In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of having a genuine love for Jesus and being grateful for His forgiveness. The message encourages believers to examine their hearts and ensure that the reality of Jesus' love and forgiveness is present within them. The speaker also highlights the need to focus on positive actions rather than just avoiding negative behaviors, particularly when it comes to teaching children. The sermon concludes with practical instructions on putting off negative attitudes and behaviors, such as anger, lying, and blasphemy, and putting on virtues like mercy, kindness, humility, and forgiveness. The overall message is to prioritize our love and worship for Jesus above all else and to live a life that reflects His teachings.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, EFRA, PA 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Grace and peace be unto you from Him which is and which was and which is to come. Grace and peace be unto you. Amen. Well, a lot of you didn't have the blessed opportunity that I had yesterday. We witnessed Billy and Alta's wedding. What a blessing it was to be there and see them join their hands and their hearts. Amen, Brother Rick. I was blessed, brought back many memories and also had many thoughts about my engagement to Christ and soon to be married to Him and had to think seeing Alta sitting up front there. There was just nothing that could change her schedule for that day. Nothing was more important to her than preparing herself for her groom. Nothing was, no one meant more to her than to be there that day, yesterday and give her hands and her heart to her groom. And I pondered that in my relationship with Christ and my preparing my heart to meet Him, to see Him someday. He's coming for all those who love His appearing. All those who are getting ready for Him. All those who won't let anything come between them and that day. They won't let anything distract them. They won't let anything turn their heart away from Him. They're gonna be ready. He's coming for a bride who's made herself ready. All praise and glory be to that one. He is worthy. Thank you Myron. A thankful heart needs to be a thanksgiving heart. And a thanksgiving heart is one that will bow down and worship and confess his unworthiness to Jesus Christ. Let's stand to read the Word of God. Brother Rick's been having us stand to read the Word of God. So I want to follow his example as he follows Christ. I appreciate that. Let's turn our Bibles to Revelations chapter 1. It's my goal to exalt Christ this morning. To give Him His honored place. To draw your hearts to Him. I would like us to see a little picture of Him in Revelations chapter 1. Before we go to Colossians chapter 1. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. And He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John. Who bare record of the Word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that He saw. Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace be unto you and peace from Him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven spirits which are before His throne and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and have made us kings and priests unto God and His Father to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold He cometh with clouds and every eye shall see Him and they also which pierced Him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so. Amen. I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty. I John who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ was in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet saying I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last and what thou seest write in a book and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia unto Ephesus and unto Smyrna and unto Pergamos and unto Thyatira and unto Sardis and unto Philadelphia and unto Laodicea and I turned to see the voice that spake with me and being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the son of man clothed with a garment down to the foot and gird about the paps with a golden girdle his head and his hairs were white like wool as white as snow and his eyes were as a flame of fire and his feet like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace and his voice as the sound of many waters and he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength and when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead and he laid his right hand upon me saying unto me fear not I am the first and the last I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive forevermore amen and have the keys of hell and of death write the things which thou hast seen and the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches okay, you may be seated and if we read a little further in Revelations chapter two we find a church the first church that was spoken of here the church of Ephesus they had lost their first love and Christ had somewhat against them something against them because they had lost their first love so I've been pondering that in my pilgrimage here and where I'm at as I remembered who this proud young man was going his own way not retaining God in his knowledge on that downward spiral that speaks of there in Romans chapter one and and yet Christ in His mercy He sent roadblocks He set roadblocks in my way He was merciful to me He redeemed me He took my He took me out of that horrible pit out of the miry clay set my feet on a rock gave me a sure foundation to stand upon and oh I was grateful I remember the days and it caused me to worship Him the Lord Jesus Christ it was an easy thing to make Him Lord of all it was my joy to sing that little chorus as I did my work He is Lord and I bow to Him and I confess you Lord Jesus as my Lord I was just an unworthy servant filled with love for the love that He had for me I worshiped Him I adored Him He was my all and I was pondering those things and sensed a coldness coming in my heart towards Christ a taking Him for granted a taking of my salvation for granted been pondering those things over the last couple of weeks just been noticing some things in my own life and and purposing in my heart to draw near to Him and and come back to that first love that I knew in Christ He is the first and the last He is the Prince of the Kings it says there in Revelations chapter 1 John saw Him in some of His glory