Now will you open your Bibles again to the book of Colossians chapter 2, the second chapter of Colossians. Now if I were to outline this chapter, I would outline it in the following way. This is the entire second chapter, all 23 verses. This is the way that I would outline this chapter. In the first place, Paul expresses, as a prophet of God, as a servant of God, his great concern for their spiritual well-being. That's the first thing he deals with in this chapter. His deep and great concern for the spiritual well-being of these believers whom he had never seen, to whom he had never preached in person. And then the second point in this message, or in this chapter, would be Paul exhorts these people to trust Christ, to believe on him, and to walk in faith. And then the third thing about, I find in this chapter, is Paul taking notice of the blessings that we have in Christ. All of the spiritual benefits and blessings which are ours because of our union with the Master. And then in the fourth place, and we'll get into this next time I preach on Wednesday night and we study this chapter, he cautions them against superstitions. He cautions them against corruptions and customs propagated by false teachers. And then in the last place, and this is all through the 23 verses, again and again he continually warns these people against false preachers and false prophets. He continually warns them several times in this chapter to be on their guard against those who would spoil them, rob them of their treasures, and lead them contrary to the gospel. Now we won't get to all of that tonight, but we're going to look at some of it. Let's begin with verse 1 and 2. Now let me look at it with you, and ask the Spirit of God to be our teacher. In chapter 2, verse 1, Paul said, For I would that you knew what great concern, that's the word there, concern or care, that I have for you. It's sometimes difficult to recognize a true minister of the gospel. It's sometimes difficult to recognize who is a deceiver and who is sent of God. And the reason it's difficult, well, you turn in your Bibles to the book of 2 Corinthians. Now, you cannot always tell by a man's outward behavior whether he is a prophet of God. For our Lord said false prophets will come to you in sheep's clothing, inwardly they're wolves. You cannot always tell by a man's message if he's a true prophet of God, for even the ministers and messengers of Satan preach righteousness. Now look at 2 Corinthians 11, verse 13. Now listen to this. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. They call themselves messengers of Christ. They call themselves disciples of Christ. They call themselves preachers of Christ. And this is no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it's no great thing if his ministers, Satan's ministers, false prophets, also be transformed as ministers of what? Drunkenness? No. Revelry? No. Thievery? No. Righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. But Paul, the true prophet, reveals the truth of his ministry in this first statement in chapter two. He says, I have great concern for you. This is something that the false prophet cannot produce. This is something that the false preacher cannot produce, concern for the spiritual well-being of other people. The false preacher, the false prophet, is usually concerned for himself He's concerned for his own fame. He's concerned about his own prosperity. He is not concerned for the spiritual welfare of other people. But Paul says, I'm concerned. I have great care for you. That's my concern, not myself. I'm concerned for you. And his concern is threefold found in verse 2. Look at it. It's threefold. Paul reveals that the truthfulness of his ministry, the truthfulness of his being sent of God by expressing his concern for them. And it was threefold. He said, first of all, I am concerned that your hearts might be comforted being knit together in love. That's the first concern. That your hearts might be knit together in love. Love is the bond between God and his people. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That's the bond between God and his people, love. I have drawn you, he said, with an everlasting love. But God, who is rich in love, in mercy toward us, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ. God loved us. That's the bond between God and his people. And that's the bond between Christ and his members. He said that you might love one another as I love you. Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend. I have loved you even to the end, Christ said. And then the bond between believer and believer is the same love. And Paul, that's what he's concerned about here. I'm concerned that your hearts might be knit together in love. That's the bond between God and his people, between Christ and his church, and between believer and believer. Loving one another with a pure heart, fervently. The second thing that he expresses concern about is this. and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding." He says, I want you to have a full assurance of faith. I want you to have assurance and confidence in Christ. Now that comes with understanding. Assurance comes with understanding spiritual things. A man cannot have assurance and he cannot have comfort and be ignorant of spiritual things. The more you know and the