Turn with me to 1 John, if you
want to follow along, 1 John chapter 5. I thought about this. Someone
may be thinking I've been preaching on Hosea for seven or eight weeks
now. I think it's probably seven weeks.
At least seven different messages, I believe it was. And someone
says, well, we've been talking an awful lot about sinners and
mercy. Well, I want to let you know
this morning that my subject will be no different. Because
by God's grace and mercy, I will preach that subject until the
day I take my last breath, God willing. I have just one verse
to read to you. 1 John chapter 5, I want to read
verse 1. I will make a few comments stating
some doctrinal facts as I read the verse, but then I will leave
those doctrinal facts where they are and we'll go on to preaching
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, because preaching Christ
is not just doctrine. It's not just doctrine, but let's
get started. Whosoever, and that is all inclusive,
but it's all inclusive of the people described in the coming
words. Whosoever believeth We'll look
at that in a moment. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ. Now that's the whosoever he's
talking about. A person who doesn't right now
believe can't claim anything to that. A person who never believes
never had any part of this. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ. You see, you can believe a lot
of things about Jesus, but if you don't believe he is the Christ,
you've missed it all. because John is clear, whosoever
believeth. So every whosoever is gonna believe
what? Jesus is the Christ. Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is, is, now that word is perfect,
passive, indicative. I haven't been doing this a lot
lately and I don't plan on doing it a whole lot. It's nothing,
usually it's nothing but a pretense of pride when preachers do that.
because I don't know enough about the Greek to make you think that
I'm really up here giving you something. But I do know other
men and have read books by them. It's the perfect passive indicative. That means it's an action in
the past. That's the perfect tense. It's an action in the
past with continuing results. Is, that's why it's translated
is, not was. as though it's just something
in the past that it's all over with. It's not being born, they
were born in the past, but that birth in the past has continuing
results. So it's the perfect tense, it's
passive. It's in the passive voice. That
means these people were acted upon. This birth by God, that's
what it's clearly called, right? This birth by God is an act of
God. Okay? It's an act of God. It
has nothing to do with the one born. Anything in the one born,
any part of the one who is born, their will, their works, their
worth, it has nothing to do with that. It's in the passive voice,
and it's also indicative. That means it's a fact. It's
a reality. So again, whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. but no one else. This birth by God must come first
before believing. And if you want to see that actually
stated, this same John, go back to 1 John 1, verses 11, 12, 13,
14, you'll see him say that. They believe, they believe, these
people believe, which were born. You see it? Which were. So this
birth must come first. And this birth includes everything
that's necessary for them to believe. Eventually it includes
everything, even the gospel preaching. But this birth starts with God
alone, not even gospel preaching. But it is meant so that these
people will what? Believe, and you're not gonna
believe till you hear the gospel. So it's all included. Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Now here's the
thing. This birth must come before believing. But no one can say
they're born until they believe. You see? Now how long it can
proceed, that's God's business. I'm not gonna argue with that.
I'm not gonna argue about it. It doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter. The birth must come first. It's
born of God. But when you're born of God,
the only way you can say I'm born of God is if you believe
that Jesus is the Christ. So let us be careful and say,
well, I think God's doing a work on them. You may be right, you
may be wrong. But if they say, I believe Jesus is the Christ
and it's true, it's true, this is real, then they're born of
God. But you can't say they are until
that happens. But this is really not for me
to see other people. This is for me to see me. This
is not for you to be examining me and me to be examining you.
Now I am preaching it to you publicly and pressing these things
upon you because that's my responsibility as a pastor. You understand that. But I'm not up here trying to
pigeonhole everybody. Do you really believe? I think, well,
maybe you're not born of God because you don't believe just
the way I think you ought to believe. That's not what it's about. Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And the primary
thing is, if God's done it, God knows he's done it, and that's
the one that really matters before. I could be wrong about it, God
ain't wrong about none of it. God tells us this so we can have
comfort concerning it. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God and Everyone that loveth him
that begat. Now who's the begatter here?
