Professor in the church, whether you were elected
in this past election or are continuing to
serve to please come forward at this time
please.
I'm going to ask you to repeat after
me as we consider this as a matter
of installation of officers for service in 2018.
I'll just read a portion and ask you
to repeat it after me if you would
please.
In agreement with the statement made in article
5 section A1 of the Church Constitution, in
agreement with the statement made in article 5
section A1 of the Church Constitution, I desire
to fulfill my duty as a member of
Emanuel Chapel to share in the organized work
of the church through my willing cooperative use
of my time, talents, and substance.
I will seek to maintain the integrity of
the church in its testimony, ministry, unity,
and spirituality.
I purpose to demonstrate my spirituality by my
testimony at home, at church, and in the
community.
Independence upon God, I will seek to glorify
his name by my service.
Let's pray.
Father I thank you for these men and
women and Lord their willingness to make themselves
available to be your servants.
Lord I thank you for what they have
done in the past.
I thank you Lord for what they will
be doing going forward this year.
Lord I ask your special blessing upon them
as they serve you by serving one another
and serving in this church.
I ask father your protection because we know
that once we purpose to serve you the
enemy does his best to try to interfere
and bring us into warfare and to try
to bring us down.
So Lord I thank you that greater is
he that's in them than he that's in
the world and that you will empower them
Lord to fulfill their commitment going forward this
year.
Lord we ask your direction and blessing upon
this ministry as we press on in 2018
and we thank you for your mercy to
this point in this ministry and we praise
you in Jesus name amen.
Thank you.
Good morning to you one and all.
It's good to have you here.
Pray God's blessing on our time.
If you are a guest here this morning
and you did not know there was going
to be a church potluck you are invited
to come back and join us.
We've never in my memory of 46 seven
years here had a shortage of food.
There's always plenty and it's always good.
So we would welcome anybody to come and
and join us and spend that time in
fellowship with us.
After the potluck there will be a business
meeting for the members.
We'll meet back out here and in the
sanctuary to review our past year.
Last Sunday I began a series on the
subject of Ecclesiastes and the truths that are
taught there.
In the morning service we looked into the
life of King Solomon to get an understanding
of him and in terms of what kind
of a unique blessed individual he was given
special gifts by God to enable him to
be a ruler a governor of God's people
Israel.
As we looked at that in the morning
then in the evening we identified a phrase
that is used some ten different times two
different kind of little versions of that this
also is vanity and this is also vanity.
We see ten different times as we go
through the book that that phrase is used
and we examine what those various instruments were
in such situations were that reflect that this
is vanity this is vanity this also is
vanity and we realize that as we study
in the book of Ecclesiastes that the overview
of the book is this Solomon is saying
this is what life looks like under the
Sun as we said last Sunday that means
this is what life is like on the
horizontal plane when eternal things are not taken
into consideration when what dominates and controls is
that only on the horizontal plane the here
and now the result is life is vanity
and a vexation of spirit.
So this morning as we proceed into chapter
one I want to first begin if I
might by getting a clear view for us
all to consider of viewing life what it
looks like under the Sun.
