promises that by these you might
be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust. So we see here in the first
verse who the writer is, it's Simon Peter. And we know that
he's writing this book under inspiration of the Holy Spirit
of God. He's writing to those same saints that he wrote to
in 1 Peter. They are described as those who
have obtained like precious faith. So this is a general epistle,
again, just as 1 Peter was. It's written to the whole church
through all the ages. Those who have obtained like
precious faith. Those who are born again by the
Holy Spirit of God. And those who are clothed in
the righteousness of Christ. Now why anyone would question
this letter, as Peter's name appears in the first verse, but
through the ages men have questioned who the author of this book is.
We see here Peter introduces himself in the first verse, giving
his name as one of the apostles. And note in verse 14 and 15 of
this chapter, we have a glimpse of when this letter is written
by the words which are found in verses 14 and 15. Knowing
that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as the Lord
Jesus Christ has showed me. Moreover, I will endeavor that
ye may be able to after my decrease to have these things always in
remembrance." So we can conclude here from those verses then that
Peter wrote this epistle not too long before he was put to
death. And this epistle was added to
the canon of the scripture. It was ordained by God himself.
It is written by his sovereign providential hand through Peter.
And we have a complete Bible that we can study. A complete
Bible that comes from God. He is the author. God is the
author of the Scriptures. Moses who wrote the first five
books of the Old Testament, the Apostle John who wrote the book
of Revelation, and every writer in between were moved by the
Holy Spirit of God to write the Bible. Again, God is the author
of the scriptures. These men were moved to write
what they wrote. And God has preserved his word. He's preserved his word. I was
talking to someone this week about that. And they asked me,
well, how how can you know that that that this book is written
from God? And I said, because God, if he's God and he is. Preserving
his word is an easy thing for him. When you consider that he
keeps this world and everything in it, for him to preserve his
word is easy. And yes, it is by faith, we believe
that, isn't it? We believe it, but we believe it because God
said it. He preserved his word, and he does. He preserves his
word. So let us approach this study
and every study of the book of the Bible. Let us approach this
study and every study of the book of the Bible with profound
reverence to our great God. with profound reverence to our
great God, praying that he will teach us the things of Christ,
and applying the truth of scripture, which is found in 2 Timothy,
verses 16 and 17, which says, all scripture is given by inspiration
of God, all of it. So this book is given by inspiration
of God. Given by inspiration of God for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That's why
the scriptures are given. That the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works. In this book we learn
about Christ and we learn about the things of Christ. We learn
about who God is as he reveals himself in the scripture. It's
for doctrine, it's for reproof, it's for correction for us too.
It's for instruction in righteousness that we may be thoroughly furnished
unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3 verses 16 and 17.
Now take note of who the epistles written to, this is very important.
Now this is a basis, this is very important because in later
chapters, we'll find a verse that people rip out of context.
They absolutely tear it out of context and say, see, God wants
to save everyone. Always, always, always when you're
studying scripture, be aware of who the book is written to. It's a vital importance, beloved.
It's a vital importance. Look at who this book is written
to in verse one and two. Simon Peter, a servant and an
apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious
faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied
unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. So we see very clearly in verse
one right here, very clearly that this book is written to
believers. It's written to believers. 2 Peter 1, verse 1, Simon Peter,
a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained
like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and
our Savior Jesus Christ. So in the very opening words
of this epistle, Peter tells us that his inspired letter is
addressed to God's elect. It's addressed to God's elect.
That's who this letter's written to. to people who have been saved
by the grace of God. This is written to every born-again,
blood-washed believer. All who have obtained like precious
faith. And how have we obtained like
precious faith? In and through Christ, by the
grace of God alone. By the grace of God alone. That's
us. That's us. And no, Peter describes
himself as a servant and an apostle. of Jesus Christ. What a great
privilege. What a great privilege. What
a high honor. What a great calling. What an
awesome responsibility, Peter. Now the world of ungodly people
have no reverence for God. We know that because before the
Lord saved us, we didn't have reverence for God. I didn't.
