Invest in the Next Generation

Well, last week I introduced the first of our themes for 2022, and that is praying without ceasing. Many of you signed up. It's a kind of a reboot, rebranding as it were, of the Watchman Prayer Ministry, which we've had for about 10 years. That is ending, so you do need to sign up for the new one, a little different format, and I encourage you to do that.

There's cards. You can let us know that we can, as a church, be praying without ceasing. Every month, we'll just give you a short list of some key points of our pastors and ministry directors that we need particularly our prayer on.

Well, our second theme, and you surely have caught it in what we've done today so far, our second theme for 2022 is a very important one, is a very exciting one, and that is invest in the next generation. Calvary Church must never ever lose sight of the importance of investing in the next generation. That's a very biblical matter, and to reinforce that, I want you to turn with me to Psalm 78, and we're going to read the first seven verses. Now, we believe that this book is the Word of God. We encourage you to come with a Bible.

If you don't have one, we'll give you one. If you can't afford it, in our Word room, we've got some wonderful Bibles, and it's important that we not only hear it, but we see it, so it's underlined in our very heart. Psalm 78, verse 1.

Here's the Word of God to us this morning. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we've heard and known.

Notice this. Things that we've heard and known that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and His might and the wonders that He has done.

Are you following this? Verse 5. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments, that they should be not like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. These verses then end with a warning that it's possible that fathers, that parents, if we can bring it into New Testament terminology, that churches neglect to invest in the next generation. Now, this morning as we look at Psalm 78, there's a looking back at the works of God, a celebration of His grace and His faithfulness in spite of Israel's rebellion and disobedience.

So there's a looking back, but there's also a looking forward. Not only is there a celebration of what God has done, there is a very important challenge to pass on the Lord's commandments to the next generation. So two principles this morning, very simple message. First principle is this, God's people celebrate their faithfulness in past generations. The people of God look back and celebrate the wondrous works of God. But not only do they do that, not only is there a celebration, there is a challenge, a challenge to pass on to the next generation the commandments of the Lord and to explain to that generation the wondrous works of the Lord. So let's look first this morning at the principle of celebration. God's people celebrate His faithfulness in past generations.

Do you get that? God's people celebrate His faithfulness in past generations. God, the Psalmist is saying, was faithful to Israel in the past. Verse 4, the Psalmist refers to the glorious deeds of the Lord and His might and the wonders that He's done. God has done marvelous things, glorious deeds. And then Psalm 78, the Psalmist rehearses the exodus of the delivery from the slavery of Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. He reminds them, look at verse 23, He reminds them, I love this, that God commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, and He rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.

What a picture. Here are the children of Israel in the desert. There's nothing to eat. It's desert. It's desolation. And God does something marvelous, something that only God can do. He opens, the Psalmist says, the doors of heaven. He doesn't just give them a little manna. He rains down manna.

Look back at verse 20. He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. They need water. Again, notice the lavish grace of God. Not just a little bit of water.

The water gushes out and the streams overflow. He asks the question, the rhetorical question in verse 19, can God spread a table in the wilderness? You're going through the wilderness.

How do you expect a meal? Can God spread a table in the wilderness? The answer is, as far as we're concerned, we can't do that, but God can. He rains down manna.

The rock becomes a source of water as water gushes out. What's the point? That God is a gracious God. That God delivers His people. That God provides for His people. That God protects His people over and over again. How great is our God, the Psalmist is saying.

Listen to what God has done. He leads His people. He delivers His people. He provides for His people. He protects His people grace upon grace. Think of the wonder of the grace of God.

And in Israel, the feast of the Passover was to be celebrated every year so that the children of Israel would never ever forget that once there were slaves in Egypt, but God by His mighty hand not only frees them from Egyptian slavery, but He delivers them and they come to the Red Sea and the waters part and the Israelites go through and the forces of evil, Pharaoh and his men, drown in the sea and God leads them into the wilderness and provides for them in the wilderness and eventually they're led into the promised land. Although Israel often is unfaithful, although they grumble and yes, even fall sometimes into idolatry, God's compassion, His grace and His forgiveness are poured on His people. I love that about God, don't you? God's grace is lavish. Tim reminded us of Lamentations 3, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

His compassion, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. I woke up this morning, it was dark, sunrise, it was 730, right? And I'm sitting there and I put up our blinds, put on the light, I'm reading my Bible, I'm praying for the service and I thought, the sun is going to come up.

