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[0:00] Well, good evening and a warm welcome to the service this evening. Good to have one or two visitors with us as well again.

[0:11] And we pray that we'll know God's blessing together as we meet here. And also we give a warm welcome to those who are tuning in online. We'll begin this time of worship by singing to God's praise from hymn number 396.

[0:30] It's paraphrase 63 and it comes to paraphrase of 1 John chapter 3. Behold the amazing gift of love the Father hath bestowed on us the sinful sons of men to call us sons of God.

[0:43] Concealed as yet dishonour lies by this dark world unknown. A world that knew not when he came even God's eternal son. So the whole of this hymn and we will stand to sing in just a moment and we sing to God's praise.

[0:58] And after we've sung this hymn, ENA is going to lead us in prayer in Galat, please. Behold the amazing gift of love the Father hath bestowed on us the sinful sons of men to call us sons of God.

[1:38] God sealed as yet dishonour lies by this dark world unknown.

[1:49] A world that knew not when he came in God's eternal son. Highest the rank we know possesses, but higher shall we rise.

[2:11] Though what we shall hid after thee is hid from mortal eyes.

[2:22] Our souls we know when he appears shall bear his image bright.

[2:34] For all his glory full disposed shall open to our sight.

[2:45] A hope so great and so divine may die of dwell in June.

[2:56] And purge the soul from sins and sin as Christ himself is pure.

[3:07] Lord Jesus Christ, these things who lent me his fame in peace.

[3:18] We are Alabama viens of sin and this smoil yet he is on worship. We must live and hail his olvido as many people to call us stringent. We must live in every nation and drink as we have. the president answer like that romantic now

[4:23] Aase ...aOOO dan Birik Sir Our thoughtful panelist will last you all Other positions, lowивают That means, Carmen&Becaid and Gloria всёige the great boys from einander Crestun.

[5:23] We are still staying around each other in particular The Northern old horse was scattered on emerging streets.

[5:37] There are имен educated by the Born of year To be continued to see the里 passed on Theама of 18Phone and there'd be help And they had a young age that sold us, continued to become the bully of Somalia however, a young person did it.

[6:45] So that was a young movement that Italiano built us to recruit us, and what if I had to live on this horse and fill up our own. He was there a lot of a sudden man having his connection with him with this affection.

[7:11] He didn't come with such a child. You'll follow me! You'll follow me in theseologie господ raphane Amen.

[8:11] Boys and girls, it's good to see a few of you here tonight. I wasn't going to do a children's talk because I don't normally in the evening, but this caught my eye just underneath the desk here.

[8:24] I thought I might just speak to you about this for a little second. Do you know what this is? Can you see this? Can you see that? Miriam, can you see that?

[8:36] Any idea what that is? It's a padlock, yeah. And what's it used for? The clue's in the name, isn't it?

[8:48] It's for locking things, isn't it? So if you wanted to keep something safe, if you wanted to keep the shed door closed or something, you might need a bigger one than this. If you wanted to keep your suitcase locked when it's going through the airport, you'd get one of these little things and you'd put it around the lock and you'd click it closed and make sure that it's all tight.

[9:12] And on this padlock, there's loads of different numbers. What are the numbers for? Do you know? Do you see it? Do you see all the numbers there? And you can twist them around.

[9:24] Do you see that, Katie? Ailey? What do you think the numbers are for? Katie? It's like a passcode. I suppose it's a bit like our phones as well, isn't it?

[9:36] There's a passcode. So if I put this on my shed door or my case, and if I clicked it so that it locked, I'm not going to because I don't know the passcode on this one, could I just then do any number and it would just pop open?

[9:58] No? I would need the special number, wouldn't I? Because I don't know the special number for this lock, I'm not going to lock it. Because if I locked it just now, there'd be no chance of being able to open it again.

[10:13] So, we need to know the passcode. We need to know the code that opens the door to let us in, whether it's a shed door or a suitcase or anything.

[10:27] Now here's the thing. How do we get to heaven? The door to heaven. The way to come to today's Father's Day, and the Bible tells us we have a heavenly Father who loves us better than any father can ever love us.

[10:48] And he wants us to be with him. He lives forever in heaven. So how does the door to heaven get unlocked? Who opens the door to heaven for us?

[11:00] Miriam? God does. And who did God the Father send into this world to make it possible for the door of heaven to be open?

