Are You Listening? Are You Willing?

And you take your Bibles and turn to Mark chapter eight and we will begin reading in verse 31 of Mark chapter eight verse 31 In the previous passage, we looked at last Sunday morning, Jesus asked his disciples, who am I? And Peter spoke up right away and says, thou art the Christ. In Matthew, he finishes the statement, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God and Jesus commended Peter, commended Peter for this confession. That Jesus was not just a good prophet. Jesus is not just a good teacher but Jesus is the promised Messiah of Israel, the savior of the world, and the son of the living God.

Unlike any of one else who has ever walked the face of this Earth, he is the God man who came to take our place on Calvary's Cross. And Jesus said upon this fact that Jesus is the son of God and the savior of the world. Was Christ going to build his church which is you and me. We are his church, not this building, not not an organization but a congregation of those who have put their faith and trust in Christ alone. To save them from sin and hell.

We have been born again by his grace into God's family, not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy. He has saved all those who come to him in faith. And call upon his name. That brings us to verse 31. It says, and he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priest and scribes and be killed and after three days rise again and he spake the saying openly and Peter took him and began to rebuke him but when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter saying, get thee behind me, Satan.

For thou savor not the things that be of God but the things that be of men and when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospels, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? And we'll stop there at verse 37 this morning.

Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord. Thank you Lord for your word. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to study it together today. And to worship the God who wrote it. Who has preserved it for us that we might know you.

The salvation that you have to give based upon what you did for us on Calvary's Cross. And Lord, we pray that you'd open up our hearts to receive it today. We pray that Jesus might be exalted and glorified here in this place. We pray if there's one who is yet to receive Jesus as Lord and savior of their life. They might do that even today.

In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. Amen. And again, this morning, I entitled the message, are you listening? Are you listening?

Followed by, are you willing? You know how sometimes we listen only up to a certain point. We listen up until when we hear something we don't want to hear. Or when we hear something that we want to respond to and then we miss the rest sometimes of what is being said while we formulate our response or we formulate our defense. We miss the rest of the statement.

Listening but but not really. I think we have an example of that today in our passage from Mark chapter eight. Jesus is speaking and Peter is listening. Well, sort of listening this morning. We start out in verse 31.

He began to teach them. Them is primarily his disciples. He began to teach them that the son of man and that is a reference to Jesus himself for he was the son of God and the son of man and when Jesus Christ speaks often of his death on the cross, he died for men. So, refers to himself sometimes by that title, the son of man. He began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests and scribes and be killed and let's stop there for just a moment.

Jesus announced to his disciples, he prophesied of things yet to come in his own ministry in life. He said to them, we're going to go back to Jerusalem. We'll head back to Jerusalem. Says another passage. He mentions that specifically.

Currently, they were in Galilee. Galilee is in Northern Israel up around the Sea Of Galilee. Jerusalem and Judea was in Southern Israel. The religious practices and religion of the Jews was focused primarily in the South much more than it was in the North and he was staying in Galilee had been avoiding Jerusalem or at least cautiously entering and leaving due to due to the turmoil that surrounded him when he was there and the animosity on the part of the religious leaders. When Jesus was there, the religious leaders had put a target on him.

They were out to get in and he couldn't minister freely in Jerusalem anymore because of that and he says here to his disciples that he must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and the chief peace, chief priest, and the scribes. As he expected, if he went back to Jerusalem, the eventual result would be his arrest and his suffering at the hands of the religious who thought of authorities. I can't talk this morning, can I? Whose intentions were all too clear at this juncture. It had gotten to the point to where it it wasn't really a secret anymore.

The Pharisees, the priest, the religious leaders, in Judea and Jerusalem were no friends of Jesus. The religion that they taught and practiced and lived was not. The teaching of Moses was not the religion of the Lord. It was a self righteous religion of works. They thought they didn't need a savior.

