Chapter 1, the name of the message
is the faith of God's elect. The faith of God's elect. Paul, verse 1, Paul the servant
of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith
of God's elect, in the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness,
of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the
world began. But hath in due times manifested
his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according
to the commandment of God our Savior. To Titus, mine own son,
after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Tonight I'd like
us to look at the first three verses here. In this chapter
we see wonderful truths that the scripture brought forth.
Now the Apostle Paul, again by inspiration of the Holy Spirit
of God, pens this letter to his dear brother Titus. And Paul
wrote it, but the author of it is the Holy Spirit of God. We
know that holy men were moved by God to pen these words. This
epistle is supposed to be written around the year 55 AD. It's addressed
to Titus, Paul's own son after the common faith. Titus was not
Paul's natural son, but Paul being the instrument of his conversion,
his teacher and his spiritual leader calls him his son. His
son. Titus was very, very dear to
Paul. Very, very dear to Paul. They
had a very close relationship. And he not only called him brother,
but also his partner. fellow helper turn if you would
the 2nd Corinthians 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 he not only called
him his brother but his partner and fellow helper 2nd Corinthians
chapter 2 verse 13 I had no rest in my spirit because
I found not Titus my brother But taking my leave of them,
I went from thence into Macedonia." So we see there he calls Titus
his brother. Now turn to chapter 8, if you
would. Same book, chapter 8. Titus, my brother. His brother
in Christ. And look at 2 Corinthians 8.23.
Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper
concerning you, or our brethren be inquired of. They are the
messengers of the churches in the glory of Christ. So we see
that Paul calls him my brother and he calls him my partner and
fellow helper. Let's go back to Titus chapter
1 now. Titus was on the island of Crete.
The island of Crete. Now Crete is an island in the
Mediterranean. It's about 270 miles long and about 50 miles
wide. And it's believed that it had
about 100 cities on it at the time of this writing. And by
God's divine providence, through the preaching of the gospel,
Paul had established a church on the island of Crete. We know
this because he left Titus there. He left Titus there to set things
in order in the church and to ordain elders in every city.
Look at verse 5 of chapter 1 here. For this cause left I thee in
Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are
wanting. and ordain elders in every city as I had appointed
thee. So with this in our minds, let us read the first three verses
again. Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ
after or according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledging
of the truth, which is after godliness in hope of eternal
life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began.
but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which
is committed unto me according to the commandment of God, our
Savior. Note again, Paul calls himself
a servant of God in verse one. Paul, a servant of God and the
apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and
the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness. Now,
the Greek word there for slave is doulos. It refers to one born
into slavery. one born into slavery. The Greeks
had a word for a person taken in war and sold as a slave, but
this is not the Greek word that's used there. This is not the same
Greek word. This word again is doulos, again,
which refers to one born into slavery. Beloved, all the people
of God, like Paul, are born again believers. We were born in this
world into slavery of sin, weren't we? We were born into this world
into the slavery of sin at our first birth. But Paul, like every
born again believer, became a loving bond slave of the Lord Jesus
Christ by being born again by the Holy Spirit of God. The word refers to one whose
will is swallowed up in the will of another. My. The word refers to one whose
will is swallowed up in the will of another. Think upon this. Before salvation, Paul's will
was swallowed up by the will of Satan and by his own will,
by his own flesh. But after he was saved, his will
was swallowed up in the sweet will of God, beloved. And this
is true of every born-again believer. True of every born-again believer.
We see in the text that Paul is a servant of God and an apostle
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that's God incarnate
in the flesh. That's who Paul's master is. The Lord Jesus Christ
is every believer's master. He's our King. He's our Lord. He's our Savior. But He is our
master. He's our master. The Lord Jesus
Christ had become Paul's life. Remember, Doulos means ones whose
will is swallowed up by another's. The Lord had become everything
to Paul. Everything. Again, this word doulos is used
for servant. And here it refers to one who
serves another to the disregard of his own interests. And this
was true of Paul. This was true of Paul, beloved.