[11:13] Because remember, because we have sin in our hearts, we can't get into heaven. So the door is locked. So who had to come into this world to take away our sins so the door of heaven could be opened, so that we could go to be with our heavenly Father?

[11:30] Miriam? Jesus. And the Bible makes it very, very clear that there's no way to come to the Father. There's no way to get into heaven except Jesus.

[11:45] So I could play around with this all day and try to find out what's the right combination code, and I probably wouldn't manage. But if we want to know the most important thing of all, how to get into the door of heaven, then God has made it very clear to us it's only through Jesus.

[12:05] We're going to sing at the end of the service, O come to the Father through Jesus the Son. And there's another hymn that we quite often sing, and it goes like this, There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin.

[12:19] He, Jesus, only could unlock the door of heaven and let us in. So let's be trusting in Jesus. He's the only way.

[12:30] He's the truth. He's the life. And he calls us to come to him. So let's pray about that for a moment. Lord God, we thank you for your word, the Bible, and we thank you that you make it so clear to us, Father, that if we want to come to you, if we want to know the life and the peace and the joy and the satisfaction that you alone can give, we thank you that the only way that we can come is through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Saviour.

[13:02] We thank you that he came to this world to take our sin away so that we, if we are trusting in him, can find that we have a place reserved for us in heaven, a place that he has prepared for us because we are trusting in him.

[13:19] So help us all, Lord, we pray, to be trusting in Jesus, to be looking to his cross, to be trusting in all that he has done for us so that we can know that we are safe in this world because you are with us and we are safe forever in heaven because the door has been opened by Jesus for us.

[13:42] And we pray all these things in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. We're going to sing now Psalm 133, a short Psalm, three verses.

[13:55] Behold how good a thing it is and how becoming well, together such as brethren are, in unity to dwell. We'll stand to sing to God's praise.

[14:09] Behold how good a thing it is and how becoming well, together such as brethren are, in unity to dwell.

[14:38] Like precious songs went on the hay, that down the beard is full, He made us pure, and to the scourge, dead of his garments go.

[15:12] I tell what you, that you have done, on Zion's hills, the same.

[15:28] For there the blessing God commands, life that shall never end.

[15:45] Amen. Amen. We're going to read from God's word from Matthew, chapter 6.

[16:02] But before we go there, we're going to read just a short passage from Luke, chapter 11. So, we'll read just the first few verses of Luke, chapter 11, and then we'll flick over to Matthew, chapter 6, so you can keep a finger on both.

[16:24] So, Luke, chapter 11, first of all, and the first four verses. One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.

[16:41] He said to them, when you pray, say, Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins.

[16:52] For we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. Then if we go over to Matthew, chapter 6.

[17:06] And we'll read from verse 5 of Matthew, chapter 6, down to verse 15.

[17:20] And Jesus is speaking to his disciples, the Sermon on the Mount, and he says, and when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.

[17:37] I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

[17:51] And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

[18:02] This then is how you should pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

[18:14] Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

[18:27] For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

[18:41] Amen. And may God bless that reading of his word to us. We're going to sing again now to God's praise. And this time we're singing from Mission Praise number 988.

[18:55] The words on the screen. How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that he should give his only son to make a rich his treasure.

[19:07] We'll sing the whole of this hymn to God's praise. levees praise.

[19:24] oven 410 You Bodine How deep the Father's love for us.

[19:38] Hell most beyond all measure that he should give his only sign to make a wretched treasure.

[19:56] How great the pain of searing loss the Father turns his face away as wounds which mar the chosen one bring many sons to glory.

[20:31] Behold the man upon our cross my sin upon his shoulders ashamed I hear my walking voice call out among the scoffers it was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished his dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished I will not boast in anything no gifts, no power, no wisdom but I will boast in Jesus' Christ his death and resurrection why should I gain from his reward

[22:01] I cannot give an answer of this I know with all my heart his wounds have made my ransom I know with all my heart I know with all my heart let's pray just for a moment as we turn back to God's word our heavenly father we thank you for the words of that hymn that we've sung that remind us of the wonder of your love for us how deep the father's love for us how vast beyond all measure we thank you Lord that you've given us these indications these tokens of your love to us in the word and in the giving of the Holy Spirit we thank you that as the word is read and as the truth of scripture is brought to us the Holy Spirit himself he carries it to us and presses it into our hearts we thank you Lord for the experiences that we have on occasions where the peace of God or the love of God or that sense of the presence of God overwhelms us and we have that assurance that experience of your love and yet we know Lord that our experiences they can come and go and we thank you Lord that we have the truth of scripture in Christ he said

