All right, if you wish to follow
along, turn to Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15. Now, the last
time I was here, I dealt, I guess, mainly with verse four, and we
will move on a little more in the passage in that chapter,
but I wanna go back to verse one and start reading in verse
one. We then that are strong ought
to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his
neighbor for his good to edification, or that is building up, to encourage. For even Christ pleased not himself,
but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee fell
on me. Now here's our text for this
morning, verses four through seven. For whatsoever things
were written aforetime were written for our learning. that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God
of patience and consolation, and that's the same word as comfort
in the preceding verse. Now the God of patience and consolation
grants you to be like-minded one toward another according
to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive
ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. My title, I guess if you wish
to call the title, my subject this morning is Scripture Wrought
Hope. Before I go any further, let
me say that I am not trying to indicate that all an individual
must do is just read the Bible and they will then automatically
have hope, as though this is some secret book that you just
read and you're given hope. One, in our unregenerate state,
we do not truly know the message of this book. We do not. And
even in our regenerate state, We must constantly be enabled
by God to draw from the scripture the actual hope that's in the
scripture. You remember the two disciples
on the road to Emmaus? They didn't even recognize Christ,
you know? And their hearts burned when
he read to them the scriptures, but when he finally opened their
understanding, that's when it hit home. So, oh God, make it
hit home to us this morning. Now, think about this, God's
holy book, and I'm talking about the Bible, the scriptures, God's
holy book, and here in the context, of course, it's even the Old
Testament scriptures, for whatsoever things were written aforetime.
Now, I did not do any research, but I don't know if there were
any, New Testament books written, Ellen, at this time when Paul
wrote that, I don't know, there may have been, but Paul is referring
to the Old Testament scriptures. So God's holy book, even the
Old Testament scriptures, God gave them to instruct us with
the end being hope, hope. It's a powerful word. Now, The
word hope can be translated different ways. I understand that. And
it's used in a lot of different ways. And I think everyone here
knows this, but. but we need to be reminded of
it, and maybe there'll be others that hear in another venue. This
hope of scripture is not a wish. You know, we say, well, I hope
this happens, or I hope to go see it, so I hope to be able
to be at the Thanksgiving dinner on that Thursday. That's a wish,
a desire. This is not this hope here that
we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have
hope. This is a confident expectation
of the fulfillment of the promises of God. We have a reason to hope. We have a reason to hope. Now,
as God brings us through tribulation, he works in us this patience.
Patience is not something you can just go out and lay hold
of and get. Tribulation worketh patience. So therefore, tribulation,
though it's tough, the very word means pressure to be squeezed
upon. And even though tribulation is
difficult, tribulation worketh patience, you see it? So again,
as God brings us through tribulation, he works in us patience. It may
not be the best way to say it, but I've said it before, God
forces us to be patient, because he makes us wait upon him. Now
it would be a lot less difficult for us if we simply were patient,
and just waited on God, but it takes tribulation to work the
patience. So again, as God brings us through
tribulation, he works in us patience so that we then are sweetly in
the midst of the difficulty. Hope doesn't remove the difficulty. It gives you confident expectation
in the midst of the difficulty. While the difficulty's going
on, so that we are sweetly in the midst of the difficulty,
we are forced to find comfort wrought by God's holy word so
that we find that confident expectation, that hope in his word. Again, for whatsoever things, that's
a big word, isn't it? That's a big word. It didn't
say for most, does it? It didn't say a large percentage.
It said for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures
might have hope. So I can say this, and this is
not even one of my actual points, as one might say. If I abandon
this book, I abandon any access to hope. Hope's not just something
God secretly sprinkles like fairy dust on you. It's in the book. Hope seen in the book. Hope seen
in the book. That's what I'm emphasizing there.
Now, think about this. True scripture wrought hope.
is never self-centered. Paul tells us that right here.
