The Word Leads and the Word Guides

[0:00] If we turn back to where we read in Deuteronomy 29, and I want to look this morning at verse 29 of Deuteronomy 29, very much in the context of the two chapters which we were reading.

[0:24] And verse 29 says, the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

[0:40] In these two chapters we have Moses preaching, effectively what is his third sermon to the people of Israel. And he is coming to the end of his life, the end of his ministry, he is not allowed to enter into the promised land.

[0:56] But he is there to renew the covenant with a new generation of the Israelites. The old generation has now died out, a new generation is coming in and they are the ones who will be inheriting the land of Israel.

[1:12] So he calls the people to renew the covenant and he stands there before the people, acting as the mediator of this covenant.

[1:24] And through these two chapters, he very clearly and forcefully lays God's word before the people and he appeals to them to follow it.

[1:34] As he is very conscious of coming to the end of his ministry, he wants to be quite clear that there will be no responsibility on him for having failed to give God's message clearly to the people.

[1:47] Therefore, he quite clearly lays out to them the blessings and the curses that come with obedience and with disobedience to God's word. And in the middle of these two chapters, you have this verse in verse 29, which is almost like an aside to what Moses was going to say.

[2:09] Because in this situation, he's not speaking to the people, but he is identifying himself with the people. He says, At the very end, highlighted in verses 64 to 68 of chapter 28, he had highlighted to the people the dangers and the results of disobedience.

[3:01] If they refused to follow him, and he talked about them being scattered among the nations of the earth and living in dread. And here he is, in a sense, only halfway through what he has got to say.

[3:14] And he's talking about the justice and the judgment of the Lord coming upon the people if they are disobedient. And maybe he sensed something amongst the people at that point, or maybe he was just very aware that they would be asking questions to themselves.

[3:30] He's only halfway into his sermon, and this is what he's saying about God's judgment already. How much worse could it possibly be for us? And questions along those lines.

[3:43] So therefore, he comes in, and he says to the people, The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

[3:57] Saying to them, The important thing for you is not to think about what may happen a way, way in the future, but your thing, your duty, is to follow the words of God's law, and none of these things, in effect, will happen to you.

[4:12] So here we have Moses in this verse, not simply acting as the mediator of the covenant, but identifying himself with them, and saying, These things apply to him as much as they apply to them, and the duty is upon him to follow that law too.

[4:30] So I want to look in detail at this verse, and to look at the secret things, and the revealed things, that Moses talks about to the people that day.

[4:43] And, the first, the most obvious things to state quite clearly, is that there are secret things, in the kingdom of God. And there are things, that are revealed, as well.

[4:57] And it's one of those things about human nature. If we think there is a secret somewhere, it is the great desire of our hearts, to search out that secret, to find out that thing that we do not know, and to pursue it to the very end, until we know absolutely everything there is to know about it.

[5:16] On the other hand, if we think about all those things that are revealed to us, and things that are an open knowledge, we tend, simply to take account of the fact, that these things are out there, that they are revealed, whether it's knowledge in general, about the world, or indeed, knowledge about God himself.

[5:37] And we tend to become a bit kind of blasey, and bored, with these things that have been revealed, because we treat them, as something old. We treat them, as something that we actually know, all about already.

[5:50] And therefore, the human heart is drawn, to looking for secret things. But, it's quite clear in the text here, that each of these things, has its owner.

[6:01] Secret things, the text says, belong to God, whereas the revealed things, belong to us. The first question, that then comes into our head is, why do these secrets, belong to God?

[6:15] Why, does God keep secrets from us? I think first and foremost, we just simply need to recognize, that because he is God, it is for him to decide, how much he reveals to us, of his will.

[6:29] And it is for him to decide, when he reveals to us, what he wishes to reveal. If we think of scripture itself, many hundreds of years, would go by, as God was slowly, revealing himself, piece by piece, and his purposes, for the Jewish nation, revelation, and for the world, was just revealed, slowly and in time, as God chose to reveal it.

[6:57] And yet, if we look right back, to the book of Genesis today, we can see quite clearly, that there was sufficient revelation, there at that time, for people like Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, to put their trust, wholeheartedly in God, and not in themselves.

[7:13] And while we have, much more revelation today, they themselves, had enough, to enable them, to come to a living faith.

[7:25] It is God's to decide, when to reveal, and how much to reveal. In many cases, if we think about, looking through scripture, and God not revealing things, to his people, it is very much, for the benefit, of his people, that they don't know, these things.

