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[ Music ] Jesus is rock in a weary, weary land. ♪ In a weary, weary land ♪

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♪ In a weary, weary land ♪ ♪ Jesus, He's arrived ♪ ♪ He's a rock ♪ ♪ In a weary, weary, weary land ♪

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♪ He's a shelter ♪ ♪ In the time of a storm ♪ ♪ In the time of storm ♪ ♪ Jesus is a weary lamb ♪

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♪ In a weary lamb ♪ ♪ In a weary lamb ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock in a weary lamb ♪ ♪ He's a shelter in the time of storm ♪

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♪ Jesus is a rock ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock in a weary lamb ♪ ♪ In a weary lamb ♪ ♪ In a weary lamb ♪

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♪ Jesus is a rock ♪ ♪ In a weary land ♪ ♪ Shepherding the time of storm ♪ ♪ Oh, I would not be a backslider ♪

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♪ I tell you the reason why ♪ ♪ I'm afraid my Lord might call my name ♪ ♪ And I won't be ready to die ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock ♪

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♪ In a weary land ♪ ♪ In a weary land ♪ [MUSIC] I would not be a sinner, and I'll tell you the reason why.

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I'm afraid my Lord may call my name, and I won't be ready to die. And Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a weary land. Jesus is a rock.

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He's a weary land. He's a shelter in the time of storm. He is a rock. He's a weary rock.

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He is a rock. He is a rock. He is a rock. He is a rock.

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He's a shelter in the time of storm. He is a rock. He's a weary rock. He is a rock.

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He's a weary rock. He is a rock. ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ A shelter in the time of storm ♪

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♪ Has he ever made a way when you didn't have a time ♪ ♪ Has he ever stood in just right old time ♪ ♪ Has he ever picked you up when you were down ♪ ♪ Has he ever placed your feet once more ♪

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♪ Then you know ♪ ♪ In a weary land, a weary land ♪ ♪ And you know ♪ ♪ He's a rock in a weary land ♪

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♪ And he's a shelter in a time of storm ♪ ♪ Has he ever made a way when you didn't have a dime ♪ ♪ Has he ever stood in just right on time ♪ ♪ Has he ever picked you up when you were down ♪

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♪ Has he ever placed your feet on solid ground ♪ ♪ And then you know he is a rock in a weary land ♪ ♪ In a weary land, a weary land ♪ ♪ And you will know he is a rock in a weary land ♪

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♪ A shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock in a weary land ♪ ♪ A weary land, oh yes, he's a rock ♪ ♪ He is in a weary land ♪

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♪ A shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ I'm a witness, sir ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock and he is my shelter ♪ ♪ In a time of storm ♪

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♪ Yes, in a weary land ♪ ♪ A shelter in a time of storm ♪ ♪ I will witness that ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock ♪

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♪ And he is my shelter ♪ ♪ In a storm ♪ ♪ Oh yes, in a weary land ♪ ♪ A shelter in a time of storm ♪

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♪ I will witness that ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock in a weary land ♪ ♪ In the time of storm ♪ ♪ He's a rock of ages in the weary land ♪

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♪ He's a shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ I'm a witness to the ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock in the weary land ♪ ♪ In the time of storm ♪

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♪ He's a rock of ages in the weary land ♪ ♪ He's a shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ I'm a witness to the ♪ ♪ Jesus is a rock in a weary land ♪

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♪ A weary land, oh yes, he's a rock ♪ ♪ Yes, in a weary land ♪ ♪ A shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ I'm a witness that Jesus is a rock ♪

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♪ In a weary land, a weary land ♪ ♪ Oh yes, he's a rock ♪ ♪ Yes, in a weary land ♪ ♪ A shelter in the time of storm ♪

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♪ I'm a witness that Jesus is a rock ♪ ♪ And he is a shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ Oh yes, in a weary land ♪ ♪ A shelter in the time of storm ♪

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♪ I'm a witness that Jesus is a rock ♪ ♪ And he is a shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ Oh yes, in a weary land ♪ ♪ A shelter in the time of storm ♪

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♪ I'm a witness that Jesus is a rock ♪ ♪ And he is my shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ He is in a weary land ♪ ♪ A shelter in the time of storm ♪

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♪ Oh, he's a shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ Oh, he's a shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ Oh, shelter in the time of storm ♪ ♪ Of a storm ♪

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♪ A storm ♪ - Amen, amen, amen. Our scripture lesson is in the book of the prophet Jeremiah 37th chapter, verses 11 through 17.