He served Christ disregardless of his own interests. Christ
was everything to him. Absolutely everything. Paul,
a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ according to
the faith of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth,
which is after godliness. Now look at this wonderful expression
that Paul uses here before us. according to the faith of God's
elect. According to the faith of God's
elect. Turn, if you would, to Ephesians chapter 1. Now the
word according is a very important word, beloved. A very important
word. We see in our text, Paul the
servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith
of God's elect. The word according is a very
important word. And it's placed by God, the Holy
Spirit, many, many times throughout the Holy Scriptures. What does
it do? It draws our attention to the
meaning of the verse where it's used. Here's some examples from
Ephesians. Look at verses 1 to 3. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
according... Draws our attention to the meaning
of the verse. According as He hath chosen us
in Him before the foundation of the world. Then look again
at verses 4 and 5. In love, having predestinated
us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will. Verse 7. In whom, that's Christ,
we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace. It draws our attention
to the subject that He's going to bring forth. Look at verse
nine, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according
to his good pleasure, which he had purposed in himself. So we
see in those verses how the word according is used to draw our
attention to what? To the great work, the great
majestic triune God and Father, the great majestic work of the
Son. It's used to draw our attention
to what he's done for us in the salvation of his people. And in those verses, nothing
at all is mentioned about man's work, is it? It's all according
to the good pleasure of his will. Again, according draws our attention
to the main theme. Nothing is ever mentioned about
man's work because man contributes absolutely nothing to the salvation
of God's elect. Nothing at all. It is a work
of God and God alone. Let's go back to our text. in
Titus 1.1. Now the word according in our
text is the same Greek word that was used in Ephesians. Same Greek word. Paul, a servant of God and an
apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect,
in the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness. Note
Paul here calls the faith of God's people the faith of God's
elect. because we all have the same
faith and we all have the same object of our faith. And that's
the Lord Jesus Christ. We've all been given by God.
The faith of God's left. The faith of God's left. He brings
forth that amidst all the professions of faith in this world, that
there is only one true, genuine faith. There's only one. And it's called right here before
us. the faith of God's elect. There's only one true, genuine
faith, and that's the faith of God's elect. Paul's message was
the message of Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, and all the elect of God in every
dispensation. Paul's message was Christ and
Christ alone. He is the foundation of the prophets
and apostles. Redemption through Christ and
Christ alone. Through the merits and blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn if you would to Romans chapter
1. Romans chapter 1. How do we know this is to be
true? Well, the Scriptures declare this. Look in Romans chapter
1, we read verses 1 to 7. Romans chapter 1, verses 1 to
7. Romans chapter 1, verses 1 to
7. Paul, a servant, same word there,
a bond slave, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle
separated unto the gospel of God, which he had promised to
forewear by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Same message. Concerning his son Jesus Christ
our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh, and declared to be the son of God with power according
to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead
by whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience
to the faith among all nations for his name among whom are ye
also the called of Jesus Christ to all that be in Rome beloved
of God called to be saints grace to you in peace from God our
father and the Lord Jesus Christ Now the faith of God's elect,
beloved, has one object. Has one object, and that's the
Lord Jesus Christ. And the faith of God's elect
sees the providential hand of God at work in all things. In our lives and in this world. In our lives and in this world.
His purposes are being worked out. His decree and His will
is being worked out in our lives as He sees fit for His glory. Now also think of how the faith
of God's elect is a special gift from God. It's not given to everyone. It's called the faith of God's
elect. It's given to his chosen people. All from the mercy and
grace of God. It's a special gift, beloved,
from God himself. It's distinguished from all other
gifts Because it's given to a people of God's own choosing. If you
have the faith of God's elect, he's the one who gave it to you.
Because it pleased him to do so. Because it pleased him to
do so. And this humbles us as believers.
Because we know we're not deserving of this. Not at all. Left to ourselves, we'd still
be in the state we were born in. Dead in trespasses and sins. Would still be in that state.
Would still be in the state where the Lord found us. And remember,
that's where he found us. Dead in trespasses and sins.
