Well, good morning, Saylorville! It’s great to be back! Thank you so very, very much to those of you who prayed for my wife and I while we were in Ireland with our missionaries, Frederick and Gemma Sandberg. We had a wonderful time seeing the Emerald Isle but also just hanging out with them, preaching, teaching, shepherding them, and being encouraged by them! You would be very encouraged by these dear saints of ours in Ireland.

The airplane was packed, and I was in the very back next to the window on a three hour flight. I prayed about who would sit next to me and this very smartly dressed business woman sat down next to me, so I greeted her when she sat down… but she wouldn’t even acknowledge I was there! I was asking her where she was from… whether she was coming or going home, but she wouldn’t even respond to me! I was thinking, “You’re about as rude as they come, woman!” Finally, she turned to me and she said, “I’m sorry, I’m, deaf. Were you talking to me?” Besides feeling really stupid in the moment, I had a serious communication issue with my new friend that I would be seated next to for the next three hours! I’ll tell you how that turned out after a little bit.

Every one of us enters this world with a serious communication issue with God, because we are disconnected from Him. He’s not hearing you! In fact, Isaiah puts it like this.

Isaiah 59:1 (ESV), “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,

and your sins have hidden His face from you so that (watch this) He does not hear.”

Have you ever read that? The Apostle Paul gave us a little theology lesson about what’s going on with some of you in the disconnect. In 1 Corinthians 2, he says this.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV), ”The natural (man) person (that’s the Greek word “sukakos,” from which we get our word “soul-less. The man without a spirit, without a soul. He doesn’t have the Holy Spirit.) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (The word “folly” is where we get our English word “moron.” It makes me laugh every time I say that! They’re moronic to Him!) and He is not able to understand them because spiritual things are spiritually discerned (or spiritually understood.)

Some of you misunderstand God because, plain and simple, you don’t have the Spirit of God. The Bible couldn’t make it more clear than it does in Romans 8 when we’re told anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ doesn’t belong to Him.

[Romans 8:9 (ESV), “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”]

Who is the Holy Spirit? We actually had a full-on sermon about Him just a few weeks ago. As a reminder, He is God and He possesses all of the attributes of God. He is a person, not an “it.” We talk about the three persons of the Godhead. He possesses all of the attributes of personality. In fact, in Romans 15, the Bible says that He loves us.

[Romans 15:30 (ESV), “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit…”]

… that He grieves over us when we, the children of God, sin.

[Ephesians 4:30 (ESV), “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”]

He prays. He’s an intercessor for us in Romans chapter 8.

[Romans 8:26-27 (ESV), “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”]

He can be lied to and He can be blasphemed. You can’t blaspheme forces or powers or “its”, but you can blaspheme a personality, so He is, indeed, a person. It’s important to remind ourselves of this. I would add, He is very active in this world whether you don’t know Jesus, but especially amongst those of us who do.

Francis Chan wrote a book describing Him called “The Forgotten God.” I think the Holy Spirit would actually welcome that designation, because it seems it’s not His desire to draw attention to Himself. That’s my understanding as I read the New Testament. In fact, think about the hymns. There are some new songs about the Holy Spirit, but can you name three songs that are specifically about the Holy Spirit? How about one? (I have a praise song in mind.) I think that’s the intention of God, because He’s not trying to draw attention to Himself. Jesus told us as much when He said in John 15 at the very end of the chapter…

John 15:26 (ESV), “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father,”(here you are) “He will bear witness about Me.”

In the very next chapter, John chapter 16, Jesus, instructing His disciples, says,

John 16:14 (ESV), “He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.”

The Holy Spirit doesn’t point to Himself. He points to Jesus.

If I were to write a book, I would call it the Misunderstood God. We knock ourselves out to understand God. We knock ourselves out to understand Jesus, but not so much the Holy Spirit. There’s so much confusion in so many churches about who He is, and what His ongoing characteristics, His attributes are.

