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[Music] good morning everyone and welcome to free grace Baptist Church if you can turn in your Bibles with me we'll begin our worship with the reading of Psalms 16 our call to worship a reading of God's Word Psalm 16 beginning in verse one a mikta move David preserve me O God for in you I put my trust oh my soul you have said to the Lord you are my lord my goodness is nothing apart from you as for the Saints who are on the earth they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another God their drink offerings of blood I will not offer nor take up their names on my lips o Lord you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup you maintain my law the lines have fallen to me in Pleasant places yes I have a good inheritance I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel my heart also instructs me in the night seasons I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices my flesh also will rest in hope for you will not leave my soul in Sheol nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption you will show me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore amen well let's stand and sing as a church if you'll turn in your larger Trinity hymnals with me will sing 205 let's stand and sing that together 205 [Music] let us pray Heavenly Father we come to you now in prayer is the gathered saints of Christ rejoicing in our great God Father Son and Holy Spirit we do pray once again that your name would be hallowed in this place and you would be honored that you would be the recipient of praise this morning by the lips and by the hearts of your saints and we just pray that this would be the case again throughout the world that your glorious name would be would be hallowed throughout the earth and all your gathered church is that every saint of yours having gathered for worship on this year Lord's Day Sabbath would raise their voices to Father Son and spirit giving you all honor and praise and truly you are worthy of that we thank you that you've caused us to arise on a new day on this Lord's Day Sabbath we have breath in our lungs that we have at the enjoyments of many benefits and blessings and that we thank you once again above all for the gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior we rejoice in that blessed truth that in the fullness of the times you did send forth your son born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those who were under the law we thank you Lord God for the the precious truth that Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to save truly we know as your word tells us that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God yet God and your infinite wisdom and your grace and your eternal loving-kindness you sent forth Christ to come into this world to save sinners and we rejoice in the gospel that Christ lived a life of obedience to your law in the stead of all who believed that he died upon Calvary's cross to take upon himself the punishment for everyone who believes in his name and we thank you that that salvation that that cross bearing is a salvation that is not maybe it is not perhaps but we have full atonement upon that cross we thank you that his saving work upon Calvary's cross was one of perfection that a multitude of sinners which no man can number are saved by virtue of his perfect cross work and we rejoice on in the resurrection the Blessed truth that on the third day he rose again in power and in great victory we rejoice in that gospel as Paul writes and the first Corinthians we we know that that gospel is that he died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried and that he rose again according to the scriptures and we rejoice in the fact that all who believe in him have everlasting life the forgiveness of sins and that righteousness which is his alone that avails the that avails with you and we just pray God that you'd help us to rejoice in Jesus Christ our Savior and knowing that he is the savior for sinners we pray that you would cheer our hearts this morning and that by your grace many who entered in these two doors this morning outside of Christ in unbelief would leave resting upon Christ alone and we pray for that wonderful that mighty act a victorious grace this morning and bringing the dead sinners to life in Christ and might this be for your glory sake and we do pray that you be with all who are unable to join us whether they're traveling or whether they're sick Lord God we pray that you would just watch over them and strengthen them and we pray Lord God for those who are unwell that you'd strengthen them in body we think of a John and Sue the Karen and Dawn and many others Lord we just pray that you'd watch over your dear Saints that you would strengthen them in body you would take away pains and discomforts and that you would just heal knowing Lord God that you are the great physician we pray in the midst of disease and illness and injury that you would comfort your Saints that you would cause them in the midst of affliction to cast their eyes of faith upon the High King of heaven knowing that the judge of all the earth and the God of all things does right for his own glory and for the good of his people we do pray God for those who are persecuted for your namesake throughout the world as we often hear a weekly reports Lord God of the Christians and in many nations foreign to us but our brothers and sisters nevertheless are dear to us we pray that you'd watch over them that you'd strengthen your saints who are persecuted by their own governments and by their own people just for believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and we pray that you'd be near to them that you'd strengthen them in the mid their opposition and the the midst of of the tyranny of men bringing violence upon them we just pray that you'd uphold your dear people and caused them this day on this year Lord's Day Sabbath to rejoice in their Savior and knowing that the nations of this world have become and are the nations of our God and of his Christ and that Jesus Christ rules and reigns over his enemies and subdues hearts and comforts his people we pray that you would give them much comfort in the risen and exalted Christ we do pray God for those who govern over us in this lower world that you would cause them to do so righteously as we pray each and every Lord's day and hopefully a privately throughout the week Lord we do pray that you would be with Kings those who are in authority presidents prime ministers all throughout the world who govern over nations we pray that you would cast down those who would who would seek to perpetuate wickedness and violence and vice throughout the throughout the world and we pray that you would bring those into power who would uphold a proper justice and as we think about this and pray about this again Lord unto this end we would ask that you would empower the preachers of the gospel throughout the world to to bring that message of Jesus Christ the gospel of our Savior Christ Jesus the Lord that a multitude would hear and that a multitude would believe we know Lord God that this is only by your amazing and victorious grace so we pray for your Holy Spirit to be victorious throughout the earth that with attending the preached word a multitude of sinners would come to a knowledge of our precious Jesus we do pray God that he would be with us then and worship as we continue in it we long to worship You God in spirit and in truth help us help thoughts not to intrude that would steal our hearts away from a proper worship but rather we pray that by your spirit we would be focused we would be attentive as we sing as we pray as we read the scriptures as we engage in that central act of worship the preaching of your word we pray that your spirit would help us that our souls would be stirred to a proper attention a proper joy in a in a biblical earnest in worship we do pray for pastor Butler as he comes up here to preach once again we we pray that and knowing that ministers of the gospel rest not on their own strength their own ingenuity their own intelligence but they rest with reliance upon the triune God of heaven and earth we do pray that you would be with him in this pulpit that you give him what he needs to preach well the things of our Savior and the clarity of your word and we do pray God that we would receive it well that you're Christians here this morning would receive with great joy and and with earnest the word as it's