Latest / HBCWestminster / 5.31.20 Luke 7:1-17 Pastor Danny Gardner

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5.31.20 Luke 7:1-17 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  Well, if you have your Bibles, you can open to Luke chapter 7. We continue our study in the Gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 7 in our text this morning is verses 1 to 17. We're going to see the healing of the centurion servant. We are also going to see the raising of a widow's son. And so that is our text this morning. Allow me to read it. Then we'll pray and begin. If you're able to stand in honor of God's Word, even at home, I would ask you to stand now as I read, and then we'll pray.
• 0:27
  Luke 7 and verse 1 says, And after he had finished all his sayings and the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. And a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly saying, He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he is the one who built us our synagogue.
• 0:57
  And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends saying to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore, I did not presume to come to you, but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority with soldiers under me. And I say to one, go, and he goes. And to another, come, and he comes. And to my servant, do this, and he does it.
• 1:22
  When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him and turning to the crowd that followed him said, I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. Soon afterward, he went to a town called Nain and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother. And she was a widow and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
• 1:51
  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep. Then he came up and touched the buyer, and the bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say to you, arise. And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited his people. And this report about him spread.
• 2:18
  through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. Would you pray with me, church? Almighty God, whose will it is to be glorified in your saints and who is the light of the world. Shine, we pray, Lord Jesus, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth praise. Lord, you called us out of darkness and into your marvelous light through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives.
• 2:49
  and reigns with you, the Father and the Holy Spirit, three in one. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. And amen. Amen. Thank you, church. You can be seated. Well, last week we concluded our study of what we called the Sermon on the Level, the most catastrophic sermon ever preached because by it, the Lord turned the world upside down. He called the poor and hungry blessed, but he called the rich and full cursed.
• 3:16
  He called us to love our enemies and to give generously, expecting nothing in return. He called us to extend the same grace which has been extended to us through Christ. He taught that illuminated Christians must be careful about their sources of information, leaning on the understanding obtained through God's Word and not looking to the spiritually blind for answers. He taught that our lives must be founded upon the sure foundation of Christ and His teaching because all else is shifting.
• 3:47
  This morning, we're actually going to start at the end in verses 16 and 17, where it says, Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited his people. And this report about Jesus spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. Fear, glory, and spread.
• 4:11
  I'm going to make a statement that many would disagree with, I think, but that is nonetheless true, and I believe that I can support this statement with facts. The statement is this. Jesus Christ is the greatest and most influential man who has ever lived. Now, there are many who would try to deny his very existence foolishly, I might add, because no other person in history
• 4:38
  has had so much documentation written about his earthly life than Jesus. A few years ago, my family and I went to Washington, D.C. and saw many of the monuments and museums there. We had the privilege of taking a tour of Ford's Theater, where on that fateful day so many decades ago, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and then rushed directly across the street to the Peterson House, which has also been preserved, where he was laid on a bed and eventually died.
• 5:08
  Right next to and adjacent to the Peterson House is now a museum, a museum honoring the life of President Abraham Lincoln. There are artifacts there. There are timelines of his life and many of his accomplishments there. It's really neat. It's a four-story high building, and right through the center of that four-story building is kind of a big circular staircase wrapping up and down so that you can get to different levels of that museum and erected directly through the center of the staircase.
• 5:38
  Four stories tall is a stack of books, a massive stack around of books, all biographies of Abraham Lincoln. And there's obviously bracing and things on the inside of that in order to make sure that the books don't fall over. But from the outside, you can walk along that staircase all the way up and look at all of the books that have been written about that one man. He has had more biographies written about him, more books about him than any other.
• 6:07
  in American history, there are currently more than 16,000 different titles devoted to Abraham Lincoln. 16,000 different books written about him. It caused me to think, what about some other famous figures through history? Maybe the most famous British man who has ever lived, Winston Churchill. He's his only number into the hundreds, even low hundreds. Napoleon Bonaparte, the most famous Frenchman of all time.
• 6:38
  only has dozens of biographies. Other famous figures, Adolf Hitler, only into the dozens. Alexander the Great, maybe the second most influential man of all time in human history, also only numbers into the dozens or low hundreds. As of April 2019, one year ago, April 2019, there have been 65,571 different books published.
• 7:07
  with their main topic being the life and impact of Jesus Christ. Four times, 65,000 different books, four times the number of the man in second place, Abraham Lincoln. Now that does not include the Bible, which is by far the most translated and circulated book in the world.
