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Transcript

Walk Hand In Hand · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  As most of you probably remember, my family lives and serves in Indonesia, not too far from the Philippines. And when moving to a foreign country, you expect the culture to be different. But sometimes you are still surprised by how different it really is. Indonesian, and more specifically Javanese culture, is very different from American culture. And I want to demonstrate one of those differences.
• 0:31
  for you tonight, for which I will need Danny's help. So Danny, will you walk with me a little here? All right. Thank you. I don't know how it is in the Philippines, but in Indonesia, it's inappropriate for a husband and wife to hold hands in public or really to display any kind of signs of public affection. So Betsy and I are careful not to do that.
• 0:58
  It's very common for two male friends or two female friends to hold hands and walk down the street. There's nothing strange or perverse about it. So if Danny and I were in Indonesia, this would be a very typical sight. There's nothing unusual about it. So how are you feeling right now, Danny? Great. You're doing great? Well, that's strange because I feel kind of weird. You can stop holding my hand now. Yeah, yeah.
• 1:34
  All right. Thank you, Danny. All right. Now, as fun as it is for me to embarrass Danny, this little demonstration of cultural differences does have a point that is related to the text from Ephesians that we will consider tonight. When I'm preparing a sermon, I actually put a fair bit of thought into the sermon title because I think it's a good exercise for me as a preacher.
• 2:08
  to reduce what I think the passage is saying just in the span of a few words. And hopefully, a good sermon title is also helpful for you, the listeners. Well, as I was meditating on Ephesians 4, 1 through 6, this sermon title I came up with, the best phrase I could think of to express the main point of this passage is walk hand in hand.
• 2:39
  I believe that God is exhorting us through the Apostle Paul in his word to walk with each other in love and a unity of purpose. A unity that will not always feel comfortable or natural. A unity that will be radically counter-cultural in contemporary American society. So, let's listen to the text.
• 3:15
  And by God's grace, open our hearts and minds to receive from the Lord tonight. Ephesians chapter 4, 1 through 6. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.
• 3:44
  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you are called to the one hope that belongs to your call. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Let's pray. Father, it is so good to...
• 4:22
  Open your words together and to learn from it. And I pray, God, that you would shape and mold us tonight with your truth. Would you please form in us and in this church what is pleasing in your sight, God. We want to walk in a manner that is worthy of the great and high and glorious calling that we've received in Christ Jesus. So I pray that this sermon, even, would be a means to that end.
• 4:57
  Would you come and send your Holy Spirit tonight for your great namesake? Amen. I think the text tonight pretty neatly falls into three parts. First, you have verse 1, which is the main exhortation of the passage. Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Second, verses 2 and 3 describe how we are to do that.
• 5:32
  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. And then third, verses 4 through 6 provide the theological grounding for this exhortation, particularly for the command to maintain the unity of the Spirit. So tonight we will simply work our way through these three parts.
• 6:04
  But before we do this, I want to spend some significant time dwelling on just one word that could be really an entire sermon itself. What word am I talking about? It's the word therefore in verse 1. Now, have you ever heard the saying, when you see a therefore, you should ask what it is therefore, right?
• 6:35
  Yeah, that's really good advice. Except that I think we should pay attention to all the conjunctions in the Bible. So whenever we see, in order that, if, although, nevertheless, since, because, just as, not only, whenever we see words like that in Scripture, we should ask what they are there for.
• 7:02
  power of the Bible's logic is often expressed by these little words. And the word therefore is one of these little powerful words because it links what comes before in the book of Ephesians to what follows after. When I teach undergraduate students at a seminary in Indonesia,
• 7:31
  One of my favorite assignments is to print out the text of a New Testament book, usually one of Paul's shorter letters. But I first remove all the section titles and paragraph divisions so that the students receive just one solid block of text, the biblical text, to use. And then I ask them to highlight.
• 7:58
  There are observations about the author and recipients, the occasion of the letter, purpose, major themes, and they use different colored pencils for each of those. And then I require them to actually draw lines through the text to signify where they think the major divisions occur in the structure of the letter. And they're not allowed to refer to any Bible.
