Genesis chapter 39. So Genesis chapter 39. Alright. They're going one by one. Alright.

Genesis chapter 39, and we're gonna begin reading in just a moment from verse one through the chapter as we look more today into the life of Joseph, a chosen vessel of the Lord, a man of character, a profitable son, a despised brother. We looked in Genesis thirty seven three weeks ago at the early days of Joseph, the years that he spent at home, how he was a faithful son to his father, how that due somewhat to his father's choices in treating him special. His brothers became jealous and then bitter and then even sought to kill him. Decided instead that it was more profitable to sell him than to kill him, so they sold him to the Ishmaelites, and that's where we leave off the story. You say, boy, he he did the right things.

He honored his father. He honored the Lord. The Lord demonstrated through dreams that he gave him that he was going to be used of the Lord and yet, look what happened. His brothers came to hate him, and he was sold into slavery. You know, sometimes things don't go quite as we expect them to go in life.

If you've been around for a while, you realize that. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people but praise the Lord. If you know Jesus Christ as savior, we can claim this verse in Romans eight twenty eight that says, all things work together for good, for our benefit of those who know the Lord, who are the called according to his purpose. And we see that definitely in the life of Joseph. And we will continue to see today, as Joseph continued to honor the Lord and to be a man of character and courage and faith, that, well, he ended up in prison.

Because, well, that doesn't sound too good. No. But there's a little bit between where we start here in prison. And, of course, if you know the life of Joseph, you know it doesn't end in prison. The the Lord knows what he's doing.

We need to trust in him even through the difficult times because it will all work together for our good in the end, especially if we will continue to keep our eyes on Jesus. So chapter 39 verse one, and Joseph brought was brought down to Egypt and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight.

He served him, and he made him overseer over his house and all that he had put into his hand. Came to pass from that time that he had made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptians house of for Joseph's sake, and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he knew not ought he had save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person and well favored. We'll stop there and we'll jump over for the moment to the last few verses of the chapter to verse 21.

Verse 21. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand, all the prisoners that were in the prison, and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. And the keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand because the Lord was with him, that was with Joseph, and that which he did, and the Lord made it to prosper. What is the one phrase that is mentioned four times in the passage that we read this morning?

The Lord was with him. And this is what made all the difference in Joseph's life, in Joseph's attitude, in Joseph's success was that the Lord was with him. In Joshua one nine, read, have not I commanded thee? Be strong of a good purr courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest.

So whether you're a servant, slave, in the house of an Egyptian master to where you to whom you have been sold, a prisoner in the prison, or whether you're Joshua about to lead 2,000 2,000,000 people into the promised land to take on an enemy that is virtually unbeatable. The victory is yours if God is with you. As David declared before he took on Goliath. For greater is he that's in us than he that is in the world. Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for your word today, for the opportunity to share it, for the opportunity to look into the lives of Joseph. Be reminded as you were with Joseph, you were also with your children today. You promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Lord, you promise to work all things together for our benefit. Lord, sometimes our definition of benefit and yours may be a little bit different.

Lord, please change our heart and mind that we might delight in what you delight in, that we might look to the benefit that you have for us, that we might be conformed more to the image of your son. We thank you, Lord, for your precious promises and for the opportunity you have given us this day, this week, this month, this year, Lord, to be a light and salt and light in this world for Jesus Christ and to give you the praise for everything that you do in behalf of those you love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So we see Joe, Joseph here, a chosen vessel.

The Lord was with him even as a slave. The Lord was with him even as a prisoner. The Lord was with him even as a hated brother, and that made all the difference. Not which path you chose to take in Jack Frost's poem, but whether the Lord is with you or not. Whether you have chosen Jesus Christ, That makes all that makes all the difference.

It seemed that even though these words in Joshua one nine were penned later, Joseph knew this. He knew the Lord was with him. He believed the Lord was with him. It dramatically affected his state of mind and therefore his behavior as a slave in a foreign land. He's not the only one we read about who found himself in this type of situation.

There's a a book named Daniel, later in the Old Testament. We see another young man taken from his home and made a slave, a servant in the house of Nebuchadnezzar. He too found himself in a a difficult situation, a situation in which many would just kind of curl up and give up and say, poor me, I'll never amount to anything and life's gonna be horrible because I'm a slave or I'm a servant or this happened or that happened. But but not Joseph because Joseph knew that who was with him. The Lord was with him and indeed he was.

And that indeed made a great difference. We see, first of all, in the first six verses we read, we read about a prosperous servant. A prosperous servant. Joseph was a hardworking and faithful servant. Despite the evil which was propagated upon him by his jealous brothers, despite the great inequity of slavery in which he now found himself, Joseph continued to serve to be respectful and to do his best.

