If you would turn in your Bibles
this morning to Luke's Gospel, Chapter 1. Luke Chapter 1. I've called this message this
morning Prophets of the Highest. Prophets of the Highest. There was a man named Zechariah. He was a priest, and he lived
and he ministered in the temple at Jerusalem. In verse 5, we find out something
about him. It says, there was in the days
of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias,
of the course of Abiah, and his wife was of the daughters of
Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous
before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of
the Lord blameless. And they had no child because
that Elizabeth was barren and they both were now well stricken
in years. But Zacharias was visited by
an angel, by Gabriel. And in that visit, the angel
bore the message of God to him that he would have a son. He would have a son. His wife would bear a child. It says in verse 8, and it came
to pass, while he executed the priest's office before God in
the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's
office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple
of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the
people were praying without at the time of the incense. And there appeared unto him an
angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of
incense. And when Zechariah saw him, he was troubled and fear fell
upon him. But the angel said unto him,
Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife
Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name
John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness,
and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great
in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor
strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even
from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel
shall he turn to the Lord their God, and he shall go before him
in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers
to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to
make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zechariah said
unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old
man, and my wife well stricken in years, and the angel answering
unto him said unto him, I am Gabriel that stand in the presence
of God, and I am sent to speak unto thee and to show thee these
glad tidings. And behold, thou shalt be dumb
and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be
performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be
fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias
and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when
he came out, he could not speak unto them. And they perceived
that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned unto
them and remained speechless. And he remained speechless until
the day that the son was born. And when he was born, there was
a disagreement among the family. You know, family always has its
influence, but there was a difference of opinion as to what he should
be named. They felt like he should be named
by a traditional name in their family. But when you look at verse 57, It says, Now Elizabeth's full
time came that she should be delivered, and she brought forth
a son. And her neighbors and cousins
heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her, and they
rejoiced with her, and it came to pass. that on the eighth day
they came to circumcise the child and they called him Zacharias
after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said,
no, not so, but he shall be called John. And they said unto her,
there is none of thy kindred that is called by thy name. And
they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
And he asked for a writing table and wrote, saying, his name is
John. And they marveled all. And when he wrote that on that
tablet of paper or whatever it was, that the child's name was
John, immediately his mouth was opened and he could speak again. And when he spoke, there came this
prophecy. He spoke this word. And Zacharias and his father
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied saying,
bless be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed
his people and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in
the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his
holy prophets, which have been since the world began. that we
should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that
hate us to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to
remember his holy covenant. The oath which he swore to our
father Abraham that he would grant unto us that we being delivered
out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our
life. But what I want us to notice
this morning is his prophecy and his words
concerning his own son. By now, I think you know that
his son is John the Baptist. And so he speaks this prophecy,
which maybe is not so much about John the Baptist, but about the
one John the Baptist would announce. And he says this, and thou child shall be called
the prophet of the highest. For thou shalt go before the
face of the Lord to prepare his ways. to give knowledge of salvation
unto his people by the remission of their sins through the tender
mercy of our God whereby the day spring from on high hath
visited us. To give light to them that sit
in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into
the way of peace. This, as I said, was spoken concerning
his son, John the Baptist. And John the Baptist is to be
a prophet of God. As a matter of fact, he's to
be the last of the Old Testament prophets. The law and the prophets were
until John. Since that time, the kingdom
of God is preached. That's what it says in Luke 16. But what is a prophet? We ought
to know and understand what is a prophet. Well, a prophet is
one who has been ordained and appointed by God to speak for
God, to say what God has said. And the Bible teaches us in both
the Old Testament and the New Testament that we are to test
the prophets because everyone that says he's a prophet is not
a prophet. It says this in the scripture,
Beloved, believe not every spirit, But try the spirits, whether