It absolutely depends on that. And today, this day, January 9, God is faithful to His people and God's compassion is always fresh. Our compassion for others is sometimes routine. Our mercy runs to an end. We get tired of some people, don't we? And we kind of avoid them.

They're too demanding, they're too difficult and we help some people, but then we get tired of it. Sometimes we're on a spiritual high, sometimes we're on a spiritual low. God is never, ever, ever like that. His steadfastness never ceases. God's love for me will never, ever come to an end. God's love for His people is infinite. God is always good. God is always compassionate. God's compassion are fresh. It's not like when you get a piece of bread and it's old, got some wonderful cheese and then she said, it's gone moldy. We're going to throw it out. God's compassion, His kindness is never like that.

It's always fresh. Steadfast. Therefore, we celebrate God's faithfulness. And today, we celebrate God's faithfulness to Calvary Church in past generations. This church, Calvary Church in different locations, has existed for more than 80 years.

No, I am not yet 80. But from the beginning, as I've learned, looked at the history of Calvary Church, spoken to people who were there at the beginning, God's gracious hand has been on this congregation for over 80 years. Thousands of people, yes, thousands of people have come to know Jesus Christ through the life and ministry of Calvary Church. Hundreds of missionaries have been encouraged, equipped, supported, trained, and commissioned by Calvary Church over these 80 years. Untold number of children and students have heard the gospel of the grace of God through children's ministry, through Vacation Bible School, through the youth ministries. And many, including some of you sitting here, have come to saving faith through the ministry of Calvary Church to our children and our students. Thousands of families, yes, thousands of families have been impacted by Calvary's Child Development Center, which has existed for over 40 years, led most of that time by Pat Collins.

Think of the families impacted by Child Development Center. Think of the thousands of children and students impacted, continue to be impacted through Shamp Sports in the fields and the facilities which God in His grace has provided for us. Through our worship, through our worship and prayer, thousands of people have come into this sanctuary and the previous sanctuaries that Calvary Church had, and have lifted up their heads and their hearts to our awesome God and to His magnificent Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and have left saying, my eyes have seen the glory of the Lord.

Think of it. A worshiping and praying people for over 80 years. From this pulpit, from the classroom of Calvary Church, the Word of God has been faithfully preached and taught. Many people have been discipled. Countless individuals have received the love of Christ in their time of need, have been visited in hospital. Those in bereavement have experienced the comfort and care and practical kindness from this congregation. Thousands of homeless people on these Saturday mornings over, I don't know how many years, but thousands of homeless have been fed, have been told the Gospel over these many, many years. A crisis pregnancy center was begun at Calvary Church, and we continue to support crisis pregnancy centers so that an untold number of abortions have been prevented through the generosity and the help of Calvary Church. The ministries of Calvary Church are too many to enumerate. The Christmas boxes organized by Samaritan's Purse, it began here at Calvary Church when Ross Rhodes was senior pastor.

And now millions of boxes go throughout the world. The first ones began right here at Calvary Church. We celebrate God's faithfulness in all of these ministries. We celebrate God's faithfulness in supplying our financial need. I read Psalm 78 the other day and thought of that wonderful picture of the Psalmist, of God opening the doors of heaven and pouring down manna. I thought that's what God still does. God's generosity and His care for His people has not changed, has it?

He loved Israel in spite of their unfaithfulness. He loves us, and He has opened the doors of heaven and poured His grace on us. The Life Center was built, dedicated to the Lord at the end of 2019, paid, built without paying one cent of interest. This congregation, many of you sitting here, many who no longer sit here, over 80 years have given generously.

So today, Calvary is debt-free. I say all of that, and much more could be said, not to boast of Calvary Church, not, certainly not to say that we deserve all of these blessings. We do not. Like Israel, we sometimes grumble.

Like Israel, we're sometimes off track. But I say it to say this, that we give our magnificent God all of the glory. To God be the glory.

