← Mariners Church Weekend Messages
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Welcome to Mariners Church Weekend Message Podcast. Inspiring people to follow Jesus and fearlessly change the world. Discover your purpose and get connected by visiting MarinersChurch.org or click the link in the show notes.
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Welcome. You are in the right place. I am so glad that you are here. And if you and I didn't know each other, we needed to get to know each other. What would be the three things that I would need to know about you? What are the three things you need to know about me? I think one of the first things we need to know about each other is kind of a relationship because relationships define us all. For me you need to know my relationship with God is sort of central. But then I've been married, it's going to come up on 50 years pretty soon. I mean just a year. And then I have four sons, four daughter in laws, I have 11 grandkids and I have wonderful friends. But relationships define my life. I know they define your life. What would I need to know about you to know you? The second area I think that we need to know about each other is like our priorities, our life, how we spend our times. I think for me you need to know that, you know I love to exercise, I exercise a lot, but mostly I just want to be outside because you know, when I was a pastor I was inside all the time. It just tormented me. So I just want to be outside and so I'll do anything if I can be outside. I love to ask questions mentally, I love to learn emotionally. I really like being self aware and I really want to be as far as values, I want to be a grateful person. I don't want to complain. I want to be a selfless person. These are things that I value. You have values, you have priorities. What would be the ones that I would need to know about you to know you? And the third area I think I need to know about your passion, your purpose, what gets you up in the morning, keeps you through it in the day. Sometimes it's work or your vocation, my be your volunteer. But what are the things that you love for me wouldn't surprise you as a pastor that I want to inspire people to follow Jesus. I love to teach God's word, so these are the passions that I have. But you know, as we come to church, the question would be what are the three things that we need to know about Jesus? Because we're Jesus followers and wouldn't it be great if there was one passage that gave us a complete picture and told us the three most important things about Jesus? You think there's such a passage? Wouldn't it be great if we looked at it today? Oh, I can sense the excitement built. So we're gonna look at a passage now. Think of this. And it gives us the most complete picture of who Jesus is, what he did, and what it means to us. And it's a very familiar passage. If you've been around the church, I'm gonna read it to you. Philippians 2. This is God's word. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. And when he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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Woo.
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See, there it is. So what's the first thing that you need to know about Jesus? Look at this verse. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had, though he was God. First thing you need to know about Jesus is that he is. You didn't. It's an easy answer. You got it. You guys didn't play at all. You need to do a little better there. Jesus is God. Why is that important now? What's powerful is in the most clear and powerful way. Paul says that Jesus is God. The identity of Jesus is God. His character is God. His essence is God. And this is the defining issue of Christianity, the identity of Jesus. And it also is the divisive issue of Christianity. People are fine saying that Jesus was a great man, he was a great prophet, great teacher. But people, ever since Jesus came to this earth, want to get out from under the weight of the statement that Jesus is God. And so for 2,000 years, the way they get out of the weight of saying Jesus is God is two things. They say Jesus never claimed to be God and Jesus early followers did not claim that he was God. And that is not true. The Bible clearly shows that Jesus declared that he was God. And John, I'll give you two illustrations real quick. John, chapter 10. Jesus claims to be God. And the religious leaders literally try to pick up big rocks and they're going to stone them. Because in the first century, that's what you did to A heretic that blasphemed and claimed that they were God. Jesus asked the people, why are you going to stone me? And here's what they said. Because you as a man claim to be God. So Jesus clearly claimed to be God, and people understood it. In Mark, chapter two, four friends want to bring Jesus, to bring to Jesus their friend who's paralyzed. They can't get to him. And so they tear the roof off the house where Jesus is teaching, and they lower this person that's paralyzed down in front of Jesus. And Jesus looks at the people. He knows what they're thinking. And he says to the person, your sins are forgiven. Which causes people to lose their minds, because then they say to themselves, only God can forgive sins. And so Jesus asked this question of the crowd, and I'm going to ask you, so get ready to answer it, he says, which is easier to say your sins are forgiven, or stand up and walk and heal the person? And the people, you know, they don't want to get confused. They don't want to answer. They