God. So everyone that loves God loves
him also that is begotten of God. That is, everyone who's
born of God loves Christ. Well, they love God. They love
the begatter. They love the one who's begotten
of him. Now he's the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. So everyone born of God's gonna love Christ. But
we're also the begotten. So everyone that's born of God's
gonna believe that Jesus is the Christ, they're gonna love God,
they're gonna love Christ, they're gonna love God's people. And
this love is God's love. The love of God, not human love. It's a totally different kind
of love. There is a belief in a love that's
of no value. There is a belief in love that
is damning to the souls of men. Having said that, reading this
verse, what I want to try to talk about is this. Born, born,
and it's born spiritually. That's what I mean when I talk
about being born here. Born spiritually, not physically. Born to believe
and love. That's my subject, that's my
title. Born to believe and love. What a word. Now I'm gonna talk
about my title. I'm talking about this right
here. What a word for any fallen son or daughter of Adam to be
able to even consider. That the holy God, the holy,
the thrice holy God, that God before whom, remember there's
these angels that fly around his throne, evidently Mason all
the time. And they have what, six sets
of wings. And they fly with two of them. With two of them they
cover their feet, I think it is. And these are holy angels.
They never fail. They're perfect spirit beings.
And yet with two, what do they do? They cover their faces before
this holy, holy, holy God. and that the holy God of heaven
and earth purposed to so birth a people. People like you and me. People
like you and me, fallen, sinful, corrupt. And I'm talking about
even now, after I've been born of God. That which is born of
God, that which he birthed in me, that which he created in
me is perfect and holy. It's created in righteousness
and true holiness. It's called the new man. But
I am still, oh, wretched man that I am. And see, if you can't
relate with both of those things, then you can't love one another.
If you think all you got's the new man, then the man who really
has the old man and the new man is not gonna be able to get along
with you. But if you got the new man and the old man both,
if somebody only has the old man, you ain't gonna be able
to get along with them either. Not for long, because God said
two cannot walk together except they be agreed. but that God would birth a people
like us, spiritually, spiritually. So so birth me, or you, that
you might believe that Jesus is the Christ. Now I know you go just about
anywhere out here to so-called church buildings and you ask,
do you believe Jesus is the Christ? They will say the words, but
they don't know what it means. They don't know what it means
that Jesus is the Christ. And sadly, most of the time,
what you'll hear out here in professing Christianity, they
rarely ever speak of Christ. It's always Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus. but never that Jesus is the what?
The Christ. But that God would so birth fallen
creatures like us that we would believe that Jesus is the Christ
and we would actually love God, love his Christ, and love others
who are so birthed of God. Before I was born of God, those
of you now who are born of God, there's no way you could have
got along with me and I wouldn't have wanted to get along with
you. And I'm not saying that bragging. I say that to my shame. I say that to my shame. That this spiritual birth by
God, think of what a divine act of deity. For me to even think that this
might be true of me. But John, an inspired writer,
says, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God, the holy God of heaven and earth. Mason actually did something
for me, to me, and in me if I'm truly born of him. Everybody
talks about the new birth, being born again. Don't they? Just
about everybody does. But nobody knows what it is.
And most think it's something God does for you once you believe.
That's not the truth. That's a lie. It's a lie. And this same John, if you read
his three epistles here, says no lies of the truth. Even this
one right, no lies of the truth. To believe that this spiritual
birth by God is manifested only in believing Christ and loving
God. Amen? Think about it. It's only manifested. Now that, someone said, but you're,
that's so limiting. No, that's so glorious. Think
about it. So glorious. No great sacrifice,
just faith and love. What's the manifestation of this
new birth? No great sacrifice on my part, is it? No great religious
endeavors on my part, is it? No great righteousnesses on my
part, is it? What's the manifestation of this
new birth? Faith in Christ. Amen. And love for God, his Christ,
and his people. Amen. That's astounding. Yes,
sir. That's astounding, yet religion
says if you want to really be born of God, now here's your
list, all the stuff you're supposed to be doing. You know, if you
believe that Jesus is the Christ, you're born of God, and you will
love God, his Christ, and his people. As a matter of fact, before this
heavenly birth, now think about it. Before this heavenly birth,
this birth by God, this being born again, this being born from
above, as our Lord stated in John chapter three, before this
heavenly birth, all, all, A-L-L, before this heavenly birth, all
of my religious zeal. All of it. Not one little teeny
tiny dot of it, except it. All of, before this heavenly
birth, all of my religious zeal. All of my emotions. all of my
decisions, all of my professions, all of my concerns, all of my
contrition, all of my sincerity, all of my orthodoxy, if I had
any. And yours too. Before this heavenly
birth, all of those things was nothing but flesh. and it only
added to my sin and my sins. That's astounding. But that's true. Religion says
that can't be true though. If you're orthodox, you're contrite. God save us such as we have a
contrite heart. Not the old one. There's a lot
of lost people out there that get contrite over a lot of things.
