Emory Baptist Church

Glorious Dishwashers

This Little Light of Mine

We are in Luke 11.  Remember that Jesus is talking to some scribes and Pharisees after they accused Him of being demonic instead of divine.

 

Last week, we saw Him chastise them for asking for more signs instead of obeying what they already knew.

 

He used two examples to shame them.  One was the Gentile Queen of Sheba who traveled far and wide to hear Solomon.  The other was the Gentile Ninevites who repented at Jonah’s preaching.

 

Jesus said He was greater than Solomon and right in the front of them.  They didn’t need to travel hundreds of miles.

 

He also said He was greater than Jonah.  He was implying that they should repent at His preaching.

 

Today, we are talking about light.  That word is in today’s four verses six times.

 

Many of you, if not all of you, are familiar with that song.  However, is the light yours? And, are you letting it shine?

 

 

Exposition

In Luke 11:33, Jesus told a parable.  A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

 

In this day, a lamp was what we might call an oil-burning lantern.  I think the KJV uses candle.

 

When one was lit, it wasn’t put in a secret place or cellar or under a basket. It was put on a lampstand in the middle of the room to light up the room.  This was not a mystery.

 

Verses 34 and following are the heavenly meaning.  Jesus said our lamp is our eyes.

 

If your eyes are good or healthy or clear or doing their job, then we can see and do whatever our body needs for us to do because we have light.  That may be to walk or sit or climb or eat or stop. 

 

However, when your eye is bad or can’t see or unhealthy, then we don’t know.  It is dark.  Imagine what our blind brothers and sister’s lives are like. 

 

Verse 35 is the action point.  Therefore, make sure that your light is not darkness.  Make sure your eyes are doing their job correctly so that you can behave correctly. 

 

When the light comes in your eyes, it lights your whole body.  Then you are like the lamp or lantern that gives off light from verse 33.

 

 

Application

First, remember from verse 34 that the light is outside the body, and has to be let in or allowed in through the eye.  As Jesus is the light of the world, have you allowed Him to come into your life?

 

Remember the original hearers.  They were unbelieving Jewish Pharisees.  Jesus was inviting them to be saved.  I am inviting you to be saved this morning.

 

Don’t turn away from the light!  Receive the Light.  The little Light can be yours today.

 

Second, while not the primary point of this text, there are multiple applications for Christians and followers of Christ.  For example, are you allowing the Light, Jesus, shine in your life and direct your paths? 

 

In verse 35, Jesus wants our bodies to be full of light.  He wants to and has shown us how to live in His word.  Are we following His light for guidance in our lives?

 

Next, if this little Light is yours, are you letting it shine?  If you’re not, do you really have the Light?

 

It is illogical to light a lamp and put it under a basket.  I would suggest that God has saved you and kept you on earth for no other reason than to be witness for Him and point others to Christ!

 

Finally, last week, we talked about obeying what you know.  So let’s talk about obedience. 

 

If you aren’t living a life of obedience to Christ, do you genuinely have the Light?  Look at verse 36.

 

If you have light, you will shine it.  If you are a Christian, you will be obedient.

 

If you’re not living a life of obedience, are you really saved?  Remember James 2:14-26.

 

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.  25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?  26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

 

Do you have the Light?  Are you letting it shine?  Story of unlit lantern.

Stop Asking for Signs...And Start Obeying What You Know!

If you have your Bibles, please take them and find Luke 11:29.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “Stop Looking for Signs, And Start Obeying What You Know!”

 

We are continuing this morning in Luke’s gospel, and we are studying it verse-by-verse, and chapter-by-chapter.  Last Sunday, Jesus reminded us of the key to God’s blessing.  Do you remember what it was?  It was and is obedience.

 

Two Sundays ago, Jesus exercised a demon from a demon-possessed man.  Consequently, the Pharisees attributed what Jesus had done to the power of the devil.  Instead of seeing the miracle as divine, they saw it as demonic.

 

 

1. The Solicitation for More Proof, Luke 11:29a & Matthew 12:38

29 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign,

 

Remember that Jesus had removed a demon from a man.  Also, this demon-possessed could not speak. 

 

Verse 29 says the crowds were growing.  They were seeking a sign, and we know from Matthew’s account of this story that the Pharisees asked specifically for another sign.  See Matthew 12:38.

 

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

 

What were they asking for?  What is a sign?

 

A sign was a miracle that would prove or affirm Jesus’ message.  In other words, they wanted Him to do the miraculous on command so as to prove He was divine or prove He was the Son of God or prove He was the promised Messiah. 

 

As a result, Jesus called them an evil generation.  Certainly, He was including the scribes, the Pharisees, and the crowds.

 

BTW…How much more proof does a person need?  Hadn’t Jesus just exercised a demon from a man?  In Mark’s gospel, Jesus has given no less than 14 signs before this story.

 

1:26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

 

1:31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

 

1:42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

 

2:12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

 

3:5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

 

4:39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

 

5:13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

 

5:42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.