[7:41] Think for a minute, of that people, standing there, listening to Moses, proclaiming, God's covenant with them. Now if their parents, had known, before they left Israel, just how difficult, it was going to be, on the journey, leaving Israel.

[7:59] And how long, it would take them, to get to the promised land. Would any of them, ever have left, Egypt in the first place? And that is often, the case in our own lives, we want to know, answers to the things, to many things, and they're not there.

[8:15] But if we had known, in advance, what was going to happen, in our lives, I wonder, how many of us, would have chosen, to follow that through, when we were much younger.

[8:26] I suspect that many of us, would have sought, to take a different route. And it's worth remembering, that Jesus himself, did not know everything. There were things, that the father, kept from him, while Jesus was on earth.

[8:41] And yet Jesus was able, to fulfill the law perfectly. He was able, to live a perfect life. He was able, to please his father, in every way, while he walked, on the face of this earth.

[8:53] And yet he did not know, everything, as a man, walking on the earth. And he said, to his own disciples, it's not for you, to know the dates, and times. It's not for you, to know when I will be, coming back.

[9:05] But your job, is to follow, the words of God, to follow the words, of his law. I think we can think too, as secrets.

[9:16] Things that are kept secret, are very safe, in God's hands. It was really nice, when I asked the kids there, what a secret was.

[9:27] And I described it, as something you're not supposed, to tell anybody else. How often, are we told a secret, and we can't keep it a secret, and we pass it on, to someone else. And before you know it, the whole community, knows something, that was divulged, from one person, to another, in secret.

[9:45] Things that are kept in secret, are safe in God's hands. Therefore, I think we can trust them there. And I think too, in revealing his will to us, when he reveals it, each of us in our lives, finds many surprises.

[9:59] And the people of Israel, find many surprises. As God revealed his will, to them. And God takes great pleasure, in bringing pleasure, and joy to his people, as he makes known, his purposes to them.

[10:16] So, there's another reason, for God keeping certain things, secret from us. Note too, that if we look at, how Moses describes, the holder of the secrets, it's not simply God, but it is our God.

[10:31] And therefore, if you think for a minute, if you want to delve into things, that God has said, will remain secret, until he chooses, to reveal them. Is that not going to damage, your relationship, with God himself?

[10:44] If you're doing something, that he's expressly told you, you are not to know, for the time being. And he's described, as the Lord, our God. God is the Lord, the one, who sets the rules.

[10:58] The one, who rules the world, and whose word, is law. And therefore, Moses says to us, let us follow, all the words, of this law. That can make, not knowing about, secret things, difficult, and challenging.

[11:14] But the reality is there. The secret things, belong to the Lord, our God. On the other hand, there are revealed things. And when we think about it, it is amazing, the huge amount of information, that has been revealed to us, about the living God.

[11:34] More, than any of us, to be honest, could ever understand. Supposing we spent, 24 hours a day, for our whole life, studying this word, there would still be, great mountains of treasure, in there, that we had not, worked out for ourselves.

[11:51] What is in God's word, is more than enough, for a whole lifetime, of blessing, and of guidance, for God's people. If we look as he was speaking, to the people, the first thoughts, no doubt, would have been on creation, as they looked to the promised land, which looked, to be a beautiful place.

[12:12] Perhaps their thoughts, went to Psalm 19, which we sang earlier, which spoke of the heavens, declaring, God's greatness, and majesty, and of revealing, God, to his people, and his words, going out, to the end of the world.

[12:29] General revelation, speaks to us, of God. And then, in the actual, address, that Moses, gave to the people, we see, God himself, revealed specifically, to his people, in a number of ways.

[12:45] In chapter 29, right at the beginning, of his address, in verses 2 and 3, he casts their eyes back, to their time in Egypt, and he demonstrates, God's mighty, redeeming power.

[12:58] Your eyes have seen, all that the Lord did, in Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land. With your own eyes, you saw, those great trials, those miraculous signs, and great wonders.

[13:11] They could think, back to that time, when they were prisoners, of the most powerful empire, upon the face of the earth. And yet, when that empire, came up against, the living God, that empire failed, and the people, were set free.

[13:27] They could see too, God's miraculous provision, in verse 5, during the 40 years, that I led you, through the desert, your clothes, did not wear out, nor did the sandals, on your feet.