In Ecclesiastes nine ten, we read, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Whatever God your lot that God has given to you in this day and this hour, do it. Do it with all your might. Do it well. And that is the testimony of Joseph.

He was the best slave that has ever been. I don't think he dwelt upon the fact that he was a slave because really, if you know God and today if you know Jesus Christ, we are free in Christ. And the one who knows Christ, though they be the lowliest, the poorest, they have a freedom and riches that the richest, wealthiest man with all the power doesn't have. My God shall supply all your riches according all your needs according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. The Bible never casts slavery in a good light.

No. Whether it be Joseph or the nation of Israel or Onesimus. However, you will find in general God's instruction to the servant or the slave to be, do your best, be respectful of your authorities, and let God take care of the rest. Just be the best where you find yourself and trust in who? Trust in the Lord.

He knows. He knows. And there's a reason. Ephesians six five through eight, we read that that very instruction in the New Testament where we read, servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of heart as unto Christ. Now none of us in this room have ever been slaves, but but most of us in this room have been employees.

And sometimes as an employee, you might feel like a slave, and you may have a boss that isn't so kind, and things may be difficult. But what what does Paul say? With fear and trembling, the signals of heart, do your best unto Christ, not with eye services, men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With goodwill doing services to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatsoever good any good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond, a slave, or whether he be whether he be free. Who is watching when you're in that difficult circumstance that that, you may not see the light at the end of the tunnel?

The light is there because who is there? Jesus is there, and he sees and he knows, and he will reward you accordingly. So do your best as unto the Lord. Too many people, Christians included, spend too much of their time and energy bemoaning and complaining about their lot in life rather than trusting God and making the best of it. And when you trust in the Lord and step by step, you do those things that honor and please him, you will find hope and you will find joy and you will find success in Jesus Christ as did who?

Joseph. Mhmm. As did as did Joseph. The greatest generation, as some called the World War two generation, many of whom worked tirelessly to support the war, many of whom fought and put their lives at risk to protect us and other innocents around the world, many of whom lost the lives of many loved ones. After the war was over, they came home, and they built this country, their families, untold businesses despite the atrocities of war, which in some cases haunted them day after day.

They were heroes. They took the situation that they were dealt. They did their best, and for many of them, not all by any means, but for many of them who knew the Lord, they trusted in him and the Lord helped them day by day to do many things that others would have say would have been impossible. But with God, all things are what? With God, all things are possible.

My parents were born to what some might call hard lives. My mom's dad was a coal miner, in West Virginia. He worked very hard to earn just enough to feed his family to keep up the humble abode some might call a shack over their heads. They didn't have running water. They had an outhouse, and that's how my mom grew up in the hills of or mountains of West Virginia.

My dad's dad was a struggling farmer whom life dealt many hard blows and who passed away when my dad was only 10 years old. Not the easiest life by any means, but one which many people of their era lived. My parents worked harder than I can imagine to overcome, some difficulties in their life they faced and did overcome on so many levels by God's grace and strength. They are my heroes. And I was glad to get to spend the last couple of weeks with them.

They did not just complain, moan about the difficulties they had as children or the hard work they had to do later in life. They simply got up every morning and they did it. And they thanked the Lord for what they had. They were able to put my brother and I through Christian school and helped us through college. And most of all, by their example, in the home, taught us to love the Lord.

And, again, they are my heroes. And, yes, I am privileged in many ways today because of both the hard work and dedication of many who went before me, particularly my parents and my grandparents, but also because of their faith in God and the grace he showed toward them and me. But what about us today? Let's let's put aside a moment yesterday and the generation before. The question today is about who?

The lesson today is about us. How about us today? How about you? Do you do your best to work on time, work hard, respect your authorities? Do you focus your energy and time on raising your kids and giving them a good example of hard work, faithfulness, and love?

Do you give thanks for the goodness of God which has been shown unto you and the opportunities that God has given you? Or do we, like many people today, particularly, sadly, in The United States Of America, ungrateful, spend our time and energy moaning and groaning about the inequities of life? This happened to me. That happened to me. They treated me this way.

They treated me that way. I was born in this difficult situation or that one. Looking for excuses or failures rather than working hard to succeed. And the thing is when you work hard to succeed and the Lord is with you, the Lord is with you. In the end, you will not fail.

For the victory is already whose? It's already ours in Christ Jesus. The poorest and the most downtrodden of this earth who knows Jesus has a mansion waiting up there and has an open line of communication with the God of heaven, has the Holy Spirit living inside of their heart and life, and a promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us. So learn from Joseph's example. Keep working hard, doing your best.