 

5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

 

6:42 So they all ate and were filled.

 

6:51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.

 

7:30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

 

7:35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.

 

8:8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.

 

Sometimes, we do the same.  We say, “God prove to me that you love me.”  Then, we suggest to Him what that sign might look like.  Take away this hurt.  Heal my loved one.  Fix my marriage.  Pay this debt. 

 

In other words, we say, “Lord, prove to me what You have already told me in Your Word.”  Or, we say, “Lord, write it in the clouds.  Send a messenger to me with Your exact message.”

 

This was a solicitation or request for more proof.  They wanted Jesus to prove one more time that He was who He said He was by giving them a sign.

 

 

2. A Demonstration of Messianic Proportions, Luke 11:29b-30

and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.

 

By calling them an evil generation, Jesus issued a stinging rebuke to these Jews and their religious leader refusing to surrender their lives to Jesus.  That meant they were failing to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

 

They had requested this sign for Jesus to prove His power and authority, but Jesus said they would not receive another sign.   As a matter of fact, no more signs would be necessary except the sign of Jonah.

 

Do you remember that story of the minor prophet?  God told him to go to Nineveh to preach His message to them, but Jonah refused and sailed to Tarshish.  As an act of discipline, God caused a great storm to overcome Jonah’s ship. 

 

The Gentile sailors on the ship eventually threw Jonah overboard to stop the storm.  However, Jonah was swallowed by a great fish, and there he stayed for three days and three nights until he repented.  The then fish vomited up Jonah on the shore.

 

When Jonah was given another chance, he didn’t waste it.  He went to Nineveh to preach, and the entire Gentile city turned to God as a result of Jonah’s preaching. 

 

With this example, Jesus foreshadowed and compared His own future death, burial, and resurrection with Jonah’s experience.  Like Jonah, He would also be in the earth for parts of three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before He was resurrected never to die again.

 

BTW…There have been a thousand questions asked about this particular story.  However, Jesus’ reference to it tells us that Jesus believed the literal meaning of Jonah and the whale or great fish, whichever you prefer.

 

The resurrection of Jesus was the ultimate sign. It emphatically proved that He was the promised Messiah.  An individual resurrected to never die again had never before and has never happened since. 

 

 

3. The Condemnation for Missing the Point, Luke 11:31-32

31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

 

In verse 31, He also reminded His congregation of a story from 1 Kings 10 involving the queen of the South or the queen of Sheba.  She had heard of Solomon’s wisdom, but needed to see it for herself, and she did, and recognized God’s hand on Solomon.

 

In verse 32, Jesus remind the Jewish religious leaders not only of Jonah’s resurrection, but also how these Gentile Ninevites responded to Jonah’s preaching.  Unlike these Jews and the scribes and Pharisees, these Gentiles repented.  Consequently, they would one day stand in judgment over Israel who didn’t recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah.

 

Notice how Jesus compared Himself to both Jonah and Solomon, but He said more.  He said He was greater than both.  He wasn’t just a prophet of salvation like Jonah. He was the instrument of salvation. 

 

He wasn’t just a wise man like Solomon.  He was the source of Solomon’s wisdom.

 

The irony with these two examples is biting.  These Gentiles believed and trusted God’s messengers in Solomon and Jonah, but these Jews, the people of God, were not trusting Jesus, the Son of God, right in front of them.

 

 

Application

So how do these verses apply to us today?  In a similar way, the Church, the people of God, often are looking for affirmations or sign to confirm what God has already told us. 

 

If you want God to give you a sign to be baptized, He has.  If you want God to give you a sign to join a local church, He has. 

 

If you want God to give you a sign that you need to start tithing, He has.  If you want God to give you a sign to sacrificially and unconditionally love your spouse, He has. 

 

If you want God to give you a sign that you need to keep your children in church, He has.  If you want God to give you a sign, children, to obey mom and dad, He has.

 

Stop asking for signs and starting doing what the Bible already has said.

 

If you are here this morning and you’ve never been saved and you’re asking God for a sign as to whether He loves you, look no further than the cross.

 

Romans 5:8, 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Look no further.  Wonder no more.  Ask for no more signs. 

 

God loves you and wants a personal, relationship with you.  Will you call on Jesus to save you from your sins?

 

 

God's Blessing is Right in Front of You!

If you have your Bibles, please take them and find Luke 11:27.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “Blood is Thicker Than Blood!”

 

“Blood is thicker than water” is a proverb that can be dated back to 12^th Century Germany.  Many of you are familiar with it.

 

In English, it means that biological family relationships are more important and more significant and stronger than other earthly relationships.  However, how do biological family relationships compare to spiritual relationships?

 

Or, how SHOULD they compare?  I would suggest to you that in today’s text that Jesus says that His blood and the blood of the body of Christ is thicker than yours and my biological family blood. 

 

In other words, spiritual family is more important and more significant and stronger than biological family.  Therefore, Jesus’ blood is thicker than my family’s blood.

