[0:00] So we want to continue on. As I said earlier, our verse is helping us develop that new perspective, in this case with those verses, new perspective of God.
[0:14] We're studying establishing a biblical worldview. And biblical worldviews must answer various questions, and one of those questions is, in regard to God, what do you believe about God?
[0:33] And every worldview will have an answer to that. They answer the question, well, what do you think about man, humanity, maybe his origins, his value, his purpose?
[0:49] Another question worldviews have to answer, what's your purpose in life? And they have to deal with this whole matter of the problems that we see existing in the world that we run into every day.
[1:02] What's the cause of all these problems? Where did they come from? What happened in our world? And then they have to answer that question, okay, what is the solution? What are some answers to these problems that we're dealing with on a daily basis?
[1:18] And then also having to consider, well, what's the end of all things? Where are all things headed in our world today? So that's what we're considering when we're thinking about some of these topics that we're going to be covering, a biblical perspective, a biblical worldview.
[1:37] As I mentioned last week, a worldview is a way, the individual's way of looking at the world, the individual's way of thinking about the world.
[1:51] It forms the basis, that information the person has forms the basis, provides the information that the person needs, and that the person believes to be true, and that he needs for reliable evaluation of what's going on around him.
[2:13] And once he has that information, and then he experiences certain situations, immediately his mind goes into action, trying to evaluate what's going on here and what needs to happen.
[2:28] And at some point he draws conclusions about what's going on, and therefore what should happen, what he should say or what he should do in the situation, and eventually responds with certain actions.
[2:43] So a worldview, everyone has a worldview. And in the beginning, God provided Adam and Eve, who were made in his image, and after his likeness, his perspective of how they would live in the world that he created.
[3:02] They needed that information, and he provided them that counsel as to how they should relate to him, information they needed about themselves as individuals, information they needed in regard to how they relate to one another, and then how they should relate to the rest of creation.
[3:24] And as they accepted his good counsel, and then acted upon it, well, they enjoyed life in the garden there. They enjoyed that relationship with God, and with each other, and the rest of the creation, just as God had designed it.
[3:42] And truly, everything was good. It was very good. In fact, life was good. Better than the 50s. It was even far better than that.
[3:55] It was very good. But as we saw last week, it all came to an end when Satan came with a contrary worldview. Another voice came speaking different information into their lives, information that was contrary to the good counsel of God.
[4:17] Now, what did they do with that? Well, they listened. That's the first step. But then it moved beyond just listening to an acceptance of that information.
[4:29] At some point, accepting that information is what took place in their minds. And then, as we all know, once you accept information, there comes a time when you act upon it.
[4:43] And that's what they both did. They acted upon that faulty, false information, the lies that Satan had given them about God, about themselves, relating to one another, and to the rest of the creation.
[4:58] And as a result, they and all humanity after them, and creation as well, were plunged into the destructive consequences of their sin.
[5:09] Now, things were not very good. And ever since, people have been looking for answers and solutions to deal with this whole matter of trouble in the world.
[5:23] Trouble individually in themselves, but then also trouble in society. But each solution, even though the solutions might bring some temporary or limited relief to the individual, or maybe societal trouble, they fall far short of the complete recreation of the person that's necessary to bring about both the inner and the outer transformation that truly glorifies God and enables the individual to live a life of joy and peace and goodness, but then also society as well, for society to enjoy that kind of goodness in the society and in the relationships that people are able to have and therefore glorify God.
[6:24] All that is elusive to those people who are ruled by their sin nature. People cannot produce their own recreation and transformation.
[6:37] I mean, they couldn't, in the beginning, produce their original beginnings. All that was of God. And so it is in this case as well.
[6:48] They cannot produce their own recreation and transformation. The kind of recreation, power, or capability, all that is necessary to transform the individual and society at large really just doesn't exist within the nature and capabilities of sinful humanity.
[7:09] It's just not there. People are incapable of such level of change because what's true of them since the fall of sin, their fall in sin.
[7:21] So here we focus on what you believe about the nature of man. Again, one of those questions you have to answer in your worldview. What is the nature of man?
