Gospel Priorities

Sermon Transcript:

(transcribed with AI)

Well, this morning, if you have a Bible with you, let me invite you to open to the book of First Samuel. If you don't have a Bible, we do have some at the back. Please feel free, go grab one of those, and you can follow along in First Samuel 21.

But last week we began the season of Lent, and so for some of you this might be new, others you've been around, you've seen it a little bit before, but Lent is the season, the 40 days leading up to Easter, and traditionally, Lent is marked by this period of fasting, right, abstaining from various things and so the way that we as a church have practiced that is we give you suggestions each week of something that you can fast from this week, social media, you can see we have a whole Lent guide at the back, please grab one, take it with you, but things like caffeine, things like shopping, things like even just being almost addicted to the noise around us, background sounds and music, right?

And the reason that we do this is not because this is commanded by Jesus or required to be a member here at the church, none of those reasons, simply because this is actually a really good reminder for us to slow down. Right, we live rapid-paced lives. We generally live as fast as we can, just to the next, to the next to the next thing. Lent is a season, it's a reminder for us to slow down and actually take a look at what goes on in our own lives. What is actually directing what we do each day.

And so as you take on some of these fasts, some of them you're gonna find are, they're no problem for you, right? Easy, no problem, you could give that up, you could give that up for the rest of your life, it wouldn't even matter. Others, you're gonna go, oh, that was actually really hard. The whole time I was just thinking about being back on my phone, and the reason for that, the reason we think it's such a good practice, is it actually begins to show us what is directing our life. What are the priorities that we have begun to develop.

See we often think about priorities in our lives, about sort of goals that we set, right? Here is my very intentional thing of what I want to accomplish, so here's my priorities, right? And it's true, we can do that, but they also work in reverse. What we do begins to actually set our priorities. And so if we don't take some time to slow down, stop and actually say what is directing our lives, we begin to just get taken off by whatever the comfort, desire, thing that is controlling us and leading us towards.

And so this morning as we look into our Bibles, we're gonna be faced with a little bit of a question, what is our greatest priority? What is that priority, because eventually all of our priorities get tested. They get pushed at some point in our lives. Whether it's problems at work, illness, or something going on in our family, eventually those priorities we have get pushed. And so let's take a moment and actually look, what does God call us to do with our priorities? What is to be greatest in our lives and where do we turn when they get pushed? Alright?

So if you have your Bibles you can find 1 Samuel 21, we're picking up the story. If you've been with us, we've been following David before he becomes king. And right now, David is being hunted down, right? Last week we saw his friend Jonathan helped him escape, but now David is on the run. He is a fugitive. King Saul is trying to kill David. He's coming after him and David is booking it. Running as far as fast as he can get. There's nothing quite like running for your life to make you consider what your priorities really are.

And so this morning, if you have it by, I'll invite you to follow along with me. It's our tradition to stand as we read God's word. If you're able to, would you stand with me? Starting in verse one, this is God's word.

Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling and said to him, Why are you alone and no one with you? David said to Ahimelech, the priest, The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, Let no one know anything above the matter about which I send you and of with which I have charged you. I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me 5 loaves of bread or whatever is here. And the priest answered, David, I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread. The young men have kept themselves from women. And David answered the priest, Truly women have been kept from us, as always, when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy? So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the presence which is to be removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. Then David said to Ahimelech, Have you not here a spear or a sword at hand, for I've brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me because the king's business required haste. The priest said, The sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, behold, it's here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephad. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here. And David said, There is none like that. Give it to me. And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Akish, king of Gath. And the servants of Akish said to him, Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances? Saul has struck down his 1,000s, and David his 10,000. And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Akish, the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before him and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Akish said to his servants, Behold, you see, the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?

Thus far the reading of God's word you may be seated.

Well this is one of these great stories that I just personally love in our Bible, because it makes us go, huh? Like, what was that? Why do we have a story in our Bible about David acting insane, spit running down his beard? I mean, what are we supposed to do with that?

