The Danger of Decisionism: Why Raising a Hand is Not Salvation

• Trusting God in Mourning 00:27:30 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces the final message of the series, focusing on the necessity of trusting God during seasons of grief and loss.
• The Reality of Grief and Loss 00:29:50 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that grief and mourning are inevitable parts of life for everyone, citing Ecclesiastes 3.
• Christianity and Happiness 00:31:14 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor debunks the cultural trope that Jesus came to make Christians happy all the time, arguing instead that He came to give abundant life, which includes experiencing grief.
• The Purpose of Mourning 00:33:22 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that mourning is a necessary part of the healing process and a reminder of mortality, helping believers prepare for eternity.
• Proactive Responses to Sorrow 00:35:11 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor outlines two biblical responses to sorrow: going to God with honesty and going to God's people for communal comfort.
• Ministry of Comfort 00:40:49 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that those who have been comforted by God in their own grief are called to minister that same comfort to others.
• Comfort in Grief 00:40:25 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor cites 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 to explain that God comforts believers in their troubles so they can comfort others with the same comfort they received.
• Embracing Grief 00:43:04 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor advises that the way to conquer grief is to embrace it, cry, and face the truth head-on by going to God and God's people.
• Salvation Assurance 00:45:56 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to consider their eternal standing before God and invites those unsure of their salvation to pray a prayer of repentance and faith.

• Sermon Illustration 00:27:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal story about a granddaughter's graduation in South Florida where a graduate was killed in an automobile accident, resulting in an empty chair with flowers at the ceremony.
• Sermon Illustration 00:28:22 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the death of his father on Christmas Eve 2000, describing it as the most difficult funeral he has conducted and noting the finality of the loss.
• Sermon Illustration 00:31:27 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical account of Jesus weeping at the funeral of his friend Lazarus (John 11) and being sorrowful in Gethsemane to illustrate that Jesus experienced grief.
• Sermon Illustration 00:39:26 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a story of a young couple in his church who lost their infant son, and how his wife Diana helped the mother through the grief, eventually leading her to become a grief counselor.
• Sermon Illustration 00:41:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor mentions a lady he spoke to in the lobby who had recently lost her husband, illustrating the ongoing nature of grief and the need for pastoral care.
• Sermon Illustration 00:41:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a story about a lady in her lobby who had recently lost her husband and told him she was there to 'brighten somebody's day,' illustrating the ministry of comfort.
• Sermon Illustration 00:42:23 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a letter from a lady whose daughter has permanent brain damage, who wrote that she conquers grief by embracing it, crying, and facing the truth head-on.

• Pastoral Charge 00:38:07 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor commands the congregation to verbally approach God in prayer, asking for His love and compassion during times of sorrow.
• Pastoral Charge 00:38:18 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor commands the congregation to share their grief with other believers to receive comfort through the body of Christ.
• Pastoral Charge 00:44:31 ▶️ 📄
  > Lift up a hand to indicate a need for prayer for grief and loss.
• Pastoral Charge 00:46:20 ▶️ 📄
  > Lift up a hand to request prayer for assurance of salvation.
• Pastoral Charge 00:47:12 ▶️ 📄
  > Recite the sinner's prayer aloud with the congregation.

[00:00:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]
[00:00:48] Welcome to Lake City Church. Let's stand over here as we worship the Lord this morning. Come on.

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:00:57] You are the Lord. All this is for. Fire by night.
[00:02:31] I'm fired up this morning. Welcome to Lake City.

[00:11:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:11:23] Lake City Church, we are so excited that you're with us today. If this is your first time, you can fill out our guest card in your worship guide or online.
[00:12:04] Take your guest card to the Welcome Center and we have a free gift waiting just for you. Thank you so much for joining us today.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]
[00:12:10] Lake City, what's going on?
[00:12:12] We got youth camp coming up this summer, and we are so excited.
[00:12:17] We're going to a brand-new facility called Crowder Springs, July 27th through the 30th.
[00:12:24] There's going to be a brand-new lake, zip line, snack bar, gaga ball pit, basketball courts, the whole nine.
[00:12:32] Your student will not want to miss this transformational week.
[00:12:36] Cost is $3.99.
[00:12:37] and like we always say we do not want that to be an issue for your student as we will have scholarships available with that said church we need your help to invest into this future
[00:12:51] generation if you want to give you can go to the church center app select youth camp in the giving tab or email me daniel at lakecitychurch.org we love you guys and thank you hey lake city