• 8:30
  or commentaries. So essentially, they are creating their own outline of the book based on their reading of it. Now, if I asked you to draw just one line through the letter of Ephesians so that the letter was divided into its two most fundamental sections, where would you draw it?
• 8:58
  I think you can make a really strong case for drawing that single line between Ephesians 3.21 and Ephesians 4.1. In other words, the two major blocks within this letter are chapters 1-3 and chapters 4-6. And this single word, therefore, holds these two massive blocks of text together.
• 9:28
  It logically connects the two halves of the letter. So to review, in Ephesians 1 through 3, we have already studied the letter opening, then the single Greek sentence of praise to God for spiritual blessings in Christ, verses 3 to 14, then Paul's prayer concerning spiritual understanding, and then an account of the salvation of believers.
• 10:00
  primarily in the movement from death to life, verses 1-10, chapter 2, and from alienation to peace, verses 11-22. Then in the last two weeks, we have heard a description of Paul's age-old mystery-revealing gospel ministry and another prayer for believers to know the love of Christ.
• 10:31
  This is what we've covered so far. And let me ask you a question. How many commands can be found in Ephesians chapters 1 through 3? Any guesses? One. One command. And that one is only sort of. Because in Ephesians 2, 11 through 12, Paul encourages the readers to remember that they were formerly separated from Christ. So that's the command. Remember.
• 11:10
  Now, let me ask you another question. How many commands can be found in Ephesians 4 through 6? Any guesses? Now, this is an imprecise exercise, you know, working from two different languages and whatnot, but rough count, okay, that I did today pretty quickly, I got 54. 54 commands in Ephesians 4 through 6.
• 11:45
  So I hope it is clear that whereas Ephesians 1-3 primarily describes salvation, the spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ and Paul's prayers, Ephesians 4-6 is primarily exhortations for believers to live godly lives. And again, the word binding these two sections together is therefore.
• 12:17
  To fully appreciate the logic of the structure of Ephesians, I want to briefly share with you about the structure of ancient covenants, which has been tremendously helpful to me in understanding the Bible and the Christian life. So as I did two weeks ago, I'm going to ask for your patient attention again, because if you stick with me, I think you're going to see how important and how practical
• 12:48
  covenant structure is to the Christian life. So, first I'm going to put up a fictional and highly condensed ancient covenant that I wrote, but it does express the basic content and structure of actual ancient covenant documents that archaeologists have found. Let me read it for you. I, King Mursili II of Hatti,
• 13:17
  In my conquest of your land, have graciously spared your lives and am generously allowing you to become my subjects. Therefore, it will be your duty to pay me taxes and show me loyalty. You must not enter into treaties with my enemies. If you do these things, your country will prosper and I will protect you. If, however, you ally with my enemies and rebel.
• 13:47
  I will certainly destroy you and your land. So this reflects actual ancient covenants. And as you examine this ancient covenant, how many basic parts can you discern in it? Two? Two? Three? Yeah, I think there are three. And first comes what historians and theologians call the historical prologue.
• 14:24
  Or the covenant provisions. That's this first sentence here. It is what the king has done for his subjects in the past. Out of his own benevolence. Right? And in the case of King Mursili II, one might doubt how gracious he really was. Right? But such as it is, the second part is what is called the covenant stipulations.
• 14:55
  These are the terms of the covenant, what the vassals must render to the king. In this case, King Mersele II is demanding taxes and loyalty. And then the third part is the covenant blessings and curses. If the vassals keep the terms of the covenant, they are entitled to expect the blessings of prosperity and protection from the king.
• 15:27
  However, if the vassals fail to pay taxes or rebel against the king, they will experience the curses of destruction or exile. And you will notice that conjunctions figure prominently in ancient covenants. Do you see the word therefore right there? This signifies that the covenant stipulations are based on the covenant provisions.
• 16:02
  Then do you see the word if twice? This signifies that the covenant blessings and curses are contingent upon the covenant stipulations being met or not. So, we can represent the structure and logic of ancient covenants in this way. Covenant provisions serve as the foundation for covenant stipulations.