Now look at, listen to me. True scripture wrought hope is
never self-centered, and it's never apart from the person work
of Christ. Verse five, now the God of patience,
do you see that? So patience is not something
I laid hold of and I muster up, it's something that God must
give. And we know he principally gives it under tribulation. Now the God of patience and consolation
grants you to be like-minded one toward another. Do you see it? Like-minded one
toward another. And that's in light of the context.
Remember, we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities
of the weak and not to please ourselves, right? So again, true
scripture wrought hope is never self-centered. If I ever find,
no, no. When I find myself being self-centered,
I am not seeing the hope that's in this book. Does not the book say this? Romans
chapter eight. Paul said it in the same letter.
Listen to these words. Romans chapter eight, if you
are following along. Romans eight and verse 31. What
shall we then say to these things? And we'll talk a little bit about
some of those things in a moment. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, if he is for us, if he is. That's
not a if, maybe he is, maybe he's not. But if he's, that's
for me. Jack, that's for me. If he's for me, who could be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. Now look at this. How shall he
not with him also freely give us all things? So if I need it, God's gonna
give it to me. But it may have to come through
tribulation. You see, tribulation. So another
thing, this hope. and this communion in Christ
with one another always starts inside, and then only is it manifested
outwardly. Verse six, that ye may with one
mind, you see it? That's the first thing he mentions,
that ye may with one mind and one mouth. You can't talk yourself
into this. It has to be God worked within
you. and then the right words will come out. You see it? See
what I'm trying to get at here? That ye may with one mind and
one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There's another thought about this scripture-wrought hope. Again, scripture-wrought hope
is never self-centered. This hope in communion in Christ
with one another always starts on the inside, because that's
the way God works. Another example before I move
on. You remember what our Lord told the Pharisees? You do a
lot of cleaning on the outside, and there's nothing wrong with
having the outside clean. Christ was not rebuking the outside
being clean, but he said you're all cleaned up on the outside,
but inside you're full of excess and deceit, dead men's bones. Cleanse first the inside. You
know what I say? God, I can't. God, I can't, but he can. He can, so this starts inwardly
and then will manifest itself outwardly. That's with everything
in life. That's with everything. If it don't flow by the spirit
of God in here, all of this is just outward ritual and show.
That's all it is. Here's another thought. This
communion and selflessness. Now this is not just about selflessness,
but this, it's more about the communion with one another. But
this communion and selflessness will proceed to mutual benefit,
verse seven. Wherefore, receive ye one another,
as Christ also received us to the glory of God. That means you receive me even
in spite of my faults, and that I receive you even in spite of
your faults. Because Jesus Christ received
us to the glory of God the Father in light of and in spite of our
faults. We didn't love him, he first
loved us. We only love him because he first
loved us. Let's look at Galatians 5 concerning
that point. Galatians chapter 5, just a passage there to kind
of maybe put a little nail in this thing. Remember, this communion
and selflessness will proceed to mutual benefit. Chapter 5
of Galatians, I mean Ephesians, hold on. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 13. You have been called unto liberty.
And we are totally liberated from the law. Totally. Totally. We're dead to the law
by the body of Christ that we should be what? Married to another.
And when you're married to the second husband, by this work
of God's grace, you don't go back and flirt with the first
one. You understand what I'm saying? You've been called unto
liberty, but Liberty has its dangers, not because liberty
is bad, but because we are bad. You see it? Only use not liberty
for an occasion to the flesh, but by love, serve one another. For all the law was fulfilled
in one word, even in this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as if
your neighbor was you. That's what it really means.
