John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.

Father, as we open Your Word today and as we think about the words that You spoke two thousand years ago—that You have come that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly—I pray that that would be our experience. I pray that we would be, on a daily basis, more and more experiencing the abundant life that You came to give.

Lord, as we consider Your Word, which we believe to be given by inspiration from You, and we believe it to be useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, I pray that we would be thoroughly equipped for every good work. I ask that You would do that work by Your Word and by the power of Your Spirit today, equipping us for good works this week. May these works be manifested in our lives at work, at school, or in our neighborhood, wherever we are.

Lord, would You speak to us and teach us? Transform us by the renewing of our minds. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, Amen. You can be seated.

It is recorded here that Jesus said, "My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." That's what the New Living Translation says in John chapter 10, verse 10. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. I'm not sure that I know any people who are not seeking a rich and satisfying life. I would venture to guess that you don't know any people who aren't pursuing a rich and satisfying life either.

Even in one of our founding documents as a nation, it speaks about the pursuit of happiness. In many ways, that is the seeking after and the pursuing of a rich and satisfying life.

Now, there are many different ways that people might define rich and satisfying. If you were to interview a hundred people and ask them what a rich and satisfying life is, you would come up with a lot of differences in answers. There would certainly be some commonality; you would find some common threads, but there would be different views and different understandings of what constitutes a rich and satisfying life.

Some people think that richness and satisfaction are found in wealth. Just an outward examination of our own nation reveals that many people believe richness and satisfaction come from wealth. Other people think that richness and satisfaction are found in power. You see individuals pushing to gain more power, whether it be political power, business power, or whatever it may be. There are also many who believe that richness and satisfaction are found in fame. They think that if they attain a certain level of celebrity or status, then they will experience richness and satisfaction.

Some individuals seem to think that richness and satisfaction are found in intellectual pursuits, business achievements, or pleasurable experiences. There are all kinds of different things that people are seeking for richness, satisfaction, and happiness. However, whatever it may be, I think that just about everybody I know is seeking richness and satisfaction in some way.

When it comes to a rich, satisfying, and happy life, one of the frightening things is that many of the people we look up to in our society—those who have achieved a level of wealth, business success, fame, or some other great accomplishment—often do not appear to be satisfied. Not only do they not seem satisfied, but they also tell us in interviews that they worked so hard to achieve this medal, this promotion, or this accomplishment, and when they got there, it was not satisfying. Many of them slide into a place of deep despair and depression because that which they thought would bring them richness, satisfaction, happiness, and joy did not.

It didn't bring what they hoped it would bring, what they anticipated it would bring. But Jesus here says, "I have come that you may have life and that you may have it fully, more abundantly, richly, with satisfaction." This is one of the purpose statements of Jesus in His coming.

We just celebrated the coming of Jesus, the Advent of Jesus at Christmas. It's important to consider the coming of Jesus into the world. It's not just a birth; it is His coming. He existed before time began. John chapter one speaks about Him existing in the beginning. Then the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This is the celebration of Jesus stepping from one reality into this reality, stepping into this world. It is not just the birth of a new baby; it is the coming into the world of one who already existed. He says, "I came to this world to give life and to give life more abundantly."

Now, I said that's one of the purpose statements of Jesus. The Gospels have about six or seven different statements of why He came. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter five, verse 17, it says He came to fulfill the law. In Mark chapter one, verse 38, it says that He came to preach the Gospel. In Luke chapter 19, verse 10, it says He came to seek and to save that which is lost. In Mark chapter 10, verse 45, it says He came to serve and not be served and to give His life a ransom for many.

There are a number of places in the Gospels where we are given a purpose statement for Jesus's coming. Here in John chapter 10 is at least one of them: "I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly, that they might have it richly and with satisfaction."

When you look at these statements found in the Gospels about why Jesus came, at the very least, it tells us point number one on your outline: Jesus came to the world for a purpose. Now, that's not a revolutionary point, but it's an important point. It's important for us to understand that there is a reason for which Jesus came to the world. One of those reasons, when we're thinking about why He came, is this idea of abundance.