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:13:04] June 3rd, we are having the summer celebration.
[00:13:07] We're going to have worship, we're going to have food, and we're having baptisms.
[00:13:11] It's all kicking off around 5 o'clock, so come on out.
[00:13:15] If you want to sign up to get baptized, go and register on the Church Center app.
[00:13:19] This is a chance to go all in on your faith and make that declaration.
[00:13:24] I can't wait to see you there.

[00:13:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:13:25] Hey, everybody. My name is Dylan. This is my wife.

[00:13:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:13:27] My name is Megan.

[00:13:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:13:29] We're both members of the Missions Life Group here at Lake City Church.
[00:13:32] We just wanted to take a moment to say thank you so much for your continued financial support and your continued prayers for the June mission.
[00:13:39] We ask that you'll stay in prayer coming up to the trip and during the trip, if you don't mind.

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:13:44] We're also going to Peru in September for a medical mission.
[00:13:48] If you feel called in any way to go, we ask that you sign up on the Church Center app.
[00:13:51] Hey, ladies, we want to invite you to a special event we're having just for you.
[00:13:57] It's going to be an incredible night.
[00:13:59] Our Women's Night Out, we're calling it Growing Together.
[00:14:01] It's Friday night, June the 5th, 6 o'clock. Register today.

[00:14:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:14:05] Amen. June 12th, 6 p.m. We have our fourth annual stakeout.
[00:14:11] You do not want to miss this event.
[00:14:13] Invite your family, your friends, your co-workers, and come hang out with us that evening.
[00:14:16] We will have a guest speaker and worship.
[00:14:19] Register today on the Church Center app.
[00:14:21] Be there or be square.

[00:14:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:14:22] Thanks again for joining us today.
[00:14:23] Check us out on our socials or our website, lakesbychurch.org.
[00:14:27] And remember, we love you, God loves you, and make it a great day.

[00:14:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_16]
[00:14:30] Come on, church. Give God some praise this morning. Y'all excited to be here? Hey, third service, are you awake? Y'all get your coffee. Woo! The youth is ready. Y'all ready for youth camp over there? It's going to be a great time. Hey, welcome to Lake City Church. We're
[00:14:45] glad you're here this morning. This is a portion of service we call Giving Back to God as they throw the four ways to give on the screen. Has this sermon series, Trusting in Tough time. It's not been amazing. It's been so good, so practical. The theme verse is Proverbs 3, 5.
[00:15:07] Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Submit in all your ways and he will make your path straight. Who knows that especially in the area of finances,
[00:15:21] sometimes it's tough to trust, right? Can anyone say amen to that? That's, man, especially with this economy and $4 of gas. I got to get a BJ's credit card, get some cheap gas. But this is an
[00:15:35] area that you got to surrender to him. It's not sacrifice. It's obedience, being obedient in the Lord and trusting in him because life, we're not going to get it. And he gives you a peace that
[00:15:46] surpasses all understanding, submit it to him and he will take care of you. Amen. Amen. If you guys can stand to your feet this morning. We're going to continue to worship. And just like the scripture
[00:15:59] says, trust with all of your heart, not a portion of it, not a part of it. He wants all of it. He wants all of your heart this morning. Amen. Amen. If you guys could close your eyes, maybe just lift
[00:16:14] a hand to him. Holy Spirit, you are welcome in this place. We thank you in advance for what you are already doing. Lord, we pray for your provision this morning, for jobs, raises, promotions, Lord,
[00:16:26] in this place that you would bless the people here at Lake City Church as they are obedient to your word, giving of their tithes, offerings, of their time, all of their heart to you surrender, Jesus.
[00:16:39] We worship you this morning. In your name we pray. Amen. Come on, church, let's worship him this

[00:16:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:16:45] morning. Good morning, everybody. You guys seem pumped and excited. I love it. I love it. I love

