Peter Tan-Chi - God is Holy, Be Holy
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Summary
This sermon launches a new series on «Knowing God,» emphasizing intimate, personal knowledge of God rather than mere facts about Him. The focus is on God’s holiness as His foundational attribute—repeated as «Holy, holy, holy» in Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8. Holiness means God is perfect in character (pure, trustworthy), the ultimate moral standard, requires believers to be holy in all behavior, and is experienced through Jesus' substitutionary work on the cross, reconciling God’s justice and love. Believers are called to pursue holiness, trusting God’s commands for their good, evidenced by transformation, joy, and humility.
New Series: Knowing God — God’s Holiness
The new series I’m going to talk about is the series on— starting this Sunday, for the next few weeks, we will discuss the series on knowing God. I want you to know God, not to know about God, but to know Him. A big difference. Knowing about somebody and knowing him. So I want you to understand the heart of God.
Let’s read this together. God is inviting all of us to know Him. Let’s read together Jeremiah chapter nine. Together. «Thus says the LORD, ‘Let not a wise men boast of his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not the rich man boast of his riches; ’» You see, most of us we brag about our education, our degrees, our knowledge. Most of us will probably brag about our position, our connection with powerful people. God says, don’t. Don’t do that. Most of us would probably brag about how rich we are. «Let not the rich man…» Don’t let riches get over your head, okay? God is saying, don’t do that. What does God want? Everybody read. «Let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me.» God wants you to understand and know Him. Amazing opportunity. Amazing invitation. «’That I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, righteousness. For I delight in these things, ’ declares the LORD.»
I encourage all of us to continue with this posture. 2 Peter, chapter three. Let’s read this together. Everybody, «grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.» This is a command. Keep growing. And I’m still learning about God. I’m still learning who God is. Don’t stop growing. Don’t stop learning. So would you like to grow in the Lord? All right. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. Get to know God.
Look at John 17:3. «This is eternal life.» This is a statement defined by Jesus. If you want to know whether you are going to go to heaven or not, look at this verse. Let’s read it together. «This is eternal life.» What is eternal life? «That they may know You.» Notice, intimacy. Real personal knowledge of who God is. «The only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.» If you want to know God, you have to go through Jesus Christ.
What is the evidence that you know God? If I were to ask people today, even in this country, they will tell you, «I know God.» There are some evidences. Let me give you an example of evidences of somebody knowing God. In Daniel chapter 11:32. This is what the Bible says. «The people who know their God.» If you know God, there’s going to be evidence. What’s the evidence? «They will display strength and take action.» People who know God live differently. They are excited about God. They serve God. They have something in them that makes them do what normal people will not do. They’re excited.
Look at this verse; the next verse about knowing God. Psalm 16 «You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.» People who know God are joyful. In the midst of crisis, in the midst of problems, they have peace. But above all, they are joyful. Let me ask you. Are you miserable or are you joyful? I have good news for you. God wants you to know Him so that you will live the life that He wants you to have. Satan is a liar. Satan says «God does not like you, God does not want you.» And the reason you believe the lies of Satan, is you need to grow in the knowledge of who God is. God loves you. He wants you to be joyful.
So what does it mean to know God? So today I will start a series focusing on who God is. In particular, the holiness of God. Why do I say the holiness of God? Isaiah 6:3 When God gave Isaiah the privilege of knowing Him, God opened the eyes of Isaiah. During the time of chaos when the king died, God opened the eyes of Isaiah to see Him. The Bible says Isaiah saw God seated on a throne. That’s what you read a while ago. Notice I want to emphasize something. What did Isaiah learn about God? «And one called out to another—» there were four super angels with six wings. They are called seraphim. Seraph means fire. These are angelic super beings that glow. They are supernatural. And what are they saying? In the presence of God and Isaiah, they were saying, everybody read «Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory.»
