Transcription downloaded from https://services.pcumc.org/sermons/27424/november-6-2016/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] The Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer Good morning.

[0:19] Good morning. That sounded much better for a crisp fall day. This is the day that the Lord has made. We'll rejoice and be glad. And if any kids would like to sing, come on up.

[0:36] This is the day That the Lord has made Let us rejoice And be glad in it This is the day That the Lord has made Let us rejoice And be glad in it This is the day This is the day That the Lord has made Good morning and welcome to our church.

[1:16] We have a gift for our visitors at the connection site. Please fill out your friendship card for any prayers or concern, or just so we can get to know you. It's fun to be part of the welcoming committee here at Hamilton Center.

[1:31] We are glad to have you this morning and we thank you for filling out your friendship card. On the clipboards, the ministry opportunities are actually very similar. We are doing dinners in Niagara Falls and we are doing dinners to help the people in Buffalo.

[1:45] And by the way, we are also collecting for Thanksgiving baskets. We are going to do 60 of those. So we have a lot of things we are collecting for right now to help with food. So if you can help with that, that would be greatly appreciated. I want to mention a little odd thing.

[1:57] I have two freshly cut Christmas trees sitting in the side of my yard. If anybody wants one, I know it's early, but you can have them for free. I just cut them yesterday.

[2:08] So they are just sitting there and anybody takes them, they are gone. First come, first serve. No? Okay. We are glad to have you here in worship this morning. Let's join together in prayer. Dear God in heaven, we thank you for the blessings you give to us.

[2:22] And we pray that you'll pour your spirit down upon us. That you'll touch us in each and every way that we might experience the living God in this place. Bless us in what we hear, what we say, what we sing, what we do.

[2:35] The words in Jesus name we pray. Amen. I'd like to invite you if you're able to stand us. We're going to sing together, God of the ages. God of the ages, whose almighty man leads forth, the music of heavenly music!

[2:51] Is nombreux to îleóer? The music of heavenly peace! So it's a surprise in heaven, ft.

[3:06] The Greek of Charles Yerubın Billion! Leaves forth in beauty of a starry band A shining world in splendor through the skies A crippled song before thy throne arrives My love divine and my heart's in the past In this free land with thee our love is grand Be thou a ruler, God with guidance stand I'm born alone, thy path's our chosen way

[4:14] From wars alone, from death we pass the land Be thy stronger, our ever-shown defense My true religion in our hearts in peace Thy love is goodness, perish us in peace Refresh thy meek, a heart that does some way Lead us from night to never-ending day

[5:14] Fill all our lives with love and grace divine And glory, Lord, and grace will ever die The Lord be with you Take a moment, if you will, and greet your neighbor with the peace of the spirit Good morning. How are you all doing today?

[5:45] That's good. Do you have any idea what these are? Leaves. Leaves. And where did the leaves come from? The ground and the trees. You're absolutely right. Both are right.

[5:57] Originally they came from trees, but I got them off the ground. Okay? Do you know we call this time of the year, what do we call it? Fall. Why do you think we call it fall?

[6:09] Because the leaves fall. Because we think the leaves fall off, but they don't fall off. Did you know that? The trees push them off. Did you know that? The trees push the leaves off.

[6:21] In fact, if you were to cut a... That's right. Because if you cut a branch like a month ago And the leaves are still on it, the leaves wouldn't come off. They'd stay on there.

[6:32] The trees push them off, just like you said, to save energy Because they want to take a nap. Did you know that trees like to rest? They get tired of working all summer long Making all those leaves, all that shade Doing all that kind of growing stuff that they do So they want to take a nap.

[6:47] And when they take a nap, they get stronger. That's why the wood that comes from our part of the country Is much better, much stronger wood Than the wood that comes in the south Where the trees grow all the time.

[6:59] Yeah. Today's the day that we talk about people who have passed away. Some people think that they've actually died But actually, they're resting. They're resting for a day when God's going to wake them up.

[7:11] If we keep our hearts with God All we do is just take a nap And then we wake up in a wonderful, glorious time Where we live again In a great way for a new life to begin.

[7:22] Alright? So, fall reminds us of that That sometimes we take a rest But God wakes us up Just like he wakes up the trees in the spring So that we can live again. Alright? What do you guys thankful for this morning?

