The Way of Escape: Part 1

Bible depicts in Matthew chapter seven two different people. One who person who built their house on shifting sand and one who built it on solid rock. And I hope today that your life, your faith, your hope, your eternity is founded upon the rock, Jesus Christ. And it's the only place to be. It is the only place that brings eternal security and hope, peace, and joy in Jesus Christ, the solid rock on which we stand.

First Corinthians ten thirteen, we'll read this a few times this morning as we continue on the way of escape. This is a second part to message that began last week. I will recap in just a moment. First Corinthians ten thirteen, there is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able but will with the temptation also make a way of escape. That you may be able to bear.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, I pray that you would direct my words and the message this morning. I pray Lord that it would accurately portray Lord the word of truth and Lord, I pray that as the word goes forth as we look into it today that it would go forth as power with power The Holy Spirit would use the sword of the spirit to change our lives to give us hope, to give us confidence in the power of God and in your word, the promises that are therein, for your children who know you as savior, that there is a way of escape. We will trust you and take it. Lord, pray if there be one here today that's never come to know you as savior.

Never put their faith and trust in you. Lord, I pray that today they would repent and humble themselves before you and be saved. In Jesus name, amen. When I was in high school, I had to read several short stories in our literature book. Most of them I promptly forgot.

I I never particularly cared for English class. I didn't mind reading so much as I the problem was the questions at the end that I had to answer particularly when it got to what does this mean and what does that mean. I never understood well you know your opinion, my opinion, who knows what? We had to read Nathaniel Hawthorne in the Scarlet Letter. Some of you may love that book.

I didn't. The reason was is because everything in it was supposedly figuratively figurative of something else and I never could seem to get it right. But it seems funny that that which frustrated me the most in in high school is that which I do now every day. When I study the word of God because I know I know that God does have a purpose in his word. I know that it is there for a reason and there is something he wants us to learn out of it today and every day.

So, I don't mind studying it and asking the hard questions about how it can be used in our life. Not so sure about Nathaniel, Nathaniel Hawthorne and not so sure about the guy who wrote this this story though. One of them I did read short story in high school is entitled The Most Dangerous Game. Anybody remember reading The Most Dangerous Game? Anyway, it's about this guy that's marooned on this island and this fellow that lives there is a hunter and one of the things he hunts is people.

And so this guy is he he takes this guy to his house, feeds him, sets him up nice, and then sets him out in the island somewhere and begins the hunting. Called the most dangerous game. Well, that that fortunately wasn't a true story. However, this one is. Some of you may remember from your history in school about a couple of people named Lewis and Clark.

They took an expedition out across the western frontier of our country long long time ago. There was a man that traveled with them. There were several at times that traveled with them for portions of their expedition. His name was John Coulter. At a particular point in the journey he decided to hang around in a particular area near the Missouri River.

He a trapped beavers by trade and so he decided to settle down there for a bit and, in this area this territory, controlled by a group called the Blackfoot Indians. One day he was out on his boat and he was inspecting his traps for the beavers by canoe and all of a sudden he was surrounded. He and his companion by this troop of Blackfoot Warriors. Coulter's friend was killed on the spot and Coulter was captured. They later stripped him of his clothes.

They let him out to a prairie in the middle of nowhere and they let him loose and for the next eleven days they chased him. They chased him 300 miles through that area of the country until after eleven days, he found safety. He came to civilization and he escaped the Indians that in this case were hunting him. Coulter's escape was not easy. However, he made it.

He did not allow himself to give up or believe that the end was inevitable. I don't know that I would have made it. A matter of fact, I could pretty much assure you, I don't think I could've run, walk, crawled, climbed 300 miles in eleven days. This guy must have been in in great shape. But I do suspect that maybe God had something to do with that too even even if he didn't give God the glory for it.

300 miles eleven days and he did not give up. He kept running until he escaped. Satan would like you and me to think that the end is inevitable. He would like us to think that our enemies are too powerful and too numerous for us to win. We're talking here particularly of spiritual enemies.

