Latest / HBCWestminster / Proverbs 2:1-22 Proverb's Promise of Protection Part Two 7.14.19

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Proverbs 2:1-22 Proverb's Promise of Protection Part Two 7.14.19 · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  Well, I'm going to read our text this morning. I'm going to preach from Proverbs chapter 2. You guys will recall from last Sunday, we only got just a few words into the text last week. We're going to pick up where we left off. Proverbs chapter 2, I'm going to read verses 1 through 10. We'll pray and begin. In verse 1, my son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding. Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding.
• 0:31
  If you seek it like silver and search for it as hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path. For wisdom will come into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant.
• 1:01
  to your soul. And Lord, we do ask that you would speak by your holy word today, that we would have submissive, open hearts, God, to receive the truth, that it would dwell richly in us. We ask this according to your son's name and amen. Amen. Well, we pick up right where we left off last Sunday.
• 1:24
  The Lord offering a promise of blessing to anyone who is willing to meet certain conditions. Last Sunday, I pointed out in verses 1 to 4, the three times our author Solomon, the author of Proverbs, uses the word if. A conditional clause. What is being offered to us is a covenant, a promise from God that if we meet certain requirements, if certain conditions are met, he then will bless us. The ifs and the thens.
• 1:54
  of biblical wisdom. Last week, we asked the question, how do we actively pursue wisdom? And first was that we must be receptive to the words of God. Verse one says, if you receive my words, in other words, our ears must be dug out. We must be able to receive the word of God. And second is that we be responsive to the words of God.
• 2:23
  And I began by talking about that word in verse 1, treasuring up my commands within you. We discussed what it means to treasure the word of God, about the sacrifices that have been made to preserve and translate the scriptures for us, and about not taking those sacrifices for granted. This week, the question that has been resonating in my mind that I've been meditating upon, that honestly is more of a question for me for self-reflection than for anyone else, is this.
• 2:56
  Do I actually desire people to be saved? Do I actually want people to know the Savior? Or do I share the gospel out of a sense of duty rather than delight, rather than being compelled by the knowledge that it will actually be better for them to know the Lord? Yesterday morning,
• 3:29
  Pastor Bob and I arrived at the Denver airport on our way to see Vicki. We were going through security. We were only going to be in Phoenix for five hours, and so I didn't bring anything. You know, other people had their carry-ons and other things. I brought a small backpack. It had my laptop computer in it. It also had my Bible. My Bible, just this one, right? And so that was all it had. It had two things in it. I didn't even know that I would necessarily need them, but I thought, you know, if we're sitting around...
• 3:55
  or whatever. I might do some studying. I might be able to do some reading and whatever. So I brought my laptop and I brought my Bible. I'm getting ready to go through the metal detector and all the scanners and all of that. And you guys know, you set your backpack down and the thing says, if you have a laptop computer, please take it out and put it in its own box, right? And so I take my laptop out and I put it in the container. The container goes through and then I send my backpack containing my Bible behind it. I go through the thing, you know, you got to stand and you go through and you come to the other side. Now my
• 4:24
  A computer came through, but my backpack did not. And I thought, well, that's weird. And I noticed the guy with the screen, he's looking at it, and he reaches in and he grabs it and he pulls it out. He flagged my backpack. And I'm thinking, I only brought two things, and one of them is the computer that's over here.
• 4:48
  The only thing in there is my Bible. What could they possibly be looking at? You know, but the guy's looking at it and looking at it. He hauls it over. This gal comes and picks it up. The TSA agent, right? She picks it up. She walks over to me. Sir, is this your bag? I said, yeah. I'm going to have to look at it. I said, okay. She opens it up. She says, I'm going to need to look at this book. I'm thinking.
• 5:11
  Bob and I even joked about it. After everything was done, you know, you don't make jokes in that moment. You don't. You just, yep, whatever you need to do. You know, I don't need to see the guy with the rubber gloves. And so we're, I didn't say anything, but as we were walking away, we're joking. She says, I'm going to need to look at this book. And I said, yeah, yeah, you really do. I really wish you would. I really wish you would. Take all the time you need, right?