[24:03] I am the way the truth and the life and we thank you that the greatest measure of your love for us is seen in the cross of Jesus this is love says John the Apostle not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin so help us Lord we pray to see that afresh tonight we say so often we must not drift from the cross and we pray that we would not drift from the cross we pray that even this evening we would take time to meditate upon the wonder of all that was done for us to unlock the door of heaven so that we who are sinners could through the finished work of Christ find the salvation that is offered to us so help us Lord to see Jesus help us to hear the voice of Jesus help us to feel the presence of Jesus amongst us he said even where two or three meet in my name

[25:17] I will be there and so we pray Lord that we would know your presence and that the word of God would come to us in the power of the Holy Spirit we pray again Lord for other congregations near to us and far from us that meet as we do and open your word we pray for places nearby where there is freedom and there is opportunity to meet and worship we thank you Lord that we still have that freedom in this country and we pray on for the protection of that of that in this land but we think of other places that we've heard of in past months where your church is persecuted where we have brothers and sisters in the Lord who who do not have the luxury of being able to gather in this way and we pray for them where they are and we ask Lord that you would uphold them and that you would bless them that you would meet with them and that you would continue to build your church as you are Lord even and especially in places where things are toughest we pray Lord for places where ministry is entering a new chapter we think of

[26:35] Carloway this week as they look forward to the induction of Thomas Davis and we pray for Thomas and for Una and the family we ask Lord that as he returns to Carloway that you would continue to bless him and use him we pray that you would continue to work in that place Lord and we thank you Lord for making it clear to Thomas and the family that your desire is that they would be back in this place so bless them Lord we know that unless the Lord builds the house we labour in vain and so we pray that you would be building your church in that congregation and in this place also enable us not to drift from you because apart from you Lord we know we can do nothing but enable us as a people to stay close to you and to be used for your glory so hear our prayers and bless us as we open your word guide us and lead us in our thinking and our speaking and in our responses that we may have faith the faith that you give to us and may we live lives we pray that will be pleasing to you and we pray all these things in Jesus name and for his sake

[27:58] Amen if you could have Matthew chapter 6 open in front of you just now that would be helpful sometimes when we're travelling whether it's we're travelling from A to B here in Harris or whether we're travelling a greater area of land we can be en route to a place and a certain name or a certain spot a scenic position will catch your eye and will think as we're going along the road I must stop there someday I don't have time to stop there today but I must go back there one day and take a closer look I'm heading down to Keswick every year there's various places that catch the eye and I always think it'd be nice to go and have a look there but it can be hard to find the time to stop and go and have a look but tonight that's what I kind of hope we're going to do and over the next few weeks in the evenings

[29:15] I want to take a closer look at what we've come to to know as the Lord's Prayer we kind of scooted past it at fairly high speed a couple of weeks ago in the morning studies and I want to just pause and take a few weeks take a closer look at the Lord's Prayer I think the Sunday school are actually looking at the Lord's Prayer just now as well so we're kind of joining with them in this study that Jesus gives us and how we pray and it's necessary that we do that because the Lord's Prayer is something that isn't very well known in Scotland these days if I was to ask all of us to recite the Lord's Prayer by memory I think for many of us we'd be struggling because it's not something that we're taught these days as was taught in the past

[30:16] Farrakhar when he shared his testimony last Sunday evening spoke I think about the fact that every morning in school they began with the Lord's Prayer so every child that passed through the education system in Harris some years ago they knew it off by heart and in his own home I think he spoke about lasting at night praying the Lord's Prayer something that was part of the fabric of our being brought up in past generations but today most children and many adults don't know the Lord's Prayer so I think it's necessary that we pause and we take a closer look and although we came across it in Luke chapter 11 a couple of weeks back I want to root our studies in the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 the parallel passage simply because we have a fuller version of the

[31:17] Lord's Prayer and in Luke chapter 11 we've got various footnotes that take us different places but in Matthew chapter 6 we have a more straightforward account a fuller version of the Lord's Prayer so how does it begin if you've got the passage open in front of you how does it begin well we see in verse 9 that it begins with these two amazing words our Father our Father and that's as far as we're going to get tonight we'll look at the two opening words of this prayer that Jesus teaches us to pray and we'll consider what they mean what they teach us and there's three points in the time that we have and we'll endeavour to finish before seven the first point is our