[7:34] And of course, we're looking at a biblical perspective because of our understanding of the nature of man. We understand that he cannot recreate himself into such a being that will produce lives and societies that are glorifying to God, pleasing to God, and that produce a flourishing life.
[7:57] It's spiritual life that brings a person back into that relational communion with God. And really, even the awareness of God and his existence without that life, the individual is described in Ephesians 2 as being dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked.
[8:20] He's talking to people who have been transformed, but once, prior to their transformation and recreation, they were dead in the trespasses of their sins, and they were following the course of this world.
[8:36] See the different ways he's trying to describe them, what was true of them in their nature as human beings, but then also the outer influences, the other voices out there that were having an influence in their lives.
[8:54] They were dead in their sins, and they were following the course of this world. It's not, again, like people are neutral, blank slates. They're not. Their minds have been affected.
[9:06] The way they think has been affected, and they were following the course of this world system. But not only that, they were following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.
[9:22] This is what's giving us a complete picture of what's going on in the world around us, and what Paul was helping them understand at that time.
[9:33] So without that spiritual life, what the individual needs to understand, believe, and act upon, he cannot even see.
[9:43] He can't even see the realities, the truth that he needs for a new life and that recreation. We see that in John 3, 3, when Jesus was interacting with Nicodemus.
[9:57] And Jesus answered to him and said, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And while that inability to see is a result of the existence of a sinful nature, Satan also has an active part in this spiritual blindness.
[10:16] Again, this person who is dead in sins, he cannot see the spiritual reality. My mind always goes back to the Vaughan's, I think it was, they had a young lady, an unsaved girl, that their daughters knew in their home for supper.
[10:35] And as they started, prior to their supper, they were praying and give thanks for the meal. And this young lady just started laughing at that time.
[10:47] And they asked, of course, what was the outburst for? And she said they couldn't believe that they're praying to something invisible.
[10:58] I mean, to her, it was a non-reality. God was a non-reality. And why should they be communicating to a non-reality? You can't see it.
[11:09] I mean, she was describing herself perfectly. And that she could not see what was invisible, God and his kingdom.
[11:21] It can only be spiritually discerned. And she couldn't discern it because she was dead in trespasses and sins. Well, not only is that true of herself, her nature, but also, again, as I was saying, Satan is active in this blindness as well.
[11:41] 2 Corinthians 4. Paul writes, and even if our gospel is veiled, hidden, it's veiled to those who are perishing. Again, helping us understand what's the true nature of a person apart from Jesus Christ.
[11:57] Those things that are unseen, seen, spiritual, the kingdom of God, the gospel, it's veiled, it's hidden to those who are perishing. In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.
[12:16] So, the unbeliever, of course, they're not going to acknowledge this reality about themselves and what their problem is. In fact, many times, if you were to ask maybe an unbeliever, or maybe you've said it in the past as well, as to, why don't you come to Christ?
[12:35] They might say, well, I'm not ready. And it's almost like they're giving an answer that I'm in total control of what's going on here and it's totally by my choice that I'm not coming to Christ.
[12:47] But, when I decide in and of myself that it's time that I will come. I mean, he has no understanding, again, of the spiritual forces that are at work that are actually hindering him or her from coming to Christ.
[13:04] what is true, the true reality of God's existence and kingdom, it's veiled by their nature and by the outer influences of Satan as well.
[13:16] That's the true condition. The effects of the individual spiritual deadness and blindness really is also evidenced in the person's mind and his thinking.
[13:28] And his thinking is confused by impaired thinking. Ephesians 4, Paul writing to the church there in Ephesus, helping them understand why they should no longer walk as they walked in the past prior to their new life in Christ.
[13:47] Because this is what's true and what was true of their condition prior to Christ. They were living and walking in the futility of their minds in an unproductive state of thinking, futile thinking.
[14:05] They're darkened in their understanding. There's that spiritual blindness and darkness, things that you cannot see. Maybe you've been in some of those caves where they've shut the lights off and you cannot see anything.