• 7:28
  As of 2020, the New Testament has been translated into over 1,500 different languages. That represents about a third of the world's languages in total. 1,500 languages. There are approximately 5 billion copies of the Bible in existence. And that book is all about Jesus. You say, well, Danny, what's the point? The point is this.
• 7:54
  I think that one would have an easier time proving the non-existence of Abraham Lincoln than they would proving the non-existence of Jesus Christ. He's just been so well documented. He clearly lived. For more information on the topic, if you're interested in this topic, you want to read some more, I would recommend this book, The Historical Jesus by Gary Habermas. It's fantastic. The subtitle says...
• 8:17
  ancient evidence for the life of Christ. If you're just interested in the historicity of Jesus, was he really a man? Did he really exist? Or is he a fairy tale? That's a good book for your reading. But consider also the fact that there has never been a man who has had a greater impact socially than Jesus. It was Jesus who stood up and defended a woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8. In fact, women's rights didn't even exist before Jesus.
• 8:48
  It was Jesus who commanded employers to do good to their servants. It was Jesus who proclaimed freedom for captives. It was Jesus who fed the hungry and healed the sick. Now, I know that the social gospel as a movement has been criticized, and don't get me wrong, it has its problems, certainly. But to completely detach the gospel from any kind of Christian social involvement was not the example of Christ.
• 9:16
  Jesus Christ changed the society in which he lived. There has also never been a man who has had a greater impact politically than Jesus. And there have been many, like Alexander the Great, who we've already mentioned, who have conquered nations as generals at the heads of their armies. But no man has had so many nations conquered in his name and then founded upon his teachings, as has Christ.
• 9:46
  Most obviously, there has never been a man who has had a greater impact spiritually. And we know that only the Lord knows those who are his, those who are saved. And it was Jesus who said that the road to heaven is narrow and that few find it. But even still, the number of Christ-professing Christians in the last 2,000 years is almost innumerable. In fact, John Piper in his book, Let the Nations Be Glad,
• 10:14
  estimates the number of redeemed into the countless millions, he says. Now, why do I bring all of that up? Because verses 16 and 17 of our text say that when people encountered Christ, they left changed. Their lives would never be the same. When they encountered compassion and power, the likes of which they had never seen before, they became intent on telling others about him.
• 10:42
  When he performed these compassionate and powerful miracles, people didn't just receive them, say thanks, and move on about their day. They became intent on spreading that news about Jesus. We have been bombarded with numbers that only four months ago none of us had ever even heard of or considered. Infection rates is one of those.
• 11:10
  infected COVID-19 patients experts initially thought would then go on to infect at least three others. Now, whether that's turned out to be true or not, I think only time will tell.
• 11:23
  I have always been made fun of by many members of my family and even members here at Highland as being a mild germaphobe. I will readily admit it. It is true. I wash my hands consistently Sunday mornings. I never touch my face. I'm very careful about doing that because I shake so many people's hands. I will readily confess that I am a very awkward hugger.
• 11:48
  I know that that's true. I try not to give hugs. I'm just not even good at it. But Lord, make me an infectious Christian. Have you ever thought, church, about your infectious rate? How many people, have you ever wondered, how many people will I infect with the gospel in my lifetime? Bill Hybels and Mark Middleburg years ago wrote a book called Becoming a Contagious Christian.
• 12:19
  I'm not positive that I'm on board with their ministry model, but I sure like the book's title. I want to be contagious. I have no intention of allowing the gospel that was entrusted to me to die with me. If you'll allow me just a moment to rabbit trail. Turn, if you would, in your Bibles to Mark 5. Turn to the left, Mark 5. In Mark 5, you see the man.
• 12:47
  possessed by a demon. Jesus travels through the Sea of Galilee region. He comes to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, what is known as the Decapolis. It was primarily inhabited by Gentiles. He goes to the Decapolis and the area or countryside called the Gerasenes or the Gadarenes next to the Sea of Galilee. And he gets out of the boat and he is immediately confronted by a demon-possessed man. And this is the man.
• 13:13
  who says that the demons within him are legion, that there are thousands of demons living within him. This man had lost his mind, had lost his social status, had lost his family and friends. He used to live in tombs in the ground, cutting himself constantly. You can imagine this man completely disfigured because of the demons that were living within him and tormenting him. When Jesus got out of the boat, this man comes screaming out of the tombs and confronts him.
• 13:42
  Jesus begins a conversation with the demon-possessed man. And in that conversation, you'll recall, the demons beg Jesus not to be sent into the abyss. But rather, they say, send us into the pigs. There was a herd of pigs nearby. Send us into the pigs. Jesus does. He casts out the demons. The legion of demons puts them into the pigs. The pigs go berserk. They fall off a cliff and die. In Mark 5, in verse 14, we pick up the story where it says the herdsmen...
• 14:11
  fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion sitting there. But now, you catch this church? Now he's clothed and in his right mind. And the people, it says, were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. Now this is interesting. Look at their response.
• 14:38
  And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. They wanted nothing to do with Jesus. If he has that kind of power, I don't know who this guy is. Get out. And they beg him to leave. Verse 18 says, as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him, but said to him instead, listen to what Jesus says to the formerly demon-possessed man. Go home to your friends.
• 15:08
  Tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you. And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone marveled. What a tremendous story. Go home, tell your friends and family how much the Lord has done. And this man, it says, went and did that. He began to preach in his own hometown and then in that surrounding region telling everybody, I used to be demon possessed. I was the guy who was in the tombs. I was that guy.
• 15:38
  But now the Lord has restored me. And you may ask, well, did it work? Did it work? Did his preaching work? You flip the page to the right, Mark chapter 6 in verse 53. This is now the next time. So Jesus left the Decapolis. This is now the next time. He's eventually worked his way back around months later now. Chapter 6 in verse 53 says, when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, the same area, that region of the Gerasenes.
• 16:07
  and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized Jesus and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, countryside, they laid there sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment and as many as touched it.
• 16:31
  were made well. Can you imagine Jesus jumps out of the boat and now he gets flooded with all of these people. And rather than the last time, these same people were begging him to leave. Now they're bringing their sick. They're bringing their demon possessed and tormented. They're bringing their friends and family who they love and are begging.
• 16:49
  Jesus to stay. And I can just imagine in my own mind's eye, I can just imagine Jesus looking across this throng of people, looking across the crowd, seeing the formerly demon-possessed man in the very back. Now he's back. He's been reunited with his family and friends. And for just a moment, Jesus and that man lock eyes. You can imagine Jesus just with a grin on his face, seeing him again. And this man just mouthing the words to Jesus, I did it.
• 17:18
  I did it. I did what you told me to do. Oh, it gives me chills. I did it. I went to my friends. I told them everything that you've done for me. I told them, I brought them back. I heard that you were back and I told them, you're back. You can help us. You can heal us. You can save us. I told them what you told me to tell them. You know, according to one Christian ministry, 56%, 56%, more than half.
• 17:47
  of American evangelicals pray for opportunities to share their faith, but then less than 10% actually ever do. Highland, how are we doing at fear, glory, and spread? I love, we'll go back to Luke chapter 7, I love that these two verses finish our story, fear seizing them all, glorifying God, and then the report about him spreading.
• 18:16
  I love that these two verses finish our story, but it causes me to wonder, what two verses will finish my story? When my life has been spent, when my life is over, when I'm about to cross over that kind of chasm between this life and the next, the thin veil which separates this life and the next, which two verses will be written about me? Well, that's where we're going to start at the very end. Now let's go back to the beginning. We'll look at these two miracles.
• 18:46
  We're going to study them separately, but they really are intended to be linked. We'll talk about that in just a minute. Because they were performed one after the other, but both of them demonstrate the same thing. They both demonstrate the compassionate, miracle-working power of Christ. And so let's look at them. You'll notice first in verses 1 to 10, the power of God over a centurion's servant. If you're taking notes, you could call this section, verses 1 through 10, amazing faith. You look at verse 1.
• 19:15
  After he had finished all his sayings and the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now, where is Capernaum? Capernaum was the largest city along the northwestern side of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum kind of became the headquarters of Christ during his 18-month-long ministry in Galilee in that region. It was his launching point. In fact, when Jesus went and healed the Apostle Peter's mother-in-law.
• 19:40
  It says that she was living in Capernaum. Peter's house was in Capernaum. And whether he was raised there or not, he probably wasn't, but he did end up eventually living there. The apostle Peter even called that his home for a portion of his life. Continue in verse 2. It says, now a centurion had a servant. Now, what is a centurion? A centurion would have been an officer in the Roman army. He's called a centurion. You hear the word century in there.
• 20:07
  He's called a centurion because he would have commanded a force of approximately 100 soldiers. A modern equivalent in the U.S. Army would be a captain over a company. A company is about 100 to 150 soldiers. A captain oversees that company. Now, some interesting notes about centurions in the New Testament. First, there are actually seven centurions mentioned in the New Testament.
• 20:35
  Every one of them is spoken of favorably. Now that's weird, considering that centurions were the backbone of the Roman army, and the Roman army was the oppressing force, the oppressing, occupying force over Israel. They were hated. They were hated among the Israelites, and yet these seven centurions are actually spoken of favorably.
• 21:03
  And I think the reason is because centurions of Rome typically did not begin as officers. They would have been enlisted men, common men, who rose up through their ranks because of their dependability and hard work. They were often chosen for their post, not because they were daredevils, certainly not because they were warmongers, but because they could be counted upon. They were typically men of integrity and strength.
• 21:30
  They would stay at their post, even die at their post, rather than shirk their responsibility. Listen to G. Campbell Morgan in his commentary on the Gospel of Luke. He says, in all these centurions, all seven, there is something to admire. In some of them, much to admire. And in this one, Luke 7, everything to admire. Everything to admire. So who was this centurion? Why was he of note in the life and ministry of Christ? Why should we admire him?
• 21:59
  First, because it says, and although he's never named, there are several things that are mentioned about him. First, because he was a virtuous man. He was a virtuous man. Look at verses two to five. It says, now a centurion who had a servant was sick at the point of death who was highly valued by him. And the centurion heard about Jesus and he sent to him elders of the Jews asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly saying, he is worthy to have you do this for him for he loves our nation and he is the one who built us.
• 22:29
  Our synagogue. This centurion was a virtuous man. He had done much for those around him. He had done much even for those under him. He built the Jewish synagogue in Capernaum. And consider this, his encounter with Jesus was even on behalf of another. This man thought not of himself, but of others first. But notice also, this centurion was humble. Look at verse 6. Jesus went with them.
• 22:57
  When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends saying to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. That is really interesting that he would say he is not worthy, because he just a verse ago was called worthy by his countrymen. But he had a low view of himself. He is readily admitting here his own lowliness. In fact, in the entire story, he never actually meets Christ.
• 23:26
  face to face. J.C. Ryle has said that humility is one of the surest marks of a spirit-filled life. He says, we know nothing of humility by nature, for we are all born proud to convince us of sin, to show us our vileness and corruption, to put us in our right place, to make us lowly and self-abased. These are among the principal works which the Holy Spirit works in the soul of man.
• 23:56
  Colossians chapter 3 and verse 12, put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 5, clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Highland, we can miss out on a lot of things. We can completely miss the point on a lot of things, but let us not miss out on this.
• 24:25
  The Lord calls us to humility. It is impossible to think too highly of God, but we can and often do think too highly of ourselves. This man was a humble man. Notice also, third, he was a genuine believer in sovereignty. Look at verses 7 and 8. Therefore, he continued, I did not presume to come to you, but say the word and let my servant be healed.
• 24:54
  For I to him a man set under authority with soldiers under me. And I say to one, go. And he goes. And to another, come. And he comes. And to my servant, do this. And he does it. But say the word, he says. The centurion believed in Christ's power over disease the same way that he believed in his own power over his subordinates. In other words, and catch this, church, disease is subordinate to Christ. And this is a message that we must be reminded of today.
• 25:24
  Let us not forget, beloved church, that our hope is not in our healthcare system. God bless them. I love them. But our hope is not in our doctors and nurses. Our hope is not in the vaccine. I have heard so many people say that. We're just hoping for a vaccine. We're just hoping for a vaccine. And listen, church, a vaccine would be great. It'd be great. But that's not where we place our hope. Our hope is in Christ.
• 25:53
  The God of disease. Diseases are subordinate to Christ. If you want a really clear mental picture of this, imagine disease bowing the knee to Jesus. He is sovereign even over disease. And the centurion understood that. Notice last, this centurion possessed amazing faith. Look at verses 9 and 10.
• 26:17
  When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him and turning to the crowd that followed him said, I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. What a stark contrast to the faith of Jesus' day. In Matthew 12 and verse 38, the sneering Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign from heaven. And Jesus rebuked them in verse 39 saying, an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 22.
• 26:49
  It says Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. A stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ, the power and wisdom of God. And there should have been no greater faith in all of Israel than the faith of the Jewish people. They had witnessed the plagues of Egypt. They had seen the Red Sea Cross. They had been provided for during the wilderness wanderings. But during this generation even,
• 27:19
  This same generation had seen demons cast out. They'd seen the sight of blind men restored. They had seen lame men walk. And yet the faith of this Roman soldier proved stronger than the faith of God's own so-called religious people. Surely this was an amazing faith. But notice second, verses 11 to 16, the power of God over a widow's dead son. And again, for your notes, this could be called amazing.
• 27:49
  grace. Verse 11 says, soon afterward, he went to a town. Soon afterward. And these two events, I think, are intentionally tied together in the gospel story. And although soon afterward is indefinite, it denotes a maximum of just a few days in between. Just a few days happen between these two events. It says that he travels to a town called Nain. Now, Nain was a tiny village.
• 28:17
  Compared to Capernaum, it was a blip on the map. It was about 20 miles southwest of Capernaum and maybe a day's journey. They had no Roman garrison, honestly, because there was no need. There was hardly any people. The only noteworthy thing that Nain could claim was that across their valley, they could see another small town called Shunem. And Shunem was the place where the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 4 raised a boy from the dead.
• 28:47
  So Nain said, well, we can see the town where that was done, but nothing ever happens in our town. Continue, verse 11, it says, a great crowd went with him. And as he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. Well, who was this woman? It says she was a widow with a child, which means she was a single mom.
• 29:14
  She had only one child, in fact, a son. And this son would have been, in that culture, the only hope that she had for redemption and provision. So you can imagine the situation this woman found herself in. She's a widow from a nothing town who had lost her only child. She was hopeless and helpless. But notice in verses 13 to 15, the compassion of Christ.
• 29:44
  It says, and when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said, do not weep. Now that word compassion is one that our church has studied many times. It's used frequently in the New Testament. One of my favorite Greek words, the word splachna. It's a really gross word. You kind of spit when you say it. It is not a COVID-19 safe word. Definitely be wearing your mask every time you say the word splachna.
• 30:09
  But that word was actually intentionally a gross sounding word. The word for compassion or pity used in the New Testament because it was meant to sound like its meaning. Splachna sounds like you're getting sick to your stomach. And that's exactly what it was intended to convey. Jesus, when he saw this woman, had compassion on her. But he didn't just think, oh, that's a shame. Instead, it says it turned his stomach. He felt physically ill. He was so brokenhearted over the plight.
• 30:36
  of this woman and notice that the compassion of christ actually helped to absorb the sorrow of this widow it continues in verse 13 when it says do not weep his compassion helps to absorb her sorrow it says in verse 14 that he came to and touched the buyer that is this procession where the dead man was being carried the bearers stood still and he said young man i say to you
• 31:03
  arise here's another thing i love about the compassion of christ is that the compassion of christ is not empty it is filled with the power of god jesus gave him it says began this young man sat up began to speak in verse 15 and jesus gave him back to his mother jesus can heal and strengthen and even turn eternal destinies around here's what's hard to swallow about this passage i'll know although we know
• 31:31
  that God can do those things, this is not always our experience. In fact, you may even be thinking, you know, God never healed me like that. God never absorbed my sorrow like that. But here's something I think we can deduce based on these two events. God is undoubtedly in control of all things, even down to the molecular level, even all the way down to the viral level. God is in control of all things, that God...
• 32:02
  has the power to change anything He wants, and we see that God is also compassionate. And therefore, and here's I think a conclusion that we could draw, if God does not exert His power in order to change our circumstances, it is not because He does not care, but rather that our circumstances must be serving His eternal purpose. You know, after having performed these miracles, it makes sense.
• 32:33
  That word about Jesus then spread all over the countryside. You may be thinking, well, I've never seen miracles like that. Well, haven't we? Turn, if you would, with me to Romans 1. Romans 1, just a short right-hand turn in your Bibles there. Chapter 1 and verse 16. The Apostle Paul writing says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. It is the power of God.
• 33:03
  The word for power there is the Greek word dunamis. It's where we get the word dynamite. Dynamite. It is the dynamite of God for the salvation of all who believe. That's what he's saying. It's the exact word. It is dynamite. That kind of power we have experienced in church. We are the demoniac. Our lives were broken. Our relationships were broken. We were destined for caves and holes in the ground. But the great...
• 33:32
  healer has restored our broken bodies and broken relationships. Church, spiritually speaking, we were the sick servant, powerless, and on death's threshold, maybe even worse than that. Because spiritually speaking, we were actually the widow's dead son. In fact, Ephesians chapter 2 actually says you were dead in your trespasses in which you once walked. But God made you alive in Christ.
• 34:02
  At Highland, what two verses will finish your story? We have experienced the same compassionate, miracle-working power of Christ in our lives when he saved us from the grave. And I pray that he would make us contagious Christians. That we would go and tell our friends and family all that the Lord has done for us. Allow me to pray and then we'll close in worship. God, thank you.
• 34:27
  for your word again. And Lord, I pray that you would be glorified every time it is opened in this church, every time it is preached and proclaimed among your people. I pray that your word would be rightly divided. God, I pray that it would be used mightily by your Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith, to strengthen our souls, and that we would go and tell everybody that we encounter what you have done for us. And it's in Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.