Jesus & the Sabbath

Sort of a part two to our our part one last week from the book of Mark as we're going through Mark. We're going to finish up chapter two and launch in the Mark chapter three this morning. So, Mark chapter two, we're going to begin reading in just a moment in verse 23 and we're going to read through Mark chapter three and verse six. Old verses new. Part two.

Last week, we read this verse together at the beginning of the service. Mark Matthew five seventeen. Jesus said, think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to what? To fulfill.

Christ said, you think by what I'm saying and what I'm doing, the Pharisees that is that I've come to destroy the law. He said, no. I've come to what? Fulfill the law. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the old covenant.

He kept the old covenant that Israel could not. He was in all points tempted like as we are yet without what? Without sin. And only he has kept the law. But not only did he keep the law, also he fulfilled the picture that the law set forth of an atoning sacrifice.

Under the old covenant, when they did sin, they had to bring a lamb. They had to sacrifice the lamb. The innocent lamb to pay the price for their sins that they could approach God and be forgiven. Jesus Christ is the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Not just the sins of Israel but the sins of the world.

Not just some of our sins but the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from what? From all sin. From all sin. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law and he is the establisher of a new and better covenant. We read that verse Hebrews eight six to begin the service this morning based upon better promises Not upon sacrifice and the laws of Moses but upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Are we redeemed by grace through faith in him. So, Jesus came to fulfill the law. He came to fulfill the old and he came to institute the what? The new. In Mark chapter two, we're going to make some references to the law once again.

Mark chapter two verse 23. It came to pass that he went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day and his disciples began as they want to pluck the ears of corn and the Pharisees said unto him, behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, have you never read what David did when he had need and was he and they that were with him how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar, the high priest and did eat the showbread which is not lawful to eat but for the priest and gave also to them which were with him and he said unto them, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. Continuing on in chapter three one, he entered again into the synagogue and there was a man there which had a withered hand and they watched him whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day that they might accuse him and he say it under the man which had the withered hand stand forth and he say it unto them, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days or to do evil, to save life, or to kill?

But they held their peace and when he had looked round about on them with anger being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he say it unto the man, stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out and his hand was restored whole as the other and the Pharisees went forth and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him how they might destroy him. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for your word.

I pray as we look into it that you would give us understanding by your spirit that you would challenge us and convict us. Lord, that you would conform us more to the image of your son Lord, I I pray that you would be exalted in all that said and done this day and I I pray Lord that you would help us to see ourselves and and our weaknesses and faults and sins Lord for what they really are. That we might be willing to change, to be more like you, that we might be willing to confess those things that you might cleanse us of them today. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

Amen. So, Mark back to Mark two and verse 23. Beginning there, we're going to divide this passage into two. First, his disciples plucking the heads of grain and then second, the man with the withered hand who was healed. We see first of all, Jesus' disciples harvesting grain on the Sabbath.

Let me say that again. We see Jesus' disciples harvesting grain on the Sabbath. At least that's the way the Pharisees saw it and aggressively condemned Jesus' disciples for their action and more importantly, condemn Christ for condoning their actions. As we read in verse 23 here, that they were going through the corn or grain field on the Sabbath day and his disciples began as they want to pluck ears of corn. Now, this wasn't you know, yellow corn with big ears that we have here in The United States.

This was some type of of grain and as they went through, they reached down and they plucked the heads of grain off the stalks and they kind of did this and got the grain out and put in their mouth to to munch on because they were hungry. The law did forbid harvesting and threshing on the Sabbath. That was work and the law did prohibit harvesting and threshing. If that's what you want to call what they were doing. Exodus 3,115, six days may work be done but in the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord.

Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath, he shall surely be put to death. So, a very serious matter under the Mosaic Law if you did work on the Sabbath. Here also in Exodus sixteen twenty three, this was concerning the harvesting of manna that God provided for Israel in the desert and he said unto them, this is that which the Lord has said, tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath under the Lord. Bake that which you will bake today and seethe that you will seethe and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning so that they didn't go out on the seventh day, the Sabbath and gather more manna. God provided twice the amount on the sixth day so they didn't have to go out and harvest it on the seventh day or just pick it up.

