Tackling Ten Timeless Truths, Part 1

The Hebrew chapter 13. It takes us a little while to get through what it is we need to cover. I really want to preach to the book of Isaiah, but that's 66 chapters. I'm not sure I'm going to live long enough to do that one. So I'm going to choose smaller books in the meantime. But what we try to do is, is prepare way in advance. I've made it throughout the time here at Christ Community here, 28 years to be exact, almost 29, that we always prepare in advance. So my sermons are always written eight months to a year or more for the time I preach them.

In other words, I know that we're doing first Thessalonians next. That's already been written and done. I know after that, the next series that will take us into the new year. That's already been written and done. I know that in the fall, we're going to begin our series after Job on the building blocks for the best marriage and family possible. That will take us through the fall into next year all the way to next May. Those are done. We do it in advance. I do it in advance simply because I think it's important, number one, to be prepared.

Because I never know what's going to happen during a week, right? So I always try to be prepared, get it done. But also, I do it in advance. So when I preach it, you don't think I'm picking on you. Because what I'm preaching on is what was written eight months to a year earlier. So if you come to church on a particular day and I'm preaching on a particular subject or topic or verse and it hits you between the eyes, know that that's the sovereignty of God. And you coming on that day to hear that sermon.

Because I think it's important for you to realize that the word of God speaks to us no matter where we're at, no matter what we're going through, no matter what we're doing. So we started the book of Hebrews six years ago this weekend. It was all about the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We wanted you to see how supreme and sufficient Christ is. So much so that you are completely committed to following him no matter what. So the writer of Hebrews spends all this time, 12 chapters, talking to us about why Christ is sufficient, why Christ is supreme, and why you need to leave the old covenant and come to the new covenant.

Why you need to embrace him for who he is, for what he's done because everything about Christ centers around the identity of the Christ and the ministry of the Christ. Then he comes to chapter 13, and now wants to talk to you about your responsibility to the identity and ministry of Christ. Paul does the same thing. The book of Romans, he spends 11 chapters talking to us about doctrine, helping us understand who Christ is and what Christ did, the identity and ministry of the Christ. Then from chapter 12 onward, he beseeches them to present their bodies a living sacrifice.

Now, here is your responsibility in light of that. He does the same thing in the book of Ephesians. The first three chapters are all about doctrine and who God is and what he's done.

Then in light of that, the last three chapters talking about our responsibility to follow what God has done. So that permeates the scriptures. That's all throughout the Bible. Once we know who Christ is, and the Bible is all about the Christ, we then know what our responsibility is. But you really don't know your responsibility until you understand the identity and the ministry of the Messiah himself. And so the word of the Lord speaks to us in such a way to help us understand who he is and what we are to do.

Now, in light of that, it's important for us to realize that when we speak about our responsibility, and we will in chapter 13, because we're going to tackle 10 timeless truths out of chapter 13. Those 10 timeless truths that we need to tackle are going to hit some of us very hard. And yet, it's imperative that we understand our responsibility in light of the identity and ministry of the Messiah, who is all-sufficient and all-supreme. That's why the Bible always gives the exhortation, be careful how you hear.

Take heed to what you hear. Why? Because how you hear is important. How you listen is important. In fact, in the book of Proverbs, the 13th chapter, it says in the 13th verse these words, the one who despises the word will be in debt to it. But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. In other words, when you hear the word of God, do you despise what you hear? Do you look down upon what you hear? Do you or are you disgusted with what you hear? Are you the kind of person that delights in what you hear?

Or do you have disdain for what you hear? Solomon warns, and quite aptly, the one who despises the word will be in debt to it. In other words, you will suffer the consequences if you despise the word of God. In other words, if you despise it, you will be destroyed by it. They says, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. So you have a choice to revere the word and be rewarded or despise the word and be destroyed. Those are your two choices when you come to church on Sunday. There's no in-between choice.

