June 24 Sermon

The recorder quit recording on Sunday, so here is the text from my sermon covering Acts 9:32 - 10:48.

We are going to jump right in and get going this morning as we are going to finish the remaining 12 verses of chapter 9 and cover all 48 verses of chapter 10. So I’m going to pray and then we’ll go.

Prayer

We pick up this week in chapter 9, verse 32.

The Healing of Aeneas (Chapter 9)

³² As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,” and immediately he got up. ³⁵ So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

An observation I think we need to make is what incredible power is held in a transformed life. What awesome testimony and witness it is for someone to see another person completely changed, completely different. Aeneas was stone cold dead and God brought him back to life, and when people saw Aeneas’ transformed life they couldn’t help but to give praises to God and turn and follow Him. Geoff has said this many times, that no one can argue with a transformed life, and that’s what we’re about here at New Heights. We aren’t looking to be known as the church in town with the best worship or the friendliest people or the best children’s ministry, we are looking to be known as a place and a group where God changes lives, because when God changes a life and others witness it, more and more people are drawn to Him.

So Jesus, through Peter, heals Aeneas, and Peter is quickly called to another town.

Dorcas Restored to Life (Chapter 9)

³⁶ In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas.

Dorcas of course is in a heated battle with Gomer for the most unfortunate Bible names.

She was always doing good works and acts of charity.

Wouldn’t that be a nice descriptor to have behind our name? Tabitha is given a one liner and it is that she was always doing good works and acts of charity, what would your tag line be? What would my one liner be? I would hope that it would have something to do with my spiritual leadership of my family and others and the incredible legacy that I would be leaving but I’m a little nervous that if I wasn’t around to write something positive and catchy that it might not sound so good, I’m a little hesitant because I’m not sure the whole truth would be that flattering. Ryan Hill, the one who liked to sit on the couch and watch golf. Ryan Hill, one who displayed selflessness up to a point. Ryan Hill, one who followed Jesus with 60-70% of his life. I’m thankful I’m not dead yet and have the opportunity to affect what my legacy looks like, because it needs to be different. Tabitha’s legacy was that she was always doing good works and acts of charity, and her legacy was further affirmed by what Peter encountered when he got to the house.  

³⁷ In those days she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who begged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.” ³⁹ So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

All the widows were there and were weeping because the one who had cared for them and helped them had died. I hate to get so morbid on us this early in the morning but again, think with me for a minute, what does your funeral look like? What will your visitation look like? Beyond your family and your close friends, who are hopefully mourning your loss and not celebrating that you’re finally gone, who else is going to be there, and what will they have to say about you? I don’t want a church full of people saying Ryan Hill was a good man, what does that even mean? Was I good to my family, was I good to the people around me, was I good at playing basketball or telling jokes, I mean what does that even mean? I want people there like those widows in Acts chapter 9, I want there to be a church full of people saying look at what Ryan did for me, how he helped me when I was down in the dumps, how he helped explain what this scripture meant and how it applied to my life. That guy, his life had an impact on me that will last for an eternity, that’s what I long for. Again, I’m not there yet. That church might be full of people but my legacy, and I have a feeling most all of you are in the same place as I am this morning, that legacy is not ready to be left yet. We can change that. As long as we’re still breathing we can affect what kind of legacy we leave. So all these people are gathering around Peter, they are mourning, and we pick up the text again:

⁴⁰ Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her alive. ⁴² This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And Peter stayed on many days in Joppa with Simon, a leather tanner.

Once again, a changed life in Tabitha results in many more believers in Joppa. Jesus uses Peter in these two towns in these two situations to do great things, and many more believers are added to the number, but I can almost hear your thoughts of skepticism as we talk about the many people believing in Jesus after witnessing these two people raised from the dead. I mean come on, if someone lay dead here in Indianola and Geoff or Kevin went to the house, prayed for them, and Jesus raised them from the dead, people would be coming to the Theater in flocks on Sunday mornings. If Jesus would just perform some of those same miracles He did 2,000 years ago it would be so much easier to get people to believe in Him, isn’t that true? If Jesus would just take dead people and bring them back to life then so many more people would choose to follow Him, would you agree with me? I hope you do agree with me but I also hope you understand that He’s been doing that for 2,000 years and He’ll do it for 2,000 more if He doesn’t come back before then. You and I and millions of others, running down that wide road towards the gates of hell and Jesus snatched us up and changed our lives, He raised us from death to life, He does it every day. The testimony of a transformed life cannot be argued against, and if you are in here this morning and you claim to be a follower of Christ, a disciple of our Savior and your life has not been transformed by Him, then I’m going to argue that maybe you’re not really His disciple. And I know that might sound bold and harsh and a little bit personal this morning but the message of the gospel is very personal and very pointed, and it expects and demands and requires transformation. Jesus didn’t set foot on this Earth and endure the pain and the suffering of the cross so that we could give ourselves the title of Christian without letting Him change anything. He didn’t receive those lashings and have those nails driven into his hands and feet for us to be able to flippantly call ourselves Christ-followers. No way, He desires and demands and delights in our lives and our hearts and our souls containing less of us and more of Him – transformation.