proclaimed and that we would leave this place equipped to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ and we pray once again that sinners would be saved this morning to the praise of your glorious grace that you would bring forth dead sinners to life in Christ and we prayed because it is possible only with you that each and every one of us would leave these doors singing the praises of Christ we pray in his precious name Amen let's stand and sing again this time in your thinner Trinity Psalter the red book in front of you were going to sing Psalm 45 that Psalm 45 stands as one to seven [Music] please be seated you turn in your Bibles with me to Luke chapter 9 Luke 9 is our New Testament scripture reading this morning we'll read from verse 1 to verse 20 Luke 9 beginning in verse 1 the Word of God then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases he sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick and he said to them take nothing for the journey neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money and do not have two tunics apiece whatever house you enter stay there and from there depart and whoever will not receive you when you go out of that city shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them so they departed and went through the towns preaching the gospel and healing everywhere now Herod the Tetrarch heard of all that was done by him and he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead and by some that Elijah had appeared and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again Herod said John I have beheaded but who is this of whom I hear such things so he sought to see him and the apostles when they had returned told him all that they had done then he took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida but when the multitudes knew it they followed him and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who had need of healing when the day began to wear away the twelve came and said to him send the multitude away that they may go into the surrounding towns and country and lodge and get provisions for we are in a deserted place here but he said to them you give them something to eat and they said we have no more than five loaves and two fish unless we go and buy food for all these people for there were about five thousand men then he said to his disciples make them sit down in groups of 50 and they did so and made them all sit down then he took the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven he blessed and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude so they all ate and were filled and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them and it happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him and he asked them who do the crowds say that I am so the answered and said John the Baptist but some say Elijah and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again he said to them but who do you say that I am the Peter answered and said the Christ of God amen well this is one of those passages that brings before us a question that is of the highest importance you've heard pastor Butler and myself speak about this at great length and rightly so one of the most important questions ever asked in the Word of God is but who do you say that I am as Christ asks this of his disciples they've already answered with respect to the crowd when he asks the question who do they crowd say that I am and of course the crowd answers incorrectly or the crowds were thinking incorrectly John the Baptist Elijah one of the old prophets and Christ brings this question more pointedly to his own disciples but who do you say that I am and Peter answers rightly the Christ of God and this this question for each and every one of us is the most important question that anyone would ever ask us you're a Christian here this morning and your answer is with Peter you are with Peter here you are the Christ of God he is a very God and very man yet one Christ the only mediator between God and men the savior of men we see this question asked here if you're if you're here this morning and you're outside of Christ you don't believe in Christ this is the most important question that you can answer who do you say that that he is if you agree with the crowds you are outside of saving faith you you are answering incorrectly and your lot is everlasting damnation is of course not John the Baptist he is of course not Elijah or one of the old prophets but he is the Christ of God he is the son of God who came down from heaven who took on himself humanity who died upon Calvary's cross to save sinners from their sins who rose again the third day our blessed Savior this question comes to you and you are to answer by God's grace with Peter the Christ of God he is the savior for sinners all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God yet this Christ this Christ of God came to save sinners and he did so perfectly the Bible says whoever believes on him has everlasting life let's pray God we thank you for your word we thank you for this account we rejoice in this Ministry of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we pray once again as we prayed earlier because it is possible only with you that each and every one of us would answer with Peter that thou art the Christ of God and that we would leave these doors singing the praises of Father Son and Holy Spirit and we pray Lord God that you would say that you would save mightily this morning and that all that is done this morning in this evening would be done to the praise of your Most High name we pray in Jesus Christ amen let's stand and sing again one final time before the preaching this time in the larger hymnals 582 let's stand and sing 582 together [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to John's Gospel John chapter 20 it's a blessed thing for the church to be able to confess the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead the gospel records record several instances where persons saw Jesus after he rose from the dead he first of all appeared to the women who had left the tomb and then to Mary Magdalene he appeared to clap hiss and the unnamed disciple on the road to Emmaus he then appeared to Peter some time that same afternoon he appeared to the twelve the twelve obviously - Judas but as well - Thomas on that day of resurrection in the upper room he also invited his disciples to touch him and he ate broiled fish and honeycomb among them and then he appeared a week later again to his disciples and this time Thomas was present and here Jesus invites Thomas to touch his wounds and that's the section of Scripture we're going to focus on this morning the doubter turned confessor in John chapter 20 i'll read verses 24 to 31 now Thomas called the twin was one a one of the twelve was not with them when Jesus came the other disciples therefore said to him we have seen the Lord so he said to them unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side I will not believe and after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas with them Jesus came the doors being shot and stood in the midst and said peace to you then he said to Thomas reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach her hand here and put it into my side do not be unbelieving but believing and Thomas answered and said to him my Lord and my god jesus said to him Thomas because you have seen me you have believed blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name Amen well let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for the written word we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ and what a gracious and a glorious and a wonderful Savior he is we know that he lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father that he was crucified a most shameful and horrific way that he was buried and then on the third day he rose again and how we thank you that that tomb is in fact empty that he is risen and that he has ascended on high and that his current session is marked by his his continual intercession for the people of God how we rejoice in these most blessed truths and our Father we know as well that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and our hearts desire and earnest please that every one here this morning would be prepared to meet him on that day may we see what the Spirit has given in these these scripture verses may we receive them by your spirit and by power from on high may you illumine our minds and our understanding and