I had no reverence for God. No reverence for his word. And there's also many professing
Christians who have no reverence for His Word. They claim to believe
that the Bible is God's Holy Word, and then they blatantly
deny the truths of the Gospel. They deny that Christ only died
for His people. They deny that God has the right,
the sovereignty to choose whom He will. They deny these things. They deny the record that God
has given of His Son. the Lord Jesus Christ, but you
who are born again are blessed. You who are born again by the
Holy Spirit of God, you've had Christ revealed to you, and you
rejoice in his word. You rejoice in the truths of
the gospel, the precious truths. You rejoice in the preaching
of God's free and sovereign grace. And how thankful we should be
for the miracle of the new birth. How thankful we should be for
divine revelation. For the fact that God revealed
himself to us. Brother Drew and I were talking
about that this week. Just how thankful. We should
be the happiest people in the world. Really, we should be. Oh my,
we've had Christ revealed to us. We're born again by the Holy
Spirit of God. We're saved and have all our
sins forgiven. Look at Simon, let's look at
the verse 1 there again. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle
of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith
with us through the righteousness of God our Savior Jesus Christ.
Now Simon's name here was taken from the Hebrew name Shimon,
who was one of Jacob's sons. The root word means hearing or
hearing with attention. Hearing or hearing with attention.
And then Peter means Petros, it's a piece of rock, it's not
a huge rock, it's a piece of rock. It's a piece of rock. But who's the rock that we're
built upon? Who's the rock that the church is built upon? Who's
the rock that we as living stones are placed together, and as one
commensator said, the mortar is the blood of Christ that keeps
us together. Well, that's Christ. He's the
cornerstone. He's the foundation. He's the
rock that the church is built upon. My hope is built on nothing
less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock
I stand. All the ground is sinking sand,
all the ground is sinking sand. So he's a piece of rock, just
like we're a piece of rock. And remember in our study in
1 Peter, we're living stones, we're put together on the foundation
of Christ, and we're built up a spiritual temple. It's all
about Christ, it's all about him, all about him. So again,
Peter, like every believer, is a living stone, and it's Christ
who's our foundation. He's the chief cornerstone. Chief
Cornerstone. God is building His church. Where?
Upon the solid rock. Upon the foundation. The Chief
Cornerstone. The Lord Jesus Christ. The one,
true, sure foundation. That's Christ. He's the one,
true, sure foundation, beloved. And He's the Savior of His people.
And He's the only hope for hell-deserving sinners, isn't He? Amen. That's what we say. Amen. He
is. He's the foundation for all believers. And we rest our eternal hope
on him. Always remember too that it is God himself who's laid
the foundation. It's God himself who's laid the
foundation. And that foundation is Christ. It's God himself that
did that. Oh my. And then we're placed by God
himself on that foundation. Built up. A spiritual temple. It's wonderful. It's all God's
work. It's all God's work, salvations of the Lord. And Peter testified
of Christ as our only foundation when he answered the Lord's question.
When the Lord said, Whom say ye that I am? Peter said, Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God. You're the Christ,
Lord. You're the Christ. You're the
chief cornerstone. You're the foundation of the
church. So marvel you who are the beloved
of the Lord. Our Lord is building his church
upon the truths concerning himself. You ever think of that? He's
building his church upon the truths concerning himself. That's
why it's so vital for us to preach the gospel. So vital for us not
to compromise on anything, but just preach the free and sovereign
grace of God in Christ. And that's what we do. That's
what we do. That's what we want to go forth from here, isn't
it? The truths concerning himself, concerning who he is. He's the
great majestic creator. He was born of a virgin. And
He's the only law giver, and not only is He the law giver,
but He's the law keeper. He's the law keeper, and He did
that in the place of His people. It's wonderful. This is who our
God is. And it's He alone who has established the perfect righteousness
for us. That which is impossible with
man is possible with God, isn't it? And the God-man mediator,
the Lord Jesus Christ, has established a perfect righteousness. It's
wonderful. It's absolutely wonderful for His elect, for His people.