• 5:38
  Do you have any questions about what you're reading? You wouldn't happen to be an Ethiopian eunuch, would you? Like, I don't. It's in the Bible. You can look it up. Honestly, it was funny in the moment, but I really did. I started thinking about that. I was thinking about it all day yesterday, wondering if I really cared, if I really cared if she got saved or not, or if it was just a funny event that happened, right? Am I compelled to evangelism? Am I compelled to outreach because I know I'm supposed to?
• 6:16
  Or because I genuinely think that it would be better for their souls to know the Savior. It would be better for them, not for me, but better for them. I think sometimes the benefits of knowing Christ get overlooked. And I know that that's a funny thing to say because we are very intentional about ensuring that people hear the cost of discipleship.
• 6:42
  Don't just give your life to Jesus so you'll go to heaven. You need to also understand that there are some things that might come. There might be a cost. And we're intentional about making sure that they understand. Suffering, persecution, strife, poverty, mockery, rejection, all of those things that Hebrews 10 talks about that that church was commended for. Being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, imprisoned. The author even says you've had your property.
• 7:12
  Jesus plundered joyfully. They received it with joy. We're so intentional, I think, about ensuring that people hear the cost of discipleship that we sometimes forget to mention that surrendering to Christ is actually a pretty good thing. And I mean that long before we ever get to heaven. We know that heaven is better than hell. We know that. Everybody knows that. But are there any other benefits? What about before I get to heaven?
• 7:43
  Are there any other benefits that come, blessings that come for knowing Christ? And I think the answer is a resounding yes. If you are one of our young ones who knows they should give their life to Christ, but wants to, and the phrase that I always hear, and I mean this is a quote, I hear it a lot. The phrase that I hear is, wants to experience the world first. I know that I'll give my life to Christ, but first I want to live a little. Then I implore you, surrender now.
• 8:18
  The sooner the better. Chasing after the world may seem fun in the moment, but its end is destruction. Could anybody in here testify to that statement? It may seem fun, man, when you're at 19, you're like, yeah, what's the big deal? Consequences and other things. But man, 20 years later, you look back and say it was dissipation. It was chasing after the wind. Honestly, it's miserable. I heard a man one time say that he was saved from a life of drugs and alcohol.
• 8:50
  At the age of seven, he said, God saved me from it long before I ever stepped into it. Do you see what he's saying? The protection from that preservation from that was the blessing. Don't get me wrong. The glory of heaven is certainly the exclamation point at the end of the gospel sentence. OK, it is the fact that we're going to heaven is a great thing. That is the exclamation point at the end. But there is a whole lot of blessing that comes.
• 9:22
  Before that, and this is why John Piper calls the gospel, and I quote, the most shareable message in the world. It's the most shareable message on earth. Because when we call people to Christ, we're not only calling them to persecution, rejection, poverty, but also to joy, right? To fulfillment and purpose and vision and belonging. It's good. Piper even goes so far as to say that the most selfish.
• 9:49
  choice a human can make is to surrender their life to the Savior. You will never be so happy. You will never be so blessed. You want to make a real selfish decision? Submit to Jesus. You'll be the happiest you can ever be. Listen to the words of God from Psalms. Psalm 97 verse 1, the Lord reigns. Let the earth rejoice. Let the coastlands be glad. Psalm 67 verse 4, let the nations be glad and sing for joy.
• 10:25
  Psalm 70, verse 4. May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Perhaps my favorite, Psalm 1611. This is a great one to memorize. Psalm 1611. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
• 10:44
  Psalm 37, 4, delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. If I really believe the eternal destination of the soul of every man and woman hangs on their knowledge of Christ, and I do believe that, don't we believe that? The eternal destination of the soul of every man and woman hangs on their knowledge of Christ, right? Then shouldn't I be more zealous for the gospel? Shouldn't I desire the salvation of others for their sake and not in order to appease my guilt?