[13:41] God provided, for them miraculously, he also provided, the manna, in the desert, for them to eat, which just arrived there, every morning, and they had to simply, go out, and collect it.

[13:52] They could see too, God's providential provision, in verses 7 and 8, when Zion, king of Hesbon, and all king of Bashan, came out to fight, against them.

[14:03] They were victorious, over those kings, they took their land, and gave it, as an inheritance, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe, of Manasseh. God had miraculously, provided for them, in the desert, but now, by his providence, through his ordinary working, and the ways of life, he was going to be, providing for them all, by providing land, which they themselves, could tell, and on which, they could grow, their own crops.

[14:28] He was revealed, to them here, as a promising, and a blessing God, in verse 9, carefully, follow the terms, of this covenant, so that you may prosper, in everything you do.

[14:39] A God, who blesses, is a wonderful God, to have. The pagan nations, round about them, would have been living, in fear, of their gods. Their relationship, with their false gods, was one of fear, of always worrying, about what the gods, were angry about, and punishing them, and their sacrifices, were there to placate, their gods.

[15:01] For them, the idea, of having great blessing, from their gods, would have been, almost impossible, to understand. And here we have, God promising, great prosperity, to the people, of Israel.

[15:15] We see also here, that God is a covenant, keeping God, in verses 12, to 15. He includes, the whole nation, he includes the people, who are not there, that day, speaks of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and is looking forward, to the generations, to be born.

[15:35] Looking forward, to the foreigners, who would be attracted, to join with the people, of God, because of their testimony, living, and serving, a holy God.

[15:47] And we see, in verses 17, to 21, God revealing himself, as that holy God, the gods, who promises, great blessing, but the God, who must deal, with sin, and with evil, when it comes before him.

[16:03] The God, who cannot stand, false worship, and therefore, the God, who must bring judgment, upon it. All of these truths, together, in that short sermon, spoke, to the people, of Israel, of a great, and a majestic God.

[16:20] And the wonderful thing, for them, and for us today, is that these truths, very much belong, to God's people. They're not simply, something that's tossed out there, that people might stumble across.

[16:34] They're a gift from God. An amazing gift, that any of us, should know, any of these things, about God himself. So many people, look at the word of God, and think in there, there's maybe some sort of, hidden puzzle, or a prize to be discovered.

[16:53] And they look over, and spend their lives, puzzling over, versus trying to find, lost cities, and ancient civilizations, and holy grails, and whatever else, they think might be lurking out there.

[17:05] God doesn't put out, his truth, as a puzzle, to torment people with. But he puts it out, as a gift from himself, to his people. That his people, might come to know him, and to love him.

[17:20] Deuteronomy 6, 4, and 9, in his early address, speaks quite clearly, to these things. Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one.

[17:40] Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments, that I give you today, are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children, talk about them, when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.

[17:56] Tie them as symbols, on your hands, and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames, of your houses, and on your gates. When the Lord your God, brings you into the land, he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you, a land with large, flourishing cities, you did not build, and so on.

[18:13] He just talks about, all the wonderful promises there, but his focus there, is on, these words belong to you, tie them as symbols, on your hands, and bind them on your foreheads, talk about them, amongst yourselves, impress them, upon your hearts.

[18:30] These things, are to be taken, to our hearts, that we might follow, God's word. Solomon, reflecting on these things, in Proverbs, said, write them, on the tablet, of your heart.

[18:44] These words, are to belong, to God's people, and to his people's children. They are to us, and our children, forever. They are to belong, to the next generation.

[18:55] That is why, we baptise children, and welcome, them into the church. That is why, we teach our children, in Sunday school. That is why, we should have family worship, at home, with our children present.

[19:09] Because the children, are the next generation, of the people of God. The children, are included, in the covenant, that God has made. And they are there, for the next generation, to take the church forward.

[19:24] And they belong to us, and to them, forever. God's promises, God's word, God's commands, are there forever, that we may follow, the words of this law.

[19:36] They are there, and they belong to us, for a purpose, that we may follow, all the words, of this law. The word leads, we follow the word.

[19:49] The word guides, as the psalmist said, your word, is a lamp to my feet, and a light, to my path. Let us, take, strong hold, of God's word, God's promises, God's revealed truth, because these things, belong to us.

[20:10] In applying this, to ourselves, we need to think, of this verse, and not just think, of how it applied, to the Israelites, in their day. And a few points, of application, that are worth, considering.

