Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] You bow your heads in prayer with me.
[00:00:04] Father, we thank you so much for this time together.
[00:00:08] Thank you for all that you're doing in our church in this season.
[00:00:13] Thank you for just the generosity and the sacrifice and the faith of our church. And Lord, I pray you would just bless us, Help us as we look at the Sermon on the Mount. Lord, shape us, challenge us, guide us with us. All. We ask this in Jesus good name. Amen.
[00:00:30] Well, it's good to see you today. Church.
[00:00:34] All right.
[00:00:35] Mom, was that you?
[00:00:37] Is that one you know can always count on her?
[00:00:41] No, it is good to see you. And as Tina said, I want to say a huge thank you for all those who gave and prayed and sacrificed for our more than offering 60,000. What a blessing and a help. So thank you for that.
[00:00:58] That really goes a long way in this project. So I greatly appreciate that. And if it's on your heart to continue to give you absolutely can.
[00:01:06] It all helps. And there's more to go. But it was so fun this week. Doors are coming in. Windows, frames, duct work is being run. Electricity framing, or.
[00:01:20] What am I trying to say? The outside panel. I can't. I literally can't. My mind just went blank. It's always a good feeling when you're preaching this stuff on the exterior siding.
[00:01:36] Let's pray. Church.
[00:01:39] I think that's good enough for today. Amen.
[00:01:42] Yeah, that's gonna happen. Let's just end there.
[00:01:46] But a lot of stuff is moving, so what an exciting season. And I cannot wait be able to worship in that place and to see how God uses it for his glory.
[00:01:59] It is gonna be awesome. Hey. But today we are continuing our series through the Book of Matthew. We've been in it for a while, and we're in this particular area of Matthew called the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is preaching. It's the greatest sermon ever preached. It is high challenge, and it's a sermon that shows us what it means to be part of his kingdom.
[00:02:23] Every kingdom has a culture. Every kingdom has a way of life. And a Sermon on the Mount is Jesus saying, hey, this is what it looks like when I'm king and you follow me.
[00:02:34] This is how I want you to relate to others and to think about your life and to live your life. And so that's what we've been looking at. We're gonna continue that today. But before we dive into it, years ago, I was working out, and all of a sudden I felt my knee move in a weird way, like it never moved before. And I was like, oh, man, that's not good. And then shortly after that, it just swelled up big time, you know, and I thought, I think I really did something here.
[00:03:06] And so, you know, I waited a couple days and just. The swelling stayed just it was hurting. I was like, all right, I think I need to go get this looked at.
[00:03:17] So I went, you know, went to the doctor, got it looked at. It said, you need an mri. Got an mri. And he's like, you tore your meniscus.
[00:03:24] I was like, oh, bummer. I don't know what a meniscus is, but that sounds bad.
[00:03:29] He's like, yeah, it's not that big of a deal, but, you know, we gotta go and kinda get that cleaned up because basically, it's like this padding on your knee, and when it gets torn, it can sort of get in the way of the joint and just not a very good feeling and hurt. And, you know, it can kind of get worse and all that sort of thing. And so I said, doctor, all right, you know, what do we gotta do? He said, you know, it's gonna require surgery. And I said, am I gonna be able to dance again?
[00:04:02] You know, you can't have those conversations without.
[00:04:05] Without going there. But anyway, but I got the surgery, and it was good. But it's amazing how, you know, just something so seemingly small in your body when it gets out of place, the pain and the damage that it can cause, right?
[00:04:22] And today we're gonna look at Jesus and he's gonna talk about anger to us.
[00:04:27] And anger is one of those things that is a natural part of life.
[00:04:32] You can't go through life and not experience anger, right? Unless you're some robot, which you're not. You're a human being. It's part of life. But anger can so easily get out of place and create a lot of damage. And so Jesus is gonna help us to see how we deal with that, what that looks like and what that means. So today we're gonna look at Matthew, chapter five, and I'm gonna start at verse 21. I wish we could go through every line of Matthew, but for the sake of time, we kind of have to skip around a little bit. So we're gonna pick up verse 21. Here's what it says. Jesus says, you heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder.
[00:05:19] Now, Jesus here is referring to the Ten Commandments, which were, you know, thousand fifteen hundred years before him. And he said, you. You know the commandments, you shall not murder. Whoever murders will be liable to judgment But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.