Not just love your neighbor like you love yourself, but sometimes
you don't love yourself, do you? I tell you, from the standpoint
of a believer in Christ, there are times when I have to say
with Job, I hate myself. I repent in dust and ashes, but
that don't give me the right to hate my neighbor. In spite
of his or her faults, you see it. For all the law is fulfilled
in one word, even as thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be
not consumed of one another. You see, if we use our liberty
for an occasion to self the flesh, then turmoil and problem will
proceed and hope will be floating away out here. Look, this I say
then, walk in the spirit and you'll not have any lust of the
flesh. Is that what he said? No, but he did say this, walk
in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. So that's a little bit of foundation
for this passage we're in. But remember what I'm talking
about, scripture wrought hope. Now, there were several different
ways I could have approached this, but what I want to try
to do this morning is I want us now to just look at a few
examples of this scripture wrought hope. And I started once to put
in my notes, I will have only scratched the surface, but even
that is too much of a statement. Because for whatsoever things
were written, you see, I have seven listed here. Now, we may
not get through all of them. I may have to speed up on some
of them. I may not even get to all of
them. I've just got seven. This is whatsoever things were
written. The Old Testament holds a whole
lot more than seven things about hope. Just touch the surface of it. Not even got time to scratch,
Paul, just touch the surface. Number one, even when our father
Adam failed. When I say that, it is a give
me to God's people. That means we fail in him. We
fail in him. By one man's disobedience, many
were made sinners. Not made sinners later. by one
man's disobedience. That's when we were made sinners.
But think about this. Even when Adam fell, there's
hope. There's hope. Right in the get-go. I take it was the very day. Because soon as Adam ate, that
didn't happen until Adam ate, because he's the federal head.
Soon as Adam ate, then both of their eyes were what? Open. And
they realized that they were naked. But what did they do? They began to not seek forgiveness
from God, but they then sewed themselves together fig leaves,
and when God came walking in the cool, the voice of God came
walking in the cool of the day, did they go fall down before
the voice of God? Said, oh God, we've sinned. We
fouled up. What does it say they did? They
hid themselves amongst the trees of the garden. And yet the voice
of God, and we know who that is, don't you? We know who that
is, don't we? The voice of God is none other
than the pre-incarnate Son of God. He said, Adam, where art
thou? That's hope. You know why? Because
before there was ever a seeking sinner, there was a seeking Savior. The voice was not crying out
because of ignorance as to where Adam was. He had done told Adam
where he would be the day that he ate of that fruit, dead, dead. But here is the voice of God
forcing Adam, sweetly forcing Adam to confess where he was. That's hope. My brothers and
sisters, a thrice holy God could have just left us all right there
in Adam, couldn't he? We could have been born, born,
had children, more be born, and lived out lives and enjoy some
modicum of enjoyment in this life and then just die and go
to hell. And God would have been just as just as he always was. But thank God he is the God of
all grace. and he's pleased to manifest
forth that grace. So he said, Adam, wherefore art
thou? But even more than that, even in that same time, even
in spite of excuse and obfuscation, Adam, what have you done? What'd
he say? Well, the woman. You gave me. Woman, what have you done? The
serpent. Who let the serpent be in the garden? She knew God
let that serpent be there. She's trying to blame God. Adam's
trying to blame God. And yet, even then, turn to Genesis
three. Hope, you see it? Hope, look
at it. Genesis chapter three and verse
nine, for the sake of time. The Lord God called unto Adam
and said unto him, that's why I know the voice of the Lord
that was none other than Christ himself. The Lord God called
unto Adam and said unto him, where art thou? And he said,
I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was
naked and I hid myself. And he said, who told thee that
thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof
I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? What's he doing? He's
forcing Adam to confess. But even when we're initially
being converted, we still like to make up excuse, don't we?
Come on now, don't we? And the man said, the woman whom
thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree that I did
eat. The Lord God said unto the woman, what is this that thou
hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me and I
did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou
hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle and above every
beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go,
and thus thou shalt eat all the days of thy life. And I will
put enmity between thee and the woman. And between thy seed,
that's the seed of the serpent, and her seed, that's the Messiah. And it shall bruise thy head,
and thou shalt bruise his heel. Here's the first, can I say it,
Jack? The first gospel message ever
preached right there. Messiah's coming. There's hope,
there's hope. What does God do? God makes coats
of skins. Now what had to happen there?