And personally, I love those stories when we come across them because they make us stop. Because they make us go, why is that there? And actually they usually make us think a little bit more about, OK, why has God written this down? Because whenever we do that, whenever we slow ourselves and begin to think, OK, God actually has written this for a reason, we find actually God has so much to say to us.

And that's exactly what we find here in this story. Right, this chapter is kind of split if you want to think about it, into two episodes, right? The first with the priest and then down in Gath, but running throughout is this current of God's mercy. Right, it is mercy that David receives, and it is his mercy that turns David's fear into worship. Alright?

And so as we walk through this, we wanna see how God gives and shows us mercy because actually we are called to make the mercy, the grace of God, our highest priority. And actually when we do that, we find our response is worship, praise, thanksgiving to God over and over and over again.

And so let's just walk through this story a little bit. We're gonna start with what I've called the law of mercy. Alright, if you have your Bible open still, look back at verse one. It says then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. OK, so remember David's running away from Saul, he's made it now to a city called Nob. It's only about 4 miles away, he hasn't gone terribly far. But we find David has gone there for a reason. Because in Nob, we find actually it's the tabernacle, right, the place of God's worship, that's where he has gone to, because David is looking for some things, OK?

But we are told that Ahimelech, the priest, he is most likely the high priest at the time, and he comes and he sees David coming, so he goes out to meet him. And verse one says, Himelech came to meet David trembling, and said, why are you alone and no one with you? Right? Hemlech is scared at this moment. David shows up and he doesn't have King Saul with him, even though he's supposed to be Saul's servant. He doesn't have any royal procession, he doesn't have the army with him, he's kind of all on his own. Now we're told he actually, he's got some guys with him, but he is outside of his regular role.

And Ahimelech is scared. Most likely he's already heard about some of the things that have gone on. If you remember a couple of chapters ago, David had hid in Naioth. Naioth is only about 2 miles away. Most likely, he's already heard, right, Saul sent men to try and kill David over there. And so Ahimelech sees David show up on his own, and he's going, oh no, is Saul coming right behind you? Is he coming after you?

And here David has to make a choice. What will he tell him? Is he gonna tell him the truth? Saul's trying to kill me? Well, no, actually, what does he do? Verse 2, Ahimelech or David said to Ahimelech the priest.

The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, let no one know anything above the matter with which I send you and with which I've charged you.

David lies. Straight up, this is a lie. David comes and he says to the priest, the king sent me on a secret mission. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, I'm not supposed to let anyone know what's happening, so I just had to leave right away. I didn't take any supplies with me, I didn't take any weapons with me. I just ran, so maybe can you come and help me out?

That's, hear me, it's not hard to figure out why David would lie. Right, he doesn't know this guy. He's kind of going, can I trust you? I don't know if I can trust you. You know, I'm gonna try and protect myself. In fact, I'm gonna give, you know, generously, I'm gonna give you plausible deniability. If anyone comes and asks, you just tell them that David said this story. But the problem is, we're gonna see this now next week. Actually David's lie makes a huge problem. There's gonna be some major repercussions that happen, but at this point, David is mostly, where's his priority? I just want to survive, I just want to get out of here. He's looking for supplies and so he figures this is the best way to get it.

And so he asks, do you have any food? Is there any bread here? And Ahimelech replies, verse 4, well, I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread. OK, now again, this would have been what's called the bread of the presence. OK, so in the tabernacle, on a Sabbath day, they would bake bread and they would put it into the tabernacle before God, so you can almost imagine walking in there, it would have smelled amazing, right? Oh, fresh bread. That's the point, you're intended to have this good response as you walk into God's presence.

And he says, well that's all I've got, and here's the problem, no one but the priest is allowed to eat it. Right, Leviticus 25 gives all the instructions for how to deal with this bread, how to make it, all that stuff, and it's very clear, only the priests are allowed to eat this bread.