don't want to get trapped. So they don't. But obviously, what's the easier thing to say? Your sins are forgiven. Why? Because how do you know? I mean, how do you know? You can't see it. You don't know. And so Jesus says this. So you know, because he knows that they're done. He goes, so you know that I am God. He turns to the person and he says, stand up and walk. And the person is healed, and they stand up and walk. Did Jesus clearly claim that he was God? You're not convinced? That's the best I can do. Really? That's it. That's all I got. Right. Just two things. Then. The second thing. Did Jesus early followers claim that Jesus was God? Absolutely. And you know why? You know, because the passage I just read to you was written by Paul 25 years after the death and the resurrection. People will say, no, they didn't believe it, that the stories of Jesus were exaggerated and embellished. And it wasn't until hundreds and hundreds of years after Jesus death and resurrection that people believe. But Paul writes it 25 years after, after the resurrection. And here's what's profound. He's quoting a creed that the church would recite when they gathered together. And so that means that creed was written maybe within 10 years. So people who are eyewitnesses to Jesus's life, his miracles, the cross and the resurrection would gather in a church and they would boldly claim Jesus is God so that he is because this is the core issue for Christianity, the identity of Jesus. Listen to how John Stott says it in his great book, Basic Christianity. Claims of Jesus and his followers were so extreme that he was God, it was impossible to have a moderate response. People hated Jesus and wanted to kill him because of his claims. They feared him because they didn't want him to claim his life or to give him, to say things to him that they had to do. Or they just surrendered their life and they followed him because he was God. But no one in the first century just liked Jesus as a good teacher. They thought he was delusional and crazy or they thought he was God. So this passage clearly declares the first and most important thing that you need to know about Jesus is that Jesus is. Are you going to play here with us? You got to play. Okay, so Jesus is God. Now why is that important? Because that truth is a life changing truth. Because when we needed a savior, God didn't send an angel, he didn't send an emissary. But God himself shows up in the person of Jesus. And this is such wonderful news that In Romans chapter 8, Paul just goes off on it and he says, if God is for us because God shows up in the person of Jesus, then who can be against us? God makes us right through Jesus Christ. And so we are innocent and we are free. And nothing can separate us from God's love. Not trouble, not calamity, not persecution, not danger or death. We have no reason to fear because Jesus is God. So God is for us. That means that he loves us and he protects us, he provides for us. And even like we sang early in the service, that while we live in a broken world and bad things happen, that God is working even on our behalf and he's bringing about good even in a broken world. So we do not live as pessimistic people or hopeless or fear filled people, but we live with unquenchable optimism. Okay, you didn't really quite get the rhythm of that and get excited about it. So let me give you an illustration to help you get it and maybe you can capture it. Jesus is God. What does that mean? So my wife turned 70 just two weeks ago. I know, I know. She's so very old. And so. I know. And so she got, she wanted aura ring. You know what those are? They're a ring you wear on your index finger. Lots of you have them and you're very proud of them. And it gives you lots of input. It tells you about your day, your stress points, your heartbeats. All that, but also gives you feedback on your sleep. It tells you how long it takes you to go to sleep, how deep your sleep was, how long you were in REM period. Just all sorts of information. So she loves it, she loves the technology. Not three days ago she comes, you know, every morning we get together for coffee, we talk about our days, I make coffee. She comes in and she is stumbling into the kitchen and she looks so tired. She looks every bit 70 years old. I mean, just tired and overwhelmed. And she's in this service, I'm going to pay for that. So, so. But she does, she comes in tired and overwhelmed. And I look at her and she goes, oh man, I just didn't sleep well. I feel like I woke up all during the night and I've got so many things today that I've got to do. It's so important. I just feel overwhelmed. And I said, what does your aura ring say? And she goes, oh, that's interesting. So she pulls out her iPhone and she starts to look at it and she goes, oh, it says that I went to sleep pretty quickly. She sits up a little bit straighter and then she says, and it says that I had, I had good deep sleep and then I had good REM sleep and I joined. She starts ticking it off and in 60 seconds she goes from looking 70 to 50. Just like that. And her countenance changes and everything. And so what happens? The truth. The truth of the Oura ring gave her a whole new countenance and a whole new perspective. Oh, now you're getting it. So the truth that. Wait, no, come on, pay attention. The truth that God loves you and he is for you and that nothing can stand against you, nothing can separate you from God. Not trouble, not evil, not persecution, not danger or death. God loves you, he protects you, he stands with you, he provides for you. And even in a broken