[14:20] It's like, hurry up, turn the lights back on. This is getting very uncomfortable. And you hold your hand in front of your face and you can't even see it. That's the extent of the darkness that is there spiritually.
[14:35] Darkened in their understanding, alienated or excluded from the life of God. It's again, communicating that whole matter of deadness and sin.
[14:46] They have no life toward God, the reality of God and his kingdom. We're all trying to use these verses to help us understand why people cannot recreate themselves unto a new creation that is alive to God and receptive to his counsel because of what's true of him.
[15:12] Excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness, the insensitivity of their heart. Gives quite a picture.
[15:24] of this person apart from Christ. Romans 8, the pastor has been in for a number of weeks now. Verse 7, the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God.
[15:37] It does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Those who are apart from the spirit of God's dwelling within them, those who are apart from this new life in Christ, their mind is not set on the things of God.
[15:59] It really just can't submit to God. In and of themselves, again, we're making this point, they're incapable of accomplishing this whole work of recreation and new life in Christ.
[16:15] And then, lastly, they're incapable incapable of discerning spiritual realities. 2 Corinthians 2, 14, the natural person does not accept the things of the spirit of God.
[16:30] They're folly to him. I mean, it's, and you can see that many times when you're speaking to them, the gospel. I mean, just foolishness.
[16:40] Why would I give up this life that I'm living now to actually do what you're telling me to do? It makes no sense. And he's not able to understand them because they're spiritually discerned.
[16:56] Without capacity to discern and recognize and value the truth and wisdom, the person of Jesus Christ, they will not come to Christ.
[17:08] That is the true nature of the individual, of the man apart from Christ. And so, again, the solution people need to their great problem cannot come from themselves.
[17:24] It can only come from God, a source outside of themselves. They have to change within the very core of their being and it's a change that they cannot produce in and of themselves.
[17:38] They are without hope, without God in the world, as all of us were at one point in our lives. Only God can produce the level, really, of soul change that's necessary in people for the complete transformation of the individual and ultimately of the whole society, which, that can begin now, but will only be finalized and completed when Jesus Christ comes again to establish his kingdom on earth.
[18:10] It was God who created Adam and Eve and the flourishing life that they enjoyed and it's only God who can make people into new creations and transform them so that they can once again willingly glorify him in their relationship with him in their lives as individual human beings, in their relationships with each other, and in their relationship with the rest of the creation.
[18:40] That recreation starts with God and that's what we want to take a look at now. There is hope for change. There is hope for the solutions of the problems that people face today and we give it from a biblical perspective.
[18:58] God's designed restoration, all of it initiated with God. Ephesians 1, 3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
[19:17] Again, there we go. 2 Peter 1, 3 brings out the same idea. Everything that we need for this life of godliness, now this life of flourishing, God has provided and so Paul is helping these believers understand that as well.
[19:34] You've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. So that's when that whole new recreation process started before the foundation of the world that we, God chose us that we should be holy without blame before him in love having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will.
[20:01] to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.
[20:17] The unmerited favor of God. I think there's another verse there, Carol, Ephesians, that I also read there. I don't know if you included that verse in there but I've already read that verse.
[20:30] So we'll keep moving through here. What started with God before the foundation of the world comes to pass in each individual's life.
[20:42] The recreation comes to reality in the person's life and this we call conversion. God's effectual call goes out to the individual through the gospel that was delivered by one who is already a Christian.
[20:59] We've given that command Jesus gave that command to his disciples go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you.
[21:14] They need a new basis of information in which to live this new life in Christ Jesus. and that begins with the call of God as we take the gospel to those who need to hear this good news.
[21:32] Jude 1 Jude writes to those who are called beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. In 2 Thessalonians 1.11 Paul writes to these believers and says to this end we always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and of course God's calling to them came through the gospel that Paul spoke to them.
[22:00] In 1 Thessalonians 1.4-5 he says for we know brothers loved by God that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
[22:17] so again he's helping them understand and us to understand and be reminded that the power that they needed to become new creations did not exist within themselves.