So now Ahimelech has a problem here, doesn't he? He doesn't have anything to give to David, who is certainly hungry, maybe not starving yet, but he's hungry. And the only thing he has is this bread dedicated to God. So what does he do? Well, verse 4 ends, he kind of asks them a question. If the young men have kept themselves from women.

Now I know that that's a weird question for us, right? We look at that and think, why are you asking this? Right, what he's asking them is if they are ceremonially clean or unclean. Again, you go back to Leviticus, you can read all the mosaic laws, there's tons of laws about what would make someone clean or unclean. And really that's a state of being ready to enter God's presence. OK, it doesn't necessarily mean sinful or not, it just simply means, are you ceremonially ready to enter into God's presence.

And so there were all kinds of things that could make you unclean, right, and most of them were just ordinary parts of life. Right, if you touched a dead body, right, you had to bury a relative, well that would make you unclean, there's nothing sinful about that. Right, if you're sick, you had a disease of some kind, well that would make you unclean, there's nothing sinful about that, but both of those bring sort of those remembrances of the fall, of sin entering into the world. And actually if you remember, part of the curse of sin had to do with childbearing. And so even sexual relations would make someone unclean for a time, not because that's sinful, but because it carried a remembrance of the fall.

But regardless, David says, well, of course they're clean, right, no matter what journey I go on, we're always ready to enter God's presence, that's what he was always striving to do. And so Ahimelech goes, great, and he gives them the bread. Verse 6 says, so the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the presence, which is removed from before the Lord to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

Right, the language there at the end of that verse is very much reminiscent of Leviticus, right? It's as if the author is reminding us what Ahimelech is doing here is actually not what he's supposed to be doing. Right? Ahimelech is actually going against what the law prescribed.

And perhaps if this is where the Bible ended. We would come to the conclusion, well, clearly he did something wrong. God said you shouldn't give this bread to anyone. Ahimelech, seeing David in need, gave it to him, clearly he did the wrong thing, and yet the Bible doesn't stop here. And actually that's not what we're intended to learn from this story.

See, Jesus himself actually picks up this story. Jesus is going to tell us how we should understand what is happening here. Matthew chapter 12, let's read what Jesus says.

Because at that time, Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and they began to pluck heads of grain to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.

Right, the Pharisees had declared that picking grain, just as you're walking along, picking up something and eating, well that constitutes reaping. Well, that's work, you're not allowed to work on the Sabbath, therefore you can't even pluck a little bit of grain to eat as you're walking along. Jesus, they said, you're breaking God's law.

He said to them, Jesus, have you not read what David did when he was hungry? And those who were with him, that's the story we're reading. How he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the presence which is not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests.

Right, Jesus is saying exactly what we've just said, this was not what they were supposed to be doing. So was it wrong? Jesus keeps going

Have you not read in the law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, they work and are guiltless. I tell you something greater than the temple is here.

Jesus talking about himself.

And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless.

What was Jesus saying? He's saying David and Ahimelech are not guilty. They're not guilty Because Jesus says there is a greater law that they are following, and he quotes here from Hosea 6. Hosea 6 says, for I, God speaking, I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

God has always cared more about our hearts than following empty religion. And so what Jesus is saying for us is actually keeping David alive is more important. Than keeping that strict rule that only priests can eat the bread. Showing mercy and love to someone was more important.

In fact, what Jesus is teaching us here is that there is an ordering to the commands of God. In fact, Jesus even makes this exact point when someone comes and asks him, well, what's the most important command, Jesus? Jesus answered.

The most important is, hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

Apparently Jesus feels comfortable enough ranking the commands of God. First you are to love God with all of your heart, and second, love others. In essence, this is what Ahimelech is doing. It's what Jesus is praising him for. He understood what the greatest two commandments were, to love God and to love others, and he says, well, that's actually more important than me keeping this ceremonial law.