• 16:37
  which are motivated by covenant blessings and curses. Okay? Now, here is why all of this is so important. It's because, I would argue, that most of the covenants in the Bible are formed according to this same structure. Okay? Let me give you a couple of examples in case you're skeptical. First, let me ask you,
• 17:07
  How do the Ten Commandments start? I'll give you a hint. It's not with the prohibition of other gods. Here's Exodus chapter 20. And the Lord spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of slavery. You shall have no other gods besides me. So how do the Ten Commandments start? With verse 2.
• 17:44
  Right? And what is verse 2? It's not a stipulation. It's the historical prologue or the statement of covenant provisions. It is the great act of redemption that formed the people of Israel. It's the exodus, which was God's gracious deliverance of his people. And then, based on that provision,
• 18:15
  God demands the exclusive devotion and loyalty of his subjects. Can you see? It's the same structure as the Hittite covenant we just looked at. But obviously the character of this covenant is very different because Yahweh is unlike any other king. Let me give you another example that may be even clearer. At the end of the book of Joshua,
• 18:48
  You may remember Joshua gathers the tribes of Israel to renew the covenant, right? This is narrated in chapter 24, and here's what it says. And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Long ago your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor.
• 19:18
  And they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the river and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. And then verses 4 through 11 recount the exodus and the wilderness wanderings and the crossing of the Jordan leading into verses 12 and 13. And I sent the hornet before you.
• 19:48
  which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites. It was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built and you dwell in them and you eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant. Right? Isn't this...
• 20:19
  A beautiful description of grace, right? Abraham worshipped idols, but God chose him and blessed him. Abraham's sons were rascals, but God multiplied and blessed them. The people of Israel were in slavery and totally helpless, and God delivered them. It was God who destroyed their enemies, and God...
• 20:51
  Who gave them a good land that they did not work for. Or earn. Or deserve. God won it. God provided it. These are gracious. Unconditional. Covenant provisions. Given freely. And in God's mercy. Not because of anything. That Israel did. Right? And then. Starting in verse 14.
• 21:24
  How does this passage continue? Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt and serve the Lord. Can you see? God's demand for exclusive devotion and loyalty is built upon
• 21:56
  what he has already graciously provided for his people. And later in Joshua 24, we read this. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you after having done you good. And the people said to Joshua, no, but we will serve the Lord. So what is verse 20?
• 22:29
  according to the ancient covenant structure. It's the pronouncement of the covenant curse if the people fail to keep the stipulations of the covenant. And I could take you to many places throughout the Old Testament that describe in detail both covenant blessings and covenant curses. So I'd submit to you tonight.
• 22:58
  In the Old Testament, we discover a similar covenant structure to what can be seen in other ancient covenants. Covenant provisions serve as the foundation for covenant stipulations, which are motivated by covenant blessings and curses. And I would further submit to you that the new covenant that God makes with us Gentiles has the same
• 23:28
  The two greatest provisions of the new covenant foretold by the prophets are the death of Jesus for the definitive forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit by whom we may lead a new life and obey God. We do nothing, nothing to earn or deserve these provisions. In fact,
• 24:00
  They are granted to us despite our disobedience and rebellion. As the book of Ephesians says, we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. And yet, on the basis of his gracious salvation through the cross and spirit, God calls for our obedience and loyalty.
• 24:33
  So finally, coming full circle to Ephesians 4, notice again verse 1. Therefore, based on all the spiritual blessings and provisions of our salvation, described in chapters 1 through 3, based on the rich mercy and great love of God, based not on your own doing, but on the gift of God, therefore...
• 25:04
  Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Can you see? Ephesians 4.1 is impossible and doesn't even make good covenant sense without chapters 1 through 3. So it is critical, brothers and sisters, that when we come to Ephesians 4, we never ever forget.
• 25:35
  chapters 1 through 3, and the link between those chapters and what comes after. And we can also discern throughout the letter to Ephesians the covenant blessings, including the hope that's mentioned here in verse 4, that are held out before us to motivate us in the Christian life, despite whatever suffering and trials we might face.