[7:33] If you want to share something, raise your hand. I think we'll make Friends and family Like a hermit crab Mom and dad I love my mom and dad My sisters My sisters and brothers Friends and family Alright, anybody else?

[8:01] Okay. Let's pray. Oh, one more. Way back. I love my clothes. Okay.

[8:12] Great. Great. Great. Great. Let's pray, shall we?

[8:22] Lord, we thank you for the great blessings you give to us. We thank you for crabs and crabby people And we thank you for people who have turned 50 And people who are just turning a little bit. We thank you for our family and friends And we thank you for the new life you give to us.

[8:36] Bless us today And always in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, you guys go out to church school. All the kids are welcome And invited to go out to church school now. This morning in your bulletin We have a mission moment.

[8:56] It's about veterans Helping our veterans in our area The homeless veterans Those who need job training All the various things that go in To helping people And assisting in our immediate neighborhood So if you'd like to help The veterans who have served our country You can do so With today's extra offering Thank you It is such a blessing to be here It is such a blessing to gather together And worship God has blessed us so abundantly With so much in our lives Let's bring our gifts, tithes, and offerings Before God As an offering to Him Grace unbroken Grace unending Grace unending Be yours, be yours forevermore

[10:02] Praise untainted, praise unfading Be yours, be yours forevermore Be yours, be yours forevermore Unbroken, praise be yours God forever All my praise be yours God forever Lord, take this side, let it become your throne Unbroken, praise be yours I surrender, my devotion

[11:09] Be yours, be yours forevermore Be yours, be yours forevermore Unbroken, praise be yours God forever All my praise be yours God forever Lord, take this side, let it become your throne Unbroken, praise be yours God forever All my praise be yours God forever Unbroken, praise be yours God forever All my praise be yours God forever All my praise be yours God forever Lord, take this side, let it become your throne

[12:14] Unbroken, praise be yours God forever Let my life outweigh my songs Let my deeds outrun my words Let my life outweigh my songs Let my deeds outrun my words Let my deeds outrun my words Let my life outweigh my songs Let my deeds outrun my words Let my deeds outrun my words Let my deeds outrun my words Let my life outweigh my songs

[13:18] Unbroken, praise be yours God forever Unbroken, praise be yours God forever All my praise be yours God forever God and my grace be yours God forever Lord, take this life Let my grace be yours God forever Unbroken grace be yours, God, forever.

[13:54] All my grace be yours, God, forever. Lord, take this life. Let it become your throne.

[14:09] Unbroken grace be yours. Unbroken grace be yours.

[14:22] Unbroken grace be yours. Let my deeds outrun my words.

[14:42] Let my life outweigh my songs. Unbroken grace be yours.

[14:55] Let my deeds outrun my words. Let my deeds outrun my words. Let my deeds outrun my words.

[15:09] Let my deeds outrun my words. Let my deeds outrun my words. Praise the Lord, here below.

[15:23] Praise the Lord, the heavenly Lord. Praise the Lord, the holy Lord.

[15:39] Amen. Dear Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks and praise for this day. And for the opportunity to gather and worship you.

[15:50] To be able to give a small portion back to your work of all that you have blessed us with. Lord, we pray that you would bless this offering.

[16:02] And especially, Lord God, that offering that is going to work for helping our veterans, Lord, and their families. Father, we ask in Jesus' name that you would bless all of the gifts that you have given us.

[16:16] As we offer them up to you. Know that you are the one who has given us. We just ask that you would give us also wisdom to know how to use all of this.

[16:29] For the furtherance of your kingdom to draw many to salvation in Jesus Christ. For it is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please be seated.

[16:40] We do have the joy this morning of honoring all of those who are veterans, who are part of our congregation, who have served to protect this nation and to defend this nation.

[16:56] We are so grateful for your service. If you would, please stand and be recognized this morning by the congregation, all those who have served in the armed forces. Praise God.

[17:07] Praise God. And we are grateful.

[17:24] We are grateful for your service. And we are grateful for the support of your families for your work as you have gone and done that. And we are grateful for all of the blessings we enjoy in this nation.

[17:38] And that we can be kept safe and at peace. We also, along with our joys and all of the concerns in our hearts, want to keep Pete Waseowicz lifted up.

[17:48] He's having some health concerns. We want to pray for healing for him. And for all of the blessings and all of the concerns that are in your hearts, we're going to turn to the Lord in prayer. You are welcome to join me in prayer, either from your seat or standing or kneeling with me at the prayer rail.