That's your choice. You can revere it because you fear the word of the Lord, you understand the word of the Lord, and therefore you will be rewarded by it, or you will despise what you hear, you'll be disgusted with what you hear, you will turn away from what you hear, and your heart will be calloused and hardened. How does that manifest itself? Well, that's easily said and easily understood in the book of 2 Chronicles 36, which by the way is the last chapter of the Hebrew Bible. The last chapter of our Bible is the book of Malachi.

That's the last book, but in the Hebrew Bible, it's 2 Chronicles, because the Hebrew Bible ends with the destruction of the temple on the Temple Mount. 2 Chronicles 36. And with that comes the destruction of the people who despised what they heard. It says in verse number 15, the Lord, the God of our father, of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by his messengers because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. Why did God keep sending messengers, keep sending prophets, keep sending those who would deliver the word of God to his people?

Because he had compassion on his people. The Lord knew that the only way they could respond in a way that would honor him was to be submissive to the word of God. He knows that. So he just keeps sending messenger after messenger after messenger after messenger. Verse 16, But they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised his words. Same word used in Proverbs 13, verse number 13. Despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people until there was no remedy.

That's disheartening. God would send a messenger after messenger after messenger and they would say, You know what, that doesn't mean anything to me. I don't care what you have to say. Or in today's vernacular, that messenger doesn't speak to me anymore. I don't understand what they're saying. I don't get it. And they begin to despise the word of God, become disgusted with the word of God. And that's what happened with Israel. And of course, you know, the Babylonian captivity took place over three deportations of the nation of Israel into Babylon.

And they were there for 70 years. It began in 605 B.C. And God had to get his people's attention because they just would not listen.

So back in the book of Proverbs, the 13th chapter, it says, The one who despises the word will be in debt to it. In other words, you can't afford to be disgusted with what God says.

You can't afford to disregard what God says. You cannot afford, you cannot afford to disdain what God says.

If so, you'll be in debt to it. You'll suffer the consequences. But the one who fears the commandment, that one's rewarded. You revere me, you revere my name, you'll be rewarded. Verse 14, The law of the wise, which is the word of God, is a fountain of life. In other words, God's law is like a fountain. It fills you. It's like drinking running water when you're dying of thirst. The law of the wise, the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life to turn aside from the snares of death. It protects you.

It watches over you. It turns you away from the snares of death. Good understanding produces favor. But the way of the treacherous is hard. The way of the treacherous is callous. It's cold. It's hard. Every prudent or wise man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly. Every wise man acts according to the knowledge given to him through the word of God. In other words, he hears the word of God, doesn't disregard the word, doesn't despise the word, right? He's not disgusted with what he hears.

Instead, he delights in what he hears because it gives him knowledge about his God and who he is and what his responsibility is to his God. But the fool displays folly. That's why earlier Solomon would say these words. Proverbs 1, verse number 22. I will make my words known to you because they called you and you refused. I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention and you neglected all my counsel and did not want my reproof. I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Why? Because they hated knowledge. They hated the understanding of who I am. They despised me. They were disgusted with me. They did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel. They spurned all my reproof so they should eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naive will kill them and the complacency of the fools will destroy them.

But he who listens to me shall live securely and be at ease from the dread of evil. He who listens to me, he who listens to me will be at ease from the dread of evil. They will live securely. They will be rewarded. That's why it's so important to understand that when you come and you hear the Word of God or when you open your Bible and you read the Word of God that you understand that God is specifically speaking to you at that time. We like to think that God is speaking to my neighbor at that time or to my wife or to my children, right?

Or to the guy in the other aisle. He couldn't possibly be speaking to me at that time but he is. See? And the moment you think that he's speaking to somebody else he's really speaking to you. That's so important. And God wants you to hear His Word and understand His Word. Everything is based on who Christ is. From who He is determines what we do. So when you come to Hebrews chapter 13 it's all about what we are to do in response to who He is. He is all supreme. He is all sufficient. He is the King of the earth.