[00:24:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:24:09] it. Hey, man, if you're glad to be in the house of God, somebody say, woohoo. You know, I told the story about Yo a few weeks ago. Now you know, if you weren't here, you'd have to go back and
[00:24:25] find it on the tape, but certain things just kind of pop up in service sometimes when you're worshiping the Lord. How many of you know God has a sense of humor? He really does. And if you're
[00:24:37] from one of those churches where everybody has a big frown on their face, I just want you to know we're not in one of those places. Jesus said, I've come that you could have life and have it
[00:24:49] more abundantly. And I'm so glad he did. And I'm so glad you're here this morning. I want to give a quick shout out to Pastor Terry who spoke last Sunday. Let's give it up for Pastor Terry
[00:25:00] and it was awesome and I also want to remind you, you saw it on the video, but this Friday night is the Women's Night Out.
[00:25:11] Ladies, if you haven't registered, you need to do it right now. Tap the tag because it's going to be a great evening on Friday night and then one week later on Friday night, the next Friday night is the
[00:25:23] Iron Men Steakout, and every man loves steak cooked on the grill.
[00:25:28] This is the finest steak from Mills Family Farms.
[00:25:31] They provide the steak for us, and these big, thick, juicy steaks, it is amazing.
[00:25:36] If you're a man and you know it, as Benny always says, tap the tag, register, and also bring somebody with you.
[00:25:43] Bring another man.
[00:25:44] This is a great opportunity to reach out to your friends at work and neighborhood and so forth, but that's going to be a fabulous night of life change, I believe.
[00:25:55] So are you guys ready to dive into the Word?
[00:25:58] Let me try one more time.
[00:26:00] Are you guys ready to dive into the Word?
[00:26:04] Okay, I tell you this, but what I have to say is not very important at all, but what God has to say is all important.
[00:26:13] And so let's just bow.
[00:26:15] Father, for the next few minutes, we want to hear what you have to say.
[00:26:19] God, we just simply ask that the Holy Spirit would illuminate Scripture to our hearts and to our minds.
[00:26:26] Lord, you know where each one of us are at.
[00:26:28] You know what we're going through and what we're dealing with.
[00:26:32] And so, God, please speak to us.
[00:26:34] And everything you reveal to us, we'll be obedient to it.
[00:26:38] And we pray all this in the mighty and the powerful name of Jesus.
[00:26:41] And everybody said amen.
[00:26:42] Hallelujah.
[00:26:44] Thank you for the yo section over there.
[00:26:46] today is the last message in the series we've been in for a number of weeks. I call it trusting in tough times. Our theme verse, as Daniel mentioned earlier, comes from Proverbs 3 5 where it says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean
[00:27:02] not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. We've talked about trusting God in times of discouragement. We've talked about trusting God in times of loneliness and times of waiting and times of failure
[00:27:18] and financial hard times. And this final message, I want to talk to you about something that's a little bit heavy, but it is so real life. And that is I want to talk to you
[00:27:30] about trusting God in times of mourning.
[00:27:34] M-O-U-R-N-I-N-G. Times of mourning.
[00:27:39] Last week, Diane and I were in South Florida for one of our granddaughters' graduation.
[00:27:46] And graduation was Thursday night.
[00:27:49] Thursday morning, they had rehearsal with the graduates.
[00:27:53] And on the way to rehearsal, one of the graduates was involved in an automobile accident and he was killed right in front of the school.
[00:28:03] And that night, rather than celebrating as this young man walked across the stage to receive his diploma, there was an empty chair with flowers all around it.
[00:28:12] And I cannot even begin to imagine the kind of grief, the kind of loss, the kind of mourning that that family is going through right now.
[00:28:22] On December 21st, 2000, Diane and I were driving south on I-95 toward Claremont, Florida, to visit my ailing father.
[00:28:33] And we were about one hour away when my sister Jane called me on my cell phone, and her opening words were, Robert, he's gone. And three days later on Christmas Eve, I conducted my father's funeral. It was the most
[00:28:48] difficult funeral I've ever conducted. And I've done hundreds of funerals. But my father, he had been sick and in decline for several years. But when the end came, it was so final. And we went into a
[00:29:04] time, into a season of mourning. And since that time, we've lost my mother, we've lost several other family members including Diana's brother and last year her father passed away and here's what we've learned, we've discovered that it is critically