may you give us grace to receive with joyful hearts the written word of the living and true God for certainly this passage extols and magnifies the glory of Jesus Christ and that is a most blessed place for anyone and everyone to be do forgive us now for our sins and for our transgressions cleanse us in the blood of the Lamb and it's in Jesus name that we pray amen well in our studies in the Gospel of Matthew I tried to encourage you to see and appreciate the two lengths between Matthew chapter 1 and Matthew chapter 28 remember in Matthew 1 Jesus is called Emmanuel and that translated means God with us and at the very end of Matthew's Gospel Jesus promises and lo I will be with you always even to the end of the age so there's that sort of bookmark with Matthew gospel that Jesus God is with us well John bookmarks his Gospel as well he gives us in the very first verse and description of the glory and the the majesty of Jesus Christ in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and here at the end of John's Gospel chapter 21 functions as an epilogue so properly stated John chapter 20 is the end of John's Gospel not that chapter 21 is unimportant or it's uninspired the book as a book comes to a close here in chapter 20 we have that same confession concerning the deity of our Lord and this time it comes from one of the chief doubters the chief skeptic in fact we all know Thomas as doubting Thomas and yet he lays eyes on the risen Christ and he says what John says in John 1:1 my Lord and my god you see the New Testament authors are very purpose very filled with a specific purpose to get us to understand who Jesus Christ is in fact John highlights his purpose at the end of John 20 in verses 30 and 31 so I want to look at that as well this morning but in the first place let's look at the post-resurrection appearance to the disciples with Thomas that's in verses 24 to 29 and then we'll look secondly at the purpose of the fourth gospel as a whole in verses 30 and 31 you need to appreciate at the outset John doesn't simply want to inform you or instruct you concerning who Jesus is John wants you to believe john wants you to taste and see that the Lord is good john wants you to enter into eternal life john wants you to know what it is to have your sins forgiven and to receive the righteousness of jesus christ wherein you can stand before a thrice holy god and not only not be destroyed but enter into eternal life in the presence and fellowship of god most high john doesn't want to nessam plea inform you he wants you to believe and that's what he says specifically in his purpose statement in verses 30 and 31 so listen attentively listen to how Jesus deals with doubting Thomas see and appreciate his great grace and his great mercy and may you with Thomas confess that Jesus is in fact my Lord and my god now Thomas is an interesting character we meet him previously in John's Gospel and there he's not so much a skeptic but he does seem to have a melancholic spirit he does seem to be a more sorrowful sort of a soul he promises to attend Jesus crucifixion and or to attend with Jesus into Jerusalem and die with Jesus even if necessary well of course Thomas doesn't do that in John 14 when Jesus is describing of the way Thomas asks a question specifically in verse five and that becomes the foil or the reason for which Jesus explains in John 14:6 that I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me and the same way this function's Thomas denies the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ he his arrogance and his obstinate spirit serves as the basis upon which this confession of faith is made so Thomas needs to be appreciated not only because he was an apostle but because of a couple of things that he said in the gospel records it has given us glorious truth concerning our Lord Jesus so the character of Thomas in verses 24 and 25 notice that he was absent when the disciples met the previous week notice in verse 24 now Thomas called the twin one of the twelve was not with them when Jesus came now the text doesn't specify why perhaps he was sad that Jesus was now gone from them perhaps he had some business to attend to or perhaps he was fearful of the Jews and so he didn't want to be seen with these other disciples but the fact is he was not present with the disciples when Jesus manifests himself to that now again I don't moralize here and i don't want a hyper spiritual eyes or allegorize but it's most important that the disciples are with one another in the worship of the living and true God in other words Thomas absented himself from a time when Christ manifests himself such to the point where such disciples said Thomas we have seen the Lord brethren you don't want to miss out on things like that you don't want to miss out on the manifestation of Christ in the public worship of God John Gill says as it is of good consequence to attend the Assemblies of Christ's disciples and followers so it is of bad consequence to neglect or forsake them Lourdes beware the people of God are when they're worshiping the God who has saved that the God who has delivered them the God who has granted them grace and life now notice that P Stephen Thomas was an obstinate fellow this is what we find here in verse 25 the other disciples therefore said to him we have seen the Lord so he said to them unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side I will not believe he dictates the terms by which he will believe you need to understand that's wrong you can't do that if that's what you're doing today you've got to stop you're not God God doesn't have to jump through your hoops God is the creator of the cosmos God is the creator of you God sustains you you have breath in your lungs because of God you simply have no right as a creature and a desperately sinful creature at that to demand that God perform before you'll believe and this is what Thomas does unless I see unless I touch unless I behold I will not believe now brethren the way that Tom denies this in the way that Thomas says this is as adamant as could be he says I will certainly not believe there is no way I will believe unless these preconditions are met this is the wrong place to be Thomas should submit not only to the Lord to the Apostles to the testimony of the Old Testament everything the disciple Thomas makes an emphatic denial of the resurrection that's what he's doing here I will not believe no way I could tell you on the way to church this morning I saw a unicorn running in my neighbor's front yard you'd probably say there's no way there's absolutely positively no way I would believe that why cuz I've never seen a unicorn running in my neighbor's yard unless you could pony up the proof no pun intended I will not believe you see that's what Thomas is doing it's a double negative which in English produces a positive but in Greek makes it doubly negative it's an emphatic denial in many respects it's a gift to call him doubting Thomas he's far more than a doubter at this particular instance in fact John Calvin says the stupidity of Thomas was astonishing and monstrous for he was not satisfied with merely beholding Christ but wish to have his hands also as witnesses of Christ's resurrection thus he was not only obstinate but also proud and contemptuous in his treatment of Christ you see brethren what Thomas does here is deny a 3-fold witness concerning the very resurrection of Jesus himself he denies Psalm 16 pastor Porter chose a proper Psalm to read at the outset of today's worship Psalm 16 is a song of the the resurrection of our Lord Jesus when Peter is preaching on the day of Pentecost in order to prove or affirm or corroborate the the resurrection of Jesus guess where he goes he goes to Psalm 16 you see Thomas News sixteen Thomas Thomas nude that there was a resurrection from the dead and it's not just Psalm 16 an argue that Isaiah 53 Daniel 9 other prophetic testimonies concerning the mission of Messiah indicate resurrection indicate triumph and Thomas understanding that nevertheless says I will not believe he also dismisses the testimony of Jesus what did Jesus say on several occasions to his disciples when he was amongst em I must go to Jerusalem I must be tried by white wicked man I must be crucified and I must be raised the third day Jesus had testified in their hearing repetitively that he would be raised from the dead and Thomas nevertheless says I will not believe I will certainly not believe there is no way I'm going to believe as well he rejects