Hebrews 3:1

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house. For this one has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.

Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which would be spoken of afterward. But Christ, as a Son over His own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years."

Therefore, I was angry with that generation and said, "They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways." So I swore in My wrath, "They shall not enter My rest." Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily while it is called "today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. While it is said, "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses?

Now, with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.

Father, as we open Your Word this morning, I pray that You would speak to our hearts by Your Spirit through this living Word, which is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Certainly, there are challenging and heavy passages contained in the Scriptures, and I pray, God, that You direct us through it by Your Spirit, that You'd teach us.

You'd help us to make application from Your Word today. By it, You would transform us by the renewing of our minds so that we would be able to show in our lives this week what is Your good and perfect will. Jesus, make us more like You, we pray, and help us to observe Your Word with our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, Amen. You can be seated.

Jesus is better. That has been my proposition as we have started moving through the book of Hebrews over the last several weeks. This is also the proposition of the author of this book, whom I believe to be Timothy, as I proposed several weeks ago. If so, Timothy has been making the case that Jesus is better—Jesus, the uncreated, eternal Creator, Son of God.

We saw in our previous two messages together that Jesus is better than angels. Now, as we come to Hebrews chapter three, Timothy will make the case that Jesus is superior to and worthy of much more glory than Moses. Moses, who the recipients of this letter—Christians who came out of Judaism, out of a Hebrew background tradition—was one that they lifted high, exalted, and looked up to. He was the great lawgiver of Israel, the one sent as a redeemer for Israel to bring them out of Egypt by the power of God, through the plagues there in Egypt. They honored Moses and looked up to him in a significant way.

Now, the author is going to make the case that Jesus is superior to him and worthy of much more glory. This is what he will continue to do over the next several chapters: to show that Jesus is better—better than angels, better than Moses, better than Abraham, better than the priesthood, better than all other options that are out there.

When considering this proposition and the defense of it, the apologetic of it here in this passage, it kind of begs the question: Why is it important to recognize the superiority of Jesus? Why is it important to understand and acknowledge that He is better? Why write a letter such as this? It is a long letter, and it will take us some time to get through it. A letter that establishes and strongly argues the thesis that Jesus is better than all others.

The apologetic here, the defense, is for Christians who came out of Judaism. All of the defenses and arguments will be presented with that mindset. The author will use the Old Testament scriptures and the traditions of Israel because those were authoritative to them. He is making the case that Jesus is better, but why is it important to establish that?

Timothy has already alluded to the reason previously back in chapter two, and he will do it again several times in chapter three. He will mention it three more times in chapter four. It will be a recurring theme as we go through this book to show why Jesus is better. What was the issue? What was the pressing problem that stirred him and prompted him to write these things?

The first issue is shown to us in Hebrews chapter two. Look at verse three. There it says, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" How shall we escape apparent judgment if we neglect so great a salvation? Then in chapter three, verse six, it says, "But Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end."

He reiterates this in Hebrews chapter three, verses twelve through fourteen: "Beware, brethren, speaking to Christians, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."

Then again in Hebrews chapter four, verse one, it states, "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it." Skip down ten verses to Hebrews chapter four, verse eleven: "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience."

Finally, in Hebrews chapter four, verse fourteen, it says, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession." Over and over again, the author of the book of Hebrews is saying we need to be careful.

We need to be on guard and beware of the potential disaster of this problem. Do not neglect the salvation that you have. Do not be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, but hold on tight to the steadfastness of Jesus.

What is the issue that prompts the author to write this letter and give this apologetic for the superiority of Jesus? I think it's very clear. Early Christians, brought to faith out of Judaism from their Hebrew background, were in danger of leaving the faith of Jesus and neglecting His salvation. They risked losing confidence and trust in Him—Jesus alone as the superior sacrifice, the better sacrifice—and therefore coming short of and missing out on the promise of God through Jesus. This is clearly the problem that prompts the author to write this letter: to defend the reality that Jesus is better. He was concerned that some in the Christian faith, coming out of Judaism like he was, might be tempted to go back and neglect the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Now, this issue brings up a couple of questions and objections. One objection that might arise from us, sitting 2,000 years after this letter, is: What does this have to do with me? I'm not Jewish; I didn't come out of Judaism to follow Jesus. Just going by the sheer numbers and the actual data, it's very unlikely that too many of you here in this room today came out of Judaism to be a follower of Jesus. You might say, "Well, this doesn't really apply to me, 2,000 years after the authoring and not having that reality."