The same experience you read in the last book of the Bible at the end times. Let’s read Revelation. Revelation tells us, «and the four living creatures.» These four super angels; same six wings. What are they saying? Everybody read. «Holy, holy, Holy is the Lord God the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come. Ladies and gentlemen, 5 minutes after you die, you will see reality either in the presence of God or away from the presence of God. Today your eyes don’t see the glory of heaven, but I want you to spend time today to learn the holiness of God.
You see, in the Hebrew language, there is no such thing as superlatives. What do I mean? Grammatically, they don’t have the word holy, holier, holiest. They don’t have that. Their superlative is you repeat: „holy, holy, holy.“ So if you look at the Bible, you don’t see the Bible talking about power, power, power; love, love, love. No, no. You see the foundational attributes of God. What is the foundational attributes of God? God is holy. Why is that foundational? It is foundational because everything about God is holy.
Now I want you to understand this from your heart. Without holiness, God is scary. What do I mean? Somebody with absolute power, with absolute authority, usually leads to what? Remember the saying? „Absolute power will lead to absolute—“ What? „—corruption.“ But not God. Because God is absolutely holy. He will never be corrupted by power. His power is holy. God is never corrupted by love. His love is holy. So everything about God is holy.
Now what does that mean? So today I want to discuss with you quickly the four attributes of God’s holiness. Okay? If you don’t mind, let’s look at what I want to talk about. God is holy. The message today is this. Everybody, repeat after me. God is holy, therefore be holy. All right, so can I tell you something now? God is holy. You be holy.
Now, when we say God is holy, I want you to remember, for today’s discussion, P.U.R.E. acronym. God’s holiness means what? God is perfect in character. The holiness of God, perfect in character. The holiness of God means what? He’s the ultimate standard. What is holiness? Look at God. He gives the rules. He is the standard. Not you, not me. What is holiness? Requires us to be holy. God’s holiness requires you to be holy. God’s holiness is experienced through Jesus’ work on the cross. So with that in mind, are you ready?
All right. Let’s look at this amazing truth so that you will learn a little Greek. The word holy is from the Greek word qadosh. That’s the Hebrew word for holy, qadosh. The Greek word is hagios. Means set apart. God is set apart, morally perfect, pure, completely unique. So that is the characteristic of God.
Let’s look at the three verses that I want to discuss quickly about God’s holiness. Everybody read together, God is perfect, pure, and sinless. That’s God. How do I know? 1 John 1:5. „God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all.“ You have no comprehension of the holiness of God. Absolutely pure. Absolutely holy. That’s the idea. God is perfect, pure, and sinless. Therefore, you can trust Him. God is completely separate from evil. The book of Habakkuk tells us, „Your eyes are too pure to look on evil.“ God is holy. God is uniquely glorious and worthy of our worship. He’s unique. There’s nobody else like God. Exodus 15:11. „Who is like you, O Lord? Majestic in holiness.“ Answer: nobody else.
Therefore, point number one. God is what? P.U.R.E. What is the first P? Perfect in character. So tell your neighbor. God is perfect in character. You can trust Him.
1. Perfect in Character (P)
Now, why do I emphasize this? My friend, the first step towards sin, your first step to move toward disobedience, to move toward sin, to move toward committing things that you should not do, is when you begin to doubt the goodness of God in your life. Let me prove to you. Genesis chapter three. When Satan wanted to convince Eve to commit sin, what was his strategy? His strategy is what he’s doing now in your life. He’s a liar. And how does he lie? The three statements of Satan recorded in the Bible. These are his first Satanic statements. Number one, „has God said, you shall not eat from the tree of the garden?“ Notice, wanting you to doubt God’s Word. „Has God said?“ Second statement of Satan, „you surely will not die.“ To deny the Word of God— every time you commit sin, that’s the pattern. „Is God really saying this? Is that really what it meant?“ Boom! He will deny that. And worst of all, „God knows in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, you will be like God, knowing good and evil.“ What is Satan trying to do? He wants you to doubt the character of God. You see, God does not want you to eat the fruit because God is a cosmic KJ. He does not want you to enjoy life because God knows the day you eat— the day you eat that, you will die and you will be like God. So God doesn’t love you.