Do they not? Start fearing hell a little bit,
they'll walk an aisle, make a decision, and then go right back out into
their life, right back to the way they were. At least after
a few years. I did it two or three times in
religion years ago. I'm saying that everything that
preceded this new birth is nothing but sin and sins. And that's why, that is why Isaiah
wrote these words that even our righteousness says are as filthy
rags in God's sight. And that's true of you too. Anybody
who hears me on the TV, that's true of you too. A.W. Peek put it this way. Penny
read it to me yesterday. It caught her eyes as she was
reading some things. She read it to me and I said,
I gotta write a part of that down. Here's what A.W. Peek said. It
is not until the sinner despairs of any help from himself that
he will truly flee to Christ. As long as you got something,
no matter how small it might be, something you can cling to,
you've never really truly fled to Christ. Because I want to
know whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ. That's the
one we know is born of God. I need to know what that really
is. Right? Because if all my believing and
loving is of the flesh, Joe, I will perish one day. There were people in this Bible
that when Jesus preached, it said, when they heard these words,
many believed on him. That's what it says, John chapter
eight, go back and look at it. And within moments, they were
ready to take up stones to what? Kill him! Kill him! Boy, that belief didn't last
long, did it? That love for the words they'd heard this man speak
didn't last long, did it? And the scripture says the love
of many shall wax cold. So that kind of love ain't gonna
do you a lick of good now, is it? So we're talking about a
different kind of belief and a different kind of love, are
we not? It's the love that flows from
a spiritual birth by God. New birth must come from God
first. And when it does, Men and women
will find themselves believing. It'll be amazing. Believing that Jesus is the Christ. They'll find themselves loving
everything that's associated with him. Won't they? That's what's gonna happen. Think
of it. Born, born of God to believe
and love. It is to believe and love that
Jesus, the man, he was a real, and is, for that matter. I'm
talking about in his condescension, when he came to this earth, he
was a real, bona fide man. He wasn't just God in a human
body. He was God Almighty who was a
man. I can't explain that. Jesus,
what is it to believe and love? That Jesus, that is the man,
is the Christ. And you know what that really
means? Here's what it really means. That Jesus, that man,
was God manifest in the flesh. That's what it means. He's the
Messiah, the anointed one, but he's that God manifest in the
flesh. Two things that this religious
world, when our Lord was here, two things they despised about
Jesus. Two things they despise about
him, the fact that he said he was the Christ. And think about
it, and there's many passages I could give you, but this one
struck my mind, John chapter 10, verse 24, and you can read
it if you want, but they said this, it says, Jesus was at the
temple, and he'd been teaching about his sheep, and he's the
good shepherd, and he has a sheep, and it said, he was there in
this one place, and the Jews came round about him. Do you
see that, you see what I'm saying? Came round about, so they were
everywhere, they surrounded him. I take it, Mason, he was standing
there in a little pocket by himself, and they're all around him. They'd
hemmed him in. So they thought. They said the
Jews came round about him, and what did they say? How long dost
thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Who did they blame their unbelief
on? Him! Now you're talking about total
depravity. They didn't have to be out in
the bar. They didn't have to be out womanizing. They didn't have
to be doing none of that. They were blaming God for their
unbelief. And he said, I told you plainly. And he said, the works that I
do manifest who I am. You see it? You see, to believe that Jesus
is the Christ lets me know this. All of my sin is my problem. I can't blame God for it, even
though God is in absolute control of it. My unbelief is mine. My rebellion is mine. All of
these litanies that you see in the scripture of this is wrong
and that's wrong, and it is wrong, but that is my problem, my sin. Oh, if you believe he's the Christ,
you're not gonna blame him for it. You're not gonna blame him
for it. And not only that, one of the
other things that this religious world, they despise what is here,
they still despise it today, is that Christ is God. Now turn
to Matthew 22, it's an amazing passage. Matthew chapter 22,
and let's read some words here. Well, let's read God's words
here, I should say. Matthew chapter 22, let me find
my spot, verse 41. Are you there? Matthew 22, verse
41. While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asked them, saying, what think ye of, who? Christ. That's what we're talking about.