[00:29:19] important to trust God in times of mourning it is critically important, Ecclesiastes 3.1 says there's a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven, verse 4 goes on to say a time to weep and a time to laugh
[00:29:35] a time to mourn and a time to dance.
[00:29:38] Here, King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said that all of us will have to deal with a time of loss.
[00:29:44] All of us will have to deal with a time of grief and mourning at some time or another.
[00:29:50] It's not a season that we look forward to, but the reality is in this life, you will go through loss.
[00:29:56] You will go through grief.
[00:29:57] You will experience mourning.
[00:30:00] But when we trust God in the season of mourning, it makes the difference between going through it in a healthy way, or being shattered and devastated by it.
[00:30:09] I can't tell you how many people I've talked to who did not have a relationship with God to the extent that they could really trust Him, and people who don't have that kind of relationship,
[00:30:20] often they're shattered, they're devastated by it.
[00:30:23] Unfortunately, some American Christians struggle with the concept of mourning.
[00:30:30] Maybe it's because we view it as a sign of weakness, or maybe we view it as personal failure if we're not happy.
[00:30:37] Sometimes the attitude is that Christians should always be happy and that if we're sad, somehow it reflects badly on God.
[00:30:44] After all, didn't Jesus come to make us happy all the time?
[00:30:48] I mean, listen to one of my favorite gospel songs, and some of you might know it if you're old enough.
[00:30:56] It says, at the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away.
[00:31:02] It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day.
[00:31:08] But let me ask you, are you happy all the day, every day?
[00:31:12] Probably not.
[00:31:14] This might rattle your cage a little bit, but Jesus didn't come to make us happy all the day, all the time.
[00:31:21] He came to give us abundant life, eternal life, which is different from happiness.
[00:31:27] The fact is that Jesus himself experienced grief.
[00:31:31] He experienced mourning like the time he attended his friend's funeral. In John 11, 33 it says that he was deeply moved and troubled. In verse 35 it says Jesus wept. Matthew 26, 36 tells us that Jesus went with his disciples to a place called
[00:31:53] Gethsemane. Interesting, Gethsemane, that means a place of pressure, a place of crushing.
[00:32:01] Jesus went to Gethsemane and he said to them sit here while I go over there and pray and he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him and he began to be sorrowful and troubled
[00:32:14] then he said to them my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death he didn't sound too happy did he his example shows us that Christianity is not a life of bliss filled happiness all the time
[00:32:29] he experienced pain. He experienced loss and grief, and he knew what it was to weep. His example shows this, that there is nothing unspiritual, nothing unchristian about mourning. The truth is that mourning helps us deal with loss in a healthy way. That's why when you suffer the loss of a
[00:32:53] loved one, Ecclesiastes 7 verse 2, it says it's better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man. The living should take this to heart.
[00:33:08] Sorrow is better than laughter because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. Solomon is telling us
[00:33:22] that expressing our grief and our sorrow is a necessary part of the healing process.
[00:33:29] He's also telling us that the death of our loved ones is a reminder to us that life in this world has an end point.
[00:33:39] It has an end point.
[00:33:40] Death is the destiny of every single one of us in this room today.
[00:33:44] The question is, are you ready to meet God?
[00:33:48] Are you ready to stand before God?
[00:33:52] When my father died, it changed my thinking.
[00:33:57] Suddenly I began to think about my own mortality.
[00:34:00] suddenly what I knew in my mind became real in my heart and that is I'm not going to live here on this planet forever and here's a profound thought coming face to face with your own mortality
[00:34:14] will help you make decisions that will prepare you for your destiny, for your eternity but having said that grief and mourning are appropriate responses for any kind of significant loss like the loss of your home or maybe your career
[00:34:33] or your marriage or the loss of your business what seems like a loss of your child when they get married or go to college or even the loss of your long time family friend family pet which is a family friend. Yes it's