Yet, these defenses and apologetics are applicable because every single one of us sitting here today came out of some belief. It may not have been Judaism, but you came out of some other worldview. Maybe it was Mormonism, or perhaps it was from the Jehovah's Witness church. It could have been from Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, or Hinduism. Some of you may have come from naturalism and scientism. I know a few of you came straight out of paganism; hedonistic paganism was where you came from. But you came out of something to be a follower of Jesus.

Of Jesus and in leaving that old worldview and that practice to follow Him, there is the possible temptation. There is the danger that the author of the Book of Hebrews alludes to: you could potentially turn away from and neglect this great salvation of Jesus, returning back to your old pattern of belief and your old pattern of life.

We know that this is a danger because every single one of us, I would say, sitting here today, knows somebody who at one point in time attended church with us. Perhaps they came to this church and seemed to have a walk with Jesus. They seemed to have a trust in Jesus. They opened the Bible with us and studied through it together. Maybe they even sat in a Bible study with us. Yet today, they are no longer walking with Jesus. In some way, they have gone back to their old way of thinking, back to their old patterns of life, and they are no longer here with us.

This illustrates the danger that someone could be walking with Jesus at one point in time or appear to be going to church with the saints, and yet now they are no longer there. The second question that arises is whether this is really a danger. Is leaving the faith, neglecting the salvation through unbelief and disobedience, a risk that would cause them to lose something? Would they miss out on or lose the promise that they once had?

Leaving the faith is indeed a danger. Is it a danger to lose the promise, to come short of receiving the promise, which seems to be what the author is speaking about? The author says, "Let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it." Those are challenging words. They are actually frightening words. Let us be afraid lest anyone we know come short of receiving this promise.

The words get even more challenging. Look again at Hebrews chapter three, verse twelve: "Beware, brethren." He is not talking to the non-believer or the non-churchgoer. He is talking to Christians, people who would be counted among the family of faith—brothers and sisters. He says, "You brothers and sisters, beware lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God." But exhort one another daily while it is still called today.

Called today. Don't waste time, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. So the question is, is it possible to have, as it says, an evil heart of unbelief and depart from the living God, and to be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin? Is that possible?

Now, depending upon the flavor of Christianity you prefer, like the 31 flavors of Christianity, there may be some sitting here today who say emphatically, no, it's not possible. You can give chapter and verse, along with commentary readings, to support the idea that it is not possible for someone to lose their position, neglect, and come short of the promise. That's not possible. You may like that flavor, but there is likely another person sitting here today who sheepishly tries to hold back a little smile. One corner of your mouth kind of upturns as you think, well, it's possible.

You may ascribe to another flavor of Christianity that you prefer, among all the assorted flavors that exist. This is a debate; this is an issue. There are some who hold to what's called a Calvinistic position, and they would say no, it's not possible that you could miss out on that promise. However, there are others who hold to what's called an Arminian position, and they say, well, actually, it's quite possible that you could miss out on that promise.

If you're here today and the words Calvinist and Arminian mean nothing to you, you might be among the most blessed Christians in all the world. Rejoice! But you know what? I teach at a Bible college, and I get to watch this happen every single semester. New students come to the Bible college, and they know nothing about these two positions. By the fourth week of Bible scholars, they are experts on Calvinism and Arminianism. They are arguing and fighting. It doesn't matter if you're teaching, as I am, a class on church planting; the topic will come up. It always does.

But it doesn't just happen at Bible college; it happens in churches as well. There are churches that are divided on this position. This year, 2017, we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation because it was 500 years ago this year, on October 31st, that we look to as the real big turning point.

The Protestant Reformation sparked significant debates about the nature of salvation and the security of believers in Christ. There are those who emphatically argue that it is impossible to lose one's promise in Christ, while others suggest that there may be a possibility of losing that promise. Personally, I prefer the "chocolate flavor" of security in Jesus. It tastes good, like chocolate brownie ice cream—just lap it up and give me some more! However, the alternative flavor, broccoli, is not as appealing. I would much rather have chocolate brownie ice cream than broccoli.

Yet, here's the thing: one will help you grow strong, while the other might lull you to sleep with fatness. I am very concerned that one of these positions can indeed lull the Christian to sleep with complacency. Both flavors, however, are found in the Bible, which presents a challenge. This brings us to the first point: warnings exist for a reason. The entire book of Hebrews serves as a significant warning. It is a huge warning to Christians, whether they come from Judaism or secular humanism.

