Let's turn in our Bibles this morning to Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight is our passage we'll read this morning. And think in particular on a verse of that chapter. Let's pray first and seek the Lord's blessing. Father, we draw near, waiting on you to speak to us. And we believe that the word before us is not merely the word of men. It is truly and fully the word of God. It has no mistakes. It has no errors. It brings all authority with it as it's read and preached. And we ask Lord that you'd make it effective in our hearts to not only believe rightly on the Lord Jesus Christ, but to walk and serve and hope and live in his name. And so Lord, we pray that you would teach us wonderful things out of your word and bring blessing to us in the reading and preaching of it. Help us to hear and help us to go confident that you have spoken to us, not merely outwardly in the preaching itself, but inwardly in the work of the spirit. And so give your blessing, we pray, in Christ's name and for his sake, amen. Hear God's word. Paul, of course, has been preaching the gospel throughout this letter to the Romans, and he comes at verse eight and says, therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God. For it does not subject itself to the law of God, For it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead or mortal because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, We are not under obligation to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die. But if by the spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope, we have been saved. But hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance, we wait eagerly for it. In the same way, the spirit also helps our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the spirit is, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren. In these whom he predestined, he also called. In these whom he called, he also justified. In these whom he justified, he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him over for us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us, who will separate us from the love of Christ. Will tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword, just as it is written, for your sake we are being put to death all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Thus the reading of God's word. What a marvelous chapter. Such hope, such grace that God brings in relaying these things as he has for his people for generations. But today, there is a sense in which I preach only to Christians. What I mean is that this is not really an evangelistic message. It is not geared to call or persuade unbelievers to come to Christ. It is not designed to address them in their sin. It's not designed to expose that sin so that they will get right with God by repentance from sin and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. No, I speak only to those today who have. I speak only to Christians. If you are not one, then this should concern you. It should concern you that I'm not talking to you. It should concern you as much, even more, that you are not a Christian, if that is so. For though what you hear will be truth, it will be of no value to you. It will not relate to you the way God means it to. For he means this for Christians, for believers. I have no problem with speaking only to Christians today. Paul didn't either as he spoke to the Roman Christians. Jesus sent him to speak to them. He wrote his letter to the Roman Christians. Jesus sent him to speak to them, and what he said pertains only to Christians. He says at verse 37, which is our focus today, in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. Indeed, what he said does not It cannot, it never will pertain to non-Christians. It pertains to Christians. Only Christians, only believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and followers of Him can be and do what this verse indicates. It can only be true of them. Today I speak to you of what I'm calling hyper conquering, hyper-conquering. Maybe I should introduce it this way. Dear beloved Christian, do the trials of life weigh heavy upon you such that you need help enduring them? Dear Christian, do you face backlash of some sort for being a Christian? Dear Christian, are you concerned for whether or how you will persevere in faith to the end? Dear Christian, do you lack assurance of salvation or wonder if God will always love you? Dear Christian, do you inwardly think that just maybe there is real defeat ahead for you. Dear Christian, is there a disconnect between your Christian theology and your Christian life? Dear Christian, do you question just what is the state of your Christianity? whether it is hopeful or doubtful, whether it is confident or confused. Dear Christian, do you know what Paul means when he says here at verse 37, in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us? Again, I'm speaking to you as Christians. You may be a weak one. You may be a doubting one. You may be an inconsistent one. You may be a needy one. You may be a timid one. You may be a fearful one. But at least you are one. At least you are one. Whatever kind of Christian that you are secondarily, Assuming you are a Christian primarily, Paul's words should be eminently encouraging to you. In all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. In Christ, we hyper-conquer. We hyper-conquer. So let me expand on that expression, and about that expression, we'll see its sense, and we will see its scenarios. And I think I'll probably end up expanding on it in another message next week, God willing. But first, let's look at the sense of this expression, hyper-conquering. Just what do I mean? What is its sense? If you were to look at the language in which Paul wrote, which was Greek, there is a verb that has a preposition fixed to it. Paul sometimes made his own words to convey just what he wanted to convey. Many translations render this as a noun. You will see in a variety of translations that we are more than conquerors. But it's actually a verb. And so the version that I use, the New American Standard version, renders this overwhelmingly conquer. They keep the verb. The sense could be drawn out with