How? By the obedience to the will of God. The perfect, sinless
sacrifice lives a perfect life that we never could. And then
dies as our substitute on Calvary's cross. My, oh my. And Jesus Christ,
the believers, And blessed Redeemer, in Him we have obtained like
precious faith. It's given to us by God. It's
given to us by God. It's given to every one of God's
blood-washed saints. And it's Christ who has obtained
eternal redemption for us. God gives us faith. We're saved by grace through
faith. And that faith is in Christ, who is the object of our faith. And we've obtained, like precious
faith, from God as a gift. And again, that faith has one
object, and that's Christ, and Christ alone. Marvel at the fact that the Lord
Jesus Christ satisfied the holy justice of God for His sheep.
How? By laying down His life for us. He did it. Marvel at
the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was delivered for our
offenses. Delivered for our offenses. Delivered for his sheep, again
laying down his life for us and was raised again for our justification. Marvel at the fact that the Lord
Jesus Christ is right now seated on his sovereign throne. Seated
right now on the sovereign throne of power. And marvel at the fact
that he reveals truths concerning himself to all his chosen blood-bought
people. We're always learning new things
about Christ, aren't we? As He reveals Himself to us,
we learn more and more about Him. And we marvel, don't we?
The more He reveals Himself to us, the more we marvel at how
wonderful He is. At how wonderful He is. He's
amazing. Look again at verse 1. Simon Peter, a servant and
apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious
faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Again, we see the The apostle
here calls himself a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. What
humility is brought forth here. He's one of the apostles, one
who saw Jesus and talked with Jesus. He was an eyewitness of
our Lord, just like John. Remember in our study in 1 John?
They saw, they heard him, they touched him. And he says here,
I'm but a servant. I'm a servant. And note the order
that he brings this forth. Simon Peter, a servant and an
apostle. He puts his servitude before
the fact that he's an apostle. Oh my. Peter calls himself a
servant, an apostle of Jesus Christ. He doesn't say, I'm an
apostle first. No, he says, I'm a servant. I'm
a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. He identifies himself
as a servant. And he walked again and he talked
with the Lord. He was personally taught by the
Lord. Now the word servant there means
a bond slave. He's a slave. He's a bond slave
of Christ. Which means he's, in the Greek,
he's in subjection to another. So the very first thing he does,
he doesn't put his title first, does he? He says, I'm a bond
servant. I'm an apostle, but I'm a bond
servant first. I'm one of the Lord's. I'm a servant, I'm in
subjection to him. And so in the Greek it means
one who is in subjection to another, one who serves another. So isn't
that wonderful? We see the humility of Peter
right there. And remember, this is Peter who said, well, I won't
deny you, Lord. He's been taught a few things,
hasn't he? He's been taught a few things, beloved. Oh my, oh my. And this is true of all believers,
eh? Oh my. And think of this, this is true
of all believers in the fact that we're servants. Every believer
is a servant, a bond slave of Christ. Oh my. Before the Lord Jesus Christ
said to Peter, come and follow me, Peter served himself. It
was all about him, just like it was all about us before the
Lord saved us, right? It was all about us. Look out
for number one. That was the model growing up. I remember
growing up, that was the model that was said, look out for number
one. So before the Lord saved us, before the Lord saved Peter,
he served himself just like we did. Now his occupation was that
of a fisherman and he served himself in that. And his family,
by laboring in this world to provide for their physical needs
and Again, that's like all of us.
