All right, well good morning and welcome. So glad you're here today. Praise the Lord.

And we are going to welcome our live stream online church at this time. And for those of you here,

if I could trouble you to turn to Hebrews

chapter 12, as we make our way verse by verse through this amazing book, our text today is

going to be verses 1 through 3. And if you're able, I'll ask you to stand. If not where

you're seated is fine, but you can follow along as I read. The writer of Hebrews

by the Holy Spirit begins, verse 1, writing, therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great

cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything

that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer

and perfector of faith.

For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand

of the throne of God. Consider him, verse 3, who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Let's pray if you would please join with me. We'll ask God to bless our time together.

Loving Heavenly Father, we're so grateful to you for your word, this portion that we have

before us today here in your word.

We're also so grateful to you for the Holy Spirit because absent the Holy Spirit we really have no hope

of understanding what it is that you desire to minister to us today in the text that is before

us today. That's why we want to ask you for the Holy Spirit to settle our hearts and quiet our busy minds, so prone to wander and be

distracted by all the cares and the affairs of our stressful lives, especially in this world

at this time. And Lord, we just want to devote and dedicate and commit and submit ourselves in this time to you

so that you can have your way with us, have thine own way, Lord, so that you can speak to us, so that you can show to us what you want us to see.

...