Hi, 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 one, 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

...