Let’s give attention to the Word of God. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light was good, and God separated light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness he called night.
And there was evening, and there was morning the first day. God said, let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse, and it was so. And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening, and there was morning the second day. And God said, let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so.
God called the dry land earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called seas, And God saw that it was good. And God said, let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed and fruit, trees bearing fruit, in which is their seed, each according to its kind on the earth. And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit, in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was a morning, the third day.
And God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And it was so. And God made the two great lights. the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning the fourth day.
And God said, let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures. Let the birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens. So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm according to their kinds. and every winged bird according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them and said, be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters and the seas and let birds multiply on the earth.
And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creatures according to their kinds, livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. Then God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heaven, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him. male and female, he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And God said, behold, I’ve given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps on the earth, and everything that has the breadth of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.
Amen. Let’s pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this account of your creation. We pray, Lord God, that you’d work in our hearts now this morning, even now, and convict us of all these truths. And then, Father, by your spirit, apply them to our hearts. We ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen.
All right, well, this is not working. Hmm. I don’t know. It’s a mystery to me. OK, well, I’ll stand here. Maybe. The whole computer? We’d be here for hours. I’ll do that. I’ll do that. We just did that. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Is this important? Yes? Well, OK. OK, so we’ll stick with it this morning.
What have you learned so far if we review? Just one thing, one thing you’ve learned from the Westminster Confession of Faith. We’re now in the fourth chapter. That means you’ve got three chapters to say, I learned this from the first three chapters, just one thing. All right, so I’m not a very good teacher. I’m not a very good teacher.
So maybe one thing you learned was about the decrees of God. We just finished that up, the decrees of God. From all eternity, God did by the most wise and holy counsel, his own counsel, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass. What has God not ordained that has come to pass? Sin. Wait. Wait. I got that wrong last week. Yeah.
He actually has ordained sin, hasn’t he? Now is he the author of sin? No. If God had not ordained sin, then what happened in the garden as Adam and Eve sinned against him? Was he wringing his hands, saying, this wasn’t supposed to happen? I can’t believe it. Wow, I never thought this would ever come to pass. What am I going to do now? No. No, that’s not what God was doing. No. He has ordained sin. He’s just not the author of it. So He has ordained and decreed everything. He’s not the author of sin, and He establishes liberty.
That’s what we learned as we went through chapter 3. And then we kind of applied that to the doctrine of predestination. If we have the big umbrella of God’s decrees, right, within that big umbrella, under that big umbrella would be the doctrine of predestination. And they fit together. Predestination fits under the doctrine of the decrees of God. So much so that really those who wrote the Westminster Confession focus on the doctrine of predestination as they write about the decrees of God.
Okay, questions about the decrees of God, predestination, or anything else that you’ve learned so far in chapters 1, 2, and 3? Chapter 1 was about Scripture. Chapter 2 was about God. Chapter 3 about decrees of God, yes. Now chapter 4 is about Creation, is there a logical order to the confession? Yes, good answer. Yes. Start with scripture.
Everything for us is coming out of scripture. With regard to our knowledge of God, yes, we can know God from creation. But primarily, we’re knowing God by and through the scriptures. And so then, once we know the scriptures, the divines then open up who God is, to the extent that we can say who God is, and what has God done?
Well, God has decreed, He has ordained, He has determined all things. What’s one of the things that He’s determined? Creation. So how does God work out his decrees? This is a shorter catechism question, which I’m assuming all of you have memorized because the shorter catechism is for children. I’ll paraphrase. God works out his decrees by and through creation and providence. So the next two chapters in the Westminster Confession are creation and providence. That’s a logical order, right? God is a God of logic. He is a God of order. Okay, so our focus today is on creation. I really wish I could get this to work. Aha, look at that. Wow. Wow. Okay. All right, so this is the first paragraph. There are only two paragraphs in the Westminster Confession on creation. Now, you think, wow, that’s kind of minimal. given how big creation is.
It pleased God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost. Why did they include Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Yes, they’re all participating in creation, right? It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning to create or make of nothing the world and all things therein, whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days and all very good. That’s the first paragraph. The second paragraph will fit underneath this one and open it up a little bit.