and He fell at His feet as dead How do you see the Lord Jesus today? What does He mean to you today? Let's fall on our face before Him Let's worship Him He is worthy The one songwriter said He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul I pondered many of the things that we sing in many of the songs and even the ones we were singing this morning He is worthy of all of your heart brother and sister He is worthy of everything that you need to give up to follow Him He's worthy of all of your heart's adoration and then you can only fall at His feet and say it was my reasonable service I'm just an unworthy servant Who is this? Christ? This Christ the Messiah Let's read about Him in Colossians chapter 1 a bit here My goal is to exalt Him this morning There was those two that walked with Jesus after His resurrection He told them He explained the things that about Himself there in the in the Old Testament to them and and they said My how our hearts burned My how our hearts should burn this morning with love for Jesus Let's look at who He is a bit here and I'm going to start at verse 1 just because I want you to note how much Jesus meant to Paul in these in the opening here in the greetings it's like all that was on his heart was Jesus Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timotheus our brother to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Do you note? He keeps bringing up that name of Jesus Christ We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ praying always for you since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have to all the saints for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel which is come unto you as it is in all the world and bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you since the day you heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth as you also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant who is for you a faithful minister of Christ who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit for this cause we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all might according to His glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us neat made us able to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son in whom we have redemption through His blood even the forgiveness of sins who is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of every creature for by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by Him and for Him and He is before all things and by Him all things consist and He is the head of the body the church who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead and that in all things He might have the preeminence for it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell and having made peace through the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself by Him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven whereof I Paul am made a minister who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake which is the church whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest to His saints to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of glory whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus whereunto I also labor striving according to His working which worketh in me mightily for I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh that their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and this I say lest any man should beguile you with enticing words for though I be absent in the flesh yet am I with you in the spirit joying and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walking in Him rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as ye have been taught and abounding therein with thanksgiving with worship with gratefulness without taking it for granted this Lord Jesus Christ this exalted person Paul lifts up here before the church at Colossae because they were getting their eyes off of Christ they were I'm not even sure I understand what all they were into but it seems they they had a they were or maybe just some false teachers were coming in teaching some some false things but it seems that they were they were being told some untruths and they were starting to get all caught up in in these touch touch knots taste knots handle knots and what all that meant what all that stood for I'm not sure but one thing I do know is that it put a damper on their love for Christ all of a sudden Jesus Christ didn't have the exalted place in their hearts that He used to and Paul writes them a letter and the Holy Spirit inspires Him and He magnifies Christ in a beautiful way here puts Him right back in the center where He belongs in verses 15 through 18 there's seven things I want to point out there that He tells us about Jesus this great I Am He is the visible form of the invisible God Jesus Christ is your God He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords He is the image this Jesus whom we preach crucified among you He is the visible form of the invisible God who you worship wow He is the heir of all creation it says that He's the firstborn of every creature the third one He was He was the one that spoke this world into existence He's the one that breathed into you the breath of life He was before this world was He always was and always will be and this is the one that so blesses me the fifth one here He is before all things and by Him all things consist by Him everything coheres and stays together without Him we couldn't even be here He's the head of the body in verse 18 and He's the firstborn from the dead just like as in Adam who fell who sinned we were all born sinners so as in Christ who though He gave His life for us yet the grave couldn't hold Him He rose up from the grave victorious over death over sin over the enemy so we can rise in newness of life so Paul paints a picture here of the exalted person of Christ just from His Lordship just from the view of just from the perspective of Him being the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and that is enough that is enough for us to fall down and worship Him but praise God He didn't just stop there but let's look at in in some of these verses let's point let's bring out the the the points of of salvation I have here a sevenfold salvation in verses 12 through 22 He has He's not only the heir of all that the Father has He has made us part of the inheritance look at what