• 11:17
  My desire to share the gospel is not to have my guilty conscience eased or my sense of duty appeased, but so that people that receive the good news will actually walk in newness of life. The promises that we receive in this conditional clause today in chapter 2, the promise that we receive, these blessings are good. They are good. They'll pick up in verse 5. Let's us pick up in verse 2. We continue in the conditions.
• 11:47
  that we must meet halfway through the ifs before we get to the thens. Not only, like we said last week, must we treasure the words of God, but we must also, verse 2 says, incline our hearts. Look at verse 2. Make your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding. The facts are a matter of the mind, but understanding is a matter of the heart.
• 12:15
  Understanding comes when facts find their way into a man's innermost being. It's the heart of a man that drives his actions. Daily reading plans are wonderful. Scripture memory systems are fantastic. We should participate in those things. The regular hearing of biblical preaching is vital to your spiritual growth. But all of those things will come to naught if the word is never internalized.
• 12:47
  If it never gets from here to here, then all of it is pointless. It is very possible to be under the regular preaching of God's word and have it go in one ear and out the other. It is possible to never actually incline our hearts. D.L. Moody would often say, no sermon is ever finished until it is applied.
• 13:17
  Don't mistakenly think that sermons end with amen. That's not where they end. They end when we go and do it. That's when the sermon ends. J.C. Ryle, a quote that I use often, it's one of my favorites, said, happy is the man who owns a Bible. Happier still the man who reads it, right? And happier most of all the one who actually does what it says. It's like the man who hears the tornado siren but continues along his merry way.
• 13:48
  That's the man who hears God's word and pays no heed. If you recall from last week, I quoted Psalm 19, verse 10. And it says, more to be desired is the word of God than much fine gold. If you had a pile of gold or a Bible, he says, choose the Bible. It's better. But then that same text continues in verse 11. Listen to this. Moreover, by them, the words of God, by them is your servant warned. In keeping them, there is great.
• 14:22
  reward. Internalizing Scripture will always pay rich dividends. That's second. We must incline our heart. Third, in verse 3, it says, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding. Third thing we must do is to call out and to raise our voice. Now, we know that wisdom comes from the mouth and mind of God, and so it makes sense that we who desire wisdom would ask Him for it. And yet,
• 14:49
  It seems like we rarely do. You guys remember in 1 Kings 3, brand new young King Solomon has just been appointed king. And God comes to Solomon, do you remember this? And says, ask what I will give you. I will give you anything you want. Ask. Ask me for anything and it's yours. And do you remember what Solomon asks for? What does he ask for? It's for wisdom, right?
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  Solomon goes to God and says, look, you've put me over this massive group of people. It's too big to be counted even. He said, I don't know what I'm doing. I need your help. Give me wisdom to lead your people well. And you remember how God replies? What does he say? He says yes, right? He says yes. He said, okay, I grant your request.
• 15:54
  I will make you the wisest man who has ever lived. No one who has come before you will be wiser than you. No one who will come after you will be wiser than you. Now, you may read the book of Ecclesiastes, right, ladies? And say, I don't know if he really followed through on that wisdom. I mean, he had piles of it. I don't know that he used it. But God says, yes, I will make you the wisest man who has ever walked the earth. And he says, since you did not ask for riches.
• 16:25
  And you did not ask for the lives of your enemies. I'm going to give you those as well. Right? And he did. Made him the wisest, richest, most powerful man the world has ever known. King Solomon. Solomon asked for the higher thing and he was given the lower thing. Does that make sense? You know, Matthew chapter 7 and verse 7, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount gives us the same offer. Gives us the same offer.
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  Matthew 7, verse 7. You guys have all memorized it at some point. What does it say? Ask, and it will be given to you. Right? For whoever seeks, finds. Whoever asks, receives. Ask. There's no qualification. There's no stipulation. Ask. See what I won't do for you. And as I begin to inventory my own prayer life,
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  And honestly, this is really meant for me. I'm not casting judgment. I don't know what your prayer life is like. I know my prayer life the best, okay? So as I look at that offer, ask and it will be given, and I compare it to the life of Solomon, and then I look at my own prayer life, the things that I ask God for seem very petty. My prayer requests, Lord, my knees hurt, and I'm uncomfortable, and I wish I had more stuff. Amen.
