Philippians 4:13

Welcome to Hillandale. We're pleased to have you here this morning. I want to kind of teach more than free church. Although we'll see how that Ebbs and flows through a familiar passage Jeremiah chapter 29 Verses 4 through 14 and it contains a very familiar verse that you'll hear at the end of this passage. But let's Jump Right In and read these verses and then walk through the lessons here in this passage. This is what the Lord Almighty the god of Israel says to all those I carried into Exile from Jerusalem to Babylon build houses and settle down plant Gardens and eat what they produce Mary and have sons and daughters find wise for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters increase in number there do not decrease also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I've carried you into Exile pray to the Lord. Because if it prospers you to will prosper. Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty the god of Israel says do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have they are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says when 70 years are completed for Babylon. I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart. I will be found by you declares the Lord and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you declares the Lord and bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile. Now it's vital in a pass is like that to understand the context The Wider historical context. So what's been going on in the life of Israel leading up to this moment in in the life of Israel where the Prophet Jeremiah send this letter or preachers this sermon provides this teaching for Israel. What's been happening is the context is Israel had an established United Kingdom for 400 years King David was that first king and serve the Lord Faithfully then saw was the second king, but he was unfaithful to God and then Solomon was the third King and he was kind of divided faithful and Unfaithful on and off during his lifetime. But when he raised taxes, does that sound like something we can relate to the people were so upset that the kingdom divided now, it was more than just taxes. It was his attitude and his arrogance about being King and no one wants best and just kind of tromping it over everybody else because of his spirit. So the kingdom divided between the North and South we know all Was Israel and Judah and told they live. Divided Kingdom for 400 years. There were 19 Kings in the north and 20 kings in the South out of the kings in the North during this period of Time Zero were faithful to God and all the kings in the South a true faithful. So this is the season in the Old Testament and when got where God sent profit after Prophet to speak to Israel for hundreds of years profit after profit rose up in the life of Israel and and challenge them repent. You're not listening to God challenge the Kings repent. You're not obeying God. You're not following his will if you're not doing as well, you're not being the people of God Time After Time After Time profit after profit after prophets came to Israel and begged and pleaded for Israel to repent and warned. God says if you do not turn away from your Wicked Ways, if you do not obey if you do not become obedient than a time will come or you have to be punished where you have to learn the kazoo. Consequences and so I'll lift my hand you'll you'll go into Exile you'll cease to be a nation and yet they never listened. They never repented again and again and so God allowed Assyria to come in and Conquer Israel and all this is in the Old Testament storyline and a serious policy for dealing with those they conquered was to scatter the nation that they conquered so when they went into a new Lance and Conquer a nation, they took everybody that nation and Scattered them do all the other lands they had previously Concord and this is where we get the phrase in the language the Lost tribes of Israel. This was the northern kingdom and they were conquered and Scattered never to come together again. then Judah had a little more grace because eight of their kings during that period were faithful, but eventually they remain so Unfaithful that God sent judgement to Judah and this is we're Babylon comes into the story and God allow Babylon to come and Conquer Judah and babylon's foreign policy. So to speak when they conquer a nation was to Exile that nation into their own land. And so now we come to the point in the passage that we just read that the people of God have been exiled in the Babylon. The people of God are in this big powerful diverse hostile to the one true God culture. Can we were like?