Great things He has done. We don't save souls, it's God who does. The growth comes not from us, but from God. It's God who puts in the heart of His people acts of generosity. So over the years, they've given generously and sacrificially to the many ministries of Calvary Church. And we would be remiss, wouldn't we, as a congregation, if we did not look back and do what the Psalmist says, and give thanks to our great God and say this is the Lord's doing.

It is marvelous in our eyes. Aren't you sometimes staggered, humbled, to think of what God in His grace has done and is doing at Calvary Church. And to use the words of Psalm 78 verse 4, we celebrate the glorious deeds of the Lord.

I love that. And His might and the wonders that He has done. God is a living God. God is alive. God is still at work. God still loves His people. God still pours His grace on us and that humbles us. And we celebrate God's greatness and say great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.

That's the first principle. God's people celebrate His faithfulness in past generations. Secondly, God's people are challenged to invest in the next generation. We celebrate what God has done, now we are challenged to invest in the next generation. And this is what the Psalmist is writing in these verses that I read, that Israel is challenged to invest in the next generation. The glorious history of the Lord's deeds with His people and the commandments of God are to be passed on to the next generation. Parents, grandparents, do you do that?

Do you do that with your kids? Now I'm so old, I'm a grandfather. I know I look very young, I was going to shock some of you, but I'm a grandfather. And as I say to Goodney, you know, getting old has certain disadvantages, but it's got many advantages.

Hopefully we're wiser and we have a different perspective on life, don't we? I sit with my grandchildren and I tell them a little bit of the history of our family. Only one of my grandchildren has been to Scotland to tell them how God has worked.

We've got pictures in our home of my grandparents, of Goodney's grandparents. Why are they there? To remind us that God worked in the lives of the Monroe family in Scotland, the Gunnarsson family in Pharaoh, before we were born and that we were privileged to have grandparents and parents who declared the wondrous works of God and who told us of our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ. So that we in turn can tell our children, our son Christopher, so that he in turn could tell his children the next generation. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 6, well-known passage to encourage us, parents, grandparents, but you know this is not just to your own children. As I took these little children in my arms today, as I take a little boy like Kingston, a little boy like Joshua and take them in my arms, I know they have parents, but I think these are children that God has brought to us. They're Calvary's children. We want to be part of helping them come to Christ and grow in their faith.

Yes, their parents have the first priority to do that, but we join them. Listen to Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4, "'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might, and these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.' This is a first priority. Put them on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." You're never going to get away from the Word of God. I want you first to write it on your heart, that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, but I want you to do more than that. I want you to communicate that to your children.

Yes, there are formal times when we instruct our children, but the informal times when you get up, when you're in the car, when you're with them. The Word of God is going to be there, and that your home is going to be a home built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Someone last week gave me a text, one of my favorite texts, John 17 verse 17. It was on a piece of wood, and they very kindly gave it to me, and I looked at it and thought, where are we going to put this?

In the house. And I said, I'm going to put it right over my study, which is right off the hallway, so that anyone who comes into our house will know that the Word of God is central, and that visitors, and in particular, our grandchildren will know that their grandfather and their grandmother believe that God's Word is truth, sanctify them through thy Word. Your Word is truth. This is what the person is saying.

Write them down. I'm not saying that your house is to be full of texts of the Bible. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying, and the psalmist is saying, and the Lord is saying here in Deuteronomy 6, that the Word of God is to be central. So at Calvary Church, it's our responsibility to teach the Word of God to the next generation. Yes, we want to do that with fun. You can have some crafts, you can have pizza parties, you can do all kinds of things.

Right? But the most important thing we do, and the central thing we do, is to teach them God's Word. And also, parents, grandparents, all of us, to model Christ to them.

If these parents teach the Word of God to their children, that's wonderful, but they are to model Christ. We're singing that Jesus is kind and strong. Are we kind? Are you kind to your children? Are we kind to the children that come to Calvary Church?

We are to have Christ-like spirits to the children of Calvary, and to celebrate with them what God has done in their lives. Tell the children your, your, your testimony. When my, last time I saw my, my mother a few months before she died in Scotland, she had a bit of dementia, but one of the things when she was a bit lucid was to talk about her faith. Mom, tell me again how you came to Christ.