They thought they could get to heaven by their good works and by following the law. And they didn't want to have anything to do with the man who had exposed who they really were. And we read in John seven one, it says, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee for he would not walk in jewelry or Judea because the Jews sought the what? The Jews sought to kill him and so for a time, Jesus spent most of his time up in Galilee. He only went to Jerusalem for specific feast that he was required to show up for as a Jew.

The rest of the time he spent in Galilee but the time was going to come when Jesus knowing how they felt was going to go back to Jerusalem and expose himself Because the time was coming as he points out here. For his suffering. Despite what Jesus knew, yet Christ told his disciples, he intended to go back. Doing full well what the result would be. And not only would he suffer, not only would he be rejected, but it tells us here that he will be what?

He will be killed and he knew that. This wasn't a guess. This wasn't, well, I think this will probably happen. No, Jesus is being a very matter of fact with his disciples. He said, the time is coming.

I will suffer, I will be rejected, and I will be what? And I will be killed. This is a certainty. He foretold of his own death at the hands of the religious leaders in Jerusalem and he knew what that death would be. Crucifixion on a cross.

One of the most painful, excruciating, and humiliating deaths. That one could suffer. For this purpose, Jesus came. This was not only not the only time he revealed his purpose to his disciples. And they refused to hear.

This was his plan all along. It wasn't theirs. But it was his. But it was his. For for this purpose, Jesus came to Earth.

He came to what? He came to die. One day, praise the Lord. He'll come back to rule. But the first time, he came to die.

Philippians two five to eight says, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God but he made himself of no reputation. He took upon him the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of man, and being fan and fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross Philippians two eight and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. It wasn't that Jesus came and it's like, oops, I'm in trouble. Oh no, I'm going to die. No, Jesus knew before he left heaven.

That he was coming here to what? Because if he didn't die, if he didn't shed his blood on the cross, if he didn't suffer for our sins, then who would? And we would. And the only way to redeem us back from sin and hell. The only way that we could be saved was by his death.

Some would call that irony or Isn't that odd? The only way we can be saved is by somebody else's what? Death. But but that's what it that's what it takes and that's what Jesus was willing to give and that is why Jesus came The Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have what? Everlasting life.

For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. Why did he come? He came so you could be saved. That was his purpose. He didn't come to put you under his thumb so to speak.

He didn't come to rule and reign. No, he came to what? He came to die that we might rule and reign one day with him. That we might be saved. From that which we justly deserve.

That is why he came. In Acts chapter two, Peter on the day of Pentecost was preaching and he said, you men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs. In other words, God, God made it clear and plain who Jesus was. By the miracles and signs and wonders that he did, which God did by him in the midst of you as you, you yourselves also know. Most of those people, many of those people gathered in Jerusalem that day had seen Jesus.

They knew who he was. Some of them were in the crowd that cried out, crucify him. After they had heard his teaching, after they had seen him do many mighty miracles and yet they rejected. It says, him or that is Jesus being delivered by the determinant council and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Peter, Peter didn't beat around the bush.

He looks at the people in that crowd that day and he says, you did what? After he showed, declared who he was. There's no question who he was. What did you do? You rejected him and you crucified him on a cross.

But take note, there's a phrase in here that I want you to notice and that is this phrase, him or that is Christ being delivered by the determinant council and foreknowledge of God you have taken and by wicked hands of slain. What is that determinant council and foreknowledge of God mean? This is what it means. This was God's will. This was part of God's plan.

When Jesus came, he expected this. He knew this would happen. This had to happen because without it, we were forever lost. Second Corinthians five twenty one says, for God hath made Jesus, for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. That we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Christ died on the cross to offer us an exchange. That exchange is this, if we will come to Christ in faith and receive him as Lord and savior, he offers to give us his righteousness in place of our what? In place of our sin and guilt. He offers to take the sin and guilt upon himself and give it in its in our give to us. His righteousness and innocent and guiltless standing before God.