Can what God tells Israel to do in this predicament could what God tells his people out he tells them to behave in this particular historical situation. Could that speak to us today? Can the people have got today relate to the idea of being surrounded by this culture? That is big and powerful and says to us now. Do not be exclusive do not say that there's only one true God you need to get along and just be collar on and just say it's all fine. Whatever for whomever whenever that's the kind of culture. They were living in think about in today's world. How divided our culture is you can ask it again. I hate to use cliche sure, but you could ask liberals what they think about their Nation our nation and they was at home and it is so conservative. It is too conservative can't believe it's driving me nuts. You can ask conservatives what they think about our culture and our nation and guess what they would say it is so Liberal Liberal to taking over everything. Everything is just way too liberal. I can't stand it. I'm pulling my hair out and you can ask minorities in her culture. They would say well we don't really feel like we have a place or either. Our culture is so divided and so diverse and unwilling to settle on a unified definition of right and wrong or truth. And what's not true. What's okay, what's not okay, and that's the kind of culture that the people of God In this passage were scooped up and dumped in. Now in the context of figuring out, how do you live like an exile? Cuz that's how the people of God felt. They had been living in a culture that was dominated by them. Their government was dominated by them. The laws of the land were dominated by them. It was a Christian Nation. So to speak or a Hebrew nation and all the laws were based on what God intended. And so that's what they were used to and suddenly there scooped up and plop down into this culture where no one agrees on anything. And the powers-that-be say no no. No, you can't do this one true God thing and so there are rows in this moment a couple of different views about what should we do? What does it mean to live as exiled in the world were in today? And there were two strong voices that said, here's what we here's how we should live as X-Files and God's voice was different than either of those but there was competition for those two to win. The Babylonians were one of those voices about how to live and then false prophets within Israel or one of those voices in the false prophets are in chapter twenty-eight if you want to go back and read what they were prophesied before Jeremiah prophesied what he prophesize in these verses from the one true God from God himself. You can go back and read it but about the Babylonians is simply said here's how you do it you assimilate come on in this is our policy we've conquered you but you can come right back here will give you your own little place to live. You can get great jobs. Your your kids can go to school here. It'll be Just become like us we we in the Book of Daniel when he goes and he's given a new name and he's educated that was part of that philosophy that said we just want you to simulate to become just like us. That was the Babylonian philosophy. Can you relate to that today? As the people of God do we live in a culture? That would be happy to say to us. Come on. Just go along to get along just to simulate just B. Make your life about money. Just like us Focus all your energy on getting a degree in earning enough money and having a nice retirement is having a nice home and maybe a second home if you get lucky and have your kids all around you just buy into the American dream, baby.

And I've we've been tempted to follow that path of how to live his ex house. Christians in North America have Christians bought into the yeah the American dream what's wrong with it? That will be the purpose of my life. That will be the meaning of My Life Financial Security send the kids to college all live on the same street in a nice big house and a nice conservative safe neighborhoods with good zoning laws so that I don't have to see parts of my city. I don't have to interact with certain type of people I worked hard. To live in this ZIP code you see how easy it is for the American dream for us to do what the Babylonians were wanting Israel to do just to assimilate and embrace the values and say those are good values and we can even dare I say. And the way we think about other nations? And the way we think about immigrants or foreigners we can let our politics shape our convictions. Instead of letting our convictions shape our politics. And suddenly in a very on christ-like manner we have attitudes toward foreigners.

Just wouldn't be allowed in today.