She tells me. And so that you tell your children, and you tell your grandchildren what God has done in your life, not just in saving you, but in the experience of life, where God has helped you, where God has intervened. You know, I've been here for 16 years at Calvary Church, what a tremendous privilege, and I've seen those who were just little boys and girls when I came. And one of the great joys I have as a pastor, and we all have, is to see these little children, five or six years old when I came, or three or four, and now they're young men and women. And many of them are now communicating the Gospel to younger children, and will to a generation not yet born. We see some of these young men and women, I can hardly believe it, it makes me feel very old, who were just little kids when I came. Now they're leading us in worship. Now they're involved in a wanner.

Now they are serving the Lord. Last Sunday, an 80-year-old young lady, who I don't know very well, she slipped me a card. And I didn't think too much about it, I thought it was just, you know, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. And I'm going to read part of what she wrote. It was quite a long card, but this is one of the things that she wrote. The truth, oh I like that. The truth, she says, now this is an 18-year-old young lady, one of her own children, students at Calvary. The truth which Calvary stands for and teaches has impacted me and my family more than I could ever tell you. Psalm 121 verse 1 says, I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord. This has been so true because of what God is doing at Calvary. I love that.

18 years old. She is glad when she comes into this sanctuary. Because some people who look for an excuse not to come to church, here is this young woman on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ saying, I'm glad, I rejoice. Why?

Because of the truth of the Word of God and what God has done, not Calvary Church, what God has done and is doing at Calvary. May there be many, many like her. And never in our society has there been a more urgent need to meet this challenge. The consequences for future generations will be disastrous if we do not meet the challenge. Let me quote from Ben Shapiro. He's an Orthodox Jew, I know that, so no emails telling me that, I know that. And he writes the book The Right Side of History.

I'm not saying I agree with everything that Ben Shapiro says, but I think he gets it right here in his book The Right Side of History. Here's an Orthodox Jew analyzing American culture. We are killing ourselves at the highest rates in decades. Rates of depression have skyrocketed.

Drug overdoses are now responsible for more deaths than car crashes. Marriage rates have declined as have childbearing rates. We're spending more money on luxuries and enjoying everything less. Conspiracies have replaced reason and subjective perceptions have replaced objective observation. Well said, Ben Shapiro. Facts have been buried to make way for feelings. A society of essential oils and self-esteem has replaced a society of logic. Well said, Ben Shapiro.

I'm not sure why you're clapping him, but go ahead. As I read that, I read a fair bit of the book. He is saying what I said when we did the study of marriage and gender. Remember I spoke of what is the authority for most people. What's the basis by which most people make their decisions?

Expressive individualism. What I feel? I'm the authority. You're going to tell me what to do. Whether you're the government, whether you're a police officer or a teacher or a pastor or a parent, you're not going to tell me what to do. I'm going to express myself. I am the authority. That's idolatry. Deuteronomy 6, know you'll love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and self.

That's it. Mental health issues among children and students are on the rise. More schools are teaching that same-sex conduct and transgenderism are acceptable and in fact good. What are we to do? Listen, unless we as the people of God take a stand, a biblical stand, against increasingly ungodly attitudes and actions, our society will continue to go down. What's wrong with America? We have forgotten God. We've forgotten God. And that's true sadly of many churches. Many churches are bought into the prosperity gospel. Many churches are sunk in their lifeless traditions. Some have substituted inspiring motivational talks rather than the exposition of Scripture.

What are we to do? Some will say, well, we need more political action. Well, we certainly need many Christians in politics and I praise God for the believers who are in politics. We need more social justice.

Well, there's much that is unjust in our society. And we certainly need believers in Jesus Christ dealing with injustice. But at the heart of it is what? The heart of it is not political action, is not social activism, it's the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the Word of God penetrating the hearts so that men and women and boys and girls come to saving faith in Christ. That God's truth is not up for debate.