the Apostolic testimony I mean these are the the disciples of the Lord the closest ones to Jesus these are the Apostles that Christ hand-picked to go out and preach the word and they tell Thomas we have seen the Lord and he says well unless I see unless I touch unless I do unless my preconditions are satisfied then I will certainly not believe you see it's a gift to call Thomas Doughty he's far more than doubting at this particular time he is obstinate he is stubborn he's hard nacked he's hard-hearted he is resisting the various testimonies concerning the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ eyewitness testimony in the personal disciples Scripture testimony in the / in the Old Testament the the rejection of the witness testimony of the Lord Jesus who had said on several occasions that he would be raised from the dead Thomas rejects Thomas resists Thomas is obstinate as Calvin says this was astonishing and monstrous now notice the grace of Jesus Christ in verses 26 and 27 brethren this is such a beautiful passage if you're taking notes I preached this last year you oh he's preaching the same sermon again no it's the same tax I think the sermon will be a little bit differently a little bit different but I think that we could stand to hear this on a lot more of a regular basis how would you respond to Thomas if you knew what he had been saying what do you mean you diss my word what do you mean you dismiss the the testimony apostles what do you mean you don't give heed to the Old Testament witness into a testimony what's the matter with you Thomas I mean brethren think about it for just a moment if you were in this particular situation how would you deal with obstinate Thomas would you be gracious and merciful and kind to him maybe but probably not notice how Jesus deals his pronouncement of peace in verse 26 again he's not just appearing to Thomas so verse 26 says and after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas with them Jesus came the doors being shot and stood in the midst and said peace to you now there are times when people say peace to you think of the sixties in the United States of America everybody said peace to you peace man that sort of thing but very often it takes on the characteristic of a cheap wish it really doesn't mean anything it really isn't valid we really don't mean peace upon that person that we're wishing peace it's kind of like when you say to somebody how are you doing and you really don't care how they're doing and if they started to tell you look at your watch and say well I didn't really want that kind of an answer did I ever do that but that's what people do or we say fine when life is miserable it we just don't always mean what we say and I think at times we're tempted to take Jesus in that same way and say well you know this is just the typical greedy this is just the way that things were done this was just common courtesy know when Jesus says peace to you Jesus means it and the peace and view is the same sort of peace that he men's to them in the gospel at John 14 my peace I leave with you my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give lords not the kind that comes out of a bottle not the kind that comes out of a syringe not the kind that comes out of a sexual encounter not that kind of fleeting peace but what Christ gives us peace as a result of the cross is in this Paul's point Romans chapter five therefore having been justified by faith we have what with God we have peace with God say what you want about Christian people but this much is true they have peace with God for those of you who are not Christian people those of you who perhaps are still unbelievers those of you who have not come to Jesus Christ you are missing peace with God is there anything better we're gonna look at Romans chapter eight tonight and the believers security as a result of God's liberality and what does Paul say in Romans 8:31 if God is for us who can be against us isn't that beautiful you got God you've got everything you don't have God you got nothing you see brethren Jesus wishes peace upon his disciples that is a peace that his blood bought now note his grace Express to Thomas specifically verse 27 then he said to Thomas just think for a moment we had been present when Thomas said this to the disciples I mean I can't imagine Jesus was within earshot when Thomas was denying that he had risen from the dead so Jesus was not present when Thomas made this demand and yet Jesus answers this demand specifically so that when we see predicated of Jesus that he is God that he is the son of God we ought not to say I wonder what that means it means that he knows what men are saying even when he's not present with that he answers Thomas's statement very specifically very particularly and it answers to the demand made by Thomas notice as well that he removes all grounds of unbelief then he said to Thomas reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side do not be unbelieving but believing see that's great isn't it that's mercy Calvin calls him you know monstrous and it's astonishing I've said that calling Thomas a doubter is quite you know letting him off easy he was an obstinate man but what does Christ do Christ answers the specific demand now that's not validating go ahead make demands it's not confirming or affirming that it's okay for you to make conditions upon which God has to perform but it is showing rather how gracious and how merciful and how kind our God really is it's like that scene in first Kings when Ahab steals nay boss vineyard it's a terrible situation isn't it the very end of the chapter though there is this appearance of repentance on the part of Ahab I say appearance because it's difficult to believe that it was legit and that Ahab's going to sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the kingdom of God but even at that humbling of himself God says to Elisha did you see that he humbled himself before me you see God is gracious and God is merciful I don't know all of your backgrounds I don't know from whence you've gone but very often in churches we don't get this view of God as he is the father of the prodigal the father of the prodigal when the son was a long way off ran to meet the prodigal not to throw rocks at him and not to kick him and not to discipline him but to fall on him and to kiss him and to order the slaying of the fatted calf and the placement of a ring on his finger that's the god of Scripture that's the god of this passage he accommodates himself he submits or rather condescends himself even to a doubter like thomas reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side and here it is do not be unbelieving but be leaving Jesus is merciful Jesus is gracious again I do not tell you to go out and test God I do not tell you to make demands of God but I do show you that Christ even when a man does that is gracious and merciful see that's the take-home message don't say okay now I'm gonna unload it for bear I'm gonna go and I'm gonna make these demands of God he's got to jump through my hoops and when he does that then I'll believe no no don't do that but do see here the grace and the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ and may I just say as well all of the books of kings and all of the books of first and second Samuel so full of grace so full of kindness so full of God's mercy those persons say who say the Old Testament is just filled with wrath and barbarity and bloodshed our persons who evidence the fact that they've never read the Old Testament the long-suffering of God the kindness of God the mercy of God the goodness of God the grace of God comes through page after page after page in the way that God deals with his people the fact that there was a prophetic ministry is an act of God's grace men in Israel at that time men in Judah at that time were rejecting God they were rebellious against God and yet God nevertheless dispatches prophets to call them to repentance in faith that's grace that's kindness that's mercy and that's the God that we serve and he's revealed himself in this particular passage by chiding Thomas but as well answering to Thomas in a way that is most wonderful now know the lofty confession of faith in verse 28 excuse me and Thomas answered and said to him my lord my god now if any of you are familiar with Jehovah's Witnesses they have a little book on how to answer people that object to them so if you get a hold of that book it's like having the you know the opposite teams