My friend, that is the attack of Satan in your life. He wants you to think God is not good. He wants you to think He’s not after your best interests. And that is my observation to countless people. That’s the beginning of turning away from God. You believe the lies of Satan. Can I tell you something? Don’t believe the lies of Satan. God is absolutely holy, absolutely pure. He is good, like a father to his children. I have five wonderful children. Do you know how many grandchildren? 24. But you know what? I love my children, I love my grandchildren. I will not want anything to cause them to be harmed.
Now, what makes you think God is different? Satan. Because you have a bad father. Because you have a bad husband. Because you have bad experiences. You think God is not good.
2. Ultimate Standard (U)
Number two, to say that God is holy, you must believe that He is the ultimate standard. What do we mean by ultimate standard? Look at R.C. Sproul. This is what he said. Everybody read, „God is not subject to a higher law; He Himself is the law. His nature is the standard of all moral excellence.“ God does not need somebody to teach Him what is holiness. He is the standard. Look at this quotation from A.W. Tozer. „Right is right because God says it, and God says it because He is holy.“
You see, someday you will be tempted. Is it wrong to do this? Is it wrong to do that? I want you to know something, God is the standard. A.W. Tozer said the following. „Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He is that standard.“ So let me ask you a question. Why is it wrong to steal? Why is it wrong to commit adultery? Why is it wrong to have same sex? What’s wrong? What’s the answer? Because God says so. Not me. God. You see, God is the standard.
I want to show you an example of God’s character. In Exodus chapter 20, God gave them the Ten Commandments, remember? If you want to know the goodness and the holiness of God, look at the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments is a description of God’s character, His goodness. The first four deals with who God is. Let’s recite together. Let me test you, what’s the first commandment? You shall have no other gods before Me. What’s number two? Do not make any idols. What’s number three? Do not take the name— do not use the name of the Lord your God, His name, in vain. What’s number four? To keep the Sabbath. You are keeping the Sabbath today. Sunday is a special day. The Bible says six days you are to work. The seventh day, you are to rest. You devote that to God. Praise God, you are here. The next six… Okay, you want to clap for yourself? Good. All right. (We’re so proud of ourselves.)
Look at five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. It has to do with how we relate to one another. Everybody read. „Honor your father and your mother.“ That’s why I honor my parents. „You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not covet.“ Do you know all of these commandments can be taken negatively or positively? Negatively, you will think God is a cosmic KJ. Positively, God wants you to learn how to enjoy life. The Western civilization is patterned— the laws of England, all the Western countries, including America, is patterned after the Ten Commandments. It’s called Judeo-Christian ethics. And the Philippine law is patterned after the US law, which is patterned after the British law, which is patterned after the Biblical law. God is the standard.
Now, why am I saying that? Because the day will come when you are tempted to disobey God, what do you do? You must know God’s heart. These are given to protect you. The commandments are given for your own good. You know, my wife and I, we were with a group of friends, and one of them is a pilot. And I asked him. He flies helicopter, he flies propeller (planes), he flies jet planes. Okay. And he’s a businessman, and now he’s a pastor. I said, what is the most important rule you need to learn to be a pilot? If you were to teach me, what will you tell me the most important thing? You know what he said? Can you guess? In today’s airplanes, they are so sophisticated. They can go up high. He said no matter what, simple airplanes, complicated airplanes, you need to trust the instruments.
Have you seen instrumentation of an airplane? You know why you are to trust the instruments? He said at night, when you go through the clouds, the clouds can be so thick you don’t see anything. And the danger is this, you don’t know whether you are going up or you are going down. The worst thing is to trust your feeling. Wow. I said, really? Because you’re feelings will deceive you. And I’ve seen many Christians, they trust their feelings, they don’t trust God’s word. My friend, be careful. Your feelings will deceive you. And he said, most accidents— is because the pilot neglected to trust the instruments. Let me ask you, what’s your instrument for your life? How do you make decisions? For me, I’ve learned to humble myself.
