This Holy God
Notes
Transcript
****Turn to 1 Samuel 6
Intro:
Intro:
AS HUMANS DISCUSSING GOD’S HOLINESS & GREATNESS...
2 PROBLEMS FOR US:
“CHEAPENING” of LANGUAGE…THROUGH OVERUSE...
AWESOME = NOW SYNONYMOUS W/ “COOL”…WHICH ORIGINALLY MEANT SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN COLD.
SEEING MUSKY YESTERDAY = AWESOME.... NOT REALLY THOUGH.
AWESOME, SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU STAND IN AWE....MORE LIKE “JAW-DROPPING THAN COOL”
BLUEY - “PERFECT”
LANGUAGE IS INSUFFICIENT ANYWAYS...
A PICTURE = WORTH 1,000 WORDS....
CONSIDER WHAT HEAVEN MUST BE LIKE...
DON’T HAVE WORDS TO EXPRESS...
(T) TODAY as we DISCUSS the HOLINESS & GREATNESS of our GOD, try and KEEP these THINGS in MIND...
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Recap:
Recap:
LAST 2 WEEKS:
ENEMIES of ISRAEL/Philistines = VICTORIOUS
ISRAEL DEFEATED, MANY DIE…ARK = LOST (INCREDIBLY BAD)
ISRAEL - DEFEATED.... SO GOD SEEMED to BE DEFEATED.
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LAST WEEK: ARK GOES to DAGON’S TEMPLE...
**ALTHOUGH GOD SEEMED DEFEATED, HE’S ALWAYS & FOREVER UNDEFEATED...
DAGON BOWING…DISMEMBERING DAGON… AFFLICTING 3 CITIES W/ PLAGUE (TUMORS & DEATH)
(T) STORY PICKS UP: GET THE ARK OUT OF HERE!!
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Text:
Text:
1 Samuel 6:1–7:2 (ESV)
Setting (v1)
Setting (v1)
1 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
7 MONTHS
3 CITIES
PEOPLE TERRIBLY AFFLICTED...
**YET NOT WANTING—ADMIT DEFEAT & RETURN ARK…FINALLY DECIDE TO RETURN IT.
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Inciting Incident (v2-6)
Inciting Incident (v2-6)
2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.”
4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land.
6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?
LAST WEEK: DECISION…GET RID OF ARK
NOW, they CONSULT THEIR PRIESTS & DIVINERS....HOW should WE RETURN IT??
7 MONTHS of TROUBLE = FEAR of GOD…DESIRING to DO RIGHT...
MORE FEAR of GOD AMONGST PAGANS THAN had been @ PRIESTHOOD
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MAKE IMAGES of TUMORS & MICE that AFFLICTED THEM:
*MICE EITHER CARRYING DISEASE (BUBONIC PLAGUE) OR RAVAGING GRAIN...
WEIRD GESTURE
GOD had FORBIDDEN IDOLS & graven images.
DON’T CONSULT ISRAEL’S LAW…IN DESPERATION, THEY COME UP W/ AN OFFERING
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CONCLUSION: they OUGHT to GIVE GLORY to GOD of Israel.
2 WKS AGO, PHINEHAS’ WIFE said “GLORY HAS DEPARTED...” —Ichabod
PHILISTINES OFFERING GLORY to YAHWEH!
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GOD WILL RECEIVE the GLORY HE’S DUE, SOMEWHERE!
JESUS: PEOPLE QUIET, ROCKS WILL CRY OUT!
AFFLICTED 7 MONTHS UNTIL THEY’D GLORIFY the TRUE & LIVING GOD!!
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PHILISTINE HOPE: GOD WOULD HEAL THEM...
GOD’S HAND was HEAVY upon the PHILISTINES
THEIR LAND
THEIR GODS
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DON’T HARDEN HEARTS…DON’T BE LIKE EGYPT…
SUBMIT & ADMIT DEFEAT...
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1 SAMUEL (SO FAR)....PHILISTINES = BEST EXAMPLE of REPENTANCE!
ELI’S SONS = NO REPENTANCE...
ELI = NO REPENTANCE...
PHILISTINES — AMENDING WAYS, RETURNING ARK…NOT HARDENING HEARTS...
(T) So, the QUESTION NOW...is WILL the PHILISTINES CONTINUE in their SEEMING REPENTANCE, or will they HARDEN their HEARTS as the Egyptians had, well let’s see what happens next. Look at verse seven.
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Rising Action (v7-9):
Rising Action (v7-9):
7 Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch.
