Religious text

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for the privilege that it is to be able to look at this portion of Scripture today from the book of 1 John.

And Lord, throughout the course of our days, we find ourselves very much concerned for our life.

We want to have a healthy life.

We want to have a valued life.

And this world makes all kinds of promises to us about how that can be obtained.

But as we look at this portion of Scripture from 1 John 5, we're specifically shown that we will only have life through your Son, Jesus Christ.

You tell us in your word that whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Bill, perhaps we don't see it enough.

Sometimes it takes a small army to get together and have a public Bible reading because, you know, oftentimes the idea is read through the whole of the Scriptures.

For some people, that sounds like it's, you know, an endless task.

But, of course, it easily is done.

You might want to put your hand up and be a part of that if you're a Victorian listener.

Here's the website where you can connect with Sylvia.

dwinfield.com dwinfield.com Hey Bill, thank you so much for sharing your insights about public prayer and Bible reading and Bible reading marathons, not only from Scriptures, Old Testament and New, but also throughout church history.

Let me point people to how you can connect with Bill Muhlenberg.

Kate,

you're exactly right to get hold of the Bible first and to chase it out through the Scriptures and...

if I'd be so kind, so generous, so rude, suggested buying my book because the Sabbath chapter is the one that I think creates the biggest controversy amongst Christians, the most difficulty for us to think about it.

The Sabbath is of course in Hebrews a great image of heaven.

Thus it is a reference to the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament.

In Romans chapter 15 at verse 4, where Paul says, "...whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort to the Scriptures might have hope." It is important that we understand the fact, the truth, the reality that the Old Testament Scriptures were inspired by the same Holy Spirit that inspired the New Testament Scriptures.

That it is the same one revealing the mind of God to Jeremiah as revealed the mind of God to the Apostle Paul or to Peter or James or any of the others.

And it is important...

As a matter of fact, if it needs further confirmation, it would only be because there was a weakness in the first confirmation.

And it would be an insult to the integrity of God.

An insult, actually, to the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures.

And any time, any time that we would affirm that miracles are occurring today, then we are affirming that the Scriptures are not all-sufficient and that the confirmation, the confirmation did not occur.

when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

Dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture move with us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness, and that we should not dissemble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God our Heavenly Father, but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart, to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same by His infinite goodness and mercy.

And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God, Yet ought we chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together, to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul.

Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me, Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.

Rend your heart and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of evil.

Dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture move with us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness, and that we should not dissemble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God our Heavenly Father, but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart, to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same by His infinite goodness and mercy.

And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God, Yet ought we chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together, to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul.

Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me, Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.

God, take my life.

You know, guys in Scripture, Jeremiah prayed that the Lord would take his life.

What would your counsel be to somebody like that? Well, trust, you know,

trust God.

We need to be in Job 23 for a little bit today.

I'd like to turn in your Bibles to a passage of Scripture there.

We'll read it in a moment.

The topic for today is waiting it out.

It's amazing, Joe.

And it goes back to what Scripture says.

Christ said in John chapter 15, without me you can do nothing.

Yes.