[0:00] Amen. I'd like to invite you all to stand, if you're able, as we sing, Take My Life and Let It Be. Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee.
[0:27] Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of my love.
[0:45] Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. Take my voice and let me sing, always only for my King.
[1:03] Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee. Take my silver and my gold, not of might would I withhold.
[1:20] Take my hands, elect and use, every power as thou shalt choose. Take my will and make it thine, it shall be no longer mine.
[1:38] Take my heart, it is thine own, it shall be thy royal throne. Take my love, my Lord, I pour at thy feet, it's treasure store.
[1:56] Take myself and I will be ever only all for thee. The Lord be with you.
[2:07] Also be with you. Please greet one another with the peace of the Spirit. childhood ends. So we will look at the steps.
[2:34] I wonder if any of the kids would like to come up.
[3:04] How are all of you today? Pretty good? That's good. I was going to ask you, what if somebody gave you a gift of money?
[3:16] What if they gave you like 20 bucks? What would you do with 20 bucks? You'd give it to the poor. What a kind and generous thing to do.
[3:28] How about anybody else? What would you do if somebody gave you a bunch of money? Put it in your piggy bank and save it. What great ideas you guys have.
[3:39] Any other things you could do with that money? Nobody's going to go out and spend it? I can't believe it. You're all too good. Would you go spend it? Yeah, yeah. But what happens if you give it all away to the poor, or you put it in the bank and hide it away, or if you spend it, then what happens?
[4:00] It's gone. Exactly, exactly. So we need to do something when we think about our money. We need to do a little bit of planning ahead of time and make some choices about where we're going to spend our money.
[4:12] Grownups call that financial planning. What a fancy name, right? But what it is is you decide whether you're going to give all of it away or whether you're going to give part of it away and put part of it in the bank to save and maybe spend some of it.
[4:26] You can do lots of different things with your money, but maybe you need to decide ahead of time. When God gives you a really nice gift or gives you a talent or calls you to do something, you have to decide exactly how you're going to do that, don't you?
[4:43] Yeah, you have to plan ahead a little bit. And that's what God calls us to do, to think with our minds and to make some choices and do the right things with everything that God gives to us.
[4:54] All right. What are you thankful for that God has given to you? Our families and our friends.
[5:09] Friends and family. Piggy banks. Tacos. All right. My cat.
[5:23] My mom. All right. All right. Let's have a prayer then. Lord, we do thank you for family and friends, for piggy banks and kitty cats and even fossils.
[5:37] We know, Lord, that you have given us so many blessings, and we ask that you would help us to decide wisely how we would use everything you've given to us. Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to make choices and to decide to follow you.
[5:52] And we do that in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you so much for coming up. Good morning. Good morning.
[6:18] Isn't it a beautiful day to be in the presence of the Lord? Yes. Amen. Okay. It is. I know it's raining. I know it's pouring. But on my way here, you know how God gives you those little glimmers of hope?
[6:31] On my way here, as I was driving, heading east to get here, I saw a little break in the clouds, and literally the sun was shining right there.
[6:43] And it was shining down over billows of clouds that were the most beautiful formations all across the sky. And you could see the sunbeams coming down.
[6:55] You know how sometimes it comes down and the sunbeams are just filtered through the clouds like that? It looked like a painting of creation or something. You know those paintings that you see, like in your Bible or in a devotional book?
[7:06] That was what it looked like. And my heart just filled up and said, God, what a blessed day it is, even with the rain. As we continue to worship God, let's bring our gifts, our tithes, and our offerings before the Lord.
[7:21] God, what a blessed day it is, even with the rain.
[7:51] Open the eyes of the blinds, no one like you, no one like you.
[8:03] Into the darkness of shine, out of the ashes of your eyes, no one like you, no one like you.
[8:18] Our God is greater, our God is stronger, cause you are higher than any other. Our God is healer, awesome and never.
[8:31] Our God, our God. God, your heart, our God is greater, our God is stronger, cause you are higher than any other.