playbook it really is and I think they have to give it to you if you ask for it's called reasoning from the scriptures and they they tell you in that book how to counter somebody goes to John 20:28 to prove the deity of Jesus that's one of their chief doctrines that they opposed vehemently is the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ and they suggest that it's sort of like an exclamation that Thomas does here you know if you're pounding nails and you happen to hit your thumb and you say my word or my whatever that's how one of the ways they would explain this it was an exclamation wasn't directed to Jesus it was just kind of that Wow you know that's sort of an exclamation but it's directed to Jesus Thomas says My Lord my God he's talking specifically to Jesus as well some suggest that it's just blasphemy you know the way people do that they use God or they use Jesus or they use my lord in a blasphemous sorta way well it'd be very hard to convince anyone that a pious devout first century Jew would blaspheme in such a carnal and callous manner again is probably not unheard of but it's certainly certainly not the norm as well some suggest that he is saying that jesus is my Lord and my little G God genj ovas witnesses fit this in with their wicked translation of John 1:1 in the beginning was the word the Word was with God and the Word was God little G god that's blasphemy it's not the work of scholarship it's the work of God hating rebels it is the work of those who deny the glory of Jesus Christ I think John Owen speaks well to those who deny the glory of Jesus Christ he says but many men so far as I can observe are fallen into such a dislike of the Christ of God that everything concerning his person spirit grace is an abomination unto them it is not a want of understanding to comprehend doctrines but hatred onto the things themselves whereby such persons are seduced it's not just a minor minuscule thing to deny the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ is to deny God to deny the gospel it is to deny there's an any hope whatsoever for the forgiveness of sins Thomas makes a lofty confession of faith to our Lord Jesus he says my Lord and my god Owen elsewhere calls this a gracious discovery of Christ again it comes on the heels of a gospel record that is filled with references to the deity of Jesus in the beginning was the word the Word was with God in the Word was God the the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth we see Jesus assert his equality with the father to the point where the Jews actually want to destroy him in John chapter 8 they pick up stones to stone him with why because he made himself equal with God so this is the capstone on an other otherwise record of consistent testimony concerning the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ there's no reason not to take it the way it's written it is a description of who Jesus is in the mouth of one of his greatest doubters or one of the greatest skeptics in fact George Beasley Murray says it comes about that the most outrageous doubter of the resurrection of Jesus uh ters the greatest confession of the Lord who rose from the dead his utterance does not simply acknowledge the reality of the resurrection of Jesus but expresses its ultimate meaning ie as revelation of Jesus is see it's not just the fact that the tomb is empty but it's what that communicates he was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead you see Thomas sees now Thomas has a clear field of vision not just carnally not just you know through the eyes but by faith he's laid hold now this confession in the mouth of Thomas is not what's called abstract theology it's not just something to be batted around and played with and thought about over there let's he say he says my Lord and my god ask any Christian you know what's one of the most blessed things that you're able to say concerning God that he's mine that we can sing hymn number 44 32 I am his and he is mine Jesus what a friend for sinners can you say my lord and my god today can you own him as your Lord and God see this is what grace through faith produces it produces a people who get to employ that personal pronoun who get to look at Jesus and say he is mine and I am his and there's every reason why I should want him I'm still trying to figure out why he should want me other than the sovereign grace of Almighty God where and he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless he didn't choose us because we were only in blameless he chose us unto holiness and blameless nests but that is the most blessed thing to be able to confess with with Thomas here my Lord and my god or consider the Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter 2 I'm not let me just read it because my my head is not on Galatians 2:20 I don't want to mess it up I finally older I get the more tempted I am to mess up texts and I don't want to mess up tax Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I live but lives in me and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in what in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Paul's not being proud Paul understands the application of redemptive benefit Paul understands the beauty of personal pronouns and the Christian religion Paul understands what is the pinnacle and the apex of our blessed experience that Christ is ours that he gave himself for us that he delivered himself for us that he secured our salvation the Creed confesses he came down for us men and for our salvation it's not out there it's not abstract it's not far removed brethren this is the blessedness of your confession of faith enjoy it utilize it praise God as a result of it and if you are not a believer here this morning come to Jesus believe on him confess with Thomas my Lord and my God why will you die in your sins why will you continue to perish this was the language of the prophet Ezekiel God says to the to the nation why why why why will you perish why will you die in your sins turn ye unto me the Lord God says and I will heal your backsliding don't continue in penitent don't continue in your unbelief don't continue to resist and reject sermons the beauty of the glory of the gospel is beauty and glory of the gospel is the reality that God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him the glory of the gospel is that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life isn't that glorious isn't that wonderful I mean it's okay to smile if you can say my Lord and my god and it's times like these you think people are gonna do backflips out of their pews cuz we've been saved we have a lord we have a God who not only loves us but he delivered himself for us he gave himself for us now notice Jesus responds Christ receives this ascription without rebuke Thomas answered and said to him my Lord and my god notice that Jesus doesn't correct him for blasphemy Jesus doesn't correct him for saying an exclamatory word that happened to utilize the name of the Lord and God Jesus doesn't reprove him Jesus doesn't stop him Jesus rather accepts what he says you compare like instances throughout the New Testament of the New Testament and you'll see that when man are worshipped by others the man resisted and they reject it now Jesus of course is a man but he is God and man he is one person two natures he is in fact see anthropic that simply means God man but when Paul and Silas are bowed down to what do they say we're man of like passions don't do that when the angel is bowed down to by the seer in the book of Revelation what does he do no don't do that when the creature is bowed down - he rejects it he resists it he says no but when Jesus Christ is bowed down - he receives it why because he's worthy in the language of the bridegroom and the Song of Solomon he is altogether lovely chief among ten thousand of course he is worthy of such praise of course he is worthy of such adoration of course he is worthy of all the blessings and the honor that that the creature has to give to him this is fit and appropriate and and right and true this is what Christ heard before he entered into this world you know Isaiah chapter six we wrote a meditation this morning in our prayer meeting from Spurgeon on that tax and he points out rightly that John points out rightly that what Isaiah saw when he saw that vision in Isaiah 6 was Christ Christ was being praised by the angelic hosts holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is filled with his glory so that when Christ comes into this world in persons do bow persons do confess persons do honor his person and his work he reject it he doesn't resist it he receives it because it is fit it is the legitimate response of the creature to confess the lordship in the godhood of Jesus Christ now notice then Jesus gives him this last beatitude a beatitude is one of those blessed are you sayings and that's what Jesus does here in verse 29 notice that he affirms Thomas's faith verse 29 Thomas because you have seen me you have believed he affirms it he's not suggesting that Thomas is a God hating wretch and that his monstrosity ZAR gonna land him in hell he is dealing with him as a sage center is dealing with him as a man who has believed gospel truth as a confessor a chief confessor of the Christian faith a doubter turn confessor and Christ acknowledges the presence of his faith the notice that he goes on to pronounce this this beatitude he says blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed now the Lord is not putting Thomas's faith and a lower category he's not suggesting that somehow Thomas because he asked to see your had to see is somehow a second-class citizen he's making a pronouncement that is very uniquely fitted to the particular context that persons beyond Thomas are going to need to hear there's no accident that this particular account is the last one prior to John's purpose statement I mean the themes are you know overlapping right we have this confessor confessing that Jesus is Lord and God we have Jesus commending faith and then John ends the letter or the ends the gospel by saying you know my purpose is is that you'll believe we'd be fools not to see the connection and the way that John tailored the narrative to serve his purposes the purpose specifically that you stop rejecting and resisting and that you believe see everybody in this narrative is telling you this morning to believe everybody in your life should be telling you to believe if you have heretofore believed every creature in every pulpit in every church on this Lord's Day ought to be telling everybody to believe that's the purpose for which we exist what does Jesus say in mark 16 go preach the gospel to every creature and to some creatures not to creatures with ease on their back not too sensible creatures or prepared creatures but to creatures preach the gospel to them that's what Jesus says now notice blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed this the Lord speaks concerning man's response to the preaching of the gospel when he was no longer when he would no longer be physically present on earth it's a beatitude that transcends the present in other words these apostles are going to go out and preach the gospel to every creature history or tradition tells us that Thomas went to India isn't that appropriate isn't that appropriate Jesus says in John 14:6 to Thomas I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me Thomas goes to a polytheistic culture to press the crown rights of Jesus Christ and the exclusivity of him as God alone really is beautiful the way that the Lord works in this Calvin says here Christ commends faith on this ground that it acquiesce is in the bare word and does not depend on carnal views or human reason in other words what Calvin just said is you need to believe the bare word you are not in a position to ask for proofs that's the thing you know when we try to prove God there's an abundant to prove the problem isn't a lack of proof the problem is a sinful repression or suppression of that truth that's what Paul says in Romans chapter 1 God is manifest God has made himself known through the created order and in the fact that we are image bearers of the living and true God there is not a shred of evidence lacking in this regard Paul addresses the problem the Sitz they suppress the truth in unrighteousness they they hold it down they dig holes and they bury it you ever see dogs kids they like to dig a hole and put their bone in it and then they bury that that's what sinners do with the knowledge of God they're like dogs digging up holes burying their bones and then covering it see the dog does it probably to save the food for later to save the bone for later man's more wicked than that not that dogs are wicked doing that I'm trying to stress the point here that man has a diabolical and it's not the preservation of a bone it's the rejection of God himself the Calvin says what we need is to assent to the word preached believe believe what the Bible says so that's Thomas let's look finally quickly at this purpose of the fourth gospel notice in verse 30 John says truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book the entirety the gospel could be the post resurrection signs might just be best say whatever Jesus did did all these things he was a man who went about doing good as Peter says in Acts chapter of 10 he did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book now know his purpose but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name you see how this serves or out this jives with or goes along with the beatitude of Jesus at the end of verse 29 blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed you get this pronouncement of blessing upon you and then you're given this purpose and John is saying I want you to believe whatever you may have heard about faith in the past whatever you have heard about you know misery in the past whatever you have heard about predestination in the past all that stuff may be true but right now the time is to believe that's what John says notice the PERT the emphasis on faith I think John wants to evangelize unbelievers but certainly John's Gospel is calculated it calculated to strengthen and to fortify believers but he says here that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ isn't that beautiful that's that's what God calls on us that's the response to the gospel notice what he doesn't say that you believe and work that you believe and obey that you believe in do you believe in sell everything you own shave your head wear orange robes go shake tambourines down at the airport that's not what John says salvation is by grace alone through what faith alone now certainly the faith that saves or justifies is always accompanied by all other saving graces those who are justified freely by His grace will then pursue those things that God has said in his word for us to live all right the way that we get to heaven brethren is not by our doing it's not by our works this is the great Protestant emphasis on justification by faith alone it's not by faith glassworks faith alone and that's what John says these things are these are written that you may believe Matthew Poole says faith is properly innocent given to a proposition upon the testimony of Revelation in other words God said it believe it or confession of faith says much the same thing by this saving faith a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the word for the authority of God himself it's what the Bible says about Joshua son of nun what the Bible says about Moses the Bible says about Isaiah the Bible says about Ezekiel what about Jeremiah what it says about Paul what it says about Peter what it says about James when it says about John all though to believe believe all that but our confession goes on it moves from sort of the outward or the external or the perimeters in terms of the word and then highlights the primary or principal acts of saving faith but the principal acts of saving faith have immediate relation to Christ or it's you do need to believe everything the Bible says about Moses but that's not what saves you the principal acts of saving faith have immediate relation to Christ and now the confession does what the Bible does and uses figurative expressions to illustrate or to explain further what faith is have you ever wondered that well well it's faith I know it the most fundamental level it means to believe yeah it means to believe the Bible if there's got to be something more believe the Bible but I have to do something believe the Bible believe what it says concerning Jesus than the confession as I said accurately reflecting Scripture usage uses these figures to sort of illustrate for us what faith is accepting receiving and resting upon him alone for justification sanctification and eternal life by virtue of the covenant of grace what does it mean to believe well John chapter 3 look to Jesus Christ what does it mean to believe John chapter 6 his flesh drink his blood not