[00:34:49] very real. A lady came up to me after one of the earlier services and she said I just lost my dog. We've had this dog for 13 years and she said and I'm in mourning. It hurts, doesn't it? Now, I know some of you are thinking, well, I'm praying
[00:35:03] that my dog will go on and be with Jesus. But when you've had an animal for a long time, yes, it hurts.
[00:35:11] The question is, what should we do proactively when sorrow intrudes our lives? And scripture tells us that there should be two basic responses. Number one, we should go to God. Go to God.
[00:35:25] you may feel hurt you may feel angry at God but go to him I tell people don't be polite be honest God understands King David goes to God in Psalm 31 9 and 10 and he says I am in distress
[00:35:40] my eyes grow weak with sorrow my soul and my body with grief my life is consumed by anguish in my ears with groaning we need to be honest we need to be human with God because after all he made us
[00:35:55] this way. In Psalm 88, verse number 9, the psalmist says, my eyes are dim with grief.
[00:36:03] I call to you, O Lord. Every day I spread my hands out to you. And when I read that last line, in my mind, I have a mental picture of the psalmist just lying flat before God with his
[00:36:17] palms up as if to say, God, I need you. God, fill me with your comfort. See, God understands your grief. God understands your sorrow. He understands your pain and your loss, and he is filled with
[00:36:31] compassion for you. Lamentations 3.32 says, though he brings grief, he will show compassion. So great is his unfailing love. Please understand that the hope of the Christian is not that we'll never experience grief or sorrow, but the confidence is that when we do, Christ by the Holy Spirit will
[00:36:55] strengthen and comfort us. I've seen that so many times when we're in those seasons of loss and grief when the Holy Spirit comes and He is closer than ever before.
[00:37:07] Maybe you're going through one of those times. Just tune up to His frequency because God is there. The Holy Spirit is there and He's there to comfort you. Ultimately our hope is in the return of Christ, the promise of the resurrection, the assurance
[00:37:23] of eternal life where there will be no more loss. There will be no more grief, no more mourning or death. Listen to God's promises. Psalms 126 verse 5 says those who sow in tears will weep with songs of joy.
[00:37:40] Jesus said in Matthew 5.4 he said blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. And my favorite is Revelation 21.4 where it says he will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
[00:37:54] There'll be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.
[00:38:01] And so the first thing we should do when sorrow comes our way is we should go to God.
[00:38:07] Go to God and say, God, here I am.
[00:38:10] God, give me your love.
[00:38:11] Give me your compassion.
[00:38:13] And number two, the second thing we should do is we should go to God's people.
[00:38:18] Go to God's people, share your loss, share your grief with other believers and let God comfort you through them.
[00:38:25] Maybe it's a close friend, maybe it's a family member, maybe it's a life group leader or pastor, but let someone else serve as a channel for God's comfort and God's love in your life.
[00:38:37] That's exactly why Romans 12, 15 says, rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.
[00:38:46] As members of the body of Christ, when another member feels hurt, pain, and loss, we feel it too.
[00:38:52] We feel it. I cannot tell you how many tears Diane and I have cried over the years for the members of our church body who have suffered loss and have suffered sorrow. Why? Because when you
[00:39:08] mourn, we mourn with you. We all do. That's the body of Christ in action. And here's the thing, God's comfort and God's compassion flows through his people. This is a beautiful thing. Listen, that God's love and God's compassion flows through his people.
[00:39:26] Many years ago, a young couple in our church lost their infant son, and they were absolutely devastated, especially the young mother.
[00:39:38] But Diana spent countless hours and days with this young mother, helping her to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
[00:39:47] today this lady who by the way is about 20 years older she's authored a book about healing from grief and she has become a certified counselor helping other women who have suffered the loss of a child and the thing i want you to know is that god never wastes your sorrow god never wastes
[00:40:07] your grief or or your mourning he will use your sorrow to comfort someone else in their time of need. How do I know? Because the Bible tells me so. Second Corinthians, listen to this. Chapter
[00:40:25] one, verse number three and four, it says, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all of our troubles