[8:43] So, God, our God is higher than any other. Our God is greater, our God is stronger, Out of the ashes and rocks, there's no one like you.
[8:54] Not like you. Our God is greater, our God is stronger. But you are higher than any other.
[9:08] Our God is greater, our strength and power. Our God, our God. Our God is greater, our God is greater, our God is greater.
[9:48] Our God is greater, our God is greater. Our God is greater, our God is stronger.
[10:08] But you are higher than any other. Our God is greater, our God is greater. Our God is greater, our God is greater. Our God is greater, our God is greater.
[10:22] Our God is greater, our God is stronger. But you are higher than any other. Our God is greater, our God is greater. Our God is greater, our God is greater.
[10:34] Thank you.
[11:04] Thank you.
[11:34] Thank you.
[12:04] Thank you. Amen. Dear Heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise for this day and that we may gather together and worship you.
[12:21] We offer our gifts to you, Lord God, not that there is anything that we have that you could possibly need. Everything we have comes from you. But we give it back to you, Lord God, to honor you.
[12:36] Lord, we ask that you would bless it, that you would bless all the gifts that you have given us. Give us wisdom to know how to best use them for the furtherance of your kingdom, that many would come to salvation in Jesus Christ and continue to grow in their Christian faith, able to do your will in this world.
[12:57] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. And we had the opportunity this morning to initiate some new folks, some folks in the church into membership, brothers and sisters in Christ.
[13:18] Through the sacrament of baptism, we are initiated into Christ's holy church. We are incorporated into God's mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit.
[13:29] All this is God's gift offered to us without price. And I'd like to invite now our lay leader, Jan Hodge, and all those who are coming as candidates for membership and their sponsors.
[13:43] Come on up. Come on up. Come this way.
[13:59] All the way up. Come over this way. On behalf of the church, I present Frank and Terry Remillard and Thomas and Tracy Finicki for membership.
[14:19] Amen. With all of our church family, shall we remember our Christian faith and profess what our Christian faith is contained in the scriptures of the Old and the New Testament?
[14:35] You can face that way or you can face that way because you can see it either way. Ready? Do you believe in God the Father? I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
[14:47] Do you believe in Jesus Christ? I believe in Jesus Christ. His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
[15:05] He descended to the dead. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? Oh, wait. On the third day, sorry. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
[15:23] Now do you believe in the Holy Spirit? Amen. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
[15:39] Amen. Well, you've already confessed it, but we're going to vow it now. Ready? Will you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?
[15:50] That should be up here. Yes. Accept the grace of Jesus Christ as my Savior and acknowledge my need for forgiveness. I reject the power of evil, repent of my sin, and promise to serve Jesus as Lord.
[16:09] Will you love the Lord with all your soul? Love the Lord with all my soul by praying, attending worship regularly, and supporting the church financially with a goal toward tithing.
[16:25] Will you love the Lord with all your mind? I will love the Lord with all my mind by committing to read the Bible and growing in my understanding of the Christian faith.
[16:37] I will participate in opportunities about learning about God through the church. Will you love the Lord with all your heart? I will love the Lord with all my heart by caring for others at Pendleton Center United Methodist Church.
[16:54] I will make an effort to get involved in groups and activities to get to know people and develop friendships at church. Will you love the Lord with all your strength?
[17:07] I will love the Lord with all my strength by serving in the ministries of Pendleton Center United Methodist Church, using the gifts God has given me, and by sharing about Jesus with others.
[17:23] All right. We're going this way, Jan. And let's have, let's see. We'll work first. This is the Remillard.
[17:39] Okay, you two get to kneel right here. Hang on to that for me. I can see it. There. There we go.
[17:54] Frank Remillard and Terry Remillard. The Holy Spirit work within you that having been born through water and the Spirit, you may be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
[18:10] Amen. Okay, stay right here. Tracy Finnecke and Tom Finnecke, the Holy Spirit work within you that you have been born through water and the Spirit, that you may be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
[18:48] Amen. Amen. Now, should we welcome our new brothers and sisters in Christ? Amen. Yep. There you go.