Several years ago, the idea of making a study of the Holy Spirit more demonstrative came to my mind. So, all those I asked to be a part of this demonstration, would you come up to the platform right now? (Let’s give all of our friends a round of applause as they make their way up here. (audience applauding) Please be patient with me as I find a spot for every one of these handsome and beautiful people making their way up… Do we have eight up here? … All right, we’re good to go.) Now, this is very interactive, so  need to hear from you [the congregation]. throughout this entire sermon! This is a visual to show you half of the ways the Holy Spirit is acting. We’ll do this again in a couple of weeks when we will have 15 up here to show you the rest in order to more fully illustrate how active the Holy Spirit is!

Preston is going to help us out with the first thing we’re going to learn about the Holy Spirit. Preston is a strong guy. You’re going to take your hands and press them down. When he does that, we’re all going to say “the Holy Spirit restrains.” I want to hear from everybody, even those in the nose bleed section, okay? The Holy Spirit… (what?) restrains. What do I mean by that? Well, you think the world is evil now… You have no idea! The Bible describes the Spirit of God as literally restraining evil, holding it back until, as the Bible tells us, He is removed and… all hell breaks loose! In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 it tells us,

2 Thessalonians 2:1-7 (ESV), ”Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness (that would be the Antichrist) is revealed, the son of destruction,” (another designation for the Antichrist) 4 “who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God…” (The ultimate of blasphemies, still to come)

5 “Do you not remember that when I was with you, I told you these things? 6 And you know what is” (what’s the word?) “restraining Him now so that He may be revealed in His time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” (That’s the evil you’re seeing now.) “Only He” (notice… not “it”) “who now restrains it will do so until He is out of the way.”

He is a personality who is… (what?) restraining. The Spirit of God is restraining even as we speak. Do you remember the so-called “500 year flood” of 1993? Then we had another “500 year flood” in 2008… Do you remember all the sandbagging going on? Some of you might have even been a part of that. What was the purpose of those sandbags?… to hold back the flood waters.

On the night of the Last Supper with the disciples, just before Jesus went to the cross, He said,

John 16:7 (ESV), “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away,” (What a statement! He went on to say…) “for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.”

The Holy Spirit did come at Jesus’ departure, but someday the restraints are going to come off! There is a flood [of evil] coming. Are you prepared? (Is it possible that some of His ministries will end at Jesus’ return? I mean, He’s still going to be God. He’s still omniscient. He’s still omnipresent. He’s still omnipotent… but He’s not going to be restraining evil anymore!)

In John 16, right after He says “it is to your advantage that I go away,” Jesus describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit to convict. It’s Isaac’s job to show this. (He asked Isaac if he likes to judge people.) You’re going to take your right foot and stomp forward, then you’re going to take your right finger and point. He (what?) convicts. That’s what John 16:8 says.

John 16:8 (ESV), ”8 And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:”

He will convict because Jesus said ‘they don’t believe in Me! The word “convict” is a really interesting word. It’s a legal term and it literally means “to cross examine with the purpose of convicting.” The great Bible expositor, Merrill Tenney said,

“The Spirit is the prosecuting attorney who presents God’s case against humanity.”

Merril Tenney

Some of you are thinking, ‘Well yeah. Some people really need the finger pointed at them because they’re really BIG sinners!’ Well, we’re ALL big sinners. (Amen?) I know some of you are saying, ‘Well, not really.’ But whether you’re a little sinner or a BIG sinner, “ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” [Romans 3:23]

As I think of this, Donna Kimberley comes to mind. Many of you remember Tom and Donna Kimberley. They have since gone to a church plant, but we led them to Christ twenty-some years ago. If you had met Donna Kimberley prior to salvation, you would have figured she was a Christian. She was super sweet, very loving, a great wife, a great mom and served in her church… but she was lost! As we gave her the gospel, tears were coursing down her cheeks! She said, “You mean my good works won’t save me?” And that night she trusted Jesus! I’ll never forget her testimony, and I quote her words verbatim. She said,

“My greatest sin was not believing in Jesus.“

Donna Kimberley

That may be true for some of you right now as well. It doesn’t matter how moral a person you are! The greatest sin you could ever commit, the unforgivable sin, is not believing in Jesus!