And this is Jesus. And if you're born of God, you'll
believe that Jesus is the Christ, right? That's what John was talking
about. What think ye of Christ? Well, that's a good sound question.
Now look, whose son is he? They said unto him, the son of
David. And that's right. That's what
the Bible clearly prophesied. That the Messiah, the Christ,
would be a man of the seed of David. He would be King David's
great, great, great, great, great, whatever it was, grandson. You
understand what this book was saying? And they understood that. Look, he saith unto them, most
of the time we, well, That's good theology, ain't it? He's
the son of David. That's sound theology, that's
orthodox theology. Is it not? It's sincerity. Okay,
look at it. He saith unto them, how then
doth David in spirit, he's not talking about something mystical,
he's talking about being moved by the spirit of God. Inside,
David wrote these words down, cried them out. How saith he
then? He saith unto them then, how
then doth David in spirit call him Lord? Saying, the Lord said
unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till I make thine
enemies thy footstool. If David then call him Lord,
how is he his son? He was not denying that he was
the son of David. But that's all they knew about
the Christ. It's just his natural genealogy from David. but they
didn't understand that the Christ was also David's Lord. His great, great, great, great
whatever it was grandson was actually his eternal God. The
eternal God of heaven and earth. And no man was able to answer
him a word. Neither does any man from that
day forth ask him any more questions. And it's actually ask him any
more. They didn't, they dropped that question like a hot potato. Because he has just proved to
them, these people who were persuaded that Christ is coming. You couldn't
have persuaded them otherwise. In our day that made him, I believe
Christ has come. Everybody thinks, well that person's
born of God. Not so. See? Not so because they didn't
really know what it meant that Jesus is the Christ. It means that Jesus, that man
of Nazareth, is God. Now here's another who is God.
We'll sum it up this way. Our God is in the heavens, even
when he was on this earth in flesh. Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. The God of heaven and earth has
never, ever, ever, ever, ever even had to think about trying
to do something. None. Whatever he wants to do,
that's what he does. Now for persons, I believe Jesus
Christ is God. Who is God? Who is God? Now you see what John was really
getting at when he says, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ
is born of God. Not just whoever says it. Not
just whoever makes a profession of it. Not whoever just walks
an aisle and prays the prayers. I believe Jesus is the Christ.
I believe Jesus is God. That's not good enough. Do you
know who Jesus is? Do you know his character, his
glory, his holiness, his redemption, his forgiveness, his mercy, his
severity? He could be severe, and rightfully
so. You remember that time he ran
those people out of that temple? He made a whip, and I love what
Moose Parks pointed out. He sat there and planted it.
Holding his wrath in check. Holding it in absolute, he didn't
just go off the cusp, Joe. Sitting there making this whip.
And after he had made it, He went in and started hitting them
people with it and ran them out of that temple and turned over
their tables of money and doves and pigeons and said, God said,
my house should be called a house of prayer. You made it a den
of thieves. That's Jesus who is the Christ. He's the one who came around
to a bunch of self-righteous people and said, you're nothing
but a bunch of deadly poisonous snakes. I know this world thinks you're
supposed to be loving. We're talking about different
kind of love. Love tells the truth about the matter. And he
said, you're a bunch of snakes. You're a bunch of whited sepulchers.
I mean, you're painted up. You look real good on the outside,
and I look real good on the inside, but you know what's down in here,
in my old nature? Nothing but dead men's bones. And that's in you too. All y'all.