physically but rather that is a figure showing us what it means to believe in Christ in other words we feed on him he is our assistance he is the one that gives us life he is the one that keeps us all so you see the Bible uses these figures of speech to illustrate for us in a real practical concrete sort of way what it means to believe to receive Christ to rest upon Christ see John the Apostle was able to lay his head upon the bosom of the Savior we do that by faith don't we we rest upon Jesus Christ by faith that's what the confession says that's what the scriptures say these are figures of speech to tell us and educate us something about dare I say it the simplicity of faith we sometimes make it so hard what's it mean to believe on Jesus well we're gonna have to take you through a three part course you don't need a three part course to know how to eat a burrito and drink you know a glass of juice you eat it and you drink it same with bread and what you you didn't you drink it it's it's something quite simple now faith is one of those interesting things on the one hand it's the most difficult thing in the whole wide world but on the other hand it's the most simple thing in the whole wide world it's a grace given by God we can't make God give faith but it's simple believe what the Bible says concerning Jesus he lived he died he was raised and he saves all those who come to him in faith notice the object that krietor that john presents that you believe and he mentions Jesus is the Christ the Son of God this whole idea of Christ this is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament and John Gill says and takes in all his offices of prophet priest and King to which he was anointed in other words you need to believe that Jesus is the Christ the one revealed to us in the Old Testament the Messiah there The Anointed One the one who comes under God's direction to do what God the Father gave him to do then he goes on to say not only the Christ but he's the son of God now that's an interesting statement didn't Thomas just confess him as my Lord and my god how can he be both God and son of god the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity the three persons each have the divine essence yet they are distinguished from one another by personal properties and relative relative properties and personal relations the father sends the son father begets the son the son is begun by the father but they are one God the same in substance equal in power and glory distinguished from one another through these properties the son of God is God Most High now notice what's the end game the end result and that believing you may have life in his name it's the universe 31 what should we infer from that if you do not believe you don't have life in his name that's a desperate condition to be in it's a terrible place to be Jesus in John chapter 8 speaks of spiritual bondage whoever commits sin is a what he's a slave to sin it's an amazing thing how that's more obvious with certain sins than with others more obvious say when you drive down town and you see persons that look like they've been addicted to drugs for some period of time it's pretty obvious to see that those persons are slaves to sin pretty obvious to see the slave master driving that subject right into the ground but with reference to our slavery with reference to our sins with reference to those things that don't land us on the street looking you know that sort of a way it's more difficult to ascertain but if you're not a believer here this morning you're a slave to sin if you're not a believer here this morning you are dead in your trespasses and sins if you are not a believer here this morning you do not possess eternal life for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life now the converse is true as well that whoever does not believe in him shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him John 3:36 you see here in a desperate position this morning apart from Jesus Christ but the good news is is that John says I wrote the entirety of my book the gospel that bears my name as its author under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit I took pains to do this in a situation where it could have cost me a whole lot it does cost John because he ends up on a little rock in the Aegean Sea for the testimony of God or for the Word of God in the testimony of Jesus Christ it did get cost him to get there to produce this so his purpose is is that you believe not resist not reject not argue it away and not say well you know you don't know my situation I don't have to I know enough to know that God is holy you're not you're a sinner you're rabble you have violated the law you have transgressed every one of the Ten Commandments you have not conformed to those particular words as well and you stand under the judgment of God Most High but Christ in the word offers himself to sinners so come to me he says in Matthew chapter 11 all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest don't continue to resist or reject or refuse but rather come receive him rest upon him accept him not in some you know altar College way with every I bow or every eye closed and every head bowed and we accept Jesus into our that acceptance there is a figurative a figurative way of saying faith accept the mercy of God in Jesus Christ as proffered in the gospel for the salvation of sinners don't resist don't reject don't refuse thus the exposition a couple of concluding thoughts and then we'll close first and we rehearse some of this a few weeks ago or a couple of months ago when we are in Matthew's Gospel so I will not here but the historical reality of the resurrection it did happen the tomb is empty the statement he is risen is accurate and that right there tells us everything testified to us by our Lord Jesus Christ by as apostles by the prophets in the Old Testament is worth believing in other words with our confession of faith we ought to believe everything the scripture says the principle acts saving faith have relation to Christ to his life to his death into his resurrection now secondly beware of placing conditions upon God these are the sorts of conditions that I think we hear at times some say well if God would provide me certain amount of evidence then I would believe that's the Tomas mistake isn't it or the Tomas obstinance unless I see unless I touch unless I'm empirically satisfied with the evidence then I will not believe that's pretty much life as we know it outside of the church isn't it well I didn't see it he didn't make it an appearance to me it's like Greg Bahnson said in the great debate against Gordon Stein a student at the very end they have a QA section the student asks dr. Stein what would it take to convince you that God does exist Stein was the atheist Stein was the skeptic and Stein said well if he a put in a personal appearance we have our skeptic meetings on Tuesday afternoon if he shows up at one of those that then I would believe or be if this lectern or pulpit or whatever it was they were using you know just started to lift in the air and there was no evidence of any wires or cords or machines or motors or anything that was making it lift up in the air those would be things that I would take to believe in the existence of God in Greg Bahnson rightly responded and said no you would not no you would not there is no shortage of evidence there is no lack of evidence the problem is your worldview dr. Stein you need to be born again you exclude at the outset the very possibility of God and that then controls how you interpret the evidence see be cautious and beware that us creature sinful creature have no right to demand that God perform before you believe a second thing I think we hear at times is that the the folly of demanding temporal blessings you know unless God blesses me with you know a good wife and kid I'm not gonna believe unless God satisfies some basic requirements that I think ever I have coming to me then I'm not going to believe it's kind of this idea that God has to convince you of his goodness before you'll actually side with him and by the way God you can convince me of your goodness with a nice car a nice house a nice wife and wonderful well-behaved children and when you do that then I'll throw in my lot with you that should be pretty apparent how wicked that is right we're not supposed to use God to get stuff that we want on the condition that that then will side with him will do you the favor God if you you know