[22:30] It wasn't just a matter of different information. They needed information, information of the gospel and the good news but it's just not an information problem.
[22:42] It's a power problem. they did not have the power in and of himself to create within them a nature that was awake and aware to the things of God.
[22:56] They needed the work of the Holy Spirit to come in with the word of God and make them alive to God. It's that gospel empowered by the Holy Spirit that brings about this new creation of the individual that needs to happen.
[23:14] Romans 1.16 Paul wrote for I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it's the power of God for salvation that everyone who believes that complete work of salvation from beginning to end that is the power of God that needs to be at work in the life of the individual in order for them to be made a new creation.
[23:40] Well as God brought forth life in the beginning by speaking and breathing into man so in its soul in this recreation. He speaks through the gospel, the good news, presentation, and his Holy Spirit brings forth the life.
[23:59] And so we have a new creature in Christ. The Holy Spirit quickens the one who is once dead in sin and the individual granted faith and repentance he believes and exercises faith in Jesus Christ.
[24:15] He is a new creation. Titus 3, 5 through 6. God, he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness but according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.
[24:36] It's by that washing of the regeneration and that renewal of the Holy Spirit that that individual, most of us here this morning, have come to new life in Christ and have been made new creations and that's what we are.
[24:52] New creations, no longer enslaved in sin, no longer blinded, no longer in ignorance, no longer in darkness, no longer incapable of responding, seeing the kingdom of God and his sweet counsel that we need.
[25:15] Those who now live by this work of the Spirit can set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8, once again, remember it was prior to this they were incapable of doing that.
[25:29] They didn't want to do it so something happened at the core being of the individual work of God through the word of God where that person was regenerated by the Holy Spirit, granted life to see and believe in that which prior to him was a non-reality.
[25:50] It didn't exist and he wanted no part of. The person no longer has to conform to the world system and its world view and that's what we are operating prior to our salvation.
[26:05] As human beings, we're reasoning people. We have to make sense of the things of the world, what's going on around us. But once we become new creatures in Christ, now we're free to live, to receive, to accept and act upon truth, truth from God.
[26:27] We can discern what is truly good and acceptable and the perfect will, not of man, but the perfect will of God, our creator, the one who designed us to live in this world, one who has all the wisdom that we need for a relationship with him, with each other, and the rest of creation.
[26:49] What a privilege that we have now, that we're no longer dead in sins. We can walk actually in newness of life according to the counsel of our creator, and we even want to do that most of the time.
[27:06] We still struggle with some temptations that we'll mention a little bit later on here. So the conversion that is necessary, the power outside of the human being in order for him to become a new creation, but that's just the beginnings of it.
[27:23] For now we must walk in newness of life. life. There's still that renewal of the mind that needs to take place, and so we want to consider, well how does that renewal come about?
[27:37] Well certainly through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the voice of God again, which is the word of God. So on our part of this total life transformation, there needs to be a serious focus of our minds on the word of God.
[27:55] What is our view of God's word? Now prior to our recreation, our salvation, we had a very low view of the word of God, and that's what Satan was attacking with Adam and Eve, Eve in particular.
[28:11] Satan attacked Eve's view of what God said. She was deceived into questioning the authority of God's word, telling her basically that she didn't really have to obey.
[28:27] You know, you can be your own person, you can act independently of God with this information, this new information I'm going to give you. Whereas before, she understood that God was her ultimate authority, and she needed to listen to him, this new voice coming in, causing her to doubt that.
[28:50] Doubting the reliability of God's word, you won't die. actually, instead, your condition will be even better than what it presently is. You'll be like God.
[29:02] It's really not reliable. He hasn't told you the full picture here. Again, questioning now the sufficiency of God's word. What God has spoken to you isn't enough.
[29:13] I'm here to tell you what he hasn't told you, and what I tell you will really make your life even better. All God has told you is that you'll die. Well, now I'm telling you that you'll actually be like God because you know both good and evil.
[29:32] Okay, so God's word isn't sufficient for what I need really for the good life, a life that's even better than this very good that God told us about before.