more you understand of how God can be just and justify the ungodly, the more assurance you're going to have. The more that you understand how that God gave his Son to bear our sins, and in his perfect obedience satisfied the law, and in his sacrificial death satisfied justice, and how that God can be righteous and forgive the unrighteous, the more that you understand those things, the more assurance you're going to have. The greater your spiritual understanding, the greater your assurance. And the greater your ignorance, the less your assurance. The reason most folks do not have any spiritual comfort, the reason they do not have any spiritual assurance, is because they're ignorant of the things of God. And Paul is praying that these people might come to full assurance of understanding. Assurance comes with understanding. And then the third thing he's concerned about, First, that their hearts might be knit together in love. And secondly, that they might grow in understanding, and growing in understanding of spiritual things, they're going to grow in assurance. And then thirdly, that they might have a greater, more perfect knowledge of the mystery of God, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. What is the mystery of God? That's the gospel. The gospel is called a mystery. Look back at chapter 1, verse 25. Paul says in chapter 1, verse 25, Well, I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you. That's the mystery. Paul prayed that these people might have a greater and more perfect knowledge of the mystery of God. Great is the mystery of godliness. The mystery of God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. And this is the concern of a true prophet. He is concerned that those to whom he preaches and those for whom he prays, that they might be knit together, their hearts knit together in love, that they might grow in a spiritual understanding of the purposes and ways of Almighty God, because that's the only foundation upon which they'll build any assurance. and that they might come to a greater and more perfect knowledge of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's his concern, and that's his prayer. Old Paul said that you might know him. You say, but he said that I might know him. What he prayed for himself, he certainly prayed for others, that you might know him. I prevail, he said, till Christ be formed in you, his grace, his glory, his gospel, his mercy, his truth be formed in you." Look at verse 3. "...in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Who's he talking about? He's talking about Christ. "...in Christ are hid all the riches and treasures and grace of God Almighty. My friend, if you would know God, you'll have to come to Christ. One of the disciples said, Well, show us the Father. And Christ said, He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. No man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. If you would know God, you've got to come to Christ. All the knowledge of God is in Christ. in whom in him are hid, contained, all of the treasures, all of them, there is nothing worth knowing or having that is not found in Christ." Now you think that over a little bit. I wrote that down, and you'll see on my notes here that I went back and made my T's and my K's and my G's all over again. That meant I was really thinking about that particular statement. I'm not a handwriting expert, but I know I went back over that because I was thinking about it, and I thought, well, is that so? And I decided, yes, that's so. There's nothing worth knowing or having that's not in Christ. Nothing. If you would worship God, you've got to come to Christ. If you would see the purposes of God, you've got to come to Christ. If you would see the righteousness of God, you've got to come to Christ. If you would partake of the mercy of God, you've got to come to Christ. You miss Christ, you miss God. Because God is in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. In Him are hid all the treasures, not some of them, not a part of them, all the treasures of wisdom. All wisdom's in Christ. All knowledge of God's in Christ. If you don't know much about Him tonight, you ought to hang your head in shame. He's given you long enough to learn some things. Who is He? Where'd He come from? Why'd He come? What'd He do? Why'd He do it? Where'd He go? Where is He now? When's He coming? We ought to learn something about Him, because it's all in Him. And then He said in verse 4, And this I say, I'm saying this to you, everything's in Christ, It's not in the altar, it's not in the pool, it's not in the sacraments, it's not in the ordinances. It's not in your feeling, it's not in your morality, it's not in your law, it's not in your church going. It's in Christ, all of it's in Christ. All the wisdom and knowledge of God's in Christ. And I'm saying this to you lest somebody come along and beguile you with enticing words. I'm putting you on guard, Paul said, against false teachers. who with enticing and persuasive words will point you to things other than Christ, such as laws and works and deeds and ceremonies. Verse 5, For though I be absent, I am not with you in the flesh, but I am with you in the Spirit, and I am filled with joy beholding your steadfastness, the steadfastness of your faith. Thank God, he says, I rejoice in the steadfastness of your faith. My friends, a man's faith and love for Christ will gladden the heart of every believer. I don't care where he is. Now, you might hear about a man getting religion, and it doesn't gladden your heart too much because you're wondering about when he's going to lose it. But when you find out that a man's anchor is Christ, foundation is Refuge is Christ. His hope is Christ. I don't care who you are, you rejoice when you know that He steadfastly built on, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing else. Look at verse 6. Now watch this. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. Now the question must be posed, how did you receive him? How did you receive him? He says here in verse 6, as you have received him, walking, how did you receive him? Did you receive him as a fire escape to keep you out of hell? Then I suspect that's where you are. That would be your attitude toward him. Did you receive him as a A historical character that the preacher was talking about who lived in the dim, dark past and died on a cross trying to do what he really couldn't do. A little weak, frustrated, defeated Jesus that tried to change the world and the world system and couldn't get the job done. Is that the way? Well, that's probably the attitude you'll have toward him. As you received him, you walk in. How did you receive him? Think with me now. How did you receive him? As you received, Christ said, to as many as received him. To them gave he power to become the sons of God. How did you receive him? Well, I'll tell you how I received him. First of all, I received him by the Spirit's work. The Holy Spirit revealed him to my heart. That's what Paul said. He said, God who separated me from my mother's womb, when it pleased Him, He revealed His Son in me. And that's the way I'm walking tonight. I'm waiting on God to reveal Him a little bit more to me. That's how I came to know Him. That's how I received Him. I received Him as a revelation from the Holy Spirit. And when I open this Bible, when I come into this pulpit, when I try to do a little studying, I don't face this with a cocksure, know-it-all attitude. I don't know anything. I'm asking God to reveal Christ to me. Reveal Christ. Now, if you've got all the answers, and you've already arrived, and you already know it all, and you're already perfect, you don't need any help, but I do. The Holy Spirit revealed Christ to me. That's how I received him. And that's how I want to walk in him. That's how I will walk in him. Secondly, I received Him by faith, not by sight. I've never seen Him. And you say you have, you're lying to me. You know better. I've never seen Him. I received Him by faith, not by sight. We walk not by sight, but by faith. By faith. If we receive Christ by faith, we walk by faith. If you had to get Christ by vision, you'll have to have a vision to keep you going. That's right now. If you receive Christ by feeling, you'll have to have a good feeling to keep you going. I guarantee you, when you get in the valley, you'll lose Him. You didn't find Him in the valley, and you'll lose Him. If you receive Christ by an experience, when that experience is over and forgotten and replaced by some other experience, you'll lose Him. But if you received Him by faith, you'll walk by faith. That's true. How do you receive Him? As you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him. How'd you receive him? I received him as a totally dependent creature, dependent on him for his mercy and for his grace. And that's where I am right now, totally dependent. How'd I receive him? I received him as a bond slave, and that's where I am right now. Hadn't climbed any higher. Somebody says, I'm climbing on the ladder of spiritual success. Are you now? The best gifts of God are found on the lower rungs and the bottom shelves. You're stooped to attain them. I found Christ as a bond slave, and that's where I am. I found Christ as a needy sinner, and that's where I am right now. I started at the cross and going to wind up at the cross. How'd you receive him? I received him as my wisdom. I received him as my righteousness. I received him as my sanctification. I received him as my holiness. I received him as my redemption. I received him as my Lord. And that's how I was. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, the Lord, that's who he is, is he your Lord? Did you receive him as your Lord? Did he whittle you down? Did he strip you? Did he knock your foundations of flesh out from under you? Did he take away your arms of rebellion? Did he bring you down in the dust? Did he unhorse you like he did Saul on the road to Damascus, and leave you without a leg to stand on, without an arm to lean upon, without a feet-leaf to hide behind? Is that how you received him? That's the way you're walking in him, too, if you did. That's right. As you received him, that's the way you walk in him. Verse 7, look at this, rooted and built up in him, rooted in him, in Christ, in a person. Brethren, there are a lot of people who preach about Christ who never preach Christ. They preach about the gospel, they never preach the gospel. Paul preaches a person. He says, I'm concerned that you might come to a greater understanding of the mystery of God, of Christ, in whom are all these treasures. As you have received Him, walk