Richness and satisfaction must be factored into the reason for which He came. Three thousand years ago, there was a man who set out to find abundance, satisfaction, and richness in this world. He conducted something of a scientific experiment on finding satisfaction and recorded his findings for us in a book called Ecclesiastes. It's not a big book, but it is a very fascinating one. If you've never read through the twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes, I highly recommend that you take some time today or this week to read through it. It will probably only take you about twenty minutes to half an hour to read through the twelve chapters.

Ecclesiastes was written three thousand years ago by a man named Solomon, who was the king of Israel at the time. He set out to determine where satisfaction is found. You can turn to the book if you'd like to. We will look at a little bit of it as we go through our message. Ecclesiastes is right after the books of Psalms and Proverbs. So, turn to about the middle of your Bible. You'll probably be in the Psalms. Turn to the right, pass Proverbs, and then you will come to Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes is the research report of one Dr. Solomon, if you will, as he set out to scientifically examine satisfaction in this life. In the opening words of chapter one, Solomon begins by thinking that maybe he will find satisfaction and joy in the pursuit of intellectual endeavors, in the pursuit of wisdom. He believes that if he attains a certain level of great wisdom, then he will experience satisfaction. However, he gives us his first finding at the very end of the chapter. He states that it is all meaningless, like chasing the wind; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

He sought pleasure and satisfaction in intellectual pursuits and wisdom, but at the end of the day, he found it to be empty. It was all like chasing the wind; it was meaningless. I have a dog that I think sometimes is chasing the wind, and the other dog looks at him as if to say, "What are you doing?"

It's a foolish pursuit to chase the wind. Here, Solomon reflects on his search for satisfaction. He tried intellectual pursuits and wisdom, but found it all meaningless, like chasing the wind.

In his second experiment, which begins in Chapter Two, Solomon invites us to consider pleasure. He states, "Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the good things in life." However, he quickly discovers that this too is meaningless. He decided to indulge himself with all his wealth, privilege, and power, seeking satisfaction in pleasure. He was determined not to deny himself anything, exploring all the good things life had to offer, yet he found it all empty.

In verse three, Solomon mentions that he decided to cheer himself with wine. As he pursued pleasure and found it dissatisfying, he fell into a state of despair and thought perhaps alcohol would solve his problems. Unfortunately, that didn't work either.

In verse four, he sought meaning by building huge homes for himself, owning large herds and flocks, and collecting great sums of silver and gold. He had many beautiful concubines and everything a man could desire. He denied himself no pleasure. Solomon was on a quest to find satisfaction in life through intellectual pursuits, pleasure-seeking, chemical substances, and the accumulation of wealth.

His conclusion is found in Ecclesiastes Chapter Two, verse eleven. The New Living Translation states, "But as I looked at everything that I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless, like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere." Sound familiar? This was written 3,000 years ago.

Now it's interesting because this same guy wrote in this same book that there is nothing new under the sun. Nothing has changed in 3,000 years. There are still people seeking, still people trying to find satisfaction through intellectual pursuits, business achievements, or amassing great wealth. They are still searching for these things and always coming up dry.

Three thousand years ago, Solomon did the research. It's a published report that has been available for 3,000 years on what he found. Look at what he says in verse 17 of Ecclesiastes chapter two, again from the New Living Translation: "So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun in this world is so troubling. Everything is meaningless, like chasing the wind. I came to hate all of my hard work on the earth, for I must leave it to others, and everything that I have earned, I’m going to give away. Who can tell whether my successors will be as wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless."

In verse 20, he continues, "I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world." There is nothing new under the sun. Time has changed, the scenery has changed, and advancements in technology have changed, but the problems remain the same. I sought satisfaction in intellectual pursuits and in pleasure-seeking, but I couldn't find it.

Point number two on your outline: the world and all that is in it does not ultimately satisfy. That doesn't mean that there aren't joyful experiences or great highs that can be experienced in this life, but every single one of those is temporary. They do not ultimately satisfy.

Fast forward 3,000 years from Solomon, and you come to one of the hit songs that, even after decades, is still popular: "I can't get no satisfaction." I try and I try and I try. Then, just a couple of decades later, you get another hit song.