Look, it's so easy to suddenly realize you've assimilated. The Babylonians one of that so desperately. Come on. Come on people of God just come on in and we'll give you a good jobs. You will succeed that was their plea but God did not want them to simulate. The other view was the view of the false prophets and Israel and their attitude was here's how you live in Exile you isolate. That's what you do you form your own little burro, you create a Christian school and you find a Christian mechanic and you find a Christian restaurant and you find a Christian doctor and you find the ways to work your life and which you keep your distance from this Godless Hagen. Culture around you you disdain the culture around the future you do what you need to do to earn a living and and to protect yourself and to pick protect your tribe. You know what maybe you get key people elected so that you can keep things going the way you would like to see them go. But ultimately you're not going to have those people around your kitchen table eating with you and your kids it's going to be all people of God in your life and none of the others and that was The Plea of the false prophets and is real you should isolate yourself. The idea of being holy got corrupted during this time. And the idea of being holy was that Holiness meant separating myself? Because if I got near somebody who wasn't wholly that corrupted my Holiness now, this is a little aside but think about what Jesus taught in the gospels both verbally and in his actions, he stepped into a culture that said anybody was a sinner a woman her testimony is no good or Samaritan how they're no good for slave. Keep your dirty unclean when they come into the street so that we can keep away from them and she's just walked right up to him. Antarctica love to hug me kiss them hung out with a mate with him drink with him. That was a lot of the reason they said, you know, what will fix that. And the powers-that-be said we'll just kill you. For doing the point when he was teaching and modeling was that Holiness overcomes sin? That when Jesus comes and touches our life and our heart his Holiness overpowers the sent his Holiness makes us clean. He doesn't become unclean because he went to the Center. Thank the Lord think about that for a second. Let's we can stop and sing a pretty song right now. Couldn't we that what Jesus will it revealed about? The universe is that God's goodness Trump's send that he overcome send with his goodness with his grace with his righteousness. And so Jesus modeled that but this time the sort of false Holiness was well, we just circle the wagons and keep ourselves separate as if Holiness is something we're doing on her own. right smoke drink or two or gold girls who do if I can just circle the wagons, then I can Pat myself on the back and somehow I've treated my own Holiness God's answer to this question. How do you live in Exile? How do you live in a culture around you? That doesn't want to affirm it all the one true God a culture that the enemies to what you believe here's what God's answer was build houses and settle down. Plant Gardens and eat what they produce Mary and have sons and daughters fine wise for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters increase in number do not decrease. Do you see how that is a hand in the face of assimilation. The Babylonian said look just come on in become part of us couple of generations. There won't be any difference. You'll just dissipate into the culture. They'll be no more distinction. The Babylonian dream will be your dream. You will grow up go to our school's and pursue the same meaning and purpose of life that all of us in Babylon. Do your distinctiveness will dissolve and that was the desire. And God said don't do that. settle down have families have kids increase do not decrease do not let your distinctiveness as the people of God be watered down do not assimilate with the culture. Also. He says seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I've carried you into Exile pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers you too will prosper think about the radicalness of this. This is the city that has conquered them as a nation. This is the city that killed many many of them. Blood on the hands of this culture this people the Babylonians around them. And God says here's what you do. Percy says you don't assimilate you don't just dissolve into nothingness and cease to be a distinct people of God, but then he says you don't back away and say want nothing to do with you. We will do her own thing. We'll do it our when you guys are Unholy We Are Holy daddy says pray for this city seek the peace the show alone, which is more than just the absence of conflict at the Hebrew word. That means seek the good of those around you your enemies seek. What's good for them serve them love them. 12 titled the sermon a glimpse of the gospel because I think that's what's happening in this passage a little window on the larger picture of all of scripture God's heart God's answer is so radical what he says to Israel. He says love your enemy but not as simply a verbal affirmation Jesus is Love your enemies. I think that's a great thing. I should love my enemies in my neighborhood.