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And it came to pass, and the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army. Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to separate himself, hence, in the midst of the people. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there whose name was Erijah, the son of Shalamiah, the son of Hananiah.

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And he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans." And he said, then said, "Jeremiah, it's false. I fall not away from the Chaldeans." But he hearkened not to him.

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So our Raja took Jeremiah and brought him to the princes. Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah and smote him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison.

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But Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon and into the cabins. Jeremiah had remained there many days. Then Zedekiah, the king, sent and took him out. And the king asked him secretly in his house and said,

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Is there any word from the Lord? And Jeremiah said, "There is." For said he, "Thou shalt be delivered into the

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hand of the King of Babylon." May the Lord bless the reading of his word. Let us sing Hymn number 308, hallelujah.

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You stand and sing, hymn number 308. (orchestral music) (gentle music) (orchestral music)

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(gentle music) (music) Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Aleluia Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

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Lord, I love you. Hallelujah. Lord, I love you. Hallelujah.

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Lord, I love you. Hallelujah. Lord, I love you. Hallelujah.

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I will serve you. Hallelujah. I will serve you. Hallelujah.

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I will serve Him. Hallelujah. I will serve Him. Hallelujah.

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Zedekiah, the king, asked Jeremiah secretly in his house, "Is there any word from the Lord?" And Jeremiah said, "There is." For he said, "Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the King of Babylon."

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We always like to hear a good word. and we like to communicate what we consider good messages one to another. When we were in elementary school, most of us in my generation were lovers. And we would communicate by sending a love note to the other.

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And we used the initials YKW. You know who. [ Laughter ] Ever so often, the teacher would intercept one of those notes.

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[ Laughter ] And read it aloud to the class. >> Oh, sure. [ Inaudible ]

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>> And some of them went like this. I love you vimp, I love you vop, I love you more than a hog loves slob. [laughter] We thought we were great poets, you know.

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[laughter] This is a word from the king of Judah. It's a word addressed to the prophet by the king. Is there any word from the Lord?

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It is a time of crisis. The Babylonian army is at the gates of Jerusalem And it seems that the time is short before they will become captives of the Babylonians. King Zedekiah has entertained the hope that Egypt would come and drive away the Babylonians.

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And so it is with this hope that he has that in this time of crisis, the life of death, that he inquires of Jeremiah, is there any word from the Lord? Now we need to consider how Jeremiah must have felt

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during this particular time. He'd been going around saying that you're going to become captives of the Babylonians. That was not a popular word.

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You can imagine that if the most influential preachers in our nation were saying that we're going to become captives of China, you can imagine how the government would react

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and how the people would react. Captives. Jeremiah has been arrested and put in prison. And they sort of gave him what they considered

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pretty good facilities because they put him in prison at the home of one of the nobles. Then of course he was also Also consigned a sentence to the dungeon, and that was not pleasant.

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Jail houses today are not pleasant places. They're not comfortable, and certainly the dungeon in which Jerry Mouw was placed was not comfortable. Now you can imagine that if the most influential people in town were arrayed against you and

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then you'd been arrayed, arrested and put in prison, now that's enough to break one's spirit. But now the king calls in Jeremiah and he wants him in his secret chamber. And he looks at the prophet and he says, "Now, is there any word?"

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In other words, you can tell me. Don't worry about what the nobles are going to do to you, what else may happen. But is there any word from the Lord? Now Zedekiah was concerned.

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He knew what Jeremiah had been saying, but he wanted to check it out. Is this God's word that you are giving me in the situation? But now I'm asking you so that you can tell me

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But God has to say, "Is there any word from the Lord?" When I was a student in college, we always wanted to know from the mailman, is there any mail for me?