they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into
the world." The Apostle John wrote those words. Many false
prophets are gone out in the world. So we are to test, we
are to try, we are to prove all who say that they are prophets
because the prophet of God speaks in one vein. We read in Revelation where John says, and I fell at
his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, see that
thou do it not, I am thy fellow servant. In other words, John
in the presence of this angel was about to bow down and worship
the angel, which is a messenger. And the angel said, don't do
that. I'm virtually the same thing
that you are. I'm a messenger. and of thy brethren that have
the testimony of Jesus." He said, I'm a part of a brotherhood that
has these prophets, the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy. If they are saying nothing about
Jesus, they can't be a prophet. And if they're saying wrong things
about Jesus, then they can't be a prophet sent of God. And over in the Old Testament,
the prophet Isaiah says, to the law and to the testimony, if
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is
no light in them. That is, if they speak not according
to this word of God. If they speak not according to
the testimony of Jesus Christ, it is because there is no light
or no truth in them. And when you get over in the
New Testament, If we think that the job of a prophet is passed,
Paul writes clearly saying, and he gave some apostles, some prophets. Some prophets. But the New Testament
prophet is not a foreteller as was the Old Testament prophets. But he is, I guess you'd say,
a fourth teller. The Old Testament prophets prophesying
concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament
prophet speaking of the Christ that has come and the work that
he has done. a looking back at Christ crucified. And all true prophets do what
Zechariah said of his son, what he would do, what John the Baptist
would do, because they are sent of God. Look over in verse 76. And thou, child, shalt be called
the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go before the face
of the Lord to prepare his ways." They're sent of God. They are
nothing in themselves. But they bear the record of this
testimony of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And doing that, what do they
do? Well, look at verse 77. just like John the Baptist was
come to do, and all the Old Testament prophets were sent to do, so
is the New Testament prophet preacher sent to do to give knowledge
of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day spring from
on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of
peace." Now, it's amazing. to me in light
of what is said in these verses that men have so much to say,
which is just the opposite. He says here that John is to
give knowledge of salvation unto his people. Did you know that
there are people who have read this Bible and they have studied
this Bible and they still don't know and admit that God has a
particular people? They love the universalism. They love including all. But when all are included, God
is excluded because he has a people. They are called his elect. They are called his children. They go by several different
names in scripture. But Jesus, the real, true Jesus,
is the savior of that people. That's what it says in Matthew
21, verse 21. And she, that is Mary, shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. What does Jesus mean? It means
Savior, Jehovah's Savior. Thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people
from their sins. Who's he gonna save? He shall
save his people. When you look back at verse 68,
look at what it says. As a part of Zacharias prophecy. He says, Blessed be the Lord
God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people. That is the spiritual Israel. Because in all actuality, the
nation of Israel itself was not redeemed. It is this spiritual
Israel, these elect ones that are chosen of God, that are called
out by God, they are the people that he was given, that is, was
given to Christ before the world began. Look over in Romans 11. Romans 11, he says this. I say then, hath God cast away
his people? God forbid, for I also am an
Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." In
other words, Paul was sent to preach the gospel. But the Jews,
in general, the Israelites, according to the flesh, they rejected his
message. So, does that mean that God has
cast off his Israel, his people? Paul uses himself as an example. And he says the reason that they
have rejected him as a people is because they are not his people. But I am one of his people, even
though I'm an Israelite according to the flesh, I'm an Israelite
spiritually, like Abraham was. Abraham believed God. God hath
not cast away his people which he foreknew. That means foreordained. What ye not, or don't you understand
what the scripture saith of Elias, how that he maketh intercession
to God against Israel, against this national Israel? saying,
Lord, they have killed thy prophets and digged down thine altars,
and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith God unto him? What is the answer God says unto
him? I have reserved to myself 7,000
men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Paul says, even so then at this
present time also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace. If most of Israel rejects the
Lord Jesus Christ, if most of the world rejects the Lord Jesus
Christ, in every age, God has a remnant according to the election
of grace, and they are his people. They are those that he has given
to Christ that will make up the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ,
his church, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says this in Revelation. when they are seen altogether
there. These are they which were not
defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are those
who which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed
from among men. They were redeemed from among
men. They were His people, and He
redeemed them. They were redeemed from among