He is the Messiah of Israel. And He has fulfilled the law and the prophets. And you come to Him by faith. You embrace Him. When you do, this is how you live that out. That's Hebrews chapter 13. Now, to belabor the point a little longer it's important you understand that this is the way God always does it. It's all throughout the Scriptures. So because we just talked about Mount Sinai go back with me to, if you would, to Exodus chapter 20 for a brief moment. Remember Mount Sinai? The earth began to shake.

The mountain trembled. Fire and smoke. And God's voice thundered. In Exodus chapter 20 the people say we don't want God to speak to us any longer. Moses, you talk to us. Don't let God speak to us. Because they were absolutely terrified. Because on that mountain God gave the Ten Commandments, right? And I'm sure if you could quote the Ten Commandments you could probably quote them pretty much verbatim. Which is probably a good thing. But everything about the Ten Commandments was central to the teaching of the Messiah.

Because everything centers around what? Loving God and loving your fellow man. The first four commandments deal with God and your relationship to who God is.

You shouldn't have any other gods before me. You shouldn't carve out any other idols. Idolatry is wrong. I'm the priority. Worship only me. Make sure you keep the Sabbath. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with the living God.

And what I share with you on Wednesday nights is very important. God never just puts stuff on a page haphazardly. Everything has specific order to it. Everything has a specific reason for it. When it's spoken, when it's said, where it's said, how it's said. This is the inspired, authoritative word of God that is relevant in everything it says. So the way God says it is important for us to understand.

And so when you look at the Ten Commandments you realize that God gave these commands to His children in Israel that they would understand who God is because the commandments themselves embody the personality, the character, the nature of the living God.

And He wants them to only worship Him, only serve Him, only honor Him. And then He gives the latter six commandments. Verse 12, honor your father and your mother that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't bear false witness against your neighbor, don't covet your neighbor's house, yada, yada, yada, yada, yada. Why does God do it that way? If the order is significant and it's important, why does God do it that way?

Why is it if I love God and I want to serve God and honor God, the very first commandment when it comes to my relationship with man is not don't covet or don't murder or don't steal or don't commit adultery.

It's not there. They're there, but not first. What's first? Honor your father and your mother. Why? Why does God do that? I'm going to tell you the same thing I've been telling you for 30 years. It's this. If your Christianity doesn't work at home, it doesn't work at all. You're a hypocrite. God knows that. How do we know you love God? How do we know you're not an idolater? How do we know you want to serve the true and living God? How do you know that God is your priority and nothing else is? It's evidenced where?

At home. At home. It's not evidence at church. You all look like Christians at church. You all talk like Christians at church. You even smell like Christians at church. But at home, that's where the rubber meets the road. That's where the real you shines. Right? The real you shines at home. And the Lord makes it very clear from the very beginning when he gives the commandments to Israel. He says, look, everything is about me. But the way I know you're really into me and the way I know you're really committed to me and the way I know you really love me is you honor your father and your mother.

Now, this is replete throughout the scriptures. Listen to the book of Leviticus. Nineteenth chapter. God says to Moses, Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy.

The book of Leviticus is all about the holiness of God. Right? I want my people to be as holy as I am holy. I want them to be as set apart from corruption and set apart from creation as I am set apart from corruption and creation. Because to be holy is to be set apart. I want my people completely set apart from everybody else. And how do I know you are committed to being as holy as God is holy? How will I ever know that? Next words. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father. Again. Your love for me is demonstrated primarily in your relationship with those closest to you in your home.

Exodus chapter 20. Your commitment to holiness and wanting to be as holy as I am holy, where is that seen the most? When you revere your mother and your father. See? Then he goes on and says this. He says, And you shall keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the Lord your God. How come he didn't put that first?

Why did he put revering your mother and father first before those? Because the way you demonstrate how holy you are is in the relationship with those closest to you. That's why it's so important. You see, because people tend to think they're holy. Tend to think they love God. But those closest to them, they treat the worst. And the Lord knows that. So what does he do? He uses the same example with the people that are the most religious people on the planet when he was here. The Pharisees. The scribes.