in Him, rooted in Him, built up in Him. Christ is your life, Christ is your hope, Christ is your salvation, not something He did, He is it. You're dominated by a person, not by a philosophy. You're ruled by a person, not by a system. You believe a person, not a law or a plan. It's a person. Turn to Psalms 1, rooted in him. Now, believers are sometimes compared to trees planted by the Lord. the trees, their root is Christ. He says here in Psalms chapter 1, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night, and he shall be like a tree planted." are the rivers of water. Trees don't plant themselves. God planted this tree, and he planted it by the rivers of water. It brings forth fruit, and its leaf shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Christ is our root. We are rooted in him. We spring from him. By him we live. We draw our nourishment from him. We draw our life from him. We draw our strength from him. We produce fruits of righteousness because we are rooted in Christ. And separated from Christ we have no life. We are withered branches fit for the burning. We are rooted in him. That does away with this little old silly stuff about being saved today and lost tomorrow and saved next month and lost next month and saved next year and lost next year. That's so much foolishness and hogwash that O. E. O. Williams used to say that was hatched in hell and the devil sat on the eggs of that foolishness. We are rooted in Christ, built on Christ. And if you're separated from Christ, you're as good as in the burning. for you're fit only for the burning, and you're a withered branch." And he said, we're established in the faith, well instructed, taught, grounded, settled in what we believe, not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. It's time believers settle down. I know whom I have believed, Paul said. John said, we know we've passed from death unto life. Peter said, we know we're not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold. We are rooted in Christ and established in the faith. You've been taught, taught, taught. Brethren, I don't mean to be critical, but I am so tired of ill-prepared and unprepared preachers who get in the pulpit and just draw their breath and draw their salary. That's the only two things they do. Just windbags, that's all they are. Get up, praise the Lord. Well, thank God we're here. Well, we're just so glad you've come among us. Hope the Lord will be with us tonight. Hallelujah. I haven't said anything. God's people are to be fed. God's people are to be taught. God's people are to be instructed. God's people are to be established in the faith. God's people are to be grounded. The Word of God is to be taught. We are pastors and teachers, the Scripture said, not entertainers, not hallelujah promoters, not cheerleaders for the program. We're teachers. And a pastor who's not a teacher is no pastor. Now that's right, I'm not a cheerleader, I'm a teacher. Established in the faith, because he said, you've been taught. Have you been taught? We're living in a day when if a man's going to fool with electricity, he will at least study a little while. If a man's going to fool with plumbing or a carpenter, he will at least study a little while. The man's going to be an automobile mechanic. He will study some books for a little while, but every mother's son is an authority on this book, and they don't know anything. They haven't studied it, they haven't prayed over it, they haven't searched it, they haven't asked the Holy Spirit's leadership. They just know about the Bible, and they don't know anything. tossed about by every wind of doctrine. That's the reason they got religion today and they lose it tomorrow. They have no foundation. That's the reason they believe one thing today and believe something else tomorrow. They have no foundation. That's the reason one day they're all out for Jesus, next day they're all out for the devil, because they haven't been grounded and settled and established and taught in the truth. Oh, he said, I'm telling you, Beware, look at verse 8, beware, beware lest any man spoil you through preaching the gospel. No, that's not the way they spoil you. A man comes to you preaching Christ to you, you'd better listen to him. But he says that, Beware lest any man rob you. Spoil you means to rob you of these treasures. When you go into a town and take the spoils, you rob them, you ravage them, you take away what they have. And he said, Beware lest these people come in and rob you of the treasures which you have in Christ. And how they do it, listen, through philosophy. Now brethren, I've got no objection to philosophy. I've got no objections to intellectualism. Out yonder, but not here. Not here. This is not the place for earthly and worldly philosophy. This is the place for the Word of God. This is not the place to show off your wisdom of words and your intellectualism. Paul said, I'm not coming to you with wisdom of words. Let the cross of Christ be made of non-effect. I'm going to come to you determined to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified. Let's preach so people understand what we're saying. And let's preach to them God's Word. He said they'll come and they'll spoil you, they'll rob you of the treasures in Christ because they'll preach philosophy and intellectualism. What