Learn from your mistakes. Do what is right by God. And eventually, despite all the roadblocks and the other that others throw up in your path, the God of grace and strength will prevail. Our bible is filled with examples of those who did that very thing with God's help. Noah built an ark and saved his family.

Abraham and Sarah followed the Lord to a new land. Moses and Aaron led the people out of Egypt. David and Daniel and Ruth, all perfect people, all rich people. No. No.

They weren't all rich and none of them were perfect. Read the stories. Read the stories. But what made the difference? The Lord was what?

The Lord was with them. And they got up and they got up and they took the next step forward in faith. And sometimes despite their own inadequacies and their own failures, God used them greatly and blessed them and their descendants to follow. This example of Joseph God has given to us today and how pertinent and relevant, it still remains as it did then. It does today.

We see a faithful servant and one that prospered. He prospered it. Psalm one three, we read, and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bring forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Doesn't say in that verse if you're poor or if you're rich, if you're born into a certain circumstance, you belong to a certain ethnic group.

No. What what does it say in the previous verse that, well, for the one who meditates upon the word of of God day and night, he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. And so we see that Joseph prospered. That is in the first six verses we read from chapter 39, that is hammered into into the story over and over over again. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, verse two.

In verse three, and all that he did made all that he did to prosper in his hand. Verse four, Joseph found grace in his sight. That is in the grace in the sight of his master Potiphar. He made him overseer over all the house. He put everything into his hand.

The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. We read in verse five. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand. And then finally, and Joseph was a goodly person and well favored. Okay?

What is God doing? He's driving it. Even though he had been sold by his brothers into slavery, was now a slave in a foreigner's house, he prospered. He prospered. It wasn't all bad.

Not at all. A matter of fact, Joseph was probably better off than most free men in the land of Egypt and his brothers back where they were. He didn't lack for anything. Why? Well, because the Lord was what?

The Lord was with him, and he made everything that he had to prosper. And because Joseph knew that and he trusted in the Lord. Though he did prosper in the house of Potiphar, he rose in authority and privilege in the house of Potiphar because despite the setbacks, he did not give up and throw in the towel. He did not disrespect God and others. He showed himself to be trustworthy, a person of integrity, and he worked off.

He worked very, very hard, And so he prospered. But the main point was again, the Lord was with him. Number three, he had a good testimony. He had a good testimony. It says the Lord was with Joseph.

And verse three, and his master saw that the Lord was with him. And the Lord made all that he had to prosper in his hand. The Lord, all capital letters. That's God's personal name, Jehovah or Yahweh. It is the name of only one, the Lord God.

And Potiphar was made to recognize that Joseph prospered because the Lord was with him. What a testimony. That that indicates to me that Joseph didn't keep his mouth shut about the Lord. He made it known who he served and who he followed and to whom he prayed as did Daniel in the book of Daniel. And so others around him recognized.

The Bible says in Matthew five sixteen, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. Whatever situation we find, whatever place, whatever difficulty or trial we may be going through, we are to still shine as what? As light for Jesus Christ. How do we do that? By believing with all our heart that the Lord is with us.

By trusting in him and being obedient, diligent servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not being ashamed to tell others whom we serve. And God will be glorified and magnified in us. And so it became apparent to others with whom he worked and for whom he worked with whom he worked and for whom he worked that God was real to him and God was with him. And that his God blessed him for his faithfulness.

Character is revealed not in the easy times, but in the what? But in the hard times. And others saw Joseph's genuine character, and he was a good testimony. And when we're going through hard times, it is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to show others that our faith is real, our God is real, and that we're not giving up and throwing in the towel because there is no need when God is with you.

Number four, he was placed over the whole house of Potiphar. We read in Matthew 25, and so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents saying, Lord, thou deliverest unto me five talents. Behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things.

I will make thee ruler over many. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord. Now, this is true in every area of life. If we're faithful with what God has given to us, then he will give us what? He will give us more.

If we've been faithful in this life and we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, we'll have crowns to lay at his what? To lay at his feet. He was faithful in the little things, and so Potiphar made him ruler over bigger things. And though still a slave in his day, he lived better than most, including his brethren. And God was not done with him yet.

And Potiphar prospered because of Joseph's faithfulness to the Lord. You know, our faithfulness and our faith and obedience to God doesn't just affect us, it affects it affects others. Is your family benefiting from your faithfulness, your your employer benefiting, your church because of your faithfulness? Should be, can be. Has Potiphar benefited from Joseph?