I still haven't found what I'm looking for. I guarantee that if you go through the other hit songs of the day, you'll find common themes that reflect this reality: this world and all that is in it does not ultimately satisfy. But Jesus came to this world for a purpose. He came to give life, and He came to give it more abundantly. He came to bring richness and satisfaction.

Now, maybe you're thinking, if Christianity teaches that God created the world—and that is one of the core teachings of Christianity—why then did He create a world that does not ultimately satisfy? Why did He create such an environment in which there is so much brokenness, so much failure, and no way to experience this great richness in its fullness? That's a great question. I suggest to you that this world is not as God originally intended it. This is not the way that God designed it to be.

Some of you, just this last Sunday, as it was the beginning of a new year, set out to do something that a lot of followers of Jesus, Christians, do at the beginning of the year. You said, "I'm going to read through the Bible in a year." I had several people come up and tell me this last week, and I cheer you on. I champion that. I hope that you stick with it. I guarantee you, you're going to hit some rough patches. You're going to encounter difficulties in just about a month and a half when you start getting into Exodus and then Leviticus. If you can get through Leviticus, then you have to listen. If you get to Chronicles, God bless you. I'll be praying with you and for you. You can pray with me.

I set out on this endeavor to read through the Scriptures every year as well, and by God's grace, He carries me through. If you miss a day, just pick it up and go to the next spot, and keep going. But plod through the Scriptures.

Here's the thing: if you started reading through the Scriptures last week, you know that at the very beginning, in the book of Genesis, chapter one, God did not create this world this way. It was different. In fact, turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible. It's wonderful when the pastor says to turn to Genesis; you can turn there like you're an authority on Scripture. You just praise God. I didn't say like Zephaniah. Genesis chapter one, verse one.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light." And there was light.

God created one of the core beliefs of the Christian faith: God spoke all things into existence. Before He did, nothing existed. He created out of nothing. As you read through Genesis chapter one, you find that at the end of each day of creation—there are six days of creation spoken of in Genesis chapter one—He looks at what He had made and says, "It is good." Seven times in the opening chapter of the Bible, He says, "It is good." The seventh time is found in the very last verse, Genesis 1:31. It states, "And then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good." It is not just good; it is very good. And so the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Everything that God made at the beginning was very good.

At the center of God's good creation, the final act of creation on the sixth day, God made man in His image. In the image of God, He made them male and female. God made us in His image, which means that in some way we are like God—not in every way, but in some way. He created us after His form, after His likeness. As He looked at man, whom He had made in His image, He said, "It is very good."

When God created us, the triune God revealed Himself in Genesis 1:1, 2, and 3. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth; the Spirit of God was there, and the Lord spoke. God spoke. The Word of God was there. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the living Word, were there together. He created us in His image to be like Him and to be connected to Him in relationship. At the very beginning, when everything was good, we were united to God in an unbroken relationship.

Connection and relationship are fundamental to our existence. God, who is good, desires this goodness to continue and to move forward. He looks at His creation in Genesis chapter two, and this is what we read in verse 18: "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good.'" This marks the first negative statement in the narrative; in chapter one, there are seven affirmations of goodness. However, in chapter two, verse 18, it is noted that "it is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him."

There is something missing when God states that it is not good. It does not imply that it is evil; rather, it is incomplete. It is not exactly the way He wants it to be. Therefore, He decides to make a helper comparable to Adam. God brings all of the animals He had created before Adam, and Adam is tasked with naming them. As Genesis chapter two describes, Adam realizes that something is missing. He observes that there is no helper comparable to him.

In response, God causes a deep sleep to come upon Adam, and from Adam, He creates and makes woman. The two of them are united together as one. God desires this goodness to continue, fostering communion with Him and maintaining an unbroken relationship between man and woman. He establishes this command, the very first one given to humanity, as recorded in Genesis 1:28: "And then God blessed them, the man and the woman, Adam and Eve. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply.'"