 

 

Exposition

Verse 27 begins with “And it happened.”  However, please remember this, nothing just happens.

 

Everything in this life is under the complete control of the eternal sovereign God.  Therefore, everything that happens in your life is either for God’s glory and our good, or it is our loving heavenly Father disciplining His children.

 

Regardless, whatever is “happening” in your life this morning, remember God’s word.  See Romans 8:28 and James 1:2-3.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

 

Verse 27 continues remembering that Jesus just finished speaking.  What did He say?

 

He answered the accusation about Him being part of demonic activity.  He explained about spiritual rivalry, and He reminded His congregation and our congregation that you can’t be religiously neutral. 

 

You are either for Jesus or against Jesus.  There is no middle ground, and you have to decide whose side are you on.

 

We are also introduced to a certain woman.  This story is unique to Luke, and we don’t know her name. 

 

However, she was a voice in the crowd that offered a blessing in contrast to those also in the crowd who were accusing and testing Jesus.  Her blessing was for Mary, Jesus’ mother.

 

I want to take this opportunity to clarify a little about Mary.  We know who she was, but there is some confusion that needs to be explained.

 

Mary certainly deserves this blessing.  Why? 

 

She was surrendered to God’s plan even though she didn’t understand it completely.  See Luke 1:38.

 

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

 

She was humble and grateful that God had chosen her.  See Luke 1:48.

 

48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

 

She was obedient and did all that God had directed her.  See Luke 2:22-24, and Luke 2:39-40.

 

22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

 

39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

 

Mary was certainly blessed and deserved those blessings.  However, Mary was also not, and we need to understand that.

 

Not what?  Mary was not a savior because she was human only.  Mary was not perfect because she was a sinner.  Mary was not divine and doesn’t deserve any prayers.

 

In verse 28, Jesus didn’t correct this woman’s statement.  He added to it.

 

Mary was blessed because she obeyed, and obedience to God’s word should matter most to the child of God and the follower of Jesus.  Jesus said, “Blessed are those that hear the word of God and keep it.” 

 

To that I say, “Amen and amen.”  Brothers and sisters, we must not only hear God’s word but obey it.

 

That is what we have been saying in 2025 every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.  We are deceiving ourselves if we are hearers only and not doers.

 

Matthew 21:28-32, 28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”  They said to Him, “The first.”  Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

 

Obedience should be a defining characteristic of a follower of Christ.  Obedience puts us in the family of God, and obedience to God’s word makes our spiritual family more significant that our biological family.

 

 

Conclusion

So what area of your life needs your obedience right now?  Do you need to obey and call on the Lord to save you?

 

Do you need to obey and follower Jesus in believers’ baptism?  Do you need to obey and join this local church?

 

Do you need to obey and leave behind a relationship or a behavior?  Do you need to obey and start reading you Bible or tithing?

 

God is calling you to obedience today!  How will you respond?

Choose Your Side Today!

Please take your Bibles and find Luke 11:14. As we continue in our study of Luke’s gospel, I want to share a message with you entitled, “Choose Your Side Today!”

 

Brothers and sisters, we are at war today.  However, I’m not talking about the China and the US.  I am not talking about Russia and Ukraine.  I am not talking about Hamas and Israel.

 

As the body of Christ, we are at war today with the devil.  This war is between Satan and Jesus.  This war is between the Spirit and the flesh.  This war is between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the world. 

 

Our text this morning is not about the spiritual armor of God.  However, I want to read from that same chapter a few verse before.  See Ephesians 6:10-12.

 

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, we are at war this morning, and you have to choose your side today.  Will you choose Jesus or will you choose the devil?

 

 

1. An Accusation of Demonic Activity, Luke 11:14-15

14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

 

All of a sudden, right here in front of us, Jesus is casting out a demon.  The demon was living in a man and wasn’t allowing him to speak.  He was mute.

 

However, when Jesus made the demon leave the man, he miraculously could talk again.  I can only imagine his first words may have been, “Thank you Jesus!  Praise God!  Hallelujah,” and the crowds marveled at what had taken place.

 

However, there were some who doubted Jesus’ power and authority.  They accused Him of working with the devil to cast out this demon.

 

BTW…in a few weeks, when we get to Luke 12, Jesus talks about the unpardonable sin or the unforgivable sin.  What is it?  It is attributing to the devil what only God can do.

 

Only God can cast out demons.  Jesus was acting on behalf of God and as God!

 

 

2. An Explanation about Spiritual Rivalry, Luke 11:16-20

16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. 17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

 

In verse 16, there was another group from the crowd who desired to test Jesus.  They wanted Him to perform a sign.

 

However, because He was and is God and is all-knowing or omniscient, He knew their thoughts and gave them this explanation about spiritual rivalry. 

 

First, a kingdom or nation divided against itself cannot stand.  We see this all around the world with what are often called “civil wars.”