That God's truth does not evolve. Psalm 119 verse 89, forever oh Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Do you think God's word is going to change because of some Supreme Court decision? Do you think God's word is going to change because of some law Congress passes? Do you think God's law is going to change because the media have bought into some expressive individualism? No, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God abides forever. Isaiah 40 verse 9, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the writer of Hebrews says, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. That's why our salvation is completely secure.

It's not based on some political action group. No, the church of Jesus Christ is commanded to go and make disciples of all of the nations. And I'm saying that Calvary Church must invest in the next generation. We're committed to preaching and teaching the Word of God to the next generation.

Someone says well that's old-fashioned, you're behind the times, Monroe. Well, when so many people are preaching for the times, I'm going to preach for eternity. And we have — we have — think of the program Awana. You say what's Awana?

Awana is children and students memorizing the Word of God. Thank you for those of you who come on Wednesday nights and listen to the verses and organize that. Thank you for those of you who minister with our youth as you keep them focused on the Word of God. We're committed to discipling students. We're committed to equipping couples to raise godly children. I'm encouraged by so many young couples who come to me and say they want to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We're praying that many of the next generation will be sent out into the fields which are white and to harvest throughout the world. You say well I don't want my son, I don't want my granddaughter to go to Timbuktu.

What do you want for them? Just some success of the world? No, may God in His grace continue to work in the next generation so that they will rise up and they will handle this book with accuracy and clarity and they will declare the wondrous works of the Lord. Now, regarding Invest in the Next Generation, I've got an exciting announcement to make. This is an announcement I never thought I would make and it's very, very exciting and we need your prayer. We're beginning with God's help and God's grace a new school at Calvary called Calvary Christian Academy.

Do you hear that? Calvary Christian Academy will provide Christ-centered — notice it, notice the words — Christ-centered education initially serving transitional kindergarten through seventh grade and gradually expanding. Christ-centered. Secondly, Calvary Christian Academy will build on, develop and expand the work of a young Christian school which will now become a new Calvary ministry. There's a young existing Christian school, it's only existed for four years, small school, under a hundred students, and we're going to build on, develop and expand that and it's going to become — notice — a new Calvary ministry. CCA, Calvary Christian Academy, will operate separately from our existing and continuing child — Calvary Child Development Center. No, Calvary Development Center is not being abandoned. We're going to continue with that.

It's been here for 40 years. It will continue to operate and certainly, initially, it will be separate from Calvary Christian Academy. But we will continue the Child Development Center.

Please pray without ceasing. We're planning for a fall start. Isn't this exciting? Listen, Calvary Christian Academy is a reflection of our passion at Calvary Church that in spite of and in answer to what is happening in the surrounding society, we're committed to teaching the next generation the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a tremendous heritage at Calvary which we celebrate, don't we? But we are not going to rest on that heritage.

We can't. But to accept the challenges that God give us — gives us — and here is a challenge of a new school which will, in addition to the existing ministries, be an investment in the next generation. So that that generation will reach the generation not yet born with the glorious truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Notice in the Old Testament and the New Testament, there is a passing on.

We had children and parents singing this. There is a passing on of the truths that Paul says to Timothy, you've got this deposit of truth and you must pass it on because this is the very Word of God. Now you ask, how did Calvary Christian Academy come about? Over the years of being pastor at Calvary Church, I've lost count on the number of people who've asked me, John, have you ever thought about starting Calvary's own school?

And I've said, no. Not really thought about it, and I don't want to think about it. I mean, what pastor wants the headache of a Christian school?

I have enough headaches without adding another one. We have our child development center which serves hundreds of children from birth through kindergarten, and it has had a tremendous impact. Many of you know that over 40 years, and we've kind of specialized and focused on these younger children.

However, here's how God works. Almost a year ago, I was approached by a couple who said they had been instrumental in commencing a Christian school, a small Christian school, and said to me, we'd probably be interested in having such a school. Small school, under 100 students, a young school, only four years old. And of course, my question was, why would you come to Calvary Church? Why would you bring this to us? I asked. The answer was, because of the importance of excellent Christian education being rooted in the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now the Word of God and the Gospel is our passion at Calvary Church. And I thought it very interesting and intriguing that people I really didn't know would come and say, could you prayerfully consider this? Now initially, I was skeptical. Scottish people were skeptical about everything.