else? Vain deceit. You know what vain deceit is? vain, vanity, deceit, this is appealing to the natural flesh. What appeals to the flesh? Well, the cross doesn't. Repentance doesn't. Conviction of sin doesn't. Substitution doesn't. Sacrifice, the blood atonement, these things don't. Walking in the way of Christ, God's absolute sovereignty, Our devotion and dedication and dependence upon him, that does it. What appeals to the natural flesh? Entertainment. What's drawing the crowds today? Quartets, singers, magicians, ventriloquists. It's getting so you have to have a police record so you can put on your handbill when you hold a meeting. I'm going up in Canada next week, and it's too bad I can't ride on there from the prison to the pulpit to hear Henry Mahan, from dope addict to distributor of the Gospels. If I had something like that, it would get me a crowd. People just love to come and hear some guy that's been a dope addict or a murderer or a rapist or a kidnapper or a magician. Maybe I could put on there something about Vicki Cohen, you know, he's one of Al Capone's, but from the mafia, mayhem the mafiast, to mayhem the messenger, or something like that, isn't it? That's what you've got to be. Because that appeals to the flesh, that vain deceit, that's what that is. Any man that brags about his sins doesn't know the Lord. Any man that's proud of his past and gets up and always wants to reiterate what an awful character he was, something's wrong with him. Our job's to preach Christ. Tell you what else they'll do. Look at it. He says they'll rob you through philosophy, intellectualism, vain deceit, and then what else? The traditions of men. The traditions of men. This is what Paul was brought up in. Religious tradition. I used to preach for some people, and every time I'd say something about what we was going to do in the service, they said, now in our circles we do it this way. In our circles we do it this way. This is the tradition of our papas, and we're going to follow the tradition of our papas. And he says, they'll deceive you and rob you after the rudiments or elements of the world. You know what that is? That's the ceremonial law of the Jews. Turn to Galatians 4. You say, where do you get that? Turn to Galatians 4, and I'll show you. Galatians 4, verse 3. The word rudiments there is elements. Galatians 4, verse 3 says, Even so we, when we were children, we were in bondage under the elements of the world. And then over in verse 9, it says, But now, after that ye have known God, Galatians 4, 9, or rather are known of God, how do ye turn again to the weak and beggarly elements? Well, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage, that's circumcision and Sabbath days and feast and holy days and rituals and all these ceremonies. They'll come, he said, and rob you of your treasures in Christ by trying to get you to conform to these elements of the world. Trying to get you to march in single file to the tune of ceremonialism and legalism and ritualism and traditions and customs and all these other things. Look at the last line, verse 8. And they'll come, they'll spoil you through philosophy, vain deceit, and not after Christ. They don't preach Christ. He's not their message. He's not their message. Verse 9, here's the key to this whole thing. For in Him, in Him, in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, in human form. The Amplified Version reads this way, the whole fullness of Deity dwells in Christ in bodily form, giving complete expression of the divine nature. My friends, God is everywhere, but God resides in the human nature of Christ. even as the human soul dwells in the human body. Now this is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. All of the fullness, all of the riches, all of the greats, all of the power, all of the authority of God is in Christ the man. And that's what qualified him to be our Savior. All that God is, all that God has, all that God does, all that God purposes is in Christ, and you needn't look anywhere else. It's in Him. If you get to Him, you have it all. Look at the next slide, and you're complete in Him. If you get to Him, It's not down here. You don't come down here and get saved. All the fullness of God's not down here. It's in Christ. You see what I'm trying to say? The fullness of God's not in the law. It's in Christ. It's not in the baptismal waters. It's in Christ. It all dwells in Him. And you're complete in Him. Don't miss Him. Whatever you miss, don't miss Him. This is the record. God has given us eternal life. This life's in His Son. That's what it is. And he that hath the Son hath life. You're complete. In Him dwelleth all the fulness of God, bodily, in Christ. And you're complete in Him. You're complete in him as to justification. He's fulfilled the law, he's made full atonement, he's obtained eternal redemption. Paul said there's no condemnation to them who are in Christ. Who is he that condemns? Christ died, buried, rose again, intercedes. I'm complete in him as to justification. I'm complete in him as to sanctification. It says Christ is our righteousness. and he will present us in God's sight, holy, unblamable, and unreprovable. You know what I'm talking about? You're complete in him as to redemption. He hath obtained in his person, he hath obtained eternal redemption. We are