 

On some occasions, it has seemed like we were close to that in our country again like we did in the late 1800’s.  At times, it is probably more accurate to call us, “The Divided States of America.”

 

Next, a house divided against itself cannot stand.  We see this often with families who have been fractured and split over fights and disagreements. 

 

We see this most clearly in marital relationships.  A husband and wife who are divided cannot stand together and end up divorcing.

 

Therefore, Satan isn’t going to cast out demons.  Why not?  His kingdom can’t flourish if he does that.

 

These folks accused Jesus of working for Satan.  Beelzebub is another name for the devil.

 

Originally, this name was for Baal, the god of the Canaanite nations.  It then morphed to Beelzebul, prince of demons.  Then, it changed to Beelzebub or lord of the flies.

 

Regardless, in this context, it was another name for the devil. They were accusing Jesus of working for him.

 

However, Jesus caught them in quandary.  If He was casting out demons with the devil’s power, whose power and authority were the Jewish leaders using when they were casting out demons?

 

Jesus caught them.  They were using God’s power, and verse 20 says Jesus was too!  Jesus was God in the flesh standing before them.

 

3. An Illustration of the Impossibility of Religious Neutrality, Luke 11:21-26

21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.  24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

 

The end of our text this morning is a parable that Jesus told.  It is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. 

 

In other words, it is an illustration.  This parable illustrates the truth that there is no such thing as religious neutrality.

 

The strong man is Satan.  His palace is his kingdom.  His goods are his demons and those he possesses.

 

Satan cannot be overtaken except by someone who is stronger, one who can bind him.  Jesus is stronger than Satan.  The Lord Jesus will then set free all who belong to Satan and take them for Himself.

 

BTW…whether you are talking about the cross or the resurrection or the Jesus’ return, Jesus has defeated Satan.  That is the truth!

 

Look at verse 23.  Either you are with Jesus or against Jesus. 

 

You can’t say, “I haven’t decided yet.”  Your lack of a decision is your decision.  Delayed obedience is disobedience.

 

When Jesus comes into your heart and Satan leaves, I’m sorry to say this, but Satan will tempt you and test you to see how solid your commitment to Jesus is.

 

If you’ve decided and you are firm in your commitment, Satan doesn’t have a chance.  He has been bound by Jesus.

 

However, if you waver, if your commitment isn’t firm, if you’re hanging on to elements of your past and your lostness, you should be worried. The devil will come back and try his best to wreck your life completely. 

 

Conclusion

You have to choose your side today.  See 1 Corinthians 10:21.

 

21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.

 

Are you going to choose Jesus today?  Are you going to choose His ways today?  Are you going to choose baptism today or church membership today or tithing today?

 

Either you are for Him or against Him.  Choose Jesus today!

Who is Asking for a Snake or Scorpion?

Please take your Bibles and find Luke 11:11. I want to share a message with you entitled, “Who is Asking for a Snake or Scorpion?”

 

This is rhetorical question, and a reference to today’s text in Luke 11.  Generally speaking, the answer is no one.

 

So far this year, we have been talking about priorities for the child of God and the follower of Christ.  I have challenged you to make your first priority daily bible reading.

 

I have challenged you to make you second priority regular praying in our daily lives.  In order to better understand what that might look like, we saw the Jesus’ pattern of prayer also known as the Lord’s Prayer.

 

Jesus prayed regularly and during significant and stressful times in His life.  He prayed alone and with others.  He prayed for those around Him and for Himself. 

 

Last Sunday, we were challenged to keep on keeping on in our prayers and with praying.  God wants us to persistently ask, seek, and knock like a desperate beggar.

 

Today, I want to show you what God promises when we pray.  In short, because of who He is, He will give us what we need when we come to Him in prayer.

 

 

Exposition

In the NKJV of verses 11-12, Jesus asked 3 rhetorical questions, and the answer to all 3 is No.  You probably have a footnote telling you why or why not this first question is included in your version.

 

Regardless, normal earthly fathers are going to give their children what they ask for.  Said another way, normal earthly fathers are NOT going to give their children things that harm them like snakes and scorpions.

 

BTW…I know there are some in the room this morning that had sorry earthly fathers.  I hate that, and I am sorry for you.  However, please know that God in heaven, the God of the Bible, wants to be your good and perfect heavenly Father if He isn’t already.  

 

In verse 13, Jesus then makes His point from the rhetorical questions.  If sinful and evil earthly fathers know to give their children what they need when they ask, our heavenly Father will absolutely give us what we need, and our greatest need is salvation by being born again through the Holy Spirit. 

 

So, allow me explain this a little more.

 

 

1. Our Heavenly Father will give us what we need when pray to Him because of His character.

 

How do I know this?  The Bible tells me so.

 

Romans 8:32, 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

 

Again, we have a rhetorical question.  If God gave His own Son to us, don’ you think He will also answer our prayers according to our needs?

 

BTW…I recently read these answers to pray, and I want to share them with you.