Do they leave anything out here? I mean, if you were sitting in a room with the divines, and this was on the projector, and you’re about to vote, you say, okay, do we all agree on this being the first paragraph of creation? Would you have raised your hand and said, I think you left something out? No? You’d all agree and say, yeah, I approve this. No, it’s not a trick question. What about the heavens? To create or make of nothing the world. They don’t mention the heavens. In the beginning, God created the heavens.
I don’t know. Maybe I wouldn’t have said anything. 143 guys, pretty much smarter than me. But anyway, there you go. Yes? They specified after a world visible and invisible, so maybe by a world they were meaning heaven and earth? See, there you go. I could have been shot down if I objected. No, no, we need to include the heavens here. No, wait a minute, it’s included. OK. It’s all included. OK. Yes? The world must mean more than that. OK. So your argument would be world includes heavens. OK. All right. Well, they didn’t add anything, so maybe you’re right. OK. That was a side note, a little rabbit trail.
We’re on. Is this doctrine of creation important? Or should we just move on to Providence? It’s important. Okay, why? Has anyone been to the Ark in Kentucky? No? Those guys think creation is pretty important. They do. But do you? Do you think creation is important? Yes. I’m hearing yeses. All right. Steven. Okay. Is that important? Okay. That’s the question. Okay. All right. Well, let’s see. If you’re willing to take the time, we’ll open it up a little bit this morning. You willing? Yes. All right. This is from Louis Burkoff.
He wrote a systematic theology a few years ago. The scriptural proof for the doctrine of creation is not found in a single and limited portion of the Bible, but is found in every part of the Word of God. It does not consist of a few scattered passages of doubtful interpretation, but of a large number of clear and unequivocal statements which speak of the creation of the world as a historical fact.” I think Mr. Burkoff would say that the doctrine of creation is really important merely because as he reads the Bible, he’s seeing it throughout.
And if he’s seeing it throughout, then he was a pretty smart guy. It’s there. And so it’s pretty important to God to have this recorded in his word for us to read a lot about creation. So I think from God’s perspective then, creation is really important for us to get right and to understand. Because if we don’t, we run astray in all kinds of ways. All right. So what follows from the truth that God made all things? What necessarily follows from that truth? That it was God who made all things and people? Well, if you make something, What?
Pardon me? Well, if I make something, it’s really not good. But I do know it. If I make something, I know it. I put it together. That is one really significant aspect of creation. God knows it. What’s another one? Yes, Steven. Why? Why are we accountable to God? because he made us. That is a enormous truth. God made us. He owns us. And so I’m not my own. Psalm 100. Know that the Lord, this psalm is usually thought of in terms of a call to worship, right? And if right here in the middle of it, this is what we have. Know that the Lord, he is God.
It is he who made us and we are his. See what Burkoff is saying, the doctrine of creation is throughout scripture. It is he who made us and we are his. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise, give thanks to him, bless his name. So very important for us to grasp and understand God made us. We didn’t make ourselves. We are His. We belong to Him like the sheep belong to the shepherd. He places us in His pasture. But I really want you to see that this is in the context of worship. The psalmist wasn’t making a mistake or he wasn’t just, oh, I think I’ll throw this in as well. No, they go together. Creation and worship go together. We’re his. We’re his sheep.
He made us for this, to enter his gates with thanksgiving. Okay, so that follows from the truth that God made everything, right? So if this truth is grasped, it’s going to completely change your entire worldview. Can you think of a worldview that flows from not grasping this truth? Evolution. There are some that would disagree with you. Anything else that’s more current? Evolution is certainly current. I mean, it’s still going on today in terms of people believing in it. Anything else?
Can you define who you are? That’s a worldview, that you can define who you are. But if you grasp this truth that God made you, that you belong to him, Right? That he’s created you for his purposes. That wipes out that view. That I can define who I am. Really critical doctrine. The doctrine of creation. You are not your own. So I, I, I don’t even have the ability to define myself. God has done it. Right? I belong to him. I don’t possess myself. Completely changes your worldview.
How did the divines come up with this first statement that God was pleased to create the world and all things in it? That’s the language they use. Do you see that anywhere in scripture, that word? He’s pleased. He was pleased. How do they come up with that? I mean, these guys are supposed to be looking at Scripture and pulling truths out of Scripture. Where did they pull this out, that God was pleased? That’s good. That’s a good point. Day one is good. Day two is good. Day three, good. What happens on the sixth day? Very good. I think from that they come to the conclusion that He was pleased, right? Good.