The Holy Spirit… Restrains… Convicts…

The third thing we’re going to say is He regenerates, which means “to be born again.” When the Bible speaks of being born again, it means to become a child of God, so… (Pastor tells Alicia to act like she’s holding a baby.) The Holy Spirit is the one who makes us born again. Remember the story of Jesus and Nicodemus? Nicodemus says, “…no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

[John 3:1-3 (ESV), “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (that’s the phrase for “regenerated”) he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Then he says, there it is)

John 3:6 (ESV), That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”]

The spirit of God is the agent of our regeneration. Let’s try it again. The Holy Spirit does what? He… Restrains… Convicts…Regenerates. Listen carefully. Your faith isn’t what saves you. Jesus saves you! We don’t have faith in our faith. We have faith in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, but it is the Spirit of God who causes us to believe in Jesus. He regenerates our dead hearts. That’s what some of you need right now, by the way. John 1:12 says,

John 1:12-13 (ESV), “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become CHILDREN of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The word “children” there is the beautiful little Greek word “teknan.” It literally means “little born one.” It conveys a dependent child. Have you ever noticed when you read the New Testament, it never calls us adults of God. We’re always children of God. We are always the dependent ones… right? So the Holy Spirit… (does what?) He Restrains… Convicts… Regenerates.

Now… my friend, Jacob. Are we a Presbyterian church? No… Good. Are we Lutheran church? No, we’re not a Lutheran church either. What are we? We worship in the Baptist tradition. When we baptize, we don’t sprinkle like the Presbyterians. We don’t pour water on them like the Lutherans. What do we do? We immerse them. To illustrate this, you’re going to hold your nose and dip your head back like you’re in the water. So, when we get to Jacob, we’re going to say He baptizes… (The Holy Spirit Restrains… Convicts… Regenerates… Baptizes.) This is where it gets a little funky with our friends in the charismatic movement who think the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a separate work of God. The Bible doesn’t teach that. Just to prove it, this is what the Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13.

1 Corinthians 12:13 (ESV), ”For in one spirit we were “(what?)” ALL baptized into one body.” (He’s talking to the Corinthians here, the most corrupt of all churches! He’s acknowledging we’ve all been baptized into one body) “Jews, Greek, slaves or free –  and ALL were made to drink of ONE Spirit.”

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not some esoteric, experiential, ‘heebie-jeebie,’ ‘I’ve got feelings up my spine’ thing! Baptism means “to place into.” When we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, in that moment, He places us into the body of Christ. He immerses us into the body of Christ, the safest place to be… don’t you think? We’re never commanded to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. We’re commanded to trust Christ, and when we do, we’re placed into the body of Christ. It’s a beautiful thing… Amen? That’s what Paul meant when he said in Colossians 3,

[Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV), “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”]

“Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” That’s the reference for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. What does the Holy Spirit do? (Restrains… Convicts… Regenerates… Baptizes…) Very, very good!

Now… Our subject at hand is our dear Rachel who is going to have a baby… Praise the Lord! That’s why we’ve got a chair for her here. Rachel represents that The Holy Spirit indwells.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV), “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

…and in your spirit. You’re not your own. Here’s the point. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just put us in Jesus. He puts Himself in us! (This is the very doctrine that delivered me from a life of drugs… right here! Upon salvation, I not only became a child of God, I also became the temple of God! That’s a big deal that can deliver some of you as well!) Some of you need to take heed of that. What is the Holy Spirit doing in us… in the world? He Restrains… Convicts… Regenerates… Baptizes… Indwells.

He regenerates us, He baptizes us, and He indwells us simultaneously the moment we place our faith in Jesus to be our Savior. The Bible is clear that when you place your faith in Jesus and it’s real, you are secure for eternity. Hallelujah! Amen! But… the fact that He regenerates you, He baptizes you and He indwells you, but these do not include the promise that you are secure for eternity. What does come with a promise? He Seals you. He actually becomes THE Seal upon you! Here’s what Paul said.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV), “In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.”

Look at that sequence there. You were… “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (and here’s the kicker) “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory.” Hallelujah! The Holy Spirit is the seal. He becomes the seal and He is the virtual guarantee that your faith in Jesus is good to go. It will take you into heaven!

[Philippians 1:6 (ESV), “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”]

He began a good work in you. He will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ… Hallelujah! That’s all referencing the seal ministry of Jesus… and aren’t you glad?