men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. So this is a particular message
to a particular people. And it says here, not only that,
but the messenger of God is to give them something. Most of the preachers that you
have in our day are just takers. Rather than feed the sheep, their
business is to fleece the sheep, to get as much as they can, to
build big empires, to have lots of money, and all that kind of
stuff. But if I don't have something
to give to somebody this morning, I'm not a preacher of the gospel. I'm not a prophet in the New
Testament sense. Because the preacher of the gospel,
the gospel itself being good news, we have got something to
give, good news to somebody. As a matter of fact, when you
stop and think about it, in the light of the scriptures, everything
in salvation is a gift. The gift of faith, that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God. Repentance, it's the gift
of God. Righteousness is the gift of
God all together in his unspeakable gift, the Lord Jesus Christ. And what he says is this, the
prophet of God like John, is to give some people, his people,
knowledge. Knowledge. Now, the only knowledge that
there is, true knowledge that there is, is in this book. If we don't speak according to
this book, we don't give anybody knowledge. And the sad thing
is that people in our day have separated what they call head
knowledge and heart knowledge. That's the most absurd thing
that I have ever thought about. Because in this case, there is
no way to have heart knowledge without head knowledge. And if
you got true head knowledge, it will be heart knowledge. It's both. It's both. Proverbs said, How long, ye simple
ones, will you love simplicity, and the scorners delight in their
scorning, and fools hate knowledge? It's a fool who hates knowledge. He says again in Proverbs, the
heart of the prudent getteth knowledge, and the ear of the
wise seeketh knowledge. And then Hosea is used of God
to write these words. My people are destroyed for lack
of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge,
I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the
law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. He equates knowledge
to the Word of God, to the Bible. to the scriptures. Turn over to Romans chapter 10. Paul, in speaking about his own
people after the flesh, he was an Israelite after the flesh. And he never lost the desire
and the zeal to see them saved. If we don't have a zeal and a
desire to see men and women saved, if we don't especially have one
to see our own families saved, something is wrong. He said,
brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that
they might be saved. Now he says that on the heels
of what he has just written in Romans 9, which is the clearest
declaration of the sovereignty of God in grace and mercy that
you'll find in the Bible. He didn't believe anybody, he
didn't believe everybody would be saved, he didn't believe that
Christ died for everybody, he didn't believe that God was wanting
to save everybody, but that didn't change the fact that he wanted
to see them saved. He says, for I bear them record
that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Oh, that's about the statement
on most of religion in our day. Zeal, enthusiasm. interest in all this religion,
in all these things pertaining to God, but it's not according
to knowledge. And somebody always says, well,
preacher, how do you know? You don't know what they believe.
You don't know what they think. You don't know whether they're
gods or whether they love God or whether they believe the truth
or not. Listen to Paul. For they, being ignorant of God's
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
What are they doing? How do you know that? Because
they're going about basing salvation on something that's done by the
creature. If you do this, God will bless you. If you do that,
God will bless you. If you do this, God will save
you. And every one of today's modern religion, that's what
it's based on. That's what they base it on. They're going about to establish
their own righteousness, and they've not submitted themselves
to the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ only. Listen to this. For Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. The law can't do anything but
curse you and pronounce you unrighteousness. The law is simply the picture
of the principle of your doing. What did the law say? Do this
and live. There was not anybody in the
Old Testament or the New Testament saved by their obedience to the
law, by this principle of doing. It is not of works, lest any
man should boast. And this knowledge has to be
given by God. This knowledge has to be given
by the Spirit of God. It has to be revealed. It's right
here in black and white, but men and women are blind to it. It's natural to think that we
can be saved by doing, and false religion goes along and confirms
that thought. But God brings all his people
to the knowledge of the truth. The knowledge of the truth. That it is this righteousness
by which a man stands accepted before God. It is all a gift. It is all in the Lord Jesus Christ. But if you'll notice here, that it says that he is to give
knowledge, particular knowledge of salvation. To give knowledge, to give knowledge
to his people, to give knowledge of salvation. Now this is totally
contrary to what people naturally think and what false preachers
teach and preach because they tell people that salvation is various things. They make
salvation to be an experience. They make salvation, they think
salvation is a mere reformation of life. You'll clean up your lies. God will accept you. They make
salvation, they equate it to joining a church. or to making
a decision. They equate it to praying a prayer. I prayed this prayer, therefore
I know I'm saved. They make salvation to be submitting
to baptism. They make it, they equate it
to be to accepting Jesus. They equate it to things like
stopping alcohol or smoking or some of an endless host of about
a million things which all amount simply to something that you
do. I'm telling you the truth. You
boil the greatest religions and the most religions down to their