[19:01] Amen. And there's cake after. Please join us all in the fellowship hall for some cake and to greet and get to know Tracy and Tom and Frank and Terry a little bit better and all of their kids and their family.
[19:14] I know you guys need to go out to church school, right? Amen. Amen. What a blessing to welcome folks into the church. I wonder if you heard that the membership vows are a little different than you might be used to.
[19:30] Yeah? Pastor Tom and Pastor Sherry and Pastor Gene have been working really, really hard to get this all in line with with what we believe in this church is our job as Christians, right?
[19:41] To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. And our vows now really reflect that.
[19:53] I think it's a real blessing and I was blessed to be able to lead you in saying those vows probably for the first time in this service, right? Alright.
[20:03] Well, it is a blessing and we're going to go turn to the Lord in prayer now. We have some concerns to bring before you and you're welcome to join me at the rail or in your seat. Elizabeth Geary who is a little daughter of Heather who usually attends the 815 service is going to be having some more surgery on her ears.
[20:22] She's having some trouble with her hearing and they're not sure how that's going to go so we want to lift her up and lift up that family. Dave Johnson is in Roswell. He is critically ill and we want to keep him in our prayers and his family as well.
[20:37] And Claire Boleslaw passed away peacefully at home on Thursday. We'll let you know as soon as we know anything about arrangements but so far everything's just kind of quiet.
[20:48] Alright. So with these concerns those in your heart let's turn to the Lord in prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father it is such an honor and a privilege to come before you that we can enter into your throne room and pour out our hearts to you is a blessing that is beyond measure.
[21:28] You are the God who has made us who we are and you want us to be part of doing your work in this world. So we come before you now and we pray for those in our midst who are sick and infirm.
[21:45] We ask that you would touch them by the power of your Holy Spirit. Move through people bringing healing power as they touch them with their hands as they minister to them with medical means Lord God whatever it is that they need to be made whole bring them to wholeness Lord in their spirits and their souls and in their bodies.
[22:13] Father I just pray in Jesus name and invite my brothers and sisters in Christ also to lift up those who are grieving losses. Father there are all kinds of losses that we experience in this life and you know them well.
[22:34] We just pray for comfort. We pray for comfort we pray for peace we ask in Jesus name that even in the midst of sorrow there could be a remembrance of your joy and your love that you would just pour it out into the hearts of those who are in need of that kind of peace and that kind of comforting.
[23:06] Lord we pray in Jesus name for our church not just for this local church here at Pendleton Center Lord God but all of the church.
[23:20] There are so many decisions that have to be made so many choices sometimes we wonder if we're doing the right thing sometimes we wonder if we dare make the right choice because so many might see it as being wrong.
[23:48] Lord we pray in Jesus name that you would give us hearts to seek your will and that as you share that with us as we are able to discern through prayer through studying your word through looking at the tradition of the church and being just in Christian fellowship so that we can bear witness one to another of what your truth is we would be strong to do it we would be strong to stand for what your will teaches us is that which makes us your holy church Father we pray in Jesus name that you would teach us your ways that we may walk in your truth give us undivided hearts that we may fear your name purify our hearts cleanse us remove from us all that stands in the way between us and you and let us shine your glory wherever we go for all the world to see
[25:05] Lord we pray that as we hear your word as we sing songs of praise as we hear the message Pastor Gene is bringing for us today that you would continue to transform us help us to see you for who you are and agree with all that you have called us to be with Pastor Gene as she delivers your message let it be a blessing to her and to us and Lord make all of our worship to be a blessing to you that is why we came in Jesus name amen shall we hear from the word of the Lord you and just to
[26:10] Good morning.
[26:28] Our scripture reading this morning is from the book of Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 1 through 14. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God's holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.
[26:45] Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
[26:58] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.
[27:12] In accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given us, in the one he loves, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us.