not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ. It's all in him. I wish I could make that plan. I wish there's some way, some way. I can't do it. It's a mystery. I can tell people to crawl on their hands and knees over broken glass and broken bottles and beds of spikes and get to the front somewhere and make some vows, and they'll all give it a try. I can tell people to get up and walk down an aisle and believe some doctrine, they'll go to heaven when they die and they'll give that a try. I can tell people to be baptized, I can tell them to take the bread, the wafer and the wine, they'll give that a try. But the only way that a man is going to see a full redemption and a full pardon and full justification and a complete atonement in a person is to have that person revealed to his heart by the Holy Spirit. First, there's got to be a need. A dear lady wrote to me from New Haven, West Virginia. I believe that's the name of the town. Got the letter this morning. been listening to the television program, she said, first line, please help me. What must I do to be saved? She said, I've tried this, that, and the other. I've read this, that, and the other. But I want to be saved. And I spent a little while, and I wrote to her, and I told her, well, the first thing, I said, everybody doesn't have the same experience. Everybody doesn't meet the Lord in the same way. But I said there's some things common to every person whom God saves, and the first one is this. They're lost. They're sinners. Bonafide, self-confessed, unadulterated, hopeless, hell-deserving sinners. You ever been there? You ever been lost? You're a pretty good fella, pretty good woman? You never been there. You've never been there. You ever been lost? Plum lost. Christ said he came to save the lost. He died for the ungodly. Have you ever been there? Ungodly in heart, affections, attitude, mind, will. I said the second thing is true of everybody whom God saves. They see their inability to save themselves. They can't get the job done. Or they can make all kinds of religious professions, but they go back on them after a while. They get tired of them. It's hard to play church too long. It's sure awful hard to be holy without Christ. It's rough to try to live a Christian life without Christ. And they give up after a while. That's the reason you get so many church members. Ninety-five percent of them never come back. It's because they're trying to do it by themselves. And that's where a person always comes to see he can't do it. He can't do anything in religion but make himself miserable. And then the next thing, I said, everybody sees their only hope is in Christ Jesus. That God sent his Son into the world to be our righteousness, to stand here on this earth in human flesh and be tried and be tested and be tortured and be tormented in our place and in our stead and work out by his obedience and by his death a perfect standing before God. And I said, every believer sees in Christ all that God demands of him, and he falls in love with Jesus Christ. He sees Him, he believes on Him, and I said, he consciously, willingly receives Him as his Lord and Savior. I'm not perfect, but He is. I'm not holy, but He is. I'm not righteous, but He is. I'm not what God demands, but He is, and He's my substitute." And I said, that's where God will have to bring you, and that's where God will have to bring you. It doesn't matter who you are or how religious. And I'll tell you this, the more religious you've been all your life, the more shape you're in. Boy, I'll tell you, it's one thing for God to save a fellow out there in the desert in the howling storm with no protection, but boy, he has to really wiggle around to find one of these fellows hid in a false refuge now. They're hard to get out. They're hard to get out. They're hid back there way back in that falsehood under that refuge of lies, and they've hid themselves, and they're back there saying, But that fellow that's out there on the desert and the wind's blowing and it's cold and the sun's burning him up and he's lonely and thirsty and hungry and no place to dwell, you let the rock of God's mercy, Christ Jesus, put a little stream of water in front of him, he'll grasp it. Where are you tonight? Are you out there on the desert, lonely, with no city in which to dwell, hungry and tired and weary and crying to the Lord in your trouble? Or are you tucked back in some religious refuge of lies? hiding in your own self-righteousness and Christ just passes you by. You never see Him because you never need Him. You never cry because you're not in trouble. Well, I hope this. I hope God gets you in trouble. I hope God strips you of all your nice religious rags and leaves you naked and then burns you with the searchlight of His law and makes you run to Christ. You'll find a welcome. And as you receive Him, you walk in Him. Our Father, bless the Word. What a joy, what a blessing to offer to the needy a full salvation. What a joy, what a blessing to offer to the guilty a full pardon. What a joy to be able to bring to those captives, imprisoned, blind, hopeless, the good news that Christ has set us free. And we're praising forever and ever for saving a sinner like me. Make the message real to our hearts, as real as the person Christ Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen.