 –> 00:14:19,320 it just slightly and here it is. 187 00:14:19,320 –> 00:14:28,679 If you could have a happy marriage, healthy children, a successful career, good friends, 188 00:14:28,679 –> 00:14:35,919 fun vacations, a comfortable retirement, a painless death, and no hell, would you be 189 00:14:35,919 –> 00:14:38,219 satisfied? 190 00:14:38,219 –> 00:14:44,820 If you could have all these good things, you could pass through death relatively without 191 00:14:44,820 –> 00:14:46,679 pain, and you could escape hell. 192 00:14:46,679 –> 00:14:52,000 If you could have all these things but only these things, would you be satisfied? 193 00:14:52,000 –> 00:14:59,520 Now, there’s something deep within the soul of every Christian believer that will cry 194 00:14:59,520 –> 00:15:06,479 out in response to that, no, I must have God. 195 00:15:06,479 –> 00:15:13,739 Not just what God can give me, but there is within my soul a hungering, a thirsting, a 196 00:15:13,739 –> 00:15:16,280 longing after God. 197 00:15:16,280 –> 00:15:17,280 A.W. 198 00:15:17,280 –> 00:15:25,679 Tosser warned some years ago about the kind of religion, he said, in which Christ could 199 00:15:25,679 –> 00:15:33,039 be received without creating any special love for him in the soul of the receiver. 200 00:15:33,039 –> 00:15:40,200 That a person would think him or herself saved and yet have no hunger or thirst after God. 201 00:15:41,140 –> 00:15:44,900 That’s one of the greatest dangers in modern evangelicalism. 202 00:15:44,900 –> 00:15:49,320 That we have this kind of cool transaction in which we decide that we’re all going to 203 00:15:49,320 –> 00:15:56,659 go to heaven and yet have no passion within our souls that hungers and thirsts after God. 204 00:15:56,659 –> 00:16:01,099 Now think about that. 205 00:16:01,099 –> 00:16:04,640 Think about the analogy of marriage. 206 00:16:04,640 –> 00:16:07,359 A person can marry for different reasons. 207 00:16:08,219 –> 00:16:10,359 The person can marry for love. 208 00:16:10,380 –> 00:16:14,580 The person can marry for money. 209 00:16:14,580 –> 00:16:17,340 We celebrate a person who marries for love. 210 00:16:17,340 –> 00:16:23,619 We tend to despise a person who marries for money. 211 00:16:23,619 –> 00:16:27,260 But when you think about our relationship with Jesus Christ, how many times have you 212 00:16:27,260 –> 00:16:31,659 heard a testimony that was basically like, this, while I came to Jesus Christ because 213 00:16:31,659 –> 00:16:36,760 I didn’t want to go to hell? 214 00:16:36,760 –> 00:16:38,099 Is that it? 215 00:16:38,099 –> 00:16:44,219 How do you think God feel about that? 216 00:16:44,219 –> 00:16:53,659 Suppose your wife, married men, were asked why she married you, and you said, well the 217 00:16:53,659 –> 00:16:57,739 main reason was I wanted to get away from my parents, couldn’t stand them. 218 00:16:57,739 –> 00:17:03,539 He offered me a ticket out of a place I didn’t want to be, so I took it. 219 00:17:03,940 –> 00:17:09,400 Suppose your husband, married ladies, was asked why he married you, and he said, hey, the 220 00:17:09,400 –> 00:17:13,819 main reason was I had a load of debts after college and she had some money, I couldn’t 221 00:17:13,819 –> 00:17:19,040 think of any way of paying off the debts and so I decided to marry her. 222 00:17:19,040 –> 00:17:24,900 Yet is that not precisely how we so often express our reasons for coming to Christ? 223 00:17:24,900 –> 00:17:27,400 He pays my debts. 224 00:17:27,400 –> 00:17:31,099 He gets me out of hell. 225 00:17:31,540 –> 00:17:37,239 Now if that is all your religion is, how do you think God feels about that? 226 00:17:37,239 –> 00:17:39,780 Ask the question again. 227 00:17:39,780 –> 00:17:44,640 If you could have a happy marriage, healthy children, successful career, good friends, 228 00:17:44,640 –> 00:17:48,979 fun vacations, a comfortable retirement, a painless death, and no hell, would you be 229 00:17:48,979 –> 00:17:51,839 satisfied? 230 00:17:51,839 –> 00:17:56,319 If you could be satisfied with that, you have not tasted and seen that God is good. 231 00:17:56,359 –> 00:18:00,359 God is good. 232 00:18:00,359 –> 00:18:01,359 The Psalmist writes, 233 00:18:01,359 –> 00:18:06,560 As a dear pants for streams of water so my soul longs for you, O God! 234 00:18:06,560 –> 00:18:09,140 My soul thirsts for God! 235 00:18:09,140 –> 00:18:11,599 When can I go to meet with God? 236 00:18:11,599 –> 00:18:18,020 And every true believer knows what he was talking about. 237 00:18:18,020 –> 00:18:23,359 The first sign of genuine new birth and spiritual life in the soul is that you have a love, 238 00:18:23,520 –> 00:18:29,579 a taste, a hunger, for God! 239 00:18:29,579 –> 00:18:38,319 Second, being God-centred means loving God for who he is. 240 00:18:38,319 –> 00:18:46,579 See, worship is an overflow of our joy and our delight in God. 241 00:18:46,579 –> 00:18:52,560 I don’t think anyone has expressed this better, to my knowledge, than C.S. Lewis. 242 00:18:52,579 –> 00:18:54,500 He writes these words, 243 00:18:54,500 –> 00:19:02,140 All enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. 244 00:19:02,140 –> 00:19:05,040 The world, he says, rings with praise 245 00:19:05,040 –> 00:19:07,719 Lovers praising their mistresses 246 00:19:07,719 –> 00:19:09,319 Readers their favourite poet 247 00:19:09,319 –> 00:19:11,160 Walkers praising the countryside 248 00:19:11,160 –> 00:19:13,479 Players praising their favourite game 249 00:19:13,479 –> 00:19:19,020 Praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, 250 00:19:19,119 –> 00:19:23,959 Horses, colleges, countries, historical personages 251 00:19:23,959 –> 00:19:29,739 Children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles 252 00:19:29,739 –> 00:19:31,260 I never heard that one, but 253 00:19:31,260 –> 00:19:34,060 Sometimes even politicians and scholars 254 00:19:34,060 –> 00:19:37,739 He puts them after rare beetles apparently 255 00:19:38,020 –> 00:19:41,040 And then he says 256 00:19:41,040 –> 00:19:43,959 As men spontaneously praise 257 00:19:43,959 –> 00:19:46,780 So they urge us to join them in their praising 258 00:19:46,780 –> 00:19:48,079 Whatever they value 259 00:19:48,079 –> 00:19:50,719 Isn’t she lovely? 260 00:19:50,719 –> 00:19:52,979 Wasn’t it glorious? 261 00:19:52,979 –> 00:19:55,119 Don’t you think it magnificent? 262 00:19:55,119 –> 00:19:59,560 Now isn’t that true, the fascinating thing about any delight 263 00:19:59,560 –> 00:20:01,479 Is that the instinctive desire 264 00:20:01,479 –> 00:20:03,400 Is to share that delight with someone else 265 00:20:03,400 –> 00:20:05,579 Who will appreciate it 266 00:20:05,579 –> 00:20:06,640 So what’s the first thing you think 267 00:20:06,640 –> 00:20:08,119 When you hear a really good joke 268 00:20:08,119 –> 00:20:11,920 You think I can’t wait to tell him or her 269 00:20:11,920 –> 00:20:13,880 You think of someone who will really appreciate it 270 00:20:13,880 –> 00:20:15,760 And you say oh, I can’t wait to tell him 271 00:20:15,760 –> 00:20:16,839 You read a really good book 272 00:20:17,199 –> 00:20:20,500 Oh, I must tell my friend about this book 273 00:20:20,500 –> 00:20:21,680 You see a great film 274 00:20:21,680 –> 00:20:22,819 You go to someone else 275 00:20:22,819 –> 00:20:23,839 And you say oh you got to see it 276 00:20:23,839 –> 00:20:24,560 You’ll love it 277 00:20:24,560 –> 00:20:28,520 Now you see that is the great privilege 278 00:20:28,520 –> 00:20:29,839 Of worship together 279 00:20:29,839 –> 00:20:32,359 That when we have discovered a delight in God 280 00:20:32,359 –> 00:20:34,520 That is a joy in finding other people 281 00:20:34,520 –> 00:20:35,760 Who share that delight 282 00:20:35,760 –> 00:20:38,800 Come let us magnify the Lord 283 00:20:38,800 –> 00:20:41,640 Let us exalt his name together 284 00:20:41,640 –> 00:20:46,180 For we share a delight in who he is 285 00:20:46,979 –> 00:20:53,180 A love and our worship is an overflow of that discovery 286 00:20:53,180 –> 00:20:56,479 Now thirdly, being God-centered means 287 00:20:56,479 –> 00:20:59,619 Not just hungering and thirsting after God 288 00:20:59,619 –> 00:21:01,599 Not just loving God for who he is 289 00:21:01,599 –> 00:21:08,239 But being God centered means not being self-centered 290 00:21:08,239 –> 00:21:11,619 Now, this is probably where the rubber hits the road 291 00:21:12,000 –> 00:21:16,819 Because the principle of keeping God central in worship 292 00:21:16,819 –> 00:21:20,959 Not only guides us in what we choose to do 293 00:21:20,959 –> 00:21:25,479 But it guides us in the things that we choose not to do 294 00:21:25,479 –> 00:21:30,979 Now it’s a fascinating fact that when you state something positively 295 00:21:30,979 –> 00:21:32,979 Most people will agree with you 296 00:21:32,979 –> 00:21:37,859 But if you state the same thing negatively 297 00:21:38,680 –> 00:21:44,900 You will find out then whether another person really agrees with you or not 298 00:21:44,900 –> 00:21:46,339 For example 299 00:21:48,819 –> 00:21:52,300 Now if you say quoting Jesus, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life 300 00:21:52,300 –> 00:21:55,780 It’ll not be difficult to get people to agree with you 301 00:21:55,780 –> 00:21:59,839 But then he stated the same thing negatively 302 00:21:59,839 –> 00:22:03,939 No one comes to the father except by me 303 00:22:03,939 –> 00:22:05,540 Now you put these two things together 304 00:22:05,540 –> 00:22:06,520 I’m the way, the truth and the life 305 00:22:07,339 –> 00:22:08,319 No one comes to the father except by me 306 00:22:08,319 –> 00:22:12,079 They’re actually saying precisely the same thing 307 00:22:12,079 –> 00:22:16,560 They are statements of the Exclusivity of Jesus Christ 308 00:22:16,560 –> 00:22:19,520 The one put positively, the other put negatively 309 00:22:19,520 –> 00:22:21,880 Strange thing is, although they’re saying exactly the same thing 310 00:22:21,880 –> 00:22:23,479 You get a lot of people to agree with the first 311 00:22:23,479 –> 00:22:24,920 And then they’ll bulk at the second 312 00:22:24,920 –> 00:22:27,380 And when they bulk at the second 313 00:22:27,380 –> 00:22:31,959 You understand that they’ve not really grasped what Jesus was saying in the first 314 00:22:31,959 –> 00:22:33,719 That is why it is very important 315 00:22:33,719 –> 00:22:36,040 And the Bible is quite consistent in this 316 00:22:36,040 –> 00:22:39,079 In giving us not only positive but negative statements 317 00:22:39,079 –> 00:22:41,280 Because it is the negative statements that determine 318 00:22:41,280 –> 00:22:43,199 Whether we’ve really understood the positive ones 319 00:22:43,199 –> 00:22:46,079 Let me give you one more example 320 00:22:46,079 –> 00:22:50,920 The apostle Paul says frequently, we are justified by faith 321 00:22:50,920 –> 00:22:52,839 Everybody in church world will agree with that 322 00:22:52,839 –> 00:22:55,939 Oh yes, we’re justified by faith 323 00:22:55,939 –> 00:22:57,520 So Paul goes on to explain it 324 00:22:57,520 –> 00:23:00,520 By saying the same thing negatively 325 00:23:00,520 –> 00:23:04,560 Not by works 326 00:23:04,560 –> 00:23:05,880 And as soon as you say that 327 00:23:05,880 –> 00:23:07,660 There are many people will say 328 00:23:07,660 –> 00:23:11,680 Ah, surely works must be something to do with it 329 00:23:11,680 –> 00:23:12,920 And when a person says that 330 00:23:12,920 –> 00:23:14,540 You know that they’ve not really understood 331 00:23:14,540 –> 00:23:16,959 What Paul meant when he said, justified by faith 332 00:23:16,959 –> 00:23:19,619 You see the principle 333 00:23:19,619 –> 00:23:22,739 So this is why the Bible stresses and uses 334 00:23:22,739 –> 00:23:25,420 Both positive and negative statements 335 00:23:25,420 –> 00:23:26,640 And so in the interest simply 336 00:23:26,640 –> 00:23:28,060 Of clear communication 337 00:23:28,060 –> 00:23:30,040 Let’s put what we’re saying in the negative 338 00:23:30,040 –> 00:23:33,520 If we have determined to pursue God-centred worship 339 00:23:33,520 –> 00:23:36,760 What would we not do? 340 00:23:36,760 –> 00:23:39,099 Well if we are determined 341 00:23:39,099 –> 00:23:40,859 To pursue God-centred worship 342 00:23:40,859 –> 00:23:42,479 It means that the focus of worship 343 00:23:42,479 –> 00:23:47,079 Is neither on the personality of the leader 344 00:23:47,079 –> 00:23:50,000 Nor on the tastes and preferences of the individual 345 00:23:50,000 –> 00:23:53,079 It means that we have no interest 346 00:23:53,079 –> 00:23:56,140 In self-indulgence or performance 347 00:23:56,140 –> 00:24:00,959 On the part of any who lead 348 00:24:01,160 –> 00:24:04,020 God guides us by establishing 349 00:24:04,020 –> 00:24:06,160 The principle that what we do 350 00:24:06,160 –> 00:24:09,160 Must lead us to engage with God 351 00:24:13,040 –> 00:24:14,459 Let me give you an example 352 00:24:14,459 –> 00:24:15,160 And I know that what people 353 00:24:15,160 –> 00:24:16,099 Will talk about afterwards 354 00:24:16,099 –> 00:24:16,760 Is the example 355 00:24:16,760 –> 00:24:17,619 Because this is where 356 00:24:17,619 –> 00:24:19,640 We really work out what we think 357 00:24:19,640 –> 00:24:22,819 Now I want you to think 358 00:24:22,819 –> 00:24:23,640 I was in a meeting 359 00:24:23,640 –> 00:24:24,520 With some pastors 360 00:24:24,520 –> 00:24:25,400 Where they were talking 361 00:24:25,400 –> 00:24:26,920 About what works well 362 00:24:26,920 –> 00:24:28,880 Very, very common 363 00:24:28,880 –> 00:24:29,780 There will be discussions 364 00:24:29,780 –> 00:24:32,020 Of what works well 365 00:24:32,020 –> 00:24:33,479 One of the pastors told us 366 00:24:33,479 –> 00:24:35,699 They had developed a tradition 367 00:24:35,699 –> 00:24:37,579 In which members of the congregation 368 00:24:37,579 –> 00:24:40,599 Sent him birthday cards 369 00:24:40,599 –> 00:24:41,380 And on the Sunday 370 00:24:41,380 –> 00:24:43,180 Nearest to his birthday each year 371 00:24:43,180 –> 00:24:44,819 He took time in the service 372 00:24:44,819 –> 00:24:46,619 To read them all out 373 00:24:46,619 –> 00:24:47,959 He said it takes a waile 374 00:24:47,959 –> 00:24:48,819 About 15 minutes 375 00:24:48,819 –> 00:24:52,020 But the people he said love it 376 00:24:52,020 –> 00:24:54,400 He told us how marvelous it was 377 00:24:54,400 –> 00:24:55,660 The people really looked 378 00:24:55,660 –> 00:24:56,640 Forward to the occasion 379 00:24:56,640 –> 00:24:57,880 They put it on the worship folder 380 00:24:57,880 –> 00:24:58,380 That week 381 00:24:58,400 –> 00:24:59,660 It was a point in the year 382 00:24:59,660 –> 00:25:02,739 The reading of the birthday cards 383 00:25:02,739 –> 00:25:03,500 He said it’s marvelous 384 00:25:03,500 –> 00:25:04,920 It gets everybody involved 385 00:25:04,920 –> 00:25:05,959 There’s even a bit of competition 386 00:25:05,959 –> 00:25:06,660 As to who can come up 387 00:25:06,660 –> 00:25:07,920 With the funniest card 388 00:25:07,920 –> 00:25:09,439 It bonds people together 389 00:25:09,439 –> 00:25:12,880 It’s a marvelous experience 390 00:25:12,880 –> 00:25:16,060 Now why don’t we do that? 391 00:25:16,060 –> 00:25:22,579 Why won’t we ever do that? 392 00:25:22,579 –> 00:25:23,319 Because 393 00:25:23,319 –> 00:25:25,300 We gather here 394 00:25:25,619 –> 00:25:29,660 We worship God 395 00:25:29,660 –> 00:25:30,719 Now someone will probably 396 00:25:30,719 –> 00:25:31,859 Think you’re saying 397 00:25:31,859 –> 00:25:32,260 Hey! 398 00:25:32,260 –> 00:25:32,719 You know, lighten up 399 00:25:32,719 –> 00:25:33,839 There’s nothing sinful 400 00:25:33,839 –> 00:25:34,900 About having a bit of a laugh 401 00:25:34,900 –> 00:25:35,680 Over a few cards 402 00:25:35,680 –> 00:25:36,260 It’s fun 403 00:25:36,260 –> 00:25:36,619 You know, what’s wrong 404 00:25:36,619 –> 00:25:39,439 With doing that in church? 405 00:25:39,439 –> 00:25:40,119 You’re bright people 406 00:25:40,119 –> 00:25:40,680 You think about this 407 00:25:40,680 –> 00:25:44,099 And work it out 408 00:25:44,099 –> 00:25:45,640 If the criteria 409 00:25:45,640 –> 00:25:46,599 For what we do in worship 410 00:25:46,599 –> 00:25:47,920 becomes 411 00:25:47,920 –> 00:25:50,699 The people love it 412 00:25:50,699 –> 00:25:52,300 There are thousand things 413 00:25:52,300 –> 00:25:54,040 That we could do 414 00:25:54,060 –> 00:25:55,599 That contribute little or nothing 415 00:25:55,599 –> 00:25:57,439 To coming to God 416 00:25:58,560 –> 00:25:59,719 And the problem with that 417 00:25:59,719 –> 00:26:00,800 Is that down that road 418 00:26:00,800 –> 00:26:03,280 God is soon no longer central 419 00:26:03,280 –> 00:26:05,260 What will happen 420 00:26:05,260 –> 00:26:06,280 Is that in church world 421 00:26:06,280 –> 00:26:06,800 You will hear 422 00:26:06,800 –> 00:26:07,719 More and more about 423 00:26:07,719 –> 00:26:09,400 Us being a community of people 424 00:26:09,400 –> 00:26:12,540 Doing life together 425 00:26:12,540 –> 00:26:12,880 And if it’s 426 00:26:12,880 –> 00:26:14,400 About doing life together 427 00:26:14,400 –> 00:26:18,319 It’s essentially about us 428 00:26:18,319 –> 00:26:19,020 And God’s really there 429 00:26:19,020 –> 00:26:20,880 To help us in our doing of life 430 00:26:20,880 –> 00:26:22,239 He become the ultimate helper 431 00:26:22,239 –> 00:26:23,760 Who’s there for us 432 00:26:24,400 –> 00:26:25,500 And look who just 433 00:26:25,500 –> 00:26:26,959 Snuck into the center 434 00:26:26,959 –> 00:26:31,560 Of the picture 435 00:26:31,560 –> 00:26:33,680 We are inveterate lovers 436 00:26:33,680 –> 00:26:38,400 Of ourselves by nature 437 00:26:38,400 –> 00:26:39,520 With our greatest danger 438 00:26:39,520 –> 00:26:40,859 That we would drown 439 00:26:40,859 –> 00:26:43,160 In a pool of our own reflection 440 00:26:44,880 –> 00:26:47,199 That’s what we need saving from 441 00:26:49,160 –> 00:26:49,680 That’s by the way 442 00:26:49,680 –> 00:26:50,800 Why we not gonna begin 443 00:26:50,800 –> 00:26:52,280 Worship with some warm up 444 00:26:52,280 –> 00:26:53,040 Comments about 445 00:26:53,040 –> 00:26:54,319 What are the bears’ chances 446 00:26:54,319 –> 00:26:59,300 Or the cubs’ chances this year 447 00:26:59,300 –> 00:27:00,500 Because it’s nothing to do 448 00:27:00,500 –> 00:27:04,560 With coming to God 449 00:27:04,560 –> 00:27:05,500 And the aim of this 450 00:27:05,500 –> 00:27:06,839 One hour in the week 451 00:27:06,839 –> 00:27:07,859 That we share together 452 00:27:07,859 –> 00:27:09,020 Is not to bring God down 453 00:27:09,020 –> 00:27:10,400 Into our tiny little world 454 00:27:10,400 –> 00:27:12,000 But to lift us up 455 00:27:12,000 –> 00:27:16,040 Into his vast and glorious world 456 00:27:16,040 –> 00:27:17,280 The great privilege of worship 457 00:27:17,280 –> 00:27:18,300 Is that for one hour 458 00:27:18,300 –> 00:27:19,839 In the week together 459 00:27:19,839 –> 00:27:21,579 We set aside the clutter 460 00:27:22,359 –> 00:27:24,260 Of television, And of sports fixtures 461 00:27:24,260 –> 00:27:26,420 And of vacation plans 462 00:27:26,420 –> 00:27:29,420 And this whole focus of ourselves 463 00:27:29,420 –> 00:27:30,979 And we bring ourselves 464 00:27:30,979 –> 00:27:32,819 To focus wholly, Mind and heart 465 00:27:32,819 –> 00:27:34,300 And soul and conscious and will 466 00:27:34,300 –> 00:27:36,540 On him 467 00:27:36,540 –> 00:27:37,800 Here is an hour 468 00:27:37,800 –> 00:27:39,780 Where together we can break free 469 00:27:39,780 –> 00:27:41,040 From the tiny 470 00:27:41,040 –> 00:27:42,739 Stultifying boundaries 471 00:27:42,739 –> 00:27:44,540 Of our little worlds 472 00:27:44,540 –> 00:27:45,839 And with the help of the Holy Spirit 473 00:27:45,839 –> 00:27:47,900 And in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 474 00:27:47,900 –> 00:27:48,800 We can be caught up 475 00:27:48,800 –> 00:27:49,900 Into the vastness 476 00:27:49,900 –> 00:27:52,180 And the immensity of God 477 00:27:52,180 –> 00:27:54,140 And his purpose for time 478 00:27:54,140 –> 00:27:56,339 And for eternity 479 00:27:56,339 –> 00:28:00,140 That’s worship 480 00:28:00,140 –> 00:28:07,140 Now look at the God we worship 481 00:28:07,140 –> 00:28:11,800 Paul, under the inspiration 482 00:28:11,800 –> 00:28:13,260 Of the Holy Spirit 483 00:28:13,260 –> 00:28:15,619 almost seems to be running out of words 484 00:28:15,619 –> 00:28:17,680 to express his glory 485 00:28:18,599 –> 00:28:21,359 He asked three questions here 486 00:28:21,359 –> 00:28:22,680 look at verse 34 487 00:28:22,680 –> 00:28:28,199 Who has known the mind of the Lord? 488 00:28:28,199 –> 00:28:30,280 You see this God who we worship 489 00:28:30,280 –> 00:28:33,560 is inexhaustible 490 00:28:33,560 –> 00:28:36,500 inexhaustible 491 00:28:36,500 –> 00:28:40,199 We had some relatives in for a week over Christmas 492 00:28:40,199 –> 00:28:42,239 and during that week we watched a movie 493 00:28:42,239 –> 00:28:45,119 that the four of us in our immediate family 494 00:28:45,119 –> 00:28:46,280 had seen before 495 00:28:46,319 –> 00:28:47,880 or in fact more than once before 496 00:28:47,880 –> 00:28:49,339 they hadn’t seen it 497 00:28:49,339 –> 00:28:51,060 and so we thought that they would enjoy it 498 00:28:51,060 –> 00:28:52,319 so we got it out and watched it 499 00:28:52,319 –> 00:28:53,920 and so forth and so on 500 00:28:53,920 –> 00:28:55,540 and afterwards Karen said to me 501 00:28:55,540 –> 00:28:57,020 you know, she said 502 00:28:57,020 –> 00:29:01,060 I think we’ve seen thatmovie one time too many 503 00:29:01,060 –> 00:29:03,800 we know the lines 504 00:29:03,800 –> 00:29:05,959 we know the laughs 505 00:29:05,959 –> 00:29:09,380 and it’s boring now 506 00:29:09,380 –> 00:29:10,939 And it was 507 00:29:11,900 –> 00:29:17,660 You see we tire of finite things 508 00:29:17,660 –> 00:29:19,300 however pleasurable 509 00:29:19,300 –> 00:29:22,260 a book 510 00:29:22,260 –> 00:29:25,140 a movie 511 00:29:25,140 –> 00:29:27,800 music 512 00:29:27,800 –> 00:29:30,520 snowboarding 513 00:29:30,520 –> 00:29:33,780 whatever’s your thing 514 00:29:33,780 –> 00:29:36,819 You may tire of other people 515 00:29:36,819 –> 00:29:40,119 you may tire of yourself 516 00:29:41,020 –> 00:29:47,380 But you will never never never tire of God 517 00:29:47,380 –> 00:29:50,339 He is inexhaustible 518 00:29:50,339 –> 00:29:58,420 You will spend eternity getting to know him and you will never be bored 519 00:29:58,420 –> 00:30:01,939 He is inexhaustible 520 00:30:01,939 –> 00:30:06,439 Oh the depth of the wisdom of the knowledge of God how unsearchable 521 00:30:06,439 –> 00:30:10,939 his judgments, his paths beyond tracing out who has known the mind of the Lord 522 00:30:10,939 –> 00:30:15,579 and the privilege of worship is that even in this world we should be able to 523 00:30:15,579 –> 00:30:22,660 soak our minds in his wisdom, bathe our souls in his love, expand our hearts in 524 00:30:22,660 –> 00:30:24,040 the knowledge of his beauty. 525 00:30:24,040 –> 00:30:30,380 Worship involves a filling of the senses of the soul with the glory of God 526 00:30:30,680 –> 00:30:35,619 Listen to these words of CH Spurgeon who puts it so much better than I ever could 527 00:30:35,619 –> 00:30:41,739 There is he says something exceedingly improving to the mind in contemplating 528 00:30:41,739 –> 00:30:47,359 God. There’s a subject so vast that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity 529 00:30:47,359 –> 00:30:54,420 so deep that our pride is drowned in its infinity. He who thinks often of God will 530 00:30:54,420 –> 00:30:58,540 have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe 531 00:30:58,699 –> 00:31:04,260 Nothing will so enlarge the intellect. Nothing so magnify the whole soul of a 532 00:31:04,260 –> 00:31:08,819 man or woman as a devout earnest continued investigation of this great 533 00:31:08,819 –> 00:31:11,640 subject of God 534 00:31:11,640 –> 00:31:14,640 And not only does it expand the mind it comforts the heart 535 00:31:14,640 –> 00:31:22,660 would you lose your sorrows? Would you drown your cares? Then go plunge yourself 536 00:31:22,819 –> 00:31:29,640 into the godhead’s deepest sea, be lost in his immensity, and you will come forth 537 00:31:29,640 –> 00:31:42,119 refreshed and invigorated. That is worship. Thank god heaven will not be 538 00:31:42,119 –> 00:31:50,319 some