In order for that to happen, Jesus had the what? He had to pay the price for our sins on the cross of Calvary. God had to punish him for sins and that's what he did. For God hath made him to be sin. A sin offering, to suffer.

For our sins that we might be saved. Mark ten forty five says, for even the son of man came not to be ministered unto. This is Christ again speaking of himself. He like to refer to himself by the title son of man. For the son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.

Why did Jesus come? He came what? He came to serve us. By giving his life a ransom payment for sin on the cross of Calvary. In Isaiah 5,310, just one more verse on this.

Isaiah five thousand three ten says this, yet it pleased who? It pleased the Lord to bruise him, to injure him, to cause him suffering. It pleased the Lord to cause Jesus what? Suffering. He hath put him to grief.

When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Yet this, this is the Old Testament. Isaiah says, of Jesus, that's who this passage is talking to, that it pleased the father, that it pleased the Lord to do what? To afflict him, to punish him there on the cross for our sins. Why?

That we who are his seed mentioned here. Might be redeemed, forgiven. And become part of God's family. It was all part of whose plan. It was all part of God's plan.

When Jesus came, he knew why he came. He came for this purpose to die on the cross. For our sins and then to rise again on the what? On the third day. This is the last part of Christ's prophecy and at this point, I don't think his disciples were really listening or it really sunk in.

For they were all in a panic and denial over the first statement. He knew why he came but they thought that he came the first time to reign but he did and he came to what? Came to suffer and die. They didn't understand and so when Christ said, well, I'm going to suffer and I'm going to be rejected and I'm going to be killed. Immediately, they wanted to put their hands over what?

Over their ears. Say, no. No. No. No.

You you're going to rain. You're going to rain and we're going to rain with you. Well, he is going to rain and and praise the Lord. We're going to reign with him but not now. Before the reigning had to come to what?

The dying and praise God the resurrection. But when he got to that be killed part, I think they put their hands over their ears and they didn't want to hear it. There was no need for a resurrection if there was no execution which they lobbied vehemently against. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you're not going to die. You're not going to die.

Thus, they seem to miss Christ's references to his resurrection on more than one occasion. So, it seemed they were shocked and stunned. He actually rose again from the dead. On several occasions, he mentioned his resurrection. Matthew seventeen twenty two and twenty three and while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, the son of man shall be betrayed in the hands of men.

They shall kill him and on the third day, he shall be raised again. They were exceeding sorry. Why were they exceeding sorry? Because they didn't hear the last what? They didn't hear the last phrase.

I'm going to what? I'm going rise again. They shut down at the part I'm going to be, I'm going to be killed. Matthew twelve forty. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the well's belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

What is he speaking of? Speaking of his death and his death's only what? Temporary. Three days and three nights and then he was what? He was come back out of the grave.

John chapter two verse 19. Jesus answered and said unto them, destroy this temple and in three days, I will raise it up. Now, some people thought he was talking about the temple but he wasn't. He was talking about the temple himself because he's God and if he's God, then wherever he is is the what? Is the temple.

That's right. These were not the only times. There were several times that Jesus spoke of his resurrection. Probably many times to his disciples that aren't even recorded in scripture. But they didn't get it Apart from the resurrection of Christ, we are without hope.

If Christ came and rule, reigned came to rule and reign the first time, he would have nobody to rule and reign eventually because we all would die in our sins. And spend eternity separated from him in hell. In a lake of fire. So, the first time before he could reign, he had to die. And then rise again For if Christ is not risen, then there is no proof of either who he is or his power to save us from sin and death.

I serve a risen savior. You can't serve a dead one because he can't save you if he's dead. Paul points out in first Corinthians fifteen seventeen and if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain and you're yet in your sins because a dead savior, a dead God, A, isn't God at all and B can't help you. Many religious leaders that are honored and worshiped all over the world and they're all what? All dead.

But the one true and living God Jesus Christ, our savior He is a lie. The resurrection was the good part but they stopped too soon because they didn't like the bad part. How often do we turn off our ears to others especially when they begin to tell us something we don't want to hear? Like a rebuke. Or instructions that we want need to follow When we hear something we don't like, we close-up.