And so we see this law clearly in the Old Testament during harvesting and threshing or seething here as it says. The law did permit gleaning from your neighbor's field as long as it was done by what? By hand and not with a sickle. That's the way they would harvest normally but in Deuteronomy twenty three twenty five, the poor were given permission to go into the corners of the field of whoever was growing grain and to pluck heads or to grab bundles that were left behind of the grain that was being harvested. So, the issue is not plucking the heads of grain specifically as that was clearly permitted under the law.

The issue is when it was done which was on the what? Which was on the Sabbath. Now, I think if I were Jesus, I would have said, now, wait a second here. I don't think that plucking the heads off of a few stalks of grain constitutes harvesting and threshing. And I think I would have been correct in that assertion.

The Pharisees and other legalistic Jews had added to the law many details and many subcategories making the Sabbath restrictions far more burdensome than God had ever intended them to be. In some hotels in Jerusalem, still today I believe if you're there on the Sabbath day you cannot push the button on the elevator to take you to the desired floor. The elevator moves one floor at a time up and one floor at a time down because pushing the button is considered what? Work and that would be a transgression of the Sabbath. I was actually told that there were Jews that purchased and trained monkeys on the Sabbath to go and fetch this and fetch that and turn the light switch on for them because they were afraid they might break the law by turning on the light switch on the Sabbath.

Now, that may seem absolutely ridiculous and ludicrous but that is the kind of stuff that was going on even in Jesus' day as the Pharisees took the law and they added all kinds of stuff to it in order to make it even more impossible for people to follow. Why do you think they did that? Why did they did that? Because it gave them power and it gave them control over the lives of others. Thus, they define what the disciples had done as harvesting and threshing and so condemned them as having broken the Sabbath.

Jesus said in Matthew twenty three four, for they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born and lay them on men's shoulders that they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. In other words, the Pharisees, the leaders of the Jews, Jesus was talking about here, laid heavier and heavier burdens on the people and refused absolutely to help them in any way because it was all about power. In Mark seven seven, it says, Jesus said to them, how be it in vain do they worship me? Teaching for doctrines, the commandments of man. They have replaced the doctrines, the teachings of God, and the law for the commandments and the doctrines of men.

They indeed had added to the law in great quantity. And it's easy for us to look at the Pharisees and go, oh, look at those fair. Man, those those people are terrible. They're hypocrites. They're, you know, and just just to really let them let them have it.

But we too must be careful not to lift, exalt our application of scripture to the same level of equal authority with the scripture. Itself. I'm afraid there's been a lot of people that have been turned off by fundamental Christianity in the past years for that for that very reason. I remember when I was younger that women did not wear pants in church. That was just a major no no.

Women didn't. Matter of fact, I remember hearing preaching on women wearing pants in church. That was just absolutely forbidden. That was a terrible sin. Now, why in the world would they preach that women wearing pants in church was a terrible, horrible sin.

Well, the Bible says that a woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a what? To a man, okay? Back one hundred years ago, maybe even fifty years ago or so. Pants were made for who? Men and not made for women, okay?

And so for a woman to wear pants in many people's estimation was for a woman to wear that which pertaineth to a a man. Now, do they make women's pants today? They make a lot of women's pants today. There are still issues concerning dress, concerning modesty, and other things but it's not so much an issue today as to where a woman wearing pants is wearing that which pertaineth to a man. You know there was a day when men wore robes and there was a day and still is in some places over in Europe where men wear kilts which I am in no hurry to go do.

What What happened? Well what happened is that a good biblical principle was applied to a situation and culture properly back one hundred and fifty years ago. However, some lifted that application to equality with scripture and rather preaching the principle and teaching the application, they just preached on and railed on the application. And in some cases that turned off a lot of people. I'm afraid to good fundamental churches.