Psalm 33, the counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Was creation God’s plan? It’s his desire, right? And yes, in addition to the fact that he sees it being good and then ultimately very good, it was his plan. And so it must have pleased him, right? It must have pleased him if he determined to do this. It’s part of his will. Another aspect of the doctrine of creation, it was the will of God to make all things. It did please him.
Was creation needed? I heard a soft no coming from the back row. Did the triune God need to create the world? Front row. Ladies, I saw a shaking of the head. What do you think? Did God need to create the world? Okay, he was missing something, right? God needs nothing. Oh, he needs nothing? Oh my, was there something lacking in God such that he needed to create it? Whoa, guys, let’s get together. We’re missing something. The triune God, the Father, Son, and Spirit, speaking one to the other. We need something else.
What about more glory? Did God need more glory? Is that what the divines are saying? That by and through creation, He’s adding to His glory? And so that’s why He created? No, thank you. It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the manifestation of His glory. of eternal power, wisdom, and goodness. That word manifestation struck me as I was looking at this. What is it to manifest? I was going to put in Webster’s definition, but I think you might be getting tired of Webster’s. No? OK, OK. I actually didn’t even look it up. What is it to manifest?
So if you’re sick, if you have a virus, how is that virus manifested? Fever. You might have a fever. You might have a stuffy nose. I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. Other things come from viruses. Those things are manifestations of the virus. You can’t see the virus. Well, somebody can, I suppose, with a microscope. But you don’t see it. But what do you see? You see manifestations of the virus in the fever, in the headaches, the upset stomach, manifestations. They’re showing forth, those things are showing forth that you have a virus.
And so as they wrote this, they wrote, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, God is, in a sense, Showing, demonstrating his wisdom, his power, his goodness through creation. He’s demonstrating his glory. Not that creation gives him more. Not that it adds to his glory. His glory is beyond our measure. And it’s not changing. God’s glory didn’t change as a result of His creation. Do you get what I’m saying? Was creation needed? No. No. Acts 17. This is Paul.
He’s preaching at the Areopagus. And he has gone by this statue of the unknown God. And so He’s proclaiming to those who don’t really know God yet who God is. And so He describes God this way, the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything. You see, their perception as He’s preaching to them is that these gods that we’ve made up, they need stuff from us.
Right, they’re so insufficient, they need things. And so Paul’s saying, well, no, no, you guys miss this God, the only living and true God, who doesn’t need anything from you. You can’t put him in one of your temples. Impossible. He doesn’t need it. He doesn’t need anything from you. In fact, he made you. So he’s turning everything on their head as he’s preaching about the living Was creation needed? No. So then why create?
God is self-sufficient. Within the triune God, He has everything. The way that theologians will put it, He’s self-existent. He’s not dependent upon anyone, anything outside of Himself, or self-sufficient. So why create? Yeah, I’d like that. For the manifestation of His glory, right? His pleasure. To manifest, to show forth His glory. We need to keep that in mind constantly. Because it’s something that the world doesn’t grasp, doesn’t understand. Christians should be the ones who are proclaiming this, right? Everything. Everything is for the manifestation of the glory of God, including us. Including us.
When you talk about seeing it through scripture, and you’re talking about manifestation, if we didn’t believe that God created, then when he parted the Red Sea, we could just say it was a phenomenon. When we got water from a rock, it was a phenomenon. When Jesus rose from the dead, it didn’t really happen. It didn’t really get dark.
We could explain it away, but if we know it’s the manifestation, it’s to His glory, those things, then we see it through creation. Yes. Good. Thank you. Psalm 19. Heavens declare the glory of God. Remember that, again, manifestation, declaring, The psalmist did not write, the heavens add to the glory of God. No, they declare the glory of God. And that’s where they get that word manifestation from, I believe. I don’t know. I wasn’t in the room. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, there are no words, those whose voice is not heard.
Psalm 104. Oh, Lord, how manifold are your works. In whom, in wisdom, have you made them all? The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures, innumerable living things, both small and great. What is the psalmist doing?
He is recognizing the glory of God by and through his creation. He’s not adding to it, he’s praising God as a result. of his glory being manifested on display. Glory, manifestation not increasing, and not decreasing either. Even though he made us and we’ve fallen from grace, as we fall, fell from grace, do we detract from God’s glory?