it says in verse 12 He has made us meet He has made us able to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light He didn't just keep the inheritance for Himself He brought us into that inheritance and everything that the Father has is Christ and He has everything that is His He has given to us He has made us joint heirs with Himself He has delivered us look at verse 13 He's delivered us from the power of darkness and the third point He's translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son praise God that's why we fall down and worship Him that's why we give Him our hearts adoration He has delivered us and didn't just leave us in the cold after He delivered us He has brought us into His kingdom redemption through His blood verse 14 and forgiveness we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins brothers and sisters we should never get over the wonder we've been forgiven of our sins you were born in sin you were born a sinner but He has given you forgiveness from your sins you have been forgiven He has blotted out your transgressions He has blotted out the handwriting of ordinance that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to His cross and having spoiled principalities and powers He made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it He has blotted out your transgressions and He doesn't remember them against you no more He has forgiven you do you live in the realization that Jesus Christ has forgiven you and that through His blood you can have redemption you can have the forgiveness of your sins we have been reconciled verse 20 and having made peace through the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile by Jesus Christ to reconcile all things unto Himself by Him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven and no your situation is not too difficult for Him He can reconcile you you know we live in a world of a lot of difficult situations we live in and I guess it's been this way ever since the fall of man it looks impossible to be reconciled it looks impossible to be delivered and sometimes I look at some situations and think ah, what a difficult situation but not for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords not for this Prince over all the kings He has reconciled all things unto Himself whether they be things in earth or things in heaven and I I just take that I just see that as Him saying it doesn't matter how big how difficult the situation He has reconciled all things and in verse 21 and 22 you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now has He reconciled for what purpose to present you this is transfiguration to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight He doesn't just leave you there forgiven of your sins He transfigures you He He will if you will allow Him present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight Jude says unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty dominion and power both now and ever Amen well the question is does Jesus Christ have that exalted place in your heart today is He the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in your heart today is He that great I am that that exalted person that that you love to give homage to that you love to bow down and adore and worship is He getting your hearts attention every day are you satisfied with Jesus Christ can you sing the song I have found a friend in Jesus He's everything to me He's everything to me He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul the lily of the valley the bright and morning star all I need all I need to cleanse and make me fully whole in trial in trouble He's my comfort in trouble He's my stay He tells me every care on Him to roll well He can be He wants to be He needs to be if He's not He's saying what He told the Apostle John there I have somewhat against you because you've left your first love and just thought in making this practical this morning what are the things that are drowning out the first love in your heart what is taking your focus away from this exalted Lord Jesus this one who is worthy of everything everything in your heart what's taking your focus from Christ you say well I can't spend all day reading my Bible I can't spend all day on my knees but what do you do in your free time I have to think of the land that we live in we're much given to hobbies and one of the builders that I do work for they send out I think it's a monthly paper and in this paper they always have the employee of the month and they give information about him if he's married and what his trade is and but always on the bottom it gives his list of hobbies well what is your hobbies and we can do things for recreation that can maybe enhance our love for Christ but I'm speaking of those things that when we have free time there we go or even if we don't have the free time there's where our mind is we can't wait to get there we can't wait to do that I'm speaking of a hobby as something that it has your heart I took the guys fishing on Friday and I think of that you know some people they give their heart to that all they can think of is going fishing they give their life to it and having never been a fisherman and never gone fishing I guess I didn't have real high expectations but it was exhilarating to me there was some excitement when these fellas started pulling fish up I couldn't believe it I guess I thought we were going to go out there and sit on a boat and look at the water all day but these guys actually started pulling fish in and I thought wow look at that and I guess that could take your heart you need to be careful over those things where are you spending your time and energy and joys and emotions is it in fishing is it in going to the mountains and running around on a four wheeler is it surfing the web one of these hobbies that come up from time to time is surfing the web I'm not sure if I know what that means but I think I have an idea I don't really know how to get on the web so I rely on Mark for that it is very critical brothers and sisters where is your heart what has your love what has your focus Jesus Christ must be the center of that wheel and there are many spokes that go out from that wheel there are many things we do many things we get involved in and they all have their place but it must be in Christ Jesus it must be in everything we're doing it's with a heart full of adoration to Christ and whatever we find ourselves doing it's for Christ on my way home from the wedding I stopped for gas paying at the counter someone comes up that knew the fella asked him how it's going same old thing just another day and I thought as I walked away from there he's not doing that for Christ and I should have told him but if you are doing whatsoever you're doing as unto Jesus life is exhilarating whether it's doing your everyday work or pulling in a fish you can know and praise God I have experienced the joy of going out and laboring with my hands whether it's in ideal conditions or not I know what it is like to be in love with Jesus and have an enjoyable day and at the end of a hard day of work to have my heart inspired and enthralled with the fact that Jesus loves me He's forgiven me of my sins that needs to be a reality in our hearts and if it's not brothers and sisters we need to examine our hearts well Paul does get practical here and you know we've talked about it a number of times that with our children we don't want to just give them the negative we don't want to just tell them no all the time we need to give them something to do we need to give them something constructive something that they can give their energies to well the apostle Paul does that here we have in Colossians 3 we're told what to do that if you be risen with Christ seek those things go after those things which are above I have here that every honest searching of the heart to root out what God hates every earnest effort after forgiveness every aspiration after a diviner life every sincere endeavor is a seeking after the things above so you want to know what seeking those things are which are above how do I make that practical in my life root out what God hates aspire to the diviner life to that life that is like Christ make a sincere endeavor in seeking after things that are above Jesus said if you believe on me out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water and you say again what is how is that made practical in my life how do I know if I have rivers of living water flowing out of me I think your life will emanate forth the character of Jesus Christ you will have love and joy and peace and the gifts of the spirit that it talks about in Galatians chapter 5 there flowing forth from your soul not something that you work up but something that is a part of you because you are believing on the Lord Jesus Christ not something that you have to grit your teeth every time a temptation comes your way and grin and bear it no it just flows forth from you the joy of the Lord ok how do you aspire to glorify Christ seek those things which are above also it says set your affection set your mind on things above not on things on the earth what are the things above can we name a few of them set your mind on things above what are the things above Ernie to love our Lord ok our great God is above isn't He He is the center of what is above ok let's set our mind on Jesus Christ the exalted one the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world you set your mind on Him you will have rivers of life flowing out of you what else is above set your mind on things above is that all that's above Reuben heaven ok that's right well what does that consist of yes it does consist of Jesus Christ what else redeem sinners ok how about sanctified saints amen we we we have fellowship going on above don't we there's fellowship going on up there there is there is a great celebration of of joyful fellowship of sanctified fellowship going on set your mind on the heavenly fellowship that's going on in heaven right now that's going on around the throne meditate on that while you're at work someday and see if you don't come home with a spring in your step and a desire to fellowship with your brothers and sisters anything else above praise and worship set your mind on praise and worship yes there are angels angels given the job to stand before the throne day and night crying holy holy holy is the lord god almighty set your mind on that for a day anything else above yes Christ name is being glorified from every tribe kindred and tongue hallelujah what a blessing amen we need to look with the eyes of our heart ok you put your mind on things above and your focus will stay on Christ your love will stay strong for Christ the fruits of the spirit will flow from your life but then it does also say mortify your members which are upon the earth this is also how to make practical this keeping our focus on Jesus Christ mortifying those things in our life rooting out those things that God hates how do we know what God hates become a student of his word and you'll know what he hates and you'll know what he loves you'll know what his heart is fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupiscence and covetousness which is idolatry those things that the selfishness of man hankers after the self centeredness of man seeks to please himself God wants you to deny yourself it says in Galatians chapter 6 verse 10 as you have opportunity don't give in to the lust of your flesh no let us do good unto all men especially them who are of the household of faith and I'll just put a plug in right here for moving days I think of it sometimes we move families sometimes on Saturdays and the word is put out we're going to have a moving day and sometimes it's pretty sparse the amount of people that show up and I trust that it's all because everyone is busy doing good unto all men especially those of the household of faith but sometimes I wonder if it's because we'd rather do our own thing we'd rather make our own plans and we'd rather please ourselves I guess I've thought of it numerous times especially with you young men with all of your energy and all of your zeal what a wonderful way to come and spend it blessing your brother but you know most of what's there is the married the married men the 40 year olds the ones that should be sitting back and watching you young men do the work just a little plug there if you're having a hard time keeping your focus on Christ maybe that's the problem maybe your heart doesn't burn with a desire to do good unto all men especially of the household of faith covetousness which is idolatry just a word about covetousness Noel had a children's lesson about that the other Sunday who can tell me what why covetousness is idolatry anyone remember Noel why is covetousness idolatry okay say it again okay other things are more important to us than God whether it's some hobby or making money it's desiring something else more than we desire this wonderful Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah the King of Kings the beginning and the end well I guess a lot more could be said he gives quite a bit of practical instruction here of other things to put off put off anger, wrath, malice blasphemy filthy communication out of your mouth lie not one to another put off lying be honest tell the truth be sincere put on bowels of mercies kindness, humbleness of mind humility meekness, long suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another after all if our hearts are taken up and overwhelmed with the forgiveness of Christ it should be a little thing to forgive those who have trespassed against us don't hold someone else in a prison put on charity which is the bond of perfectness and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one body and be ye thankful let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord and whatsoever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the Father by Him and we're talking about keeping that first love alive vibrant in our souls these are things that you need to do these are things that need to be a part of your life if your focus is going to stay on Christ if you take Christ and if you take these things for granted if you take the doing good to all men for granted if you take this word for granted if you take the singing of these beautiful hymns and the psalms for granted and you take the gifts of the spirit for granted or the fruits of the spirit and the seeking those things which are above then I will tell you, you have taken the Lord Jesus Christ for granted, you have lost your first love He is King of Kings and He is the Lord of Lords and He is worthy to be worshipped to be adored I think Benjamin Bayless McKinney was enjoying his first love when he penned these words Blessed Savior, we adore thee, we thy love and grace proclaim thou art mighty, thou art holy glorious is thy matchless name great redeemer Lord and Master light of all eternal days let the saints of every nation sing thy just and endless praise from the throne of heaven's glory to the cross of sin and shame thou didst come to die a ransom guilty sinners to reclaim come oh come immortal Savior come and take thy royal throne come and reign and reign forever never let that first love die be the kingdom all thine own that is saying I sacrifice everything to Christ he is worthy and just think about it again this morning think about life without Christ life in a dungeon in the miry clay where you can barely get one foot out of the clay and the other one sinks in the clay and there's no hope of getting out yourself you can't get yourself out of the clay let alone out of the dungeon and someone in mercy in kindness comes to you and lifts down a rope and lifts you out of that awful dungeon where you were doomed where you were doomed where you were soon to die where you were without help except somebody helped you Jesus Christ delivered you he set you free he offered you forgiveness of sins redemption reconciliation are you going to take it for granted are you going to let some other love in your life be more important now to you than Jesus I trust not amen praise be to Jesus name we have a very unique religion that's different from all other religions of the world we have Jesus he is the difference the only religion where our God has loved us enough to die for us then resurrected and become our life for us and in him is our life and that's why we have a Christ centered life and a Christ centered religion every other religion focuses on ultimately the things that they do even the Jewish faith sadly turned into the law we even call it the law the mosaic law the system they thought was the solution they thought the system was the solution but we have something far better we have him we don't just have faith we have faith in him faith in what he's done and I think it is very right and very good that we often are reminded and have our focus and our hearts brought back to Jesus Christ again and again and again because and I hope we never grow tired of it because that's what I think we're going to be doing in heaven and if not all the time most all the time I'm sure there's a few other things we'll do up there but I haven't seen too big of a list of other things but Amen Do you love Jesus today? Do you believe in him? Do you need him? Do you see your need of him? You do need him but I think sometimes I'm not sure if we see even after we're Christians that we see our need of him every day and every hour so maybe we'll just open it up and some other people can share what Jesus Christ means to you and how you love him how you need him how your heart is drawn to him how God blesses you as you do that maybe someone would have something to share just as a bit of an overflow Yes I'm thankful for the Lord Jesus this morning and that he has saved my soul I just want to express that here this morning in gratitude to him and I appreciate the word of God so much this morning and the focus on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and I was reminded of one of the church brothers at the church in Tamale there in Ghana he shares different testimonies but once in a while on a Sunday morning during testimony time just stands up and says I just want to thank the Lord again this morning for my salvation and I've come to appreciate that simple testimony of thankfulness for salvation and as Brother Dean said this morning I never want to lose the wonder of Christ's love his mercy and his forgiveness toward me and it seems like I have such a tendency to allow other things whether it's work or friends or a new project you know just something to steal my attention and my affections and I want to keep Christ first in all of my life to keep my heart with all diligence and for him and sometimes I have to pray that he would restore the joy of my salvation but I rejoice in Christ this morning I want to kind of feel like Dean you know sometimes when we ponder the love that we had when Christ saved us first it was just nothing else that you would want and as you get now it's been nine almost ten years and you know it looks like it's dimmer and dimmer and dimmer and I hate to even think about it but oh I want to know I have a lot to be thankful for that the Lord saved me and I know he did but I don't like when I read in Revelation but I have this one thing that I have against you that you have lost your first love and I don't want to hear the Lord Jesus say that to me and I do want to get back wherever I I don't know what got in between did I get used to it? I don't know but I love the Lord with all my heart and I thank him during the week I came across a very interesting article it says a man earns a living by his wages but he makes a living by what he gives a man earns his living by his wages but he makes a life by what he gives I was just thinking this message convicts me some and I know that I'm pretty easily distracted by things in this world but I do want to give thanks for conviction to I guess between the messages there is quite a bit to chew on here for me Myron talking about the giving of thanks and taking things for granted even Steve's message about this window and the glory of God shining on us through what we have there in our lives and this thing I wanted to point out while I had the mic there one difference between I think where we're thinking sometimes and what the angels are doing Dean said he thinks the angels there have a job of saying holy, holy, holy and falling down in a way I think that's right actually they just can't help themselves that's been my impression that they're standing there and they actually see God just straight out without any obstructions without any cares of the world without any sin or things that they have to repent of and without any ungratefulness now they see him and in my opinion it's not their job it's almost like they can't help themselves like when you're thirsty and you want water, only more than that and they just do that as a natural reaction and it seems to me that if we have that clear window we have the same reaction it's not something we have to do like a job or something we ought to do or feel bad about we just can't help ourselves and I see this morning there's areas in my life where I'm not doing that it's not natural to me in some areas and I just want to give thanks lollipops are good but spankings are too I guess and I'm glad God loves us to give us both good things that we see good up front and things that we're not too crazy about at first so bless the Lord for both I praise the Lord for the message today and I am thankful for the Lord Jesus and for his spirit that I've seen this morning intertwining all the messages and I've seen it it's spoken to my heart the other day I was driving home from work and the verse came to my heart set your affections on things above not on things on the earth and for where your treasure is there will your heart be also and I've seen my treasure being like Michael shared in my work that's where I've put my mind and I desire that Jesus Christ would be my treasure and I'm thankful for these messages that have encouraged me the opening to be thankful and to praise the Lord for cleansing me of my sins and I'm thankful for this morning and want to take this with me the rest of the week you know one of the verses that Brother Dean read I think it was in Colossians maybe in the second chapter where in him are hid all the treasures you know of heaven and in effect what it's saying is Jesus is the treasure of heaven he's you know he's it if all the treasures of heaven are hid in him he becomes the treasure of heaven and the treasure of us all so amen yes I greatly appreciate the messages today it was really a blessing I just I guess it was a time of searching my heart you know I just like to confess in the past I had an eye in my life I was going after and I just I had to get on my knees and just confess that thing and just repent from it you know and just seek the Lord and I just like to share you know I was thinking we have to be so careful in this life that we live you know what's an eye in our life anything that you love worship or adore rather that you love worship or adore God you know we need to just have our focus I mean I believe it's Jeremiah 17 9 it says the heart is really wicked and deceitful above all and it is and we have to be very careful and I just really appreciate the message and praise God thank you isn't it interesting that we've had at least two or maybe three people we had a message about Jesus Christ and I don't really remember being preaching on sin but we've already had several brothers make confessions about conviction and isn't that the power of Christ as we look to Him we also by definition have to look at our own heart and then something happens and we realize oh something's not right in my heart and you know it's just in looking at Him there is a direct effect upon my heart I don't just look for the looking something happens in my heart just by looking at Him that's amazing isn't it ok where we at we done ok sorry yeah Jordan I was reminded during the message quite often about a story in the Old Testament of the Captain Naaman who came down from Assyria to profit Elijah with leprosy and he came with a whole bunch of donkey loads of presents and gold and thinking he has to if he does get cleansed he's going to have to pay for it because things don't come for free you know and we all know the story that Elijah sent him home with his gifts and all he gave the glory to the Lord essentially thinking that he was trying to buy his salvation and I would think to myself if salvation was something that we could buy with money or with earning labor or anything that consists of value then many more would be saved but it doesn't come by faith through hearing an invisible force I feel in my life that Christ really did die for me really did save us from sin and from destruction so I'm thankful today with both messages of hope and also of exhortation so thank you I'd also like to say that I'm thankful for the love of God which is behind Jesus dying for us and it seems like when I get when I am unthankful of what Jesus has done for me there's a discontentment there and a Jesus is not enough and I put my hopes in other things and just a restlessness because my soul needs something to rest in so I'm thankful for the rest that is in Jesus Christ today alright maybe what was that song Roy that he had brought up there when Jesus I adore you what was the name of that song Dean what number is that you want to lead that from the bench there