But also think of this. At that time, Peter was a servant
of sin. He was a servant of sin, just
like we were. But now, he's a servant of Christ. And all those who
have obtained like precious faith in Christ are now bond slaves
to Christ. We're servants to Christ. That
power that sin had over us is broken, isn't it? Now, we still
struggle with sin, but we're not a slave to it. We're not
a slave to it like we were at one time. My, all has changed. All changed when the Lord called
Peter out of darkness. All changed when the Lord called
us out of darkness. He delivered, the Lord delivered
Peter from the bondage of sin. And from the power of sin, not
the presence though, eh? But one day, now Peter is, Peter's
been delivered from the presence of sin, he's in glory. And we
will be one day too. But we've been delivered from
the bondage of sin, we've been delivered from the power of sin,
and praise God, one day we'll be delivered from the presence
of sin. And what a glorious day that'll be. What a glorious day
that'll be. And then think of this, he was
a fisherman and the Lord made him a fisher of men. Oh my, what
a great change. Only wrought by our great God.
Only wrought by our great God. Let's read verse 1 again. Simon
Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that
have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness
of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Now again, we know this epistle
is written to believers, right here in the first verse. To those
who are suffering for their faith, we saw that in 1 Peter. We also
saw that in Acts chapter 8. Not at the same time. as when
Peter was writing them, but those kind of things were happening.
They were going into people's homes and hauling Christians
out and taking them to prison and being put to death in the
Roman Colosseums and stuff. There was all kinds of things
being done to Christians. So it was a time of great persecution.
Time of great persecution. And Peter writes to these saints.
to those who have obtained like precious faith with us through
the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. So
again, this book is written to them that have obtained like
precious faith, the scripture says. Those who had the same
faith that was given to Peter. Have you ever thought about that?
The same faith that Peter had and the same faith that Paul
has is the same faith that you and I have. You ever thought
of that? Now faith is in degrees sometimes, right? There's great
faith and sometimes small faith. But we're all saved by grace
through faith in Christ Jesus. Where you may be strong, I may
be weak in an area. Or where I may be strong, you
may be weak in an area. But the same faith we have is
the same faith Peter had, Paul had, John had. Isn't that amazing?
That's incredible. Same faith. Same faith. Like precious faith. It's the
same. And over in Titus 1.4, it's called
common faith, and it's common only because there's one faith.
That's why. Because there's one faith. There's
only one faith. Same faith shared by all God's
born-again, blood-washed people. And Peter's writing under inspiration
of the Holy Spirit of God, and he calls this, like precious
faith. Like precious faith. Therefore,
this appraisal is addressed to all of God's saints in every
generation. in every generation. This epistle
is addressed to you and me who believe. It's written to us. My. If our faith is true, saving
faith, this is written to us. It's wonderful. It's absolutely
wonderful. Let's read again. Simon Peter,
a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained
like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and
our Savior, Jesus Christ. Peter brings forth that this
faith which is given to believers by the grace of God, and we always
remember that, this faith is given to us by the grace of God.
Peter brings forth that this is precious faith. Precious,
it's precious. Now when something's precious
to you, you cherish it, don't you? You cherish it. So for God's
people, this faith that we have in Christ is precious to us.
We cherish this faith, don't we? We cherish the fact that
God gave it to us. But we cherish the one who's
the object of our faith. That's Christ. That's Christ
in Christ alone. Oh, we cherish this. How precious,
how precious is what we've been given faith to believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ in the eyes of believer. Again, it has one
object. The believer's faith is like
precious faith has one object that it looks to. Doesn't look
to sell. It doesn't look to our works,
because they're like filthy rags in the eyes of the Lord, right?
It doesn't look to other people. It looks to Christ. It looks
to Christ. It looks to Christ alone. Turn,
if you would, to Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 2. And then put your
finger in Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 8 and 9. Do you know this saving faith
in Christ is so precious? It's worth more than 10,000 worlds. The faith of God's elect is precious
because, number one, the Lord Jesus Christ is the author and
the finisher of it. That's why this faith is so precious.