Perhaps this is why people love to argue about the authorship of the book of Hebrews. They focus on that debate to avoid confronting the warnings presented within. They go on and on about who wrote the book of Hebrews, but we have already figured that out. We do not need to worry about that any longer. We know emphatically who wrote the book of Hebrews, don't we? If you disagree, you can't email me because you signed the pledge.

If you have a problem with the concept of the warnings revealed in Hebrews, we are just starting to scratch the surface. These warnings will become even more pronounced in Hebrews chapter six and even bigger in Hebrews chapter ten. If you do not like the concept of warnings as we find in the book of Hebrews, then it might be more suitable for you to study the book of Romans for eight and a half years. Some churches and pastors spend all their time in the book of Romans because, especially in Romans chapter eight, that is the chocolate ice cream of security in Christ.

Jesus said that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. We love passages like that. We write them on cards and memorize them.

However, there are also warnings in Scripture, and they exist for a reason. Someone sent me a picture of a warning sign a couple of years ago. It said, "Danger: not only will this kill you, it will hurt the whole time you're dying." If I saw a sign like that, I would heed it. I have been shocked a time or two—not too badly—but I can tell you that I have been shocked enough to know I don't want to be shocked unto death. It doesn't sound good.

A few months ago, we were sitting down for dinner with a couple from our church. The husband had been a lineman for SDG&E for years, and he experienced a major shock. He told me the story, and it did not sound fun at all. The reality is that some things can be dangerous, and when you see a sign like that, you take notice. You don't want to get too close to it.

In Scripture, we find very clear, heavy, fear-inducing warnings. Warnings exist for a reason. So how do we deal with this? How do we approach these warnings? My thinking is that the only person who worries about warnings like those found in the book of Hebrews, chapter three, is the Christian. You will never meet a non-Christian or non-churchgoer who says, "I'm really worried about this salvation issue or eternal security issue." They simply do not exist. Only Christians concern themselves with issues about eternal security and whether or not they can hold and maintain their salvation in Jesus Christ.

So, if you are a Christian, you are the type of person who worries about these things.

A Christian today believes that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is therefore profitable and useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. This equips the man or woman of God for every good work. If you are one of the people who worries or concerns yourself about eternal security, then you are one of those who believes that all Scripture is inspired by God. Consequently, you must believe that this passage was inspired by God, that He inspired the author of the Book of Hebrews to say, "Warning, beware, brethren." Warnings exist for a reason. The God who inspired Scripture considered it necessary to put a warning sign in front of the church, and therefore we have passages like this.

So, is it really a danger? Apparently, it is, because God saw fit to include it in the Scriptures. This leads to the question: Can you lose your salvation? To which I say, can I know? Can you? That is a whole other wrong question. The wrong question is asking, "Can you lose your salvation?" as if you could lose your wallet or lose your keys. I don't think you go around saying, "Gosh, I seem to have misplaced my salvation. I thought I had it a few minutes ago, and now it's not there."

You cannot lose your salvation like you lose your wallet or your keys, which is really refreshing because, as time goes by, we tend to lose things a little more often. You can't lose it like, "Well, I just misplaced it. I thought I had my salvation in Jesus Christ a little while ago, and now I can't seem to find it." That is the wrong question.

The right question is the one that the author here alludes to: Can someone, through an evil heart of unbelief and the deceitfulness of sin, depart from Jesus and therefore miss the promise that Jesus gives in salvation? Well, let's just say that there is a big fat warning in Hebrews that says danger. Not only will this kill you, but it will hurt the entire time you're dying.

Point number two on your outline: Jesus is better. That statement, "Jesus is better," is a warning against departing from Him.

Just the mere fact that the statement "Jesus is better" is, by itself, a warning against departing from Him. The author of the book of Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter three, verse one, "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus." Look to Jesus; that is what the word "consider" means. Consider Him, Him who was faithful.

In verse two, it states that God appointed Jesus as Moses was also faithful in all His house. First, we notice that this passage begins with the word "therefore," which makes us wonder what it is there for. Why is "therefore" there? It points us back to Hebrews chapter two, specifically the last two verses.

Look at Hebrews chapter two, verses 17 and 18: "Therefore, in all things, He, Jesus, had to be made like His brethren, us in the flesh, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in the things pertaining to God, to make propitiation—that is, a payment or a reconciliation—for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself suffered, Jesus suffered being tempted. He is able to aid those who are tempted."

He suffered the temptation, the power, the presence, the persistence of sin, and the penalty of sin. He suffered that for us who suffer and who are tempted. Therefore, because of this, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider Him. He suffered for us, and we should consider Him. What do we consider about Him? He was faithful.