Okay class… Loud and clear!  He Restrains… He Convicts… He Regenerates… He Baptizes… He Indwells… He Seals!

This is Dustin… [Dustin hits his open hand with the fist of the other] the best sealer by far!

Next, we’re going to Dustin’s daughter, Karis, right next door. Doesn’t she look saintly? Karis is going to create a halo over her head representing the Holy Spirit who Sanctifies us. First Peter chapter one, verse two says,

1 Peter 1:2 (ESV), “…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,” (there’s our word) in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood…”

The word “sanctify” literally means “to set apart”, both at salvation and throughout life. This also takes place simultaneous to regeneration. The difference is the sanctification process continues throughout the rest of your life. A great illustration of what the Spirit of God does is found in Acts chapter 13. The apostles are trying to figure out which way they were to go, and here’s what it tells us in Acts 13.

Acts 13:2 (ESV), “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me” (there’s that word) “Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

The Spirit of God works internally as well as externally! He works in you so that you will actually be set apart for God’s will in this life, and to go out and accomplish His purposes. This is what sends people to places like Ireland, Timbuktu, Des Moines, Eden Church, etc. (Hallelujah?) This is the thought behind Second Corinthians 3:18. Paul says,

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV), “And we” (that’s the saved) “all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

We have a model… “More people” (what?) “more like Jesus.” That’s the sanctification part, the work of the Holy Spirit. If you have been in our membership class, you’ve heard my definition for sanctification…. adjusting yourself to God. It’s like going to a matinee. After being in a dark movie theatre, you walk out from the darkness into the sunlight. At first you squint your eyes, but as you walk to your car, your eyes begin to adjust. That’s a perfect illustration. John in-as-much says so in 1 John 1:7;

1 John 1:7 (ESV), “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

This is what God does throughout our lives as we walk with Him. We keep adjusting ourselves, our attitudes, our actions, the things we believe… we’re constantly making adjustments. Here’s an operational definition I’ve given.

“Sanctification is the spirit at work as we adjust ourselves to God.”

Pat Nemmers

This is what Paul means when he says,

Philippians 2:13 (ESV), “…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

So, everyone… loud and clear! He Restrains… He Convicts… He Regenerates… He Baptizes… He Indwells… He Seals… He Sanctifies…

… And we’ve saved the best for last! Hunter is getting ready to leave us to go to Eden Church [Church Plant]. We love you, Hunter! I wanted you to illustrate this last phrase… He Fills. To illustrate this, just rub your tummy a little bit. This is where a lot of controversy comes in. You already know the scripture, but let’s look at it again…

Ephesians 5:18 (ESV), “Do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be (being constantly) “filled,” (that’s the Greek tense, simply “present”) “with the Holy Spirit.”

We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, sometimes when you hear someone was “full of the Holy Spirit,” you start thinking of all kinds of esoteric, crazy behavior and wild stuff happening… That is NOT what you should be thinking! However, scripture says when people are filled, we know in Acts 4 the whole room shook! Remember that? The apostle Paul cast blindness on a false teacher. (I’d like to do that!) We also have several references of individuals speaking in other languages or “tongues.” I really appreciate how Thomas Shreiner in his book, “Spiritual Gifts” started his book, acknowledging what the charismatic movement has brought to the table like their zeal, their love for mission, their love for one another… a lot of positive things to counter balance all the excesses they’re often accused of before launching into biblical teaching on the Spirit of God. It reminded me of something that happened when I was a brand new Christian.

There was a woman in church that everybody looked up to. Her name was Janice. She was a sweet, super Godly lady, theologically robust and strong in the faith. Most women gravitated, and rightly so, to Janice… and she gravitated to me because I was a very new Christian… (a bull in a china shop trying to go in the right direction.) Janice got a very aggressive form of cancer that shot through her body despite all efforts to constrain/eradicate it. I went to her home to visit her and pray with her. The weekend before, she had visited a charismatic healing service. She assumed I knew that because I had come to her house. She said even though she was excited that I had come, she was also afraid. I said, “Why?” She said, “Don’t you know what I did last weekend?” I said, “No.” She told me that she had gone to a healing service in a charismatic church. I asked her, “Why would you do that?” I’ll never forget what she said, and I quote, “…because when they pray for healing… they really believe it will happen.” I was a brand new Christian, super zealous, but that answer gave me pause. I thought to myself, “Do I really believe?” My friend, Janice, died a few weeks later, but I’ll never forget the lesson that taught me!