finest, fullest, lowest ebb in this world, and it all amounts
to something you do. You do this, or you did that,
and therefore you're saved. But salvation. As old Jonah found out, in the
bottom of the sea, in the belly of the whale, salvation is of
the Lord. And if you're ever saved, you're
going to have to learn that. Salvation is of the Lord. Something like nine times in
the New Testament, it speaks of God our Savior. That one phrase, God our Savior,
about nine times. When Isaiah the prophet cried
out for God, he said, Tell ye, and bring them near. Yea, let
them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? Who hath told it from that time? In other words, who has spoken
since eternity old the same thing? Have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside
me, a just God and a Savior. There is none besides me. Now, you don't have to listen
very long before you find that this person's God, that he's
talking about, is not like this person's God, is not like this
person's God. But I'm telling you, there is
one God, and he's the Savior. There's
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. And the knowledge that is being
set forth in the gospel is the knowledge of salvation that God
has saved this people in Jesus Christ. It is not for something you do. You will have no part in it except
being the object of it. You will not have one thing whereby
to boast and to glory in. You will be nothing and he will
be everything if you're saved by him. to give the knowledge of salvation. Through preaching the gospel,
God causes his people to know that he has saved them in Christ. The man said, what must I do
to be saved? He was never told to do one thing. It's believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, which is just the opposite of doing. Look over in 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy. At the end, well in verse 8,
Paul says to Timothy, be thou therefore, be not thou therefore
ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. That's the gospel. It's the testimony of our Lord,
not the testimony of men, nor of me, his prisoner, but be thou
partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power
of God who hath saved us. Does it sound like that salvation
is waiting for man to validate it? to put his stamp of approval
on it, to do something to make it good or to help God in some
way, who hath saved us and called us with unholy calling. That's the gospel, and that's
the Spirit of God applying that gospel. Not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made
manifest by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who
hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel." The gospel, this knowledge of
salvation, is the knowledge that God has saved us. He's done it all. He's done it
all. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. If you're that man, that's good
news to you. He laid it on the Lord Jesus
Christ as your substitute. Blessed is all who, just like
David, describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes
righteousness without works. The only righteousness that we
can have before God is one totally separated from our works. Because
all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. To give knowledge of salvation. God has saved us. Is that good news to you? If
it's not, you must not be his people. He has saved us. It hasn't at any point depended
or depended on us. If he has saved us, it's a finished
work. He has saved us. That's what
Christ is doing on the cross. And that's why he said, it is
finished. Look at our text again. To give
knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their
sins. Christ is not dying a universal
death for all sins or for all sinners. He's dying a death particular
for His people and their sins. That's what it says. That's what
the shepherd said. He said, I laid down my life
for my sheep. for the remission of sins." That
word is translated to other places, the forgiveness of sins. But forgiveness with God who's
just can only be one way. He's a just God and a Savior. I wish this generation would
have to face the reality of what that means, a just God and a
savior. How can God be just and save
such sinners like we are when he says the soul that sinneth
must surely die? How can a price be paid in general
when God requires it to be paid in particular? It's for the sins
of His people. And if Christ on that cross paid
the debt, paid the ransom, paid the price, redeemed His people
from their sins, it's paid. They're redeemed. They're saved. Absolutely 100% saved. He says in Hebrews, and almost
all things are by the law purged with blood and without shedding
of blood is no remission. You go back and look under the
law. all the sacrifices that were offered, all the blood that
was shed, all the priests that did these works and sprinkled
blood on altars and such as that. If we have any sense at all,
we are being taught by God that the only way that sin can be
forgiven is through a sacrifice for sin. By blood. The only way that we can have
forgiveness is by the blood of Jesus Christ. It's not in Mary. It's not in
any other organization of religion. It's not by the words of a priest
or a preacher. It's by the blood. And one picture of that that's
so clear is that night when God came to Egypt to slay the firstborn
in every household. You know what he did? He slayed
the firstborn in every household, including those Israelites. But with them, He slayed it in
the person of the lamb. He told them to take a lamb, make sure it was spotless, clean,
unblemished in every way, perfect lamb, shed his blood, and put
it on the doorposts and lintels. And he said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. They might have been in that
little house, hovered together, afraid, scared to death. They were certainly sinners just
like all the Egyptians. But God said, when I see the
blood, when I see that sacrifice, I'll pass over you." That's why he says, Christ, our
Passover, is sacrifice for us. When John saw the Lord Jesus
Christ in heaven, he says, I saw a lamb as it's newly slain. That means his blood has atoned