Because Christ is the author of it, and He's the finisher
of it. Look in Hebrews 12, verse 2. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12.2, looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith. Look at this. And think
of this for the cross. Now, we're going to look at that
later on today. Look at this. Who for the joy
that was set before Him endured the cross. The joy that was set
before Him. He went and He died on the cross. And the Scripture says it was
joy that was set before Him. Hebrews 12.2. My! What He suffered. But you know
why it was joyful for Him? Because He's going there to redeem
His people from their sins. He's going there to accomplish
that which He was sent for, beloved. Remember, He's the sinless, spotless
Lamb of God. He came here to redeem His people
from their sins. Despising the shame and He sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God. So this faith
is precious because the Lord Jesus Christ is the author and
the finisher of it. Let's go to Ephesians 2, verses
8 and 9. This faith is precious because true saving faith is
a gift of God to His children. It's unmerited. It's undeserving. It's unsought after. We don't
seek God. It's given to us. It's a gift. Now, when someone gives you a
gift, you're just a receiver, aren't you? They give you that
by their choice. And they may give you a gift
and not give someone else a gift. Well, God can give the gift of
faith to whomever He pleases. And we're but receivers, beloved.
We receive this gift. Look at Ephesians 2, verse 8
and 9. So this faith is precious because true saving faith is
God's gift to His people. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, so that means not by any works
which we do, nothing we do. It is the gift of God. It's given
to us freely, beloved. We don't seek it. We don't work
for it. We don't earn it. It's given
to us freely. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. Now turn, if you would, to Romans
chapter 14. Romans chapter 14, and then put
your finger in Hebrews 11. Romans 14 and Hebrews 11. Another reason this faith is
precious, because whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Romans 14.23, look at this. And he that doubteth is damned
if he eat, because he eateth not of faith. For whatsoever
is not of faith is sin. Now turn, if you would, to Hebrews
11.6. Hebrews 11.6. And this faith is precious. You
know why also this faith is precious? Because without faith, absolutely
no one can please God. Why? Because of the person's
faith? No, because of the object of
that faith. Because all our acceptance with God is through Christ and
Christ alone. That's who our acceptance is
with. So Hebrews 11.6, but without faith, It is impossible to please Him.
Well, remember again, who's the object of our faith? Who's our
acceptance with God in? Christ and Christ alone. So again,
it points us right to Christ. Again, without faith it's impossible
to please God. For he that cometh to God must
believe that he is. God's people believe what God
says. We believe that He's God. We believe what the Scriptures
say. We believe that salvation is only in Christ, because it's
all being revealed to us, beloved. It's all being revealed to us.
So this faith is precious. And He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him. Who's our reward? Christ. Christ is our reward,
beloved. Now if you would, put your finger
in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, and then put your finger in 1 Peter
chapter 3. Again, two more reasons why this faith is precious. First,
the Lord is the author and finisher of it. This faith is precious
because true saving faith is the gift of God to God's children.
This faith is precious because whatsoever is not of faith is
sin. This faith is precious because
absolutely no one can please God without it. And now, over
here in 2 Corinthians 4, this faith is precious because the
born again enlightened mind that God gives us when we're regenerated
And through the eye of God-given faith, every believer sees the
glory of God, where? In the face of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We see the glory of God in the
face of the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4, verses 6 and
7. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, we were in darkness. And God has
commanded the light to shine out of darkness. We're born again
of the Holy Spirit of God. To give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have
this treasure on earth in vessels, that the excellency and the power
may be of God and not of us. This faith is so precious to
us because we know God has exercised His power. We're born again of
the Holy Spirit of God, all by His mighty hand and all by His
mighty work. And so this makes it precious
for us because we know if He had left us where we were, we'd
have perished in our sins. So this is precious to God's
people. This faith in Christ is precious to God's people.
And the last point is this faith is precious because we are kept
by the power of God. Look at 1 Peter 1, verses 3-5. We are kept by the power of God,
through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
time. And always remember, when the faith is mentioned here,
the object of it is Christ. It always centers upon Christ,
every single time. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy,
hath what? Forgotten us, you're born again.
You're born again according to the abundant mercy of God. It's
better and better, doesn't it? It's incredible. Born again by
the abundant mercy unto a lively hope. We have a living hope.