And as we’re being transformed, once Jesus has brought us from death to life, we need to share that and spread that and shout that to everyone that we can. It’s not that Jesus isn’t healing people and raising people from the dead like He did 2,000 years ago, the reality is He’s never stopped, we’ve just quit sharing the news. Aeneas and Tabitha’s lives were transformed, and when people witnessed it they came running to Jesus. Oh church that we would allow the world to see our transformed lives and rejoice as they come running to Jesus as well.

These theme of transformation carries right into chapter 10.

Let’s move onto chapter 10

Acts 10
Cornelius’s Vision

1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment.

Cornelius was a Roman and was essentially a captain or a commander of a group of soldiers, but he was not Jewish and was not a Christian, which is important to understand.

² He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God.

While Cornelius was not a Jew and not a Christian, he believed in and even feared God. He did good deeds and he prayed to God, does that sound familiar to anyone? How many people do we know that believe there’s a God and might even pray and do good works just like Cornelius did? That sounds good enough, there were probably many people in this day that would have said that Cornelius was on his way to Heaven because of his belief and his actions, but that just isn’t the case. In verse 14 in the very next chapter, Peter is retelling the story and he is telling the disciples what Cornelius had reported to him, which was that someone was “coming to deliver a message that you and all your household will be saved by.” Belief in God, doing good works, even praying, was not enough for Cornelius and it’s not enough for you or me. It never has been and it never will be. Last week Kevin talked about the lies that Satan uses to keep us off track from our walk with Christ, and right here is another one of his favorites. Just do more good than bad and you’ll be fine. You don’t have to be the best Christian just better than the guy next to you. Just believe in God, that’s all it takes and you’ll be fine. Lies straight from the mouth of Satan that we are far too quick to believe. Cornelius was going about his good life and his daily ritual of praying, and God decided not to leave him where He was, God decided to give him a vision and show him more of the story.

³ About three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴ Looking intently at him, he became afraid and said, “What is it, lord?”

The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have come up as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. ⁶ He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household slaves and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him. ⁸ After explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Immediate obedience. Again, I can’t stress this enough this morning that Cornelius is not a Christ follower, he is not a disciple of Jesus or a follower or believer in the God of the Jews but really more of a believer of the unknown, vague “god”, but when he gets a command to do something he immediately obeys. Oh how I wish I could say I obey that quickly.

Peter’s Vision

⁹ The next day, as they (Cornelius’ men) were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the housetop about noon. ¹⁰ Then he became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he went into a visionary state. ¹¹ He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. ¹² In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. ¹³ Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”

¹⁴ “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything common and ritually unclean!”

¹⁵ Again, a second time, a voice said to him, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into heaven.

This vision sets the stage for Peter to understand more fully the message of the gospel and the salvation that Jesus brought to everyone. Take notice of what was contained in this large sheet coming to the earth. All four-footed animals and reptiles and birds. Peter would have seen the sheep he’d been allowed to eat all his life running around with those tasty pigs that had been forbidden, and when God tells him to get up and eat all of a sudden the traditions and culture and everything he knew about this part of his life became a question mark. He couldn’t understand what was meant by this picture he was receiving, to the effect that this vision needed to happen 3 times just so he would be prepared to understand it later. God is setting him up to be presented with the mind-blowing truth that God shows no prejudice or preference for anyone, but rather has made salvation and righteousness available for all, which goes against everything Peter had been taught up to this point.

Peter Visits Cornelius

¹⁷ While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate. ¹⁸ They called out, asking if Simon, who was also named Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹ While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you. ²⁰ Get up, go downstairs, and accompany them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”

²¹ Then Peter went down to the men and said, “Here I am, the one you’re looking for. What is the reason you’re here?”

²² They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who has a good reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to call you to his house and to hear a message from you.” ²³ Peter then invited them in and gave them lodging.

The next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.

Notice once again immediate obedience. Cornelius immediately sent for Peter when he was commanded to, and Peter got up and went with Cornelius’ men when God directed him to.

²⁴ The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

Cornelius was expecting them and invited a bunch of people over. He knew that God had something incredible to tell him and he wanted everyone he was close to experience it as well. He expected God to show up, another lesson we need to learn from this guy who isn’t even a follower of Christ yet. How often do we walk into church and out of church and never experience God and His Spirit? I am continually amazed as we talk each week as a staff and recount stories we’ve heard and conversations we’ve had with people about how God has been challenging and changing them through the teaching of his word in this place each week, and at first I was kind of caught off guard and surprised that every single week God would show up and move in incredible ways, and I was convicted that I shouldn’t be surprised. In my walk with Christ over the last several years I had sort of been lulled into thinking that God shows up here and there, when the songs are just right or the teacher uses just the right approach or a touching story or when I am on some retreat or getaway, I had been tricked into thinking that God wasn’t present every week, every day. Why, in the midst of worship or in hearing God’s word being taught, are we surprised when God shows up and touches our hearts and teaches us something. Isn’t that what He has promised us, that when we gather in His name that He’ll be there as well? Shouldn’t we expect that every day when we meet with Him? Cornelius expected God to show up, and he couldn’t wait for it.

²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.

²⁶ But Peter helped him up and said, “Stand up! I myself am also a man.” ²⁷ While talking with him, he went on in and found that many had come together there. ²⁸ Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner. But God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean.

And now it clicked. Peter, completely confused by the vision he had, all of a sudden understood. And here is the truth you and I have to understand, that Peter came to understand in this moment.

As we obey God’s word, further understanding of His word comes. And, further understanding fosters further obedience. Let me say that one more time. As we obey God’s word, further understanding of His word comes. And, further understanding fosters further obedience.

Peter received direct instruction and teaching from God that he didn’t understand but he immediately obeyed. And, because of his obedience, he gained a further understanding of the instruction. He didn’t know why God gave him the vision of all the animals or why God told him to go with the Gentiles, but he immediately obeyed. Once he obeyed, he further understood that God was breaking down the barriers between the Jews and the Gentiles and was opening up the reach of the gospel to the ends of the earth. If Peter would not have obeyed, he wouldn’t have understood. If we don’t obey, we won’t understand.

When I was in my first couple years at Iowa State I very clearly felt God asking me to transfer to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. God used a girl that would eventually become my wife to kind of seal the deal on getting me to transfer, but I realize now that even at the time I decided to transfer I didn’t fully understand the purpose or the reason. See I thought I was going so I could go to college in the same town as Danielle, but as I look back now I can see that God wanted me to take some Bible classes at Ozark Christian College, and He wanted me to get involved in and be in leadership for Campus Crusade for Christ. He wanted me to receive training and develop a passion for His Word and for students and for doing ministry, so that I would be prepared several years down the line to go into ministry full-time. And now, as I can see more clearly what His plan was and as I am realizing the benefits and seeing the results of my obedience from several years ago, when I am faced with challenges and directives from Him now I am so much more quickly to obey.

When we obey and understood further what God is doing, we will be inspired to obey further and obey quicker, which will help us to see more of what God is doing and to understand what He is doing and why, which will cause us to walk in faith and obedience even quicker, and it’s a cycle that just keeps building and building momentum, it’s an incredible place to be, but it can often be a difficult cycle to get started because it takes obedience without understanding, it takes faith without seeing.

Where, this morning, is God asking you to obey Him? What is He wanting to further reveal to you about His Kingdom and His will for your life, but He’s simply waiting for you to step out in faith and discover?

Peter continues…

²⁹ That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So I ask: Why did you send for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in a dazzling robe stood before me ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered in God’s sight. ³² Therefore send someone to Joppa and invite Simon here, who is also named Peter. He is lodging in Simon the tanner’s house by the sea.’ ³³ Therefore I immediately sent for you, and you did the right thing in coming. So we are all present before God, to hear everything you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Good News for Gentiles

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, ³⁵ but in every nation the person who fears Him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him. ³⁶ He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know the events that took place throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the Devil, because God was with Him. ³⁹ We ourselves are witnesses of everything He did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, yet they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree. ⁴⁰ God raised up this man on the third day and permitted Him to be seen, ⁴¹ not by all the people, but by us, witnesses appointed beforehand by God, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about Him that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

Peter is given the opportunity to share whatever it is that God would lay on his heart and he responds by sharing the message of the gospel. He recaps for everybody the story of Jesus and then delivers the simple point, the simple message of the gospel, that “through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” Without a doubt Peter had delivered that message before, but up until this moment when Peter would use that word everyone, he and anyone that was listening would always have included some exceptions. They would have put an invisible set of brackets in the middle of that sentence, something to this effect:

“through His name everyone (that was Jewish and…) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

Peter and the other disciples were very open about their belief that Jesus died for the Jews and not the Gentiles, so their “everyone” was always limited, and unfortunately ours is as well.

So what goes in your set of brackets this morning?

 “through His name everyone (that believes the same things I do and...) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

“through His name everyone (that dresses and talks nicely at church and…) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

“through His name everyone (whose kids behave and who doesn’t get a divorce and…) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

“through His name everyone (who hasn’t committed the big sins like homosexuality and adultery, whoever hasn’t beaten their kids or their wife or their dog, whoever hasn’t gotten high on meth or weed, whoever hasn’t murdered their unborn child and…) who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

I could go on and on and on but the point is that there are no brackets, there are no exceptions. If we believe in Jesus and trust Him with all that we are, if we’ll say to Him Jesus I want you more than I want my sin, we’ll be forgiven. No matter where we are this morning, no matter what we’ve done, there are no exceptions. Peter delivers this simple message of the gospel and let’s read what happens next:

Gentile Conversion and Baptism

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in other languages and declaring the greatness of God.

Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

Peter lays out before these Gentiles the message of the gospel that all are loved, all are accepted, and all can be forgiven, and that message demands a response. It demanded a response from Cornelius and his household and it demands a response from us. You can’t hear a message like this one and not respond. I could stand up here and tell you all about the Cardinals and Royals game that I went to yesterday. I could tell you who got hits and who scored runs, I could even tell you about the drunk guys that about got in a fight, and that is a message and that is truth that doesn’t require anything. You could hear that story and say great thanks or wow I didn’t care at all about that. But this message, the message of the gospel is one of those truths, one of those things that you can’t hear and then forget, listen to and then just move on, you have to respond, you just have to. Our sin is laid before us, and we are all deep in sin. I don’t have to tell you that, we all know the sin in our lives and the reality of the matter is that with our sin we are headed to an eternity separated from God in a very real place called hell. But by an incredible act of love and mercy we are given the opportunity for forgiveness and righteousness, an opportunity to spend eternity with God in Heaven, and we’re faced with a choice. Cornelius and his house decided to accept that free gift of salvation and to proclaim that decision to the world through baptism, what is your response going to be? I’ve heard many people, especially students, who’ve said no I’m not going to decide I’m going to wait until later in life. I’m going to wait until I’m done with school or until I’m married and have some kids, I’m going to wait until life settles down until I decide whether or not to follow Jesus. That isn’t putting off a decision, that’s choosing to say no, and there is an eternal difference between those two options. We are either with Him or against Him, there is no in between. There is no putting the decision off until later, and that doesn’t just apply to that initial idea of salvation, that first response to ask for forgiveness. Many of us in this room became a “Christian” many years ago but have decided we would really get serious about it later on in life, that we would go further in our faith sometime down the road. Again, that’s not delaying a decision or delaying obedience, it’s choosing to disobey, it’s choosing to say God you don’t know what’s best for me right now and I do. No matter where we are this morning, whether we are far from God or near to Him, we can’t read a message like this one in Acts chapter 10 and do nothing, we have to respond.

A little over a year and a month ago an EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin Missouri, destroying over 8,000 homes and businesses and only by the grace of God were there only 158 deaths instead of thousands, and a week after it happened I had the opportunity to go with about 25 others to help in the clean-up efforts. One of the days we were there we got to help a man named Shaun. This man was probably in his thirties or forties, but it was obvious that his choices in life had caused him to age much quicker. We got connected with Shaun and went to his grandmother’s house to help him find some things. We find the house, or what’s left of it, and he asks us to help him find his wallet, his grandfather’s class ring from Texas A&M, and Shaun’s upper dentures, all of which he hadn’t been able to find. His house was completely destroyed except for about 3 walls, two walls that made up a hallway and one of the back walls, and you could see where he and his grandma huddled in the hallway as the tornado ripped apart the home because you could see the outline of two bodies in the midst of all the dirt and mud that was caked on the walls, the scene was horrific. So about 10 or 15 of us spent an hour digging through the rubble looking for these things that Shaun couldn’t find, and we actually didn’t end up finding any of them. Finally Shaun resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going to find them, and we decided to quit looking and move on to help someone else. But, before we did, I asked Shaun if we could pray with him and I’ll never forget his reaction. He immediately said that we could and as our group gathered around him he sort of crouched down and put his arm up in the air above his head, almost as if he was shielding himself. His view of God was in a powerful tornado that came, in his mind, to bring destruction and judgment, his view of God was complete and utter fear, and he was scared to death at even the thought of talking to this God. Over these last couple weeks as I’ve been preparing this message this story has continued to come to mind and I struggled and struggled as to how it fit with our message today. Finally, as I was praying through it and asking God why He reminded of times in my life that I had spent cowering from Him, times when I was living in sin and couldn’t even approach Him in prayer because why would He even listen to me. Times I’ve sat in church and stared at the floor during worship because I was afraid if I looked up He might strike me down for living such a hypocritical life. And as I was reminded of those times in my life God made it clear to me that there are many people sitting in this room that are just like that.

I think we can get so burdened and buried in our sin that all we do is cower in fear. Some of us in this room this morning have been cowering in fear for years, knowing that we don’t measure up, knowing that we are dirty and sinful and we can’t even raise our eyes to look up at our God who loves us, our God who wants to heal us and forgive us and bring us to Himself in righteousness. That day I prayed a prayer of blessing and healing and joy over Shaun, but most of all I prayed that God would work in the midst of destruction to bring restoration and hope to Shaun’s life, and that’s a prayer I want to pray over all of us right now.

God we live lives that are broken and shameful and dirty and sinful before you, and we know that isn’t what you desire for us, that isn’t what you want for us. God we need your restoration, we need your healing, we need to know how much you love us right now. God move in this place as there are hearts and minds that right now don’t believe that you still love them. There are souls in this place that think they are too far gone, that they are outside of your reach, God show us that just isn’t true. Come this morning and restore us to yourself, to your righteousness. Father your provision for our salvation requires a response, your love for us demands that we do something. God help us to choose life, to choose you, and not to walk out of here this morning without deciding to live and breathe and walk and speak for you and for no one else. For those in this place that have never trusted you with their lives, let them give that up to you this morning. For those that have never walked in obedience and gotten baptized, move in those hearts and encourage those to take that step. For those in this room that made that decision at one point but have been coasting now for weeks or months or years, God challenge us to walk closer with you. Lord Jesus help us to understand that your love, your unfailing, unconditional love demands a response, and let that response be pleasing and glorifying to you.

A pastor from the church we attended when we were in school in Joplin was speaking at a conference last year and here is what he had to say about the tornado. While the tornado was devastating and horrific, it woke us up to the reality that had been there all along. There were broken and hurting and desperate people, but for a long time they were able to hide all the destruction behind their houses and cars and cozy lives, and it wasn’t until all those things were stripped away that people were willing to admit their struggles and respond to the call of the gospel. Church I don’t want you and I don’t want me to have to face a tornado or a sudden death or a tragedy of some kind for us to finally admit to our struggles and respond to the message of the gospel, the time to respond is right now, the time to choose Christ and the life that He has for us is right now, in this moment. No matter where you are, no matter where you’ve been, know how much God loves you this morning and know that there are no exceptions to the truth that “through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”

Will you stand with me as we get ready to close out our time with worship this morning? I don’t know what you’re wrestling through or dealing with but today, as is the case every week, if you would like to talk with someone or pray with someone please just come down toward these side hallways and one of us would love to pray with you this morning.

We serve a God who loves us, who wants only the best for us. If we’ll raise our eyes up this morning, if we’ll change the posture of our arms from shielding ourselves in fear to surrendering ourselves in faith we’ll see a God who dances over us with delight. Let’s sing to that God this morning.