But now we're born again by the Holy Spirit of God. All because
it pleased him to do so. All by his providential hand.
All by his divine power. He is the first original and
eternal cause of the election of a people in Christ. He is
the first, original and eternal cause of the election of a people
in Christ. God chose a people in Christ
because it pleased Him to do so. You who believe, bring that right
home. God chose you and God chose me because it pleased Him to
do so. My, this is mercy and grace,
isn't it? Mercy and grace. It's only God who made us to
differ. God's grace and mercy. We know that God has a people.
The scripture declared this to be true. In Romans 11 5 it says,
Even so, then at this present time there's a remnant according
to the election of grace. But we do not know who the elect
of God are. We have no idea. But He does. He does. Therefore, the Gospel is preached
and proclaimed to all. That salvation is only in and
through Christ and Christ alone. That there's no other hope for
sinners. None. And sinners are told to flee
to Christ. Flee to Christ. Because He's
the only refuge for sinners. And sinners are told that He
will never ever turn away the one who comes to Him. Never. May God grant you faith to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ if you do not know Him. Because He is
the only, the one way of salvation. He's the only way to the Father.
And His name is Jesus Christ the Righteous. Just as John penned
in 1 John chapter 2 verse 1. He's Jesus Christ the Righteous. The God-man mediator. God incarnate
in the flesh. Let's go back to our text. It
says, Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledging of
the truth, which is after godliness. Note that the faith of God's
elect acknowledges the truths that are in the scripture. That's
what it says. Acknowledging of the truth which
is after godliness. According to the faith of God's
elect and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness. Like Abraham who believed God. God's chosen people, born again
by the Holy Spirit, under the preaching of His gospel, believe
what God says. Believe what God says. They believe
what this Word says, beloved. Now we might not understand it
all, but when it's preached to us, we believe it. When the Holy
Spirit sees fit to reveal scripture to us, we believe it. We believe
it. The word says to cease from your
labors. The believer in Christ is to cease from our labors.
And we simply look to Christ and Christ alone. Just what the
scripture tells us to do. Just like the scripture tells
us. We cast ourselves wholly upon Christ and Christ alone. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sink and
sand, isn't it? If you're trusting in your own self, you're on sink
and sand. But oh, in Christ, we have a
sure foundation, beloved. And it is He who keeps us. We wholly cast ourselves upon
Christ and Christ alone. Now we know that the ministry
of God, the Holy Spirit, is the guide, is elect, and to all truth.
And when God sends the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ into
our hearts, the Holy Spirit, His chosen people will not have
any lasting problems with the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We rejoice in it, don't we? We
rejoice in the truth of the Gospel. When the believer in Christ hears
the truth preached concerning the sovereign electing grace
of God, that God's people, that God has elected a people, chosen
a people in Christ before the foundation of the world, we acknowledge
that truth, don't we? We acknowledge that truth. That's
exactly what the Word of God declares, therefore it's the
truth. It's not the truth just because we believe it. It's the
truth. It's the truth. But God's people believe it.
We believe it. When the believer in Christ hears
the truth preached concerning the perfect, redeeming work of
the Lord Jesus Christ for a particular people, just as the Scriptures
declare in John 10, verses 15 and 16, it says, As the Father
knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life
for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this
fold, them also I must bring. They shall hear my voice, And
there shall be one foal and one shepherd. One body. He's the head. One flock. He's the shepherd. He's the shepherd. And God's people acknowledge
the Christ honoring truth by saying that's what the word of
God says and God cannot lie. Therefore, it's the truth. It's
the truth. Because God said it. Christ said, I'm the way, the
truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. That's
the truth. There's salvation in no one else.
And that's God incarnate in the flesh who said those words. When we hear that, and when we're bought under the
brought to Christ under the preaching of the gospel by his sovereign,
irresistible, drawn power. By God, the Holy Spirit. We believe
we believe that's how God brings us to Christ, the scripture declares,
thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power and the
beauty of holiness from the womb of the morning. Thou has to do
of thy youth. We believe it. Turn, if you would.