Sometimes, we miss the good part. How often do we turn a deaf ear to God into his word or the preaching or teaching of it? When it says something, we do not want to hear either. Far too often, I'm afraid I've been there I've been sitting, listening to preaching, and teaching, heard something that I didn't like, that I didn't want to hear. My mind started to wonder, wander, not wonder but wander.

Stop listening It happens. Should we should be willing to receive with humility the stuff we don't want to hear along with the stuff that we do and sometimes we miss the good part because we shut down at the bad part. How many people turn away from the gospel because they do not want to hear about sin and hell? And they miss the good part about resurrection. Heaven.

Eternal life. Redemption. Yes, you're a sinner and yes, if you die without Christ, you will spend an eternity in hell. That's the bad part so to speak. But you must be willing to accept the bad part before you can receive by faith the good part.

And that is for whosoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. But you can't be saved from sin if you won't admit you're a sinner. You can't be saved from hell if you do not admit that you're going there. Sad to say so many people they turn away because they don't want to hear that they're a sinner. That they might receive the bless and the mercy of God We see here in our passage Peter's response How did Peter respond?

Well, as I say, I believe Peter quit listening before he got to the end there because immediately, he pulled Jesus aside and it says at the end of verse 32, he began to what? Right, see that in your passage? He began to rebuke him. Now, here is Peter and what is he doing? He's rebuking who?

He's rebuking the son of God. He's rebuking God. He has taken upon himself to tell Jesus who just told him what he's going to do and he said, no, no, no, no, no. Pull over it. Oh, you're not going to do that.

You're not going to do that. Now, think about that. How stupid and silly that is for a moment and how completely wrong that is. For Peter to pull Jesus aside rebuke Jesus for being obedient to his father's will Peter was trying to exert his will on Christ out of fear and misplaced devotion It was not Peter's place to order around the son of God. Regardless of Peter's passion.

You know, God welcomes our requests but not our orders Be careful when you pray not to get confused. God delights in meeting our request, made in humility and love but does not respond well to demands. And why should he? He is the creator. We are the one.

Creature. He is the potter. We are the clay. He is the master. We are the servants.

He is the father. We are the children. He loves to hear and answer our prayers but our prayers and request must as the word prayer. Meaning worship implies. Never lose their sense of reverence and awe.

At the mercy and grace of God, that's extended to us. How too often we take for granted the grace and mercy and love of God and we begin to demand or at least think in our mind that we have that right Again, I've mentioned this. I've said it several times. It's not us that oh God. I mean, it's not God who owes us It's us who owes God God has already done everything for us and his son, Jesus Christ Offered us everything If we will receive it by faith and repentance of heart Sometimes, we pray out of his will thinking.

We know what is best and our prayers are not answered as we expect them to be. Don't get upset. Your heavenly father knows what's best for you. And sometimes what you're asking for is not what you need and he knows it. So, trust him.

God knows what he's doing just as Christ knew and Peter did not. As Peter pulled him aside as Peter rebuked him Jesus rebuked Peter says in verse 33, but when he had turned about, looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter saying, get thee behind me, Satan. For thou savers not the things that be of God but the things that be of men. Peter deserved to be rebuked as we do if we act the same way, if we think we know better than God, if we forget of his grace and mercy and love and our place as as his children and his place as our father. Peter was wrong in the manner in which he spoke to Christ.

He deserved to be rebuked. Peter was wrong in his understanding of Christ's purpose which he should've began to catch on to. He deserved his rebuke. He closed his mind to what he didn't want to hear. He was wrong and not allowing himself to see the big picture by faith.

And then finally, he was wrong and opposing the will of God which is the place and purpose of who? Who opposes the will of God? Satan. Satan is God's adversary. Peter was taking the place of who?