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And sometimes the writing on that question was the hope that you heard from home. and that there might be some money in the envelope to sort of help you with whatever you were about

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at that particular time. Is there any word from the Lord? It's a rather serious question. It's a question that has to do with

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the very core of one's being to be addressed by God. We all come to church Sunday after Sunday, and we come to this particular moment

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when the preacher gets up, and we really want to know the depths of our being. Is there any word from the Lord?

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And how awful it is for one to get up and speak, saying that he has a word from the Lord, when it is just his word. But every worshiper here today ought to somehow ponder the question, what does God has to say to me today? not listening to some philosophical discourse,

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but what does God has to say to me? Does he have a message with my name on it? Is this word that I hear proclaimed, Is it a word that God has addressed to me and to his people?

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Tell me, is there a word from the Lord? Now this is an inquiry that comes in a time of crisis. You know how it is when a crisis comes and you ask the doctor.

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Doctor, what do I have to look forward to? What do you have to say? And riding on that word is your future. Life or death, it's a critical time.

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Is there any word from the Lord? Sometimes we are away from home, far from home, and we want to know, is there a word from the Lord to direct me in the way that I ought to go? Is there something God has to say to me? Sometimes it's a personal crisis and you have a decision to make and you don't know what to do and you ask over and over again,

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"Is there any word from the Lord?" In fact, my brothers and sisters, this is a universal question. It's a question for our nation. America's asking the question. As we consider our economy going up and down, up and down,

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and those who are considered the experts, Mr. Greenspan and his helpers, We want to know what is the forecast for our future. What word do you have to say regarding our economy? What word do you have regarding our foreign policy?

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We ask, that's another question. Should we try to police the world, tell them, try to make everybody who is in another camp come over to the democratic camp. Is there any word from the Lord? Zedekiah asked this question of the prophet. Now the

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interesting thing is that here is the king, the ruler of the nation. He has the highest position in the land, but he summons the prophet and has him brought to the king. He summons and has him brought to him. And in the privacy of his chambers,

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he asked this searching question, is there any word from the Lord? Now, Jeremiah has delivered the word on numerous occasions prior to this time.

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In fact, he has been placed in prison because he has proclaimed the word of God. In fact, he has angered the most influential group in town, the nobles, because of his delivery of God's word.

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And now, after having been beaten and placed in a horrible dungeon, he's standing before the king, hearing this question, is there any word from the Lord?

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Now, he's had a long time to think about this question. because of what he has gone through is the prophet of God. And even though he's beaten, even though he's cast into prison,

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and he finds himself now in the secret chambers of the king, he declares, "There is." And brothers and sisters, that's good news. that God has a word for every one of us.

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He has a letter with your name. In fact, he has a special delivery letter for every one of us. And we only need to listen.

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So though the king has permitted the princes to mistreat the prophet, he realizes that the prophet is the channel of divine grace that what God has to say, that God has anointed the prophet as the spokesperson to declare

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his word. So Jeremiah, in the midst of great danger and facing the threat of further punishment, answers, "Yes, there is." Oh, in the midst of our culture today,

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with salacious literature circulated in a very prevalent way, pornography is popular, Jerusalem is under attack,

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and we are being denied the exercise of God-given rights, and in the midst of it all comes the question, Is there any word from the Lord? Our national security is being jeopardized.

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And so the prophet faces the question, is there, tell me, is there word from the Lord? We ask this question in the midst of personal crisis. When we find ourselves at the crossroads,

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we do not know which way to take. Is there any word from God? Weary, worn, and weak. We want to know, is there any word?

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Weak and heavy laden, yes. Cumbered with a load of care, yes. But as we walk through the dark valleys of our lives, we ponder the question, is there any word from the Lord?

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And so the answer to this question is yes. Yes, God always has a word for his people. But remember, the gospel is good news, but it is bad news before it is good news.