We have to be careful. I do not drink IBC root beer in public. Now, if you know IBC root beer, it is in a brown bottle. That looks a lot like a beer bottle. And so I chose based upon an incident that I had in high school not to drink IBC in public.

Now is that a commandment of scripture? No. That is an application that I have made personally to choose not to do that because I don't want anybody to think that I'm drinking beer when I am drinking root beer. So I've chosen not to do that but it's an application. My testimony is very important to me and I ran into a situation where my testimony was tainted because of something like that that I did.

And so I've chosen not to do that. There's a difference between the principle and the command and the application. And sometimes the application can change based upon the culture in which we live. The Pharisees raised all of their applications to the authority of scripture and then they placed those upon and judged everybody else based upon those applications. It's interesting Christ does not argue with them as to whether the plucking of heads of grain was a violation of the Sabbath which as I said was probably what I would have done.

Instead, he gives two examples from scripture where exceptions to the law were made. Christ could have argued as at least I thought he would have that well, hey, plucking heads of grain is not harvesting and threshing. And he would have been right but that's not what he did. Rather than arguing with them over whether it was or it was not, he he went to some examples from ure where God made exceptions. Now, who is the only one who is in the position to make exceptions to his law?

God. God who made the law. Not those who are under the law but the one who ordained the law and God has in the case of Sabbath made exceptions. Leviticus twenty four eight and nine says, every Sabbath, he that is the priest shall set in order before the Lord continually. The showbread which was in the holy place being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant and it shall be Aaron's and his sons and they shall eat it in the holy place.

That is the the bread that is on the table of showbread. For it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual perpetual statue. So, that is the law as given by God. The showbread that was taken off after it had been there a week that was placed on it during the Sabbath and taken off during the Sabbath was only for the priest but Jesus says here to the Pharisees, he says in verse 25, have you never read what David did when he had need and was a hungered, he and they that were with him. He went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar, the high priest and did eat showbread which is not lawful to eat but for the priest and gave also to them that were which were with him.

David was running from Saul back in first Samuel 21. Him and his men were hungry and God allowed them. The priest allowed them to eat the showbread that was set aside, sanctified, set apart for the priest for food under these circumstances and God did not want. God did not condemn them for doing so. In Matthew chapter 12, in Matthew's recounting of this event, he also mentions that the priest work on the Sabbath.

Matter of fact, not only do the priest work on the Sabbath, the priest are commanded to work on the Sabbath and they're not what? And they're not condemned for it. God being the author of the Sabbath. God being the institute of the law made some specific exceptions to the law that he gave. He goes on to say that men were not made for the Sabbath that is man was not created for the purpose of keeping the Sabbath but the Sabbath was instituted for the good of who?

For the good of men. You see, the Pharisees had things upside down. They had turned everything on its ear. God created and instituted the Sabbath as everything else for his glory but also to provide time for physical rest and spiritual contemplation for his people because they needed that and God knew that they would need that and so he set aside a time for that that they would rest and that they would spend time in spiritual contemplation When you're busy at work, especially if you're working on a farm as many of them were in that day. You work from sun up till sundown.

You work very hard. You didn't have time to contemplate a lot other than to keep your focus on what you were doing. You you didn't have time to take many siestas throughout the day. It was hard work. And men needed time to rest and men needed time contemplate the scriptures and the Lord and so God in the Sabbath for man good and not man or the Sabbath.

You know, the laws that God has given us, the Old Testament laws, the mosaic laws for the nation of Israel and even the commandments of the New Testament, why are they there? And why has he revealed them to us? Because he cares about who? He cares about us. The law is not a bad thing for us.

The law is a what? It's a good thing. You see, if you have a if you have a dog and dogs like to run and you have this dog in the backyard if your backyard is like ours, it has a what? It has a fence. Now, why would you put up a fence in your backyard for the dog?

Why does the dog need a fence? Because if you don't put up a fence in the middle of the city the dog is going to run around all out in the road and like one of my dogs did when I was little the dog is going to get what? It's going to get hit. It's going to get run over and then you have a injured or dead dog. The fence is there for the animal's good.