[27:30] With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment, to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
[27:46] In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him, who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
[28:04] And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of his glory.
[28:27] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Jan, for sharing the word with us this morning.
[28:39] Questions, questions, questions, questions. We all have lots and lots of questions. We have a lot of questions for God. At least I do. I can't wait to see him face to face and ask some of those questions.
[28:53] And that's why we're doing this sermon series about what, if you could ask God one question, what would it be? When we surveyed some of you in our Bible studies, we got some ideas about what some of your questions are, and I've actually compiled a list of those questions that we have about God and about Jesus Christ and about the Holy Spirit.
[29:15] I made a list and made some copies for you. If you didn't pick one up, you're welcome to pick one up. And I hope that those questions will help you to think about what you would like to know, what you would like to ask God.
[29:27] At some point, we'll give you a chance to submit some more questions, and maybe we'll be able to address some of those and help you to find some answers as we go through this sermon series over the next few weeks.
[29:41] The question for today is, does God give us choices or not? Are we allowed to make decisions or not? And that's a pretty good question.
[29:52] There are theologians who are people who spend all of their time studying what God is about, who have been debating this question for centuries. And this is how their debate goes.
[30:05] If God is all-knowing, then he must know ahead of time everything that we are going to do. So there's no need to worry about making decisions, because God already knows and the outcome is already decided.
[30:20] And if God is really all-powerful, he's in control of everything. So he must decide ahead of time exactly what's going to happen and what we're going to do.
[30:31] And we, as mere humans, how could we possibly have the power to resist the will of God? So that's how the question goes. On the other hand, if God truly wants us to love him wholeheartedly, then how can he force us to do his will?
[30:51] Then we would just merely be puppets or robots, and there would be no reason at all, no way, for us to make decisions on our own. But if that were the case, how could we truly choose to love God?
[31:06] We cannot force another person, another being, to love us, and without free will, real love is impossible. So what do you think?
[31:18] Do we have the ability to make choices, or don't we? And why does it matter? On the one hand, I think it would be a whole lot easier if God just made all my decisions for me, everything was black and white, I never had to decide another thing, because you know what?
[31:34] As soon as I wake up in the morning, I've got to start making decisions every single day. I've got to decide to get out of bed, I've got to decide what to wear, what to eat for breakfast, what time to leave for work.
[31:47] Sometimes it just seems like there's so much that I have to decide. And then I have to go on and I have to decide, even if I'm at work or at play, I have to decide dozens and dozens of questions and decisions and choices all day long.
[32:02] Should I go this way? Should I go that? Should I go visit some shut-ins or work on a mission project? What am I going to teach the youth tonight? What songs are we going to sing and worship? It just goes on and on.
[32:14] What do I say to encourage a family that's losing hope? Or what do I say to the person who's lost a loved one? How will my decisions affect my life?
[32:28] And how will my choices affect the people around me? Is this something God wants me to do or not? By the time I get home in the evening, I don't want to make one more decision.
[32:41] Somebody else can decide what we're having for supper tonight. Is that how you feel sometimes, too? And yet, I do believe that God expects us to make choices and to live with the consequences of those choices.
[32:58] There was a man in the Bible whose name was Jonah. Have you ever heard of him? Yeah. Well, you know, perhaps, that a group of us took a bus trip down to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, earlier this week, to see the Sight and Sound live production of the play Jonah.
[33:15] I was there. I bought the T-shirt. But we had a great time. It was a marvelous, marvelous production. You felt as though you were right under the ocean with Jonah as the fish were swimming about and the whales circled over the top of the audience.
[33:31] You felt like you were right there in the ocean. We all know what happened to Jonah, right? What happened? He got swallowed up by a big fish, by a whale, right?
[33:43] Well, we know what happened to him, but do we know how he got into that predicament in the first place? Jonah was a prophet, and he heard the word of God spoken to him, and he was supposed to go out and speak that word to other people.