27 different verses use that little phrase life
under the Sun so what does that mean
what is that how is that described well
in Colossians 2 8 let me share first
what it says in the King James then
I want to read what it says in
the Amplified Bible because I believe this gives
real understanding of a description of what life
under the Sun is Colossians 2 8 beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and
vein deceit after the tradition of men after
the rudiments of the world and not after
Christ listen to the Amplified version see to
it that no one carries you off as
spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his
so-called philosophy and intellectualism and his vain
deceit in other words idle fancies and plain
nonsense following human tradition men's ideas of the
material rather than the spiritual world just crude
notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of
the universe and disregarding the teachings of Christ
the Messiah that is a very very apt
illustration and challenge to us about what is
life that's lived under the Sun you are
taken captive by the world's philosophy you're walking
in step with the world and friends anytime
you're walking in step with the world you're
out of step with the Lord and anytime
you're walking in step with the Lord you
will likely find the world is not satisfied
or pleased with your walk in Jeremiah chapter
17 verse 5 through 8 we have another
example I think of clarification of the difference
between life under the Sun and life lived
for the eternal in verse 5 it says
in Jeremiah 17 thus saith the Lord cursed
be the man that trusteth in man and
maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth
from the Lord for he shall be like
the heath in the desert and shall not
see when good cometh but shall inhabit the
parts places in the wilderness in a salt
land and not inhabited I'm gonna pause if
you go out 160 before you get to
Mount Blanca you go through a description of
what I just read even the Chico looks
dead out there that's what this is describing
about a person who is cursed because he
trusts in man and makes flesh his arm
instead of trusting the Lord verse 7 blessed
is the man that trusteth in the Lord
and whose hope the Lord is for he
shall be as a tree planted by the
waters that spreadeth out her roots by the
river and shall not see when he cometh
but her leaf shall be green and shall
not be careful in the year of drought
neither shall cease from yielding fruit the difference
between desert looking dry as it is out
there in the flats or that that grows
along the river or at an oasis blessed
is the man that is not living under
the Sun on a temporal plane on a
horizontal plane but has his eyes focused on
the things that are eternal turn with me
if you would to the book of Ephesians
Ephesians chapter 4 verse 17 this I
say therefore and testify in the Lord that
ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk
notice that word vanity in the vanity of
their mind having the understanding darkened being alienated
from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them because of the bitterness
of their heart who being past feeling have
given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all
uncleanness with greediness beware watch out be careful
don't walk the way the Gentiles walk is
the instruction that Paul is giving there go
with me to second Peter chapter 3 and
in second Peter chapter 3 beginning with verse
1 it says this second epistle beloved I
now write unto you in both of which
I stir up your pure mind by way
of remembrance that you may be mindful of
the words which were spoken before by the
Holy Prophets and of the commandments of the
Apostles of the Lord and Savior knowing this
first that there shall come in the last
days what scoffers walking after their own lusts
and saying where is the promise of his
coming for since the fathers fell asleep all
things continue as they were from the beginning
of creation next verse at the beginning says
this they are willingly ignorant of the description
that we're looking at of life under the
Sun is that that is a very vain
and empty and ultimately a wasted kind of
existence and Solomon as we read further about
him and and his evaluation of it in
the book of Ecclesiastes will show us how
he tried it all life under the Sun
and found it was all empty so let's
look at seeking a heavenly view and let's
go back to Colossians and this time go
with me to Colossians chapter 3 seeking a
heavenly view verse 1 of Colossians 3 says
if you then be risen with Christ seek
those things which are where above where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God set
your affection on things above not on things
on the earth for you are dead and
your life is hid with Christ in God
when Christ who is our life shall appear
then shall you also appear with him in
glory setting our affection on things above say
it with me this world is not my
home I'm just a passing through where are
your treasures laid up somewhere beyond the blue
okay setting our affection on things above is
because in our identity with Christ we believe
his word and his promises that our life
is really not about just the here-and
-now it's about eternal things far more significant
than just the here-and-now Mike and
Nancy gave me a little present and I
appreciate the present it has this little plaque
and it says TGIF now you give me
life under the Sun's meaning of TGIF thanks
goodness it's Friday that's the world life under
the Sun I like this much better today
God is first say that back with me
today God is first you know that's having
a heavenly perfection opinion and and a concentration
and focus within our life today God's first
and when we're not thinking that way we're
thinking I'm first the world's first my pleasures
first etc in Colossians chapter 2 turn with
me there to verse 18 says let no