He, Satan would like us to think that the hold that sin and addiction has on your life is unbreakable. That is what he wants you. That is what he wants the world to think. That there just is no hope. He would want you to think that there is no way to escape your miserable state.

So, you might as well just give up and give in. Please do not. Just give up and give in. Please do not listen to the devil. The Bible says, there is a what?

There is a way of escape and that way is Jesus Christ. There is a way of escape and that way is Jesus. Speaking of the way of escape which is what I titled my sermon here. The first thing you must grab a hold of. The first thing you must believe is that there is a way of escape.

And that way is Jesus. There is a way of escape from sin and hell. Bible says in second Peter, God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. What does that mean? That means God is not desirous that any of humanity die and spend an eternity in hell.

God desires that you be saved. A matter of fact, God desires so much that you be saved from the lake of fire and sins penalty in hell and the clutches of Satan. God so much desires for that that he gave his what? His only begotten son who died on the cross to pay sin's price for you and for me that through faith in him by God's grace, we might be saved. From sins judgement in hell.

The Bible calls those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ overcomers. It says here in first John five four and five, for whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God. You can overcome Satan's plan for your life. You can overcome the penalty of sin and hell.

You can overcome sin's eternal bondage. You can be freed. Through faith in Jesus Christ. God has made a way to escape. That terrible penalty.

If you will but take it. There is a way of escape. There is a way of escape. Christian when you are tempted The way of escape is the same It is Christ It is faith in Christ That is the way to escape sin and temptation That is the way to get the victory Our God is not only powerful but he is indeed faithful towards his children He will not allow us to be temp above that we are able to endure and escape that temptation That you have to trust him. You have to trust him.

Follow him you can get victory over alcohol There is a way to escape drug addiction. There is a way to get victory over impure thought life, ungodly language, lying, violent temper, laziness, but whatever you want in the blind. Sin. There is a way of escape by the power of Jesus Christ. We talked about his power in Sunday school this morning The devil wants you to believe it cannot be done You've tried so many times and failed and now once again, you've slipped up You say, it just cannot be done.

I cannot get victory I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That is the words of who? It's the words of God. Do not listen to the lie of Satan. You can have victory over whatever that sin is in your life.

That you are struggling. Whatever that temptation that allures you, there is a way of escape. Will you dare to believe it this morning? You need to understand this secondly. If you are going to find the way of escape, if you're going to get victory in your life, you need to understand that the problem with sin is your problem.

The problem with sin in my life is whose problem? My problem. We cannot blame the devil. We cannot blame God. The choices that we make are ours and ours alone.

In the Garden Of Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned, God came in the garden and Adam blamed who? Adam blamed Eve. He said, it's this woman you gave me. Actually, he wasn't really blaming Eve. Listen to it again.

It's this woman you gave me. Who is he blaming? He's blaming God. You cannot blame God and you can't blame others. Other people cannot make you do sin and wrong.

I mean, if you're a child and they, you know, I I understand that but but the choices we make are are ours. We must be willing to recognize that. It says in James one thirteen through 15. Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempted thee any man but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed and when lust have conceived, it bringeth forth sin and sin when it's finished bringeth forth death.

What does this verse tell us? It tells us that when we sin, it's whose choice? It's ours choice. We're led of, we're led astray by our own lust and our own desires. God may allow us to be put in a situation of testing but God never entices us to sin.

Matter of fact, in most cases, we don't even need the devil directly to do that. We unfortunately do that well enough on our own. You and I are responsible therefore for our own action and therefore in John 20 Joshua twenty four fifteen Joshua stood before the nation of Israel and he said, choose you this day whom you will serve. Choose you this day whom you will serve. They said, we will serve who?

We will serve the Lord but you have to to choose to make the right decision. Choose to obey him. You need to do that not just this day but you need to do that what? Every day. Every day.

If you are to get victory over sin and temptation. We need to walk in the spirit every day. For when we're not walking in the spirit, then, unfortunately, we do fulfill the lust of the flesh. We face many choices. Who will you choose to serve?