 

First, sometimes God answers our prayers directly.  That means He gives us exactly what we asked for.

 

Second, sometimes God answers our prayers differently.  He still answered us, but not exactly what we prayed.

 

Third, there are times when God delays His answer to our prayers.  In other words, His answer is wait.

 

Finally, sometimes God’s answer is no.  He denies our request or petition for some good reason. 

 

However, because the Bible is true, we can know that because of His character, He knows our needs and will give us what we need without hesitation or reservation.  He is our good, good Father.

 

James 1:17, 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, even when we don’t understand, I ask you and challenge you to trust Him.  He is perfect, and His plan for us perfect.

 

 

 

2. The second best prayer we can ever daily and throughout the day is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

Christians don’t have to be pray for the Holy Spirit because of Pentecost.  If we are saved, we have Him.

 

Let that sink in.  If we are saved, we have the third person of the Holy Trinity within us all the time.

 

However, like an old bicycle tire, we are prone to leak, and we have to pray to be filled with the Spirit regularly.  See Ephesians 5:18.

 

Ephesians 5:18, 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.

This is the explicit will of God.  Therefore, when we have the third person of the Holy Trinity within us, and we are filled with Him or following His lead, what does that mean?

 

First, it means we will pray in Jesus’ name and according to God’s will.  Why does that matter?

 

John 14:13-14, 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

 

John 15:16, 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

 

John 16:23-24, 23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

 

1 John 5:14-15, 14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

 

It matters because the Bible says God will answer our prayers when we pray in Jesus’ name and according to God’s will.  How do we do that?  We do this when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and not our own flesh.

 

Second, being filled with the Holy Spirit means we will be obedient to the Lord Jesus.  Why does matter? 

 

John 15:7, 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

 

Not only does the Bible say when we pray in Jesus’ name and according to God’s will that He will answer our prayers, it also says when we are obedient to His desire for our lives that He will answer our prayers.

 

To abide is synonymous with obey.  His words are His commands or the Bible. When we obey His commands or abide in Him, our heavenly Father will answer our prayers.

 

 

Conclusion

So, if praying to be filled with the Spirit is the second best prayer you can pray, what is the first?  The absolute best prayer you can pray is the prayer of salvation that says, “Father, please forgive me and save me.”

 

Admit that you are sinner and ask for forgiveness.  Then, because Jesus died on the cross for your sins and was raised on the third day, ask Jesus to come into your life to be your Lord and Savior.

 

You can pray that prayer today and be saved.  If you do or will, we want to know. 

 

We've Got to Keep On Keeping On!

This morning, if you have your Bibles, please take them and find Luke 11:5.  I want to share with you a message entitled, “We’ve Got to Keep On Keeping On!”

 

Today, we are continuing to talk about the subject of regular and personal prayer in the life of a follower of Christ.  We introduced this subject last Sunday morning looking at Jesus’ pattern in prayer.

 

However, I want to go back even further to the first Sunday of the year.  I challenged to you make a commitment to daily Bible reading, and so many of you have started. 

 

Praise the Lord, and you can start even today!  I challenged you to make this your number one priority as a follower of Christ in 2025. 

 

Then, last week, I challenged to make regular prayer your second priority, and we looked at Jesus’ pattern in prayer.  He prayed regularly and for big decisions or crises events.  Jesus prayed alone and with others, and Jesus prayed for Himself and others. 

 

Here is the main idea that I want us to see and understand this morning.  God wants His children to persist in their prayers and persist in praying. 

 

Look at verse 9.  Here, we find that word “persistence.” 

 

The NIV uses the “shameless audacity.”  The KJV uses the word importunity.

 

The word “persistence” means to endure or persevere.  Teenagers today might use the word “grit.” 

 

It means to continue an act until the desired effect is realized.  It means to keep on keeping on.

 

Here in Luke 11:5-10, I want us to see the explanation of persistence in praying, an illustration of persistence in praying, and the application of persistence in praying.

 

 

1. The Explanation of Persistence in Praying, Luke 11:8

8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

 

Beginning in verse 5, Jesus made a point using a parable.  A parable is an earthly story with heavenly or spiritual meaning.

 

The point of the parable is verse 8.  Jesus commended man’s persistence or his shameless audacity. 

 

In this context, shameless would be synonymous with bold, and used in a positive way.  Again, my main point this morning, and the main point of this text is to commend and advocate for followers of Christ persisting in their prayers or persisting in praying. 

 

 

2. An Illustration of Persistence in Praying, Luke 11:5-7

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

 

Verses 5-8 contain a parable.  A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly or spiritual meaning. 

 

Here’s the story.  A man has an unexpected friend drop by at midnight traveling through town. 

 

Why was the friend traveling at night?  It was probably to avoid the hot temperatures in the Middle East during the day.

 

This man knows that it is incumbent upon him to be a good host.  However, he doesn’t have any bread for the friend to eat.

