Father in heaven as we come now to ponder the gospel from your word, I ask for your

help not only for me but also for all of us in this room who are now appointed to hear a word from you through the scriptures.

Would you come and by the Holy Spirit

anoint me and help me so that I speak the truth and so that I am humbled by the

truth that I speak and speaking in a balanced and fair way.

I pray Lord Jesus that there would be love abounding in this room

and that there would be humility and that there would be a

docile spirit before the living word of God and that all would give heed to what you have to say and

be discerning in what is true. So Lord, draw Christians into deeper love to Christ and draw unbelievers into faith.

And so glorify your grace in our midst now, I pray.

And guard us from the evil one who would love to distract us and cause us to think thoughts unworthy of the gospel

and confuse us and deceive us, guard us from him and from our own flesh and sin and finitude, we need your help. So draw near now and help, I pray in Jesus

name. Amen.

I want to begin with a little parable this morning.

Once upon a time there was a little boy who lived in a village outside of a town or lived in a farm outside of town had never been to town.

It was years and years ago before there were any cars or any modern machines and there were dirt roads and everybody traveled with wagon or

carriage or walked or on a horse.

And this was the day for the boy to visit the village for the first time with his father.

And everything was new to him.

And in that village there was a blacksmith, and in that blacksmith's shop was an anvil, very large, very dark, very heavy.

As the boy and his father were walking down the street.

He heard aloud,

...