[34:00] God called him to go to that great city of Nineveh and to preach to them and to tell them that they were doing things that were wicked in the sight of God and that they had better change or else they were soon going to be destroyed.
[34:14] And at first, Jonah kind of liked the idea of going and telling his enemies that they were going to be destroyed because he hated the Ninevites. They had been wicked and cruel to his people, the Hebrews.
[34:26] They had come in and brutally murdered men and women and children, and Jonah really didn't like them at all. But as he thought about it more and more, he thought, well, if I go preach to them and tell them that God is angry, they just might repent and ask God for forgiveness, and then they'll be saved.
[34:49] Why, that's just terrible. I'm not going to go talk to those people. I don't want to tell them anything. That's just how much he hated the Ninevites. And so Jonah decided he made this choice to run away from God's calling.
[35:05] He found a ship that was sailing for Tarshish, which is a place that's about as far away from Nineveh as you can get. And he got on the ship and sailed off. Suddenly, a storm came up, and the ship was in danger of sinking.
[35:20] And so the crew began to toss overboard some of the cargo in order to lighten the ship in hopes that they could ride out the storm. But the ship was still in danger of sinking.
[35:32] And so the sailors began to cry out to their various gods, asking for help, asking that the gods would save them. But the storm grew much more severe, and the ship began taking on water.
[35:44] And when they asked Jonah to pray to his god, hoping maybe his god, the god of the Hebrews, would help them, Jonah had to admit that he was running away from God, that he was trying to get away from doing what God wanted him to do.
[35:58] And that's why there was a terrible storm. And at last, Jonah told the crew that they would have to throw him overboard in order to make the storm cease.
[36:12] They didn't want to do it. And yet, when they did, the sea became perfectly calm as Jonah sank down through the waves, and it appeared that he would die in a watery grave.
[36:25] And that's why there were some transverseASE now as Jonah's shadow. So the kill the tide should be saved. But then, the End of time, you will have to do it.
[36:37] So as thevasion was so much on the sea wanted Tube, and the sea under the waves that travelled along to the beach, while the whole star crest of Sun Local Air Nations roars and co-� corrosionled Zears whatnot, and more� politicians zwischenessions andultura on the sea ready to float up, the adventure behind him or watching Homer 1 Santiago of War Thank you.
[37:25] Thank you.
[37:55] I'm not alive. I'm dead. This is where my disobedience has brought me. To my grave.
[38:07] To the depths of hell. No. Why is it so wet? What's happening?
[38:22] Everything's moving up. Oh. Oh. Oh. My ears feel like they're gonna burst. Oh.
[38:32] And the smell of death is like rotting fish. Oh. Oh. I think I'm gonna be sick. All right.
[38:43] Oh. Oh. I can see. Wow.
[38:55] Why are there so many fish? No. No. Oh, darkness. Fish. Oh, oh.
[39:06] Oh, the swimming pool. Oh, no. The call of the Nazphalim. I'm inside an enormous fish.
[39:20] Ah! So Jonah figured out where he was inside that enormous fish. You know, God sent this fish to swallow Jonah, not to kill him, but to save him.
[39:37] But at that moment, Jonah thought he was certainly going to die in the fish's belly. And for three days, Jonah sloshed around inside of that fish.
[39:48] I think God was giving him time to think about the choices he'd made and perhaps to make a better choice. He could choose to do what God had called him to do in the first place and go to Nineveh.
[40:02] Or he could continue to defy God and probably die in the belly of the fish. Finally, Jonah made the right choice.
[40:13] And his prayer of repentance is recorded in the Bible in Jonah chapter 2. From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said, In my distress, I called to the Lord and he answered me.
[40:29] From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help. And you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas. And the currents swirled about me and all your waves and breakers swept over me.
[40:42] I said, I've been banished from your sight. Yet, I will look again towards your holy temple. The engulfing waters threatened me. The deep surrounded me.
[40:53] Seaweed wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down. The earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.
[41:07] When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord. And my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them.
[41:19] But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. I will say, Salvation comes from the Lord.
[41:31] And the Lord commanded the fish and had vomited Jonah up onto dry land. Yuck. Can you imagine how slimy he was?
[41:43] Jonah finally surrendered his will to the will of God. And he went to Nineveh and he preached to that great city of 120,000 people.
[41:54] And these people heard his voice as the messenger of God. And they repented of their sins. They got down on their knees and they prayed for forgiveness.
[42:06] And God relented and had compassion on them. And he did not destroy them after all. Now was Jonah happy about the fact that he had helped to save all of these people?
[42:18] Heck no! They were still his enemies. He was angry at God. He railed against God. Here he was, sitting outside the city, waiting for God to rain down fire as he had on Sodom and Gomorrah.
[42:32] And even now, he wanted his enemies turned into toast. But instead, God allowed the Ninevites to live. And Jonah thought, it's not fair.
[42:45] It's not fair. His heart wasn't in the right place even yet. And so God reached out again to teach Jonah an object lesson.
[42:56] While he sat outside the city, waiting for God to wreak havoc on the Ninevites, God caused the sun to shine down on Jonah's head.
[43:08] And it got really hot. And so even though he tried to build a shelter to keep the sun off, he was just still much too warm. And then God caused a plant to grow up and to spread its leafy shade over top of Jonah so that he was relieved from the heat.
[43:26] And Jonah was really happy about that. But overnight, a worm came along and ate the plant and caused it to die. And Jonah's shade was destroyed. And he was just so upset he was beside himself.
[43:39] And he was yelling at God once again. But God reminded Jonah, it was God who grew the plant in the first place. And it was God who would decide when the plant would die.
[43:52] And if Jonah could be that upset about a simple plant, he certainly should be upset, more upset, about the possible death of 120,000 fellow human beings.
[44:08] You see, God is always teaching us about love and about compassion. He wanted Jonah to have pity on these other people, even though they were his enemies.
[44:20] Do you remember what Jesus told us in Matthew 5? You have heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
[44:31] But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good.
[44:45] He sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. God loves all people. And God gives us free will and expects us to make choices.
[45:00] And love is definitely a choice. Each time we make a choice that's according to God's will, we draw closer and closer to him. And each time we make a choice that's not in God's will, that's not loving, we draw further and further away from him.
[45:17] And if we keep on making those bad choices, eventually, we won't feel the presence of God at all. Now to me, that's the true definition of hell, is to be in a spot where we have no sense of God's presence, no hope, no love, no mercy, no grace in our lives.
[45:40] That's not where I want to be. The only way that we're able to make those real choices is because God does give us free will.
[45:52] I'd like you to listen to a little piece of what Rabbi Zechariah tells us about love and free will. But you can never have love without intrinsically weaving into it the freedom of the will.
[46:09] You cannot have love without the freedom of the will. If you are compelled by some machine to a certain decision, you can never love.
[46:22] You can comply, but you will never be choosing to express that sentiment and the reality of love. If love is a supreme ethic and freedom is indispensable to love, and God's supreme goal for you and for me is that we will love him with all of our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves, for him to violate our free will would be to violate that which is a necessary component so that love can flourish and love can be expressed.
[46:53] If you're asking for God to always stop the trigger, why not God stop everything else? Next time you hold a cup of boiling water, he makes it frozen water instead. Next time you're about to cross the street and you're going to be hit, he pulls your leg back.
[47:07] What you're asking for is a different entity than humanity. As wonderful as it may seem that in stopping that, you think he is protecting you from that which is destructive.
[47:18] The greatest denial that you're asking for is the freedom of your will to be able to choose and to love God with all your heart and all your soul. When you've got love as the supreme ethic and the freedom of the will to choose that love, all of the other contingencies come in and can become explained why it is possible to either choose or to reject so that love can ultimately reign supreme.
[47:42] If you want compliance and some kind of a mechanical response, your question itself will self-destruct. You're asking the question because you're free to ask it and you're free to ask it because you're free to love.
