4:44
Speaker 3You. That we can actually ask that. That we can actually ask it and expect it. That we can expect it. We have so much in front of us that God just wants to open our eyes to see.
5:00
So much within, so much around us. It's just, Father, thank you that we can ask expecting that you want us to ask, Father. Thank you. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father.
5:17
Thank you, Father.
5:38
Speaker 2Where things on scene become reality and things unknown are source of strength for theirs there's nothing higher than this and to become a child of God There's nothing higher than this to become a child of God
10:30
Speaker 1Thank you. How did you know Amy wrote that last song? Wow. Isn't that beautiful? Woo hoo.
10:39
We are very blessed here, aren't we? Well, for those of you who are not familiar with Ephesians, how did you find chapter two? I kept saying, Lord, I wanna go back and teach chapter one again. I mean, we're chosen, we're loved, we're appointed, we have this amazing inheritance. And then you get to chapter two, and you're like, alrighty then.
11:04
Last week in our small group, we had this great discussion about what being a saint means. And we were all saying, it's so weird that Paul keeps referring to us as saints because we don't feel like a saint. You know, this side of heaven, we still struggle with sin, which doesn't make us feel very saintly. So and it was funny because Nancy said, well, where does that term saints alive come from? And from all my research, the deepest thing I could find was it just means holy moly.
11:37
So I don't know where that term comes from, but I did do some research on the word saint because that's how God sees us. That's what Paul refers to us as. And as Warren Wiersbe says, it just means we've been set apart. It means that we have chosen to receive the amazing gift of salvation that we're gonna trust Jesus, we're gonna follow him, and now we're out of the world, and we're in the kingdom of God. But what was interesting to me, 67 times, the word is used in scripture, and it's always plural.
12:20
So we've kinda hijacked the word and changed the meaning. Never in scripture does it say, you know, Saint Teresa, implying that she's more virtuous than everyone else. Nope. It always means saints as followers of Christ. In fact, there was a time in acts where Paul and Barnabas had healed someone, and everybody's like, oh my gosh.
12:48
Oh, we saw this happen. This guy is healed. They must be gods. So they start bringing them sacrifices, and they're like, we're just gonna worship you. And Paul's like, stop.
13:00
This is what he says. He says, friends, why are you doing this? I'm just a human being like you. We have come to bring you the good news that you should turn from worthless things and turn to the living God, the God who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in it. I mean, Paul, who had the gift of healing, was like, don't elevate me.
13:22
I'm just like you. I deal with the same sin you deal with. What did Paul say? Why do I do the things I don't wanna do? Why do I struggle with doing things I know don't honor the Lord?
13:33
Well, because he was still human. So I just thought that was so interesting that really when Paul calls us saints, he's saying, you're set apart. God has a job for you. Just like God had a job for Paul. And what was that job?
13:51
Remember what Jesus said to Paul on the road to Damascus? He said, I'm sending you to open the eyes of their heart to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of saint to the power of God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and be sanctified among those who have faith in me. Is that what Paul is saying to every single one of us? You have a job every day. God's gonna give us opportunities every day, little touch points.
14:25
We don't have to stop and say to someone, do you know Jesus? Let me lead you to in prayer to know him. But we are called to be salt and light every single day, and it starts in the hardest place in our family. Is that not the hardest place of all? Because then we take off our public face, and we're just real.
14:48
Whoo. Alright. So let's jump into Ephesians two, and I typically read the New Living Translation because I just love it. So if it's not completely tracking with you, it's because it's the New Living Translation. Paul said, once you were dead because of your disobedience and your sins.
15:08
You used to live in sin just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil, the commander of the powers of the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God's anger just like everyone else. Wow.
15:39
Okay. What does Paul mean when he says that we used to be dead? I love how Warren Wiersbe says, a dead person can't hear. A dead person can't see. A dead person can't respond.
15:52
So Paul's saying you were spiritually dead to God's ways. Have you ever tried to share your faith with a nonbeliever, and they look at you like, that's just crazy talk. Like, what are you what are you smoking today? I mean, I've had that experience so many times. I even remember thinking that my dad was a little crazy that he believed some of that stuff because I didn't have the spirit of God.
16:22
I couldn't respond to those truths. They're so out there for my human pea brain to understand. Only with his spirit can I grasp that? The great Scottish commentator John Eddy said, in this passage, it is a case of dead man walking, that we're all just spiritual zombies. We can't respond to the higher ways of God.
16:50
And what was really shocking when you read it because trust me, you're not gonna get this anywhere else. You're not gonna get this on CNN or Fox News tonight or in any Hollywood movie because Paul goes on to say, if you can't respond to God, guess who you're responding to? Woah. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. Who is he?
17:18
Satan. Yeah. There is a great conflict going on all around us. We're gonna talk about that today, but we're really gonna unpack it in chapter six Because we don't see it, we don't touch it, we don't feel it, so we just ignore it. We don't even think about it, but it continues to rage.
17:39
If you don't believe me, just watch the news. I mean, where does some of this stuff come from? Not from God. That's for sure. You know, in California and in Jackson Hole, two beautiful areas, people will often say to me, oh, it's just great that, you know, you have your faith and you worship Jesus.
18:02
I'm very spiritual too. And I'm like, oh, really? Like, what does that mean to you that you're very spiritual? And so often, I just had a conversation with someone that said, you know because I was like, you should come to our church. It's so much fun.
18:17
You would have a great time. You come to our Bible study and meet these great ladies. And she's like, I've got my church, Deborah. It's on the top of the Tetons. And, you know, I I just am a very spiritual person in touch with the universe.
18:33
And I'd like to just read a short devotional devotional from my book, Nourishments, because this comes up so often with me. It says, spirit can only be known by spirit, God's spirit and your spirit in open communion. As a follower of Christ, you have Jesus's very own spirit dwelling within you. Without him living in your heart, you cannot receive spiritual truths and understand his teachings. Truths come from God and lies come from the enemy.
19:09
The Holy Spirit helps you receive these divine revelations and gives you the desire to even know them. Some may say they are spiritual, but whose spirit is dwelling in them? Does it belong to Jesus, the prince of peace, or the prince of this world? There's really only two powerful spirits at work. One is dark and one is light.
19:40
John MacArthur says, but thank God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us a new spirit and a new life, and that kingdom of God begins with us the moment we receive him as our savior. Now our capital is in heaven. Right? And we don't really fully realize it until we get there, but we get a lot of glimpses of it now when we follow him now. And I would just like to say, you know, that passage, it sounds so harsh that people are dead.
20:16
It just means spiritually dead. It doesn't mean that nonbelievers can't be pretty decent good people. They can be good citizens. They can be good parents. They can be a good friend.
20:28
Even Jesus said in Matthew 11 in Matthew seven nine through 11, he said, you parents, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more if you turn to your heavenly father will you receive good gifts from him? Jesus is not saying that everyone is very bad. We all have good and bad in us. We don't all go to the totally bad Hitler side. You know, most people don't.
20:58
Even Paul said in Romans two fourteen through 15, he said, we all are born with a conscience and that God's law is written in our hearts. Across this world, people know it's wrong to murder. They know it's wrong to take something from you if that's yours. In fact, we have a term for people who don't know that. What is it called?
21:23
What do we call them? Yes. We call them sociopaths or psychopaths. Something's terribly wrong because they don't know right from wrong. So Paul isn't saying that people are evil.
21:36
He's just saying they're spiritually dead. You can't expect them to respond to God's ways because they don't have God's spirit in them. So we know from this passage through whatever your translation says, the ruler of the world, the prince of the power of air, or the commander of the unseen powers of the unseen world. Who is that? That is Satan and his helpers.
22:02
Paul wrote in second Timothy two twenty five, may God grant all of us who don't know the Lord to repent and be saved from the snare of Satan and his will. You know, the thing about Satan's ways is that they're so fun for a while and attractive and easy and popular. So it's it's like a magnet that just draws us there. Even as believers, we have to be careful. Warren Wiersbe said, Satan's biggest desire for us is to obey God because he was and is disobedient every day.
22:44
And he loves it when we disobey God. That's his greatest joy. And I don't you know, Satan is not omnipresent like God. God can be everywhere at all times. Satan can only be one place at one time like you and me, but he has a lot of helpers.
23:01
Remember, in the great conflict, he took one third of the angels with him. And so they are everywhere. That's what it means, the prince of air. They're everywhere in the air, and they can't get inside of us. But I totally, totally believe from scripture that they can whisper things in the spiritual realm and plant a thought in our head.
23:24
Have you ever just had this awful random thought? And you're like, woah, where did that come from? Well, I think they can get it in there, but we have a power at work within us that is so much greater. And we can say, devil march. I am a daughter of the king.
23:42
So leave me alone. What what does the world mean? I wanna spend a little time with this because I don't think that, you know, we often can just go through our day and not even think about this, but it's super important, guys. You know, the world, according to John MacArthur here, doesn't mean God's beautiful nature or us human beings. We're made in God's image.
24:10
The world is the system, the thinking, the philosophy that man has come up with. And John MacArthur said, don't make any mistake. It's not a world of chaos. It's actually a world of order, a world of social order, educational order, economic order, and then that all in turn affects the laws of the land, and it affects you and me. John MacArthur said, and this is just oh my gosh.
24:44
Do you see this happening today? He said, the worse the world system becomes, the more the world will try to justify it and condemn those who speak the word of God against it. Oh, my gracious. Anybody watch the news around here? I mean, we we see that happening in America right now because America, just this unbelievably great country rooted in the principle of God's word.
25:16
But we're at a crossroads where we're kinda, do we wanna stay with that? Are we evolving past God? Does God evolve? God is immutable. He never changes.
25:29
God's truth during the days of Noah are God's truth today. And we don't change. Technology changes, fashion changes, but people don't change. The wisest man ever lived, king Solomon said, there's nothing new under the sun. You think there's something new?
25:49
Mm-mm. There's nothing new. I wanna unpack what John MacArthur said. He said, okay. Socially, the world.
26:00
What does that mean? I was thinking about that. I'm like, what does that mean? And I thought, oh my gosh. It's exactly what scripture says.
26:08
I mean, socially, the world will call good evil and evil good. Socially, the world says, you should do whatever the heck you want. Why shouldn't you do what you want? Just take the example of sex. Just that one example.
26:28
Our kids today I have a 22 year old and a 24 year old. Okay. They're like, mom, if we talk about, you know, not wanting to have sex, people think we're freaks. That is the world our young people live in, and Hollywood supports that. Did anyone see the 40 year old virgin?
26:48
I mean, they it made so much fun of virgins. And why I used to use this example in California because we have a lot of traffic, so it resonated. And I would say, you know, when God says don't do something, it's like a red light. It's to protect me from oncoming collision. And when he says, go do it, it's a green light.
27:10
The coast is clear. Go. Go forgive. Go love people. Go go in my name and share me.
27:17
He doesn't give us green lights and red lights to hurt us. He gives us green lights and red lights to protect us. How does it work out when we do whatever we want? How is it working out for America? I mean, just in the in the context of sex alone, this will blow you away.
27:36
I looked up on the CDC site, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. They said that today, in America, there are one hundred and ten million sexually transmitted diseases. Okay, guys, we just have over three hundred million people. So what does that mean? How is that working out?
28:01
And you know what the saddest thing was? One in four think about all the teenagers you know. One in four have a sexually transmitted disease. Many of them, they'll have the rest of their life. What was most disturbing on the site is that they said, we can't keep up with the new diseases coming our way, and they're mutating.
28:25
There are so many, they're not responding to our traditional form of medicine. So, yeah, the world says do what you want, but the Bible says sin is really fun for a while, but its end is destruction. God wants to protect us the world's way or God's way. What about in our education system? My mother-in-law, a nonbeliever, taught first and second grade for years.
28:54
And you know what she told me? She said, we used to come in. Okay. This is like, what, one generation ago? The kids would come in.
29:02
We would say the pledge of allegiance. We would all pray together, and we would start our day. She said when they took prayer out of school, I could see a shift, and she's not a believer. I could see a shift in the attitude of my students. I think that's fascinating that she would share that with me.
29:25
What about how we used to teach our kids reading, writing, and arithmetic? That was the focus. And now, many of our schools today have become indoctrination centers. You know, what what just happened? Do you all did you all hear what just happened at Duke University?
29:43
Can you show that picture, Amy? Beautiful Duke University was founded by Methodist pastors like many of our colleges. In fact, all of our Ivy League schools were founded as Christian schools. Most of our colleges were too, and they've gotten away from that. So Duke University, from this beautiful church steeple, declared, we are going to do we're going to play from the steeple, the Muslim call to prayer, proclaiming as we play it that Allah there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and Allah Akbar.
30:27
Okay. Set apart Franklin Graham immediately contacted them and said, oh, if you're going to say Allah Akbar and there is no god but Allah, I assume that you will also give Christians the same dignity and that you will be saying, John fourteen six, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one goes to the father except through him. Praise God. He used his voice because Duke said, woah, within twenty four hours, I think it was. They said, maybe we won't do the Muslim call to prayer.
31:05
But there is a war happening, and we have been set apart to use our voice. Franklin Graham uses his voice. And I know what some of you are thinking. Oh my gosh. I can barely get dinner on the table at night.
31:20
How am I supposed to have an effect on something like that? You know what? Ask God. I asked God about Franklin. He told me he'd like him on Facebook and share his quotes.
31:30
That's how we can help. Ask the Lord. We have an amazing center in town called Turning Point. Support it financially or any way that you can. We have many opportunities as Americans.
31:47
Financial support, prayer support, Facebook support. Ask the Lord to show you. You don't have to be in the front lines like Franklin, but you can support these people who are. Now economically, my husband's like, you are really not gonna talk economics, are you? Because I am the worst person with math and numbers and economics.
32:09
And I said, the Lord just keeps taking me back to this. I have to share it. We have to know these things. You're gonna start hearing a term called social justice all the time. It's not going away.
32:23
It's just gonna get louder and louder and louder. From Elmer Towns, he wrote an excellent article on, it's called, in Bible answers for almost all your questions. He says that social justice is a concept that some use to describe the movement toward a socially just world. Now who wouldn't want that? That sounds like a very positive thing, doesn't it?
32:52
But the reality is, he goes on to say, is that it almost always means economic equality in the form of progressive taxation, income redistribution, and even property redistribution. This is where our world is going. So this is a thing I don't understand about it. Every single country that socialism or communism has been tried, it has failed. It hasn't offered economic equality.
33:31
You know what happens? The ruling political class becomes very rich, and then everybody else is the poor working class. My daughter just returned from communist China, and, ugh, she gave me a download that I was just like, wow, like, two hours. She was this was her first time in a communist country. And I I just envisioned everyone looking the same, and she goes, oh, no, mom.
34:02
It was really shocking to me. The upper class women wore dresses and heels every day in the cities. They were gorgeous. But then you have a sea, millions of people who have nothing, and they all kinda look the same. And she said, you know what was really shocking to me?
34:24
They took us to their great university in Beijing. And, you know, even to get to university is quite a special privilege. But she said once you're there she just could not get her brain around this. They only have four majors, four choices. And she thought two of them she wasn't sure, but she said, I think two of them were math related.
34:48
She goes to mom, what would happen to me if I was Chinese? She's like, I just can't even picture this because my whole life, I have believed that God has given me dreams and talents, and I should pursue those dreams and talents. It would be so depressing if I couldn't do what I was meant to do. So that's why social justice sounds so good, but really, it's evil because it takes away a person's creativity and their imagination and their incentive to pursue those dreams. If you're not rewarded for it, why are you gonna work so hard?
35:30
It's not okay. Well, all those things eventually affect the laws of the land. Abraham Lincoln said, what is taught in the classroom in one generation will be public policy and law in the next generation. And that, of course, makes sense because the kids grow up and then they go in and make the laws. Doesn't that make sense?
35:57
And how how is it that, you know, as a country, as we turn more from the Lord, how are our laws being affected? Did you hear about the fire chief in Atlanta that was just ousted? He did nothing wrong. He was a Christian who wrote a Christian book. He didn't try to sell it to the firemen.
36:22
He didn't talk about it on the job. The mayor read the book and said, you're out of here. How do you do you take away someone's livelihood in all those years that he was a fire chief because you disagree with him? Well, because he stated his Christian views very clearly. His name is fire chief Cochran, and he said, I will not be apologetic for writing my book in an interview.
36:55
Everything I wrote in that book is based on scripture, not my opinions. He said, I simply spoke to sex being created by God for procreation, and I intend and God intended it to be between a man and a woman in holy matrimony, and that God says any sex outside of that is called sin. Wow. There is a cost for being set apart. There is a cost for saying, I will speak the truth.
37:28
I will use my voice. And he paid a high price for it. We should pray for him that there will be justice for him in the end. But we're seeing bakers and florists and photographers being dragged into court, being fined, losing their business, not because they're being ugly or rude, but because they're saying, you know what? I I wanna support traditional marriage because that's God's boundary.
38:00
I I don't wanna discriminate against you. The florist that I read about had a great relationship with a gay guy. She sold him flowers every week, and they were friends. And then he came in and said, you're gonna do my wedding. And she said, you know, you should use someone else just because when it comes to a wedding, I think it should be between a man and a woman.
38:22
She might lose her business now because the judges are ruling against her. So we are set apart to use our voice for the Lord. Paul goes on in Ephesians to say, even though in this world, Paul did crazy things and we do crazy things, I love what he says next. He says, God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that we have been saved.
39:05
For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. You know the difference between mercy and grace? And I love this because Paul, right now, he's focusing on mercy. No doubt Paul's thinking, man, I regret what I used to do. Paul used to persecute persecute those who follow Christ.
39:34
Paul used to persecute the saints and was even responsible for some deaths. And he goes, but God, you're so merciful to me. Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve. Aren't those beautiful terms?
39:58
But it's interesting that Paul says that we are seated with him in the heavenly realms. And I don't know. That jumped out at me because I thought, why didn't Paul just say you're seated with him in heaven? And according to Randy a Alcorn, if you guys wanna read a great book about heaven, read Heaven by Randy Alcorn. It's a beautiful book.
40:24
But Randy Alcorn says heaven is where God's throne is, and Jesus sits at the right hand doing what? Interceding for us. Praise God. We're not in this fight alone, not by any means. But Randy Alcorn says, Paul is talking about something more than that.
40:44
He's taught he wants us to understand that in the heavenly realms, there is a spiritual world, and there's a dark side to that world, and it's always in conflict with God's sight. Now Satan is no counterpart to God. God has no challenger. He is the ruler of the universe. But for now, for a very short period, he has allowed Satan to have power in this world.
41:16
It was so interesting when I was reading about the last supper, and Jesus is telling Peter that he's gonna deny him. And Peter's like, no way. And in Luke twenty two thirty one, Jesus said, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. Why would God ever say yes to that? Well, there's only one reason.
41:47
Because there is a greater good that can be done. And yes, Peter was sifted like wheat, but he came out the other side. Not only would he never deny his God again, but he said in the very end of his life, which I cannot imagine, They're gonna crucify him because he won't deny Christ. And he said, I knew him. I know him now.
42:16
I am not worthy to even die like that. Just flip me upside down. Can you imagine? So, yeah, I think the Lord does allow us to be tested, to reveal to us where we need to grow, to reveal to us how much we need him. You know, my precious nephew has been diagnosed with cancer, and this has hit our family.
42:43
He's 18, first year at college, had to come home for chemo, and it's just hit our family so hard. But our family is constantly praying with one another now, texting when we've upped that spiritual game that we kinda take for granted as Christians. You know, I don't call my brother and pray with him, and I am now. And I'm calling my nephew. And I think God uses those really hard places, not because he gets any joy in that, but always to grow us closer to him and then to show us that he never ever leaves us or forsakes us.
43:29
Emmanuel, God is with us. Paul finishes in Paul two seven through eight. So God can point us so God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth his grace and kindness toward us is, as shown in all that he has done for us and united us with Christ. God saved you by his grace when you believed, and you can't take credit for it. It is a gift from God.
44:05
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast. I thought it was interesting, I think, the first chapter it said, why would God say that he chose us even before he created the earth and even before he created us? And, of course, the answer is because he wanted to really make it clear to us it was nothing we did. I mean, he chose us before we could even do anything, and he wants us to know that it is a gift of grace. Warren Wiersbe says that 12 times in Ephesians, the word grace is used.
44:47
And I love how Warren Wiersbe says, it is grace that supplies the wealth, but it is faith that lays hold of the wealth. I have to take that step of trust and faith and say, I receive it. I receive that. I receive that grace. I receive that mercy.
45:12
Paul wrote in Ephesians three, seven and eight, by God's great grace and mercy and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this good news. Though I understand I am the least deserving of all of God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ Jesus. Paul's like, if you think you're unworthy, you probably didn't kill Christians like I did. God's grace is for everyone. And you know what I love about God's grace?
45:53
God's grace is greater than any sin we could ever commit. That's an amazing God that we worship. Paul finishes in verse 10, for we are God's masterpiece. He has created created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. I love this passage.
46:18
We start with death, but we end on a very positive note. We are God's masterpiece. Rick Warren says, the reason you and I have value is because of what God says about us, not what people say. And sometimes we have to clean up that tape in our mind that we've heard from our family or from friends or from a boss that say things about us. God wants us to clean that up and fill it with what God says about us, that we are treasured and loved, all those things in chapter one.
46:58
This was a powerful statement that Rick Warren made. He said many people do lack self esteem. They don't feel good about themselves, and they're always trying to make themselves look better, either by clothes, by athleticism, by intelligence, whatever your thing is. And he said the reason we try to make ourselves feel better through those things is because we really don't accept who we are. And that, ladies, he says, is rebellion against God.
47:31
It's saying to God, I'm not a treasure like he says I am. I'm not valued. I'm not a daughter of the king. You and I are royalty. We're not worthless.
47:44
We have important jobs here. We have to receive that truth, though. Anytime you hear those lies, say devil march. I know who I am in Christ. Rick Warren goes on to say real self real self esteem comes from three facts.
48:04
God created you. Read Psalm one thirty nine. I used to read that to my kids all the time. I would say, I want you to know where you came from, that God himself knit you together. Gracious, that's amazing that Jesus died for you.
48:25
I mean, when he was on that cross, he had your name and my name on his lips. Is that does that blow your mind? Like, what? But he loved you that much that he would go through that because he wants a relationship. And now we can have self esteem knowing that I have his spirit in me forever and ever.
48:52
It is sealed. It's there. I am never alone. I am never I never need to just not be anchored and just float through life aimlessly, bumping into every log. I am anchored into God Almighty.
49:10
That's pretty incredible. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us. You know the greatest self esteem you could ever have is that sweet spot when you're in God's will. And it is not dependent on your circumstances. It's dependent on am I seeking him?
49:38
Am I connecting with him? Am I talking to him? Am I doing what he wants me to do today? Or am I doing what Deborah wants to do today? You wanna build your self esteem, start talking to him, open his word and say, what do you what do you wanna tell me today?
49:58
What can I do for you today, Lord? There is no greater self esteem builder. You guys wanna come on up? So I just wanna close with Acts twenty six eighteen. God sent Paul.
50:18
God is sending you and me to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of saint to God so that we may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in God. There's no greater calling on this earth. Lord, thank you for your amazing word. Those were some hard truths today, Lord, but it but we know they are truth. If we just open our eyes, we can see the warfare around us.
50:57
We can see the warfare for America, for us as individuals. But we thank you so much that we have you as our great advocate, that you are always there when we call on your name, when we invite you into our circumstances, then good starts to happen. Thank you for letting us even call you Abba Father. Jesus, Lord, thank you for the spirit that you put in us, that powerful Holy Spirit that comforts us, yet convicts us, that encourages us yet challenges us. Thank you, Lord, for this day.
51:40
In Jesus' name. Amen.
51:44
Speaker 3Don't you love the words but God? In verse four where she's the first three verses it tells what we have all been and may still there may be some that are still in that place but then but God and we just want to sing about the but God part right now.
57:12
Speaker 1Father, thank you.
57:14
Speaker 3Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for hope.
57:18
Mhmm. Thank you. Our hope is never disappointed in you. Never. Never.
57:26
Father, I pray that we carry it so brightly and so rooted. We're just so rooted in your love that that hope is just this beacon. Father, that we can stir up within ourselves when we need it, and we can pour it out upon each other when we see people that need it. Lord, thank you. Thank you for your love.
57:49
Thank you for this confidence we have in you. Praise you, father. Praise you. Father, as we go into our small groups now, Lord, father, thank you for these relationships. Father, thank you for each individual here.
58:07
They're beautiful ladies. Thank you for what you have to share through each one, Lord, and for those that are leading and and bringing it all the pieces together, Lord. We just pray your blessing on them in Jesus' holy name. Amen. Amen.
58:26
You are dismissed to go to your groups. If you don't have one, grab onto somebody and join theirs, and just we'll just have have it together this week.