Unless we miss it, let me just drive the point home even further. Jesus, when he talks to the Pharisees, this is what he says. He says,

woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, but you have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done without neglecting the others.

Jesus says actually the weightier matter was showing the love, justice and faithfulness of God rather than the minute details. But notice there, Jesus didn't say, so get rid of all the rest. No, he doesn't, he says, no, actually those are still important, but they need to be put in the proper place. OK?

So what we are reading is a story of how to prioritize God's commands properly, to show love and mercy is more important. So let's just give a really easy practical example. Let's say you are driving to church, right? You all got here at some point, and on your way to church, right, this is something God's called you to do. Don't neglect to meet one another, right? Encourage one another, all these things. Come together as a church, that's part of God's command on your life. But as you're coming. You look on the side of the road, somebody has crashed their bike. Right, you see their leg is at a weird angle, clearly broken, they're bleeding on the side of the road. What should you do? As a Christian, should you say, well, God called me to go to church. I'm just gonna drive right. No, of course not. We all know what you do, you stop, you call 911, you take them to the hospital, you care for them, you would miss church in order to show love and mercy to someone. Obviously, that is what we are called to do. But in that moment, that's what we're doing, we're saying you're right, actually to show God's love in that moment is what is most important.

Now here's the challenge for us. See that's a really easy black and white example, but it gets far more complicated. The challenge for us is how do we apply this rightly without going into all of the abuses that certainly have been suggested across the years. Where we say, well, you know what, as long as you're doing it in the name of love, it really doesn't matter. As long as you can say, well I'm loving so it doesn't matter what I do. How many affairs have been conducted because they said, well it seems like the loving thing to do. How many times has even murder been justified? Wouldn't it be cruel to allow someone to keep on living when you could just end all their suffering right now? Wouldn't it be cruel to force a woman even to keep an unwanted pregnancy? Wouldn't it be more loving for her to just simply abort it? Wouldn't it be easier to say, well, when it comes to gay, lesbian marriage, surely blessing them would be the more loving thing to do.

And yet the Bible speaks against these things, so how do we understand this? How do we put these commands together in a way where we're not just simply writing off every command that God has given us and yet understanding the right priority that God has given. Right, that is a challenge, and we do need to understand it well. But here Jesus has actually already begun to give us the answer.

Because Jesus didn't say there are no laws. He says, what's the most important. Well it's actually to love God. Love God above all other things. This is our benchmark by which we understand how to then show love to others. So before we go any further, we need to understand what does it mean to actually love God.

The Bible tells us actually the only way that we are going to come to God to properly know and understand him is through Jesus Christ. It is only through Jesus that we ever come to a knowledge of God. To come to Jesus means we actually are called to repent of our sins. Turn away from them and turn to Christ. That means actually we need to know what has God called sin. What has God called right and wrong and actually say that is now my basis for understanding what love truly looks like. It's found as I come to Jesus, repent of my old life, and come to Him because of his death and resurrection that has forgiven my sins. That is how I can now love God. That is how I can now come to know Him rightly.

In fact, all of this has been pointing us to see Jesus greater. In fact, Jesus, that's his whole point, all the ceremonial laws, they pointed to him. The Sabbath was pointing to him. If you wanna know what it looks like to prioritize God above all things, come to know Jesus Christ through our repentance of sin, turning away from them and trust in what God has done. That's the only way that our sinful hearts can be changed. It's by the Holy Spirit who transforms us. If we're gonna keep this, our only hope is to come to know Jesus. What Jesus has called sin, we turn away from. Not in order to please him, but because he has forgiven us. What God has said is wrong, we reject. What God has said is right, we love.

And so if we're going to apply this properly, we must love what God loves. We must point to Jesus in everything we do. See, the biggest problem is that when people take this truth. Right, that we are called to love, we forget to focus it first on Jesus. Here is what we are called to do. This is not an open invitation to allow our definition of love to determine what we do, but a call to prioritize our lives based on the gospel of Jesus. Jesus is our priority in all things. We are seeking to make Jesus known and his gospel known to everyone around us. This good news of forgiveness is open to all who would trust in Him.

So what does that mean? Well, let me give two more examples. What does it mean for us in the church to put the gospel first? Well, let's say you have a disagreement with someone. Right, you're a dispensational, they're an all millennialist, alright? Half of you are going, I have no idea what that means. That's the point, OK? Alright, this is some weird obscure thing that we get into discussions about the end times. And we say, well, does that mean that we can't meet together, that in fact we should start separate churches because we can no longer get along. Again, our priority is the gospel. Does this change how we see the death and resurrection of Jesus, the hope for the lost? No. So do not let it divide us. In fact, actually the gospel calls us to be unified in the truth of Jesus Christ, that determines how we act with one another.

Let me give you another example. How about when you're talking to your friends, co-workers, neighbors, whoever, that don't know Jesus, what is your priority? Is your priority with your neighbor that they would follow all of the strata bylaws? That's your highest priority. They've gotta make sure their fence is this high. Or is it that they would hear Jesus from your lips? What about your coworkers? What is your greatest priority? Is that they would be a good worker or that they would hear the good news of Jesus Christ who has forgiven their sins? How about with your family? Is it that they would vote the right way or is it that Jesus would take root in their lives?

What is our greatest priority when we are talking to other people? The call is let Jesus direct how we interact with one another, that Jesus might be known, that the gospel is heard and loved in all that we do. Don't get distracted by all of the other rabbit trails that come up. We have our greatest priorities found in Jesus Christ and making him known. It's the mercy that we ourselves need so desperately must be what we come to others with. It means we really do take steps to show love, practically in our lives, to show God's love around us because that's what the gospel calls us to do. Our goal is that the mercy and love of God in Jesus is made known in our lives. That is what is directing us.

In fact, that's exactly what Ahimelech realizes, actually showing mercy is what God had called him to do. It's exactly what David needed at that moment. He needed God's mercy on his life because when he finds it, that's what turns his fear into worship.

If you look back with me in our text. Verse 7 begins with this very ominous foreshadowing. It says now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, chief of Saul's herdsmen. Right, as David is having this conversation over here with the priest, we're told this guy, one of Saul's chief men, has actually been sitting there the whole time. Oh, David's now in trouble.

And so David says, well I've gotta get out of here, and so he asks, are there any weapons here? I need something. He's given the sword of Goliath, right, that was the giant he himself defeated, right, a reminder that God is always going to protect him. And so David grabs it and he flees the country. Verse 10 says David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Akish, the king of Gath.

Right? Now this is, if there ever was a moment of the frying pan into the fire. David, you ran in the wrong direction, right? Who's the last person we've met from Gath? Goliath. David shows up in enemy territory wearing Goliath's sword that he himself killed. Oh no, what were you thinking, David?

It doesn't take them very long. They basically look out and go. Isn't that David? What's he doing here? Verse 11, the servants of Akish said to him,

Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances? Saul struck down his 1,000s, David his 10,000s.

Right, this little song that had driven Saul crazy has actually made it all the way into the Philistine territory so much they actually think David's king. Somewhat ironically that David will be king as God's chosen.

But David is now really in trouble. In fact, he is outright scared. Verse 12 says David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Akish, the king of Gath. This is actually the first time David has been afraid. Every other story we've encountered up till now, David fighting Goliath, David being attacked over and over, going to war with the Philistines, Saul trying to pin him to the wall with a spear. None of that, David hasn't trembled as far as we've seen. Now we are told he was very afraid. Now he's out of Israel, he's on his own, he's captured behind enemy lines, and they know who he is. David is panicked.

And so what does he do? Where does he go? At this point there's nothing for him to rely on, he can't muscle his way out, no one's coming to save him. What does he do?