for sin and stands as a ransom, as a payment, as a satisfaction
for the sins of his people forever. He said, for this is my blood
of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins. Asked him to him give all the
prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth
in him shall receive remission of sins. Don't you want your sins forgiven? All you're doing and all your
abstaining and all your decisions and all, none of that will ever
put away one sin. But Paul says in Romans, whom
God has set forth, that is Christ, who has set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. How could Abraham's sins be forgiven? How could David's sins be forgiven? God always looking to his son. And he says, to declare, I say,
at this time. What about now? Same way. At this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. To that person who
looks to the Lord Jesus Christ alone and his perfect work, God
is to him first just and at the same time the justifier, the
one who declares him righteous. Christ was saving his people,
and that will be good news to them. This is John's message. When he saw the Lord Jesus coming
down the banks of the river to be baptized, he said, behold,
the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world. Now, if we take that like some
try to take it, then everybody is going to heaven. If Christ's blood took away all
the sins of all men, everybody is going to heaven, because God
is just. He wouldn't let Christ pay the
price. and then send a person to hell. But what he means there is Christ, as God's Lamb, takes
away the sins of people crossing every distinction in this world. The first one being Gentiles
as well as Jews. His remnant, according to the
election of grace, is some Gentiles and some Jews. It's some women
and some men. In their situations, it's some
old and some young. It's some male and some female. All the distinctions are erased. It's all according to God's mercy. That's what it says here, through
the tender mercy of our God. Tender mercy. What does that
mean? It means God treating us in a
way that we don't deserve. Mercy is the kind treatment of
one who's acted as an enemy through the mercy of God. Paul writes to Titus and he says,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to his mercy he saved us. He says in Psalm 85, mercy and
truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Where did that take place? The
cross. And the gospel is to be preached,
the knowledge of salvation is to be spread, because God's people
are to be found in all nations. That's what they say in the Revelation. It says, And they sung a new
song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open
the seals thereof. For thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation. Out of. And he says, whereby the day
spring from on high hath visited us. That word, day spring, means
like rising sun. It's like the day star, which
is the sun, gives light, brings to light. You ever spend a long,
lonely night, darkness? You just can't wait for the morning
to come. And no matter how gloomy it has
seemed, no matter how dark and drear and all it seemed, it seemed
when that sun comes up. Peter said, we were actually,
our witnesses of Christ. We touched him, but he said,
now you. He said, we have also a more
sure word of prophecy, wherein to you would do well to take
heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day's
dawn and the day star arise in your hearts. What is a more sure
word of prophecy? The written word of God. The written word of God. Malachi had given this prophecy
to his people, but unto you that fear my name shall the son of
righteousness, s-u-n of righteousness, arise with healing in his wings,
in his beams. Paul said, For God, who commended
the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. And to guide us in the way of
peace. What is the way of peace? The gospel of peace. which says, Christ made peace with God for
his people by the blood of his cross. Just read it, Colossians. This is what the prophet does.
Old Testament, New Testament, whatever you call them, And this
is what the people of God find out through this knowledge that
is given to them, that Christ has saved them fully and freely
and fully and eternally from all their sins. And Paul says, when he writes
to the church at Ephesus, And he speaks in chapter 1 and
verse 13 of trusting Christ. He said, you've trusted Christ.
When did you trust Christ? He said, in whom ye also trusted
after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation. That's a big, big difference
in everybody who preaches the gospel of how to be saved. You see, it's the gospel of your
salvation. That God, in the Lord Jesus Christ,
now revealing it to you by His Holy Spirit, you get the good
news, God has saved you. It's the good news of your salvation. You can't add anything to it. Not how to be saved, but that
God has saved us. And if we don't believe that, There isn't any good news. We're still going about trying
to establish our own righteousness and all. That's no good news. But Christ said, my sheep hear
my voice. They hear the gospel of their
salvation. And they're given the knowledge. of this. And it looks like light shines. So the rest of their day, doesn't
matter how dark it gets, they've still got light. They've still
got sunshine. Just like those Hebrews, it says
that the light was in their places, their dwelling places, even when
the darkness came in Egypt. That's what the prophets of the
highest have to say to men, have to preach to men. Our Father, we thank you this
day. We know that we're nothing less
than nothing. The chief of sinners. But we bear this true record. We don't bear it well. We don't
bear it eloquently. We don't give this knowledge with great education or scholarly terms. But we give the knowledge. of
salvation to your people through the remission of their
sins according to your mercy, and
it becomes light to them, and they see the glory of God. in
Jesus Christ. They know the way of peace is
the way that he has established. Bless your word to their hearts
and to your glory. For we ask it in thy Savior's,
the Savior's name. Amen.