[32:25] Father teaches us who Jesus was and is so these two words they teach us about the identity of Jesus and the second point is that these opening words our Father they teach us who we are as individuals they teach us about our identity who we truly primarily are and the final thing that we'll see in looking at these opening two words is that these words our Father they teach us who we are as family because if we're trusting in Jesus we are connected we are brought together as the family of God with God as our Father so that kind of gives us the structure for our thoughts this evening and the first point then is our Father teaches us who Jesus was and is now when we come to these verses and when we hear

[33:34] Jesus saying to his disciples back then and to us today this then is how you should pray our Father that doesn't stun us and I can see it doesn't stun us from the expressions around the room we've heard this before it doesn't kind of have a huge impact on us when we hear these opening words when Jesus says this is how you should pray this is what I want you to say our Father that kind of goes over our heads perhaps but when this was first heard this would have absolutely stunned the Jews of the first century R.C.

[34:27] Sproul says that Jesus was making a radical departure from Jewish tradition when he addressed God as Father this was unknown to come in prayer before the God of heaven and earth and to call him Father there are prayers where the Jewish rabbis would think about God and his sovereign power his creative might his majesty his holiness but they would never dare to see our Father R.C.

[35:06] Sproul says when Jesus referred to God as Father his contemporaries the Pharisees for example would become enraged they understood that in calling God his Father he was making himself equal with God by addressing God in this familiar form Jesus was indicating a profound sense of intimacy between himself and God showing that he was the unique son of God why does Jesus call God Father because he is God the son so we've been taught here about the identity of Christ sometimes we can be maybe sitting in a cafe or we can be sitting in an airport or we can be sitting in a train station or somewhere in a public space and there's maybe a big group of people that are around us and we're kind of logging into conversations we can't help but hear the conversations my mind goes back to the day that a few of us went to

[36:16] Romania and we were in the airport and there was a big crowd of us Taffy was there and Kenny was there and Peggy was there and various other people were all sitting at this big table and anybody who was listening in to the laughing and the Gaelic and the jokes they would have been thinking who are these people are they friends are they family what's the nature of the relationship they're a strange bunch in the nicest possible way but as we listen in to groups of people who are conversing we fairly quickly get an understanding of their family because they're using words like mum and dad for one and as we hear Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray and as we listen into the prayers of Jesus in the gospel messages as they're recorded for us we see that every time that Jesus prays except one time he addresses

[37:18] God as father and he in doing so makes it clear that he is God the son just out of interest the one occasion where Jesus does not pray saying father is that occasion on the cross where Jesus cries out in prayer my God my God why have you forsaken me and one commentator boys he says that prayer was wrung from Christ's lips at the moment in which he was made sin for mankind and in which the relationship he had with his father was temporarily broken so the only time that Jesus didn't pray saying our father was on that moment where our sins were on his shoulders where the father turned his face away from the son on account of our sin in that moment

[38:37] Jesus could not say father but in every other prayer Jesus prayed father so the first thing that we learn as we consider these opening words of this prayer concerns the identity of Jesus who is he well he's the son of God and that's no trivial point of kind of vague interest or minor importance this is a point of crucial importance we need to see that Jesus is God the son because if we don't see that if we don't believe that we don't accept that we can't be saved we might get all kinds of accolades in this world we might find that we have a whole portfolio of good works and have a great reputation in the realm of religion but if we don't see that Jesus is

[39:37] God the son we can't be saved so we need to see this that's why Mark in his gospel from chapter 1 verse 1 is desperate to show us that Jesus is God the son Mark chapter 1 verse 1 what does he say Mark in his own direct way we can imagine Peter sitting beside him saying write this write this the opening words of his gospel the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the son of God that's what I want you to see he says everything that follows here is so that you'll see Jesus is the son of God John in his gospel is a bit more leisurely in his pace he records many of the signs and the miracles that Jesus performed and as the gospel comes to an end he shares the purpose of it with us he says in

[40:39] John chapter 20 verses 30 and 31 Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God in his name there is no life there is no salvation there is no hope for us unless we see and understand and believe that Jesus is the son of God you know as I said with the children there is no way to heaven unless we see and believe and accept that Jesus is the only way he's the son of God so do you and