[47:54] In God's vast love, God allows us to make choices and decisions.
[48:10] But there's also this sense in Scripture that we are chosen from the very beginning to receive God's message of salvation. God first reached out to us with his grace right at the very start.
[48:24] In Ephesians chapter 1, I just want to repeat a little bit of what was read this morning. It says, For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
[48:36] In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he's freely given us in the one he loves.
[48:51] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us. What does it mean to be predestined?
[49:05] I think it means that God determined ahead of time and chose all who would believe to be adopted into his family through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
[49:17] In a perfect world, all of humanity would be chosen and saved because God, our Savior, chooses that none should perish. It says in 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 4, he wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
[49:37] And just as God wanted all the Ninevites, the enemies of God's people, to be saved, so God wants all of us who are close to him to be saved and all who are still far away to be saved as well, even now.
[49:52] God wants us to make right choices and to grow closer to him. But we cannot make the choice to draw near. We cannot grow in faith and grow in love unless we are free to choose that love.
[50:09] Yes, God gives us free will so that we will choose to love God, to serve God, to do everything he desires for us to do and to love one another as well.
[50:21] God reaches out to us with grace and we respond in faith to him. Amen. Amen. Be good.
[50:59] God, thank you, Lord. Love and love. Amen. Close to you, Lord. Come to Jesus.
[51:13] Come to Jesus. Come to Jesus and live Now your burdens lifted And carried far away The precious blood has washed away the stain So sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus And live Like a newborn baby Don't be afraid to call Remember when you walk
[52:14] Sometimes we fall To follow Jesus Follow Jesus Follow Jesus And live Sometimes the way is lonely And steep and filled with pain So if your sky is dark and pours the rain Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus And live When the love stills over
[53:16] And music fills the night And when you can't contain Your joy inside Dance for Jesus Dance for Jesus Dance for Jesus And live With your final heartbeat Kiss the world goodbye And go in peace and love Our glory sign Live to Jesus Live to Jesus Live to Jesus And live
[54:18] Come to Jesus Dance for Jesus Live to Jesus And live Purify my heart Let me be as gold And precious silver Purify my heart Let me be as gold Pure gold Revive us fire
[55:21] My heart's one desire Is to be holy Set apart for you Set apart for you Lord I choose to be Holy Set apart for you My master Ready to do your will Purify my heart Lend me from within And make me holy Purify my heart Lend me from my sin Deep within Revive us fire My heart's one desire I choose to be
[56:22] Is to be holy Set apart for you Set apart for you Set apart for you Lord I choose to be Holy Set apart for you I'm not so ready to do your will Ready to do your will Let me be holy Play my heart inaccessible I choose to be For you Can you see To me 02、 What is the name of the travellingicar A lede To me Place it A lede To your One To me For thee To me Please If to me Be枯 God and His name His love endures forever For He is good, He is above all things
[57:24] His love endures forever Sing praise, sing praise With a mighty hand and an upset star His love endures forever On a high path every born His love endures forever Sing praise, sing praise Sing praise, sing praise Forever love is good for Forever God is strong Forever God is with us Forever Forever
[58:24] From the rising moon And the setting sun His love endures forever Forever Forever By the grace of God We will carry on His love endures forever Sing praise, sing praise Sing praise, sing praise Forever God is in love Forever God is strong Forever God is with us Forever, forever Forever God is faithful Forever God is strong
[59:26] Forever God is with us Forever, forever Amen. Please be seated.
[59:45] God in his great mercy does give us the opportunity to make choices and decisions, and he knows that sometimes we'll fail. Still he loves us. He gives us a second chance and more if we turn to him and repent truly from our hearts.
[60:03] And so today I invite you to join with me in our prayer of confession as we prepare for the temple of the Lord. Dear God, I know you are holy.
[60:13] I know you are holy. I know you are holy. And I am a sinner. I am a sinner. In need of your grace. Sometimes I've made bad choices.