I’ve learned not to trust the voices of the world. The voice of the world: „Everyone is doing it. You do it!“ I said no, I will trust a holy God because He wants what’s best for me.
3. Requires Us to Be Holy ®
Number three, what can we learn about God? Let’s review. What can we learn about God’s holiness? Perfect in character. The ultimate standard. And now the third thing I want you to learn about God’s holiness is He requires us to be holy. What does that mean? God requires us to be holy. Can I tell you what that means? Because it’s for your good.
Look at Psalm 19, verse seven and eight, in Psalm 19, verse seven and eight. The Bible tells us why God wants you to obey Him, why God wants you to follow Him. „The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;“ It’s good for you. The testimony of the LORD is sure;» It will make you wise. «The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;» It will give you joy. «The commandment of the LORD is pure.» It’ll enlighten your eyes. You see, the law of the LORD, the synonyms are the law of the LORD, the testimony of the LORD, the precepts of the LORD, the commandment of the LORD. So these are all synonyms about the holiness of God, the holiness of God is manifested in His word, in His law. And can I add something?
The Bible tells us your attitude to pursue God’s holiness, obedience to Him is— look at the next verse, Psalm 19, verse nine and ten. Everybody read. «They are more desirable than gold, yes, better than fine gold;» Everybody loves gold today. You love money. But God is saying, His holiness as expressed in His law, is much better. «Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.» If you seek holiness by obeying God’s Word, my goodness, the Bible says you will be blessed. You know, I like what Benjamin Franklin said. Benjamin Franklin said, «Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden. It is forbidden because it is hurtful.»
I have seen many people, they mess up their lives by not following God. You know sin will give you temporary pleasure. All sin, the Bible says, gives you temporal pleasure. People don’t commit sin because they think they will become miserable. You commit sin because you think it will make you happy. But that’s not true. It’s like cancer. Eventually it will kill you. That’s why God wants us to be holy.
Look at 1 Peter chapter 1, 14 and 16. Together, «As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, » God is saying, once upon a time— I don’t know about you. I look at my life. Once upon a time I lived as though there’s no God. I don’t care about God. I want to do things my way. The Bible says now, no more. «As obedient children, » you are a child of God. If you are a child of God, I like to remind you your Father is speaking to you. Do not follow your former lifestyle. Everybody read, «—like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves—» in, notice, «all your behavior.» All your behavior means what? All your behavior simply means you are the same person Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday— Understand? You are the same. You be holy, every day. Publicly, privately. If you are all alone, nobody’s watching you. Be holy in all your behavior. This is the challenge. People who know God knows that God wants them to be holy in all your behavior.
Notice, most of us are very careful with big sins, murder, robbery, adultery, etc. What about the small sins? Unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, hypocrisy. All your behavior, because it is written— He gives you the reason. What’s the reason we should be holy? «’You shall be holy, for I am holy.’» So God wants you and me to be set apart. The word holy, is not only without sin, but you are set apart for God. You remind yourself, «This body of mine is no longer going to serve sin. This body of mine is going to serve the Lord.» I am set apart by God, for God.
So holiness is something beautiful. Be honest, what enters your mind when you think of the word holy? You know, can I tell you? For me, years ago, I think of the word holy, to be holy, to me, it’s boring. It’s a set of rules. You can’t do this, you cannot do this, cannot do that… And I must be like this… Holy. I cannot smile too much, you know why? You have to be holy. That’s my understanding. In my mind, I was taught if you don’t drink, you don’t smoke, you don’t go to the movies, you are a good Christian. Nothing is farther from the truth. When I met my wonderful wife, my goodness, I said, «This girl is really holy, but she’s fun.»
My friend, holiness can be fun. Yes or no? Don’t think of holiness as— No, no. Look at Jesus. He is holy, but look at the people that’s surrounding Jesus. All kinds of people, women, young people, drunkards, prostitutes, swindlers, tax collectors. Why are they gravitated— Why did they gravitate to Jesus? Jesus did not get drunk. Jesus never committed adultery. But He was holy. There is something beautiful about being holy. You attract people to your life because you are winsome. There is something pleasant in you. I want you to be holy the right way. Amen? So God wants us to be holy. Can you tell your neighbor? Be holy. Tell your neighbor. Be holy.