Second Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, Chapter two. When
the gospel's preached and proclaimed, and when the word of God is preached
and proclaimed, God's people believe what it says. There was
a time when I didn't believe the scriptures. When I was dead
in trespasses and sins. But now I believe it. And now
I rejoice over it. Do you? It's wonders. It's wonderful what Christ has
done for his people. Listen. 2nd Thessalonians 2 13
and 14 2nd Thessalonians 2 13 and 14,
but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you brethren
beloved Lord because God has from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth Where unto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ And we believe that don't
we as God's people because that's what the scripture says God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation. This is amazing.
This is wondrous. How? Through sanctification of
the Spirit. You're born again. And belief of the truth. We have
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe what the Scriptures
say. Where unto He called you by our gospel, with an effectual
call, beloved, with an irresistible call, all by the power of God,
to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again,
he's the object of our faith, beloved. And God's people acknowledge
the truth by saying, that's exactly what the word of God declares.
I believe God. We believe what God says, don't
we? We believe what he says. Turn, if you would, to John 8,
verse 47. If the Holy Spirit of God dwells
in us, we will not deny the Holy Scriptures. We will not deny,
we'll say amen to what the Scriptures say. Again, there was a time when,
before the Lord saved me, I didn't even have an interest in the
Word of God. Didn't have an interest about the people of God, didn't
have an interest in Christ. But now, oh my, everything's
changed. Everything's changed. Look at
this in John 8, verse 47. He that is of God, what? Heareth
God's words. Remember, the Holy Spirit guides
us unto all truth, doesn't he? Now remember, there was a time
when you didn't hear. When you didn't see Christ. Now,
what says here? He that is of God, heareth God's
words. Ye, therefore, hear them not, because you are not of God. Our scripture says, in the acknowledging
of the truth which is after godliness. God's people acknowledge the
truth of the scriptures. We hear it, and we believe it. By God's grace. By God's grace. Our scripture continues, in the
acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness. While we
looked in our study in 2 Peter, We know that God has given us
all things, we who believe, all things that pertain to the life
and Godliness, how? Through the knowledge of Him that called
us to glory and virtue, 2 Peter 1.3. The Lord Jesus Christ, by
His divine power and His irresistible grace, has called the believer
out of darkness, out of darkness, granting us faith to believe
and to acknowledge the truths of the gospel. Again, just remember
before you were saved, did you acknowledge the truth of the
gospel? No, we didn't. We didn't at all. Now, we may
have heard them, but we didn't believe them. Oh, but when we're
born again by the Holy Spirit of God, we believe them, and
we acknowledge them, acknowledge the truth of the scriptures. We worship God in spirit. We've
been given a new heart, beloved, that hungers and thirsts after
righteousness. We desire to live a godly life
for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, don't we? We do. Because we serve our new master. And his name is the Lord Jesus
Christ. God's born again, blood-washed saints, they hate sin. And if
it were possible, if it were possible, and I know this is
true of everyone who's born again, if it was possible, we'd never
sin again, but we're sinners. Next time someone calls you holier
than thou, just say, look, I sin more than I want to. I'm a sinner. I was looking at something this
week on the internet, and I like to sometimes read the comments
afterwards an article, because there's some interesting stuff
sometimes, sometimes there's not some interesting stuff. But
this one guy mentioned, he said this, he said, boy, it's hard
to go through a whole day without sinning at least once. And I
looked at that and thought, oh my gosh, that fellow has no idea
what sin is. Could you imagine that, saying
that? Well, in religion, I said it in religion, I used to think
I was holier than thou. But my gosh, and that's the statement
of religious people. Oh my. It's hard not to sin every
second, isn't it? That's what, you know, oh my
goodness. Oh my beloved. Oh my goodness. Now we, again,
we hate sin. God's people hate sin. And if
it were possible, we'd never sin again if it was in our ability,
but it's not. It's not. We're safe sinners. And we're painfully aware, aren't
we? Every one of us is painfully aware that as long as we're in
this body of sin, we're going to sin. And we long for the day. We long for the day when we will
sin no more. That'll be glorious. Could you
imagine what it's like for the saints in glory right now? They
have no sin. Here we have thought sin, we
have sins of actions, we have sins of our words, we have sins
of deeds. They have no sin, beloved. They're in the presence of the
very one who cleansed them from all their sin. Oh, don't you
long for that day? It'll be glorious, beloved. It'll
be absolutely glorious to be free from the presence of sin. to be free from the presence
of sin. Now we're free from the condemnation of the sin, and
we're free from the power of sin, because it doesn't have
the power it once had over us. But right now we're not free
from the presence of sin. But one day we will be. One day
we will be. Praise our great God. Let's look
at verse 2 now. It says, In the hope of eternal
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began. The true believer in Christ again
has only one hope. And that hope is the Lord Jesus
Christ. One hope. One hope. He's all
our hope, beloved. He's our hope of eternal life.