No, impossible. impossible. So why create? Is God’s purpose in creating important for you? Yes? No? Yes! If you think about God’s purpose in creating you, the manifestation of His glory, it underlies everything and it kind of drives everything. As you get up in the morning, why are you doing what you’re doing? Whatever you’re doing. Going to school, helping around the house, making a meal, going to work. Why?
God’s purpose in creating you for the manifestation of his glory. That’s why, that should be why. If God’s purpose in creating was to manifest his glory, how do we understand our existence? We exist to manifest his glory. Every breath we take. I’m not sure we think that way. I’m not sure we act that way. We should. How almighty is God? Do you think about that when you think about creation? As we read chapter one of Genesis, did you think about that?
And God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. Let them be for signs and for seasons, for days and years. Let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And God made two great lights. What are those lights? What’s Moses referring to, two great lights? Sun and the moon, hmm. The greater light to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night.
How did he do that? Yeah. It’s just, it’s beyond my ability to grasp. I’m not sure how far away the sun is. Somebody should know that. 93 million? That’s a long way. And yet, It’s so hot and so bright, 93 million miles, that we have light here. Isn’t that amazing? And it’s so warm, and really hot, that we’re feeling the heat right now. That’s how Almighty God is.
That He spoke it into existence, He’s hung it in place, He keeps it there, even though we think it’s rising and setting, Just that I Agree I agree I Agree that’s part of the doctrine of creation It it causes us to praise him doesn’t it? Is this cause for worship? We already answered that question, right? For wonder and awe, for thankfulness, for submission, obedience, for glory, for fear? Yeah. Yes.
For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. And he’s before all things, and in him all things hold together.
How mighty is God? What does that mean, all things hold together? We think of creation as kind of a one-time event, six days and done. But there’s a continuing aspect as he sustains us, right? In him all things hold together. Hebrews also speaks of this with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean that he holds things together? Yeah, I know. It is his power. What would happen if he weren’t holding things together?
Chaos? Would you exist? No. No, I don’t know. Biology was not my strong suit, neither was chemistry. But I think if he weren’t holding all things together, we would just kind of gone. Yes, sir. Okay. All right. I’ll work on that one. All things hold together. Okay. Without him holding things together, we wouldn’t exist. All right. So that’s the first paragraph, which is the headline, so to speak, of creation. Let me ask if there are questions, because this is actually a controversial topic. No questions? All right, I thought there were going to be questions today. Stephen? Comment. Comment?
I have heard, and maybe you could fact check me, Genesis 1. I’ve heard is written in such a way that it is almost responding to pagan beliefs at the time that had incorrect views of creation. And so I’ve heard atheists pose the idea before that all of the religions have a similar creation account, and that there’s a lot of parallel.
I can’t speak to that. Don’t know. I do know that the Lord inspired Moses, because he wasn’t there, to record this for us, for the Israelites, for us. so that we would know the truth with regard to creation? Is it to be a polemic against the other false religions? I don’t think so, but could be. Could be. I just think Moses was inspired to record the truth of creation in a way that we are able to understand to an extent.
As has been said, we can’t fully understand. We’re not divine, we’re not infinite, but God communicated to us in our finite nature what he did to make all things in a way that we can grasp and understand to an extent. And then we have to say, I just don’t know how he made the sun.
That is just beyond me. Creation of all things from nothing. speaking everything into existence. Okay, other questions? Yes, sir? All that’s hard to wrap your mind around, but the hardest thing for me, or one of them, is God is not in time. Well, we’re bounded by space and time. That’s our nature. That’s who we are. And so if you’re asked to think outside time, what does that mean? I don’t know. What does that mean? What does it mean that God is omnipresent? We’re bounded by space. I don’t know. But the Bible says it’s so. All right, well, I don’t have too much on the second paragraph. I think I’m going to spend another lesson on the image of God, but let’s dive in here. This is the second paragraph.
After God made all other creatures, He created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after His own image, having the law of God written in their hearts and the power to fulfill it.
And yet, under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject to change, besides this law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which while they kept, they were happy in their communion with God and had dominion over the creatures.” So we’re not at the fall yet. The divines here are not writing about the fall, they’re writing about creation. And so now they drill down, after they set the umbrella out, the headline, they drill down into one part of the creation. And so they’re taking that first paragraph and now drilling into God’s creation of humans. After he made all of the creatures, he created man, male and female. How many genders are there?