[00:05:46] Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council. Whoever says, you fool, will be liable to the hell of fire.
[00:05:56] So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you.
[00:06:02] Leave your gift there before the altar and go first be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gifts.
[00:06:13] Now, these verses are very, very powerful.
[00:06:18] And as you read this section of the Sermon on the Mount, it should make you uncomfortable.
[00:06:25] And if it does, like, that's good. That's what it's meant. It should feel like a high level of challenge to us. Because what Jesus is doing here in the sermon about he's not bringing the bar down for us, he's raising it up.
[00:06:42] Before these verses, Jesus said, I have not come to take away the law, but to fulfill it. And what he means by that is that he's saying, I wanna show you what God really wants to do in you and through you and for you. I wanna show you what God's real standard is for you.
[00:07:05] And so I'm not here to bring the bar down, but to raise it up. He says, you think you're good cause you're like, God, I haven't killed anybody.
[00:07:14] The Lord's like, yeah, that's a good start, but I'm actually aiming for a little bit more. Amen.
[00:07:20] He said, yeah, but you're hating people in your heart.
[00:07:25] The Lord says, that's murder, too, in my eyes. This is what Jesus is teaching us now. What this means and what we have to understand about this is the Sermon on the Mount is showing us that God wants to do a continuous, full renovation of your heart.
[00:07:47] You ever have a project at home that goes a little bit long and costs a little bit much more than you thought? Right? That's every project we've ever done. Amen.
[00:07:58] That's how it goes. And you're like, when is this. Oh, when is this gonna be done? When's the bathroom gonna be done? When's the kitchen gonna be done so I can use it again? You know, that frustration of that kind of thing?
[00:08:10] And here's what the Sermon on the Mount is showing us is you are being fully renovated by God.
[00:08:17] And do you know when he's done?
[00:08:20] The day you die.
[00:08:22] Are you encouraged this morning?
[00:08:24] This project, it's going a long time, and it's cost him more than you know. But what Jesus is showing us is that that's what God wants to do. And he wants to change you. Not on the surface, but.
[00:08:39] But at the core of who you really are.
[00:08:42] This is the sermon on the Mount. The Lord's not saying, look, I'm not asking you to just sort of look good and sound good and say the right things, but I really want to change you at the deepest levels of your heart, at the places that no one sees. But I see, and I know this is what Jesus inviting us into. See, I think about it this way. I've not really ever been sailing, but I think it looks really cool.
[00:09:15] And if you have a sailboat, I would love to be friends, you know, and if you have a yacht, too, I'll take that as well.
[00:09:24] Honestly, if you have an inner tube at this point, I'll. Beggars can't beat you. I'm just looking for friends. Amen.
[00:09:32] But I think sailing's really cool. And I know that it takes a lot of skills and a lot of knowledge, and I don't know a lot about it, but I know that probably one of the most important things about sailing is having a boat that has integrity in the hull, that you don't want leaks coming in. You want to make sure that it's all weighted correctly and has the big rudder and all that kind of thing. And now imagine if you were gonna go on a very long sailing journey, and someone said, I've got two boats you can choose from.
[00:10:04] And they said, here's the first one. And you look at it, and it's like it needs a new paint job.
[00:10:10] The vinyl seats are all wore. They're not looking too good. They've been used. They got cuts in them, all that kind of thing. The radio's old and outdated, but the owner says, yeah, it doesn't look great, you know, on the. Above the line. But I want you to know, below the line, this thing is rock solid. This hull is seaworthy. Nothing. It's gonna. No water's gonna get in. It is fully functional. He said, but I got this other boat. And you look at it, it's like, got this fresh paint job. You're like, wow, that one looks really nice. And it's got new vinyl on it. And it's got a new radio that's Bluetooth, and you can connect. And it's got, like, nice, you know, little holders for all your stuff. And he's like, yeah, this thing is beautiful. This is all new. But I do have to tell you, it has a leak in the hall.
[00:11:06] No one can see it, though. It's below the water line, which One would you choose? You would choose the one that has no leak every day. Amen.
[00:11:16] It's a no brainer. And here's what Jesus is saying. He's saying sometimes our spiritual lives are like those sailboats, some of us, yeah, it looks good above the water line, but there's a leak in the hull below the line.