And for the believer, we know that eternal life is only in
and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Nowhere else. Nowhere else. Only in Christ. Only through
God. And He is the God-man. The hope of eternal life, which
God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. Every
child of God has by God's sovereign grace fled to Christ for refuge. He's laid hold of the hope set
before us. Which hope we have an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast. Our hope, beloved, is sure. Our
hope is steadfast. in which entereth into that within
the veil, whither the forerunner for us is entered, even Jesus
made an high priest after the order of Melchizedek. What a
hope the believer in Christ is. Our hope is in God. Never forget that. Our hope is
in God. Man hopes in themselves. But
our hope is in God. The God-man meeting with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians, in Colossians 10,
Paul words it this way, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ
in you, the hope of glory. Think upon this, you who are
one of God's people. Jesus Christ, who is our hope,
is in the presence of God right now. our blessed surety, who
by his sovereign power here makes sure that all for whom he died
will be with him in glory. And because he's there, we'll
be there with him, beloved. We'll be there with him. As Brother
Henry said, where the head goes, the body soon follows. Soon follows. Note in our text in verse two,
it says that this hope of eternal life which the believer has was
promised by God, who cannot lie, before the world began. Before the world began. Eternal
life is a promise that flows from the free grace of God from
eternity. Now, we know that it's not anything
of us, right? You've heard people say, I mentioned
it this morning, God looks down through time and saw who would
choose him. This was done before the world
began. It was just God. It was just God. This promise flows from the free
grace of God from eternity. So then it is. It comes from he who cannot lie.
It's a promise from God. And we know that God is ever
faithful to that which He promises. This promise was made before
the world was. God chose a people in Christ.
This covenant was made by God the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. This was a promise that God our
Father made to the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, in the eternal
covenant of grace. And it's a promise that applies
to all of God's elect through all the ages. God's promise was conditional. It was not conditional upon what
the sinner would do. Like people falsely say. It was conditional upon what
Christ would do. Upon what Christ would do. He came to this earth
to do the Father's will. He came to this earth to save
his people from their sins. And He alone is our hope. He
alone has saved us from all our sins. He did that which is impossible
for us. Listen to what one grace preacher
has brought forth on this. Jesus Christ meant all the conditions
of the eternal covenant of grace. He meant all the conditions of
the eternal covenant of grace. Therefore, God who cannot lie,
will fulfill his promise to the son whom he raised from the dead
through the blood of the everlasting covenant by giving eternal life
to all of his promised children. There won't be one left behind.
We know that scripture declares that that those who were given
to Christ are a number that no man can number. And again, we
have no idea who they are. Therefore, the gospels preached
to all. And God does the same. God does the same, and we rejoice.
We rejoice when we hear that the Lord has taken one out of
darkness and brought him into the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. We rejoice when one's born again
by the Holy Spirit of God. He has given eternal life to
all his promised children who were purchased by the precious
blood of the everlasting covenant. So eternal life is a promise,
beloved, and it's a free grace. not of reward. It's a free grace. It can't be earned. It's a promise. And it's a promise from God.