That's counselor at the camp I used to take the kids to had a saying in his counseling. He said, there's just two choices on the shelf, serving God or serving self. Which are you going to choose today? Serving God or serving self? By self, he means, our own selfish, lustful, sinful desires.

We make choices. Who will we choose to serve? We fail because we do not try it's God's way. We fail because we love our sin too much. We fail because we have bought Satan's lies that we just can't win.

We fail because we are weak but in Christ, we can be what? We can be strong. But you must be willing to admit and take responsibility for your choices. If you are to get victory. Number three, in order to get victory over sin, we must in this dovetails from the last one.

We must be willing to submit ourselves to who? To God and to his word and to to his will. Sinner, you can be saved but only if you will renounce your way in the devil's way and turn to Christ the Lord. He is God's way and he is the only way to salvation from sin and hell. He is the only way to heaven.

Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth, and life. No man comes under the father but by me. There's only one way and that's whose way. God's way in order to get to heaven and have your sins forgiven. There is a way to escape and get victory Christian over the temptations that you face.

And guess whose way that is? That's also God's way and if we will learn to submit to the will of God in our life, we will find that victory comes more easily. Oftentimes, we struggle and struggle and struggle to get victory but God says in his word, you need to do it this way and we just will not submit to God's will and we wonder, why why why can't I win? Well, you need to place yourself under the authority and the power and the blessing of God. Submit to his will.

Submit to his word. You will get the what? You will get the victory but you must be willing to follow him. James four seven says, submit yourselves to therefore to therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. The good part of that in that verse it says, resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Yes, but don't forget about the first phrase that precedes it. Submit yourselves what? Therefore, to God. If you try to resist the devil in the flesh while you refuse to submit yourself to God, you're going to find you are no match for the devil. But the devil is no match for God.

So, when we submit ourselves, when we place ourselves in in our our proper position under God's authority, we also place ourselves under God's power and the devil will have to flee because he's not afraid of you but he is afraid of him. You can't have victory if you are willing to submit yourself to God, to walk in his spirit and then you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Sad to say sometimes we still do. Every time I sin, I am not walking in what? I'm not walking in the spirit because if I were walking in the spirit, I wouldn't be sinning.

We must submit to God's authority. Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to what? Trust and obey. So, you must first of all recognize there's a way of escape. Second of all, you must recognize that our decisions are ours.

We must be willing to take responsibility. Number three, you must be willing to submit yourself to God. Number four, and this is where we pick up where we left off last week and and I actually did very good getting through my review in about ten minutes. So, number four, understand that the primary means of escape from temptation in addition to faith and submission are resisting and fleeing. Resisting and fleeing.

How are you going to beat temptation? Resist and flee. First Peter five eight and nine. Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil is a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. If somebody said, watch out there's a lion escape from the zoo in your neighborhood.

Are you going to walk up the lion and go, here kitty kitty kitty. Probably not. You're going to resist. You're probably going to go in your house, close the door, you're going to hide. Okay?

You aren't going to expose yourself, to the possibility of getting eaten by the lion. It just isn't the smart thing to do. There is an enemy that we face that is much more dangerous than a lion. Satan. And he is like a roaring lion.

He roams about seeking whom he may devour. And you know who he is most aggravated at? You know who he hates the most? Christians. He has everybody else.

He wants you. Now, Jesus told Peter Peter, Satan has desire to have you that he may sift you as weak but I have what? Have I have prayed for you? I thank the Lord that I am in God's hands. I believe with all my heart, I'm secure in Jesus Christ that no man or any other power can pluck me out of his hands but I'm not sure convinced.

I'm not convinced that Satan thinks that. Remember Job? He came came to God about Job Says, well, look, yeah, Job believes you. He serves you. Look what you've done for him.

I take that all away. He'll curse you. God knew better than that. Satan didn't. He was determined.

He was going to destroy Job. And he's determined. He's going to destroy you and he may not be able to destroy our eternity but he can destroy your hope and your joy and your peace and your effectiveness and your testimony for Jesus Christ. He can destroy many things. We have an enemy, the devil.

He is out there and he does want to destroy you. You must resist. And you must flee. You must flee. Second Timothy two twenty two.