[00:11:32] And on the other hand, Jesus says, look, I'm less concerned with what it looks like above the line. I'm concerned with what it looks like below the water line.
[00:11:42] What's in your heart, what's happening in you that no one can see, but matters immensely. You with me on this? And what Jesus is gonna show us is that anger below the line will sink our ship. You with me?
[00:12:01] That when anger is out of place and it's growing and it's burning within our hearts, and even if no one sees, still can create a ton of damage and it surely will. You with me on this. And so Jesus is saying, this has to be dealt with.
[00:12:24] Now let's talk about this for a second. Anger by default is not always a sin. It's not always wrong just by default. In fact, we see in John's gospel that Jesus at one point he goes into the ancient temple and he tears the place up.
[00:12:47] And many times you look at that and you're like, wow, that seems very un Jesus to do.
[00:12:52] But what he's showing us is, no, there is a righteous anger. And Jesus expresses it.
[00:12:59] However, one thing to really keep in mind with anger is, is that you and I are not Jesus.
[00:13:06] You with me? So although he can navigate those waters perfectly and he can walk that path without ever going too far, it's much more difficult for us to do that same thing. You with me? And so yes, anger by default. There are times where there is a righteous, but it's probably going to be the minority times in our life. You with me? And it ought to be handled with great care.
[00:13:36] I think about it this way. This summer I redid my garage floor. I got like one of those epoxy kits and did it. I watch YouTube and then I think I can do anything, you know, and it was kind of one of those things.
[00:13:49] But to get the concrete floor ready, I had to use all these chemicals that I've never heard of, you know, to get the, the concrete ready. And so I was like putting it on there. And I'm just thinking, like, what am I breathing in right now? You know what? Like, this is probably maybe taking years off my life here, whatever. But you know, I wanted to get it ready. But like those types of chemicals, you would only at most want to use them for a very particular purpose at a very particular time.
[00:14:20] You don't want them going in your house all the time or being around your kids or being in your yard and all that kind of thing. And so there's a sense that anger is like that. It can have a particular purpose at a particular time. But we better be clear about what that is. We better submit that to the Lord and we better walk carefully in it. You with me on this? Here's what James says. James, the half brother of Jesus, he says this.
[00:14:46] He says, know this, my beloved brothers.
[00:14:49] Let every person be quick to hear and slow to speak.
[00:14:55] Been working on those all my life. Haven't gotten very far.
[00:14:59] Slow to anger, for the anger of man, get this does not produce the righteousness of God.
[00:15:12] James says, boy, you better be slow to it, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness.
[00:15:21] Have you ever wasted moments of your life in anger?
[00:15:27] Have you ever wasted days, weeks, months, maybe years in anger? That's what James saying, it's not productive.
[00:15:37] It doesn't produce the righteousness of God.
[00:15:43] It's not going to move our life toward, get this. Toward the destination that God has for you.
[00:15:53] It doesn't produce the righteousness of God. So anger does have a place, but we have to be very, very careful with it. Now Jesus says, but here's what I want you to realize about anger. That anger has internal expressions and external expressions. Look at the genius of the Sermon on the mount again, verse 22. I say to you, everyone who's angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will be liable as well. Now catch those.
[00:16:28] One of those is an internal experience.
[00:16:33] One of those is an external experience. Here's what I mean. We all know people who, when they get angry with, they say mean things to you.
[00:16:43] Maybe some of us are those people. Anger, it comes out of us, right? We all know people. It's like, you know, if they're angry, you with me. And there's an external reality that you can't miss. However, some of us are more subtle than that.
[00:17:01] We'll smile, say, hey.
[00:17:03] And in our heart we'll say, I can't stand you.
[00:17:07] You get me?
[00:17:08] And at church, we can be really good at this.
[00:17:11] Oh, good to see you. Loser church.
[00:17:19] Here's what Jesus is saying. Both of those are a problem. You're like, well, I didn't say it to his face. Yeah, that's no better.
[00:17:27] Maybe that's even worse.
[00:17:29] At least the outward guy's more honest. Amen.
[00:17:33] Do you see what Jesus said? Both of these are a problem.
[00:17:37] Whether our anger is aggressive or whether it's passive aggressive. Jesus is saying, it still will hurt the ship.
[00:17:48] It still will damage the hull.
[00:17:51] It still needs dealt with.
[00:17:55] Now, these verses are so powerful in. And Jesus is so wise in bringing this up, because if we're honest, I think whether our anger is external or internal, I think we can all agree this is a really challenging idea here.
[00:18:15] And if we can hear Jesus words and be honest with ourselves, this is very, very challenging, because anger has an allure in our lives.
[00:18:31] And let me just.
[00:18:32] Why do we go to. Why is it so natural for anger to be a struggle in our lives as human beings? And I think there's a million reasons. But let me just give you a couple. Number one, sometimes anger feels like justice.
[00:18:47] Sometimes we feel powerless in situations. And so we're like, this thing happened. This. This person did this. They said this, and so they got away with it. So now I am gonna bring justice by the hate or the anger in my heart. We feel like, okay, I'm riding the balance of justice.
[00:19:11] And so anger has an allure. That way, I'm gonna despise this person in my heart because I know what they're really like. I know what they said here. I know what they did here. And. And it's sort of like trying to bring the scales of justice to bear. Here's the problem with that, though.
[00:19:30] God himself says, justice is mine, not yours. You hear that, church?
[00:19:37] The Lord himself says, vengeance is mine.
[00:19:42] I deal with justice. You don't.
[00:19:46] That is my role to play. That is my lane. I. I don't need you to step into it.
[00:19:52] I need you to trust me with it. You hear this, church?
[00:19:56] And so although it makes sense, it's not our place to try to bring that to bear.
[00:20:06] Anger also has an allure because sometimes it can be effective in our lives.
[00:20:16] Here's what I mean. Have you ever known people who bully their way through life and they use anger to get what they want?
[00:20:25] And so they're like, all right, we don't want to deal with this person, so just say yes to them.
[00:20:30] And so they end up seeing anger as an effective tool.
[00:20:36] But what we miss is the damage that it brings to others and the hurt that it creates.
[00:20:44] And maybe some of us have done that. Maybe some of us have been on the other side of it, and either way is not good. You with me on this, church?
[00:20:52] There's a lot of allure to anger, but it never delivers.
[00:20:57] Sometimes anger can be protective. It can feel like this barrier that can keep us safe, and it sort of feels like it's a wall of protection. But again, here's the problem.
[00:21:10] You can hold fire in your hand for a minute, but it's not too long till you get burned.
[00:21:16] And you can hold anger in your heart. That's gonna burn you, too. You with me, Church?
[00:21:23] And so there's a lot of appeals to anger, but here's what Jesus says.
[00:21:29] He says, instead, I want you to deal with it a different way.
[00:21:35] And he says basically to us, three things. He says, number one, I want you to completely reject using words to bring violence to other people.
[00:21:51] See, notice this. Jesus connects insulting and name calling with murder.
[00:21:59] He says, basically, you're on the same wavelength.
[00:22:07] Not fully the same thing, but you're on the same wavelength. And so how do we begin to deal with anger? Well, the first thing is we have to commit to saying, you know what? I am not going to insult people in my mind, in my heart, or with my words when I am upset and angry.
[00:22:33] Now, that right there can be a huge step for some of us.
[00:22:38] And I would say today, too, Church, that if you are married, you need to decide and commit that when I am angry with my spouse, I'm not gonna let the conversation degenerate into name calling, into insults.
[00:22:59] Look, the old saying, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me is a complete lie.
[00:23:06] Words do violence to the human soul.
[00:23:09] And anyone who says otherwise is not right.
[00:23:14] I would rather get punched in the face than experience the violence of words. Anybody?
[00:23:19] That's truly easier.
[00:23:21] They are a big deal.
[00:23:24] And what Jesus says, don't ever use them violently.
[00:23:29] Don't ever use them to express the anger. And that goes to people's faces. That goes behind their back as well.
[00:23:40] That goes in our heart, too. Jesus is saying, look, I'm pulling all of that out.
[00:23:47] And I'm saying, it's off limits. You with me, church?
[00:23:52] This is a powerful teaching, and the power of it can change our lives. Here's the second thing Jesus says. He says, and so when you are angry, don't give it time to grow.
[00:24:08] And he gives this beautiful image. And he says, look, if you're.
[00:24:13] If you're at church and there's an issue with someone, Jesus says, you have a pass that day to not go to church and to make it right.