• 26:08
  Now, gosh darn it, I know that my time tonight is already more than halfway gone. And I've only spoken about one word in the passage. So, I have to linger just on this concept for a little longer, okay? Please, mercy, bear with me here. Okay, back to the covenant structure. We'll get back to Ephesians, I promise. Friends, what happens if a church neglects the first level of this covenant structure?
• 26:41
  what deficient forms of Christian faith result? I would argue that this neglect produces legalism, in which people mistakenly think that they need to earn God's favor. Or it could produce health and wealth prosperity teaching, in which I hardly ever hear about sin, grace, forgiveness, but only about...
• 27:15
  faith and miracles and mostly superficial blessings. Right? What happens if a church neglects the second level? Well, then you get what has been called free grace theology or easy believism in which all that a person has to do is say a simple prayer in youth group and their eternal destiny is secured for the rest of their life even if
• 27:49
  they abandon the Lord as an adult and live like hell. Or you might get Christian universalism, in which God saves everyone. And walking in a manner worthy of God doesn't ultimately count for anything. What happens, finally, if the church neglects the third level? I think in this case, you get a deficient, duty-driven Christianity.
• 28:24
  that focuses on repaying the Lord for what He has done for you. Or you get Christian moralism, in which the Bible helps you to become a decent and kind sort of person. In either case, the joy and the hope and the eternal perspective on the Christian life is lost. Yet we desperately need to remember that walking the path of faith
• 28:55
  is the way of true human flourishing. God intends to bless us, friends. He rewards those who seek Him. So, to have a healthy, full Christian theology, you need to emphasize all three levels and discern how they are related to one another.
• 29:26
  So let me ask you tonight, which level of the covenant structure are you prone to forget, to neglect? For the parents in the room, ask yourselves this devastating question. At least it's devastating to me. Am I teaching my children through my parenting all three covenant levels? Do my kids understand the unconditional grace and love of God?
• 30:03
  Through me? Do they also comprehend the will of God for their lives? And do I base my calls for obedience based on my loving relationship with them? And then, do my kids have a sense of how a holy life produces true joy, while a worldly life only leads to sorrow and regret? Do I keep all three levels in balance?
• 30:36
  Or am I constantly covering up their faults? Or constantly barking orders? Or constantly parenting through threats and rewards? In our teaching, in our parenting, in our theology, we need to equally emphasize covenant provisions, covenant stipulations, and covenant blessings. So, brothers and sisters,
• 31:09
  If you get anything from this sermon at all, please remember that Ephesians 1 is no flippant exhortation. Paul is serious about obedience. You can and you must walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. And yet,
• 31:40
  And yet we dare not forget that the Christian walk is based on what God has already done for us and motivated by what He promises to do for us in the future. We need a full-orbed theology, friends. A theology that recognizes that God's grace is operative on all three levels.
• 32:12
  even on the level of His commands. For as Ephesians 2.9 says, the faith that God requires is a gift that He provides. And Ephesians 2.10 asserts that we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for what? For good works, which who prepared beforehand?
• 32:43
  which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Okay, I'm looking at the clock here. I got a little carried away. I apologize. That's enough on verse 1 and the word therefore. But can you see why this transition in the letter to Ephesians is so important to understand? Okay, I hope so. If that's not clear, then...
• 33:15
  I'm doing something wrong. Verses 2 through 3 begin to describe the kind of walk or the kind of life that is worthy of the calling we've received. In fact, I think Ephesians 4.2 all the way to 6.20 unpacks Paul's glorious vision for the Christian life. How we should walk in the light of who God is,
• 33:46
  what he has done and what he has promised. But it is notable where Paul starts, isn't it? With humility and gentleness. I mean, of all the ways in which he could describe the kind of life that God's grace calls for, humility and gentleness is at the top of the list. In preparing for the sermon, I was reminded that humility,
• 34:23
  wasn't a virtue that was extolled in the broader Greco-Roman culture of the first century. John Stott writes, lowliness was much despised in the ancient world. The Greeks never used their word for humility in a context of approval, still less of admiration. Instead, they meant by it an abject, servile,
• 34:53
  subservient attitude, the crouching submissiveness of a slave. Not till Jesus Christ came was a true humility recognized. Another commentator pointed out that while Greeks did despise hubris, right, or arrogance, they did not see value in humility. And I think the situation is very much the same in our day.