If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
STILL TRYING to BELIEVE in COINCIDENCE!!
THEY KNOW IT’S GOD.
PLAN:
NEW CART… PLACE ARK & GUILT OFFERING ON TOP.
2 MILK COWS.
1ST TIME PULLING CART… NEVER YOKED.
W/ YOUNG CALVES, THEY’D WANT TO RETURN TO...
** COWS HAVE NO EXPERIENCE… & THEY’LL HAVE INSTINCT to RETURN to their CALVES.
IF THEY STILL GO TO ISRAEL… THEN WE’LL BELIEVE.
MOST LIKELY THING HAPPENS?? = ALL a COINCIDENCE.
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SOMETIMES PEOPLE = SO DENSE… GO HAS TO MOVE MOUNTAINS TO GET ATTENTION!!
OFTEN, QUESTION of WORLDVIEW:
DENYING GOD… NATURALISTIC WORLDVIEW...
“THINGS JUST HAPPEN” CREDITING COINCIDENCE...
SOMETIMES GOD GIVES WRITING on THE WALL....
SOMETIMES GOD DOESN’T....ROM. 1 GOD’S GLORY in CREATION = ENOUGH...
(T) And so they GO THROUGH WITH their PLAN, look at verses 10 and 11.
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More Tension (v10-11):
More Tension (v10-11):
10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors.
GO THROUGH W/ PLAN...
2 THINGS WE KNOW:
COWS WILL PROB. STRUGGLE W/ CART
COWS WILL PROB. WANT to RETURN TO YOUNG.
(T) Surely, the one thing WE KNOW, is that THEY WON’T HEAD DOWN the ROAD straight to BETH-SHEMESH... Right? Well, let’s see. Look at verse 12.
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Climax1 (v12):
Climax1 (v12):
12 And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.
CONFIRMING ONCE & FOR ALL…HAND of ALMIGHTY GOD!!
GOD ANSWERED, PHILISTINE TEST:
DAGON FELL
DAGON DISMEMBERED
PLAGUE & DEATH FOLLOWED ARK EVERYWHERE...
NOW, FINALLY…COWS HEAD STRAIGHT to BETH-SHEMESH…NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
The COWS HAD SPOKEN for the LIVING GOD!!
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PROBLEM:
PHILISTINES NOT SEARCHING FOR TRUTH....BUT SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS to THEIR PLIGHT...
COMMITTED to WORSHIP of FALSE GODS...
Dale Davis, “It is so easy for us sinners—Philistine or otherwise—to respond only to the pain and not to the truth of a situation. Our immediate fears are alleviated but our heads are no wiser, our hearts no softer” (p. 64).
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WORLD TODAY:
GOD WORKS in CREATION & PROVIDENTIALLY in LIVES of PEOPLE...
GOD’S REVEALED ENOUGH of HIMSELF TO MAKE US LIABLE...
MOST PEOPLE JUST WANT ANSWERS to THEIR PROBLEMS…NOT A RELATIONSHIP W/ TRUE & LIVING GOD.
GOD & RELIGIOUS THINGS ADDED to LIST of SELF-HELP THINGS…MAKING US FEEL BETTER...
“TRY JESUS” LIKE HE’S A DIETING PROGRAM or PLEXUS
Do we rejoice that we know the true and living God because of Jesus Christ…or do we see Him merely as our great & cosmic problem-solver???
(Q) Once our problems are solved,, do we have any more use for God?
DO WE WANT TRUTH?
OR A BETTER LIFE?
PHILISTINES WANTED ARK GONE…SO PROBLEMS WERE GONE…NOT SEARCHING FOR THE TRUE GOD...
(T) And so, now that the ark is back in Israelite territory, how will God’s people respond? Look at verse 13.
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Setting2 (v13-16):
Setting2 (v13-16):
13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS.....THE ARK of the COVENANT of LORD of HOSTS…ENTHRONED on the CHERUBIM...
MOST SACRED PIECE of TEMPLE WORSHIP....HIDDEN in MOST HOLY PLACE....JUST SHOWS UP RANDOMLY!!
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LEVITES (ENTRUSTED W// PRIESTHOOD) TAKE ARK DOWN, receive offering
BREAK CART & LIGHT IT…SACRIFICE COWS...
LOGICAL CONCLUSION: RESPONDING W/ WORSHIP.
PROBLEM:
BULLS to BE SACRIFICED…NOT COWS...