Some blood had to be shed. And he makes coats of skin and
clothed them. You know what Adam calls his
wife? Remember, she was called Adam to start with. They were
both Adam. He called her name Eve. because
she is the mother of all living. God is not going to utterly destroy
us. Aren't you glad God Almighty
saved you in spite of yourself? Aren't you glad? Here's a third
thought. When men are at their worst, there's still hope. Turn to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis chapter 15. No, I've got the wrong, I've got
the wrong thing. It's not 15, it's 50. Pretty sure that's it. Pardon me for that. Yes, Genesis 50. When men are
at their worst, their, is still hope, Genesis chapter 50, and
look at what it says. And verse 19, and Joseph said
unto them, who's that? That's his brothers. You remember
what his brothers did to him. They were at first going to kill
him, just kill him. And God moved one of the brothers
to say, no, we're not gonna do that, we'll sell him off to these
slave traders coming. But as for you, verse 20, ye,
wait a minute, I'm sorry, verse 19, and Joseph said unto them,
fear not, for I am in the place of God. Now he does not mean
I stand for God. He said, I am where God put me.
That's what he's talking about. For I am in the place of God.
But as for you, ye thought evil against me, and they did. They did, but God meant it unto
good. You see that? God meant it unto
good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people
alive. Now therefore, fear ye not. You see that? That's hope in
it. Can you imagine? It would have been 10 brothers
because the young Benjamin was left at home for a good time.
You imagine when Joseph first revealed himself to those 10
brothers? Can you imagine the fear that must have gripped their
soul? This man stands second only to
Pharaoh himself, the mightiest kingdom known in the world at
that time. All he's got to do is give the
word, and we're goners. And now it says, don't fear. Let's move on. Now maybe we can see a little
bit, and we know that all things work together for good. We don't
always see it, but we know it, don't we? Here's another one, think of
this, hope. Scripture wrought hope. When all hope seems banished
forever. You don't have to turn to this
one, I'll give you a quote of most of it. In Hosea four and
verse 17, God Almighty through the prophet Hosea said this about
Ephraim. Ephraim is joined to his idols. Let him alone. But notice, He's telling others
to let Ephraim alone. Thank God he didn't say, I will
let Ephraim alone. Now turn to Jeremiah. That's
the passage we want to see. Jeremiah chapter 31. Jeremiah 31, this is just, I
know you're familiar with this, but remember, this book gives
us hope, hope, hope, hope. And I would, Jack, I would venture
to say that almost every chapter, or at least every different context
of different circumstances, you're gonna find hope. Now, I may not
always see it. Jack, I may not read it and see
the hope there immediately, but God will bring the hope I need
at the time I need. But look at this, Jeremiah 31,
verse 18. This is God speaking. Remember,
Ephraim have joined himself to his idols. He's saying this as
a command to God's people, let him alone. But look at what God
says. Verse 18 of Jeremiah 31. I have
surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus. Thou hast chastened
me. I was chastened, as a young bullock
accustomed to the yoke. Turn thou me, and I shall be
turned, for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was
turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote
upon my thigh, I was ashamed. It's a tough place to be in,
but it's still a blessed place to be in as well. When you've
just utterly failed your God, we ought to feel ashamed. Christ's
death is not there to wipe away the shame, but wipe away the
condemnation that ought to come with the shame. Now look, let's
go on. Surely after that I was turned,
I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh,
I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach
of my youth. Is he from my dear son? Rhetorical,
yes. Yes. Is he a pleasant child? Rhetorical. No. No. For since I spake against him,
you see it? For since I spake against him,
I do earnestly remember him still. We may have to let Ephraim alone,
but if Ephraim's God's dear son, God won't let him alone. God
won't let him alone. Look at it, for, oh no. I do earnestly remember him still,
therefore my bowels are troubled for him. This is God speaking.