By nature, there's nothing in you but dead men's bones. Stinking rot. Now if there's
anything good in me, guess where that came from? I had to have
been born of God. It is to believe and love what
Jesus Christ came to do. Think about this, I gotta move
on. What did he come to do? Paul put it this way. You know
this verse, all of you here know this. We've heard it before,
over and over, no doubt. Paul said it this way, 1 Timothy
1, 15. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation.
In other words, don't ever graduate from this. Don't ever grow above
this. One fella said years ago, I think
it was Dr. Tim James one time. Anyway, some of them were around
and he said, we gotta get past this Jesus. We gotta get past
Jesus. Get past Jesus? This was a preacher. You think that man's born of
God? You born of God, you can't ever get over Jesus. Because
he's the Christ. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation. Christ Jesus. So we're talking
about the same subject, right? Christ Jesus, think about it,
came into this world. Think about his words. I'd love
to spend some time here. God willing, if I get to go to
St. Croix, that's what I'm gonna preach on. But he came into this
world. Christ Jesus came into this world
to save sinners. Not so that sinners could be
saved. The salvation Paul's talking about, that is a faithful saint
and worthy of all acceptation, all of it took place when he
came into this world. See the point? This is a faithful
saint, worthy of all acceptation, Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. And I'm saying since he's the
Christ, he did. And that's what this book teaches.
That's what it means to believe he's the Christ. When he died
on that cross, Mac, he saved my soul. Judicially, it's done. All the legal barriers are out
of the way, even God's absolute holiness. It's been satisfied,
not pushed to the side, not disregarded. He suffered in my stead, if he
suffered for me at all. and he satisfied divine justice
for me back then. When he came to this world, he
suffered under that judgment and satisfied God's justice then. When I hear about that, that
brings me personal deliverance in here. When I believe it and
love it. You know what? If you don't,
if you're looking, well, I believe Jesus died so that I can, then
you're always going to be doing, doing, doing, doing whatever
it is. So different denominations put
different do's with it. and that's all anti-Christ religion. The one true gospel religion
says Jesus Christ satisfied divine justice. Now everything else
that God's handing out, faith, love, repentance, contrition,
orthodoxy, all of it, he's handing it out based upon that finished
work at Calvary 2,000 years ago. And that's what it's all about.
That's what it means to believe that Jesus is the Christ. It's
not just to believe the facts that he's the Christ. Our God
is God indeed, not just in fact. Thirdly, it is to believe and
love that Jesus Christ is preeminent. Gotta move along. Think about
it. You know the passage Colossians 1, 13 through 19. Paul there
says that Jesus Christ is God Almighty the creator. That's
what he says. And he said it pleased the Father.
that in him should all fullness dwell, and he says, it pleased
God that he be what? Preeminent. If you believe that Jesus is
the Christ, now listen to me, if you believe that Jesus is
the Christ, you will believe him and love him over everything
and everybody else, including other believers. Including other
believers, because sometimes believers fall miserably and
we're not to follow them. It may be that I, your pastor,
fall miserably, but you don't follow me. That's our pastor,
we gotta be where he's at. No, sir, be where God Almighty
takes you. Don't follow me, follow him. And our Lord put it this
way, Christ set the scene of true faith and love, humanity
to humanity. He said, I didn't come to bring
peace, but a sword. and I'm gonna divide even families.
That's what he said. What is, because he's just mean
and malicious? No, he's going to birth some
people. He's going to give them faith
and love for him, for God, and for God's people. And he, he,
Christ, will become preeminent to where even your blood relatives
will say, I can't handle that. I will not have that. You don't
have to abandon them. You truly believe that Jesus
is the Christ and you love Christ, they will turn their back on
you. If they don't, then evidently
you're not born of God. What Christ said, and he said
this, not only that, he said, but you have to deny yourself. You see, this thing of believing
that Jesus is the Christ and loving God, is Christ and his
people, is not about me. People say, I heard it, the preacher,
I'm forgetting his name now. People use the word now minister
as a title, as a noun. The scripture never uses it as
a noun, it's always as a verb. It means, you know what, I'm
your minister. You know what that means? I'm your servant. I'm not above you. I'm down here
serving you. That's my purpose. And what is
my purpose? To tell you the truth about yourself.
That you're just like me. And to try to tell you the truth
about Jesus Christ. And just keep hammering on that
and hammering. And if I'm talking about marriage,
I hammer still on that. If I'm talking about the fact
that you shouldn't go out here and get drunk, I still got a hammer on that.
Not drinking, no, you hammer on what you are by nature and
who God is. Constantly, constantly. Because
that's the only thing that'll deliver you from all that stuff.
All that stuff. Christ also set the scene of
true faith and love, humanity to things. He said, you can't
serve God and mammon. You can't do it. You shouldn't
do it. That's what so-called Christianity
is teaching today. You shouldn't do that. Christ
said you can't. You either love one and hate the other or you'll
hate one and love the other. That's what the Christ said.
I take his word over my own. And he said that you don't worry
about what you eat. but you need food to eat, don't you? You're
probably hungry right now. You don't worry about what clothes
you put on your back? You don't worry about the roof that's over
your head? What do you say to do? Seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and here it is. Here's the kicker, and his righteousness. Now who do you think that is?
Jesus Christ. All these things will be added
to. God will give you food. Oh, he ain't saying you won't
ever have a growling belly, but God'll give you whatever food
you need. He'll give you clothes on your
back, even if it's a tattered rag. He'll give you a roof over
your head, even if it's a cave that's dripping down some water.
But if you're seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
the rest of it don't matter. He said that's the way the Gentiles
operate. They serve, here's what he's
talking about, they serve their God for what they can get out
of it physically. See, God's blessing me even if I lose my
job tomorrow. Because whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Do you see that? Do you
see that? Jack, if me and my wife lose
everything, we go home this evening and our house is burned down,
my dog's dead, laying there in a crispy crust. I still have
everything. That's what Joe was talking to
us about a minute ago. Abraham wasn't looking for a
plot of land. No, he wasn't looking for a plot of land. He was looking
for a city that God Almighty would make. All that plot of
land was pointing to something better. And let me tell you,
I know, I'm not saying go to school. You people, you go to
your job, you work, put forth your best effort, and have a
little bit of thankfulness to God about the abilities given
you if you can do that. But if he takes it away from
you tomorrow, if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, you've
got everything. You've got everything. You've got a lot more than most
folks are gonna have. They got all this, and one of these days
they're gonna die and rot, and they're gonna go to hell. And as even our Lord said, whose
things shall these things be once that happens? You see, by nature, by nature,
That is this true faith and love to love Christ more than even
my own self. Joe, by nature, that is impossible
for me to do. I can't do it. I can't do it. By nature, this is impossible,
man. But birthed by God, it joins me to a gospel-wrought faith
in Christ and love for Christ and his people that I cannot
shake. even in my old man. Because the
new man will always battle against him. Mason, when I begin to try
to walk after the flesh, I may do it for a while, but that new
nature will be right there hammering, hammering on the conscience,
hammering on the heart. You know, you think about it.
It takes the new birth to believe in love. It takes that new man to believe
in love. We never believe in love in the
old man. Not in this way. Do we? Never do. So that's why
it's a battle. Now here's the question. How
do I really know which one I have? Only time will tell for sure. Look, whosoever believed that
Jesus is the Christ. Is that what that says? No, I
believe this. Now, whosoever believeth. Because once this believing starts,
you will continually, till the day you die, or he calls you
up in the rapture, you will keep on believing. You won't be able
to get over it. You may be just like King David.
You may fall flat on your face in a most heinous sin, but God
won't let you go. You hear me? And so the question
is not, I need to find out when I was born of God. That ain't
the question. The question is, do I believe
that Jesus is the Christ? Do I still believe that Jesus
is the Christ? Will I tomorrow believe that
Jesus is the Christ? And do I love him that beget?
And do I love them also that are begotten of him? Isn't that
what it's all about? I like that. I like that. Oh God, teach us not just the
orthodoxy, the doctrine of these words, but the experience of
them. Make them real to our hearts, minds, and soul. Thank you for
all you do for us. Oh God, even when we murmur and
complain, even when we make bad, poor choices and decisions, we
thank you for your matchless, free grace and mercy in Christ.
Amen. Whew.