Resurrection Sunday: The Hour of Triumph

The hour of triumph, the hour of tragedy. On Friday, we talked to you about the hour of tragedy. Today, we're going to talk to you about the hour of triumph. In the hour of tragedy, a sinless man suffered and died. The hour of triumph, sinful men can be saved and live. If you were with us on Wednesday, let's see how much you know. Because the crucifixion is the apex of redemptive history. If that's true, then the resurrection is the what? The climax. There's somebody who painted it. Dave, you are the man.

The climax to redemptive history. If you were here on Friday, you know that the cross, the crucifixion is central to the mission and meaning and message of Christ. If the cross is central, then the resurrection is essential. Hey, Jeremy, good man. Essential to the message and meaning of Christ. This weekend is the hour. The hour that everything focused on. And in John's gospel, John references the hour no less than seven specific times. The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, spend a third of their gospel on the last days of the life of Christ.

John's gospel spends half of his on the last days of Christ. Simply to help you understand the importance of the crucifixion and the resurrection. Remember, everything was in preparation until the hour. After the hour, everything's a proclamation of that hour. You need to understand that to understand Christianity. So John focuses in on the hour. So let me take you through the gospel of John really rapidly to help you understand this.

It begins in John chapter 2. So if you got your Bible, turn with me to John's gospel, the second chapter.

John chapter 2. And in John chapter 2, the Lord Jesus is going to perform his very first miracle. Now, if it was you and me, we would perform the very first miracle in such a way it makes such a loud impact that everybody would see and everybody would know, but not Jesus.

He's in Cana of Galilee. If you've been to Israel with me, we've been to Cana in Galilee. And the Bible tells us in John chapter 2, on the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee.

That's very important. The third day. Why? Because on the third day, there'd be a resurrection. John's very specific in speaking to us about a specific day. Most would tell you it's a Tuesday because most Jewish weddings were taking place during the time of Christ on Tuesdays. Day one was Sunday. Day two, Monday. Day three, Tuesday. But it's very specific when it comes to understanding the miracle that Christ performs. So on the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there, and both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no wine. And Jesus said to her, woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come. Very first mention of the hour.

My hour has not yet come. A very specific time, a very specific reference. And yet, what he does with this very first miracle is take water and turn it into wine.

Most people know about this miracle. But you need to understand the water that was used for purification. It was dirty. It was filthy. It was murky. And he took that water and he transformed it into the finest of wine. That was his miracle. And the only ones at the wedding would begin to see and understand the miracle. But this miracle, this hour, characterized his ministry. This miracle characterized his ministry. Remember, every miracle that Jesus performed in the physical realm was symbolic of what he does in the spiritual realm.

And so what he did in the physical realm was take this dirty, murky, filthy water used for the purification, and he would transform it into the finest of wine. Now, if that's the first miracle, why?

Simply because it characterizes ministry. The ministry of Jesus was to take the dirty, filthy, murky lives of sinners and transform them into the finest of wine. The best possible. That's why the miracle in Cana, as it refers to the hour, characterized his ministry. This is why he came. It's all about cleansing. It's all about washing. That's why the very next example, Jesus goes to the temple and he cleanses the temple. Why? Because his ministry is about cleansing. And then he goes from the miracle of, not the miracle, but the cleansing of the temple, to a conversation with Nicodemus, a rabbi who knew and understood, or a Pharisee who knew and understood everything about the Old Testament.

They took him way back to Ezekiel about the washing of regeneration. Again, all about cleansing. A man must be born again. So John's gospel begins with this incarnate God coming to cleanse sinful man from their iniquity. And so the first reference to the hour characterizes his ministry.

The second reference is in John chapter 7. John chapter 7. In John chapter 7, the Lord says this, You both know me and know, this is verse number 28, where I am from and I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you do not know. I know him because I am from him and he sent me. So they were seeking to seize him, and no man laid his hand on him, because his hour had not come. Then you go over to John chapter 8, and it says in verse number 20, these words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no one seized him because his hour had not come.

So the very first reference of the hour characterized his ministry. The next two references about the hour convey his sovereignty. In other words, they couldn't seize him, they couldn't kill him, because he was in control of the hour. The hour was predetermined in eternity past. This is God incarnate. He controls everything. He's in charge of when he dies, how he dies, where he dies, and even who he dies with, a thief on one side, a thief on the other. He's in complete control. And so when you look at the second and third references to the hour, it conveys his sovereignty, that he is in complete control of the hour, that when he dies, man kills him, but man only does what has been predetermined by God in eternity past, because he's absolutely in charge of everything.

And then you come to the next reference, and the very next reference is found in John chapter 12. We talked about this on on Friday night. Two Greeks, they come to Philip and they want to see Jesus. And so Philip takes him to Andrew, and Andrew takes him to Jesus, and Jesus says these words, the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified.

Now up to this point, the hour had not come. It was not the hour. But now after the triumphal entry has already taken place, you're in John chapter 12, and these Greeks want to come and see this one that was hailed as a king just a day earlier. Who is this guy? What kind of king is he? We want to see Jesus. And Jesus tells them that my hour now has come. It's here. Why? Because the hour certified his destiny. The hour certified his destiny. He goes on to say, truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies and it remains alone.

But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am there, my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the father will honor him. Now my soul has become troubled. And what shall I say? Father saved me from this hour. But for this purpose, I came to this hour. For this purpose, I came. This certified his destiny. This is my purpose. I came to glorify my father.

This is my destiny. I was born to die. And so therefore, we know that the hour is that which characterizes his ministry. We know the hour conveys his sovereignty. We know the hour certifies his destiny. But look at John chapter 17.

John chapter 17. I'm sorry, John chapter 13. Missed one. John chapter 13. Verse number one. Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come, that he would depart out of this world to the father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. This hour, the eve of the crucifixion, in the upper room, with his disciples, is the hour that clarified his identity. Why? Because they would begin to argue about who was the greatest in the kingdom. Think about it.

Jesus is going to die. But all the disciples could think about was who's the greatest in the kingdom. They were so self-absorbed. They were so narcissistic. All they could think of was themselves, not Jesus. So they began to argue about who's the greatest in the kingdom. As they're arguing, Jesus gets up, takes his slave's apron, begins to wrap it around, and begins to wash the disciples' feet. Knowing that his hour had come, he wanted to make sure that he clarified his identity with his men one more time.

And what was that identity? Simply put, Paul says, although he existed in the form of God and did not regard equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that the name of Jesus every knee will bow, and of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Here, in the upper room in John chapter 13, he was able to once again clarify his identity. As a son of God, he emptied himself and became obedient unto death. He was the humble servant. Remember, it was Matthew's gospel. He presents Christ in all of his royalty. It's Luke's gospel who presents Christ in all of his humanity. It's John's gospel who presents Christ in all of his deity. It's Mark's gospel who presents Christ in all of his humility as a servant. And so he lives out Philippians chapter 2, so as men will understand who he really is, as he humbles himself before them, as the greatest of all servants, they are ministered to them.

And then later that night in John chapter 17, in Christ's high priestly prayer, this is the Lord's prayer. Matthew 6, our Father who art in heaven, is not the Lord's prayer. That's the disciples prayer. John 17 is the Lord's prayer, his high priestly prayer. And this is the last mention of the hour in John's gospel. Listen to what he says. Jesus spoke these things, verse 1, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you. The hour in John's gospel characterized his ministry, conveyed his sovereignty, certified his destiny, clarified his identity, and here communicated his glory.

Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you. There was an hour that was going to come in which the glory of God would be manifested at its clearest and most concise way possible, and that was at Calvary. For at Calvary, what did you see? You saw the omnipotence of God, the power of God on display. You saw the sovereignty of God on display as he controlled everything that happened during that time period. His power, when the veil and temple was torn in two and graves were opened and dead people walked around, the power of God was on display.

The righteousness of God was on display, because he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. The royalty of God was on display, because the thief next to him said, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Even the thief recognized the royalty of Christ. The mercy of God was on display. The love of God was on display. The grace of God was on display. The judgment of God was on display. The justice of God was on display. The wrath of God was on display.

Everything about God was glorified on that day, because God manifested his glory the clearest and most concise way he possibly could to the hour. The hour that was the apex to redemptive history and the climax to redemptive history. That which was central and essential to the message, ministry, and meaning of Christ. Notice what he says.

Even as you gave him authority over all flesh and to all whom you have given him, he may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I want them to understand true life. Eternal life. John's gospel is about life. John chapter one, verse number four. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 5, verse number 26. He hath life in himself. John 5, verse number 40. And you will not come to me that you might have life.

John chapter 6, verse number 33. He, Christ, gives life. John 6, 35. I am the bread of life. John 10, verse number 10. I am come that they might have life and that they might have that life more abundantly. John 8, verse number 12. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 11, verse number 25. I am the resurrection and the life. John 14, 6. I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 14, 19. Because I live, you too will live. So, at the very end of John's gospel, this is what he says.

These things are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that believing in him, you might have life in his name. He also wrote 1 John. 1 John 5, 11. And this is the record that God has given to us eternal life. And this life is in the Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. John was all about life.

He wanted to make sure you were alive. Now, that's very important. Why? Because most people you don't know, you know, don't have life. They live, but they don't have life. They exist, but they don't have life. They can talk, they can walk, they can breathe, their heart pumps. Right? You can see them, they can see you, but most people don't have life. Because unless you know Jesus Christ, the Son of God, you don't have life. What kind of life does He give? Remember what Paul said in the book of Colossians?

Colossians chapter three. He said these words, Therefore, if you've been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on things that are on the earth. If you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Paul says when Christ who is our life. Everything about Christ is alive. He is the living God. That's what Peter confessed in Matthew chapter 16.

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Right? In Revelation chapter one, verse number seventeen and eighteen, the Lord God said, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the living God.

Behold, I was dead, but I live forevermore. And I hold the keys to death and Hades. He is the living God. God is the Spirit. God cannot die. So Christ who is God enfleshed Himself, the Incarnation, became man so He could die. Upon His death, He died to redeem man from His sin. And only the living God can do that. Peter says in 2 Peter chapter one, make sure, make sure that you understand you have life. I wonder this morning if you have life. How do you know you have Christ's life? Let me give you, let me give you twenty-six words that will explain to you whether or not you have Christ's life.

I have fifteen minutes to give you twenty-six words. And they're very easy to follow because they are the ABC's of Christ's life. First of all, if you have the life of Christ, you have the adopted life.

The adopted life. Paul says these words in Ephesians one, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before him in love. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself according to the kind intention of his will. If you have Christ's life, you have the adopted life. In other words, you have been adopted into the family of the living God.

Now understand the ramifications of that because we are enemies of God when we are born. We are the adversaries of God when we are born because we're born in sin. And so Christ became a curse for those who are his adversaries that they might be adopted into his family. They may call them sons of God. Now think about it. This choosing was predetermined. God chooses you. It's God's choice. You know how special that is? That God would say, I choose you to be my son, to be in my family, to be in my kingdom.

When you have Christ's life, you have the adopted life. You're not only heirs of God, you're joint heirs with Christ. That adopted life, number two, is the blessed life.

It's the blessed life. In fact, that's what Paul says. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. You have the blessed life. Jeremiah chapter 17, verse number 7 says, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. That's the blessed man. Psalm 34 verse number 8 says, O taste and see that the Lord is good, how blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. O fear the Lord, you his saints. For to those who fear him, there is no want.

The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. In other words, that's the blessed life. The one who takes refuge in God shall not be in want of any good thing. That is the blessed life that God gives to his people because we are inheritance of all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. You have the adopted life. You have the blessed life. See, you have the converted life. Matthew 18, verse number 3. Unless you become like children and are converted, you will never see the kingdom of God.

The word is strepho, which means to be turned around. Unless you become like little children, helpless and dependent and be converted, be turned around, when you're saved, God turns you, as he says of those in Thessalonica, in 1 Thessalonians 1, verse number 10, they turned to God from idols in order that they might serve the true and living God. There was a turning from sin to the Savior. There was a conversion. The life of Christ is the adopted life. The life of Christ is the blessed life. It is the converted life.

It is the directed life. For Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. In other words, without him, there is no direction in your life. The Bible says these words in Psalm 37, verse number 23.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and he, God, delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the one who holds his hand. That's the directed life. That's the life of Christ. It is the adopted life. It is the blessed life. It is the converted life. It is the directed life. It is the eternal life. Eternal life. That's not talking about longevity. It's talking about quality. It's talking about knowing God. Listen, everybody lives forever. You're going to live forever.

I'm going to live forever. Nobody ceases to exist. Oh, you're going to die physically, but your soul continues on. And one day, there will be a resurrection of your body, John chapter 5. So everybody in the room, although you're alive now, we will all one day die, and one day we will all be resurrected. The three things we all have in common. We live, that's because you're here today, you're breathing, you're going to die, so am I, and all of us are going to be resurrected again. Every one of us is.

But eternal life that God gives is Christ's life, the quality life, the abundant life that allows you to live in the presence of God forever. Also, F is the forgiven and the forgiving life. If you had the life of Christ, you had been forgiven. Christ on the cross did what? The Father forgave them for they know not what they do. Now, he didn't offer carte blanche forgiveness for everybody who didn't know what they were doing. No, he still had to repent. But his heart was to forgive because he's a forgiving God.

And that's why the Bible says these words in the book of Colossians, the third chapter, the twelfth verse.

So as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving each other whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Now, I don't know whether or not you have the adopted life. I don't necessarily know if you have the blessed life or the converted life or the directed life or eternal life. But guess what? I know that if you're not a forgiving person, you don't have the life of Christ.

Because those who have Christ's life and have been forgiven are the most forgiving people on the planet. Christians forgive. That's what we do. We are forgiving people. Christians are not bitter, angry, resentful, vengeful people. If that's you, you've got to check your Christianity. Ask yourself, have you really been converted? Turned around? Changed? Transformed? Why? Because if you've been forgiven of your sins, the least you can do is forgive your brother his sin. The Christ life is the forgiven and forgiving life.

And now people can begin to see whether or not you truly have Christ's life. Oh, I must hurry. G is the grace life. You've been saved by grace. You're strengthened by grace. Second Timothy chapter 2, verse number 1.

You've been given the word of grace. Acts 20, verse number 32, which is able to build you up. It's the grace life. It's the life that is given to you by God even though you don't deserve it. God's unmerited favor to those who are undeserving. That's the grace life. Next is the holy life. Without holiness, Hebrews 12, no man will see the Lord. That's why Christ said be holy as your Father in heaven is holy. Why? Because you have the holy life. You have the separated life. You've been separated by God from the world that you might serve the purposes of God.

That's the holy life. You have the indwelt life. Colossians 1.27, the great mystery. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ lives in you. That's the greatness about Christianity. That Jesus Christ actually takes up residence in your life. So you have His life in you. It's called the indwelt life. And then J is the justified life. Romans 5, verse number 1. Having been justified by faith, we now have peace with God. We've been vindicated. We've been set free. We've been declared righteous because of Christ's work on the cross.

We have the justified life. That's the Christ life. You have the kept life. That's the letter K. The kept life. You are kept by the power of God. 1 Peter chapter 1, verse number 5. You have the loving life. That's L. Romans 5, verse number 5. The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts. We are the most loving people on the planet. Why? Because the love of God has been shed abroad. It's all over the place. It's not sprinkled in your heart. It's shed abroad in your heart. It's everywhere there is.

And so you are a loving person. Why? Because you have Christ's life who, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Right? He loved the world. He loved sinners. And that life, the indwelt life, is the loving life. M. Meaningful life. You know that because you have Christ's life, you have a meaningful life? Listen, if you don't have Christ's life, your life has no meaning. Now that might sound negative to you today, but it's true. How can you have meaning and die and go to hell?

That's not meaning. Meaning means you live forever with Christ. Listen, Christ said, As the Father has sent me, so send I you. That's meaning, right? John 20, verse number 21. As the Father has sent me, now I'm going to send you. The Bible says that we are now, 2 Corinthians 5, ambassadors for Christ.

We are the ambassadors of God's kingdom. We represent God's kingdom to planet Earth. We are citizens of another kingdom. That's the heavenly kingdom. That's the meaningful life. The Bible says we are a holy people, 1 Peter 2, verse number 9.

We are a chosen generation. We are a royal priesthood. In other words, he says, we were not a people, but now you are a people. And we are destined to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. That's meaning. We represent God to everybody we come in contact with because we are His ambassadors. I don't care who you represent on the planet. That's irrelevant. Who do you represent in heaven? That's relevant. That has meaning. That's the meaningful life.

How about this? Letter N, new life. Book of Ezekiel, chapter 35, excuse me, chapter 36, you receive a new heart. Ezekiel 18, a new spirit. Revelation 2, 17, a new name. Psalm 40, verse number 3, a new song. Ephesians 4, 24, you're a new man. Over in 2 Corinthians 5, 17, you're a new creation. Your whole life's new. New heart, new spirit, new song, new man, new life, new creation. You got the new life. Old things have passed away. Build all things. Have become brand spanking. O is the ordained life.

Not all people's lives are ordained, but the one who has Christ's life understands that His life, His steps are all ordained by God. In other words, the psalmist said it well. There's not a day that I live, the psalmist says in Psalm 139, that you have not already ordained. So much so that you know the words on my mouth before they're ever formed in my brain. Because we live an ordained life, a life that's been planned out, that's been orchestrated, that's been providentially determined by the living God.

You have the purchased life, 1 Peter 1, verse number 18. We've been purchased by the blood of the Lamb. You have the quiet life. The quiet life. It's so good. The Lord, your God, will quiet you by His love. Because there's so much tranquility. There's so much peace in the heart of those who have the life of Christ. When Christ said, My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, but my peace I give unto you. What kind of peace is that? The peace that when He was on a boat in the middle of the sea, troubled, and the disciples feared for their lives, He was asleep.

Completely tranquil amidst all kinds of storms, because you live the quiet life. The resurrected life is our, John 11, 25, and 26. Christ said, I am the resurrection and the life. John 5, 25 says all will be resurrected. We have a resurrected life. We are resurrected unto life, not resurrected unto eternal death. We have the satisfied life. Psalm 103 says, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits, who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion, who satisfies your years with good things.

The life of Christ is the satisfied life. That's why 1 Peter 2, verse number 6, says that he who believes in Him will never, ever be disappointed. We also have the tried life. James 1, verses 2 to 4, which says, cannot know joy, brethren, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the proving of your faith produces patience. You'll have a tried life because Christ had a tried life. But it's also an upright life, upright, a straight life. Job 1, he was a upright man. Proverbs 3, 32, God is intimate with the upright.

Proverbs 21, verse number 8, the pure, their conduct is upright. In other words, you live the straight life, the upright life, the righteous life. Yet the victorious life, that's thee. 1 John 5, verse number 4, Revelation 2, Revelation 3, chapter 2 and 3, Romans 8, 37, we are overwhelming conquerors to Him who loved us. Why? Because we're victorious warriors. We live the victorious life. Romans 16, God will soon crush Satan under your feet. That's the life of victory. Why? Because when Christ died, He won the victory over sin, death, and Satan.

When He had His life, He had the victory over sin, death, and Satan. It's a victorious life. Also the wounded life, John 15, verses 18 to 20. Christ said these words in John 15, If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this, the world hates you. That's the wounded life. Ah, X, the Christos life. Go with the Greek letter Chi, which looks like an X.

The Christos life. Paul said, The life in which I now live, I live by faith. And I live because Christ lives in me. It's the Christ life. That's why he said for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Why is a yielded life? Yielded life. Philippians 3, verse number 3, the Christian takes no confidence in the flesh. Why? Because he's denied himself. He's yielded himself to God. He took up his cross and followed him. And Z, Z is the zealous life. For Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed.

He purified for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds. Is that your life? That's the life that God gives. And that's just the icing on the cake or the tip of the iceberg. For I have not seen nor ear heard nor has it entered the heart of man all the things that God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse number 9. So before you leave, I know my time is gone, but I'm going to leave you with this. The words of Moses, Israel's greatest leader. Before he dies, he wants Israel to choose life.

So he says this, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. And that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments that you may live and multiply that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish.

You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. So choose life in order that you may live you and your descendants by loving the Lord your God, by obeying his voice and by holding fast to him for this is your life and the length of your days that you may live in the land in which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them to you.

Moses says simply today I present to you life and death. You want life? Choose the Lord. Love the Lord. Follow the Lord. Give your life to him. But if you want death, serve other gods, worship other idols, live the life that you want to live in your own strength and in your own power. But there is no blessing there. There's only cursing. Christ came that you might have life. Do you have his life? My prayer today is that you do. If you don't, when our service is over, come up to my right to where the piano is and someone will introduce to you Christ who is our life.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for today. The opportunity you give us to worship your holy name for truly you are a great God and you alone are worthy of praise. We are grateful for your word, the truth that's there, and our prayer, Lord, is that we would live for the glory and honor of our king. Thank you for this day and thank you for all who are here for nobody is here by accident. Everybody who is here is here by divine appointment. So today, Lord, as your word has been preached, we pray that you'd work in the hearts of men and women to do your will and live for you, choosing life over death.

In Jesus' name. Amen.