world where things are hurt and painful that God is working on your behalf to bring about, you do not live as a pessimistic, hopeless, fear filled person. But you live joyful and optimistic. Oh, there you go. See? And you're already smiling and look 10 years younger. Because Jesus is God and it changes your life. I love this one. This one's a little bit different. And this is about the relationship. And so I want you to track it, because I remember reading this, St. Augustine wrote this. And I remember my late 20s, I read this and it was really, I really like this. And here's when you say Jesus is God, it brings up the idea of the Trinity because you know, God, the Father is God, and then Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit's God, and they're all three God. But it says that there's one God, but there's three. And it's not one God that kind of reveals himself in three, but it's actually three different Gods. And so you have God when you have Jesus, you don't have junior God, you have God, Jesus, he's fully God. And so it's the Trinity. And I cannot explain it to you, but I can tell you why. It's very important that God told us that there is a triune God. And here's why. And this is what Augustine said, and I really like this. He said many people believe in only one God, one personality, and not the Trinity. But that God is a defective, imperfect, incomplete God, because that God lives alone and lonely. And the reason that he creates people is because he needs love. He wants to claw something out of us. He needs something from us. And so it's a God that is trying to extract something from us, but that is not the God of the Bible, because the God of the Bible reveals himself as the triune God who lives in loving relationship, the Father with the Son, and the Son with the Father, and the the Son with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit with God the Father. And they live in a community of love. And when they created you, when they created us, it was to invite you into a community of love, into a family of love. Isn't that good? And here's what the implication is. That's really powerful. He goes, so when we love and we love others, we serve others. Because remember, it says in this passage that we're to have the same attitude that Jesus had. And when we love others to meet our needs, to extract something out of them, or we need some, something from them that is not loving like Jesus did at all. That's a defective and incomplete love. And we know that we are doing it because this is how our response goes. We love someone, we serve someone, we care for someone, we let them go first. And if they don't appreciate us, if they don't affirm us for that, if they don't acknowledge it, our response is, well, I'm not doing that again. You know, I'm not going to serve you because you didn't appreciate me. I'm not going to do that because you didn't give me what I needed. You didn't affirm me for it. And in that moment, you are not loving the way that God loves you. Because the way God loves you and the way he wants us to love is to invite people into this community of love I give to you and I firm you. And yeah, I'm sad if you can't be appreciative. But I didn't do it because I needed that. I did that to love. Isn't that good? See, Jesus is God. That's a life changing truth. And so I love this passage because it gives us the most complete picture of Jesus. Come on, be there for it. And the first thing it says is that Jesus is good. The second thing that it tells us is that Jesus is human. That's what you need to know about Jesus. He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead he gave up his divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. And he appeared in human form. Here it says he became human. And literally it says it becomes both at once, both God and man. This passage does not say having been God, instead he became human. But what it says is being God, he also became human. Theologians call this the incarnation. So this is the miracle of the incarnation, that Jesus is both God and man at the same time. Time and again. It's something that I can't explain and it shouldn't surprise us that God is beyond us and that there are some things that we just can't understand. But I can tell you why it's very important that God tells us about himself. Because this is the understanding love of God which we critically need. Because we need to be able to connect with God. Let me explain it to you. So our greatest need is to be connected in relationship with others. And it's not just pastors who say that. Biologists tell us that. Social scientists, mental health experts, doctors, all say that we are created, we are hardwired to need to be connected. And we can see it because when the Bible, as you read the Bible in Genesis, we are created. The very first thing, we are created and we are living again in loving relationship with the triune God. We are connected with God. And the most amazing thing that God does is when he creates us. He gives us this incredible gift which is the gift of freedom, free will. We get to choose whether or not we will love God in return. We will trust him and we will follow his ways or we'll live life on our own terms. An incredible gift, but it comes with a huge responsibility because God warns us and he says if you go your own way, you will remove yourself from the only source of love in the universe, the only source of life in the universe. You will die, but you get to choose. And the surprise in the story, but it doesn't surprise us so much because we realize