 

What does he do?  He goes to a neighbor and asks for three loaves of bread.  Remember, it is midnight. 

 

It’s also important to know the neighbor probably had a one room house.  That meant everyone, parents and children, slept in the one room. 

 

When the neighbor hears the knocking or the calling, he goes to the door and essentially says, “Go away!  It’s too late.”

 

Why was this his response?  To open the door would mean burning a lantern and unbolting the lock.  He was surely to have wakened his children and his wife.  For those parents in the room, you know the advice of never wake a sleeping baby.

 

However, what does verse 8 say.  It says that if the man is persistent in his request, the neighbor will oblige. 

 

Can you imagine the scene?  It is midnight.  It is dark.  People are asleep.  It is quiet.

 

Then knocking starts and won’t stop.  Then yelling starts and won’t stop.

 

Finally, both stop.  Why?  Because the neighbor is tired of all the racket. 

 

BTW…in studying parables, there is always the danger of pressing the parable too far.  For example, God, our heavenly Father, is NOT a grouchy old man.

 

 

3. The Application for Persistence in Praying, 11:9-10

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

 

One of the great things about today’s text is that Jesus doesn’t leave us wondering about what it means.  He is crystal clear.

 

In verse 9, we find three words that are significant.  They are ask, seek, and knock.

 

In the language of the NT, they what are called “present imperatives.”  That means they are commands for continuous action. 

 

Consequently, don’t just ask once.  Keep asking.  Don’t just seek once.  Keep seeking.  Don’t just know once.  Keep knocking. 

 

The progression in the words is also significant.  Ask is verbal.  Seek is adding actions to your words.  Knock is adding persistence to your words and actions.

 

As a result, look at verse 10.  When you keep asking, you will receive.  When you keep seeking, you will find.  When you keep knocking, the door will be opened.

 

The point is NOT that we can manipulate God with our amount of prayers.  The point is also NOT that the person who prays the most gets the most desired prayer requests. 

 

The point is that God wants us to pray and pray more and keep praying.  We may not know if God has ordained the end.

 

However, we definitely know that He has ordained the means.  Now, let us be found faithful.

 

Keep praying for your marriage to flourish.  Keep praying for your loved one to be saved.  Keep praying for your friend to be healed. 

 

However, there is one pray that you only need to pray once.  That is the prayer for Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins and save you today.

A Close Second

Last Sunday, I began my message verbalizing my gratitude for the providence of God as He planned our last sermon of 2024 to be about the Good Samaritan and meeting our neighbors’ needs and the first sermon of 2025 about Mary and Martha and prioritizing daily bible reading.

 

Again, I am grateful for God’s providence in planning our second sermon of the new year to be about prayer.  As a matter of fact, our next three sermons will be about prayer. 

 

Today, we will look at Jesus’ pattern of prayer.  Next week will be about our persistence in prayer.  The final Sunday of January will be about God’s products from prayer.

 

I have entitled this sermon, “A Close Second.”  As I said last week, I believe that every Christian’s number one priority for the new year should be daily bible reading.  That is God talking to us.

 

A close second priority of every Christian in the new year is praying regularly.  That is us talking to God.

 

Therefore, I do think it is best for us to listen more than we talk.  Perhaps that is why we have only one mouth but two ears.

 

 

Exposition

In verse 1, Jesus was praying.  Obviously, His disciples heard Him and or saw Him and asked Him to teach them to pray.

 

Beginning in verse 2 and through verse 4, we find Jesus’ pattern for pray.  This is commonly called, “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Many of you probably have it committed to memory.

However, you probably memorized the version in Matthew 6.  It is found there as well as part of the Sermon on the Mount.  Here, Jesus used it in response to a request. 

 

Please understand that Jesus is not advocating a magical formula.  What Jesus is doing is teaching us to depend on God for life’s needs.  In verses 2-4, you will find six requests.

 

After we get the great privilege of addressing the Creator of the universe as Father, our first request is that His name be hallowed.  That means revered and respected.

 

This prayer is that you and I would not do ANYTHING to drag God’s name through the mud.  It applies to what we say, think, and do.

 

Second, there is the request for God’s kingdom to come.  This is a prayer for Jesus to come and come quickly.

 

Third, there is the request for God’s will to be done.  Consequently, if God’s kingdom comes and God’s will is done, my kingdom has to be destroyed, and my will must fall by the wayside. 

 

BTW…How is God’s will done in heaven?  It is done perfectly and without sin.  This request is for me and you to live lives in obedience to God’s will.

 

Fourth, there is the request for daily bread.  This is a request for general but daily provisions.  It certainly includes but not limited to food.

 

Fifth, there is the request for forgiveness of sin.  Notice also the standard for our forgiveness. 

 

When we forgive others, that is proof or evidence that God has forgiven us.  When we don’t, well…

 

Sixth, there is the request for God to deliver us from temptation and the evil one.  We are to pray for God to lead us into safe places where obedience thrives.