[60:24] Sometimes I have made bad choices. And fallen away from you. Fallen away from you. I ask you to forgive me. I am sorry.
[60:36] I want to be made new. Fill me with your Spirit. Lead me and guide me. And help me to make choices that are pleasing to you.
[60:54] I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Hear the glorious good news. God does love us. He loves us so much.
[61:05] Even though we are sinners, He sent His Son into the world to live and to die and to be raised again for each one of us. And so I can say to you with confidence, in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.
[61:18] In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen. This is my desire To honor you Lord with all my heart I worship you All I love within me I give you praise All that I adore Is in you Lord I give you my heart
[62:20] I give you my soul I live for you Every breath that I take Every moment I'm awake Lord have your way in me Lord I give you my heart I give you my soul I live for you Every breath that I take Every moment I'm awake Lord have your way in me Our Lord invites us to the table Because he loves us God has done so much for us In his son Jesus Christ And in every moment of every day God is with us
[63:21] He invites us to the table So that we can partake of his love And his grace and his mercy He invites us to the table Because he wants to dwell with us And be in us Everyone is welcome at the table If you love God Repent of your sin And seek to live in peace As a disciple of Jesus Christ You are welcome to come to the table And receive all that God has for you So come The Lord be with you Lift up your hearts Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right And a good and joyful thing Always and everywhere To give thanks to you Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth You formed us in your image And breathed into us The breath of life When we turned away And our love failed
[64:22] Your love remained steadfast You delivered us from captivity Made covenant To be our sovereign God Brought us to a land Flowing with milk and honey And set before us The way of life And so with your people on earth And all the company of heaven We praise your name And join their unending hymn Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and earth Are full of your glory Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he Who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Holy are you And blessed is your son Jesus Christ By the baptism of his suffering Death And resurrection You gave birth to your church Delivered us From slavery to sin and death And made with us a new covenant By water and the spirit By your great mercy We have been born anew To a living hope
[65:23] Through the resurrection Of your son from the dead And to an inheritance That is imperishable Undefiled And unfading Once we were no people But now We are your people Declaring your wonderful deeds In Christ Who called us Out of darkness Into his marvelous light When the Lord Jesus ascended He promised to be with us always In the power of your word And spirit On the night in which He gave himself up for us He took bread And he gave thanks to you He broke the bread And gave it to his disciples Saying take and eat This is my body Which is given For you Do this in remembrance of me And when the supper was over
[66:23] He took the cup And gave you thanks and praise And he gave it to his disciples Saying drink from this all of you This is the cup of my blood The blood of the new covenant Poured out for you And for many For the forgiveness of sin Do this as often As you drink it In remembrance of me On the day you raised him From the dead He was recognized By his disciples In the breaking of the bread And in the power Of your Holy Spirit Your church Has continued In the breaking of the bread And the sharing of the cup And so In remembrance of these Your mighty acts In Jesus Christ We offer ourselves In praise And thanksgiving As a holy And living sacrifice In union with Christ's offering For us As we proclaim The mystery of faith Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again Pour out your Holy Spirit On us gathered here And on these gifts
[67:25] And on these gifts Of bread and wine Make them be for us The body and blood Of Christ That we may be For the world The body of Christ Redeemed by his blood By your spirit Make us One with Christ One with each other And one in ministry To all the world Until Christ Comes In final victory And we feast At his heavenly banquet Through your son Jesus Christ With the Holy Spirit In your holy church All honor and glory Is yours Almighty Father Now and forever Amen Shall we pray together With the confidence Of dearly loved Children of God The prayer he taught us Our Father Who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done On earth as it is in heaven Give us this day Our daily bread And forgive us Our trespasses
[68:25] As we forgive those Who trespass against us And lead us not Into temptation But deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom And the power And the glory Forever and ever Amen Will those who are serving Please come forward heaven right Ogden Lord See you Waiting For Judith numa God And el characteristics flologists situations These Are From God We Oil Humanbody Boom одно ng
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[76:37] Amen. Thank you.