I'm not going to let that guy he's going to just let them all in and give them money money that I earned not doing it. Did you hear how radical the gospel is that God calls us to an allegiance to him and his gospel that trumps every political. I'll you can name. I'm not favor one party over the other guy just looks at what we think we can accomplish do politics and power and man-made institutions and just says Lowe's I want to transform the whole world through love and self-sacrifice. That's not even on the radar of any political party on the face of the Earth Any Human Institution of any sort on the face of the Earth. It's the radical vision and purpose and calling of the people of God the Church of God to change the world. through christ-like behavior and so his radical Suggestion this city that's just conquered you. How do you live in Exile? I want you to love your enemy. I want you to pray for the city. I want you to seek their prosperity what's best for them to serve them to seek their good and it's a glimpse of the Gospel itself. Think about what Jesus teaches so freaking in the Gospel of Luke 15th. He said the other but is not our enemy. They are our lost brothers and sisters. Do you realize or realise the radicalness of the story of The Prodigal Son? Jesus models in peaches the Pharisees were there and they were saying no no. No, we have a club. We got membership. We got rules and regulations. We've drawn a circle. We know who's in it. We know who's you're just knocking down all the boundaries and saying everybody come on in the father loves you and will forgive you repent and come to him. The Pharisees are saying Jesus is fundamentally redefining what is real had falsely thought that their identity as a nation their identity as an ethnicity made them special for God that it wasn't God's character and God's grace and God's love that shows is real that it was something about Israel itself and Jesus coming around house unravels all of that and says God for God. So what loved the world? That's how radical the gospel is for God so loved the world. God did not come in Christ to bring judgment but to Barrett to see how radical the gospel is. He didn't come to show up and say okay this is it everybody who's good on this side of the room everybody who's bad on that side of the room. We're going to start some judgment. Guess what when it comes to humanity. There's only one side of the room. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God these false divisions. Were we Circle our wagons? If they were the good people and we're going to stay away from the bad people, just goes what? What are they? How can I sync that way? Haven't they heard the gospel? Haven't they heard for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And so the gospel comes a witness to is this extraordinary goodnewsaboutgod that the way religion thinks about it that God's fundamental characteristic is power. This is distinction between religion and Christianity. You can look at all the religions of the world and ultimately the top is it's a hard you were at the top is the god who is power and you better do what you need to do in order to be in good standing with that God whether it's learn the way of Nirvana and get the right teaching and the inside too suddenly say I've arrived or whether it's do what Allah tells you to do so that you will earn your way into heaven all of those religious all of that far. Teaching is man-made and you can identify something as man-made because what it puts at the cop is power power and everyone better jump through the hoop or do what it takes to be in right standing with that power and Christianity comes on the scene and says, here's God. He's allowing mankind to crucify him on a cross. It is not this Display of Power. It's this display of love. So that in first John the New Testament says God is Love if I was riding it, I would have said God Is Power. That's the way it works and Jesus said no not so with it with the world works. The great among you will be the servant Jesus came, son of man came to give his life away as a ransom. So Jesus says this in the gospel to Matthew 5. The our call is to be a witness to this extraordinary good news about the character of God revealed in the gospel. He says to us to those who are the people of God hears how you live in Exile folks. It's not just in Jeremiah. It's off the lips of Jesus. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? If we lose our identity our conviction to be who God has called us to be it is no longer good for anything said to be thrown out and Trampled Under Foot you are the light of the world a towns built on a hill cannot be hidden. We are to be This light this city within a city this culture within a culture that models God's grace and goodness and character and reveals who he is and it comes this light for a world that is wandering and lost in the Darkness. We're called not to assimilate and become impossible to distinguish between the world around us and we're not called to isolate and say good luck. You guys aren't as smart as us. We found the truth. Dad weren't called to or call to engage in to witness to this truth. He says neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl instead. They put it on it stand it gives light to everyone the house. So we don't we don't say well, let's just get you only want to serve in a Christian setting or only want to help Christians are only want to do this. We're called to be a light to the world and not to hide that light but to shine forth the goodness the character of God the way the distinctiveness he calls us to model is a blessing in our life were to model that for others and to share it which means they need to be at our dinner table.

We have we can't we can't say the oh, I'm not going to we're losing our saltiness. If we're never participating in the life of the world around us with the good news of Christ in our own lives in the same way let your light shine before others that they might see your good deeds and what glorify God in heaven in that our mission is a church to reveal the goodness of God to call people to draw people to a relationship of Jesus Christ because we're revealing the goodness of God through our relationships with them. That's what we're called to do to reveal to make known as what glorify me and we talked about. Our thing is to glorify God to glorify God is to reveal or make his goodness known and so when we're call the dwarf I him it's to reveal his goodness in our hearts and our minds and our relationships and what to do that we have to be engaged with others in a relationship with them so that they get a glimpse of God's we have to let our light shine so that they can see how good God the father is and glorify him. No his goodness and love him and serve him be different absolutely be holding. Absolutely. Yes and use your difference to seek the good to love to serve to show God's goodness to our prodigal brothers and sisters one historian tops about how Christianity became the religion in 300 years from this small sect in the context of the graeco-roman world of all these religion and the established religions that Rome as an authority says, this is the religion not that all these different religions in the ones that had all the power of the culture all the backing of the government. Within just a few hundred years. It had all transformed completely and historians were saying how did that happen? What happened at this this small little group from this Jewish rabbi who was who was cast out and betrayed as we saying earlier by his own and crucified. How did it become the dominant religion within 300 years and you can look in the larger the last eighteen hundred years and talk about the western civilization? Here's what he writes. He talked about as the plagues and I'll share some of this before but I'm sharing it more directly from his book as a quote Rodney Stark. The rise of Christianity is the book he talked about when plagues hit the areas to the doctors were quite incapable of treating the disease people came afraid to visit anyone as a result thousands of people died and no one with no one to look after them indeed. There were many ounces in which the inhabitants of Paris through lack of any attention the bodies of the dying or he one on top of the other and half-dead creatures could be seen staggering about in the streets. The catastrophe of the plague was so overwhelming people came in different to every rule of morality mini push suffers away even their own dearest off and throwing them into the roads before they were dead. Hoping to avert contagion themselves. So that's the culture. That's the context that they're living in during this plague. Mini most Christians during this plague showed. This is it. This is a historian just kind of thing. We research to see what happened during this time. Most Christians during this the plague showed unbounded love and loyalty. Here's a paraphrase of an eyewitness account the Christians never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another heedless of danger. They took charge of the sick attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ many departed their life serenely happy for they were infected by their neighbors and they cheerfully accepted their pains. They lost their lives in this manner and many elders and ministers did as well.