man beguile you of your reward into a
voluntary humility and worshiping of angels intruding into
those things which he hath not seen vainly
puffed up by his fleshly mind two things
I want to emphasize the word beguile there
also means defraud defraud beware let no man
defraud you of your reward into what really
God has available for you but instead moving
into a practice of what amounts to is
humanism and legalism and how the flesh is
trying to accomplish it verse 19 and adds
to that and not holding the head from
which all the body by joints and bands
have nourished meant together instead and knit together
increases with the increase of God wherefore if
you be dead with Christ from the rudiments
of the world why as though living in
the world are you subject to ordinances touch
not taste not handle not which all are
to perish with the using after the commandments
and doctrines of men which things have indeed
a show of wisdom in will worship and
humility and neglecting of the body not in
any honor to the satisfying of the flesh
what's addressed here is reject the notion of
gnosticism reject the notion of it's all about
the fleshly things and standards and and keeping
those laws as opposed to living in the
spirit and honoring God with your life in
John chapter 14 Jesus said let not your
heart be troubled neither let it what be
afraid trust in God believe also in me
in my father's house are many mansions if
it were not so I would have told
you so I go to do what prepare
a place for you and if I go
and prepare a place for you I will
come again and receive you unto myself that
where I am there you may be also
friends if our focus is on the place
that's being prepared for us and upon the
promise that he's going to come and take
us to be with him there how long
is life on this earth by comparison just
barely a fly speck on the page but
eternity is forever and we have great hope
and promise turn with me to 2nd Corinthians
chapter 5 for we know that if our
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we
have a building of God and house not
made with hands eternal in the heavens or
in this life in this world we grown
earnestly desiring be clothed upon with our house
which is from heaven if so be that
being clothed we shall not be found naked
for we that are in this tabernacle do
grown being burdened not for that we would
be unclothed but clothed upon that mortality might
be swallowed up of life now he that
hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is
God who also hath given unto us the
earnest of the spirit his spirit bears witness
with our spirit that we are the children
of God when we're born again that's what
it's talking about therefore we are always confident
knowing that while we are at home in
this body we are absent from the Lord
and the place that he's prepared for us
there and the body that we're going to
have there where we walk by faith not
by sight we are confident I say and
willing rather to be absent from the body
and to be what present with the Lord
wherefore we labor that whether present or absent
we may be accepted of him for we
must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ that everyone may receive the things done
in his body according that he hath done
whether it be good or bad so as
we consider these New Testament applications for us
we're seeing life under the Sun what it
looks like and life with a heavenly view
and what that looks like and our challenge
of course is to say where is my
focus how am I living so come back
with me to chapter one of Ecclesiastes and
as was read in our hearing this morning
notice these are the words of the preacher
that preacher the script the Hebrew word for
that is one who is a seeker or
a gatherer one who assembles and collects and
so Ecclesiastes is about a man Solomon who
gathered together out of his life facts and
interesting and applicable information relative to what does
life look like under the Sun and is
there a better option last Sunday as we
concluded in the morning message we went to
the last couple verses and there we read
let's hear the conclusion of the whole matter
fear God and keep his commandments for this
is the whole duty of man because we'll
all one day have to give an accounting
before him and so the preacher that we're
looking at right here in verse 12 is
identified he says I the preacher was king
over Israel in Jerusalem he is also identified
in chapter 7 verse 27 chapter 12 8
through 10 you can look those verses up
on your own but through that we find
that this one Solomon is communicating his evaluation
of what he's seen he asks the question
in verse 2 and 3 or makes a
statement evaluation vanity of vanity says the preacher
vanity of entities all is vanity what profit
hath a man of all his labor which
he taketh under the Sun that's the question
that's the question and then he begins to
present his evaluation verse 4 one generation passes
away and another generation cometh but the earth
abideth forever yesterday I was talking to one
of Don Brown's daughters after I got the
call that he had passed and this daughter
says well here's the good news the good
news is a granddaughter that had struggled and
tried to have a baby had not been
able to and turns out now that she
is expecting and the baby's going to be
born about the same time as Dawn's birthday
the latter part of June one generation passes
away and what another generation comes we see
that as a kind of a cycle going
on and look in verse 5 and 6
and 7 we find there about the Sun
we find there about the wind we find
about the rivers and I just would identify
and remind you of this before there were
satellites monitoring all these things Solomon had wisdom
about all of these cycles that God established
his natural law he savvied about what happens
with the water cycles what about the wind
cycles he had an understanding that God give