The fence is there for the animal's protection. Now, sometimes dogs don't realize that and they spend all their time yapping at the fence or trying to dig under the thing to get out because they don't realize that it's there for their good That's like the world we live in today The world we live in looks at the word of God and they look at the commandments and the restrictions that are there and they can only see them as restrictions. They only see them as, well, I can't do what I want to do. God's not going to tell me what to do. When they're actually there for their what?

They're actually there for their good. You know, why is it under the old covenant under the mosaic law that the Jews could not eat certain types of meat. Some of them were clean and some of them were unclean. Why is it that God identified some as unclean? Well, it could be possible that one of the reasons is that pork and other types of meat like it, if they're not thoroughly cooked, they're very likely going to make you very what?

Very sick. So, God knew what he was doing long before scientists knew the dangers of some of those types of foods. Now, today, we've a little bit better at being able to cook things through Then, you were open over an open fire back then. You see, the reasons why did God give them the Sabbath? It was for man's good.

The laws are for our good. If you're a Christian and you know Jesus Christ, it says in first John one that his commandments are not grievous to us. What does that mean? They're not a burden to us. I don't look at God's commandments and think, oh, I can't do that.

Oh, I can't do that. Oh, I wish I could do that. Now, I don't look at God's commandments that way and if you're a Christian, you don't either because you've come to realize that they're there for your what? For your good. For your good.

So, Jesus said that the Sabbath was created for man and not man for the Sabbath. Jesus then set forth the records, set the record straight by identifying who he was and I think I have it up here. Yeah. Matthew twelve five to seven. That parallel passage in Matthew.

It says, or have you not read in the law how that on the Sabbath days, the priest in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless. But I say unto you, that in this place is one greater than the temple. But if he had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. You would not have condemned. The guilt Jesus said, the priest that work in the temple were not profaning the Sabbath by doing that which God commanded them to do and Jesus says that he is the son of man and the son of man here if you look back in chapter three and verse 28, chapter two and verse 28 of Mark, therefore, the son of man is what?

Is Lord also of the Sabbath. Who is Jesus? Well, he is he is God. He is the one who created and instituted the Sabbath. He is the only one who can properly and completely define and apply it or make exceptions to it.

Because he, the son of man, is also Lord. Of the Sabbath. In second Chronicles six eighteen, it says, but will God in very deed dwell with man on earth? Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. How much less the house, the temple, which I have built.

Jesus said, I am greater than the one. I am greater than the temple. For he is God. In Luke Lamentations three twenty two, he says this, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not but thou, oh Lord, art a god, full of compassion gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. You know, one thing, the Pharisees had completely missed and I think sometimes we act like we miss it too.

Is that God is a god of what? He's not just a god of law. He's not just a god of justice but he is also a god of love and of mercy and of compassion. Oh, how quick we are. To condemn others.

When we should be looking upon them with compassion instead of con What are you You are a sinner saved by grace We are no better than them. We have a better what? We have a better savior. It is our savior who is better. It is our savior who is It is our savior who fulfilled the law.

It is our savior who died on a cross to redeem us because of his love and because of his mercy. And the Pharisees didn't understand any of that. What or who should we be judging? The in We're storm. Midst from going that.

We continue We're on in Matthew chapter three. Actually, if you would turn back to, I mean, Mark chapter three. Actually, if you turn back to Matthew chapter 12, we're going to look at the latter half of the story here of the man with the withered hand who was healed on the Sabbath from Matthew chapter twelve nine through 14. Matthew chapter twelve nine through 14. These two events actually took place at different times.

Mark puts the two of them together because they are teaching on the same subject. They're giving the same principle. Matthew actually separates them based upon chronology, time chronology. Matthew chapter 12 verse nine, it says, and when he was departed then, went into their synagogue and behold, there was a man which had a withered hand and they asked him saying, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? That they might accuse him.

He said unto them, what man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore, it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. Then, saith he to the man, stretch forth thine hand and he stretched it forth and it was restored. Whole like as the other.