You know, Chuck Colson gave this amazing statement. Chuck Colson said «Holiness is the everyday business of every Christian. It evidences itself in the decisions we make and the things we do, hour by hour, day by day.» I noticed something, If you really know God, if you really know Him intimately, the biggest impact is the way you live. What’s my proof? Let me give an example. Look at the entire Bible. When people encounter God— beginning with Moses, what did Moses do? He knelt down, he worshiped. When Joshua encountered God, what did he do? He knelt down. You see, the majesty and the holiness of God.
Today, people are worshiping the God of their own imagination. For us, we think God is somebody who is just going to give in to all your whims, all your wants. He’s a modern day Santa Claus. My friend, no, no. Look at Isaiah. When God opened his eyes, look at what Isaiah did. Isaiah said, «Woe is me, I am ruined.» Isaiah was saying «I’m going to be destroyed.» You know why? What did he say? What did he say? «I’m a man of unclean lips. I live among a people of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.»
When you encounter God, you see your own sinfulness. You know what Isaiah is saying? I am ruined. I’m basically destroyed because he saw the holiness of God in contrast to his sinfulness. Look at Peter. When Peter encountered the Lord, «when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at the feet of Jesus.» And what did Peter say? «Depart from me. I am a sinful man!» When you are intimate with God, you begin to see yourself as you really are. Look at the Apostle Paul. When he first became a Christian, when he first wrote the Bible, his earlier— one of his earliest writing, he said, «I am the least of the apostles.» And then he grew in the Lord. «I am the least among the saints.» And then he became even more humble. «I am the chief of sinners.»
The last book written by Paul. What’s my point? My point is this. The more you know God, the more you see your own sinfulness. When you compare yourself to your husband, to your wife, to each other, you may seem holy. But when you compare yourself to God, He’s the standard. You see yourself. My friend. I’ve seen many so-called Christians. You know their hobby? They spend time attacking other Christians. They criticize other Christians. They keep on complaining about other Christians. You know why? Look at the story here. You— If you encounter God, you see your own sinfulness, not the sinfulness of others. People who don’t know God, their preoccupation is to look at others and criticize others.
So God is holy, He wants you to be holy. That’s why He will do something to make you holy. Let me give you an example, look at Hebrews. The Bible is very clear. «Whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.» God wants you to be holy. He will discipline you. «But if you are without discipline, you are illegitimate children, and not sons.» Ladies and gentlemen, you have to understand whom the Lord loves, He will discipline. I like what Tim Keller said. «If your God never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself.»
You know some people, I look at their life, you know what they tell me? «I’m okay. God is happy with me.» I said, what kind of God does this person have? You see, my friend whom the Lord loves, He will what? Discipline. Look at the next verse in Hebrews. «He disciplines us for our good that we may share His holiness.» Are you now understanding God’s heart? God is holy, He wants you to be holy, and He will discipline you to be holy. Everybody read this, «All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.» God tells us discipline is not always nice. It can be painful.
Look at the next verse. «Pursue peace—» everybody read this, «Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.» God’s part is to discipline us. But what’s your part? Pursue sanctification. You notice, Let «no one come short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble.» God wants you to be holy. He does His part. Because you are His children, He will discipline you. I like what Charles Spurgeon said years ago. «God will not allow His children to sin successfully.» If you are God’s child and you live in sin, I guarantee you one thing, He will make you miserable, He will discipline you. That’s my assurance.
4. Experienced Through Jesus’ Work on the Cross (E)
So lastly, you can only experience true holiness— experienced through Jesus’ work on the cross. What does that mean? You must understand the cross. God had a dilemma. You know what’s God’s dilemma? God’s dilemma is simply this, «The holiness of God demands punishment for sin. The love of God provided the substitute.» What is God’s dilemma? God’s loves you. He loves me. But God has a problem. The justice of God, the holiness of God. And forgiveness. And the love of God. How do I balance God’s justice, God’s mercy? You see God’s dilemma? The holiness of God. The righteousness of God. Forgiveness. Mercy. How do I do it? God’s problem. I will close with two stories.