gave to him so that he is writing
about that and he is taking an observation
of how these things seem to go on
endlessly even though he also communicates in the
process that it seems that the earth is
going to abide forever as I was cogitating
on that I did some math won't guarantee
my math is right but I think it
is at 75 years of age I've gotten
up in the morning and gone to bed
at night twenty seven thousand three hundred and
seventy five times and I didn't count naps
at the rate of three meals a day
and this doesn't count snacks I've eaten eighty
two thousand one hundred and twenty five meals
that's a lot of groceries and forty six
years of preaching I have preached somewhere around
ninety two hundred sermons or taught that many
lessons and given about four thousand devotions in
ECA when it was in operation now here's
the thing I want you to think about
with me when you title total all that
up and whatever you want to tally up
in your life when it's all said and
done if it's only life under the sun
so what a man so what so if
all we are going to really do in
our life is considered life under the sun
life on the horizontal plane life in the
here and now and we don't think beyond
that about eternal things then that becomes a
very fatalistic kind of abuse and a pretty
sad kind of a life to to live
in living on the ragged edge by Chuck
Swindoll he borrows some information from James Dobson
and if you need cheered up this morning
this will do it my tongue is in
my cheek the straight life for a homemaker
that's a wife is washing dishes three hours
a day is cleaning sinks and scouring toilets
and waxing floors it is chasing toddlers and
mediating fights between preschool siblings one mother said
she had raised three tricycle motors and they'd
about worn her out the straight life is
driving your station wagon to school and back
23 times per week it is grocery shopping
and banking it should be in baking cupcakes
for the class Halloween party the straight life
eventually means becoming the parent of an ungrateful
teenager which I'm sure I assure you is
no job for sissies it's difficult to let
your adolescent find himself especially when you know
he isn't even looking certainly the straight life
for the homemaker can be an exhausting experience
at times the straight life for the working
man is not much simpler it is pulling
your tired frame out of bed five days
a week 50 weeks out of the year
it is earning a two-week vacation in
August and choosing a trip that will please
the kids the straight life is spending your
money wisely when you'd rather indulge in a
new whatever it is taking your son bike
riding on Saturday when you want so badly
to watch the baseball game it's cleaning out
the garage on your day off after working
60 hours the prior week the straight life
is coping with head colds and engine tune
-ups and crabgrass and income tax form it's
taking your family to church on Sunday when
you've heard every idea the minister has to
offer it is given a portion of your
income to God's work when you already wonder
how ends will meet the straight life for
the ordinary garden variety husband and father is
everything I've listed and more much more if
all there is is life lived on the
horizontal plane what a bummer what a drag
what a fatalistic kind of contribution God has
given to us if there is a God
that would do such a thing notice as
you look back to our scripture there in
Ecclesiastes verse 8 all things are full of
labor and cannot utter it the eye is
not satisfied with seeing or the ear with
hearing in Proverbs chapter 30 it says in
verse 15 the horse leech has two daughters
crying give give there are three things that
are never satisfied yay for things say not
it is enough the grave and the barren
womb the earth that is not filled with
water and the fire that saith not it
is enough in other words as we look
at life if all we want to have
is a pessimistic view then we're going to
come up with is that all there is
then forget it as we look on in
verse 9 says the thing that has been
it is that which shall be and that
which is done is that which shall be
done and there is no new thing under
the Sun Ray Steadman has written a book
in the title of his book is this
all there is to life and it's his
study on the book of Ecclesiastes and I
share just a quote from his writing says
when a friend and I were in Hong
Kong recently resting a couple days after an
exhausting travel and speaking schedule we stayed at
a wonderful old British pencil Peninsula hotel on
the Kowloon side of Hong Kong right across
the street from us was a newly built
planetarium and we went there to see the
search for other civilization I'm always eager to
sit in those domed rooms the lights go
down the stars begin to appear above like
the stars on a summer night and you
suddenly feel a sense of eternity you sense
that greatness and man magnificence of the universe
the show began by showing the great statues
on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean raising
these questions where did these great statues come
from these monoliths are huge 20 feet or
more in height made of great stones that
weigh hundreds of tons who erected them where
did they come from how did they get
there then the show took us into areas
of South America where huge geometric patterns have
been worked out over acres of ground these
designs have obviously been made by man or
some intelligent creature yet they cannot even be
seen unless they're viewed from the sky this
raises the question why would any people create
on the ground design so huge that they
cannot be seen except from the air many
have surmised that past civilizations did have ways
of rising above the earth other suggested visitors
from space use these patterns similar mysteries such
as Stonehenge in England are pronounced and compounded
as one explores the earth that planetarium shows