we make this decision every day of our life. We choose to have life on our own terms. And as a result of that, we damage our relationship with God and we damage our relationship with each other and even creation. As a result, we are disconnected people. And in that disconnection, it brings all the brokenness. We live in a broken world today. So the hatred and wars, jealousy, corruption, oppression, sexism, racism, all is because we are broken people. And the result of that brokenness. And this is important. Watch. The first thing is a powerful sense of shame. We know that we're naked and we're ashamed of it. And that shame is that we're not attractive enough, we're not good enough, we're not smart enough, we're not tall enough, we're not enough. And so we have this profound sense of shame. And so because of that, you remember what Adam and Eve did, they hid. And the reason that we hide is because of that shame. And when we're hiding, people, we can't connect because we are afraid. We're inferior, we're small, we're just so. We're broken people. So how can an infinite God even restore and connect broken people who are shame filled and hiding? Because God loved us too much to leave us that way. And so God comes in the person of Jesus Christ to rescue us. And here's what's so amazing. The Incarnation, he doesn't come as a powerful king or dominant or God. That something's awesome, that's just distant and far. But he comes as a. A baby in a manger. Vulnerable, small, weak. No one's threatened by a baby in a manger. And he grows up just like you and I, because he's human. He falls, he stumbles, he skins his knees. He knows the pain of growing up. He knows what it's like to have loss and pain because he has a father who dies early in his age. And so he knows earthly father, so he knows the pain of loss. He has to grow up and take responsibility. But then, as he does his ministry, he knows what it's like to be betrayed by his friends, to be rejected. He knows what it is to suffer injustice and cruelty. He knows what it's like to have an unanswered prayer. He knows what it's like to face death. And so the miracle of the Incarnation, it says that this powerful truth we have a God who understands. And see when we don't know that or we forget that, we think of praying when we're overwhelmed in life and we say, oh God, help. But we think, but you can't understand. I mean, you're in heaven and everything's perfect and powerful. You don't know what it's like to feel weak, to feel overwhelmed, to be betrayed, to suffer injustice, to have people talk behind your back, to take credit for the things you, you don't know what it's like. But then you look at Jesus and you realize you have a God who understands. And so you never have to wonder where God stands because he stands with you. Isn't that good? He stands with you. And here is just one of the truths of this in miracle, the incarnation. This is kind of mind blowing truth. The miracle of the incarnation wasn't that Jesus became God. I mean God and Jesus became man for 33 years and then went back to heaven and just became what he was before Jesus forever became God and man at the same time. So Jesus lived for 33 years on this earth as God and man. He died on the cross as God and man was resurrected. And so today there is a man in heaven who sits next to God, who intercedes for you, who defends you and speaks on your behalf. Jesus, who is the God man. And forever and all eternity will be with you, standing next to you and has and understand you. The understanding, love of God is an eternal gift that Jesus gives to you. The miracle of the incarnation. So there is no reason for you to hide and to live in shame and to pull away from God. But you can come boldly into God's presence because you have a God who understands and he's empathetic and he's compassionate. He gets it. He gets it. And so you never have to say you, you just can't understand. He understands. I love this passage because it is the most complete picture of who Jesus is because it tells us that Jesus is. You're just not going to play with me on this, are you? You're gonna. Secondly, that Jesus is human. And the third thing is you just got to see. You got. You want to try it again? Because you guys are like class God, human. All right, it tells us that Jesus is. Secondly, it tells us that Jesus is so smart. And then the third thing, it gives us a complete picture because Jesus is a humble servant. And this is the most shocking picture of God. The idea that God, the creator of the universe, the all powerful one, would be a Humble servant. Amazing. Look at what it says. And he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on the cross. Look at this whole stepping down. I mean, it says at the very beginning, look at the contrast. It says that though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something that he should cling to. Think of how different we are. Even though we are not God, we think that equality with God is something we can grasp. And you go, I don't do that. Yeah, we do. I mean, that was the first temptation. Satan came and he said, do this and you will be like God. Every time. Every time we read God's word and we say, I'm not going to do that. That's thinking that we can be God, we can be equal with God. Every time we want to control. Every time Jesus, you know, identifies something we should do, we don't do it. We're trying to be like God. But it says even though he was God, he didn't hold on to equality with God, but he steps down, he gives up his divine privile privileges, he humbles himself, steps