[00:40:39] so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
[00:40:46] Has God comforted you in a time of loss or mourning?
[00:40:49] If so, it is now your ministry to comfort others.
[00:40:54] This is beautiful.
[00:40:56] We walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
[00:40:59] We don't stay there.
[00:41:00] Maybe you've experienced the loss.
[00:41:02] Maybe you're experiencing grief right this moment, but I'm telling you, there's a time where you're gonna come through the valley of the shadow of death, and God's will and God's purpose and God's plan and God's ministry now for you
[00:41:13] is that you have a ministry of ministering strength and encouragement to somebody else.
[00:41:20] I talked to a lady in the lobby three weeks ago.
[00:41:25] She had recently lost her husband.
[00:41:26] I did his funeral.
[00:41:29] I said, good morning.
[00:41:31] And she said to me, good morning.
[00:41:34] Then she said this.
[00:41:36] She said, I'm here to brighten somebody's day.
[00:41:40] And I thought, wow, what a ministry.
[00:41:42] What a ministry.
[00:41:43] if you've been through the valley of the shadow of death God has a ministry for you God has a ministry and you can minister comfort and God's comfort and God's love in a way that others cannot
[00:41:57] if they've not gone through that but most of us have we have a ministry to comfort others and so if you're going through a time of mourning or should I say when you go through a time of mourning
[00:42:09] go to God go to God's people because his comfort and his compassion will bring you through the valley of the shadow of death.
[00:42:20] Let me wrap it up with one last thought.
[00:42:23] A pastor received a letter from a lady whose daughter suffers from permanent brain damage.
[00:42:32] And in the letter, she said that at times, the sadness she feels just concerning her daughter's condition is just overwhelming.
[00:42:40] And then she wrote, quote, I can hardly bear it sometimes.
[00:42:45] My most recent wave of grief came just last year before her 16th birthday.
[00:42:52] As the day approached, I found myself brooding over all the things that she would never be able to do.
[00:42:59] What did I do?
[00:43:01] I did what I've learned to do over and over again.
[00:43:04] I did what I believe is the only thing to do to conquer grief, and that is to embrace it.
[00:43:10] I cried and cried and cried and face the truth of my grief head on.
[00:43:17] Folks, here's what I know.
[00:43:20] It's hard to trust God in tough times.
[00:43:23] But when you face your grief head on and you embrace it by going to God and by going to God's people, you're on the path to healing.
[00:43:31] You're on the path to deliverance from a time of mourning.
[00:43:37] Amen, amen.
[00:43:38] Let's pray.
[00:43:39] Father, thank you for the truth of your word.
[00:43:43] oh God it hits so close to home it's something we all experience God thank you for your word help us to allow this to not only seep into our brain but to enter our heart
[00:43:55] and affect our heart Lord help us to trust you in these tough times I pray in Jesus name would you go ahead and stand together with me and as we stand in this moment maybe
[00:44:11] maybe you've experienced a loss Maybe you are experiencing loss right now.
[00:44:18] Maybe there's some kind of grief or mourning that you're experiencing.
[00:44:23] While heads are bowed, if that's you, I'd love to pray for those that are going through a time of grief and loss and mourning.
[00:44:31] If that's you, would you just lift up a hand so I can pray for you?
[00:44:35] God bless you all over the place.
[00:44:38] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:44:40] God, you see the hands, but most importantly, you know what's going on in their lives.
[00:44:44] Lord you know each one of us what we are experiencing and God my prayer is that the comfort of the Holy Spirit would be so real the comfort of the Holy Spirit would surround my brothers and sisters
[00:44:58] may we know with all assurance that you are with us you're with us in a way that maybe we've never experienced before Lord I pray for that one that is struggling right now just really struggling
[00:45:11] God we call on you Holy Spirit you are the comforter, the pedokletos the one called alongside the help in times of need and we call upon you and say thank you for doing your work of loving and caring
[00:45:26] and comforting us. In these times Lord we just say thank you. We say thank you in Jesus name. Thank you Jesus. You can go ahead and take your hand down while our heads are still bowed and our eyes are closed I want to pray
[00:45:43] one more prayer. And I want to pray for those who may be here this morning and you're not really sure about your relationship with God. Here's a question I want to ask you. I ask it all the time.