Right? We specialize in skepticism and cynicism. Women, we're a brilliant race but we're very skeptical. And I thought, oh, not really. You know, isn't it incredible, seriously, how God sometimes changes your mind?

You have a prejudice against something, you don't want to consider something? And God has His way, doesn't He, of working on us. I met with this couple of others, prayed, and over the months it became clear that God was leading us to another investment of the next generation. Calvary Christian Academy will be under the umbrella of the mission of Calvary Church which is being and making authentic followers of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ will be throughout everything we do at the New School as we prepare students to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. As we prepare these students to be well educated, as we prepare these students to be engaged locally and globally, our focus on the students will be that they will be humble followers of Christ, shining as bright lights in the darkness. Now our elders at Calvary have enthusiastically embraced this New School, I'm glad to say, which will be a ministry of Calvary Church. This is not an independent school meeting at Calvary. And this school, and I'm very excited about this, will be missional. You say, what on earth is that? Schools, and I've been guilty of this, Christian schools, these are holy bubbles, kind of strange people going to Christian school, right?

That's my background. Christian school, are you kidding me? You know, you go to school with Christians all the time? I mean, what kind of school is that? And people say, well it's a holy bubble.

Well, we want this certainly to be holy, but it's not going to be a bubble. These students live in the same world as we do, and we will make sure they understand what mission is, both locally and globally. And just as our existing Calvary Child Development Center accepts children from non-Christian homes, notice this, this has been our philosophy at the Calvary Development Center that we accept children from non-Christian homes.

You say, why do we do that? Many Christian schools just want church kids. The school will be missional. Our strong emphasis on missions at Calvary, which we have, praise God, will continue through this school as we reach out to students and families with the gospel of Jesus Christ. So if an unbelieving family come and say they want their child to be part of this school, provided certain things fall into place, they will be accepted.

This is not a holy huddle. Our teachers and staff at the school, as well as being well-qualified professionals, we want that. We want them to be excellent teachers, qualified professionals. They will also, and must be authentic, growing followers of Jesus Christ. We want men and women who can teach, but we also want men and women who are going to model Christ to our students. Academic excellence with a strong biblical foundation and the gospel are our goals. I will give more information in the coming week.

I'm very excited about this. I realize this is not a school for everyone. The school already has a number of students, so there's limited space for new enrollment, but if you have an interest in that, let me know. There's going to be an email address put up on the screen. If you're interested in being a teacher at a Christian school, again, here is the email.

Contact us and we'll be glad to follow up with you. In God's grace, Calvary Christian Academy will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and His might and the wonders He has done. We will teach the gospel to our children and their students. Again, Psalm 78, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn and arise and tell them to their children so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God. This is with God's grace, with His help. This is Calvary's commitment to invest in the next generation.

Thank you. I know we've gone over time a little bit and we're going to sing about grace. The song that we haven't sung for a while is called Grace Alone and it strikes me, as I said earlier, some of you here have not yet responded to the gospel. The gospel is about grace, we're going to sing about it, grace alone. And Paul writes that by grace you're saved through faith and that not of yourself.

It's the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. That the gospel is our Lord Jesus Christ has done all of the work. He came to die for sinners like you and me, to people who have messed up their lives. He came to seek and to save the lost. He accomplishes our salvation through taking our sin on Himself, on the cross, being buried and then rising again so He's alive. Jesus Christ is alive. We believe that in a living God who's alive. And the Bible says if you call upon the name of the Lord, you will be saved.

If you've never done that, I ask you in God's grace today to call upon the name of the Lord, to receive Christ as the one who forgives your sins, as the one who indwells us, that we can live a life not of self-indulgence, but a life following Christ and blessing others. Help us our Father to do that. We thank You for this opportunity of this new school. We may have some fears, we may have some worries, we may have some anxieties, but we thank You that You have brought this to us. We rejoice and we look forward, Father, to many students being impacted by the gospel, shining as bright lights in the society as they graduate from the school and teaching a generation not yet born the wondrous deeds which You have done. This is all of Your grace and so bless us. Open the doors of heaven and pour Your grace upon us, we ask in Christ's name. Amen.