[29:46] All this low view of God, that questioning, an explicit denial of the necessity, the authority, the sufficiency, the reliability of God's word even continues to our day as well.
[30:02] We're familiar with this. A total denial of truth, the world will say there is no absolute objective truth. Of course, just in that statement that there is no absolute objective truth.
[30:16] I mean, they're denying their statement just in saying that statement. but this is what they're saying. There's a denial of the biblical authority, the Bible's authority to command us about right and wrong.
[30:31] Instead, the majority rules, let the majority people, let us decide really what is acceptable, let us determine it simply by our reason, or subjective feelings, subjective feelings rule, or even over what is objectively telling us something different than what my feelings are.
[30:52] My feelings have priority over objective truth because basically there is no objective truth. Or the denial of the Bible is an accurate source to answer important questions to life.
[31:07] Where did we come from? Why is there evil and suffering in the world? what's the solution of man's moral problems? They have to come up with answers, but apart from the word of God, when the word of God is not included in their thinking, their evaluating, their reasoning, their concluding, they will not come up with solutions that are glorifying God and ultimately for the welfare of all people.
[31:36] But we also see this among Christians. Even Christians at times deny the truth of God's word, some will say, well, some of it's true, but not all of it.
[31:46] It doesn't really mean what is written, especially in our world today. It's a very old document written in a different culture. It needs to be adapted to the times in which we live and the places where we live.
[32:00] You'll hear this more and more. Our denial of the authority of scripture. We see that in times of temptation.
[32:11] don't we? When our feelings or other voices out there are calling us to do something contrary to the word of God and God's counsel to us, we can feel ourselves moving in that direction and actually we're replacing the authority of God, his word, with myself or these other voices out there.
[32:36] We really don't have to obey God. God, let me be the one that determines what's right in this situation. What is best for me?
[32:47] This is what I think is best for me at this time. Even denial of the sufficiency of the word of God. We need resources outside of God's word really to understand ourselves and our moral problems and the solutions necessary to make us peaceful and happy people.
[33:05] It might be your feelings again or your experiences. Let them guide you in your decision making. So we need to be careful as Christians. How are we viewing the word of God?
[33:18] We need a high view of God's word. Quote from John MacArthur's book, Think Biblically, Recovering a Christian World View. A truly Christian worldview begins with the conviction that God himself has spoken in scripture.
[33:36] Is that how we approach the word of God? I think, Pastor, you had mentioned something this recently in one of your messages. The voice of God speaks today, speaks through the word of God, speaks through his messengers who are faithful to the word of God.
[33:55] Proverbs 30 verse 5, Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Psalm 19, The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
[34:12] 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, All scripture is breathed out by God. There we go, the voice of God, and it's profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
[34:33] In his prayer, Jesus said to the Father, Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. In James 1, 25, the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
[34:58] glory, and then one more that I don't have listed in the notes for the screen, 2 Peter 1, 21, for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
[35:17] And then Luke 11, 28, Jesus said, blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it. the blessed is referring to that flourishing life, a life of peace, joy, purpose, hope, really all the people are looking for in this world found in the beginnings of a heart change toward God, but then a mind that is directed to his counsel and his voice in the word of God.
[35:49] Absolute truth that people need for right relationship with God themselves, each other, and the rest of creation. So we start with scripture, what God has said, and we use scripture to test any other claims of truth.
[36:08] It's God's word that shapes what we believe, what we think, how we evaluate what goes on around us, the conclusions we come to, and then how we respond and live our daily lives.
[36:20] So the bottom line is, do you believe God's word as preserved in the Bible, is a necessary, authoritative, adequate, sufficient guide for all matters of faith and conduct?
[36:35] Is this your core belief as you seek to live life on a daily basis? Do you believe scripture gives us every truth we need for life and godliness?
[36:51] all of these questions that a worldview answers, do you believe the answers to those questions are found in God's word? Adam and Eve needed God's counsel in the beginning and God didn't withhold from them the counsel that they needed for life and so it is God's work and so it is in God's work of recreation.
[37:16] He still speaks to people today. He still has given us all the counsel we need for a flourishing life. He did that in the beginning with Adam and Eve.