[00:45:56] Here's the question. If you were to die today, do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you're ready to stand before God? If you're not sure, in just a moment I'm going to have a prayer for you
[00:46:08] and for others, but you can know. You don't have to leave here today without knowing that Jesus Christ is your Savior and your Lord. So all heads are bowed, and Christians are praying really hard.
[00:46:20] If you say, I'm not sure, and I'd love to be included in that prayer, we'd just lift up your hand right now. Just lift it up and say, yeah, please pray for me. I need to know. God bless you.
[00:46:29] God bless you. Others, just lift up. God bless you. Say, I need to know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, my Lord. Anybody else? Just lift it up. Father, thank you. Yes, I see that other hand. Thank you,
[00:46:44] Lord, for these that have responded. And now I pray that you would just give them the assurance of their salvation. In just a moment, I'm going to pray a simple prayer. I'm going to ask everyone
[00:46:54] in the room to pray this prayer after me. If you raised your hand, just pray this prayer along with the rest of us. Pray it from your heart. God will hear you. Maybe you didn't raise your hand, but
[00:47:06] you feel a tugging on the inside, I want to invite you to pray this prayer along with the rest of us.
[00:47:12] Let's say it together. Say, God, I know that you love me because you sent your son Jesus, and he died on the cross for my sins. Today, I repent of my sins, and I ask you to be my Savior,
[00:47:31] my Lord, and I will serve you from today on. In Jesus' name, amen, amen. Come on, y'all. Let's give God praise. Lord, we just say thank you. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
[00:47:49] I'm so proud of you. If you prayed that prayer, maybe it was your first time or maybe you've strayed away and you prayed that prayer, kind of making a recommitment of your life to the Lord.
[00:47:58] I've got a goodie bag filled with resources that I want you to have. After the service is over in a few minutes, go into the lobby and there's a sign there. It says, I said yes to Jesus. And
[00:48:08] take that goodie bag with resources. There's a Bible in there too, a special Bible that I want you to have. It'll help you understand what God's word is saying to you. Amen. Amen. Well, if you're
[00:48:20] a guest with us this morning at Lake City, we're so glad you're here. I hope you'll come back.
[00:48:25] One of the things we do every Sunday morning is we share together the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion. And when we do this, we're actually celebrating the fact that God the Father loved us so much that he sent his one and only son, Jesus. Jesus loved us so much that he
[00:48:41] laid down his body and he shed his blood for us. And when we take those emblems in just a few moments, we're reminded of the body and the blood of Jesus. And so, Father, as we prepare our hearts
[00:48:54] to receive these emblems, the little cracker reminds us of your body, Jesus, that was bruised and broken for us. That little cup of juice reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins, and today we receive these emblems by faith, and we just say
[00:49:13] thank you, God, for your love. Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice. Today we celebrate the fact that our sins are forgiven. We celebrate the fact that our Father has good plans for us, good plans, and we say thank you for those good plans. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

[00:50:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:50:29] So I will take heart in deserts and gardens as good plans, as good plans.
[00:50:48] If I know my Father, I know my Father as good plans.
[00:51:10] Why should I doubt my...
[00:51:14] Why would I...
[00:51:18] And the staff that comforts me...
[00:51:21] Why it's the war...
[00:51:25] Why it's the storm...
[00:51:27] So it could be...
[00:51:29] Jesus, I thank you so much for today.

[00:55:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:55:24] And thank you so much that we get to call you Father.
[00:55:28] Father, guide us throughout the rest of this week.
[00:55:30] Father, we know we can go to your feet.
[00:55:33] You see us.
[00:55:34] You hear us.
[00:55:35] You hear our cries.
[00:55:36] You are with us.
[00:55:38] Father, thank you for that.
[00:55:40] And I pray over everyone in this room to have a great rest of their week.
[00:55:44] Father, to glorify you in everything they do.
[00:55:47] Father, thank you so much.
[00:55:48] and it's your name and your mighty, mighty power.
[00:55:52] Amen.
[00:55:53] Lake City Church, we love you.
[00:55:55] God loves you.
[00:55:56] Make it a great week.