In chapter three, verse two, it states that He was faithful to Him who appointed Him. He is faithful. Verse number three on your outline: Jesus is better because only Jesus is always faithful. Now, do we have any Marines or former Marines in the room?

There we go. Some Marines in here. What is the motto of the Marine Corps, Brian Barta? Semper Fidelis, always faithful. Now, I do and always will have the utmost respect for the United States Marine Corps, but this is a reality: only Jesus is always faithful. We may strive to be always faithful. We may make it our motto and our aim to be always faithful, but only Jesus is absolutely 100% always, always faithful.

Now, the Hebrew Christians who would be reading this 2,000 years ago, as they heard about Jesus Christ, the always faithful one, might object and say, "Yes, but Moses was always faithful as well." He was someone they looked up to, honored, and elevated. There was the temptation to leave the faith in Jesus, the confident trust in Jesus, and to move that trust back to faithful Moses and the law that Moses gave. That danger is clearly addressed in this passage.

So, there is the danger that you could move from trust and confidence in Him and now put it in Moses because, hey, he was faithful too. The law that he gave is wholly just and good. The author of the book of Hebrews does not counter that by saying, "No, no, no. Moses was not faithful." Instead, he acknowledges that Moses was also faithful. Just as Moses, at the end of verse two, was faithful in his household, indeed, Moses was faithful.

But look at Hebrews chapter three, verse three: "For this one, Jesus, has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses." He is greater than Moses inasmuch as he who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God. Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward.

But Christ is a Son over His house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. This one, Jesus, has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses. Why? Because Moses was faithful as a servant.

Jesus was faithful as a Son. Point number four on your outline: Jesus is better than Moses because the Son, with a capital "S," is always greater than a servant. He is worthy of much more glory than Moses because the Son is always greater than a servant.

The author continues in Hebrews chapter three, verse seven. Therefore, this being the case, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me and tried Me and saw My works for forty years." I was angry with that generation and said, "They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways." So I swore in My wrath, "They shall not enter My rest."

The original readers of this letter, 2,000 years ago, would have understood exactly what was being spoken of here. The author quotes from the Old Testament, specifically Psalm 95, verses seven through eleven. He reminds them that they turned away from the Lord during the trial in the wilderness for those forty years.

For us, who may not come from a Jewish background, 2,000 years after this letter was first penned, we might need a little refresher. God sent Moses down to Egypt to say to Pharaoh, "Let My people go." Through a series of ten plagues documented for us in the book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible, chapters four through fourteen, Pharaoh ultimately releases the children of Israel to depart out of Egypt. They cross over the Red Sea, following Moses to a place called Mount Sinai.

At Mount Sinai, God delivers the law through angels to Moses, and He gives it to the people, entering into a covenant with God. After a period of two years at Mount Sinai, they move on to go to the promised land, the land that God had promised to the father of the Jewish people, Abraham, 400 years before. He said, "This land will be for your descendants."

Now they are going to the promised land, and there is joy and rejoicing in going to the promised land. However, if you've read through the book of Numbers, you know that right as they come to the very border of it, they send in spies to the land. Ten of those twelve spies come back and say, "Listen, it's going to be too hard for us. There are giants in the land. We can't go in."

The people who had trusted in God to come out of Egypt lost their confidence. There were two of the spies who said, "No, God will give us the land. We just have to trust in Him and have our confidence in Him. Let's go into the land." That night, the people wept in unbelief. In that moment, as they wept, they began to test God, even though they had seen His power, might, and works in Egypt. They had witnessed Him provide and protect them over the last two years while journeying to the promised land. Yet, they lost their confidence in God, who had parted the Red Sea.

Therefore, God said in Psalm 95, "I was angry with that generation and said, 'They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My way.' So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" Here is the amazing and challenging reality: even the great lawgiver, Moses, died in the wilderness and did not obtain the promise. This man, who was faithful in his generation and was exalted and venerated by generations after, died in the wilderness and did not enter the promised land.

The author continues in Hebrews chapter three, verse twelve, "Beware, brethren," speaking to those who are brothers and sisters in the church. "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another, stir one another up every single day while it is called today, before the sun goes down, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."

While it is said, "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses? With whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the desert? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?

So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief—not because their works weren't good enough, but because their confidence had swayed and their faith had shifted.

They no longer put their trust in God, but they began to trust something else. Point number five on your outline: old warnings are no less important than new ones. Just outside a ghost town of a village in central Ukraine, there's a sign. It's an old sign, rusted and hard to read. But the sign says, "Danger, do not enter, radioactive." It's in a number of languages, warning those who come to that place not to go in because there's an invisible killer residing there at Chernobyl. It's an old sign, but it's no less important than a new sign.