THEY KNEW THIS,, & ALLOW MINOR SLIP-UP
**PHILISTINES HAD SEEN IT ALL…IN THEIR UNBELIEF THEY FOLLOWED THE ARK ALL THE WAY THERE!
(T) And then our text offers an EXPLANATORY NOTE in verses 17 and 18 and says,
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Background Info (v17-18):
Background Info (v17-18):
17 These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, 18 and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
5 PHILISTINE CITIES…ONE TUMOR & MOUSE from EACH...
(T) And so finally the ark is back in Israel and it seems like this should be great news, everyone is celebrating and it seems everything is going great! Yet, this story is about to take another turn, look at verse 19.
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Climax 2 (v19-21)
Climax 2 (v19-21)
19 And he [GOD] struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”
(Q) Now, at first glance, does this bother you?
SOMETIMES GOD’S ACTIVITY SEEMS QUESTIONABLE...
REMEMBER, GOD MAKES the RULES… WE NEVER HAVE THE MORAL HIGH-GROUND AGAINST THE HOLY GOD.
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WONDERING… WHY’D 70 GUYS DIE??
TRANSLATIONS VARY: LOOKED “INTO” or “UPON”
MOST LIKELY, TREATING ARK AS EXHIBIT…JUST LOOKING AT IT.
So, WHAT’S THE PROBLEM with this?
NUM. ch. 4— INSTRUCTIONS on TRANSPORTING the TABERNACLE & the FURNITURE ACCOMPANYING IT…FURNITURE WAS to BE COVERED @ ALL TIMES DURING TRANSPORT.
Numbers 4:20 (ESV)
20 but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
LEVITES KNEW THIS....
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TABERNACLE & FURNITURE = HOLY/ SACRED.
NEVER INTENDED to be an EXHIBIT for PEOPLE to CASUALLY ENJOY
ARK ISN’T LIKE A MUSEUM or ZOO ATTRACTION…IT’S A HOLY THING.
PROBLEM: REVERENCE (OR LACK) SHOWS REVERENCE FOR GOD.
DIDN’T COVER IT…LEFT IT ON DISPLAY AS EXHIBIT...
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CURIOSITY KILLED MORE THAN THE CAT!
SURELY TEMPTING!
HIDDEN, SACRED PART of TABERNACLE...
IRREVERENCE SHOWS THEIR CASUAL APPROACH to GOD...
Dale Davis....“Too late we may learn that Israel’s jealous God is not indifferent about our indifference” (p. 67).
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WE COME to GOD ON HIS TERMS…WE DON’T MAKE THE RULES...
INDIVIDUALS & CHURCH...
GOD’S GIVEN US INSTRUCTION in HIS WORD…THIS IS HOW WE LIVE!
CHURCH: FOLLOWING GOD’S INSTRUCTION RATHER THAN MAN’S GOOD & POPULAR IDEAS...
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(V20) PEOPLE RESPOND: GOD = HOLY GOD....WHO CAN STAND BEFORE HIM??
They DON’T JUDGE GOD’S CHARACTER...
They ACKNOWLEDGE HE’S HOLY....
He is UTTERLY SEPARATE from ANYTHING SIN-STAINED in the WORLD.
He’s 100% PERFECT. He’s NEVER MADE A MISTAKE…ever!
NEVER DONE ANYTHING MORALLY IMPURE…EVER!
&& HE’S BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME!!
****Think about this!!
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PROBLEM: ISRAEL FOLLOWS in PHILISTINE FOOTSTEPS...
HOW?
INSTEAD of SELF-REFLECTION…REPENTANCE…TURNING to GOD....SOLUTION = GET RID OF ARK.
ARK CAUSES PROBLEMS..GET RID OF IT.
“Instead of us fixing our lives to align with God, we’re going to get rid of Him.”
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LOVE HAVING PRESENCE of GOD & PROMISE HE’S WITH US…
YET WE CAN FORGET HE’S HOLY
FORGET HIS WAYS of DOING THINGS...
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SEEMS EASIER @ TIMES TO RID OURSELVES of GOD RATHER THAN CHANGE OURSELVES....
AVOIDING CONVICTION OF SINFULNESS & SHORTCOMINGS...
WOULD WE RATHER HAVE GOD W/ US & BE CONVICTED @ TIMES…OR HAVE HIM GONE??
(T) And now our STORY TODAY is GOING to CLOSE in the first two verses of chapter seven. It says,
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Resolution (v1-2):
Resolution (v1-2):
1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
ARK GOES to HOUSE of ABINADAB
REVERENTLY CONSECRATE ELEAZOR to CARE for ARK...
GOD PERMIT ARK to REMAIN…& IT REMAINS AT LEAST 20 YEARS...