[20:23] Firstly, if any of us, is tempted, to seek out, God's secrets, then simply, we are not, following his will. We are not, following the words, that Moses, revealed that day.

[20:36] And worse than that, indeed, we are, positively inviting, the curses, that God promised, in his word, to come upon us. You know, history is littered, with people, who have spun off, from genuine, biblical Christianity, into all sorts, of sects.

[20:54] Like the, in the days, of the early church, you had the Gnostics, who felt, that God, spoke secretly, and privately, to them. Giving them, additional, secret wisdom.

[21:07] And of course, they simply became, a sect, that died out, in time. Today, we have any number, of end of the world, cults. Every few years, there's someone, manages to, con a lot of, gullible people, into following them, from a number of years, and proclaiming, that Christ, is going to come back, on a specific date.

[21:26] To the point, that people, sell all their possessions, and give everything up. And then, are humiliated, when Christ, does not return. Perhaps, less so today, but even within, the church, as a whole.

[21:41] At times, there's too much, interest, in the end times. Too much interest, in exactly, when Christ, will come. None of us, knows when he will come. Our job, is to be ready for it, but not to spend time, trying to calculate, what day, and what hour, Christ himself, might arise.

[22:02] There's the main body, of teaching there, but, Moses, aware, that he'd, taught people, the people, God's law, that he had called them, to renew the covenant, with God, was very much, aware, of his duty, as a minister, to the people.

[22:22] And he sent out, a command, in verses, verse 1, of chapter 29, these are, the terms of the covenant, the Lord, commanded to make, with the Israelites.

[22:37] And then again, in 30, at verses 11, and 16. Now what I am, commanding you today, at verse 11, and verse 16, I command you today, to love the Lord, your God.

[22:50] He sent out a command, but also an appeal, in verse 19. He said, now, choose life, so that you, and your children, may live.

[23:01] So let's look for a minute, at this command, and this appeal. Moses states, quite clearly, that the command, is not difficult. What I am, commanding you today, is not too difficult, for you, or beyond your reach.

[23:16] It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, who will ascend, into heaven, to get it, and proclaim it. Nor is it beyond the seas, that you have to ask, who will cross the sea, to get it, and proclaim it to us, so that we may, obey it.

[23:30] Moses' command, to follow, the words of God's law, Moses' command, to follow, and to love, the living God, is not difficult. It does not require, a great search, for secrets.

[23:44] It's possible, as he was speaking, those words, that he was thinking, of ancient mythologies, stories, which always talk, about, something secret, and wonderful treasure, to be had, at the far end, of the earth, that you'd have to sail, across the sea, to find.

[23:59] Stories like, Jason and the Argonauts, and, and other things, of that nature, it would require, people to do, epic feats, in order to find, these things.

[24:10] But no, Moses reminds the people, that, it's not difficult, to follow God's commands. It does not require, that epic search, because God's word, is there, before them.

[24:23] And if the Israelites, did not require, to go on that epic search, in their day, in our day, when we have more revelation, than ever, we have no excuse either, for not following, God's word.

[24:37] word. In Jesus, we have, revealed to us, the mediator, of the new covenant. The one who came, and died, on the cross, for our sins.

[24:50] The one, who lived, that perfect life. And, it's fascinating, to see that, in Romans chapter 10, the writer, picks up, on these very verses, as he speaks, to the people, as he speaks, to the church in Rome.

[25:06] He says, what does scripture say? The word is near you, it is in your mouth, and in your heart. That's chapter 10, and verse 8. Sorry, chapter 10, and verse 4.

[25:19] Christ is the end of the law, so that there may be righteousness, for everyone who believes. Moses describes, in this way, the righteousness, that is by the law. The man who does these things, will live by them.

[25:31] For the righteousness, that is by faith, says, do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down, or who will descend, into the deep, that is to bring Christ up, from the dead.

[25:44] But what does it say? The word is near you, it is in your mouth, and in your heart. That is the word of faith, we are proclaiming. That if you confess, with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart, that God raised him, from the dead, you will be saved.

[26:00] You see there, how those words were picked up. Moses, commanding the people, and seeing there in Christ, the fulfilment of that command.

[26:16] Moses goes further, and he commands, faith and love to the people, in verse 16. For I command you today, to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws.