This is a good command. God instructs them to fill the earth and subdue it, having dominion over all the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living creature that moves on the earth. What is God doing here? He is saying, "Listen, I have created you to be in unbroken relationship with Me and in unbroken relationship with one another. I want that to continue." Therefore, He commands them to be fruitful and multiply, creating more beings to foster community.

Point number three on your outline: We were made to live in communion with God and in community with one another.

We were made for connection, to be connected to each other and to be connected to God. But clearly, as we look at the world today, something is amiss thousands of years later because that community is not there. That communion is lost; it's gone.

For those of you who have been reading through Genesis, you know that after Genesis chapter two, when you come into Genesis chapter three, there is a reason for why that community was gone. It starts in Genesis chapter three and says that the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field. He came to the woman, Eve, and asked her a question: "Has God indeed said that you shall not eat of all the trees in the garden?" There was one tree in the garden that God had said you shall not eat of. She responded, saying, "God has given us all to eat from the garden, except the one tree in the midst of the garden. We shall not eat it, nor shall we touch it, for the day in which we do, we shall surely die."

The cunning serpent replied, "You shall not surely die." There we have the temptation of Eve and Adam and the fall. The thief has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. That's exactly what he did. The thief, in the form of the serpent, more cunning than any beast of the field, came in with his cunning and beguiled them.

As a result, we have the brokenness that now comes in as man turns away from the command of God, rebels against the command of God, and partakes of this tree. That rebellion is called sin. From that sin, there is a brokenness. God, who was in total unbroken connection with man, steps into the garden. Genesis chapter three, verse nine, says He walks in the garden in the cool of the day, and His words that come out of His mouth are, "Adam, where are you?" There is a brokenness in that communion that God had originally intended.

Not only is there a brokenness in the community between man and God, but also a brokenness in the communion between man and man, specifically between husband and wife. There is a division in their oneness. We know this because at the end of Genesis chapter two, it says that both of them were together without any shame, naked and unashamed.

But then, immediately after they partook of this sin, it says that they beheld their nakedness. They knew that they were naked, and they made coverings for themselves. Shame entered in, and there was a division. For thousands of years, there has been this brokenness. Why? Point number four on your outline: sin destroyed everything. Sin destroyed everything. The goodness of God's creation was gone. The connection between God and man was broken. The oneness that God intended between human beings was devastated.

In the New Testament, in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul says this in Romans chapter five: "Therefore, as through one man, sin entered the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all humanity." All 7.4 billion people on the face of this planet are born into the brokenness, and we see it every single day.

Now, we live in a society here in the United States of America, and especially in Southern California, where we try to bury ourselves off from the brokenness. For a time, sometimes you can do that. In fact, we live in a place where you can live a fairly long period of time without being confronted by or impacted by the brokenness that exists in this world. But eventually, you experience it. The brokenness is everywhere. There's no getting away from it. We can try to separate ourselves from it, but it's there, and at some point, it always gets through. It finds its way in.

Sometimes it just affects us at a very tertiary level, far out sort of level, when we see it in the news and the brokenness that's going on in the world. When we see the things that have happened in Syria over the last five years, when we see the terrorist attack in Istanbul just last week, or when we see what happened at the Fort Lauderdale Airport just the other day on Friday, there is an impact.

Sometimes it comes a little bit closer to home, like when two young children die in a fire here in Escondido, as they did last week; it hits us a little bit more. Or maybe it happens in your own family, when a child dies or a family member is diagnosed with cancer. Whatever it may be, we are impacted by the brokenness, and we realize it. Sin destroyed everything.

It has brought division, destruction, and death. Yet, there is within every single one of us a residual desire for the way it was. There is a longing for life before the fall. We seek for that satisfaction, joy, happiness, and connection. We look for it in the things of this world. Maybe we will find it in intellectual pursuits, in wealth, in pleasure, or in other areas. Every single person on the face of this planet is seeking for that in some way, shape, or form.

If you follow the worldviews and philosophies of man for thousands of years, you can see this seeking and how it longs for these things to bring connection and restoration of satisfaction. It is very interesting to watch the progression of worldviews all the way down to the 20th century, especially in the nihilism of the 21st century, where there is just no meaning. This has become one of the predominant mindsets and worldviews of the postmodern world here in the 21st century, particularly in the Western part of the world, such as the United States and Western Europe. This view asserts that there is no meaning, so individuals must try to create meaning for themselves.