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Hom. Idea:
Hom. Idea:
The holy and only true living God deserves to be glorified, honored, and reverenced on the basis of who He is and what He has done in the earth.
THOSE WHO BELIEVE....WE CAN’T EVER TAKE GOD CASUALLY...
NOT TREATING GOD as SOMETHING ELSE on the LIST… LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE...
he’s UTTERLY SEPARATE, PERFECTLY HOLY…& perfect in all of His ways...
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Gospel…
Gospel…
HOLINESS = GREAT SOURCE of PEACE...
IF GOD IS HOLY…EVERYTHING HE DOES IS HOLY,, OR ELSE HE’D BE UNHOLY...
WORTH REJOICING OVER....
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SHOULD ALSO CAUSE HEALTHY FEAR & TREMBLING...
AS HUMANS…WE AREN’T HOLY...
THE HOLIER GOD is THE MORE SINFUL WE APPEAR.
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TAKING PICTURE, DARK/DIMLY LIT ROOM....
DETAILS MISSING…GET THE GIST.
USE FLASH, LIGHT ON ETC....SEE DETAIL...
HOLINESS of GOD is ILLUMINATING on MANKIND’S SINFULNESS....
DETAILS WE WISH WE COULD HIDE ARE LAID BARE COMPARED to HOLINESS of GOD...
ISAIAH the PROPHET encountered PRESENCE of GOD. …seraphim cried out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts!” he responded,
“Woe is me! For I am lost! I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips!”
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ALL MANKIND—DESPERATE NEED.
MEN of SHEMESH…GOOD QUESTION...— “who can stand in the presence of this holy God?”
Answer: NO ONE CAN...
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But the GOOD NEWS is that GOD is MORE than JUST HOLY,, GOD is ALSO LOVE...
And GOD SO LOVED the WORLD that HE MADE A WAY for US to be able to STAND in HIS PRESENCE....
WE’RE SINFUL
HE’S HOLY...
DOESN’T MATCH UP
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WHILE WE WERE CONDEMNED…HOLY GOD STEPPED into HIS CREATION
JESUS CHRIST—FULLY GOD & FULLY MAN…the only man that was SINLESS…the ONLY ONE that COULD RIGHTLY STAND in GOD’S PRESENCE...
HOLY & PERFECT & SINLESS SAVIOR BECAME SIN for US… SO THAT IN HIM WE COULD BECOME RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD...
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CAN PUSH GOD AWAY FOR A TIME… BUT EVENTUALLY ALL STAND BEFORE GOD & GIVE AN ACCOUNT...
BUT THE FORGIVEN ONE CAN STAND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY GOD… & YOU CAN BE FORGIVEN TODAY BY THE GRACE FOUND IN JESUS CHRIST…
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Takeaways:
Takeaways:
Learn about God?
Learn about God?
GOD = PERFECT & HOLY…WE COME to HIM ON HIS TERMS!
HE’S the RULEMAKER
WE’RE the RULEBREAKERS...
HE SETS THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN RIGHT & WRONG...
THUS HE’S NEVER SINNED… HE’S HOLY = HE’S NEVER ACTED WRONG.
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Learn about Us?
Learn about Us?
PRIVILEGE CREATES RESPONSIBILITY
ISRAEL HAD LAW…THUS JUDGED ACCORDING to THE LAW.
**HIGHER LEVEL of ACCOUNTABILITY BECAUSE THEY KNEW MORE....
THOSE of US WHO KNOW the LORD…HAVE HIS WORD…COME TO CHURCH EVERY WEEK,, WE’RE ACCOUNTABLE MORE THAN THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW GOD’S WORD...
KNOWING GOD DOESN’T GET YOU OFF THE HOOK, IT PUTS A BARB in THE HOOK...
STILL SAVED BY GRACE, BUT HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD...
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App.
App.
(Q) And so as we go about our week, I want you to consider HOW CASUAL ARE YOU in your APPROACH to GOD?
DO YOU EVER FORGET HOW truly GREAT and AWESOME He is?
Do you FORGET THAT HE’S HOLY and He is separate and special in this way?
DOES GOD END UP ON YOUR TO-DO LIST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN LIFE & IN SAME CATEGORY....?
**SEEN EXAMPLE, MANY PUSH GOD AWAY…SEND ARK AWAY...
BUT LET’S REFLECT on THESE THINGS… SEE if WE NEED CHANGE?
As Christians, we can go boldly to the throne of grace, but we should never go casually or indifferently to the throne of grace....
Close in Prayer