please bring a swag first no no don't do that thirdly the idea folly the folly of demanding comprehensive understanding you meet this sometimes well I don't understand why the children of Israel at the behest of Yahweh went in and utterly destroyed or at least commanded to utterly destroy all the Canaanites in the land I just don't understand that until I can understand that I'm not gonna believe I just can't fully understand I can't understand I can't even get my mind wrapped around the doctrine of the Trinity once God makes that clear to me then then all then all then I'll believe again who are we creatures sinful creatures that have the right to say we want to exhaust God before will believe on God we need to know everything but before we'll believe on the Lord one of the beauties of our religion is that degree of not knowing certain things I wouldn't want a god I could figure out I wouldn't want a God I could domesticate I wouldn't want a god I could fully explain now I'm not saying he's not explainable he's not understandable he has revealed himself in about 31,000 propositions called the the old and the New Testaments there's a lot of data it's a lot of things for us to consider in to contemplate but is it one of the blessed things to able to say man I just don't know if I could exhaust God then I could tame God I could control god I could domesticate God in other words it might be more interesting to own a lion than a kitty cat you see brethren you'll never the best intellects in the Christian Church I've never exhausted all there is to know about God it's one of the beauties of Christianity it's one of the glories of our religion the thought that when we enter into his presence it'll be breathtaking experience after breathtaking experience it will be that constant admiration that constant wowie in the presence of the Most High so don't think that you have to explain or know everything before you'll believe what is absolutely certain and drew that Christ was crucified for sinners was raised the third day and everyone who believes in Him will be saved those are some common objections or ways that we try to put God into a box and make him perform before we'll believe and I want to end on the high note where Thomas's confession ended the beauty of that confession of faith the clarity of the text it's no way around John 20:28 is there well I guess if you're a Russell I you can say well it was an exclamation it was blasphemy or he was pronouncing you know praise to a little G God don't that this just not grammatically correct you know you hear about political correctness there's grammatical correctness there's certain ways grammar revealed by the Holy Spirit in the scripture on how we're supposed to understand text and you don't need to know the Greek to know that this is translated properly my lord and my god john calvin commenting on the clarity of the text said and indeed he who after having received those striking proofs which are to be found in the gospel does not perceive Christ to be God does not deserve - look even at the Sun in the earth for he is blind amidst the brightness of noonday you don't even get to desert you don't deserve that if you reject the deity of Jesus Christ even get that because you're blind as well the propriety of the text he is called God and verse 28 the son of God in verse 31 the son is distinguished from the father by the peculiar relative properly property of begotten s and his personal relation to the father as son the son however has the whole divine essence again you might say well I just don't get that come to the confession study read a book by marvel I just can't understand the Trinity pick up a book I don't know how to do this task in my kitchen so I'm gonna watch youtube videos I don't know how to do this it works I'm gonna ask my boss and yet how many Christians have no inkling whatsoever with reference to the Trinity but haven't ever attended a theology study haven't ever attended anything that the church sponsors haven't asked the elders of the church to say what are some good guides cuz not everything on YouTube or sermon audio is necessarily a good guide who are some good guides that can steer me in the right direction so that I can understand one of the most cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith why are we so lazy when Jesus defines the knowledge of God as eternal life in John 17:3 why won't we use our heads why will we never go beyond a kindergarten understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity there's no excuse if you feel bad or guilty right now there might be a good reason why perhaps it's because you're lazy perhaps it's because you don't read perhaps it's because you never come to theology or confession study you don't avail yourself of the means that are available so that you can move be kindergarten and start living like a mature believer in Jesus Christ that is able to articulate at least at a basic level the doctrine of the Trinity to shut the mouths of the rustle lights that you bump into on Yale Road why should they best true believers in an argument on the doctrine of the Trinity how is that possible because for twenty years they've been perfecting their arguments against the doctrine and for twenty years for some reason true believers haven't read birkhoff on the Trinity which I don't know as how many pages that's a big fat book but the section on the Trinity ain't the confession of faith is one chapter again you may not get your mind wrapped around every jot and diddle in every particular but you'll know the language that's in been employed in the history of the church and it will open up so hopefully some vistas for further research there's no reason why we shouldn't have an understanding of these things and then the certainty of the text Ryle said this let us settle it let us settle it firmly in our minds that the divinity of Christ that means that he's God is one of the grand foundation truths of Christianity and let us be willing to go to the stake rather than let it go let us be willing to go to the stake that means to be burned to death that means to be stoned to death could be mean mean to be shot to death to be beheaded to death you can obviously be dead it means to die for this confession of faith in Jesus Christ I don't know a whole lot about Leah but we just prayed for alia in Nigeria who was taken captive by Boko Haram many others of these girls that were taken captive by Boko Haram were let go Lea is not been let go because she's a believer in Jesus they won't let her go if she doesn't renounce her faith in Jesus Christ and confess this law she hasn't done it when Leah's parents were talked to they're sad their daughter isn't with them but her father's pleased that she will not renounce Jesus Christ you see when with the bride you see the bridegroom I said bridegroom earlier that was incorrect when you see Jesus is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand you'll go to the stake for him you'll take Islamic oppression for him you'll take prison for him they'll take whatever it is because you know that in the midst of that Christ is your Lord Christ is your Savior Christ is your friend and Christ is ever-present with his people so don't continue to resist reject and refuse but rather come believe on Christ and you shall be saved well let us pray our Father we thank you for your word and the clarity of this particular section of Scripture may it be the confession of all our hearts with reference to Jesus Christ that he is our Lord and our God we pray that you'd pour out grace upon hearers today here and elsewhere we pray that the knowledge of the gospel would go forth and that sinners would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we do pray for Leah and for her family she would grant them Grace and comfort in the midst of this hardship the midst of this suffering and distress and keepers her faith solid and strong and may she never renounce the Lord Jesus and may this speak volumes to others those in the Western world us in particular the Christ is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 he is that pearl of great price may we ever own him may we ever confess him and we ever believe and love and adore him and may you go with us now and help us to have a blessed Lord's Day bring us together tonight as we gather for the supper then you feed us and may you strengthen us and may you help us by your word and spirit and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed