Liturgy-Forgiveness

 

Opening Prayer

Almighty God,

How blessed is You holy and wonderful name,

May this time spent in worship be true,

Cleanse our minds and lips,

So we will not just honor You with our lips,

But with our whole life,

Starting with right thoughts that guide all our actions,

You alone are worthy of praise!

-Amen

Call to Worship

Psalms 32:1-2

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered!

How blessed is the man who’s iniquity

Yahweh will not take into account,

And whose spirit there is no deceit!

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him all creatures here below

Praise Him above every heavenly host

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Amen!

Hymns of Praise of Forgiveness

We Come Forward, Abba, Father

We come forward, Abba, Father,

By Thy Son led to Thy throne;

Praise and worship to Thee offer,

Abba’s lovingkindness own.

Thou art on the throne rejoicing,

Thine eternal plan is done:

Death and rising, lost ones finding—

We’re Thy people in Thy Son.

Bread and cup set on the table,

Which we all partake as one,

Clearly manifest in symbol

All the work of Thy dear Son.

On the cross, His body broken,

Made a new and living way;

We come forward, now ’tis open,

Gladly “Abba, Father” say.

Precious blood has flowed out for us,

Sins, transgressions, cleared away;

Righteousness and anger toward us

No more claim on us can lay.

His blood stands before Thee ever;

Better things it does proclaim.

Thus He’s silenced the accuser

And released us from self-blame.

Lower than the angels’ measure,

What is man, O God, to Thee?

That Thou visit, even treasure,

Reconciling him to Thee.

Only man receives forgiveness,

Not the angels who rebelled.

To Thee, Father, praise ne’er ceases

For Thy grace unparalleled.

God’s Christ, Who is My Righteousness

God’s Christ, who is my righteousness,

My beauty is, my glorious dress;

Midst flaming worlds, in this arrayed,

With joy shall I lift up my head.

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,

Which, at the mercy seat of God,

Forever doth for sinners plead,

For me, e’en for my soul, was shed.

Lord, I believe were sinners more

Than sands upon the ocean shore,

Thou hast for all a ransom paid,

For all a full redemption made.

Bold can I stand in every way,

For who aught to my charge shall lay?

Fully, by Thee, absolved I am

From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

This spotless robe the same appears,

When ruined nature sinks in years;

No age can change its glorious hue,

Its glory is forever new.

Thou God of power, Thou God of love,

Let all Thy saints Thy mercy prove;

Our beauty this, our glorious dress,

Jesus the Lord, our Righteousness.

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils his lovely face,

I rest on his unchanging grace;

in every high and stormy gale,

my anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, his covenant, his blood,

support me in the whelming flood;

when all around my soul gives way,

he then is all my hope and stay.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,

O may I then in him be found:

dressed in his righteousness alone,

faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

But God!

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the price of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Confession of the Faith

1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith

chapter 2:2

2. God having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself: is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature which He hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, and to whom are all things, and He hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever Himself pleaseth, in His sight all things are visible and manifest, His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to Him contingent or uncertain; He is most holy in all his works, and in all His commands; to Him is due from angels and men, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience, as creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever He is further pleased to require of them.

Revelation 5:11-14

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.” And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Prayer for Understanding

The Trinity (Valley of Vision)

Three in One, One in Three,

God of my salvation,

Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit, I adore You as one Being, one Essence, One God in three distinct persons, for bringing sinners to know You and to be in Your kingdom.

O Father, You have loved me since before the foundations of the world and sent Jesus Christ Your only begotten Son to redeem me from all my filthiness.

O Jesus, You have loved me and humbled Yourself to take on my nature, You shed Your precious blood to wash away my sins, imputed Your righteousness to me to cover my horrid unworthiness.

O Holy Spirit, You have loved me and regenerated my heart, implanted eternal life, and have revealed to me the glories of Jesus Christ.

Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise you, for love so undeserved, so unspeakable, so wondrous, so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.

O Father, I thank You that in fullness of grace You have given me to Jesus Your Son, to be his sheep, jewel, and portion.

O Jesus, I thank You that in the fullness of Your grace You have accepted me, confessed me as Your own to the Father, and will never let me go.

O Holy Spirit, I thank You that in the fullness of Your grace, You have shown me that Jesus is My salvation, implanted saving faith within me, subdued my stubborn heart, made me on with Jesus forever.

For I am but a stupid sheep who is prone to wonder to my own destruction, separating myself from You in eternal fire.

O Father, You are enthroned to hear my prayers,

O Jesus, You live and intercede on my behalf to the Father granting me access by Your blood,

O Holy Spirit, You guide me along in spite of my many weaknesses, to show me my constant need, You supply my words, Your pray for me within me, You give me the strength to persevere through this life.

O Triune God, who commands the universe, You have commanded me to ask for those things that concern Your kingdom and my soul.

Let me live and pray as one baptized into the Threefold Name!

Amen!

Creed of the Faith

Athanasian Creed

Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith.

Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally.

Now this is the catholic faith:

That we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confounding their persons nor dividing the essence.

For the person of the Father is a distinct person,

the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another.

But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

Such as the Father is, such as the Son is, and such is the Holy Spirit.

The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated.

The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.

The Father is eternal, the son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal.

And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being. So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings; there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being.

Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty.

Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being.

Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God.

Thus, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord.

Just as Christian compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords.

The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone.

The Son was neither made nor created; He was begotten from the Father alone.

The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; He proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Accordingly, there is one Father, not three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons; there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.

None in this Trinity is before or after, none is greater or smaller; in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other.

So in everything, was was said earlier, the unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in unity, is to be worshiped.

Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.

But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.

Now this is the true faith:

That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is both God and man, equally.

He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and He is man from the essence of His mother, born in time; completely God, completely man, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards to divinity, less than the Father as regards to humanity.

Although he is God and man, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by His divinity being turned into flesh, but by God’s taking humanity to Himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of His essence, but the unity of His person. For just as one man is both rational soul and flesh, so too is Christ both God and man.

He suffered for our salvation; He descended to hell; He arose from the dead on the third day; He ascended to heaven; He is seated at the Father’s right hand; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. At His coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.

This is the catholic faith:

That one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.

Meditation on the Creed

What does unity in Trinity and Trinity in unity mean? Let this beautiful reality that demonstrates the perfect nature of the one true God turn into cold dead orthodoxy. May these creeds of the faith draw out doxology!

We should all know that the first time our Saviors’ triune nature is in Genesis 1:1-2. When God spoke it was an outward and physical action of creation. In Genesis 1:26 God says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,...” From the very beginning Yahweh has revealed His triune nature. So in reading through the promises and seeing Yahwehs’ attributes revealed to man by what He has done, we are able to see that all the prophecies have been fulfilled in the earthly life and ministry of Jesus Christ. When Yahweh flooded the earth and uncreated His creation, the Trinity in unity, did that. Noah and his family were saved by the imputed righteousness of Christ, Noah had no righteousness of his own. The Trinity in unity, made the covenant with Noah to never flood the earth and created the rainbow as a reminder of His promise. When Sodom and Gomorrah were burned off the face of the earth for their unrepentant wickedness, the Trinity in unity, did that. The Trinity brought the plagues on Egypt, destroyed the people who defiled the promised land, sent Israel into bondage for their sins, brought them back, spoke through the prophets, wrote the law, fulfilled the law, atoned for our sins, will judge the earth, and make all things new. No attribute of the Father is not also true for the Son and the Holy Spirit. Yahweh is His name. He is who He is. May this beautiful reality remain beautiful, not letting familiarity breed contempt.

If the truths about God do not stir our affections for God, we must ask ourselves why is my heart so hard and lifeless? Let us never ask, where is the love, in regards to the truths about the only fountain that pours forth love in its true essence. For if we don’t know the truths about the fountain we are by nature going to seek it from another and die of thirst for eternity in the lake of fire.

Prayer for Illumination

Lord God,

Thank You so much for providing us the Holy Spirit to empower us to dig into the truth that You have given us in Your word. We are so deeply blessed to have the common means of grace that you have given us. Please give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that understands. Please make the light shine on the truth and convict of us of our sins and give us the grace for true repentance. Please make it our constant desire to grow more holy and pleasing to You.

In Jesus’s name-Amen.

Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. Therefore, the slave fell to the ground and was prostrating himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ And feeling compassion, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So, his fellow slave fell to the ground and was pleading with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So, when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your hearts.”

Romans 2:1-5

Therefore you are without excuse, O man, everyone who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we rightly know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things(Romans 1:18-32). But do you presume this, Oman-who passes judgment on those who practice such things and does the same-that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

Hebrews 10:26-31

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth(1 John 5:2-3), there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries(1 John 2:19). Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Matthew 6:9-13

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Thoughts on the Text

Forgiveness

O glory to God the Father for sending His only begotten son to save sinful man. How precious is the blood of our Savior. How greatly do I despise the gift of free grace that has been given me? And yet it is said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9) What holiness is this? It surpasses understanding, for what love is equal to this? Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (Just like Peter we look to justify walking in unforgiveness and self-righteous bitterness, all while forgetting how my God has forgiven me incalculable transgressions done by an arrogant and rebellious heart. How wonderful are the words of our King?) “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (How gracious is He to not just give a command, even though He has the right to command whatever He will, without explanation, but He then goes to show why.) “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wishes to settle accounts with his slaves.(We are slaves, not free men, the wind and the wave continually obey the will of God but we do not? How wicked must we be when although we were made to have dominion over the planet, mindless material are our moral betters?) When he had begun to settle them, one owed him ten thousand talents(two thousand one hundred forty two life times of work assuming seventy years of productive work in a life time) was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. (The wages of sin is death, each and every sin is worthy of the death penalty. How merciful is Yahweh to spare us from just condemnation moment by moment all while we break His perfect law every second of every day, never truly loving Him or giving Him the glory He justly deserves. Our sins pervert all those around us and even the creation itself, causing little ones to stumble by our hypocritical words, actions, and attitudes. How our iniquity compounds moment by moment.) Therefore the slave fell to the ground(How little do we think of sin, to assume forgiveness taking for granted the blood of The Perfect Lamb. O that we would feel the wounds we caused our Savior nailing Him to the cross moment by moment. How do we not prostrate ourselves like this slave, but instead, with head lifted high live as if the paying of our debt was actually owed to us?) and was prostrating himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’(O how foolish are we, even though we know that even if we never sinned again we could never make up for all the wickedness of our lives while unregenerate. This may never be said out loud, but how often is this lived out in the heart, in thinking our good works do wash away our former sins.) And feeling compassion, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.(How wonderful is our Lord who is Lord of all. We too have been released from the bondage of the law and have been forgiven all our hideous transgressions.) But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred denarii; and seized him and began to choke him, saying , ‘Pay back what you owe.’(How highly must we view ourselves to be forgiven and then turn around and see a minor transgression in comparison be unforgivable. This can be very difficult though, for someone to come and kill my whole family, burn everything I own and then skin me alive, AND YET, it is still minor in comparison in what I have done towards God. This does not excuse evil nor mean we are not to seek to stop it but in our heart we must do it out of love for the image of God.) So his fellow slave fell to the ground and was pleading with him, saying ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’(To not forgive or be patient is absurd but how often is this our heart? It is only when God reminds us of what we really are do we find forgiveness and show mercy to our neighbor. [The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “ teacher this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now the law of Moses commanded us to stone such women{Matthew 5:27-28}; what then do You say?...But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground{Exodus 31:18}. …, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you to be the first to throw a stone at her.] - John 8:2-7) But he was unwilling and went and through him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So, when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.(How often do we forget that God sees all and knows all and not only that but we are visible to the invisible realm of both angels and demons. Do we presume that we can do anything without all of heaven hearing about it? As it is said, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”-Hebrews 12:1) Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?([Therefore you are without excuse, O man, everyone who passes condemnation, for in that which you condemn another, you condemn yourself; for you who condemn practice the same things. And we know that the condemnation of God is according to the truth against those who practice such things. But do you presume this, O man-who passes condemnation on those who practice such things and does the same-that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,-Romans 2:1-5.]

[“Do not condemn, so that you will not be condemned. For with what judgment you condemn, you will be condemned; and with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”-Matthew 7:1-5]

It is only reasonable to show and have a heart that reflects the heart of our Lord, if He really is Lord of our life. There are few things that blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ more than those who claim His Lordship and then walk in hypocrisy. Do we really think the atonement of our sins are to be so lightly esteemed? Do we not know the depth of our depravity in Adam? To see a Christian walking in bitterness and unforgiveness, should bring about the response, “What is your major malfunction?! Who do you think you are?! Do you presume that you are higher than God?! God has forgiven you, but to forgive a sin against you is a bridge too far?!” We must hold that same position to ourselves when the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts of doing the same thing. May it be seen as a beautiful day when we are shown what darkness yet still dwells within us to confess such wickedness and cry for the grace of true repentance from our loving Father, for this a great evil.)

And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart.”

Reading from the Catechism

Heidelberg Catechism (1563)

Lord’s Day 1

Q & A 1

Q. What is your only comfort
in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

1 Peter 1:13-21 (ESV)

Therefore, preparing your minds for action,[b] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 John 1:5-10 (ESV)

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 2:1-6 (ESV)

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Now by this we know that we have come to know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we know that we are in him: whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk in the same way as he walked.

Prayer of Intercession

O Lord,

The world is very skilled at laying snares, approaches in a fascinating manner, puts forth many a golden clad bait hiding the hook, presents a charming face.

Let my faith test every spirit, and escape every bewitching snare in a victory that over comes all things.

In my duties give me strength, energy, passion, devotion to Your will, Courage in Your name, love as a working grace, and all in accordance with faith given.

Let faith stride forth in giant power, and love respond with immense energy in every act.

Let us often mourn the absence of our beloved Lord

Whose smile makes earth a paradise,

Whose voice is the sweetest music,

Whose presence is the source give all graces power.

BUT by our unbelief we love the darkness, often keeping Him outside.

We live in a world that loves all that is evil and hates all that You say is good.

Let faith give Him entrance shining His light into our lives, homes, cities, and countries.

Please strengthen me to wholly concerned with Your will being done in this life You have given me, strengthen me to bring You alone glory in word and deed as I go into the world to do what You have given me this day.

May my many failures break my heart sending me back to Your feet in confession and repentance, always seeking Your face.

Lord please strengthen the elders, deacons, and all those that are members of the local church You have graced me with. So that the beauty of Your name will go forth into our community showing that there is salvation and life in none other than Jesus Christ.

Please convict those in government of the numerous and gross sins that are continually defended and advocated for at every level, for as a people we are filthy and wretched in your sight. Justly deserving of complete and total annihilation. Please bring us to our knees in true repentance and faith.