Paul writes, flee youthful lust. Follow after but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Flee. Flee temptation. Flee youthful lust.

Don't play with fire. If you play with fire, you'll get what? Burned. If you play with a lion you will probably get eaten. Okay?

This guy that was held captive by this group of Indians and was then let go and obviously they made a chase of it. He didn't just stand there and say, okay, come get me. What did he do? He ran. He ran.

He ran. He ran. He ran. He ran. And he kept running until he escaped.

Don't give in to temptation. Don't play with temptation. Run from it. Run from it. It is not your friend.

It is your enemy. Satan is not your friend. He is your enemy. Resist and flee. Insulate yourself.

Insulate yourself from temptation. In other words, if that lion's roaming about the neighborhood, go in your house. Close your windows. Close your doors. Lock them and insulate yourself from the lion who wants to eat you.

When we have hurricanes come what do we do? We board up our houses and we go inside and we hunker down. Or in my case, I came up here to the church and I hunkered down. After I boarded up my house. Insulate yourself against temptation.

When Kate and I began dating back in college, we set boundaries. Things we would not do. To insulate ourselves. From temptation. I used to take teens to a Christian camp every summer They would often make decisions about things they were struggling with in their life.

One of the things that they many a times made decisions about, they confessed to the Lord was that they watch stuff on their TV set. That they shouldn't be watching. Many of them. Now, today, you don't have to have a TV set. All you have to have is a what?

A phone. And take it with you everywhere you go. These teenagers had TV sets in their rooms, their bedrooms. They were hooked up to satellite and cable. Their parents paid subscriptions to HBO, HBO, and Cinemax and and there they were.

Temptations sitting right there on their dresser in their room with a closed door or today in your pocket, in your phone. Insulate yourself. Get a filter. Put on this thing. Don't subscribe to HBO and things that are potentially tempting.

To you or to your kids. Insulate yourself. Resist temptation. Don't play with fire. Matthew chapter five verses twenty eight and thirty.

Christ puts it this way. You know, he's using a little bit of what's called hyperbole here in literature but I think you'll understand the point. He says but I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. He goes on to say if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee for it's profitable that to for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell and if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee for it's profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Now what is Jesus teaching in this principle?

He's not actually telling you to go pluck your eye out or to cut off your hand. What he is telling you is if there is something that is a temptation to you Do something about the temptation when you can. You can put a filter on your computer. You can take the TV set out of your bedroom. You can stop going to those places with those people.

You can take those cigarettes and throw them in the trash. You can dump that alcohol out and not let it sit in your cupboard. Insulate yourself from temptation. If you don't, then you maybe bypassing your way of what? Your way of escape that God has given insulate yourself from temptation.

And then second of all, run for the hills. Insulate yourself from it and if you find yourself outside with the lion roaming around, get out of Dodge. Run away. There are some temptations that are hard to run away from but there are some that are actually pretty easy. If you're willing to flee.

Insulate yourself and run away. Genesis chapter 39. Turn over there with me if you would for a moment. Genesis 39. First book in the Bible should take you too long to find it.

Genesis chapter 39. And verse seven. Story of Joseph. Did Joseph ever face temptation? Yes.

Did Jace Joseph get victory over temptation? Yes. What did he do? He ran away. Verse seven, came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph.

She said, lie with me but he refused. What is that? He resisted, okay? He refused. He resisted.

He said, to his master's wife, behold, my master wanteth not wanteth not what is with me in the house. In other words, he he doesn't, he trust me. He hath committed all that he hath to my hands. So, he's not concerned about the things that I have access to because he trust me. Verse nine, there is none greater in this house than I, neither hath he kept anything, back anything from me but thee because thou art his wife.

How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? How did Joseph overcome temptation? He submitted himself to who? He submitted himself to God. But moving on.

It came to pass as she spake to Joseph day by day that he hearkened not unto her to lie with her or to be with her. It came to pass about this time that Joseph went into the house to do his business and there was none of the men in the house there within. She caught him by his garment saying, lie with me and he left his garment in her hand and fled and got him out. How did he escape temptation? He ran away.