• 18:03
  Now, don't get me wrong. I mean, I flower it up, okay? Make it sound real good and all that and whatever. But honestly, if I had to boil it down, if I just let that simmer for a while and reduce, that's really what it comes down to. I'm uncomfortable and I want more stuff. And you know what's interesting about that? I think that God is inclined, just like he would have been with Saul, God is inclined.
• 18:33
  to grant those requests. He is such a giving God. I think he'll actually answer those requests. I don't think there's anything wrong with us asking the Lord for those things. If you're uncomfortable, if you want provision, he says, come, ask. You can really legitimately ask for anything you want. But think about this. If Solomon, all of those years back in 1 Kings 3, had said, God had gone to Solomon and said, Solomon, I'll give you anything you want. And Solomon had said, you know what I want, God? I want money.
• 19:05
  and the heads of my enemies, would God have granted his request? I think so. He told him, you can ask me whatever you want. I think he'd have done it, right? But would he have granted wisdom on top of that? I don't think so. He asked for wisdom and he got everything else. If he had asked for everything else, I think he would have lost what was best.
• 19:35
  Colossians chapter 3 says to set our minds on heavenly things. Set your minds on things above. Colossians 3 says, set your minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Not on earthly things. And I think the same could be true of our prayer lives. Let us pray for the heavenly things. If we pray for the heavenly things, then guess what God will do? He'll take care of the earthly things as well. But I think the lesson to be learned from the life of Solomon is that if we pray for the earthly things, that's all we're going to get.
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  I don't think he's mad at us for praying because our knees hurt or praying because we need provision. Obviously, he wants us to have those things. But I think we'll miss out on something greater. Because Solomon asked for heavenly things, he received earthly things. But I don't think the reciprocal is necessarily true. Minds that are set on earthly things will often receive those earthly things. But the Lord does not offer. Now catch this. If you've zoned out for a minute, zone back in.
• 20:37
  The Lord does not offer the promise of heavenly wisdom if it is never sought. If we don't seek it, the Lord does not offer it. That's second. Third, we must be receptive. We must be responsive. Those are from last week. And now third, we must be resolute. Look at verse four. If you seek it, that is the words of God. If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasure. I used to enjoy.
• 21:08
  watching those shows about gold miners. I can't even, to be honest with you, recall what the name of the show was, but I know that I was committed to it. An entire season of television about guys in Alaska doing whatever they could to find gold. It always disturbed me at the end of the season when they held up this tiny mason jar, only a third of the way full. Look what we found, you know, and I thought, man, that just doesn't seem like it's enough.
• 21:40
  Couldn't believe that they had spent their lives fortunes. They'd taken months away from their families. They had literally moved mountains for such a small amount. And most of the time I'm watching that, most of the time they couldn't even cover their own expenses. It was disturbing to me. Who could waste so much time seeking something so small? And then I thought, wait a minute. I just watched the entire season.
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  Who could waste so much time watching others waste so much time seeking something so small? Which is worse? I'm worse. I didn't even go do it. I just watched them do it. The promise of divine wisdom is so much greater than minerals and precious stones, isn't it? It will always deliver. It will always cover your expenses.
• 22:38
  But verse 4 says we must mine for it as diligently as those men seek their fortunes. We must be willing to push aside mountains of dirt and rocks. We must be willing to divert rivers if we have to. We must toil and agonize, understanding that the payoff is worth far more than the effort expended. It will always pay off. And so that's where we shift. Does following the Lord pay off?
• 23:09
  What are some of the immediate benefits of heeding wisdom's call? There are the ifs. Now let's go to the thens. We'll talk about a couple of them. Then we'll pick up where we leave off next week. Look at verse five. Here's the first one. Then, if you do all those things, then this says you will understand and you will know. Look at verse five. You will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Now, understanding might be best, maybe one of the most underrated of all of God's blessings.