[00:24:26] That's the only pass that counts, though, right? You hear that? No. Just Kidding.
[00:24:31] But Jesus says, look, that.
[00:24:34] Don't wait on it. Don't let it grow.
[00:24:38] But. But deal with it. Have you ever stewed in anger?
[00:24:42] We all have, haven't we?
[00:24:45] Have you ever replayed conversations and moments and does that make your soul healthier? Church? No. We all know that. Do. You're like, oh, wow, man, I just stewed for like six hours.
[00:24:58] I am ready for the day today.
[00:25:01] I'm bringing my best self to the people that I love.
[00:25:06] Now here's what happens. I start stewing, and then everybody gets my anger.
[00:25:11] There is collateral damage. Anybody. All of a sudden, I'm barking at Allie, I'm barking at the kids.
[00:25:18] I'm just being a total jerk. And they did nothing wrong.
[00:25:22] I'm thinking about some kid from high school. That's it.
[00:25:26] No, I'm usually not that petty. But some days I go there, you know?
[00:25:32] No, but do you hear what I'm saying? Church? Anger is fueled by time.
[00:25:38] It's drained of its power when we deal with it immediately. Here's what the Apostle Paul says. He says, be angry and do not sin. Do not let. Get this. The sun go down on your anger.
[00:25:57] Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Don't go to bed angry.
[00:26:05] This is so powerful. And again, let me just talk to the married couples for a second here.
[00:26:10] You're married, you're gonna fight, you're gonna get angry. It's gonna happen. But then what you do with that is what matters here.
[00:26:18] And here's what Paul says. Here's what Jesus is teaching us. Don't let the sun go down on it.
[00:26:25] Say, hey, look, babe, I know we're not in a good place, but I love you.
[00:26:31] I'm committed to figuring this out. We don't have to figure it all out tonight. We're not going to.
[00:26:37] But I want to go to bed tonight with a sense of commitment and love between us.
[00:26:45] Church, that.
[00:26:46] That is a practice if you're married you need to bring into it to say, hey, look, here's just part of the rules of how our family works. Yes, we're gonna get angry. We're gonna disagree. Fights are gonna happen, miscommunication, all of that. But by the time it's bedtime, we're gonna have a moment. Doesn't mean we figure everything out. Doesn't even mean that I'm still got full control of this. But I'm gonna say, I love you. I'm committed to you.
[00:27:15] I'm sorry if I was a jerk. In fact, I'm sure that I was you with me.
[00:27:21] I need. Y' all are not even giving me a sliver of an amen today.
[00:27:30] Don't let the sun go down on your anger.
[00:27:34] And then Jesus says. He says, you know what God's priority is, is reconciliation.
[00:27:42] He says, all right, you're coming to church, and you got a gift to bring.
[00:27:47] You're gonna offer some sacrifice, some gift to me. The Lord says, you know what? You can hold the gift till later.
[00:27:54] Go be reconciled.
[00:27:58] That's what living in my kingdom means.
[00:28:01] That's the worship that I want from you.
[00:28:05] And as we talk about anger and as we think about this today, maybe the Lord is putting on our hearts, there's someone we need to forgive.
[00:28:15] Maybe there's some relationship. We need to take a step towards reconciliation. Here's the truth about life. You can't always control. In fact, you can never control what the other person does or how they see it or how they think. But you can control what's happening in you.
[00:28:34] And this is what Jesus is asking from us.
[00:28:38] He's saying, I want you to deal with that anger, to fight against that anger. I want you to have these guardrails in your life, and I want you to take steps towards reconciliation.
[00:28:53] Because the way my kingdom operates is different than the way this world operates.
[00:29:00] And if God's put that on your heart today and take a step towards it, maybe some of us in here, like, we had a bad week with the family.
[00:29:10] You know, it's a beautiful thing to go back to him and say, you know what? I'm sorry, guys.
[00:29:15] I said some things I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry.
[00:29:21] And I want to be a better man. And by God's grace, I will.
[00:29:24] Church. Those conversations should be. Those can be normal in our marriages, in our families.
[00:29:31] That is not weakness. That is strength.
[00:29:35] That is where God's healing and power comes in.