He ran away. How are we going to escape temptation? Resist it, insulate yourself from it, and when you find yourself in that position, when you find yourself in that circumstance, don't toy with it. Run away. Flee temptation.

Turn that set off, look away, leave the party, throw away the drugs, run away. Run away today and run away tomorrow and run away the next day. For eleven days, John Colter ran and he ran and he ran till he escaped. Keep running until you get victory over that sin. Don't settle.

Don't buy the lie. Oh, there is no way of escape. Resist and flee. Number five, understand God's word holds the keys. This one really goes with submitting to God's will because God's will is revealed where?

God's word. But it these words are not just instructions like the manual of how to put the thermostat up that I did yesterday. These words are powerful. Because these are God's words. They're not just words on a page.

With God's word comes great power especially when we read it, memorize it, and apply it to our lives. When The first words that we read that Satan said in the Bible are what? Yey, hath God said. He questioned whose word. He questions God's word.

He questioned the word of God. He said, yey, hath God. That's where he started. Yey, hath God said that you can't eat of these beautiful, wonderful trees that are here for you. Yey, hath God said.

He questioned God's word. The devil in the world out there today and some people who call themselves Christians in seminaries want Christians to question God's word. We need to believe God's word. We need to stand on God's word. We need to proclaim God's word.

We need to apply God's word. We do not need to question it or ignore it. Or disobey it. Yey, hath God said. Turn if you would to Matthew four.

So, we went to the first book of the Old Testament. Now, let's look at the first book of the New Testament. Matthew chapter four. How are you going to overcome temptation? Are you going to find a way of escape?

Well, you need to stand on God's word. You need to stand on God's word. That's what Jesus did Matthew four verse one Matthew four one. Then was Jesus led up with the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted above of the devil and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward and hungered and when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered, Jesus answered and said, it is what?

It is written. It is written. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. He was quoting the Old Testament scriptures. He was quoting God's word.

Why? Because it is God's represents God's authority. And his power. It is written. It is written.

Number five, then the devil taketh him up into a holy city and set it him on a pinnacle of the temple. It's very high up and say it unto him, if thou be the son of God, cast thyself down. For it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee and in their hands, they shall bear thee up lest at any time thou dash thy foot against the stone. Satan realized that okay, Christ is quoting scripture to me. So, I'm going to twist scripture and take it out of context and quote it back to him.

Well, Jesus knew what Satan was doing. Satan does that today. Satan's not afraid of twisting and perverting scripture and using it for his own purpose. Sad to say there are a lot of false prophets out there doing that today. But it didn't dissuade Jesus.

No, he didn't stop quoting God's word either because he knew what it meant and he knew how it applied and so he he says in verse seven, Jesus said unto him that is Satan, it is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Satan wanted him to jump off the pinnacle of the temple. So, when he landed in the middle of the temple square and wasn't injured that everybody would go, it's the Messiah. Do what God do with Satan's way and not God's way. Get out of the cross.

That wasn't God's will. So, Jesus wouldn't do it. Says it is written. Verse eight, again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, showeth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and say it unto him, all these things will I give thee if thou will fall down and worship me. Just just just for a moment, just a second, just, you know, just just just bow, just a little.

And that's all you have to do and and I will give it all to you. And what did Jesus say? Verse 10 and Jesus said unto him, get the hint Satan for it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve then the devil leave it him and behold angels came and ministered unto him. He said, it is written, it is written, it is written, it is written, it is written, and the devil did what?

The devil left. Take keep standing on God's word. Hide it in your heart. Quote it when you are tempted. Believe it, apply it, you will get the victory.

Psalm one nineteen nine and eleven. Wherewithal shall young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee. Stand on God's word God's word holds the key. It is quick and powerful as any two edged sword.

It is the sword of the spirit. We'll get to that in our evening services in the next few weeks. And then finally, understand that honesty with ourselves and God is vital. This kind of dovetails with you. You have to take personal responsibility for your sin.