However, those who set out to create meaning often find that there is no satisfaction in it under the sun in this realm. But Jesus said, "I have come." He stepped into this world from another world. He is not of this world, but He steps into this world. He said, "I have come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly." That is good news; that is what we call the gospel.

Point number five on your outline: Jesus came to restore the broken connection. He came to bring life. This is what we, as a church, are all about—this good news of Jesus coming to restore that broken connection and to bring life.

That more abundantly, to seek and to save that which is lost, to give His life a ransom for many, so that we might be restored back to God and back to one another. And that's why our mission, our vision, as it says at the bottom of your bulletin on the front, is life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus.

We begin each year coming back to this. We talk about it throughout the year, but we start each year talking about life in connection with God, as we do today. Next week, we'll talk about life in connection with one another, and the week following, life in connection with the world. But notice this: life comes through Jesus. Life through Jesus. He brings us back into connection with God, one another, and ultimately, we bring that message to the world.

Let me read to you again from the book of Romans. I already read from Romans chapter five, verse 12, where Paul said, "Through one man, sin entered the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men." He goes on to say this in verse 17 of the same chapter: "For if by one man's offense, Adam's offense, death reigned through Adam, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ."

Adam brought sin and death through his rebellion and through the fall; Jesus, through His life, brings righteousness. Therefore, in verse 18, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation, even so, through one man's righteous act, the free gift came to all men resulting in justification of life. "For as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience, many will be made righteous."

What is this? Well, Paul is telling us exactly what God did. God created a good world, a world in which we were in communion with Him and community with one another. But through sin, that communion, that community was destroyed and ruined. We have experienced the brokenness of that ever since. We are all fully acquainted with the brokenness of this world. We see it around us all the time.

There is a desire within every single one of us, a longing for a restoration of communion and that community. And where does it come from? It comes from Jesus Christ.

That's why he could say, "I have come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly." The thief came to steal, to kill, and to destroy. We have seen the ramifications of what the thief has done; it's all around us all the time. But Jesus came to give life and that more abundantly.

Again, let me read to you from the book of Ephesians, speaking about this same concept in the New Testament. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter two, verse 13: "But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near, how? By the blood of Christ." He died on the cross, ransoming us from sin and death to bring us back. For He, Jesus Himself, is our peace who has made both one. He has taken those who were divided and made them one. He has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances. This was done to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both back to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enemy. He reconciles us back to God. He brings us back to God through what He did on the cross.

Let me tell you, there is not a person alive who doesn't desire, at the deepest level, even though they may not be able to articulate exactly what that desire is. At the deepest level, they are desiring this satisfaction that comes only from communion with God and the community with one another that comes in Jesus Christ. Every one of the people that you know—at work, at school, in your family, in your neighborhood—even if they don't know God, there is this desire within them that this is not all there is.

It's really interesting to watch how this plays out in the world constantly. We see it in a very clear and visible way right now in pop culture. We always will, even though we are living in a time in our own nation where there's a growing populace of people who don't really believe that there is a God. In fact, according to Pew Research, their research on religion in America has shown findings that have been consistent over many years. Their most recent findings indicate that 23% of Americans today—almost a quarter of our population—are not affiliated with any religious group; they are unaffiliated.

We're living in what's called a post-Christian society, where 23% say they have no religious leanings. Yet, even though there's a growing number of people who claim no religious affiliation, most of them still have a desire for something more than just this. We see this desire reflected in our culture in really interesting ways.

Some of the top shows of our day are tapping into this theme. The leading shows currently running on Netflix, for example, include "Stranger Things." What is that all about? It suggests that this world is not all there is; there is something behind the reality we live in right now. Not just "Stranger Things," but also "The OA," which is another top hit show on Netflix. What is that about? It conveys the idea that this is not the only reality and that there is something beyond it. In "The OA," the only way to access this other reality is through death. The characters have near-death experiences and are brought back because they don't want to fully die; they just want to experience the other side. What are these shows and pop culture saying? There is something more. This existence is illusory; it is not all there is.