One of the beautiful things about following the life of David is that David writes what he did. He tells us, Psalm 56 actually is written about this. It says to the choir master, according to the dove and the far off terebins, mktam of David, those are all musical terms, when the Philistines seized him in Gath, that's what we're reading. What does David write?

Be gracious to me, oh God, for man tramples on me all day long, an attacker oppresses me, my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you, in God whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Where does David go when he's backed into a corner? He cries out for the grace and mercy of God. He places all of his trust in God and God alone. Perfect verse to memorize, by the way,

in God I trust, I shall not be afraid.

The next time you are afraid, you are anxious, go back to this, conform your mind and heart to the word of God. In God I trust, I will not be afraid. That's exactly how David deals with this.

And what we find is, God delivers him. Right, verse 13, so he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hand. Made marks on the door of the gate, let spittle run down his beard. David says, I'm going for the insanity plea. Alright? This is my only hope, and hear me, there is no reason it should have worked. They all had seen David before. They saw him fight Goliath, they saw him as the commander of Israel's army in battle. They knew this guy, he's not insane. So David starts acting this way, no reason it should have worked. But the king goes, I don't want to deal with that. Get him out of here Right?

What are we meant to see? This is not David's cleverness. This is God's salvation. This is God protecting him before his enemies. And so what is David's response? Worship. Worship and praise God. Again he writes Psalm 34 about this. It says of David when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, that's the same king. So he drove him out and went away. David writes,

I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord. Let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.

You noticed that? What's David's response to this? I will praise God. He is the one who has saved me and because of what he's doing, wouldn't you worship together with me? Wouldn't you join me in the praises of God? Hear me, this is to be how we respond to Jesus as Jesus transforms our lives, we respond in worship and we respond by saying, wouldn't you praise God with me? Wouldn't you praise God for all that he has done, right?

In fact, he continues on in this psalm. He writes,

oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Oh fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack. The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Right, he says even lions, right, these amazing hunters, they're gonna face hunger, but those who trust in the Lord find no lack. We are safe in the hands of God, and there is so many reasons we have to worship, and David ends and he says, but one more. The end of the psalm, he writes.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

See, here's what we find: God comes near to his people. Why should we place the gospel of Jesus as our greatest priority? Because when Jesus has forgiven our sins, he has declared us righteous before God. What does this tell us? That actually we are a priority to God. God listens to us, he hears us, he draws near to us, he comforts us, he protects us.

For all those who trust in Jesus Christ, this is the promise that is given to you: that God cares for you. How much more reason do we have to praise and worship, to invite all to come to know him. This is not held out, this is not held off, it is held out for everyone. To all who would trust in Jesus Christ, God says, I will be near, I will hear your prayers, I will listen to you, I will protect you and bring comfort.

To all who would place their faith in Jesus, we are made righteous. God has set His attention and priority on us. Lean on God whenever you are afraid, because he is there for us. Bring all of our fears before God, because then we will have so much more reason to worship him.

See, as we see the priority that God has upon his mercy, we are reminded our greatest priority is Jesus Christ. The mercy we have so desperately needed in our lives is what we are called to set before us. Let us be people of the gospel, known by the name of Jesus on our lips, that every interaction would speak of his glory. So that as we tell and hear this good news, that our lives would resound in worship before him, our God and Savior.

Not even when we're at the end of all that we can do, we can show the glory of God. Let us praise Him from our trust in him.

Let's pray together.

Our heavenly Father, we are so grateful that you care for us. We are so grateful that you hear us, that when we pray, you listen, you answer, you love us and care for us. Lord, I thank you for this forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ, that he would go to the cross, that he would bear the burden, the punishment against our sins so that we could be forgiven, that we could be made righteous before you.

Father, I pray, would you always be our greatest priority. That the gospel of Jesus would be heard and seen in our lives. Lord, use us that you would be glorified. We ask all these things in your name. Amen.