Here’s what I would say to us here. It should be enough to know that we are commanded to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit. If we obey that command, we can leave the results whatever they are, up to God… Amen? The good news is, some of those results are guaranteed. We can know for certain what’s going to happen if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit.

We’re told in Ephesians chapter five versus 18 and following that you will express certain characteristics that will evidence that you are full.

Ephesians 5:18-21 (ESV), “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

So the command to be filled with the Holy Spirit is followed by, let’s just call them outcomes. It talks about speaking boldly to one another with encouragement, exhorting individuals, you’ll be singing and making music. We don’t always feel like singing, but if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, you’ll even be able to sing… when it hurts! The next one is giving thanks constantly. If you’re a curmudgeon, that is, if you’re a constant complainer, you are not filled with the life of God… period! But if you are filled with the Spirit of God, you’ll be able to sing and give thanks to Him no matter how hard it gets. Sometimes it just gets hard. Lastly, it says, we will be submitting to one another. When you’re filled with the Spirit of God, you will be truly free to speak boldly, sing joyfully, show great gratitude and live in joyful submission to God.

This is just the half of it!  The Holy Spirit does what?! He Restrains… He Convicts… He Regenerates… He Baptizes… He Indwells… He Seals… He Sanctifies… He Fills… Amen!

Let’s give our helpers a round of applause! Thank you!

As they make their way to their seats, I want to add one more thing you can do if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit. Are you ready? You can just die! Do you remember Stephen? [In Acts 7], the church had just begun. God got ahold of this guy who was filled with power in the life of God! Even Paul, when he was Saul, was under conviction, just listening to Stephen. When the authorities pulled him in, they put him on trial, and then he laid out the entire history of Israel and showed how resistant they had been. Stephen said,

Acts 7:51-53 (ESV), “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it. Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.”

They were enraged and they took him out and started to stone him to death! Then, we read this:

Acts 7:53 (ESV), “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”

Acts 7:59-60 (ESV), “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. ”

When he had said this… He died!

I think it was Jim Eliott who said that you should live your life in such a way that when it comes to dying, that’s all you have to do… Just die.

Tim Keller, one of our heroes of the last generation, went to be with the Lord just a couple of months ago. Just before he died as he lay on his deathbed, he said to his family,

“There is no downside to me leaving, not in the slightest.”

Tim Keller

Is there a downside to you leaving? Are you ready to die? If you’re full of the life of God, you are.

So there I was, humiliated having utterly misjudged my deaf friend sitting next to me on the airplane. However, not only was she not offended, she reached into a bag, pulled out a device, and showed me how to use it to clear up the communication! We talked for three hours… I laid out the Gospel… It was a beautiful thing!

Let me tell you something. The Holy Spirit is not a device… He’s a person. If you will accept His prodding, repent and believe the Gospel, submit yourself to God… an experience beyond His regeneration, His indwelling, His sealing, experience real sanctification… That will change everything! Some of us here just need to be changed.

Let’s pray. Our God, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for His restraining power. We realize Lord, things are going to get way worse, especially when He steps aside, so to speak. Help us to be ready when the flood comes in. Thank you for His convicting work, causing us to see our guilt. Thank you for His regenerating, causing us to be born again when we place our faith in Jesus in our desperation. Some here, Lord, just need to be saved. If that’s you, dear friend, acknowledge it. If you’re convicted that you need Him. Lord, we thank You that the Holy Spirit then places us into the body of Christ! He indwells us! How precious! Then, He seals us for all eternity! We’re grateful for all these things… and more! And God, we’re thankful for the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit helping us to adjust ourselves to you… and that ongoing sanctification referred to here, Lord, whereby He brings us closer to You as we are filled with life of You! Lord, I pray that You would cause repentance to fill this place. [May we] enjoy even in the hurt. Give us a song in our nights by way of your Holy Spirit as You endeavor to make us more like Your Son, Jesus, as He endeavors to make us… More like Your Son, Jesus. It’s in His name we pray. Amen.