[41:41] I see this is the question do you and I believe that Jesus is the son of God it's not enough to say that he was a nice man a kind man a good teacher a prophet of God you and I need to see and believe that he is the son of God so the first thing that we're taught through this prayer is that Jesus in calling God father is showing us that he is the son the second point the second thing that we see in and through this prayer is that these opening words are father they teach us who we are not just who Jesus is but we're taught here about who we are as individuals so as

[42:43] Jesus addresses God as father he teaches his disciples those that believe in him those who trust in him those who follow him he teaches them to to use the same words Jesus says as he prays our father but he says to disciples because you are my disciples because you are trusting me because you believe in me you too can address God as your father and if we are to call God father what does that make us well it makes us children of God what is your identity at the absolute core primary level you and I are children of God for trusting in Christ that's who we are you might be a

[43:48] McLeod you might be a McDonald you might be a McKinnon you might be a whatever but at the actual center of our identity we are children of God if we are in Christ we're children of the devil if we're not but that's another sermon for another night our identity if we are in Jesus is we are children of God and that's a truth that's so necessary for us to actually get hold of today because I think today more than any other time that is in living memory there is such confusion and dismay over the identity over the issue of identity we don't know who we are at the cultural level today we have no idea who we are and people are trying harder than ever to discover who on earth are we and if we let this world and the philosophy of this world guide us on this journey to finding ourselves almost certainly we'll be guided to a place where everything centres around our gender and our sexuality that's wrong thinking a minister

[45:23] I work closely with has a granddaughter who's just gone to nursery in Inverness she's age three the first letter that she got home from the nursery to the parents was a letter encouraging the parents to think through the issues of whether this girl was actually just a girl maybe she was a boy trapped in the body of a girl had they given any kind of thought to issues of gender identity like this she's three years old there's confusion there's crisis over our identity you know when there are 64 terms that we can choose from to describe gender identity and expression I think that suggests we are living through an age of crisis and confusion over our identity who on earth are we we've got a whole alphabet to choose from but you know this doesn't just relate to our gender you know for some their identity is all wrapped up in work who are you well it's who you are in your job for others it's all to do with their grades and whether they pass or fail and what level of pass or fail for others it's their looks how good they look that's what defines them but the problem with all these things is that when these things start to go badly when our work starts to go badly when we fail an exam when our good looks start to fade with age there's a total crisis of identity and the reason for that crisis is that our identity is built on the wrong things we're looking for identity and belonging and security in the wrong places so what do we need to do where do we need to go we need to open the

[47:42] Bible because God has something to say to us about all this God the one who made us he is the one who speaks with clarity into this age of confusion so who are we well according to God's word we are God's children that's our identity and in one sense you could say we're all children of God made in his image he is our creator Malachi 2 verse 10 says have we not all one father did not one God create us so at one level we're all children of God he is our maker but we've been made for a reason we've been made for a purpose and that purpose is to be with God our purpose is to be in relationship with

[48:49] God so we ask the question why are so many not in a relationship with God and the answer is because of sin sin came into this world we go all the way back to Genesis it severed the relationship with God and we see that distance that was there in the garden at first Adam and Eve they walked in that intimacy with God sin came in they hide from him the relationship is broken that's the bad news but the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came into this world God the son came into this world to make it possible for sinners like us to be reconciled with God what did

[49:49] Jesus do well he went to a cross to take our sin from us he died to pay the wages of our sin and as he died remember what happened the curtain in the temple that separated people from that holy place where God was it was torn from top from heaven to bottom to show that the way back into God's presence was now open for those who will believe in Jesus for those who will trust in his finished work and if you and I have trusted in Jesus the son of God if we are disciples of Jesus then we can call God our father we can come and pray this evening we can approach the most holy

[50:55] God the God is so pure that he cannot look upon sin the all powerful God the all wise God we can come to him we can call him our father we are children of God that's our identity that's who we are as individuals that's where our true secure eternal identity is we are through Jesus through his life and death and resurrection we are children of God seems almost too good to be true but Jesus teaches it so it must be true God's word makes it clear to us time after time so it must be true so let me give you just a few texts to back this up before we come to an end

[51:58] John chapter 1 verses 12 and 13 says to all who received him to all who received Jesus to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent nor of human decision or a husband's will but born of God 1 John chapter 3 verse 1 see what great love the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God and that is what we are just God speaking not me if he's in chapter 1 verses 3 to 8 praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through