down, becomes a slave, humble, becomes human, a slave. And then he humbles himself even to a death on a cross. This is the passion and purpose of Jesus. I mean, this is, you know, what he does. Why would he do that? To save you, to rescue you. So Jesus on the cross, because he's God, he can take all of your sin. He can take all of my sin, to all of our sin. Because he's God, he can take the collective sin of the world, which is this disease, to holiness and purity that corrupts him. It will destroy him. And because he is man, he can die in our place. He can pay the penalty for our sin and suffer the consequences for our sin. But because he's God, he can defeat sin and he can give to us his righteousness and forgiveness and invite us into the loving community of God. And this is the sacrificial love of God. And when we forget that and we're not aware of it that slowly, what happens is we start to think that we can good our way to God. And so we try to be good and we fall down and we skin ourselves. We. We don't do what is right. And then we say, oh God, I'll be better. And we make promises and we think those promises and our good works is making us more loving to God, but that doesn't do it. We're just minimizing and rationalizing our sin. But God, that he is Humble in Jesus Christ and dies for us means that we have a savior and he saves our sins. And what happens when Jesus steps down and surrenders and serves and he humbles himself and gives his life for us? Look at what God does. What does God do to the humble? It says, therefore God elevated him to the highest place of honor and gave him the name that is above all other names, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Jesus did not stay on the cross and he did not stay in the tomb, but God resurrected him from the dead and then elevated him to the highest place in heaven, seated right next to God, where he intercedes for us. But Jesus will come back to this earth one day. And the next time he comes back, he does not come as just a humble servant, but he comes as a conquering king. And it says, every knee will bow, every tongue confess. And so at that point, for those of us that know Jesus, we will bow and say, thank you. Thank you, Jesus, that you loved us. Thank you that you forgave us. Thank you that you gave your life for us and that we can stand in your righteousness. And we are overwhelmed. And others will bow in fear and regret because they will feel the full weight, the crushing weight of their sin. And they realize that it's too late. And so that's why Jesus would say over and over again, you do not want to go into eternity carrying the full weight of your sin. But you remember how this passage started. Look at how it started. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. What is the attitude that Jesus had? Good mumble. And probably the right answer. Humble servant, a servant. Sacrifice. Whatever you go, that's right, that Jesus humbled himself. And in this passage, it defines humility. Here's the definition of humility. Considering others more important than yourself. It is breaking with the me first mentality. And it's putting considering others more important than yourself. That does not mean that you are useless and worthless. But I love the way John Stott says it. Humility is to not think less of yourself. It is to think of yourself less. God doesn't dislike it when his children are honored. And God does not want you to live as a victim. And God doesn't want you to not think of yourself. He just wants you to think of yourself. You're so bright. Think of yourself less. You see, you understand that there's no way that anyone is loved. Unless someone sacrifices and sets down and serves. There's no way that children are raised confident and in healthy and loving homes. Unless parents sacrifice, step down and serve. There's no way that marriages thrive and spouses are loved. Unless someone surrenders and puts another ahead of themselves and keeps no record of wrongs. There's no way relationships can be sustained because we hurt each other and damage each other. Unless someone is willing to surrender and step down and serve. And the only way the church can be the redemptive community that God has called it to be, where we show Jesus love to the world, is when we step down and we surrender and we humble ourselves and we serve. There is no way for you and I to increase and to be selfish and for people to be loved. And Jesus did not step down and surrender and sacrifice and humble himself so that his followers can step on, step over, and step up. So Jesus said, I came into this world not to be served, but to serve. And then he sends us out into the world expecting us to change the world by serving. Look at what he says in Matthew 23. The greatest among you must be the servant. And then in Luke 22, he says, but among you it's going to be different. It's not like the world. What's the definition of the world's greatness? How do you be great according to the world? Power, status, money, strength, position. But he says, not so with you. Those who are greatest among you should take the lowest rank and the leader should be a servant. You know what I love about that? Jesus is saying everyone can be great because everyone can come on with some passion. Everyone can be great because everyone can good. Everyone can be great. So when. And what I love is when you look and you read the Bible and it tells the story of the church, the very first church. It says that when the church gathered together, the community just watched it and the people in it, and