Satan. He was being adversarial. He was opposing Christ in God's will. Therefore, Christ called him out and he called him his adversary or Satan. He said, get behind me.

Get back in your place. Satan, because what you're saying now isn't coming from who? It's even coming from God. It's coming from here. Just a few verses previous, Christ praised Peter and said, when Peter said, thou art the Christ, the son of living God, Christ said, praise the Lord.

That didn't come from in here. That came from where? That came from your father in heaven but now, just moments later, Peter, as Peter was prone to do, is now flipped and doing the very opposite. Christ said, you get behind me. Get back in line.

You don't understand what you're saying. Though Peter did believe Jesus to be the Messiah, he didn't understand the necessity of Christ's death. Peter was thinking that sometimes we are and that's carnally and not spiritually. Immediately, when he heard the word kill or death, we think we think what? Hear death, you think what?

Bad. Death, bad. Death, bad. But there was a bigger picture here. Peter wasn't getting it.

Because Peter was thinking about who? He's thinking about himself. He wanted to sit on that throne beside Jesus. He didn't understand that before he could get to the throne, he had to go through the what? He had to go through the cross.

He had to go through death to get there. And spiritually, we have to do the same thing. In order to receive the blessings and the mercy and the grace of eternal life in Jesus Christ, our savior, we have to die to who? We have to die to self. To sin, to receive the life that only Jesus has to counter to human reasoning before exaltation comes sacrifice The way of the cross death to self giving of oneself.

The exaltation will come but the sacrifice must come what? First, humility must come. First, surrender must come. First, before God. If we are to be exalted with him.

Philippians chapter two, I think I have it up here. I do. I just read Philippians two eight. It says, Jesus found himself in fashion as a man humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. Next verse, verse nine, wherefore, God also hath what?

Highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord for the glory of God the father. Is Jesus Christ exalted? Yes, he is. The right hand of the father right now. Will he be exalted on Earth one day?

He will rule and reign with a rod of iron from Jerusalem for a thousand years. And he will rule and reign for all eternity in his kingdom. Every knee shall bow. Whether they want to or not, whether they choose to or not because he is Lord. However, if you don't choose to in this life, you will be lost forever.

Jesus' death was part of the process Like Joseph's being sold into slavery in Egypt. Led to his exaltation Christ exile so to speak to Earth by his own choosing and death on the cross for the sins of mankind. Followed by his resurrection leads to his exaltation. And now you and I and Peter have a choice to make. Look if you would in verse 34.

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples, he said unto them, whosoever will come after me, be my disciple. Let him deny himself. Take up his cross. Follow me. If we are to follow after Jesus, if we are to follow in his footsteps and we are to be his disciple, then we must deny ourselves, our fleshly lust and ambitions, our will, we must surrender to who?

To Jesus. We must take up our cross. That is God's will for our life. That's not the way of pride and self aggrandizement. It's the way of sacrifice.

And submission. And follow me. And follow the Lord being conformed unto his image. The world's way to the top is trampling on others for personal gain. Grabbing all you can for who?

For yourself but the way of the cross and Christ is opposite. The way to the top is by giving yourself away to God. The way to the top is by giving yourself away to God and others to fulfill his will and plan in serving the Lord and in serving your fellow man. That's the way to the top in Christ's kingdom. Not by grabbing it all for yourself but by giving it all to who?

By giving it all to Jesus. For he gave his all. For us. This begins when you surrender in faith to Jesus as Lord and savior. If you follow along the passage, I stopped after verse 34.

Verse 35 says, for whosoever save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospels, the same shall what? Shall save it. There's only one way to save your life and that's give it to who? Let's give it to the hands of Jesus. Trust Jesus with your soul.

Trust Jesus with your life. This begins when you surrender in faith to Jesus as Lord and savior and receive God's gift of eternal life through Christ who gave himself for you. This is the only way of salvation. This is why Jesus came because without him, we would be forever lost. Romans ten nine, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, that that is that Jesus is what?