My bowels are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon
him, saith the Lord. Isn't that hope? Isn't that hope? When you've just, as we say,
just screwed up royally. If you're one of God's, he'll
never turn his back on you, even though he may have to speak against
you for a time, even though he may have to chasten you for a
time, correct you, and bring you down. Hope, hope. So even when hope seems banished
forever, there's still hope, huh? There's still hope. Here's
a fifth thing. Think about this. When an idolatrous,
I mean idolatrous, immoral, wicked tyrant has me under his boot,
Hope, hope, Paul's already read it to us. Daniel chapter four,
hope. A wicked, let me tell you, I'm
not gonna preach about this. You know what's going on over
there between Israel and Hamas and all that, the atrocities.
There's things that, some of it I'm glad they're probably
not showing to us. The wicked perpetrators of such
things, God Almighty still has them in his sovereign control.
And you know what he can do? They're walking in pride, they're
doing what they want to do, they hate their neighbor, they hate
this, they hate that, ready to kill this and kill that. But
you know what God can do? Just, and bring them to the ground. Here is this tyrant Nebuchadnezzar. Remember, it's the one Paul just
read about it. Before this event, He had them three young boys,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego cast into the fire. That's how
much, because they wouldn't bow down to his big gold image and
give him credit. Remember? And give him credit.
This same evil, wicked tyrant then says this, verse 34. At
the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes into heaven.
My understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High,
and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion
is an everlasting dominion. His kingdom is from generation
to generation. And all the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as what? Nothing. He includes himself
now. Remember he was bragging, you
know, bragging. Are reputed as nothing. He doeth
according to his will in the army of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say
unto him, what doest thou? At the same time, my reason returned
unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and brightness
returned unto me, and my counselors and my Lord sought unto me, and
I was, now look what he says, and I was established. He didn't
say I take back power, Jack, mm-mm. And I was established
in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was what? Added, do you
see that? Added unto me, now let me stop
a moment. Somebody says, well, did God save Nebuchadnezzar?
I tell you what, if he didn't, he brought him all close. I'm persuaded that he did. He
brought this proud peacock that could just say, put them three
boys in the fire. And as Paul pointed out, as the
book says, he was so angry. It says the countenance, his
visage changed. Visibly angry, heat her up seven
times more. And as I heard old Don Fortner
say years ago in a message, he said, you know the one thing
that they went in that fire with that they didn't have once they
went in the fire? The chains, the fetters that bound them.
It didn't burn their clothes or anything off of them, but
it burnt their bondage. And the one thing that they did
have in that fire that they didn't have was that fourth person.
likened to the Son of God walking around. We're in the fire. You see it? In the fire. And
as Paul aptly pointed out, as they said, our God's able to
deliver us. But if he don't, we're not worshiping
your image. We're not giving you the honor
and the glory. It ain't happening, King. Because God's gonna deliver
us from you one way or the other. Right? I lose sight of this sometimes
when I see trouble in my life. But my God's still in sovereign
control of that trouble. And he can take a man like Nebuchadnezzar
and do this? Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise
and extol and honor the king of heaven, all whose works are
truth, even when he had me licking grass like a cow for seven years. Big long fingernails, toenails,
hair, all popped down and matted up. Matted up. His works are
truth and his ways judgment. And here it is. And those that
walk in pride, he is able to abase. So if he don't abase them,
that means he wasn't willing to bring them down. But if he's
willing to bring them down, he's able and he will. Here's another
thought. Now, I told you I had seven.
I actually just gave you five and six together. Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego? But think about this. What about
when God sends an absolutely reluctant, racially biased and
prejudiced, self-centered preacher with nothing but judgment on
his lips? Any hope there? Turn to Jonah. You all may have to help me find
that one. Where is Jonah? To the left or right of Daniel?
To the right of Daniel, isn't he? I see I should have marked that
one. Nope. All right, somebody help
me find Jonah. That helps me. We'll get it here,
hold on, I wanna read this. After Obadiah, before Micah.