Do you assist and help the work of the Lord or are you a hindrance or drag on it? Only we can choose, only you can choose whether you will be a a a help, whether you will be an encouragement to others, or whether you will be a discouragement to others, whether you will be a a drag on your family or benefit to your family, not based upon how necessarily your family always treats you, But how you choose to react, whether you choose to honor the Lord and to honor your parents and to honor your employee and to just do your what? You just do your best and let God take care of the rest. Potiphar benefited as others will benefit when we will choose to trust in the Lord. He was a faithful servant, and he was a righteous man.

Look, if you would, in verse seven. A faithful servant, a righteous man. It came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, lie with me. And he but he refused and said to his master's wife, behold, my master wanteth waddeth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. There is none greater in this house than I.

Neither hath he kept back anything for me but thee because thou art his wife. And how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? And it came to pass that she spake to Joseph day by day that he hearkened not unto her to lie by her, to be with her. And it came to pass about this time that Joseph went in the house to do his business. There was none of the men of the house there within and she caught him by his garment saying, lie with me.

And he left his garment in her hand and fled and got him out. And it came to pass when she saw that he had left his garment in his hand and was fled forth that she called unto the men of the house and spake of them saying, see, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us. He came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice. And it came to pass when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried that he left his garment with me and fled and got him out. And she laid up his garment by her until his Lord came home.

We'll stop there for the moment. So we see a faithful servant. We see a righteous man. Why? Because when tempted with immorality, what did Joseph do?

He said, two letter word, no. He simply said no. He refused the advances of Potiphar's wife. His testimony was verified by his morality. He refused to sin against who?

Against God. God was real in Joseph's life because when it would have been much more convenient for him to give in, he said no. When it was much more dangerous for him to say no, he said what? He said no. Because it wasn't about convenience.

I'm afraid sometimes our morality is affected by our convenience. It's easy to say no when it's what? Convenient. It's harder to say no when it's inconvenient. And this was definitely inconvenient for Joseph.

And yet, he did not take a moment to consider. He just simply said, no. When we are doing well, the devil is not happy. And it may be that a similar conversation was taking place in heaven that we read about in the book of Job, where Satan said to God, well, you know, look what you've done for him. Look, he's prospering.

Look, he's you you put this one temptation from, sure enough, he's gonna fall for it. And by God's grace, he didn't what? He didn't fall. And we need not fall either, for God's grace is sufficient. We just need to trust in the Lord.

Solomon wrote several times in the book of Proverbs about the dangers of a seductive woman. The dangers of that temptation and of adultery and where it would lead, we best take heed to those passages. The world treats these things today as insignificant, but God does not. Marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers, God will what? God will judge.

Just because the world treats it lightly does not mean that we should treat it lightly. In the culture in which Joseph found himself, they treated it lightly. But did Joseph? No. Because simply it was what?

It was wrong. It was wrong. It was wrong for him to betray his master and even more wrong for him to betray his God. Joseph's response, Potiphar, trust me. I'm not gonna betray him.

Joseph's response, it would be an offense to God to do so. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 15, the eyes of the Lord are in, what, every place beholding the evil and the good. For you, child of God, he's not looking down trying to find a place where you mess up so he can squash you. He is watching to see the good things to reward you. May he see those as he did with Joseph.

He was not ashamed of the Lord. In second Timothy, one eight, we read, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor me of his of me as prisoner. That's just Paul writing. But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Don't be ashamed to speak the name of who?

To speak the name of Jesus. And don't and don't just settle, by the way, for talking about God. Now God is our God. We know who God is, and God and Jesus are one and the same. But to the neighbor that you talk to, they may not know the God of whom you speak.

So be specific. Do not be ashamed to speak the name of who? Jesus. Because that is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. They may say they believe in a god.

We believe in the risen son of God who died for our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead and who has invited us to come to him in faith and be saved. Who never leaves or nor forsakes those who accept him. Joseph was not ashamed to speak speak of his God in reference to his refusal because he was confident that his God was real, that God had not abandoned him, and therefore, he must not abandon God. Jesus, while under intense temptation from Satan, every time, went back to this in his defense. It is written.

It is written. Lay it on God. He can take it. His authority. His word.

Go back to that. Trust in him. What did Joseph do? He didn't just say no. What did he do?

He ran away. He ran away. What are we told in scripture? We're told to what? To flee fornication.

Every sin which a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What are we told to do? Flee. Run from it. I'm afraid a lot of the problems we are suffering from in Christianity today, especially among men, is that we're not fleeing.

We're toying with it. We're playing with it. If you play with fire, you're likely to be what? Burned. So quit playing with fire because you'll get burned.

And instead, do what? Flee. Run away. Don't put yourself in compromising situations. Be careful what you set before your eyes.

He was concerned not only with his master, his reputation, his success, but also with the will and testimony of his God, so he ran. Do not argue with Satan. Run from him. Run from temptation. Ponder it, and you've already lost.

Just say no. And, of course, when Joseph did the right thing, then great and wonderful things happened to him. Let's read the rest of the chapter. Alright. What did happen to him?

For doing the right thing. Well, verse 16 again, she laid up his garment by her until his Lord came home and she spake unto him, that is Potiphar, according to these words saying, the Hebrew servant which thou hast brought unto us came in unto me to mock me. And it came to pass as I lifted up my voice and cried that he left his garment with me and fled out. And it came to pass when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him saying, after this manner, did thy servant to me and his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, put him into prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound, and he was there in prison.

He was there actually for several years. This wasn't just a minor blip in Joseph's life. He was in prison for several years because he did the what? He did the right thing. But you know something?

Prison was exactly where he needed to be. Now, personally, I have no desire to go to prison. It's not a place I want to go to. It's not a place I would imagine I would be ecstatically happy to be at all. It sounds a bit scary.

Don't wanna ever have to go there. But you know something? If the Lord is with you, you're better off in prison than you are to be outside of it without the Lord. And God knows what he's doing. And there are opportunities and ways even there, especially if you're there for the sake of Jesus Christ for doing what's right for you to benefit and others also.

So in all of this, even when Joseph was thrown into prison, we don't see this Joseph who gives up and throws up his hands and gets angry and upset and quits. No. We don't see that at all. Verse 21. But the Lord was with Joseph in prison and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all that the prisoners let me read that again. Committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison. And whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. And the keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand because the Lord was with him, that is with Joseph, and that which he did, the Lord made it to what? Prosper.

Where? In prison. The Lord made it to prosper. In Philippians chapter one, Paul writes the believers at Philippi and says, don't be worried about me. Yes.

I'm in I'm under house arrest. Yeah. This is not the greatest thing. But you know something? Even in this circumstances, the Lord is being glorified and the gospel is being preached.

And so this is exactly where I need to be, so don't worry about me. I'm full of joy, and you can be too because the Lord is with his children. And the Lord knows what he's doing. And rather than bemoaning and being, pitiful and giving up because of the the hand the the lot that we have been handed in life, we need to remember as believers in Christ who is in control and control of that light, that lot that we have to deal with. And know it's for a reason and it's for a good one.

And he's with us, and we can have joy and we can prosper even in difficult circumstances. Thrown into prison for his seeming misconduct, but there's no indication of bitterness or depression. He continues to do what is right. Contentment with godliness is what? Great gain.

God continues to be with him to bless him. Others continue to respond to his attitude as as the Lord places him in just the position he needs him to be. And we know as the story goes on, he's not gonna stay in prison, but it's because he's in prison that the opportunities arise that bring him to greater places. But sometimes you have to go through the valley to get to the what? The mountaintop.

And the Lord that's gonna be with you up there is also gonna be with you down here. In closing, we read this in Psalm 37. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighted in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. He did that for Joseph.

He'll do that for us. The question is, first of all, is he your God? Is he with you? He wants to be with you. He wants to change your life.

He wants to make you his child. But only as many as received him does he gave give that power. Only those who will confess Jesus Christ as Lord and believe in their heart that God has raised him from the wild. The dead shall be saved. Only those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

If you're trusting in church or membership or the waters of baptism or your good works, Don't know that the Lord is with you. In the end, none of those things will suffice. But if you have Jesus, you have eternal life. If you have Jesus, he has said he'll never leave you nor forsake you. If you have Jesus, you have a place waiting up there for you in heaven.

He has forgiven all of your your sins. And Christian, remember, when times get rough, you're not alone. Just trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord and put one foot in front of another. Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, thank you for Joseph's testimony. Testimony largely simply by just trusting you and doing the best at being a servant, a model servant, a model prisoner, and not being afraid to tell others whom he served, not being afraid to say no when Satan came knocking. And I, Lord, I pray as we know you that we will have the same faith and the same courage and that we will truly show others around us that we believe what we say and our God is real by our faith and our obedience to you. And Lord, I know that you are watching and that you love us and that you are working in our life, all things together, even for our good and the good of others whom you love. And Lord, we pray if there'd be one here today that is yet to trust in the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, that they would come today as we give this hymn of invitation.

That we might show them from God's word how they might be saved and know it. And to leave this place today knowing that the Lord is with them and will never leave them nor forsake them. In Jesus' precious name, we do pray. Amen.