• 35:27
  Although arrogance typically rubs people the wrong way and humility may be given lip service, true humility is usually overlooked or scoffed at. I mean, if you really want to get ahead in life or get things done, what do you have to do? You have to put yourself forward, right? And yet the church should not have that mentality, friends.
• 36:00
  We ought not to think too highly of ourselves. In fact, we ought not to think too often about ourselves. We should not put ourselves forward. We should just get busy serving others, as Jesus did. Paul then mentions gentleness, which could be defined as the restraint or renunciation of force.
• 36:33
  In accomplishing one's aims. Note well. Gentleness does not mean weakness. It is the restraint of strength. Just as Jesus could have called on 72,000 angels. To protect him in the garden of Gethsemane. But voluntarily renounced the use of force. And chose instead the meek.
• 37:06
  and gentle way of the cross. Another beautiful picture of the gentleness of Jesus can be seen in Matthew 12. Speaking of Jesus, he will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench until he brings justice.
• 37:39
  I love this description of the tenderness of our savor. Don't you? I mean, what good is a bruised reed? Right? You can't write with it easily. You can't hold anything up. So in frustration, most people would just break the dumb thing. Right? Go find another one. Well, what is the normal human reaction to seeing a smoldering wick?
• 38:11
  A candle that is sputtering out. Just a feeble flicker, right? Well, naturally, you just snuff it out. You start again. Maybe you find another one. But not so our Lord, right? He tenderly and gently cares for crushed and hurting people. The weak, the bruised, those whom society would just cast aside.
• 38:46
  Notice also verse 19. Jesus' leadership is not brash and mouthy. Jesus did not loudly assert himself or shout down his detractors. A lesson that the political leaders of our country could stand to learn. And again, what is the world's response to gentleness? While giving lip service to it,
• 39:19
  most think that being gentle makes you a pushover and gets no results. Think again in the realm of parenting. Why do parents shout at their kids? Well, because it produces results, right? At least short-term ones. If you want your kids to obey, you've got to let them know who the boss is, right? But I think that if we are honest,
• 39:53
  We all know the long-term fruit of such an approach. If you are constantly raising your voice with your kids, eventually you're going to have to shout louder and louder and get more and more threatening and become more and more aggressive to achieve the same compliance. Right? And inevitably, all your lack of gentleness will produce is kids who cower.
• 40:26
  in fearful silence, or one day defiantly rebel against you. And I would bet that most of us have had or heard of church experiences like that, where gentleness is not at all stressed or valued, where decisions are rammed through, where people are dealt with curtly, and problems are solved quickly and forcefully.
• 40:59
  Where intimidation is the ministry tactic. And strength and machoism are the prime qualities of leadership. Brothers and sisters, may it never be. We should all be emulating the one who said, take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and lowly in heart. Next.
• 41:34
  Paul talks about patience and bearing with one another in love. And there is a verse in the book of James that I think really captures this idea well. James 5, 7. Therefore, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. Now ponder this.
• 42:06
  Illustration for a second. Why doesn't a farmer get mad when he plants some seeds one day and then isn't able to harvest any fruit the next day? Well, patience, right? Yeah, obviously he recognizes that producing fruit is a slow process, right? Botanical growth doesn't happen overnight. He realizes that plants need sunshine and rain.
• 42:40
  And often, all he can do is wait. Because fruit takes time. But the wise and patient farmer knows that the wait is worth it. Because in the end, he is going to gather some of that precious produce for which he has been waiting. Now what if we took the farmer's approach?
• 43:10
  in our ministry toward one another? What if we realized and accepted that our growth in godliness is going to take a lifetime, that we rarely, if ever, change in any way overnight? What if we embraced the process and at times just prayed and waited for God to work within each other and within ourselves?