Just two. With reasonable, immortal souls, This is part of what distinguishes you from our dog at home, reasonable and immortal souls. Yesterday, our dog ran after a cat. That’s not reasonable. Got her back this time. Reasonable and immortal souls endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness after his own image. Who are they writing about, knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness? Pardon me? Adam and Eve. Yes. Yes. Think of that.
He made them with knowledge such that Adam was able to identify, rightly identify, and name all the animals that were brought to him by God. And he was able to determine that none of them were a suitable helpmeet. So he had knowledge. He had God’s knowledge.
Righteousness, right? Very good. That’s what we read this morning. Behold, everything was very good, including Adam and Eve. And so, therefore, they can write that they were endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. after his own image.
I think what we’re gonna do next week, Lord willing, is open up the image of God a little bit. What does that mean? So I’ll skip that a little bit right now. Having a law of God written in their hearts. What are they referring to? Didn’t the Ten Commandments come a long while later? What? No? Okay. All right. All right. Well, you’d have to go to Romans, really, to see where this is written. I just thought they were given one law. No? Law of God written on their hearts.
Romans chapter 2, for all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law, for it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
For when the Gentiles who do not have the law, by nature, what is he referring to? They do not have the law. Ten commandments were given to the Jews. That’s what he’s referring to. By nature, do what the law requires. They are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.” Is that something new? No. The law of God is written on the hearts of Adam and Eve. Yeah. It wasn’t just the one commandment. But they refer to this commandment, don’t they? Having the law of God written in their hearts and the power to fulfill it. What does that mean? The will to fulfill it. Mm-hmm. And the power. The ability, right? Do you have the ability to fulfill the law of God? No. No. No, why not? What? Where did it go? Yes, you lost it at the fall, right?
Because this is the way they were made. Knowledge, righteousness, true holiness, reasonable and mortal souls. They were very good. Were you made very good? You inherited Adam’s sin nature at the fall. That’s why you don’t have the ability to keep the law perfectly because you inherited Adam’s sin nature. So they had the power to fulfill it because they were made very good. You don’t have the power to fulfill it because you were made with Adam’s inclination to sin. You inherited that. because Adam was your federal head.
That means your representative in the garden. And so this is federal headship. There are two federal heads. One was Adam. The second was Jesus, right? So they had the power to fulfill it, but you don’t because of that fall from grace. yet under a possibility of transgressing. So God made them very good, but he also made them with knowledge, righteousness, true holiness after his own image. What does that mean? At least in part, what does it mean?
That they were made moral creatures. They were able to make decisions. He didn’t make them robots. They weren’t computers programmed to do exactly what God called them to do. No, they made a decision. And so they were under a possibility of transgressing.
If Adam had perfectly kept the law, what was he promised? What would have happened? Life, never die. But he would have been changed ultimately, wouldn’t he? He would have been changed from this. He would have been moved from a possibility of transgressing into no possibility of transgressing. See, that’s where you’re headed. If you’re trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re headed to no possibility of transgressing. That would have been the reward for Adam. Because he already had life eternal. He’s going to live. God made him eternal, just like he made each of you. We’re all eternal. So to say, well, he would have existed forever, well, he already had that upon creation.
The difference, the change would have been this. If he had obeyed God, the reward would have been now You never will have the possibility of transgressing because you obeyed me. Important language, being left to the liberty of their own will, which is subject to change, that they were changeable. Besides this law, they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Okay.
So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him male and female. He created them. So important, this doctrine of the image of God that I think we’re going to spend another session on it. And God saw that everything he made and behold, it was very good. Where else do we read this in scripture? I’ll challenge you. I don’t think we read it anywhere else. You could say that, well, God is saying the same thing as he speaks of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is my beloved son. My beloved son. Very good.
But that language, it was very good. I don’t think it’s been used, is used anywhere else. I could be wrong. Could be wrong. Well, that’s what I had for this morning. Questions on the creation of man. Oh, we’re over time. Why didn’t you say something? Two minutes over. We were hooked. We were hooked. All right.
Well, let’s pray. Father, we thank you for this doctrine. It is glorious because you are. And so help us, Lord, to grasp the depths of this truth. It will and should affect every moment of our lives. Help us now, prepare us to worship you. We ask all this in Jesus’s name, amen.