You have to be honest with yourself and God if you're going to get the victory over sin. If you keep denying that you're sinning, then you're going to keep continuing to sin. The Bible says, we must be willing to what? Confess it. First John one nine, if I confess my sins, he is faithful and just forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Cleanse us. Give us victory Get that out of our life but he's not he can't do that until you're willing to admit that there is a sin that you are struggling with in your life Confess it. Don't deny it. Confess it. Don't mock it.

Don't laugh at it. Oh yeah, everybody's doing just a little thing Sometimes, people point out sin in other people's life and they just laugh it off. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I I do that.

Yeah. Yeah. I have a little problem with the bottle, you know. Oh, it's funny. No, it's not.

It's not funny. Ruining your life It's an affront against the your maker Don't deny it. Don't mock it. The Bible says Proverbs fourteen nine who makes a mock at sin? Not wise people, fools.

Sin is not a laughing matter. And number three, don't justify it. Oh well, but they did this to get with this little You hear this all the time. Why'd you? Well, he said it to me first.

Well, he did this to me first. So, it's, you know, it's I'm justified in doing it. He cussed me so I can what? I can cuss at him and that makes it okay, does it? Does it?

I don't think so. No. Well, I was raised in a home with a father who was a drunkard. So, it only makes sense that I will drink. Does it?

Well, it seems to me that you would think maybe the opposite It doesn't justify Well, this happened to me. Well, that happened to This person that they said this, this There's no justification for sin. There may be reasons why you are weak in that area. There may be reasons why you are more tempted than somebody else. Yeah, I'm not denying those but they do not justify our sin.

Well, I only did it once or only did it twice. I'm not a drunk if I only get drunk once or get drunk twice. No, I don't think so. I think getting drunk once is a sin Says in Ephesians five three and four Here's the reason I believe that As God says it, but fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be a 100 times named. 50 times?

Three times? No, what? At one time. But fornication, uncleanness, covetous, let it not be once named among you as become a saints. Neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient.

The rather giving of thanks. That's just one dirty joke. Well, then, it's just one what? One sin. That's what it is.

You need to recognize it for what it is. You need to be honest with yourself and honest with God and you need to confess that because if you don't, it's not going to be just one. It will become what? It will become two and it will become three. Now it's just one drink.

Careful. It's apt to become one and then become two and then become. Oh, it's just one lie. Just one lie. That's right.

How many of you remember how you felt? Maybe the first time you lied on a test or the first time you lied to your parents or first time you lied to us, this terrible feeling of guilt. But you know, if you do it over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, the guilt kind of doesn't bother you quite as much. That sin's hook. It's getting your hook in you.

Just don't do it once and if you do, confess Be honest with God and be honest with yourself. Don't deny it. Don't mock it. Don't justify it. The key to salvation is admitting that you are a sinner.

The key to salvation is admitting that you have a sinful that you are in a sinful lost condition. And in recognizing that turning to the only one who can save you from it And that is Jesus. Have you done that? Have you allowed yourself? You've been honest with yourself?

About your sin. About your condition before God and turn to him and humility, repentance, and faith, and trust in him. It's the only way to be saved. It is the way of escape. And the key to victory Christian over daily battles with sin and temptation is your submission to God and your admission to God when you fail Seeking his help in giving you the victory If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness There is a way of escape Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day. Thank you Lord for the precious word that you have given to us. That tells us of this way of escape, Jesus and Jesus Christ, our savior. Thank you for the escape that we who know Christ as savior has found in him through faith by your grace. Lord, give us victory over the temptations we struggle with and help us Lord to grow in that faith, to trust you more, to believe that you are able to give us victory.

For you have overcome the world and we are overcomers in you. Lord, help us to hide your word in our heart to submit our will to yours To resist and flee temptation and when we sin to confess it before you so that you can cleanse us and give us the victory over and Lord, we pray if there's one here today that's never trusted you as Lord and savior who has never truly come confess to you their sinful and lost condition entrusted you through themselves upon your mercy and faith to save them. I pray Lord that they would do that today and they would come as we sing this hymn of invitation In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.