It's a promise from God. Eternal life is the promise of
God, who is always faithful to his word. Always faithful to
his word. He cannot lie. He cannot. He's the truth. He is the truth. Eternal life was promised, it
says, before the world began. Life and redemption were given
in Christ from the beginning, beloved. Glory to his name. Glory to his name. Let's close
with looking at verse three, but hath in due times manifested.
His word through preaching, which is committed unto me according
to the commandment of God, our Savior. Our great sovereign God. Who cannot lie. at His own appointed time manifestly
declares His Word, His Gospel to His chosen people. He reveals
Himself to us at the appointed time that He's appointed. How? Through the preaching of the
Gospel. This is why it is absolutely vital to preach Christ. Absolutely
vital to preach and proclaim the Gospel. is our Lord who commits his gospel
to his ordained preachers, and he sends us to our appointed
places of ministry with a loving command from God himself to preach
the gospel, to preach the gospel, to preach Christ and him crucified.
And God's preachers and his people know that the preaching of the
gospel is the instrument that God uses to enlighten the minds
of his elect. It is God who delivers them from
the prison house of unbelief. It's a work of God. His ministers
know how important it is to declare His Gospel. Every time we have
the honor of preaching the Gospel, to declare Christ and Him crucified. As Brother Cho says, nothing
more and nothing less. I like that. Nothing more and
nothing less. God's preachers lay these words
of the Holy Scripture to heart. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him
in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? God's preachers know that the
elect of God will be saved, will be saved, every single one of
them, every single one of them. Again, we don't know who they
are, but the Lord knows and he will bring them under the sound
of the gospel when it pleases him to do so. And they will be born again by
the Holy Spirit of God, by his divine power. And they will believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, there'll be granted faith
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to the words of
the master. And God's preachers believe these
words, it says this, all that the father giveth me shall come
to me. I believe those words. You do,
too, don't you, as a believer? All that the father giveth me
shall come to me and him that cometh to me. Listen to this.
him that cometh to me. It doesn't matter how black your
sin is. Some folks say, well, you just
don't know how much of a sinner I am. Well, I know how much of
a sinner I am in Christ. He he he never cast me away. Oh, he draws his people, doesn't
he? He draws his people. Listen to this. All that the
father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me,
I will in no wise cast down. Oh, my. And God's preachers give
thanks unto the Lord, knowing that salvation is all of him.
All of him. Bound to give thanks always to
God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Whereunto he called you
by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. So at God's appointed time, all
of his promised children shall come to Christ, shall come to
Christ. And God, the Holy Spirit, calls
His people with a holy call, my beloved, under the preaching
of the gospel, His gospel, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,
of salvation only in and through Him. And it is He who gives us
faith to believe. If you're a believer, God's given
you that gift to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It's wonderful. It's absolutely wonderful. And
to acknowledge the truth. To believe what the scriptures
say. And to rejoice in that truth. To rejoice in that truth. To
rejoice in the God of our salvation. The very one who saved our souls.
To rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is He who keeps
us in perpetual awe, beloved, of what He's done for us. of
what He's done for us, knowing that we were chosen by God to
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This should
fill us with awe. Praise God for His mercy, beloved.
Praise God for His grace to His people in and through the Lord
Jesus Christ in Him alone. Heavenly Father, we thank you
for your goodness and mercy and grace to we who are your people.
Oh, we pray you take the words and, oh, Lord, that you grant life to one of
your lost sheep, oh, Lord, we pray, if it be thy will. And we know, Lord, we know that
your lost sheep will come to you when it pleases you, but,
oh, Lord, We know that there's salvation in no other Lord. We
who are your people and we rejoice. We rejoice in the precious truth
of the scripture. We acknowledge the truth only
because you've made us to see it and to believe it. The Holy
Spirit has taught us and guided us into all truth. We're born
again by the Holy Spirit of God. And now. We acknowledge the truth
of the scriptures. Glory to you, Lord, for your
great salvation, which we have in and through the Lord Jesus
Christ. In your name we pray, Lord. Amen.