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Bad news. Yes, the nation will be overcome by the Babylonians. by the Babylonians. This is a time of trouble and God has a word for us in the midst of our troubles. So when trouble comes,

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you know some of us turn our backs. When you find yourself, we say, "Well I'll be with you through thick and thin, when it gets too thick I'll thin out." But God is with us in the midst of the crisis situations of our lives. God is with us. Yes, there is a word. It's

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not a good word. You're going to be punished. You're going to be overcome by the Babylonians. You've been trusting in Egypt. And that's been our problem, not only individually, but as a nation. We trust in Egypt, the arms of of Egypt, the power of Egypt.

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And we said, well, if Egypt just gets here, we're going to be delivered from the Babylonians. But Jeremiah says, no. Don't trust in Egypt.

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Trust in God, because he has a word. He has the word that you need to hear. So when we find ourselves perplexed, when we are caused to fret and fume,

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ask the question, is there word from the Lord? And the answer comes, yes, there is a word. Fret not thyself because of evil doings, because they will be cut down and wither as the green herb.

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When we find ourselves prosperous, There is a word in the midst of our prosperity. And when you get over there in that land and find houses that you did not build,

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wells you did not dig, and vineyards that you did not plant, don't forget the Lord who made it possible. Trust in him.

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There is a word in every condition and circumstance, my brothers and sisters, There is a word from the Lord. For the broken hearted, yes, there is a word.

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There is a word that says, let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. God has a word for every situation.

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God has a word. He has a word to guide us through the maze of life. He has a word that reconciles us to the truth. He has a word that redeems us when we're lost.

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God has a word for every situation. God's word is for this world. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

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So he has a word for us in the midst of our grief. He has a word for us when we are heavy laden. When we're troubled on every side, we will not be ultimately distressed. When we are perplexed, it will not be in despair. When we are persecuted, we are not forsaken, cast down, and yet he raises us up. God has a word, and the word that

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he has spoken for us is in Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, God has addressed every one of us and everything God has to say to us he has said through Jesus Christ our Lord. So thank God for his word, for the healing word. You know as you live and you get older and older you remember certain words that were spoken by your parents and they have

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healing effect on your life. They still strengthen you in the midst of your difficulties when you recall that word. Well, Jesus Christ is that word present with us, guiding us, strengthening us, beckoning us to a brighter future. Thanks be to God for that word in Jesus Christ our Lord.

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- Yes Lord. - When we come now to the invitation, this word is addressed to you today. Here in this sanctuary,

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as we sing hymns and read scriptures, there is in all of this God's word addressed to you, guiding you along the way. And we only need to listen

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and answer, yes, Christ is the answer. He's the answer for what I face. He answers what I need. We invite you to come now as we extend the invitation to Christian discipleship.

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We invite you to come and unite with the people of God here at Ebenezer by letter, by Christian experience, or on professional faith. We invite you to come. [Music] [MUSIC]

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♪ Where's my pride ♪ ♪ And is it there ♪ ♪ Before ♪ ♪ Long as I live ♪

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♪ And trouble cried ♪ ♪ A blazing dew ♪ ♪ Dew ♪ ♪ Is dry ♪

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♪ I love the Lord ♪ ♪ Lord, he heard my cry ♪ This is what he did. ♪ And he pitted every grove ♪

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♪ Long as I live ♪ ♪ I live ♪ ♪ And truth was right ♪ ♪ I'm not gonna worry ♪

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♪ I'll haste ♪ ♪ I'm gonna get in a hurry ♪ ♪ I'm gonna run on ♪ ♪ I'm going on ♪

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♪ To my God's throne ♪ ♪ Yes I am ♪ ♪ Oh, make amazing grace ♪ ♪ How sweet the sound ♪

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♪ That saved ♪ ♪ That saved, saved a wretch ♪ ♪ Saved a wretch ♪ ♪ Just like me ♪

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know what charity I was I was so lost but now I'm fine I was blind I was blind but thank God thank God I could see [MUSIC]

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♪ 'Cause he bowed his ear ♪ ♪ This is what he did ♪ ♪ And chased my grief ♪ ♪ Chased my grief, chased my grief ♪

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♪ All, all the way ♪ ♪ All the way ♪ [BLANK_AUDIO] [ Silence ]

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[BLANK_AUDIO]