Then in in typical historian fashion, he summarizes why this had an impact kind of as an understatement. He says the Pagan survivors faced greatly increase odds of conversion after they recovered because of their greatly increased attachments to Christians. Do you sent the understatement in that in the midst of a culture in crisis? It was a Christian who said this Because of what Christ did for us we're going to live forever. Because of our identity as followers of the one true God and of Christ and his teaching we are not invested in this world as if it's the only life and we have to hold on to it. So desperately we can risk our lives and serve these who are ill as a matter fact. We don't even have to live. We can die happily in the Name of Christ. Right then we preach through that with Paul in Philippians. To live is Christ to die is gain. relationship of God transformed how they interacted with the culture around them and they were seeking the good of the culture around them seeking the good of those who are struggling and dying and risking their own lives God's way is not a simulation giving in Or isolation staying out but christlikeness giving ourselves. To follow the teachings of scripture in Jeremiah a little glimpse of the Gospel we get or clearly in Matthew 5 and Jesus teaching or the model of the early church both inside scripture and in history. We can't choose the path of assimilation or the path of isolation. We choose the path of Christ likeness. Think about the power to do that sort of speak if we follow Christ's example. Our identity is not in our contrast with others sociologists say that sometimes a lot of people form their identity and their self esteem in their self-image is by contrasting them their selves with others. So is there a hard worker than they look with disdain on those who they consider lazy and that's how they feel good about themselves after identity. I was raised to do hard work.

I know people who aren't. Read between the lines. That's why I'm a good person or if if they find them self moral and attending church there raised in the church and their religious and they attend regularly then it's easy for your identity to be I'm a good person. My self-esteem is based on the fact that I'm not like those other people think Jesus told a parable about that. Why did he not someone who comes before goddesses? I thank you Lord that I'm not like and the other man comes before God and Justice Lord. I'm completely dependent on your grace and Jesus's which do you think left justified in the Lord's presence? Sometimes we tweet we base our identity on those sorts of categories. I'm successful and my my brother-in-law is a life, you know, we'll see if that works out. Aren't you glad honey that that we're who we are and we're not who they are. So easy to slip into that where you're just kind of saying look we've got a nice house or we've got a boat or we've got these sort of things in place and we're staying I know some people who aren't stable and it's like that's how that's okay. If that becomes your identity what it leads to is this judgmentalism, which a boy talked about you could even become oppressive in it because of what it makes the world isn't it into a competition then we're all pursuing this sort of success and sometimes we slip into thinking My Success is dependent upon your failure. If only two of us are going to get this promotion. I need it. So I'll make sure you don't answer before you know, what the world is a competition it becomes exhausting to live in this man-made culture where your identity is based on what you can achieve and always finding somebody else that you can put down in order to feel better about yourself. It can be judgmental. It can be oppressive. It can be exhausting and ultimately And those who've lived long enough to know the truth of what I'm getting ready to say, ultimately what life teaches you is that you at some point are going to fail at the same level at which your judgmental up on others a man when you when you are naive enough for blind to your own faults and have to think I'm a good person that persons not at some point in your life. You're going to look in the mirror and say I'm the one that does those things

But I'm always judge others for Emma will happen if you're not careful, if you place trades and all that baskets, you will lose your faith.

You will no longer trust Christ. You will simply trust in your own good behavior. Well, I'll just keep on keeping on I'll go over time. The doors are open or I'll give money to United Way, whatever. Your religion doesn't have to be the church, but you will trust in yourself or your own salvation and you will go to the Grave not being sure. And so I beg you. the Father scripture and follow what it means to follow Christ's example. Our identity is not in comparing yourself to others are meeting some sort of cultural standard. Our identity is leaning on and trusting and reflecting Christ. That's our identity. We lean on Christ not around a building on her own accomplishments not how we compared to someone else all the way. The only comparison scripture allows is us to Christ. And does anybody here compare themselves to Christ and say I'm doing pretty good. Or do you just kind of go? Okay. That's right. You're Lord. I should worship right now is what I should do when I dared to compare myself to you. I should just get on my knees and say thank you Jesus. Thank you. Jesus identity in Christ is leaning on him trusting in his righteousness Donner on trusting him what he did on the cross. That's the gospel itself and reflecting that so what he has done for us given his life for us what he has done for us shown us great patience has crush on your great patience. Have you had to learn the same lesson like the 1 billionth time McDonald's on you that how many times have I come to the Lord and said, I know I worry when I shouldn't I know I lose my temper when I shouldn't or I know I'm self-indulgent when I shouldn't be Can I get an amen? We're preaching about something all of us that are honest can just agree with. But he has shown us great patience and provided ongoing forgiveness every week. We come to the communion table and we celebrate what Lamentations talks about as the mercies of God, which are new Every Morning in that beautiful every morning every morning. His mercies are new and we come to him and he provides for us forgiveness again again, and he's got this Perpetual gracious instruction in our life through the word of God do Brothers and Sisters in Christ through communion meditations through books that we read through Christian radio programs all the time. He's graciously patiently perpetually instructing us and leading us to a new level of following him. And what he has done for us we do for others. That's what it means to live in Exile. Culture that doesn't know God in a culture that behaves like a culture that doesn't know God in a culture that becomes our enemies and persecutes us that even like Jesus as you know, what I'm just like the kill you for saying what you say and believe in what you believe in doing what you do and if it wants to isolate us and punish us. We are called to behave like Christ. And to show those around us this Perpetual gracious instruction. And this tremendous patience and to give our lives for them.

We can't assimilate and slip into the American dream and say my life is my life. I'll plan it for me. I'll do what I want to do. When we accepted Christ as our Lord and savior, we stepped into a new identity. And our lives in that with the language we give we use all the time. I'll ask you here in a moment. If you want to give your life to Christ. This is a real thing you give your life to Christ. And you serve his agenda and his purpose and his calling.

Can you engage? I lost prodigal brothers and sisters and you reach out to them with the gospel and you provide all of these things that he's provided for us for them ongoing forgiveness. If anybody should know how to be forgiving. It should be those who have been forgiven. by Christ grudges in the church ought to be so rare. So rare because we are the people who have received so much forgiveness. We ought to find it in our hearts to forgive others because Christ has forgiven us so readily so often so graciously. This is what it means to let go of our own righteousness our own management of our own lives and give our lives to Christ to let his work on our behalf and his work in us and through us become the way we treat and love others the way we live in Exile. I'm going to bite the worship team to come forward.

I said it a few seconds ago. If you've never given your life to Christ, we invite you during this song to make that decision. I'll be in the back. You can come to me. Maybe you're not sure what you think. Maybe when asked questions. Please come to me ask questions. Let me pray with you. Maybe you know, you should but you just don't want to I can pray for that. I've been there Paul says that an in Romans chapter 7. He says the very things that I'm supposed to do. I don't do and the Very things I'm not supposed to do I end up doing them Paul at miss that conflict in that struggle. Look up said a lot of great things, but I know I know it's not simple for us to say. Oh, yeah thanks to all that. It will be a battle. The adversary will meet you at your front door and say we're not going to do that. You're not going to forgive or you're not going to be gracious or patient. It will be a battle. That's why you're invited to give all of that conflict the struggle to come to God just as you are and give it all to him to give your life to him the bee folks both in the front and the back for prayer. If you have concerns or needs that we need to be made aware of let us know so that we can serve you we want to do Hillandale Christian Church wants to do what we talked about in these verses we want to serve and to seek the best for others to love and to care and we need to know those things in order to do those things. So as we sing. For those of us who know Christ already its chance to remind ourselves of his Amazing Grace in our lives. And to let go of our own lives and let him work in us and through us so that we offer that amazing grace to others. Please stand as we sing.