Lord and savior and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be what? Saved. If we come to Jesus and we humbly bow before him in faith and say, Lord, my Lord, save me from my sin. Forgive me and make me your child. Only then can we be born again.

Only then can we be saved. And when we do, it's not we might be saved. It's not we will be saved. It's that we are. We're born again.

In the God's family, we're given eternal life. This is a promise that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. It's a promise. Nothing added, nothing taken away. Not by works of righteousness we have done, not the works of law, not the works of the church, not the works of giving.

Just trusting and bowing and surrender to who? To Jesus as Lord. If we refuse to accept Jesus as Lord and savior by faith, then, we will lose our soul. It says in this passage, for what shall you gain if what shall, what gain is? If you gain the whole world and lose your own what?

So, he that believeth on Jesus is not condemned that he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed the name of the only begotten son of God. There's only one way Jesus is it. Either surrender to him in faith or you go your own way. That's the broad way, your own way. That leads to destruction.

Christ's way leads to life. But the Christian faith and the Christian life is also a process of learning how to yield day by day to God's will Surrender our will to him I'm on the narrow way I have a home in heaven but as a Christian, part of living for the Lord is learning each day how to surrender to his will Romans twelve one and two, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. All will be acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God. That's what God expects of us who are his who have come to him and entrusted our soul to him by faith.

It is our reasonable service for all that he has done and given to us. In Luke nine twenty three, Luke records the same verse we find here in Mark and in Matthew but with one word that Mark and Matthew left out. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross. Daily. So, this is something we nerd to learn daily to trust him, and to follow his will.

When we forget, we frustrate the will of God in our lives and his purpose to conform us to the image of his son, robbing us of blessings and fulfillment but when we learn daily to submit to his will and live for him and others, we reap great blessings. In this life but even more so, in the life to come. And so thus, by losing our life, we actually what? I want to read from Matthew chapter five. You don't have to turn there.

If you're familiar with the beatitudes but in closing this morning, I'd like to read these verses. For that's what these verses are all about. Blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn.

For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek. For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.

Rejoice and be exceeding glad. For great is your reward where? The place to exaltation is through sacrifice Surrender. We'll never get to heaven if we don't come to Christ in faith and humble ourselves before him as Lord and as Christians, we'll miss out on many of God's blessings here if we don't learn daily How to live in his will. What will you choose You choose the way of the cross Two questions and we're done.

Have you embraced Christ by faith as Lord of your life? Have you been born again? Or are you really no different from the rest of the world? Maybe you sit in church, maybe you go through the motions. But you've never come to Christ in faith.

And cried out to him to be your Lord and savior Your master Are you still the master of your own faith You can be but I also can tell you where that will lead you and you're not going to like it Let Jesus be the master and he will give you eternal life Christian, are you learning daily to yield yourself to Christ Or are you fighting your father? Maybe you need today, starting today to surrender anew to his will. And give of your life as a living sacrifice to him. He gave it for you. Let's pray.

Dear Lord, thank you for all that you've done for us. The reminder in your word today of how we need to gain the blessings of life as your children by learning daily how to surrender to your will. To set our will and ambitions aside. So that we can reap the glorious benefits here and in heaven but Lord, we pray not only for us that you would help us to rededicate ourselves and see the need of doing this and making it a point but Lord, we also pray this morning. If there be one here that's never come to you in faith to receive your gift of eternal life, who has humbled themselves to receive you as Lord, savior.

Lord, I pray that They would be willing to humble themselves and come as we sing this hymn of invitation. That they might be saved this morning, Lord. Please do a mighty work today. We thank you. In Jesus name, amen.

If you take your hymn books, turn to 388 and let's stand to sing. 388, have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way. Standing pleased to sing. Will you let him have his way today? Amen.

Well, in the singing part of the invitation but the invitation is not closed. If you have a need, a question, some you'd like to pray for me. Please please come see me after the service and please come back and join us