[26:33] I remember a number of years ago, when I worked for Teofund, a short term worker, with them, commented to me one day, he said, he'd been reading, one of these verses, and it had been the command, to love, that had really struck him.

[26:50] And he said, think of our society, and how we think, of love, as something, that only happens, by chance, or whatever. And you can love some people, and not love others.

[27:03] And yet God tells us, to love one another. God tells us, to love our wives, and our husbands. And here we are told, commanded, to love God.

[27:14] That's one thing, that you might like, to discuss over lunch today. God's command, to love him, and to love others. More than a command, Moses makes an appeal.

[27:29] He says, in verse 19, of chapter 30, he says, this day I call heaven and earth, as witnesses against you, that I have set before you, life and death, blessings and curses.

[27:43] Now choose life, so that you, and your children, may live. Choose life, he says. And he makes it quite clear, from what he has said here, and what he has said, from his previous, sermons to the people, in the book of Deuteronomy.

[27:59] That there is this, quite clear choice, that people have. We don't have a choice, on a long scale, we have a choice, of two things. And he says, you can choose life, and blessing, or you can choose, death, and curses.

[28:13] And he says to them, in effect, it makes complete, sense. Choose life. There has to be, there can't be anyone, who would have been listening, to Moses that day, who would have thought to themselves, yes I'll go and choose death, I'll go and choose curses.

[28:33] And yet by dint of the choices, that we make day by day, there are people, who make that choice. But Moses was saying, clearly to the people, and the rest of scripture, says clearly, to you today, if you are not in Christ, choose life, choose blessing, and don't choose, curses and death.

[28:54] And it's, very important, when you think about that, that you're not choosing, simply for yourself. Choose life, so that you, and your children, may live.

[29:07] The choice is there, for your children too. If you choose, not to follow Christ, then, there's a far greater chance, that your children, will also choose, not to follow Christ.

[29:18] Indeed, if you don't bring them up, in the ways of Christ, there's a far greater chance, that they will have nothing, to do, with God's people, altogether. Many people, seem happy, to lose their own lives, to send themselves, to eternal lostness, to eternal darkness, but don't give, a second thought, to the fact, that they may be doing that, for their children, as well.

[29:43] Choose for your children, Moses says, and choose, that you may love, the Lord your God, calling upon the people, to love, the Lord of the God, the Lord their God.

[29:57] And within, his sermon here, I think we have two pictures, that can help different people, within, in any congregation. The first picture, we have, is in verses 18 and 19, which is speaking, about, those who wish, to have the things, of this world, and, to have the things, of God, at the same time.

[30:21] He's warning there, about false worship, in the context, of them having, been in amongst, peoples, who are worshipping, idols of wood, and stone. And he says, make sure there is, no man or woman, clan or tribe, among you today, whose heart, turns away, from the Lord our God, to go and worship, the gods of those nations.

[30:40] Make sure there is, no root among you, that produces, such bitter poison. When such a person, hears the words, of this oath, he invokes a blessing, on himself, and therefore thinks, I will be safe, even though I persist, in going my own way.

[30:55] Tremendous arrogance, in that person's mind there, I will be safe, even though I persist, in going my own way. How many folk are there, in churches, across the land today, who have heard, God's word preached, many times, who have seen it, and read it in scripture, so many times, and have thought to themselves, no, I will not follow Christ, at this time.

[31:18] I will go, my own way, but I'll be safe, because I'm in the church, I'm meeting, with God's people. But God is quite clear, in these circumstances, that is a very dangerous, place to be, for he says, he will single, people like that out, for judgment, because they are refusing, the word of God.

[31:43] That is an incredibly, dangerous position, to be in, and tragically, there are far too many people, in that position, in the church today. But then, he also shows himself, as being an incredibly, merciful God.

[31:57] God, in these verses, he sets out the punishments, that were going to come upon, the people of Israel, if they turned away. And we know, looking back on history, that when future generations, did turn away, and when future generations, refused, to listen to the prophets, that were sent to them, God did eventually, bring all these, curses upon the people.

[32:21] He warned them, that the whole land, would be a burning waste, of salt and sulfur, nothing planted, nothing sprouted. It would be like, Sodom and Gomorrah, he said, completely abandoned, and useless, to the point, that all the nations, would ask, why has the Lord, done this?

[32:36] Why this fierce, burning anger? And the answer would be, it's because the people, abandoned the covenant, of the Lord. And therefore, in verse 28, in furious anger, and in great wrath, the Lord uprooted them, from their land, and thrust them, into another land, as it is now.