[00:29:42] And it starts with us, not them. You with me. This is what Jesus is saying. He doesn't care what our brother did or didn't do in this. Do you notice that? He's not like, well, you know, give me a little bit more detail about that.
[00:29:58] He's like, no, no, no, I don't care. Not the issue. Your heart is the issue.
[00:30:05] And this is about the renovation of your heart. Now, when you think about these verses, again, they should feel challenging to us.
[00:30:15] They should feel almost overwhelming in a sense.
[00:30:21] And maybe some of us look at this and we're like, chet, the anger in my heart, it just. It's so real. It's so powerful, it feels like nothing could actually tame it.
[00:30:33] And we know you go through life, you are gonna feel that. You are gonna experience that. We're broken people, this world. We're waiting on the return of Christ. Until then, there's a lot of problems.
[00:30:47] There's a lot of pain.
[00:30:49] There's a lot of dysfunction. And it hurts and it wounds and it messes. It breaks our soul and molds it in the wrong ways.
[00:31:00] And sometimes we get to those points where we just start to lose hope that who we are can truly be different.
[00:31:11] That these words of Jesus could become something real lives.
[00:31:16] And I just want to tell you this.
[00:31:19] If it's all up to you, there is no chance.
[00:31:23] If it's only by your power, then there is no hope. But the good news is, it's not by your power, it's by his.
[00:31:33] It's not in your strength, it's in his.
[00:31:37] It's not through your ability, it's through his.
[00:31:41] And I'm reminded of Jesus and Mark's Gospel. And one of my favorite parts in all the New Testament is Mark 4 and 5. And Jesus is on a boat. There's this uncontrollable storm.
[00:31:53] And Jesus says, peace.
[00:31:55] And the storm stops.
[00:31:57] The lake is glass. And then right after that, he steps out of a boat to this place of the garrisons. And there is this man who is completely consumed.
[00:32:09] He is a danger to himself and others. He is completely out of control. No one can stop him hurting himself and others. And Jesus heals him and sends him out to the glory of God to 10 cities to tell them about the good news of who he is.
[00:32:30] Here's what I'm saying. There might be a storm in you, but Christ can calm that storm.
[00:32:36] You might feel possessed by anger and hate and bitterness and all that, but Christ can heal you.
[00:32:44] And he can repurpose your life.
[00:32:47] And what was wasted can become renewed and redeemed for his glory and for his purpose. You can't do it. I can't do it. We can't come close to living this.
[00:33:02] But by his help, we can become something new. So let's ask for his help today. Would you bow your heads in prayer with me?
[00:33:16] And just today, as we think about this, I just want to say a special prayer for you today.
[00:33:24] I know this is.
[00:33:26] It could be tough, heavy stuff. It can feel impossible and frustrating, and we can feel so lost and broken in it.
[00:33:38] But I want you to know your Savior is greater than all of that.
[00:33:44] And maybe today, if there is anger Reconciliation, forgiveness that you want to grant, but you need God's help. I just want to say a special prayer blessing on you.
[00:33:59] If you're like Chet, I could use some special prayer today. Just lift your hand up for a second.
[00:34:05] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
[00:34:16] God bless you.
[00:34:19] Father. I just lift my hand up with these good people.
[00:34:24] Thank you Lord, that you are slow to anger.
[00:34:30] Oh Father, how we have given you more reasons than we could count for you to destroy us, cast us away, be done with us, Lord, and you would be fully righteous.
[00:34:48] But yet, Lord, you extend mercy to us.
[00:34:52] We don't take that for granted right now.
[00:34:55] We thank you for is our hope.
[00:35:00] And now, Lord, I pray for that special mercy today to maybe calm the storm within.
[00:35:09] I pray for my brothers and sisters who just feel just like it's out of control, feel just consumed. Who maybe we look at our lives and we see so much wasted time that anger has robbed from us. And Lord, I pray your peace.
[00:35:25] I pray your strength.
[00:35:28] I pray. Where we need to humble ourselves, we would.
[00:35:31] Where we need to apologize, we would.
[00:35:35] Where we need to take steps towards others, we would.
[00:35:40] And I pray it would honor your Lord. We acknowledge we can't do it without you.
[00:35:46] Only by you, through you, to you and for you.
[00:35:51] So bless us in this. Help us in this.
[00:35:55] Our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. We look to you now. We ask this all in the great name of Jesus. Amen.