• 23:38
  In layman's terms, understanding means the Lord turns on the lights in your life. But this text continues by saying that not only will you find understanding, but it says you will find the knowledge of God. And that is an interesting statement because it implies two things. Our immediate assumption is that we will be given divine knowledge. We will have the mind of Christ. And that is true. We will see things the way that the Lord sees them. We will begin to view people.
• 24:10
  With the Lord's eyes, our hearts will break. With the Lord's heart, we will understand the world based on the way that the Lord understands it. And that is true. 1 Corinthians 2 and 3 say that when we come to Christ, we receive the mind of Christ. It changes the way that we think. It changes our values. But not only does this phrase imply that, and it is true, but it also says not only will you receive the knowledge from God, this says you receive knowledge.
• 24:39
  of god do you see that knowledge of god if you seek for wisdom like gold miners seek for gold not only do you find wisdom but you find god himself listen to franz dalich now the wording here is a little weird he was german a german who lived in the mid 19th century so we're talking about centuries ago translated from german but let me let me just give you the best translation i found
• 25:12
  of his statement, says he who strives after wisdom earnestly and really reaches in this way fellowship with God. You see what he's saying? If you honestly search out for wisdom, what you find at the end of the rainbow is not wisdom, but God. Just as God gives wisdom, he continues, it is nowhere else found but in him, and it never comes from any other source but from him as communicated through the medium.
• 25:44
  of his word search out heavenly wisdom and what you find is the heavenly father that's first second what do we get the then the blessing second verse six says we will receive look what verse six says for the lord gives the lord gives wisdom from his mouth come knowledge and understanding the lord gives if the lord gives then we receive we get we don't serve a stingy god in fact
• 26:15
  We don't serve a God who even needs to be served. Do you ever think about that? We are not called to serve out of some debtor's ethic. I've heard it said that way. Jesus died for you. What are you willing to do for him? He gave you his life. Will you give him yours? I mean, I've heard it said that way. But that's not what this says. The Lord doesn't need anything from us.
• 26:41
  We've got to break from the mentality that God needs us, that God takes from us, that God wants what we have. I am telling you, there are people in churches that believe, and man, there are all kinds of people outside of churches that believe that God is some stingy miser up in heaven with his hand out, just waiting for you to pay up. That is really people's theology. They think that. That is not what this book says. The Lord doesn't take.
• 27:12
  The Lord gives. We've got to break from the mentality that the Lord is our employer who depends upon and benefits from our labor. That's not what the Bible says. When Jesus in John chapter 4 spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, right? She's drawing water. He asks her for a drink. And then he makes this statement in John 4 verse 10. He says, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, give me a drink, you would have asked.
• 27:42
  him for a drink and he would have given you living water. If you had any idea who it was that was standing in front of you asking you for a drink of water, you'd have flipped that around and started asking real quick. And I would have given you living water. Now listen to what John Piper says about that text. The implication is that those who do ask, that is Christians who spend time in prayer,
• 28:09
  Do it because they see that God is a great giver and that Christ is wise and merciful and powerful beyond measure. And therefore their prayer glorifies Christ and honors his father. The chief end of man is to glorify God. Therefore, when we become what God created us to be, we become people of prayer. And here is a great discovery.
• 28:37
  We do not glorify God by providing his needs, but by praying that he would provide ours. Did you catch that? We, God's people, God's elect, do not glorify God by providing his needs. That is the gods of the nations. That's the false gods.
• 29:01
  The ones that you sacrifice in front of, the one that you lay down whatever donut offering you have. I don't know why it's always donut shops. You know, I mean, whatever it is that you lay that down at their feet, that's worship of him. He's angry at us. We want to appease him. We need to make a sacrifice for his sake, not ours. It's the God of the nations. We don't glorify our God by providing his needs. Rather, we glorify our God.
• 29:31
  By asking him to provide ours. How backward is that? Can you imagine the generosity of heaven? Where God says, listen, every good and perfect thing comes from me. And I'm willing to give it to you if you would ask. Glorify me by allowing me to bless you. That was well-timed. That seems like a really good deal to me.