There is also an old sign in the Scriptures. Paul speaks about it in First Corinthians, chapter 10, when he talks about the nation of Israel and their wilderness wanderings. He says, "Now, all these things happened to the children of Israel as examples, and they are written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the age have come. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." As Sir Edmund Burke once said, and it has been repeated ever since, "Those that do not know history are doomed to repeat it."

So then, what does this say to us? What does this speak to us? I think the enduring message, the enduring point, is to trust in Jesus alone because Jesus is better. There may be the temptation, the danger of moving your trust, shifting your faith. Having once walked strong and followed after Him, one might turn aside and go after something else, reverting to the old pattern of life and the old way of thinking.

Now, you may object and say, "No, no, no, that could never happen. That's not possible." I would simply say that there's a warning in the Bible, and warnings exist for a reason. We have to be careful not to overindulge in the chocolate ice cream of the eternal security presented in certain places in Scripture.

It's there. We need to be careful not to fall asleep while eating that ice cream, becoming spiritually fat and making ourselves feel better, as is often the case. When we say, "Yeah, that brother of mine, that sister of mine, they used to go to church, and you know what? They prayed a prayer. So it's okay." I know that they've departed, left their spouse, and now they just say, "Well, I don't know if there is a God; I'm an agnostic." Maybe they've returned to a former pattern of life, such as drunkenness or addiction, but we say, "It's okay. They prayed a prayer. I was there. I saw them pray that prayer. They'll be okay at the end of the day."

I say, listen, don't lull yourself to sleep on ice cream. The Scriptures say, "If we see a brother or sister overtaken in a trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted." Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall.

As we sit here this morning, there may be a dozen or more phone calls that need to be made to people. We should say, "Listen, I'm concerned for your salvation." As Nacho says, did you know that research shows Easter is the number one Sunday of the year when people return to church? Easter is three weeks away. It just might be an opportunity for you and me to make that call to someone who once seemed to be walking in the faith, and yet now you're not so sure.

I don't know about you, but I would want to be sure. The only way to be sure of someone's salvation is as long as they're abiding in Jesus. May it be that our passion for Christ burns ever so bright as we follow hard after Him, knowing that His hand holds us up. God, help us not to lull ourselves to sleep thinking, "It's okay; they prayed a prayer. They'll be just fine." Are you absolutely sure about that? Because there's a warning in the Bible. In fact, there are a number of them, and we're going to see over the next several weeks how God stirs our hearts with a passion for the souls of those who are not only lost.

But those who seem to have gone astray often find themselves in a debate. The person who identifies as a Calvinist might say, "No, no, no. They could never lose their salvation; they must not have actually been a Christian." On the other hand, those who believe that one can lose their salvation argue that many have indeed lost it. What do both sides conclude? They need to repent. They need the gospel. In the end, they arrive at the same conclusion: they need to repent and they need the gospel.

May it be that the Lord wants to use you to share that good news of the gospel with them again, perhaps a second time. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Lord Jesus, I thank you for your grace, your lovingkindness, and your mercy. It is because of your mercy and lovingkindness that we are not consumed. You are holy, completely separate from sinners, and you are just. Yet, Lord, you have given us your mercy and grace time and time again. We thank you so much for your saving grace.

At this moment, I pray, and I am sure that there are faces in our minds—names of individuals, friends, and family members—who once seemed to be walking with you, and yet now they are not. Lord, we pray that you would draw them by your Spirit. Perhaps you will use some who are in this room today to invite them back.

As we stand here this morning, you might be one of those individuals who has returned to church for the first time in a long time. A friend or family member invited you here today, and you realize that you want to put your faith and trust in Jesus again. Or maybe you've never done that before. I want to give you a chance to do that this morning.

If you would like to receive the grace and forgiveness of Jesus for your failures and your sin, remember that Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago to deal with the penalty of our sin. He makes that grace available to you right now. If that is you and you would like to receive His grace, would you just lift up your hand as we are in a time of prayer?

Is there anyone here this morning who would like to receive the grace and forgiveness of Jesus? I see you there in the back, a couple of you. Anyone else? Praise the Lord. If that is you, would you just raise your hand where you are?

Pray out loud with me. Dear Jesus, I recognize my need for You. I've failed and I've sinned, but I thank You that You died for my sin so that I could live with You forever. Would You come into my life? Forgive me of my sin. Help me to follow You by faith. In Jesus' name, amen.