Imagine you are the person. First story: Imagine your mother or your sister in your house. They were raped then they were murdered. The perpetrators, the murderers got caught. They were brought before the judge. So the judge asked, «guilty or not guilty?» The rapist, the murderer, «Your honor, guilty. However, I beg you, forgive me. I will no longer rape. I will no longer commit murder. But please don’t pass the sentence. Forgive me.» Now, you are one of the people in the courtroom observing the trial. What do you want the judge to do? Forgive or pass the sentence? What’s your answer? Be honest. Pass the sentence or forgive? Why pass the sentence? Because of justice. Yes or no? If the judge will forgive, just forgive. You ask, where is justice? Such is the dilemma of God. You are guilty. How can God forgive us?
Another story: A king, a very good king. Now, remember these are just stories. True or not true, just think of the story. He was a good king. People love him. You know why? He implements the law. When you are caught guilty of robbing, stealing; First offense, remove your clothes, they hit you on the back, whip you 39 times. When you are caught stealing again, they will chop— What do you call this? Hand? Not arm. Hand. If you are caught stealing again, they chop the other hand. So that place is a wonderful country. No robbery, no nothing. But one day they were losing stuff in the palace. People were stealing antiques. They were stealing these expensive porcelain. And they don’t know who is doing it. Then boom, they set a trap. They caught the person. The person was the mother of the king. So when they brought the person to the king, the face of the king dropped.
Now, what will the king do? What will you do? You see your dilemma? You love your mother; at the same time, justice. So what will you do if you are the king? Are you thinking? What will you do? Until you understand the holiness of God, and the cross of Jesus Christ, you will never be sure of your salvation. You know what the King did? He told the officers, «Proceed.» So they tied the mother, removed her clothes— But before they could remove her clothes, he said, «stop.» He removed his crown, removed his robe, and put his body around the mother. And he said, «whip me.» What did the king accomplish?
Love and justice. 2,000 years ago, God did the same. 2,000 years ago, on the cross, Jesus took your place. God became a man to die and suffer for your sins. You will never know why Jesus had to die on the cross until you understand God is holy. The holiness of God demands that sin has to be punished. That’s why I look at the book of 1 Corinthians, as we close. Let’s read this together. What did God do? Everybody read this together. «He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God.»
How did this happen? On the cross, He made Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin. That’s why on the cross Jesus will say, «My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?» Because He bore our sin. A holy God can never be in the presence of sin. That’s why Jesus said, «why have You forsaken Me?» Because God is holy, «that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.» What does that mean? He took your place on the cross.
In Isaiah, you will not know salvation, you will not know the holiness of God or the cross, until you put the two together. Look in Isaiah, as we close. Isaiah tells us, let’s read this together. «Our griefs he Himself bore, our sorrows He carried; smitten of God.» Do you know who crucified Jesus? People say it’s the Roman soldiers. Yes, but behind the Roman soldiers, who did it? God. 2,000 years ago, to solve the dilemma of love and holiness, justice and mercy. God sent His Son. «He was pierced for our sin. He was crushed for our iniquities.» Continue. The Bible tells us «All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.» I don’t know about you. That’s who I am. «But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Jesus.»
My friend, God is holy, and you can never experience holiness apart from Jesus and the cross. Because you can never be good enough. You can try, but you will never be good enough to meet the holy standard of God. Only Jesus could meet that standard, and He took your place, and my place. God is holy, you must be holy. Can you tell your neighbor one time? God is holy. You must be holy. The choice is yours to be holy or not to be holy.
Closing Prayer
Let’s bow our heads and pray. Lord Jesus, I admit I’m a sinner. I need You. I receive Your gift of forgiveness on the cross. Thank You for dying on the cross in my place. Thank You for sending Your blood in my place. I now surrender my life to You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen and amen.