 

Again, this not a magical formula.  However, it can be used as a model prayer for our prayers.

 

 

Jesus’ Prayer Life

When we think about Jesus’ prayer life, we should remember that HE prayed regularly like here in 11:1.  You and should pray throughout the day even during the mundane experiences of life.

 

However, Jesus also prayed before or during major or significant events.

 

When He was baptized:

3:21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.

 

When He chose the Twelve:

6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

 

When He was in the Garden of Gethsemane:

22:40 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”  41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

 

When He was on the cross:

23:46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.

 

Second, Jesus prayed when He was alone, and when other were present.

 

5:16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

 

9:18 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

 

9:28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

 

Third, Jesus prayed for others, and Jesus prayed for Himself.

 

22:32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

 

17:1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.

 

 

Application

When it comes to your daily prayer time, I advocate the ACTS method of praying.  A stands for adoration or praising God.  C stands for confession of sin.  T stands for thanksgiving, and S stands for supplication or petition or requests.

 

All of these except for thanksgiving are explicit in the Lord’s prayer, and I believe that thanksgiving is implied.  I don’t know that you can adore or praise God without being thankful.

 

If you listen closely when I pray on Sunday mornings, I use this model as an example for you.  I adore all three person of the Trinity.  I confess that we are sinners in need of forgiveness.  I thank the Lord for our nation and our freedom and our military and first responders and facilities and abundant life.  I then pray for us and our neighbors and end to our wars and for the Holy Spirit to meet us here.

 

I challenge you to make regular prayer part of your daily life.  It can easily be accomplished with the notes section on your phone and a daily alarm as a reminder.

 

If Jesus prayed, and He did, His followers should pray as well.  Listening to God is priority number one.  Talking to God is a close second.

 

Priority Number One

If you have your Bibles this morning, please take them and find Luke 10:38.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “Priority Number One.”

 

I am so thankful for the providence of God.  In God’s providence, we ended 2024 looking at the story of the Good Samaritan and were reminded that our neighbors are all around us and in need. 

 

Consequently, Jesus expects His followers to meet those needs.  It doesn’t matter what our neighbor looks like or what language our neighbor speaks or how our neighbor votes or what our neighbor did in the past. 

 

We now begin 2025, and we’re still in Luke 10.  Like the story of the Good Samaritan, this story in Luke 10:38-42 is unique to Luke. 

 

For the follower of Christ, serving others should be a top priority.  However, reading and knowing God’s Word should be Priority Number One!

 

 

Exposition

In verse 38, Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, and they came to a certain village.  Because of this family of siblings, we know from John’s gospel that this village was Bethany.

 

In Bethany, a certain woman named Martha welcomed Jesus into her house.  This sibling group included Martha, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus. 

 

The text says that this house was Martha’s although it seems they all lived there.  Martha was also probably a widow since we never hear or see anything about a husband. 

 

The name Martha means mistress which is another name for hostess.  She was the hostess and in charge of the meals and accommodations for this Jesus and His disciples.  Let’s call her Meticulous Martha. 

 

In verse 39, we meet Martha’s sister, Mary.  Notice what she was doing.  She was sitting at Jesus’ feet hearing and listening to His word.  We can call her Mesmerized Mary.

 

BTW…In the first century, rabbis didn’t take women as their students, but that wasn’t true with Jesus.  Therefore, you can know that Jesus wants to make disciples of men and women and boys and girls and young and old and black and white and rich and poor and Republican and Democrat.

 

Verse 40 makes a very sharp contrast between Meticulous Martha and Mesmerized Mary.  Martha was distracted with much serving.  As I said earlier, she had food to prepare and accommodations to ready. 

 

When you have time to read your Bible, do you get easily distracted with kids, the laundry, the cleaning, the yard, Facebook, your hobbies?  Meticulous Martha got distracted with things that needed to be done.

 

She was so distracted and insulted by the lack of Mary’s help that she rebuked the Lord.  In not so many words, she said, “Lord, Don’t you care that I’m doing all this work and Mary isn’t helping a lick?  As a matter of fact, tell her to get in the kitchen and help me.”

 

Jesus never condemned Martha and her hospitality.  However, He did commend Mary and her listening at Jesus’ feet.

 

Look at verse 41.  Jesus said Martha’s name twice in His commendation. 

 

In verse 42, He said but one thing is need.  It’s as if He said, you’re preparing so many dishes, but just one dish is needed or necessary. 

 

What dish was that?  Mary had chosen it.  It was the bread of life.

 

John 6:35, 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

 

Matthew 4:4, 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

 

 

Main Message

Here is the main message.  In 2025, make daily Bible reading your number one priority!