Then, the Pharisees went out and held a council against him. How they might destroy him. It was sad when they were confronted with the truth, when they were confronted by Jesus Christ, the son of God, with compassion. Instead of learning from it, they did what? They rebelled against him and sought to destroy him.

You know, sometimes when we're rebuked or when things are revealed to us that are wrong, rather than getting softhearted, we get what? Hard hearted. That's exactly what they did. Unfortunately, that's what the world does in general. When the seed lands on the hard packed soil and Satan comes and just takes it away.

Jesus entered into the synagogue and there he met a man with a disabled hand. The Pharisees seeking to find fault with Christ used this man as bait. They asked Jesus if it were lawful to heal on the Sabbath. The short answer, yes. It is lawful to heal on the Sabbath.

Though the law did not specify medical treatment in reference to the Sabbath, the Pharisees and scribes had determined that medical treatment should only be given to those in life threatening conditions. In other words, you only got treatment on the Sabbath if who decided you were bad enough to get it. That would be the Pharisees. Again, making themselves the authority on the Sabbath. It's definition and violation and and having control over the lives of others.

Jesus responded and exposed their hypocrisy by pointing out that they would certainly help their sheep out of the quagmire should it fall in on the Sabbath. He said, well, if you have a sheep and the sheep falls into the the quagmire, falls into the ditch, falls into the what do you call it? Quicksand. Are you just going to stand there and go, oh, can't help the sheep. Now, there goes my livelihood.

Yep. You just going to stand there and look at it? Are you going to actually go over there and try to pull the thing out? Well, obviously, you're going to try to pull the thing out. Is that a violation of Sabbath?

Well, obviously, they didn't think so. But healing a poor man of his withered hand was in their estimation. Again, what was their problem? They lacked compassion. They had no compassion for the man.

None whatsoever. The only thing they were concerned about was trying to catch Jesus in a compromising situation so they could what? Condemn him. Condemn. Condemn.

Condemn. Again, Christ exposed their hypocrisy. How could they properly judge the motive and actions of others including Christ in regards to the Sabbath when they had no regard or compassion for their fellow man which was the greater sin assuming that Christ's actions were a sin at all which they weren't not having compassion Therefore, Jesus turned to the man and what did he do He healed him. Why did he heal him? Did he heal him to make a point?

I don't think so He healed him because he what He needed healing. He healed him because he could. He healed him because he cared. None of which the Pharisees cared about at all. And sometimes I'm afraid we sort of act a little bit the same way.

Now, hopefully, we're not anywhere as bad as the Pharisees. Indeed, they didn't know the Lord at all. They had no relationship with him. They had a relationship with the law. They didn't have a relationship with the God of the law.

But sometimes I'm afraid we look at others with a judgmental heart. Not because we care, not because we can help, but because we want to think better of who? We want to think better of ourselves. Look if you would and turn back a few pages to Matthew chapter seven. Matthew chapter seven and verses one through five.

Now, somebody has said that Matthew seven one is the most quoted verse in scripture or misquoted verse in scripture. Judge not that you be not what? That you be not judged. Judge not that you be not judged. Now, the the Bible tell us that we should judge between right and wrong, between good and evil.

Oh, yes, it does. We're to judge between right and wrong and we're to follow the right. We're to be holy as he is holy. A matter of fact, as it pertains to church and as it pertains to associations, we need to be careful to judge that we do not join up with others who are teaching things that are false and contrary to scripture. We need to have that discernment.

Amen. What the Bible doesn't teach is that we should have a condescending attitude for others as though somehow we were so much better than they and look for opportunities to knock them down and to what? To exalt our ourselves. We're to compare ourselves to Christ. We compare ourselves to Christ, we all fall what?

We all fall short. And stop comparing ourselves to each other. And using the failures of others to make us feel better about who? Ourselves. That's what the Pharisees were doing.