See, I'm still nervous and lost. There it is, there's Jonah. Think about this. Turn to Jonah
chapter two, first of all, Jonah chapter two. Think about it,
let me say this again. What about when God sends an absolutely
reluctant, racially bigoted, prejudiced, self-centered preacher
with nothing but judgment on his lips. Does that mean hope
is just gone? Mm-mm, still hope. Look at it. Jonah chapter two and verse 10.
And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon
the dry land. Aren't you glad our salvation
don't depend upon the preacher? Hmm? Aren't you glad? Hmm? We are but broken sticks at best. At best. Right, here's what matters. This and the power of the Spirit
of God. Hmm. And the word, verse one of chapter
three, and the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time,
say. Paraphrase, Jonah's going to
Nineveh now. Huh? Jonah is going to Nineveh
now. Arise, go into Nineveh, that
great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
Jonah rose and went into Nineveh according to the word of the
Lord. He's not reluctant anymore, but he's still self-centered
and bigoted. Go read the rest of the book. I don't have time
to read it all. Now, Nineveh was an exceeding great city of
three days' journey, and Joah began to enter it in one day.
I mean, that old boy must have been scooting along now. And
he cried and said, now here's the message. Yet 40 days and
Nineveh shall be overthrown. That's a quick message, but how
deadly. That's what he said. So the people
of Nineveh believed God. There you got something. You
see it? So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed to fast,
and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the
least of them. For word came unto the king of
Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe
from him, and covered him with sackcloth and set it in ashes,
and he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh.
Wouldn't that be great if God did that for the United States
of America today? Now he's able. I don't think he's gonna do it,
but he's able. He certainly can do it, huh? And published, and
he calls it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh
by the decree of the king and his nobles saying, let neither
man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything, let them not
feed nor drink water, but let man and beast be covered with
sackcloth and cry mightily unto God, yea, let them turn every
one from his evil way and from the violences in their hands,
and here it is. All he's heard is this, 40 days
in Nineveh. shall be overthrown. Who can
tell if God will turn and repent, huh? And turn away from his fierce
anger that we perish not. There's hope in it. There's hope. And God saw their works, that
they turned from their evil way, and God repented of evil. I'm
not gonna try to explain all that. This is what the book says.
Now, God did not change his essential character, but he certainly changed
his actions, didn't he? Yeah, God saw their works, and
that they turned from their evil way, and God repented of the
evil that he had said unto them, and would do unto them, and he
did not do it, you see, a paraphrase. And then Jonah got mad because
of it. He said, that's why I didn't want to start with, I knew you
merciful, I knew you'd have compassion. That old Jew sat up under that
gourd, cried because he didn't have a gourd and when God sent
a worm to wither the gourd, he cried because the gourd was gone.
Aren't you glad God saves us through Jesus Christ and not
through the preacher? Now folks, for me, that one just, that touches
home to me because I am a preacher and I feel like I'm just like
Jonah most of the time. Just like Jonah most of the time. This is not the scriptures, that's
all seven of them. Do not the scripture scream hope,
hope, hope. And we just touched the surface,
didn't we? Now again, not hope by our circumstances. The circumstances may be horrible,
horrible, even unbearable if God didn't strengthen us in the
middle of it. but we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us. So it's not hope by our circumstances,
but hope in God even in light of our circumstances. If we are gods, our circumstances
will not consume us so that we turn away from God.
But in the circumstance, if it does consume us, we still will
not turn from God. You see that? You see that? Go to God's word. You know what's
the first thing you ought to look for? Christ and hope. No matter how much you've fallen,
No matter how miserable you are, and guilty you are, and ashamed
you feel, look for Christ and hope, because he's there. He's there. Heavenly Father,
oh God help us. We're so weak, so faulty and
sinful. But Lord, we know you are plenteous
in mercy, and you love to show mercy. And we know, Lord, that
you have not dealt with us according to our iniquity. You dealt with
our iniquities in the person of your dear son, our blessed
Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Be with us and strengthen us,
those among us that are having difficulties physically and these
medical things. Lord, be with us and comfort
us and comfort them in these circumstances. Keep their eyes
stayed upon Christ in his name.