there was just a sense of awe. And so how would you capture that, that sense of awe when you know something's together and you look at it, you see a sunset or anything, you go, wow. Exactly. You say, wow. And so that's what you're going to do. You're going to say, wow. And so this is what the early church looked like. And pay attention. So they got together and they devoted themselves to the apost teaching. Literally, they said they ordered themselves under God's Word. And when people saw surrendering themselves to God's Word, people went with a little bit more excitement and passion. And then they would get Together. And they would worship, and people would praise God and lift hands, and people saw people worshiping God and they would go, wow, come on, with some more energy. And then they would get in small groups and they would be authentic and real, and they would pray with each other and share with each other. And as a result of it, there was miraculous and prayers would answer and people would go. And there was a spirit of generosity that broke out. And they served each other and they humbled themselves. And as a result, there was love. And people would go, and the really big one, get ready. People would every day see these people loving each other. And as a result of their humble service, people would come to Jesus and they would go, and that's what God wants in our world. He wants you to change the world with sir. So. It's all fun and games until you pull out the card. So when you came in, you got a card. And this card is one of the greatest gifts, because what it does is it's gonna give you the opportunity to put feet on this message and to live like a Jesus follower and say, I'm here to serve. Why are you here? I'm here to serve. That's what you say. And so you write down your name. Come on, start writing down. And then look at all the opportunities that you have. You can serve in the weekend. You can serve over at the kids ministry, junior high and high school. You can serve for the poor and the needy. My wife loves to serve. Every week, a highlight of her week is down in the food pantry serving generation. I'll tell you why you should fill out that card. I'll tell you, I've lived how this defines and changes your world. When I was an eighth grader, Lori was a sixth grader. We went to the same church, was a small church. And because, you know, it was small, everybody had to serve. And I remember the first time I think I met her, it was on a serve day at the church. And we're working around the church, and I saw, you know, man, she, she. Even as an eighth grade, I was smitten by her. But we had to help out in VBS with the kids. And so we learned. And I saw this, such an attractive quality of somebody who was willing to be selfless, put others ahead of themselves. And I think one of the reasons why Lori was attracted to me is because Lori's like here and I'm way down here, is that when I was an eighth grader, there wasn't enough Sunday school teachers. And so they gave me like five Six seven year old boys that I had to teach God's word to. And as an 8th grader, I started teaching God's word and it changed my life and I realized it was something I want to do. And we grew up through those years where we got to serve in the church and it was powerful and it defined us, made us who we were. And then we had four sons and they grew up in the church and they got to serve in the church. And the beautiful thing is, is that it broke, broke the selfishness in their tiny little hearts and they became, they became generous and they became not self serving and they learned how to put others ahead of themselves and they worked in the parking lot in the children's minor and they served in my four sons. I mean they're great, but they're like down here. But because they learned how to be selfless, they married daughter in laws that are way up here because it's an attractive thing when somebody learns to be self, selfless. And I got, and I'll get emotional, I got grandkids now and they're growing up in our church and in some of the campuses that we have and they get to serve in it and I get to see the character that's formed and how beautiful they're becoming because they're not living for themselves. That's what happens when you serve. And you know what the odds are that you become a servant if you don't fill out this card today. So on your feet now. Let's worship God.
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All right, Extend your hands please, and let me pray a prayer of blessing over you as we go. Jesus, I pray you'd bless your sons and daughters this week that you would remind them that you were gentle and approachable and that you love them cause your face to shine on them. I pray they will experience your mercy and your joy this new week. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace. Have a great week.
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Thanks for tuning in to the Mariners Weekend Message Podcast to support the ministry of Mariners Church. You can click the link in the show notes or download the Mariners app at your favorite app store. If you've been navigating God's wisdom with us through this year's annual read and would like to hear personal reflection reflections from pastors in your community. Check out the Gospel Every Day podcast. Imagine feeding your heart, mind and soul with the kind of practical wisdom that will change your life. If you haven't picked up the annual read yet, visit MarinersChurch.org or download the Mariners app for more information on where to find it.