[37:29] He's doing the same thing today. He's preserved it for us. He's made sure that it was recorded in a trustful reliable manner by his Holy Spirit through people and he's preserved that truth that we need for life today in his word.
[37:49] It's right there for us. The voice of God that we need. What you believe about God and about his word as revealed and preserved in the Bible is key to the development of a biblical world view.
[38:11] What is your view of the word of God? But then we have to really go beyond that. to how do you handle God's word now?
[38:22] There's a lot of people that will call it God's word, but they're coming to a lot of different conclusions that we're coming to in regard to how they live, how we live.
[38:36] So we need to understand how to handle the word of God. What we do with the word of God. I mean, would have been nice, I should say would have been nice, it's wrong for me even to say that because that's not how God designed it.
[38:51] But what I was going to say was that as soon as I was converted and brought to life, poof, all the old information that was wrong left, and it was replaced with all the new information that I needed for this life of godliness.
[39:08] But that's not the way it is. There's still some of that wrong information in there that needs to be put off and replaced, and I need that renewed mind.
[39:20] So how am I going to handle the word of God? Oh my goodness, go through quickly. A right handling of the word of God. So let me just read some of these out.
[39:31] Listen to it being taught by reliable teachers who believe it and are teaching it as God's word, not their own. Jesus gave truth to his disciples to communicate to others, and as they taught that to others, others were to listen and receive it as truth that came from Jesus.
[39:50] Luke 10, 16, the one who hears you hears me. The one who rejects you rejects me. The one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.
[40:02] So there's this chain of communication that I call it, that Jesus had truth that people needed for life, communicated that to his disciples, reliable men were supposed to communicate it to others who would also be faithful to the process of communicating truth, and that's how it's come down to us.
[40:23] Second, memorize and meditate on it. Psalm 119, 11, I've stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Read it.
[40:33] Of course, back then, not each individual had the word of God, but they read the word of God publicly, regularly. So we see in 2 Corinthians 34, I don't have time to read that right now, but then study it as well.
[40:50] In Acts 17, 11, we're familiar with these people that Paul referred to, or Luke referred to, now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica.
[41:01] they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Now, how to study the word of God would take additional lessons, and there are good resources out there for you to learn how to study the word of God.
[41:21] The importance of observing correctly, asking the question, what does the Bible say? So as you sit down and open your Bible, this is what you're looking for, what does the Bible say?
[41:35] You're looking for truths about God and about other people, about people, purpose statements, commands, different things you're looking for, just saying, what does it say? But then there comes a time for interpretation, you're asking the question, what does the text mean?
[41:52] And this is where you're studying the context and cross references, looking up word meanings to get the accurate understanding of the passage, and then finally comes the application where you ask the question, what does it mean for me?
[42:08] What am I to do in light of what God's word says? What should I think or not think? What should I do or not do? So a new world view is developing, a new way of thinking about the world and what's going around us.
[42:24] We're living out of new creation that God has worked in us and more and more becoming like Jesus Christ. Well, that's what we hope to accomplish in coming weeks in sharing with you, not just me, but others.
[42:39] Jeremy Sarber will be teaching next week on beginning of life, abortion, and presenting a biblical perspective. We want to be living by the truth of God's word.
[42:51] What does God's word say about life? What does it say about economics, education, gender, and identity? Some of the topics we'll be covering in the coming weeks so that we are listening to the voice of God and not other voices that are out there.
[43:09] Let's close in prayer. Father, this morning we thank you for what you have done in sending Christ into the world, Father, that he would be that sacrifice for our sin and the work of your Holy Spirit through your word, granting us life that we might see the reality of yourself and the truth that you have for us.
[43:34] And now we pray that as we end this class and move into the morning service, we would speak out of that new life that we have and the songs that we sing, that we would be good listeners to your voice coming through Pastor John and that through the whole process, again we would be doers of the word and join life with you, each other, and the rest of the creation in glorifying your name, in Jesus' name, amen.
[44:02] Thank you, you're dismissed.