The religious establishment believed that they were the holiest of the holies. Right? They were the most righteous people. When they prayed, they prayed so all could hear. When they fasted, they made sure you knew they were fasting. When they gave, they blew trumpets so you knew they were giving. And everybody said, oh man, those guys are holy. Look at them give.

Look at them pray. Look at them fast. Everything was external. And the Lord has the most scathing indictments against religious people. The religious establishment of his day. And so in Mark's Gospel, the Pharisees are upset because his disciples don't keep the traditions of man. And so the Lord addresses that. Now listen carefully. Verse 6 of Mark 7. In emptiness, in uselessness do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. Your worship of me is useless. It's worthless. Why? Because the doctrines of men, the way you want it to be, is more important than the way I told you it should be.

That's why your worship is in vain. But he says this. Neglecting the commandment of God you hold to the tradition of men. He was also saying to them, you are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. In other words, you are so good at what you do, you can take the commandment of God, you can set it aside because you despise it, you disregard it, you don't think it nearly as high as you and your tradition and your opinion is. So you take the law of God, you set it aside, lift your opinion, your tradition, above what the word of God says, and hold it in higher esteem.

So what does he say? For Moses says, what? Honor your father and your mother. Why? These guys are adults. These guys are old. They're Pharisees. They're scribes. They're Sadducees. They're Levites. These guys are old. They're men. He says, honor your father and your mother. He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death. Is that just for kids? Oh, no, no, no. He's talking to adults. He's not talking to kids. He's talking to adults. Our age, says this. But you say, if a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban or devoted to God, you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother, thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down and you do many things such as that.

In other words, you want to say you're religious people, but yet you dishonor your father and mother. Let me show you how to do that.

You take your money, and you refuse to help those who are in need. Your mother and father who raised you, who changed your diapers, who fed you, who clothed you, who made sure you got your education, took care of you, bought you your first car, or your first chariot, or first horse, or first donkey, whatever the case may be, and they got it for you.

They did all this for you, but now they're older. Now they're in need. Now you won't give them any aid. Why? Because, Corbin, I've devoted everything I have to God. It's all God's. And you think you're so religious and so pure and so holy because you've devoted this amount of money to God. You cannot honor your father and mother any longer. You've just invalidated the authority of God's word in your life. You despise it. You disregard it. And you will be in debt to it. God does this all throughout the Scriptures.

Why? Because if you love me, and you honor me, and I'm a priority in your life, everything I tell you to do, you're like, yes, Lord. I'll follow you, Lord. I will do what you say, Lord. I want to serve you, Lord. They would take the law of God, set it aside, lift their tradition of men because they wanted to keep their money. They want to give their money to their mom and dad. They want to do that. And thus they disrespected, they dishonored, they did not revere those closest to them. And what did he do?

He pointed out very clearly that the way I know you love me is demonstrated in your family. The way I know you're committed to holiness is that it's demonstrated in your family, those closest to you. Because if your Christianity doesn't work at home, it simply just doesn't work at all. That simple. Because they know you. We don't know you. We don't live with you. We don't see you get upset, throw pots and pans, and yell and scream, and kick and do all those things, and get in your car and drive off.

We don't see that part of you. But your family does. If you want to be as holy as I'm holy, those closest to you will see it more than anybody else will see it. Because if they don't see it, guess what? You're not nearly as holy as you thought you were. And you don't love me nearly as much as you thought you did. So why do I tell you all that? Because it's replete throughout the New Testament over and over again. Who I am, my identity, and my ministry will always determine your responsibility. So when you hear about who I am and what I've done, don't disregard it.

Don't despise it. Don't deride it. Delight in it. Embrace it and follow it. Why? Because it manifests itself in those closest to you. So when you come to the book of Hebrews, long introduction to Hebrews chapter 13, verse number one, he wants you to know that now this is the outworking of your belief that God is all-sufficient and all-supreme.

And what does he say? Hebrews 13, verse number one. Let love of the brethren continue. Let love of the brethren continue. He doesn't say start loving the brethren. He says let love for the brethren continue. The only way something can continue is it's already been made available to you. Is it not true that Romans 5 says that the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts? Doesn't Galatians 5 tell us that the fruit of the Spirit is, first thing, love?

The actual outworking of the Spirit of God demonstrates itself in love. The very fact that God is in us, His love is shed abroad within us. In fact, over in Hebrews chapter 6, he already said this, Hebrews 6, verse number 10, He said, For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. In other words, you've already shown your love to the saints. This is what you do. Now continue your love for the brethren.

There are 10 truths that must be tackled that are all timeless and of great necessity. And the first one is this, Respond with love to the needs of others.

Respond with love to the needs of others. Paul says it this way, Romans chapter 12, Let love be without hypocrisy. In other words, your love should be unhypocritical. He says, Poor what is evil, clean what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Well, how am I going to do that? It tells you. Giving preference to one another in honor. How do I know I'm devoted to you in brotherly love? I'm going to give preference to you in honor. In other words, I'm going to give preference to you over who?

Me. How does brotherly love continue? It continues because I prefer you over me. Why does the church have such a hard time loving one another? Because I prefer me over you. It's just that simple. I always prefer me over you. But brotherly love can only continue if I prefer you over me. I got to be devoted to one another in brotherly love. How? It tells you. Give preference to one another in honor. Not lagging behind in diligence. In other words, don't lag behind in this. You've got to be very diligent in doing this because you don't want to do this.

You've got to be very energetic in doing this because you don't tend to want to do it by nature simply because you love yourself so much. But you've got to prefer them over yourself. And you've got to be diligent in doing it. And then it says this. Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Don't lag behind in diligence, but be fervent in spirit. Zealous in spirit. Why? Because who are you serving? Ah, you're serving the Lord. Not primarily serving them. You're serving the Lord. You want to put God on display.

You want to honor the Lord. That's what you want to do. And so let brotherly love continue. Be devoted to one another. Give preference to one another. Self-love is always the deterrent to brotherly love. Self-love comes because of my pride and my arrogance. I love me more than you. And yet in the church, in the body, we have to give preference to others. Peter says it this way. First Peter chapter 1, he says, verse 22, Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere or a genuine love for the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.

You have this love for the brethren. Do it from the heart. In fact, he later says in chapter 4, verse number 8, Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. Be so committed, so fervent. It's a word that when you go to work out and you stretch your muscles and you want to do as much as you possibly can, extend them as far as you can for as long as you can, as hard as you can, that's what you do for the brother or sister in the body. You are fervent in your love for them.

Why? Because love covers a multitude of sins. It is the glory of a man to overlook a transgression. Right? What is a man at his best? When he refuses to bring up a transgression, just let it go. It's okay. The problem is today we wear our feelings on our sleeves. Anytime someone says something against us, we're like, oh, we get so distraught. We become bitter, hold a grudge. But we're not fervent in our love for one another. This is what is evidenced in the body of Christ. Once you understand the identity and ministry of the Messiah, this is your responsibility to man.

Let brotherly love continue. You know, the Bible is so clear. When the rich young ruler came to the Lord, he said, good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said, why do you call me good? No one's good except God. So you must recognize that I'm God if you're calling me good, because only God is good. He says, you know the commandments. Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't bear false witness, don't defraud, honor your father and mother. He gives the latter half of the Decalogue, right?

He said, teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up. I've done that. I've honored my mother and father. I haven't committed adultery. I don't lie. I haven't stolen anything. I don't covet my neighbor's wife. I don't covet my neighbor's horse, his donkey, his belongings, anything. And the Lord felt love for him. He says, one thing you lack, go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come and follow me. But these words he was saddened and he went away grieving for he was one who owed much property.

See, he thought he could keep the commandments when it came to dealing with his fellow man. But then when God questioned his commitment to him, what he realized is that he was an idolater. There was something more important to him than God. It was his money. He couldn't sell it. Couldn't get rid of it. Couldn't come follow Christ because that was his God. Because that was his God. Loving God can only be seen in your love for man. So he lied about loving man because he really didn't love God. And later on in Luke's gospel, a lawyer stood up and put him to the test saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

He said to him, what is written in the law? How do you read it? And he answered, You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. He said to him, you have answered correctly. Do this and you will live. In other words, he summed up the law of the prophets. He summed up the Decalogue. You should love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. With all you have, you're going to love God and then you're going to love your fellow man so much you won't commit adultery, you won't steal, you won't lie, you won't covet, you'll honor your father and mother.

You'll do all those things. Christ said, you answered correctly. But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, who is my neighbor? Just for clarification purposes. Who is my neighbor? Because if my neighbor is my best friend, I'm good. I can do that. If my neighbor is the guy I work with, I'm good with that. So just clarify for me, Jesus. Who is my neighbor? And Jesus gives him a parable. You know the parable, the parable of the good Samaritan. When the priest walked by, the Levite went by. That's a man had been beaten, bloodied and bruised on his way from Jericho or Jerusalem to Jericho.

But a Samaritan, a despised one, saw his need, bound his wounds, took him to an inn, paid for his room in the inn, right? And Christ asked this question. Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber's hands? He said, the one who showed mercy to him. He couldn't even say the Samaritan. Just the one who showed mercy to him. Then Jesus said to him, go and do the same. Who is my neighbor? Answer, anyone who has a need is your neighbor. That's your neighbor.

That's the one you love. That's the one you help. So when the writer of Hebrews says, let love for the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, neighbors that might not be from across the street or somebody you work with or go to church with, but a stranger. For by this some have entertained angels without knowing. Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. Respond in love or with love to those who are in need.

That's truth number one. Now, let me just add this to you so you understand this. Because this is very important. We misunderstand what loving my brother really looks like. But there's a verse in the Old Testament that makes it very clear to us. It's found in that same chapter, the book of Leviticus 19th chapter. It says in verse number 17, because I know that none of you in the room will say, I hate my brother. Let's see if you do or you don't. You shall not hate your fellow countrymen in your heart.

You must surely rebuke him, but shall not incur sin because of him. Do you love your brother enough to rebuke him, to reprove him? Because you see, if you don't love him enough to reprove him, you really don't love him, you hate him. If he's in the wrong or she's in the wrong, you need to go to them and reprove them and tell them this is wrong. You can't go down this path. This is not how Christians operate. This is not what we do. But instead, what do we do? We'll tell somebody else about my friend's problem.

But won't go to my friend, the one I say I love. But in reality, I really do hate because that's what God says.

You can say you love somebody, but what you say doesn't matter. What God says does matter, right? Oh, thank you. I got one amen out of that one. What God says matters, what you think doesn't matter.

You reprove your brother or what happens? You participate in their sin. Now, now what do you do? You see, if you love your brother, you'll rebuke your brother when they're in sin, when they've done that which is wrong because you love them so. And you want them to walk with the Lord. Their spiritual welfare is more important to you than anything else. That's why truth above relationship matters. Because if your relationship with this person is so valuable that you'll compromise the truth, you've incurred their sin by not rebuking them when they've sinned.

Let brotherly love continue. How about you? Would that be said of you? Would it be said of me? Us? Individually as well as corporately? Would that be us? If Christ is all-sufficient and all-supreme, He rules and reigns above all, He's everything He says He is and He is, the identity and ministry of the Messiah dictates the responsibility of the people who follow that Messiah. Therefore, we let brotherly love continue. Let's pray together. Father, we thank You, Lord, for today and the opportunity You give us to study the Word.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that Your Word is very clear. May we, as Your children, follow specifically what You have said. And may we, Lord, live for the glory of Your name. And not ourselves, but Your name. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.