[53:05] Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given us in the one he loves in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us give you one more Galatians 4 verse 5 to 7 God sent his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those under the law that we might receive adoption to sonship because you are God's sons God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts the spirit who calls out Abba father so you are no longer a slave but God's child so this is what is offered to us if we believe in

[54:09] Jesus if we trust Christ as saviour if we believe in him as the son of God we are brought into the family of God and we can pray as we are taught saying our father now when I prepared this I had no word of father's day didn't realize it was father's day until last night but I'm conscious that to use the word father can be difficult for some some have grown up in families where they've known the love and care of a father some have grown up in families where they've never known a father where they haven't been well loved and cared for by an earthly father and so to use the word father can be difficult but I think what we need to see here is that our heavenly father no matter what our experience has been our heavenly father he is good and his love is pure and his love is deep and his love for us is constant and unconditional and eternal he'll never disappoint us he'll never let us down he'll never hurt us in some cruel way he is completely trustworthy he's our father so as the hymn goes he'll come to the father through jesus the son and give him the glory great things he has done and the final thing i'll give it to you in just one minute our father teaches us who we are as family because this is bigger than just you and me as individuals this is a family thing notice when jesus teaches them to pray he doesn't take them aside as individuals and say when you pray say my father no he says to the disciples as they're gathered together when you pray say our father plural and that reminds us of the fact that we are not on our own if we are trusting in christ if god is our father we are part of a family we are part of an eternal family that crosses borders and languages and denominations and everything that's what we sang at psalm 133 in case you're wondering reminds us that we live together as brothers and sisters in christ with god as our father now one of the most painful things that we can experience in life is when we lose family members in death and we can go from a position of feeling so secure in a family to all of a sudden feeling so alone but as we pray our father we're reminded that we're not alone if we are in

[58:10] christ that we are part of a family that we are brothers and sisters in christ all over the world so let's be encouraged to lean on each other a bit let's be encouraged to care for each other you know we're in such an individualistic culture we're frightened to approach each other god's word challenges that if you're in christ you have brothers and sisters all over the place some of them are doing well and they're encouraged some of them are struggling and they need you so let's be encouraged to see each other to love each other to care for each other as part of the family that we're in one of the reasons that the early church the first century church grew so quickly was because the world looked in and this is the quote that they had to say about the early church they said see how they love each other they look like a family and how good it would be if the community looked in on us and said the same thing see how they love each other they look like a family and families are always a bit weird it's always a bit messy there's always odd things going on but there's love there's stickability there's care there's concern so just two words in the prayer our father but they are full of amazing truth about who Jesus is as God the son and who we are if we are trusting in him give you a quote from

[60:39] Thomas Watson to finish he says what is it that makes God our father answer faith Galatians 3 26 you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus you want to be part of this family of God you want to know God as father you want to be assured of a place in that heavenly home you want to know the assurance of sins forgiven life eternal what do we have to do simply believe that Jesus is God the son ask him to be your savior let's pray heavenly father we we thank you for the privilege of being able to to call you our father and we recognize that all this has been made possible through

[61:46] Jesus Christ your son enable us to see him for who he is and to believe in him as our savior and we pray this in Jesus name amen we'll sing to finish mission praise 708 to God be the glory great things he has done so loved he the world that he gave us his son who yielded his life in atonement for sin and opened the life gate that all may go in to God be the glory great things he hath done so loved he the world that he gave us his son who yielded his life an atonement for sin and opened the life gate that all may go in praise the

[63:05] Lord praise the Lord let the earth hear his voice praise the Lord praise the Lord let the people rejoice O come to the Father through Jesus the Son and give him the glory great things he hath done O perfect redemption the purchase of blood to every believer the promise of God the life of offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus that pardon receives praise the Lord praise the Lord let the earth hear his voice praise the

[64:09] Lord praise the Lord let the people rejoice O come to the Father through Jesus the Son and give him the glory great things he hath done great things he hath taught us great things he hath done and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son but you are higher and greater will be our wonder eruption when Jesus we see praise the Lord praise the Lord let the people rejoice praise the Lord praise the Lord let the people rejoice

[65:12]  O come to the Father through Jesus the Son and give him the glory great things he hath done and now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit be with us all both now and forever more Amen