so was a confirmation of what the searcher
of Ecclesiastes declares what has been will be
again what has been done will be done
again other ages will repeat it there is
nothing new under the Sun we wonder about
some of those things and we might ask
the question if the Lord were to carry
500 years from now what would they think
of what we got and what's going on
here well let's read on in verse 11
he says there's no remembrance of the former
things neither sure there be any remembrance of
things that are to come with those that
shall come after in other words old things
become trivia how many of you are trivia
buffs Reagan you're too young to be a
trivia buff just teasing you what is trivia
it's trough stuff that other people have forgotten
right so if you can remember it that
means you're good you got a better memory
you've done more research you you've studied it
out more and yet was we look at
that then we are tempted to say that
those things that have gone before are not
only trivia but they're trivial but did they
have meaning and purpose and value at a
point in time if we look at life
only as life under the Sun what a
mysterious thing it is go with me to
verse 12 I the preacher was king over
Israel in Jerusalem and I gave my heart
to seek and search out by wisdom concerning
all things that are done under the Sun
this sore travail have God given to the
sons of man to be exercised therewith when
he says I gave myself this means that
this is as it were a scientific engagement
that he invests himself in this is not
just a passing fancy this is talking about
years of his work and of his noting
of things last week we looked into first
Kings 4 verse 30 and 34 and there
was a description of all the different kinds
of things that he was involved with that
he had wisdom beyond his time that other
people came to find out how what about
this he cataloged he classified he had a
range specific ways of really cross breeding hybrid
plants putting together a hydroponic water system and
on and on it goes he says I
gave my heart to seek and search out
all of these things verse 14 I've seen
all the works that are done under the
Sun I checked it all out and what
does he evaluate in verse 14 be all
is vanity and vexation spirits so what verse
15 that which is crooked cannot be made
straight and that which is wanting cannot be
numbered as we think in terms of this
though Solomon had great wisdom and resources reality
is could he fix everything nope let me
ask you can you fix everything no and
if life is all about just fixing everything
you're going to be frustrated and you're going
to say I died and I didn't get
a lick of things done George is happy
to have people have broken down things so
that he can try to fix him he
keeps him busy Klaus the same way but
the reality is that which is crooked man
by and of himself is not able to
solve the problems of the universe verse 16
I commune with mine own heart saying lo
I am come to great estate and I've
gotten more wisdom than all they that have
been before me in Jerusalem yay my heart
had great experience of wisdom Wow if your
tells us Solomon was not only the wisest
man in Jerusalem but what did the Queen
of Sheba say when she came and visited
him says the knowledge of your wisdom has
gone around the world and I have heard
it and I've come to evaluate and after
she saw all of this that his hands
that does all the people that work for
him everything she said I just stand amazed
and and the half has not been told
you are so much wiser than anybody begin
to imagine and so as she is saying
that she's reinforcing just what he is saying
I've come to great estate he really did
have a lot of wisdom and knowledge for
17 I gave my heart to know wisdom
and to know madness and folly I perceive
that this also is vexation of spirit now
I want you to see something there I
gave my heart to know wisdom but then
he adds something madness and folly let me
try to describe what that might look like
here is an individual who was raised in
a godly home he went to Sunday school
in church all of his life he's come
to his mid life and he's come to
a conclusion that all that I've done and
how I've lived and I've behaved myself and
I've minded my P's and Q's and I've
done all of this and now here I
am and it looks like all of that
is a waste and I think it's time
that I had some fun I'm going to
find what it's like to really live so
he abandons his wife he abandons his job
he abandons his family and he goes out
and blows it and what's the end result
regret plus a whole lot of pain and
agony that he's flicked it on many many
many people many people he's caused to stumble
because they thought he was the real deal
it now he's lived it out this way
it and they're saying oh my but then
listen to me guys listen to me one
of the reasons why the quote-unquote mid
life crisis has become a real thing in
American history is because so many people have
just been living life under the Sun they've
just been living for the here and now
they've just been going through the motions and
trying to please other people and trying to
get ahead by their own ambitions but they've
not concluded that their life is about more
than here and now it's about eternity the
Lord says of us as believers occupy until
I come to parables the parable of pounds
and talent or demonstration demonstration of giving of
responsibility and privilege in service and to one
was given all of it had the same
amount to another they were given according to
ability and the master was gone and after
he'd gone a period of time he came
back to what to do what they're doing
accounting and what did he find when he
got back good and bad exactly right and
the bad part that is very curious about
that the bad part in each of those
is there is this kind of response that
is granted by the one who did not