This past June, at the annual Code Conference, a gathering of thinkers, Elon Musk was present. You may have heard his name; he is the founder and CEO of SpaceX, the company aiming to establish a community on Mars. He is also the founder and CEO of Tesla Motors and was a co-founder of PayPal, which many of you have likely used to make online purchases. At the Code Conference, Musk was asked a question about virtual reality and whether we might actually be living in a simulation, suggesting that what we perceive as reality could just be one big computer game.

What does Elon Musk say in response? He admits that he has thought a lot about this idea and believes it might be true. Interestingly, he is an avowed atheist. He explains his reasoning by referencing the evolution of video games. Forty years ago, we had Pong—two rectangles and a square bouncing back and forth. Does anyone remember that? Some of you might have even achieved high scores on it. That was 40 years ago. Now, we have photorealistic games that are nearing a point where they are indistinguishable from reality. You may have heard a lot in the news today about Oculus and virtual reality.

You're going to hear a lot more about virtual reality. What is this? People have come to the point where they say, "This world sucks. We're going to create a new reality, a virtual reality." Now it's becoming so real that your mind has a hard time distinguishing between this reality and virtual reality.

Because we've come that far in 40 years, this is Elon Musk's point. He says it's not unthinkable to consider that, because we now have these virtual realities that are almost indistinguishable from reality, this might actually not be real. Some higher race or greater intelligence could have created this simulation, and we're all involved in it. When asked if he believes this, he said, "I think the probability is one in billions."

Let me tell you something. Those who are millennials, that is, those 35 and younger, and those in Generation Y, the generation before them, have one of the predominant worldviews that this is not all there is. This is not reality; there's something beyond this. Do you remember "The Matrix"?

Now, a whole bunch of Christians might wonder, "What do we do about that?" We say, actually, you know what? You guys are closer to reality than you think because this is not all there is. There is a world that is more real than this one, more tangible than this one. Once upon a time, we had a connection to that world, but it was broken. We all know it's broken, and we all desire that connection to be made again.

Let me tell you something: the creator of this simulation stepped into this world to reconnect us back to Him. Two thousand years ago, the man Jesus Christ came to give life and that more abundantly. When you hear Elon Musk say something like, "Yeah, it's one in billions. We're living in a simulation built by some higher intellect," that may sound far out, but that's kind of what the Bible says. There is a higher intellect who created us and placed us here in something He created, and He desires that we be connected with Him. Jesus came to make that connection. Life in connection with God, one another, and the world comes through Him.

Amen. Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Father, I thank you so much that you loved us to the point that you sent your Son to step down into this world to deal with the problem of sin that was keeping us from coming to you and to make the way open for us to return to you again. Thank you, God, that you loved us to that point and that Jesus, you demonstrated that love. While we were still sinners, you died for us to make it possible for us to be brought back into connection with you.

I pray, God, that we who have been joined to you, united together with you again, would be able to bring that good news to those in our world who are experiencing brokenness and desiring so much more than what this world has to offer. I pray, God, that you would give us the boldness to share the good news of what you've done for us as we interact with people this week. Help us to be bold. Help us to share your love and your grace.

It may be that as we stand here in prayer, you have been seeking satisfaction and richness in the things of this world through intellectual pursuit, wealth, pleasure, or some other thing, and you realize it's not there. I want you to know you will never find it in this world. It only comes from a relationship with God and all the benefits that come from that relationship.

If you'd like to receive God's forgiveness of sin and His grace and be reconciled back to God today, I want to give you a chance to do that. All you simply have to do is receive the free gift that God offers. If that's you, if you want to receive that gift today, would you just lift up your hand? Anyone here this morning?

Father, I pray for your church, and I ask God that you would empower us by your Spirit to be bold witnesses of you as there is a growing move of people in our nation.

This deep, residing sense that this is not all there is creates a desire for so much more. God, give us the passion to share the good news with them. We pray this in Jesus' name, and all those who agree said, "Amen."