That's the Lord Jesus Christ. By the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept
by the power of God through faith. And who's the object of that
faith? Christ. unto salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time. So true saving faith looks to
Christ and Christ alone. Don't look nowhere else. It looks
right to Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, our perfect
Redeemer, who by Himself purged our sins. By Himself, He did
it all. He purged our sins. Oh, this
is why this faith is precious that God's given us. because
this faith again has one object, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's
look at the latter part of this verse then. Simon Peter, a servant
and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like
precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and
our Savior Jesus Christ. Look at that. To them that have
attained like precious faith with us through the righteousness
of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. This faith comes to us
in and through the righteousness of our God and Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Faith is a gift of God, just
as the righteousness of Christ is a gift of God, right? It's
imputed to us. Oh, it's given to us. Abraham
was chosen of God. He was accepted in the blood,
but he was an object of special grace and revelation. Therefore
he believed God, and his faith was accredited to him as right
standing with God. Oh my, marvel that God's sheep
will hear and will believe. Marvel at the truth set here
before us. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't
try to make us righteous. He is our righteousness. He is
our righteousness. A bunch of men out there and
women trying to make themselves righteous before God. The only
way I'm righteous before God is in Christ. And if you're a
believer, it's the same with you. There's no other way. There's
no other way. He's our righteousness. The Lord
Jesus Christ didn't try to deliver us from the curse of law. He
delivered us. He delivered us. The great sin bearer didn't try
to purge our sins. He by Himself purged our sins.
Purged our sins. From God's sight forever. God
says, I won't remember your sin anymore. Our blessed Redeemer didn't try
to redeem His people. He obtained eternal redemption
for us. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't
try to make us acceptable to our holy God. No, we are accepted
in Him. Accepted by God in Him. He made
us accepted in Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ isn't trying
to give us a sure hope. No, He's the believer's hope.
He's the believer's hope. So this epistle is addressed
to those who have obtained like precious faith. And the word
obtained there means to obtain by lots. To receive by divine
allotment. Do you hear that? To receive
by divine allotment. He gives it to whomever He pleases.
To obtain. There's nothing about works in
there. It's a given to you. It's given to you. God himself,
have you ever thought of this? God himself has determined our
lot. He determined before this world was created who would receive
his gift of faith. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life, believed. Believed. So when God sends the
Holy Spirit into our hearts, the Holy Spirit working in us,
he makes us will in the day of his power to receive, to obtain
this life precious faith that's given to us. We just receive
it. We look to Christ. We look to Christ. And this like
precious faith is obtained through the righteousness of God and
our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness. So
rejoice, beloved God. Christ came down to this earth
that we may go to heaven and be with Him forever. He suffered
that we might reign. He became a servant that we might
become kings and priests unto God. He died that we might live. He bore the cross and our sin,
that our sins might be put away. He died that we might live. He
was rich and then became poor so that we who are poor might
be made rich. He descended into the grave that
we might sit together with Him in heavenly places. He emptied
Himself that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. All spiritual blessings are in
Christ and Christ alone. He made himself of no reputation
that we might be made honorable. He humbled himself and became
a man, the perfect man, the sinless man, so that we who are but sinful
creatures might be exalted to the highest glory. He was made
a curse for us that we might receive the blessing of his salvation.
the blessing of the everlasting covenant, ordered and sure in
all things. My, what a Savior. What a Redeemer
is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Heavenly Father, we thank you
for your goodness and mercy to us. We thank you as we read this
book, and it's written to those who have obtained like precious
faith, and we know that we who are believers have obtained this
like precious faith through thee, O Lord. that it's a gift given
to us, and that faith has one object, which is you, Lord Jesus.
We marvel, we praise your mighty name, that we who were dead in
trespasses and sins are now made alive in thee. Now have a hope,
a living hope, which is you. You're seated at the right hand
of the Father. May you be glorified and magnified
through the preaching of your word. May our hearts be lifted
up to rejoice in thee. who has saved us from all our
sins, in Jesus' name, amen.