[18:05] You're welcome. Gracious Heavenly Father, what a blessing it is to come before you.

[18:25] Father, we pray in Jesus' name now for all of those who are sick and in need of a healing touch.

[18:55] Father, we pray that you touch them and bring them wholeness and health from the tops of their heads to the soles of their feet.

[19:07] Be with them, Lord. Bring wisdom to their doctors and nurses and other health professionals, to their loved ones as they care for them.

[19:17] Bring them wisdom, Lord God, as they care for themselves and take care to guard the precious gift of life that you have given them.

[19:32] Father, we pray in Jesus' name for all those who are grieving losses of all kinds. Lord God, we pray that we would remember with great love those people you have placed in our lives who have been a witness of your love and mercy, who have given us the example of following you, that we could be like them in the goodness that has shown forth in their lives.

[20:07] Help us, Lord, as we remember. Bring comfort to us as we feel that loss.

[20:18] We pray in Jesus' name, Lord God, for all of our veterans and all of their families. We pray that you would bless them and touch them.

[20:30] We pray that you would bring healing into their lives in whatever way it is needed. We pray, Lord God, that as a nation, we would remember to honor these people for all that they have done for us.

[20:51] That we as a nation would remember to take good care of those who have served to take good care of us. Father, we pray in Jesus' name for the elections coming up on Tuesday.

[21:13] We just ask in Jesus' name, Lord God, that we set aside any ideas that we might have, notions we might have, and that we would seek your will. that each of us as members of the body of Christ would seek to be led by your spirit, to know what we're supposed to be doing when we get to the polling place.

[21:38] And Lord God, don't let it stop there. Remind us by your spirit. Quicken our minds to recall that we need to be praying for the government officials that lead this nation, that lead our communities each and every day.

[21:59] Help us to remember to support them in prayer, to ask for your blessing upon them. Lord God, we just pray in Jesus' name that you would bless us as we hear your word, that it would transform us as it washes over us, teach us how to follow your ways.

[22:26] Lord God, we pray for Pastor Tom and for the message that you have given to him, that it would be a blessing to him and to us. We ask, Lord God, that all of our worship this morning would be a blessing to you.

[22:41] We did not come for ourselves, Lord. We did not come to be blessed. We came to be a blessing, a blessing to you.

[22:57] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Shall we hear from the word of the Lord? Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Good morning, everybody.

[23:34] Our reading this morning is found in the Old Testament in 1 Kings 2, and the verses will be 1 to 12. When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon, his son.

[23:50] I am about to go the way of all the earth, he said. So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires. Walk in obedience to him and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations as written in the law of Moses.

[24:09] Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the Lord may keep his promise to me. If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.

[24:29] Now you yourself know what Joab, son of Zariah, did to me, what he did to the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether.

[24:42] He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle. And with that blood, he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

[25:01] But show kindness to the sons of Barzillah of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

[25:13] And remember you have with you Shimei, son of Gerah, the Benjamite from Beherim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanim.

[25:27] When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, I will not put you to death by the sword, but now do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom.

[25:40] You will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood. Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.

[25:52] He had reigned 40 years over Israel, seven years in Hebron, and 33 in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David and his rule was firmly established.

[26:05] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Barbara.

[26:18] Well, we're coming to the end of this sermon series on the life of David. David, who was king of Israel, started out as a shepherd boy and then slowly became king, the great king over Israel.

[26:31] And we've learned lessons from his life, and now we have one last lesson from him as he faces his death. Boy, endings.

[26:42] They're interesting when you come to the end. Two more days and it's done. Praise the Lord. But you have an opportunity on Tuesday to express your opinion.

[26:56] You know, this week is also the week that we celebrate the sacrifice that our veterans make. Some of them sacrifice their time, their effort, their careers, their lives.

[27:09] Some of them actually die in service of their country. When we say we're not going to vote or we don't care about that or it doesn't matter to us, we say we don't care what they've done and who they've been.

[27:23] I'm not going to tell you who I think you ought to vote for, but I will tell you I think you ought to go out and vote. If for no other reason than to respect the people who've gone before us to give us this opportunity that we take for granted.

[27:38] It's a hard thing sometimes to face the sacrifices people make. Some people have died in the service of their country. Our faith is established around a symbol of death.