• 43:47
  What if a local church was truly marked by patience? Where people did not blind themselves to the fault of others, but lovingly and cheerfully bore with one another quirks and warts and all. Would that be the kind of church that you would want to share a life's journey with? Yes, indeed. And that kind of atmosphere would be radically different
• 44:22
  counter-cultural. Only supernatural grace produces that kind of walk, friends. We finally come now to verses 3 and following, which in some ways is the climax of this brief passage. And I am almost out of time, so I may have to ask Danny to bail me out next week, because really verses 1 through 16 are all about...
• 44:56
  unity in the midst of diversity. But let me offer just a few quick comments on these verses. First, we might ask, why does unity of the Spirit must be maintained? You see that? Verse 3. I mean, if there is one Spirit and He creates unity in the body of Christ, why are we exhorted
• 45:29
  to maintain it. Well, I don't think that this verse indicates that the unity of the body of Christ ultimately depends on us, as if our lack of effort or the endless proliferation of denominations could ever fracture what the Spirit has bonded together. Rather, I think Paul means that we have a responsibility to reflect visibly
• 46:01
  and publicly, the underlying spiritual reality that God has accomplished in bringing Jews and Gentiles, even all nations, into a single body with Jesus as its head. And this unity is not a strained harmony or superficial agreement. Rather, the bonding agent is genuine peace.
• 46:31
  Not fake peace. There is too much fake peace in our day built on a false tolerance. You doing your separate thing and me doing mine is no unity. And it is not church. No, this is a summons to walk together hand in hand as awkward as that may feel at times.
• 46:59
  especially if the local church is a mixture of races and ages and socioeconomic levels and backgrounds, as it should be. This kind of unity and peace takes hard work, brothers and sisters. Effort, right? Verse 3 calls us to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit, which other translations render as...
• 47:31
  endeavoring to keep the unity, being diligent to preserve the unity, or making every effort to keep the unity. Unity in the church, like harmony in a marriage, doesn't just happen. It needs to be carefully cultivated and guarded. And we might wonder, why bother?
• 48:05
  Unity really worth it if it's so much work? Is being part of a denomination really worth anything anymore? Why not just break into happy little churches filled with people who are just like us? I mean, unity is easy if your church consists of a few friends who think like you and are as cool as you, right? Church is even easier.
• 48:35
  If it's just you and your sermon podcast and a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning. Right? Well, Paul tells us in verses 4 through 6 why the messy and sometimes painful business of maintaining unity is worth it. Why it is precious and necessary in the sight of God. And it all comes down to the oneness of God.
• 49:07
  The living triune God. Taking these phrases somewhat in reverse, Paul declares that there is one God and Father of all whose sovereignty and creative sustaining power pervades the entire universe. This one Father sent His one and only Son
• 49:38
  Begotten of the Father before all worlds. Light of light. Very God of very God. Begotten, not made. Being of one substance with the Father. To save one people through a common faith. Who in one spirit were all baptized into one body. Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, male and female.
• 50:07
  all were made to drink of one Spirit, and all are called to the same hope, to share in one inheritance, together, forever, with one voice, glorifying the one God in three persons, as one flock, though brought from all nations, even the very ends of the earth.
• 50:36
  And the unity of the church, pathetic though it may be at times, is meant to reflect that. Astonishing privilege and responsibility we have, brothers and sisters. Walking together, hand in hand, we display for the watching world and even the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, the one God, the unified...
• 51:12
  plan of salvation. The one people of that God and His salvation. A humble, gentle, patient, loving community that is always eager to welcome more sinners into the fold. Let's pray. Father, help us. We could not do any of this without Your grace. God, without Your glorious
• 51:52
  merciful provisions. And yet, Father, tonight we do not doubt the power of your cross or of the Holy Spirit or your grace which transforms lives. God, we believe in the power of that grace. And we believe that you did not make any mistake when you chose the local church to be the manifestation of your wisdom and eternal plan.
• 52:27
  So God, we just ask, would you get the glory here at Highland Baptist Church in our unity, in the way that we walk together hand in hand, in love and bonded in peace. Would you do so for your name's sake and for the good and the flourishing of your people, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.