kind of hall of mirrors. You will not spend eternity in the dullness of 539 00:31:50,319 –> 00:31:59,020 contemplating yourself. We will find fullness of joy in him. 540 00:31:59,020 –> 00:32:04,880 Not only is this god inexhaustible, he is self-sufficient. Do you see the question 541 00:32:04,880 –> 00:32:11,599 there in verse 34? Who has ever been his counselor? We 542 00:32:11,599 –> 00:32:17,099 go to a counselor when we need wisdom. We go to a counselor when we don’t know 543 00:32:17,099 –> 00:32:21,859 what to do. Go to a counselor when you feel you can’t cope when you’re out of 544 00:32:21,859 –> 00:32:30,459 your depth. God never needs a counselor. He doesn’t need anything, he doesn’t need 545 00:32:30,459 –> 00:32:34,640 any body. This is part of his glory. 546 00:32:34,719 –> 00:32:43,619 We’re not here because God’s somehow dependent on what we’re gonna do. I was 547 00:32:43,680 –> 00:32:48,780 reminded this week in my mind of that old song of Simon and Garfunkel, remember 548 00:32:48,780 –> 00:32:54,660 that one, trying to keep the customer satisfied? That’s how a lot of people 549 00:32:54,660 –> 00:32:57,439 think of religion, you know, I’m trying to get through life trying to keep the 550 00:32:57,439 –> 00:33:00,520 customer satisfied, then there’s God, I’ve got to keep him satisfied, better go 551 00:33:00,520 –> 00:33:09,380 to church on Sunday keep him happy. No, God does not need anything that we can 552 00:33:09,380 –> 00:33:21,439 give Him. But He invites us. Imagine this, the God who needs nothing from you 553 00:33:21,560 –> 00:33:30,079 invites you to come and share fellowship with Him. He says, come and sing, come 554 00:33:30,079 –> 00:33:40,459 and pray, come and share a meal with me. That’s why worship is not a duty but a 555 00:33:40,459 –> 00:33:48,859 delight. And then this God is under no obligation. 556 00:33:48,859 –> 00:33:56,040 Who has ever given to God that God should repay him, Paul says. What could 557 00:33:56,239 –> 00:34:01,420 you or I ever give to God that would put him in debt to us? What do you have that 558 00:34:01,420 –> 00:34:09,060 you were not given? God is under no obligation to you or to me whatsoever 559 00:34:09,060 –> 00:34:14,580 but you see the glory of that, the fact that God is under no obligation to us 560 00:34:14,580 –> 00:34:23,320 has no need of us, means that what God does He chooses to do freely, willingly, 561 00:34:23,360 –> 00:34:30,320 joyfully. And that is the heart of the gospel. You see, grace is not earned nor 562 00:34:30,320 –> 00:34:38,100 is it owed, it is freely given. God was under no obligation whatsoever to send 563 00:34:38,100 –> 00:34:42,899 his son into the world for you, so why did he do it? Why did he send his son 564 00:34:42,899 –> 00:34:53,179 into the world for you? Because he wanted to. He wanted to. He chose to. Our God is 565 00:34:53,219 –> 00:35:02,379 in heaven. He does whatever he pleases. And what he pleases is to freely reach 566 00:35:02,379 –> 00:35:08,479 out to you in love and mercy in Jesus Christ, and to invite you to come with 567 00:35:08,479 –> 00:35:16,979 him and to walk with him and one day to share eternity with him. Do you know this 568 00:35:17,060 –> 00:35:27,939 God? If you come freely to love him and embrace him, why would you want to run 569 00:35:27,939 –> 00:35:43,500 from a God like this? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To 570 00:35:43,500 –> 00:35:49,360 him be the glory forever. Amen.