[27:51] We see crosses and we see a beautiful wooden cross or a marble cross or a gold cross, but when the cross first came out as a symbol of Christianity, to the Roman world, it was a symbol of a cruel and evil death.

[28:07] A death meant for criminals. For us to have any sense of it, it would be like hanging an electric chair up there as our symbol of faith.

[28:18] Because you see, the sacrifice Jesus made in dying was to free us from sin and from death. Romans in chapter 4 says to us, He was delivered over to death for our sins and He was raised to life for our justification.

[28:36] It's important to know what we would be willing to die for. It's just as important to know what we're willing to live for.

[28:48] In this passage, David says, I'm going the way that everyone goes. Or in other words, I'm about to die. You know, it is true that most everyone dies, but there's two people in the Bible who never died.

[29:00] Anybody know who they were? Elijah went up in a whirlwind to heaven and Enoch walked with God and was no more. So there's two people out of the billions of people and you've got that tiniest little percentage of possibility, but most likely, just like David, you'll face your death.

[29:21] And when we face our death, we have to live into what our life has meant. Soldiers are willing to die for what they believe in, for a purpose.

[29:35] And Jesus died, not just for the sake of dying, because it meant something. They have something quite clearly in God. Granddaddy came home in a B-52 In a fine box covered in red, white, and blue He was one of the brave and the proud and the few 21 guns helped us say goodbye I stood there in silence trying hard not to cry As the preacher he quoted lines written in red And then he folded his Bible and in a broken voice they said

[30:42] There's only two people who never died for me And laid down the life just so I could be free The both went through hell Beared promises and sheds And both got back up again after they fell And never picked up And never picked up And never picked up And never picked up And never picked up And never picked up To pick up The pieces God only knows Where we'd be Without soldiers And Jesus To be the bold heroes For the path that they chose

[31:43] One fights for my life One fights for my soul There's only two people Who's ever died for me And laid down the life Just so I could be free They both went through hell And crosses and sheds And both got back up again After they fell And never picked up And never picked up But they're there To pick up The pieces God only knows Where we'd be Without soldiers And Jesus God only knows Where we'd be

[32:43] Without soldiers Who are willing to die And Jesus Who went to the cross My father was a hero Bonafide hero Fought in the big war World War II Also served in Korea And then he came home And spent 40 years Running into burning buildings As a firefighter It's an interesting thing To grow up in the household Of a hero David was a hero And here he's sitting With his son Solomon To pass on Some wisdom Something special To share with him It's an interesting thing I've talked with A number of military people My brother was Career Air Force And I've known A number of people Since my wife Was in the Air Force I have not met anyone Who serves in our Armed services That's afraid to die But sometimes They're afraid They're going to die And it won't mean Anything I don't know about you

[33:44] But that's one of the Concerns I have When we see our soldiers In some of these wars You just wonder Was there sacrifice For a purpose We've been looking At our little closet Of anxieties And phobias And today I want to talk about The fear of darkness You ever go Into a dark hallway Or a dark place And you get the Eee-bee-bee's You know what I mean?

[34:10] You're kind of like Freaking out You feel like Things are all around you And scaring you And spooking you I want to talk about A different darkness I want to talk about A darkness of meaninglessness Of having no purpose Of having existed But your life is so empty That it really doesn't matter Whether you were there Or not Veterans In many ways Are heroes But we have a lot of heroes In life That we can Associate with David himself Was a veteran He started out As a soldier In the army He rose to the rank Of general And eventually Became commander-in-chief As he was made king Over all of Israel He knew what it was like To risk his life But he didn't die In battle Neither did my father Die They lived And sometimes Living is Just as hard He was a shepherd boy After all What did he know About being a king?

[35:12] A boy who was Left out in the field To watch a few sheep And not considered Much of anyone For most of his upbringing Now spends 40 years Rolling over a nation In some ways We've learned That David was A pretty good guy Kind of a role model Did those heroic And special And great things Where we could learn And model our lives After him Other places Pretty much a disaster Messed up In some ways We wouldn't want Anybody to emulate But the one thing About David That we always saw Is it says That he was a man After God's own heart Here we now see David At the end of his life He's with his son And he's He's going to share His last words You don't get Intimate moments Like that Too often in the Bible What's the legacy That he's going to leave What would we want Our last words to be As we're talking To our children At the last moment

[36:13] I've had the privilege Of being in the company Of people Some of them People you know As they share Their last thoughts Their last concerns Their last words I've never heard anybody say Boy I wish I would have Worked longer If I could have just Made a lot more money If I would have won America's Got Talent I always find it fascinating You know the people Who will say When they When they Win one of those Countess This is the greatest Day of my life And I'm thinking You haven't lived Very long then Because the things That sometimes We consider to be The great successes Of life And they are important Are not what we think Of at that moment David Not only ruled A kingdom He created An empire At the time It was the greatest Empire in the region Maybe in the world He was a powerful Successful man But he didn't say

[37:13] Anything about that To Solomon He started out By saying Do what God Wants Do what God Wants you to do In verse 3 He said Observe what the Lord Your God requires Walk in obedience To him Keep his decrees And commands His laws And regulations As written on The law of Moses Do this so that You may prosper In all you do Wherever you go Do the right thing Because the laws Of God are designed If you follow them To make your life Happier Healthier And better If you live Your life Without God You're going to Have less Of a healthy Life And if you Go against His rules You actually Go against Your Own Self Value God didn't Make rules To make you Hurt He made rules To make you Happy And blessed And David Wants to leave That for his Son In the next Verse he says Leave a legacy

[38:14] For your children Do this so that You might keep The promise God made to me If your descendants Watch how they live And if they walk Faithfully before me With all their Heart and soul You'll never fail To have a successor On the throne Leave something For your children And your children's Children And their children To follow Something that matters Leave a legacy In this world To where your life Made a difference For generations To come In the people You know In your children In your friends In their children In the people That surround us David knew That it was by Loving the Lord His God With all his Heart and soul That this would happen Then I like Verse 2 Where he says Man up Man up Boy You gotta understand A little bit about What was going on here See David was raised A rugged kind of

[39:14] Shepherd kind of guy Out there in the field Fending for himself Fighting off bears And lions And all sorts of things Solomon was raised In the In the Palace Solomon was raised You know Pampered and taken care By all kinds of servants Never As far as we know Fought on the battlefield He's about 14 15 years old And his father Was looking at him And said You little soft boy Time to man up Now that might sound A little sexist And I imagine it does We have to remember The area it was written in But honestly We need some people In our culture That will man up We need some men To be men Some women To be women Some people To be brave Some people Who are willing To stand for Who and what They're supposed to be And not hide And wimp around And complain Oh it's so hard on me Oh it's so terrible Life's so bad You know We're Well it's true It's true Isn't it

[40:15] You got You got You got Solomon Who's got the potential To become a whiny Little brat Well we act like that As a culture We live in a great world Oh my gosh For those of you Who are young You have no idea Maybe How wonderful This world is It's very good Compared to 98% Of the people Of the world Compared to the world I grew up in This is a great world A great life We need to be wise He said We need to face Our problems Not avoid What we have to do Be good to those Who are good to you Watch out For these people Who are kind of Deceptive And look good But really aren't He uses Joab As a prime example Now we've mentioned Joab before But so that you understand Joab was David's general He came up with David As David was becoming a king

[41:16] Joab was the man Who led his army And Joab was the one That when David Wanted to have That little incident With Uriah He sent Uriah Into battle Joab did whatever He felt Would help David And would help himself And you see David saw that So when it looked Like Abner The rule of The general Of Israel's army Might take Joab's place Joab murdered him Later on When his cousin Amasa Was actually named By David To be the general To replace Joab Joab found him too And gave him the knife While he embraced him And even though David had given An order Not to kill his son Who's the one Who killed his son Joab Joab killed Absalom too So David says You gotta watch out For these people There's people out there That might come across As good But they're not And you have to learn How to discern Between the ones Who are always loyal

[42:18] And faithful Even when it doesn't Help them Like his family That helped me out When I was on the run And the people That are only there For themselves He gave practical advice To his son Solomon We need to learn How to give practical advice As well My father Was a hero But it wasn't Because he died It was because he lived He lived To be the kind of person That I needed Somebody who would teach me Some of the rules of life He taught me to work hard Spend less money Than I make That's an important one He taught me How to discern People you can trust To take care Of your family He also taught me To bring joy Wherever I go You know Not to whine And complain About everything But to look at situations Even when they're difficult And smile

[43:19] And laugh And try to make Other people Feel that joy And that laughter And that blessing Too Taught me to be generous He taught me a lot About life Solomon in the book Of Ecclesiastes Says Ship your grain Across the sea After many days You may receive A return Some of you know it As cast your bread Upon the waters And it will return To you After many days What you put out there Is what you'll receive If you want to know Why you're surrounded By angry whiny Complaining people It's because probably You're a whiny Angry complaining person I'm sorry There's some truth To this I went to listen To a fellow Who's an expert In counseling Talk about this election And he said The problem isn't With the candidates It's with the people Who are electing them If we put joy And blessing And hope And peace And love And patience And goodness

[44:19] Into the world Around us I'm not going to Promise you You'll never have Problems But you'll have A lot more Of it come your way And if all you do Is complain And you're miserable And Sometimes Heroes teach us How to live But Christianity Is based on a man Who died On a cross And we also Want to live So that Christ's Death Doesn't turn out To be for nothing People Are not perfect They have Their good things They have Their bad things David Had his faults He wasn't Perfect in every way He did the best That he could To give advice To Solomon But how we live Will be known Often times By when we die I've had The misfortune That my wife And I have Buried all our Parents They've all

[45:20] Gone So we got The pleasure Of going through All their stuff It's not a pleasure Believe me Okay Parts of it are You learn things I found out I'm Scottish I didn't know I'm Scottish How about that I should have Known by the Family named Stewart But you know Some things Don't go in So quick You find out Some fascinating Things about Your parents You find out Some troubling Things about Your parents You learn That they should Have put some Stuff away Or cleaned up Some mess Or taken care Of some issue Or gotten rid Of some things That you should Never have had To see That's true They share With us Values By who And what They were When we Look at Their past I remember Going through My mother-in-law's Checking account And you could See that she Was writing Checks to Everybody In the world I never knew This woman Was sending out So many generous Checks to All kinds

[46:21] Of people Family Friends Charitable Organizations Everywhere you Look My mother-in-law Was writing Checks to People I didn't Know that Why would I know that There's good Things to learn And there's Things that Well Aren't quite So good What do we Leave as a Legacy And by the Way think About that Why do you Have anything In your life In your home That anyone Would be Embarrassed To find It's hard David wasn't Perfect None of us Are But in the End he was A man After god's Own heart Remember In verse Two to Four It said This I want To read It one More time I'm about To go The way Of all The earth So be Strong Act like A man Observe What the Lord your God Requires Walk In obedience To him Keep His decrees And commands His laws Regulations As written In the Law of Moses Do this So that You might Prosper In all That you Do Wherever You Go And that The Lord May Keep His Promise To me

[47:21] If Your Descendants Watch How They Live And If They Walk Faithfully Before Me With All Their Heart And Soul You'll Never Fail To Have A Success Around The Throne Of Israel How Do We Honor God And His Sacrifice Partly It's By Living A Life So That For The People Around Us Our Family Our Friends Our Neighbors The Folks In Our Life They Will See That We're A Person After God's Own Heart Solomon Saw It He Saw That His Father Cared About God More Than Anything Else What Will They Find Out About You That You Spent More Money On Your Backyard Grilled Than On The Church That You Put More Time Into Seeing Whether The Bills Could Win The Super Bowl Or Whether You Can Make Friends And Relationships That Would Last A Lifetime Would They See That You Are Selfish And Worried

[48:22] About Yourself Or That You Notice The People Who Are Hurting Poor And Struggling In Life What People See About Us That Will Show And Demonstrate That Jesus Didn't Die Without Purpose But He Died To Give Us Life In This World And In The Next There Is A Little Parable Jesus Tells It Very Small He Says That There Was A Man Who Was Wandering Around In A Field He Found A Treasure Great Treasure And He Covered It Up And He Went And Sold Everything He Owned So He Could Buy That Field And Then He Won The Treasure Now When We Read That Story We Picture He He He That We Have We Have We Live

[49:22] For This Life And We Live For The Life To Come After All The Purpose Of This Life Is We Also Have To Live This Life As Well You Know Some People Asked Somewhere Along The Line They Said You Know In Most Churches That Church Doesn't Quite Fit This But In Most Churches You Look Around You See A lot Of Gray Hair People They Said Why Is That I Said Because Those People Know That They Got To Study For Their Final exams They're Coming Pretty Soon You Know When You're Young You Don't Think About That I Live Forever But At A Certain Point You Start To Realize That Is Going To Happen I Got To Get Ready I Got To Prepare For That Day Because That Day Will Come And We're Going To Face The Darkness Of Eternity Or The Blessings Of Glory In

[50:22] The Book Of First Corinthians In Chapter 15 It Says Where O Death Is Your Victory Where O Death Is Your Sting The Sting Of Death Is Sin And The Power Sin Is The Law But Thanks Be To God He Gives Us The Victory Through Our Lord Jesus Christ Victory We Love To Talk About Victory We Love To Be Winners Last Yesterday Afternoon My Alma Mater Cleveland Hell Won The Championship Yeah Go Eagles And For Many Of You Who Went To Star Point You Lost Now Fortunately They Weren't Playing Each Other I Wasn't Happy You Lost I Would Have Loved To Gotten Up Here And Says They Both Won But They Didn't And That's Hard But I Have To Tell You I I I Played Sports In School And The Best Lesson I Learned From My Coaches Was Not How To Win But How To Get Back Up When You Lose That's

[51:23] A Real Lesson We Need To Learn People Who Are Successful Are People Who Learned How To Fail Forward And Get Back Up Again And That Life Let Life Break My Mother As Many Of You Know Had Polio When She Was In Her Early Twenties My Wife Reminded Me It Was On Halloween I Didn't Know That So She Told Me That And She Was Paralyzed I Mean Paralyzed Now In That Day And Age If You Were Paralyzed As A Woman Most Of The Time Your Husband Leave You You Can't Do Anything Who Is Going To Raise Your Children What Kind Of Life Are You Going To Have I Never Had To Deal Like All Of You With Something Can You Imagine Being Paralyzed My Mother Didn't Live Into That She Figured Out A Way To Start Moving Again So She Only Had One Leg Paralyzed When She Was Done My

[52:23] Father Didn't Give Up On Her Or Leave Her And I Was The First Child Born To Her After She Had Polio She Had Three Of Us Listen That's What Women Often Did In That Culture But She Was Not Only An Excellent Mother And Showed Me How To Get Up Again And Do That And Some Of You Saw Walk Into The Sanctuary With Those Crutches She Also Rode A Bicycle She Skied She Held Down A Job She Did Stuff That People Who Are Broken Like That Aren't Supposed To Do They Supposed To Quit And Give Up And Never Let Anything Break You As Tragic As It May Seen Jesus Died You Know Satan Thought He Had The Victory Over Him He Was Sure That He

[53:24] Had Won But God Took Defeat To Create Victory God Took Death On A Cross To Bring About Life God Was Willing To Go Through The Pain And The Struggle And The Troubles That Came From A Crucifixion So That He Could Live With A Legacy Don't Let Jesus Die For Nothing So That Your Life Becomes About Living For Things That Don't Really Matter Don't Make Your Life An Empty Black Hole Make It Something Worth Living In The Beauty Of The Lilies Christ Was Born Across The Sea With A Glory In His Bosom That

[54:24] Transfigures You And Me As He Died To Make Us Holy Let Us Live To Make Men Free For God Is Marching Up Glory Glory Glory Hallelujah Glory Glory Glory Glory Hallelujah Glory Glory Glory Hallelujah His Truth Is Marching On Baby Nature I have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

[55:08] He is trampling out the vintage red, the grapes of wrath are stored. He has loosed the faithful lightning of his terrible swift sword.

[55:20] His truth is marching on. Glory, glory, hallelujah.

[55:30] Glory, glory, hallelujah. Glory, glory, hallelujah.

[55:43] His truth is marching on. In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea.

[55:54] With the glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me. As he died to make them holy, and his name to make them free.

[56:05] Glory, glory, hallelujah. Glory, glory, hallelujah.

[56:16] Glory, glory, hallelujah. Glory, glory, hallelujah.

[56:28] His truth is marching on. Glory, hallelujah. Glory, hallelujah. We live in God's truth, a truth that says that if we come and confess, God is loving and gracious and will forgive us.

[56:45] And we can be in right relationship with him. So let us pray together. Lord, we have sinned. We've not always followed your ways. We've not always made you a priority.

[57:01] We've gotten off track. We've followed the wrong things. We've followed the wrong things. We've not always loved you with our whole heart. And we've not always been loving to others.

[57:17] Forgive us, Lord. Fill us with your peace. Fill us with your mercy. Give us a life of meaning.