use what was given him for the glory
of God the statement is this I know
what kind of a master you are you're
a master that demands more than you have
a right to that you drive a hard
bargain that you run too tight a ship
I'm paraphrasing and so what I did was
took what you gave me and I buried
it here you can have what you know
what the Lord's answer in both of those
situation was you wicked slothful servant if you
really thought I was what you said I
am you would have used that far differently
and as my coming I would have had
my own plus the profit that could have
been given so we look at materialistic America
when things and things and more things seems
to dominate and we find people giving their
life and then they come along 40s and
50s and decide well this isn't doing what
I thought it was going to do I'm
going to do something else forgetting that their
accounting is with the Lord that their accounting
is about that which will pass the test
for eternity and so as we wrestle with
what Solomon is doing here we find in
verse 18 he says for in much wisdom
is much grief and he that increases knowledge
increases sorrow simple formula he says much wisdom
much grief much knowledge much sorrow the more
you know the more frustrating it gets that's
what he's saying you know what some people
do they opt out and they say ignorance
is bliss you've heard me say this before
the problem with ignorance is bliss is when
somebody sticks their head in the sand you
see a very very inviting target amen ignorance
no it's not ignorance is just delighting in
the vanity of being unusable for something that's
going to outlast you and so we have
the challenge in chapter 1 I want to
encourage you yesterday we were talking to Norma
Holland and the discussion came up that I
was teaching through Ecclesiastes and her confession was
when Jack and I read through a class
Ecclesiastes I can't wait till we get through
because that's a downer my goal is not
to put you down my goal is to
raise you up okay and so first of
all we're only in chapter 1 you say
there's more yeah we're only in chapter 1
but it gets better along the way because
we find God is going to be more
plugged in to it along the way and
Solomon's going to come to to some very
reasonable and valuable war reminders for us along
the way beginning of the new year is
a good time for us to evaluate our
life and consider what am I living for
is it counting is it for the glory
of God or is it just trivia that's
going to be nothing on down the line
but I want to close with this and
friends this is the most important thing of
it all to understand why vanity of vanities
all is vanity why life under the Sun
life on this earth on the horizontal plane
is what it is you must understand this
it is this way because of sin it
is this way because when Adam sinned we
all inherited his sin nature David said in
sin did my mother conceived me in Romans
chapter 5 verse 12 says before by one
man meaning Adam sin in in the world
and so death by sin or that all
have sin the reason why this world is
the pits is because of the curse of
sin and with that curse of sin listen
to me if Christ had not come it
would be a good point right here to
just say let's just forget it but because
Christ came he's made it possible for us
not to just live on this horizontal plate
and then die but we have been enabled
to live life eternally with eternal life present
in this now Christ in me the hope
of glory Christ as I've come that you
might have life you might have it more
abundantly we can live a life of joy
and victory right now even though we're still
here we can live above the circumstances of
the world and our life can count for
something every day for the glory of God
and so this morning the point is if
there's someone here that says my life is
nothing but but living under the Sun I
I don't see any hope friends there's only
one hope that I can offer you and
that's through Jesus Christ you must be born
again and without being born again your life
is not only going to be bad here
but eternally you're going to be separated from
God in torment that's what Scripture says but
because of God's grace while we were still
sinners Christ died paying our sin debt making
possible forgiveness redemption salvation eternal life the scripture
says if any man be in me he's
what you're a new creation a new creature
old things pass away behold all things become
new life is worth the living when we
know and live for Jesus do you know
Jesus as your personal Savior are you living
for him if you're only living for here
and now day by day then I challenge
you to raise your vision title of the
message is checking your vision are you just
looking on the horizontal plane are you looking
on the eternal perspective that Christ has made
possible let's pray Heavenly Father what an awesome
God you are there's a certain side of
us even as I've kind of hinted this
morning they would like to just say it'd
just be as well that Ecclesiastes wasn't in
the book the father it has great value
because it does display how even a man
like Solomon who had it all when he
was only looking at it on the temporal
temporary horizontal life under the sun plane said
it is vanity and vexation spirit thank you
Lord that there's something better through Jesus Christ
and father if there's somebody down and depressed
and discouraged this morning I pray Lord that
you might lay hold of them by your
spirit and lift their vision so that they
begin to set their affection on things above
not on things here on the earth and
Lord that they might trust in you and
instead of trusting in himself or man's answers
look to you for the solution that you
have already provided the Lord enable us to
respond honestly and honorably to your invitation that
we might come and we might have life
life more abundant through Jesus in whose name
we pray amen you take your hymnals please