• 30:10
  We're not blessed because of our obedience. Certainly, obedience is a blessing. We're not blessed because of our sacrifices. Certainly, sacrifices are a blessing. We're blessed because our God is a blessing giver. And we actually glorify him by receiving those blessings the Lord gives. Third, verse 7, and with this we'll end. We will be shielded. Look what he says in verse 7. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He's a shield to those who walk.
• 30:43
  And integrity, the person of integrity is the one who walks in perfect innocence, in full submission, who seeks good without exception. That's integrity. Now, perhaps nothing protects a person's testimony and upholds the reputation of Christ more than a life of integrity. Isn't that true? Nothing protects your testimony better and upholds the reputation of Christ more than your righteous living, your integrity.
• 31:13
  And perhaps nothing tears it down more quickly than compromise. We'll be shielded by our integrity. Now, I am ashamed to admit that for a long time, for years in my life, I would not participate in City League softball. All of my friends did.
• 31:35
  They would put together these teams and softball was huge in the area that we lived. Softball fields everywhere. Everybody in town did it. All of the, you know, businesses and corporations and churches and friends and neighbors and all these would put together these softball teams. They'd all go play city league softball. And you guys know, I love the game of baseball. I love it. I really do. I enjoy playing it. I enjoy playing softball and I'm not horrible at it. Okay. And so my friends would always be setting up these teams and they say,
• 32:03
  Danny, come and play with us. Come and help us win and whatever. And honestly, I didn't. I didn't. And I would say, Danny, just think about it. We'll put together this team. It's all guys from the church. What an outreach this will be. And I'm ashamed to say that I had to confess to them that when I played city league softball, it did not end up being an outreach. My attitude would go sour. My competitive switch would flip.
• 32:36
  And you guys, I mean, I would say things and yell things and do things that I was ashamed of, and I just had to remove myself from it because I was not upholding the reputation of Christ. I was, if anything, tearing it down. And so for years, they would play. I would go and sit in the stands. I'd go, I'd cheer for them, but I would not go and play. Integrity upholds the reputation of Christ, but compromise tears it down. Today, I coach baseball.
• 33:08
  I don't play anymore, obviously. I'd get hurt. But I coach. And you guys, there is still this little thing in me. There's this little thing in my heart where I get fired up. And you guys, I love to win. I love to win, but not as much as I hate to lose. I hate losing. I hate losing more than I love winning. I hate losing. And if I feel like there is another team that is taking advantage of the boys that I love,
• 33:37
  Or an umpire who is not doing his job and is getting in the way rather than enhancing the game. Man, there have been times I have come unglued. Unglued. And there have been times where people in the sands would say, that guy's a pastor? Pastor what? I have had times where people have come and said, dude, I think it's awesome that you're a pastor. I'm like, I don't think I probably did it right then. You know, that's awesome. Yeah, no.
• 34:08
  No. In fact, two guys from our church even helped me as assistant coaches. Brian Bowen, you guys know, is one of my assistant coaches. Another guy, Doug Montgomery, who's been coming with his family the last several months. They were here in first service. They both coach with me. And I even confessed this to both of them. And I said, listen, you guys are my hedgerow. If you ever feel like there is a time where, you know what, you've crossed the line, Danny, you come talk to me. You get in my face. You tell me to stop. You pull me back. You do that.
• 34:34
  Yes, I give you permission to do it. You can speak into my life. I will believe you. Because I so badly want to protect the reputation of Christ and my own testimony by walking in integrity. When this says we are shielded, that's what it means. We are shielded from tearing down the reputation of Christ. We are shielded from trampling upon the grace of God. We are shielded from burning bridges of evangelism with people that once they hear that out of your mouth,
• 35:05
  They're never going to hear the name of Jesus. Right? Right? Yeah. Shielded when we walk in integrity. We're going to pick up right there next week. Allow me to pray. Lord, I pray that we would endeavor to seek the lost, but not to appease our sense of duty or guilt, so that they will come to know you and the blessing that it is long before heaven, the blessing that it is to be found by the Savior.
• 35:39
  God, give us a sense of delight in evangelism. May our hearts ache for the lost. Lord, we love you and are so grateful for what you've done in our lives, for allowing us to cross over from death to life. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.