[57:31] Give us a life that is a blessing to others. Give us your love as we praise your name. In Jesus' name we pray.

[57:46] Amen. Hear the good news. Christ died for each and every one of us while we were still sinners. This proves God's love for you and for me.

[57:56] So in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen.

[58:06] Higher than the mountains that I face Stronger than the power of the brave Constant in the trial and the change One thing remains One thing remains Your love never fails and never gives up And never runs out on me Your love never fails and never gives up And never runs out on me Your love never fails and never gives up And never runs out on me All alone

[59:08] On and on and on and on it goes It overwhelms and satisfies my soul And I never ever have to be afraid One thing remains One thing remains Your love never fails Never gives up It never runs out on me Your love never fails Never gives up It never runs out on me Your love never fails Never gives up It never runs out on me Your love your love in death in life my death is nothing that can separate my eyes from your great love your love never fails never gives up never runs out on me your love higher than the mountains that i face stronger than the power of the grave constant in the trial and the chain one thing remains this one thing remains the splendor of our peace the splendor of our peace love in majesty the peace the peace the peace the peace is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is

[63:09] is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is our god is so great so full of glory so amazing beyond anything we can imagine and yet

[64:42] God wants us to be with him with him. God wants to bless us. God wants to fill us with everything that God knows we need to be the people God has called us to be.

[64:56] Amen? When we come to the table, we can be filled with the blessings of God. We can be filled with the presence of God in a way that is new every time.

[65:09] So come to the table this morning. Come expecting to receive. You are welcome 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 this morning.

[65:24] Even if it's your first time here, even if it's the first time you've been in any church, if you seek to follow Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you come and receive this morning. Receive all God has for you. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is right and a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, God of Abraham and Sarah, God of Miriam and Moses, God of Joshua and Deborah, God of Ruth and David, God of the priests and prophets, God of Mary and Joseph, God of the apostles and the martyrs, God of our mothers and our fathers, God of our children to all generations. And so with your people on earth and all a company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn.

[66:32] Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

[66:43] 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, who came and died that we might live, who came and lived so that we might know how to face death.

[67:01] He gave to us his wisdom. He left with us a legacy. He shared with us how to take the broken and made it whole.

[67:13] And the night in which he was betrayed, the night he was denied, he took and gave us this meal, this memorial.

[67:25] Taking the bread, he gave thanks to God. He broke the bread. He gave it to his disciples and he said, Take and eat. This is my body, which is broken for you for the forgiveness of sin. Eat of this, remembering me.

[67:42] Then when the supper was over, he took the cup and gave thanks to God. And he gave it to his disciples and he said, Drink from this, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant. It's poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin.

[67:58] Drink of this, remembering me. And so in remembrance of these mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving, as a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

[68:14] Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here. 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.

[68:35] Renew our communion with all your saints, especially those whom we named before you. Sharon Appleton, Jesse Bell, Dick Calhoun and Joey Fox.

[68:49] Ray Herbert, Pauline Hostetler. Cheryl Jenick and Margaret Kanshead. Donald Kromhart, Nancy Kromhart.

[69:00] Norbin Kubiak and Terry Laverne. Rita McDonald and Scott McDonald. Bruce McIntyre and Travis Nice. Albert Patterson, Richard Reimer.

[69:14] Harold Rubens and Kurt Schreiber. Warren Schreiber, Susan Schwartz. James Shimwell and Bud Thompson.

[69:26] Norma Whitted. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, strengthen us to run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

[69:42] 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.

[69:55] 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.

[70:05] And now as confident children of God, let's pray as he taught us in saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

[70:20] Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

[70:35] For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. For those who are assisting at the table, come forward at this time, please.

[70:53] Amen. Amen.

[71:24] Amen. Amen.

[71:54] Thank you.

[72:24] Thank you.

[72:54] Thank you.

[73:24] Thank you.

[73:54] Thank you.

[74:24] Thank you.

[74:54] Thank you.

[75:24] Thank you.

[75:54] Thank you.

[76:24] Thank you.

[76:54] Now, if you're able, I'm going to invite you to stand as we're going to sing together for all the saints. Thank you.

[77:28] Thank you. Thank you.

[78:28] Thank you. Thank you.

[79:00] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[79:36] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[80:14] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[80:50] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[81:02]  sharing with all those around you what God means to you. Go in his peace and his blessing and in the Lord always be with you. Amen.