[32:54] And that's what happened, to the people of Israel. They were thrust out, into the Babylonian empire. They were taken away, from their land. And they were desolate, and destitute, following that.

[33:08] And we can see there, that judgment, that came upon them, was because God, hated rebellion. God hated sin. God hated idol worship, so much.

[33:19] And this is where, so many people, get stuck, in their feeling, as regards to God, and his judgment, upon sin. And that they see, God's righteous judgment, upon sin.

[33:31] And they see, that he goes that far, but then they cannot see, the mercy, and the redemption, that come with God. For he goes on, in verse, in chapter 30, to speak of redemption, in verses 1 to 6.

[33:46] Saying, when all of these blessings, and all of these curses, have come upon you, when you've been scattered, in the nations, even if you're going, to the furthest nation, of the world, I will go there, and I will bring you back.

[33:59] When you turn your hearts, to me once again, I will call you out of there, and I will bring you back home. Here we have a God, who absolutely had, to deal with sin, who absolutely, had to punish it.

[34:13] And a God, at the same time, who was determined, to find a way, to bring his people back, into their rightful inheritance, and to bring them back, to worship him again, that they might worship them, with all their heart, and with all their soul, and all their mind, and all their strength.

[34:31] A demonstration there, of an incredibly, merciful God. And when we look, at the gospel today, we can see indeed, that in a way, Christ suffered, these same things, that the people of Israel, suffered, because of, their later, rebellion against, the truth.

[34:54] When Christ hung on the cross, it was as if, he himself, was like, Sodom and Gomorrah, in fact, worse than that, as God rained, his judgment, down upon Christ, upon the cross.

[35:08] He was left, completely desolate, on his own, abandoned, thrust out, of God's presence, to the point, that he cried out, my God, my God, why have you, forsaken me?

[35:21] Christ was left, in absolute desolation. That was to pay the price, not of his sin, but of our sin. To pay the price, of the sins, of those Israelites, who were standing there, that day with Moses, taking, that covenant.

[35:38] But Christ was able, to fulfil, that covenant. those promises, on our behalf, to take away, our sin, that God himself, might be able, to redeem, these covenant breakers, and bring them back, into, that relationship, for which he, had created them.

[35:58] What an amazing God, what an amazing, and merciful God, that we have. Moses finally, in verse 19, he called upon heaven, on earth, as witnesses, against everyone, listening, that day, that he had set, before them, life and death, blessings and curses.

[36:19] Now we know, that, for all of us here, we've heard many ministers, down through many, many years, pronouncing, faithfully, the word of God.

[36:31] And each, and every day, the word is, preached, faithfully, from this pulpit, in your presence, everyone, who is present, who hears that, is acting, as a witness, that you have heard, the gospel.

[36:48] Heaven itself, acts as a witness, that today, you have heard, the gospel of truth. And as Moses said, to the people then, that day, I have set before you, life and death, blessings and curses.

[37:01] Now choose life, so that you, and your children, may live. Amen. Let us pray. Lord our God, we thank you once again, that your word, is crystal clear, that it speaks to us, of an almighty God, who is powerful, among the nations, who disposes, nations and men, as he pleases.

[37:29] And we thank you, oh Lord our God, that you are a God, who keeps his covenant. We thank you, that Christ, took our punishment, for our sin, upon the cross, that Lord we, might enter into, eternal life.

[37:45] We thank you Lord, that you have revealed, these truths to us. We thank you, that there is nothing, Lord God, that we need to do, to find our way to you. But that Lord, we must simply, trust in Christ, believe in our hearts, and confess with our mouths, that he is Lord, and that Lord God, you will forgive, all our sins.

[38:05] We pray Father, that we might, rejoice, in this truth. We pray Lord, that we might be a people, who walk in this truth, who follow, all your words, all your commands, all your ways, and in so doing, bring glory to you, through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

[38:23] Amen. Amen. Amen. We close by singing, Mission Praise 327, another hymn that speaks, of the greatness, and the majesty, of a God, who is far, far higher, than ourselves, and yet, one who reveals himself, to us, immortal, invisible, God only wise, and light, and accessible, hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the ancient of days, almighty, victorious, thy great name, we praise.

[38:59] Hymn 327, to God's praise. May the grace, of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship, of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, now, and forevermore.

[39:10] Amen.