 

“No spiritual discipline is more important than the intake of God’s word.  Nothing can substitute for it.  There is simply no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture.  The reasons for this are obvious.  In the Bible, God tell us about Himself, and especially about Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God.  The Bible unfolds the Law of God to us and shows us how we’ve all broken it.  There we learn how Christ died as a sinless, willing substitute for breakers of God’s Law and how we must repent and believe in Him to be right with God.  In the Bible, we learn the ways and will of the Lord.  We find in Scripture how to live in a way that is pleasing to God as well as best and most fulfilling for ourselves.  None of this eternally essential information can be found anywhere else except the Bible.  Therefore, if we would know God and be godly, we must know the word of God…intimately.”  Don Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

 

Furthermore, in addition to what some human says about God’s Word, listen to what God’s Word says about God’s Word.  See Psalm 119.

 

 

Application

I would suggest to you one of three avenues for application.  First, consider our monthly newsletter or member directory and handbook.

 

Second, consider YouVersion and one of their many plans.

 

Third, consider a daily Bible. 

 

Regardless, make daily Bible reading your number one priority in 2025!

Salvation is Greater Than Service!

If you have your bibles this morning, please take them and find Luke 10:17.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “Salvation is Greater than Service!”

 

Remember the beginning of chapter 10 from last week.  Jesus sent out 70 disciples to minister in His name.  He sent them out as laborers into the harvest, but this wasn’t an agricultural harvest.  This was a spiritual harvest.

 

They were to go but not take any provisions.  Jesus would provide for all of their needs.

 

They were to look for other like-minded individuals and families who were ready to receive Jesus as the promised Messiah.  They were also to heal the sick.

 

However, they would certainly encounter opposition.   They were then to trust God for the judgment of those individuals, families, and cities.

 

Today, we are going to see the 70 returning.  What was their reaction?  How did they feel?

 

 

1. A Picture of Joy, Luke 10:17-20

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”  18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 

 

Verse 17 says they returned with joy!  Why? 

 

They had power of demons.  How so?  They had healed the sick.  They had cast out demons.  They saw the lost saved.

 

In response, Jesus said in verse 18, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven.”  What did He mean? 

 

In this context, I think He meant that every time a prayer is answered, Satan’s kingdom falls.  Every time a saint is obedient, Satan’s kingdom falls.  Every time a lost person is saved, Satan’s kingdom falls.

 

BTW…Satan is real.  Jesus thought he was.  Satan is also a fallen angel.  That happened before time began and seems to be alluded to in Isaiah 14.  Finally, the bible teaches us that Satan was defeated with the death and resurrection of Christ.  Satan is being defeated every time an individual says yes to Jesus and no to the devil, and Satan will be defeated once and for all when Jesus Christ casts him into the lake of fire for eternity. 

 

The reason that the ministry of the 70 had any success at all was because Jesus gave them authority of the enemy’s power according to verse 19. However, please don’t take verse 19 as your license to handle snakes.

 

And even though, they rejoiced over ministry and we can rejoice over ministry today, there is something greater than ministry.  We’ll come back to that in just a moment.

 

 

2. A Praying Trinity, Luke 10:21-22

21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

 

In verse 21, notice that the 70 are not the only who rejoiced.  Jesus rejoiced over the ministry as well, and He rejoices over you as well when you serve Him by serving others.

 

Verses 21 and 22 are a prayer.  Jesus the Son prayed to God the Father through the Holy Spirit, and He thanked God for these saints. 

 

God revealed the truths of salvation to these saints and to anyone who will humble himself or herself like a child.  We’ve already seen that in Luke 9:48.

 

48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

 

Paul also understood that salvation is not because of our influence or ingenuity.  It is because of God’s grace and mercy.  See 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.

 

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

 

Brothers and sisters, don’t ever forget that you and I can’t impress a holy God.  When we come to him, it is with empty hands.

 

In verse 22, we are reminded of the deity of Christ, and God is sovereign and in control of all things.  Notice that Jesus is God, and God is Jesus.

 

BTW…this is proof positive that all religions aren’t the same.  Ask a Jew is they believe that Jesus is God.  Ask a Muslim if they believe that Jesus is God.

 

 

3. A Private Message, Luke 10:23-24

23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

 

After Jesus prayed, He had a private message for His disciples in verses 23-24.  He reminded them of their privilege. 

 

Prophets and kings had longed to see what they had seen.  What had they seen? 

 

They saw the Kingdom of God.  They saw the promised Messiah.  They saw God in the flesh.  They saw Jesus Christ!

 

 

Conclusion

So what is the point of today’s sermon?  Go back to verse 20.

 

20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 

 

Ministry or serving others is good, but salvation is greater!  It is good to serve others, and we should rejoice in our service.  Rejoice when you invite someone to church.  Rejoice when T. E. L. goes caroling.  Rejoice when our budget is met and when more money is given to the FLC.

 

However, rejoice more when in your salvation and when lost people are saved.  Why?  Ministry or service is earthly.  Salvation is eternal. 

 

Is you name written in heaven because you have been saved?  If not, would answer God’s call to be saved this morning? 

 

How do you do that?  Admit that you are sinner.  Believe that Jesus died on the cross in your place.  Confess Him as your only Lord and Savior.