That's what Jesus condemned. Judge not that you be not judged for with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged and with what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you again and why beholdest thou the mote, the speck that is in thy brother's eye but considers not the beam that is in thine own eye or or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the speck or the moat out of thine eye and behold a beam or a log is in thine own eye. Thou hypocrite. First, cast out the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the moat out of thy brother's eye. That's assuming that you wanted to help your brother at all in the first place.

Jesus said to the Pharisees, you've got a log in your eye and you're trying to see to get the speck out of somebody else's. You're straining at a gnat and swallowing a what? A camel. Straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel. It's ridiculous.

Jesus said. But yet is what they were doing. And I'm afraid sometimes in part, a trap that we can fall into as well. We first need to judge ourselves before we cannot judge but help, help others. There is a judge in heaven.

There is a judge who made them. There is a judge who will judge them according to his commands and according sadly to their unbelief if they choose to reject his son. But he is the judge. The Pharisees were all consumed with the letter of the law but they were not consumed at all with the condition of other men. They had no compassion.

Are you concerned about the condition of your neighbor? Oh, maybe he's a a jerk and maybe he's a drunk and and and maybe he doesn't treat you right. But he's a sinner in need of a savior. Are you concerned about your neighbor? Are you concerned about the friend who betrayed you?

Are you concerned about the relative who won't talk to you? Are you just content to think your better than they If not for the grace of God we would all stand condemned before him. There is none righteous. No not one Don't be a Christian who only judges. Be a Christian who cares.

Galatians six one and two. Rather than if a man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself. Lest thou also be tempted. Bear you one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. The Pharisees thought fulfilling the law was keeping every letter and every detail not only of the law of Moses but of the laws they had added to it.

Which by the way, they didn't keep themselves. As Jesus pointed out. But here we're told, we fulfill the law of Christ by carrying the burdens of who? Of others. By caring about them.

It's okay. A matter of fact, it's good to be spiritually discerning and recognize when your brother or sister in Christ is caught in a sin. And for you to avoid it but it is also It is also God's will that you try to what That you try to help them. Rather than just kick them while they're what? Down.

And I don't know how many times I've seen fundamental Christians seem more content to kick somebody when they're down than to try to what? Than to try to help them up. I think back of times in my life where I said things and did things. I wish I could go back and correct. Because I was only thinking of who?

I was only thinking of myself. I tricked myself into thinking that I was thinking of God. When in actuality, I was thinking of me. I wasn't thinking of God and I wasn't thinking of others Jesus had every right to judge but he also chose to care and even die for those who had wronged him. That's our savior.

He had every right to judge. One day, he will judge but before he judges the hearts of men, he first died for the souls of men. That they might be forgiven by his grace. And through his sacrifice. It is our privilege to represent him before others.

It is our privilege to care. It is our privilege to rightly divide the scriptures and speak them in truth and speak them in love. Are you a judge? Or are you a friend? A caregiver?

A spiritual medic? There's a lot of people out there that need someone to care. There's a lot of people out there that need a spiritual medic to bring them the gospel, to encourage them in the way of the Lord. Who are you? Are you a Pharisee?

Or are you a child of God? Have you come to Christ? The healer and spiritual medic of the soul to be saved and forgiven by him If you haven't, you can today As we sing a hymn of invitation in just a moment and Christian is there some changes that need to be made in our life or in our thinking today Don't walk out of those doors without taking a moment to talk to the Lord and deal with him today Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for your word We thank you Lord for your grace, your mercy toward us We pray Lord that we might see others as you see them. Sheep without a shepherd lost and in need of the gospel.

I pray that we would see our brother and sister in Christ with the same love and compassion with which you have seen us. Lord, that we might be quick to judge ourselves and be quick. To help and show compassion and mercy upon others. Lord, forgive us of our selfishness. Forgive us of our exalting ourselves on the backs of others who are failing.

Help us, Lord, to represent you. Holiness, justice, love, and mercy that we might be more like our savior in heaven. Forgive us of our sins and Lord, we pray today if there's one who's never come to you for sal Pray as we give this hymn of invitation today That they would come In Jesus name, amen You take your hymn books