more punch when we put it as, say, super conquer. We more than conquer. Or as I'm saying, we hyper conquer. I say hyper because that is the actual Greek preposition that's added to the verb And it's something with which we're familiar already. Are we not familiar with the word hyper? Some of us may be familiar with the idea, theologically, called hyper-Calvinism, a view that takes biblical and Reformation theology that John Calvin, among others, articulated, that God is sovereign at every single point of a sinner's salvation. But yet they distort it so as to take away man's involved responsibility in those things, especially in the offer of the gospel. Such that if God is sovereign, then why do we need to preach? We should be preaching only to the elect. And we should not sincerely or cannot sincerely offer the gospel if God is so sovereign with sinners that he's predestined. You may be familiar with hyper Calvinism. Or maybe you know the trouble of a hyperactive thyroid. Hyperactive thyroid is where the gland produces too much of a certain hormone. And so such things that result, such as unintentional weight loss or rapid heartbeat or other things, we're familiar with this idea of something being hyper in its activity. Things that are hyper are things that are much. They're things that are too much. Things that are excessive. We might say over the top. It comes out in our over expressions. A person is overworked. Another person overeats. Another person oversleeps and items are overpriced. Have I overstated things to you? We know how this is with the word hyper. And when we speak this way, few things with this language are positive. It's usually negative if something is hyper or over. But in fact, when Paul speaks, He's not speaking of anything negative about conquering. He's speaking of the greatest and the highest good and positive thing that we are hyper in our conquering as Christians. We, in all these things, overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. In all these things, hyper-conquer through him who loved us. We over-conquer. It is a conquering that is so vastly outdoing whatever comes against us. We'd almost say it is mismatched. As Paul similarly compared, you saw earlier at verse 18, the sufferings of this present time and the glories that are to come. It doesn't compare. This is sort of mismatched. There is a hyper value with the things of the gospel. We can imagine a muscular, fit, Olympian or world-class athlete that is ready to run the 50-meter dash, and he's all set there in the blocks. And then the camera pans to the blocks next to him where this little toddler is all ready to go. Which of them is going to win? It's mismatched. It doesn't even really compare. That muscular fit athlete would win by a long shot, hands down. He will hyper-conquer. his contestant. It would be much like crushing a spider with a hammer. It would be much like turning off the light switch on the wall and slapping your hand up or down, turning it on or off. It's overkill. It's too much. That's what hyper is about and that is the essence of hyper-conquering when it comes to the various opposing factors that come at us as Christians. Though your trials in life and your trials at death be what they will, your victory is certainly attained. It is handily realized given the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. I wonder if you really believe these things, dear beloved Christians. Do you really believe them? Do you think about this when you're met with a temptation? When your trials come at you? When things become burdensome and weigh upon you and you're faced in some way with two forks in the road, do I follow the way of sin and the flesh and the devil and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life Or can I and will I follow Christ? Can I overwhelmingly conquer? Just what do you think of such statements in the New Testament? Such statements like this, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Do you in any way try to limit that? and put a but in there? I can do all things through him who strengthens me but. Or I can do all things through him who strengthens me except or unless. There are no such words. Paul doesn't make words that way. How about this? Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Do you believe we are hyper-conquerors at the moment of temptations? Or how about this one, 1 Corinthians 6, 12, where Paul, speaking of things indifferent and that all things are lawful, but not all things are profitable, and he says, I will not be mastered by anything. Is that your attitude? Monday morning, Friday evening? I will not be mastered by anything. Are you hyper-conquering in the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you believe these things? Do they appeal to you? Are you praying, Lord, stretch my thinking to think as a new creature in Christ, for whom old things have gone, behold, new things have come." That's the sense of this word hyper-conquer. In all these things, we hyper-conquer through Him who loved us. But let's look at a second feature of this expression. We need to see its scenarios. Where does it work itself out? How does it do so? Again, Paul said, in all these things, we hyper-conquer through him who loved us. We ask then, what things? Paul, in all what things? What are these things in which we hyper-conquer? They seem to be those topics that are mentioned and those questioned at verse 35. If you look back at it, it says, who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sore? And it goes on in verse 36, quoting Psalm 44, where the foes of Israel always came against them to oppose them, and they were given over oftentimes to persecution and wars of various sorts. They were like sheep led to the slaughter. And after this, Paul says at verse 37, in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. Primarily, it's persecution. It's the forces of everything from hell and unbelievers and even remaining sin in those believers that opposes, that comes against. They seem to be these topics of verse 35, just as if you look back at verse 31, the these things there, referred to everything that came before in the chapter, verse 31. What then shall we say to these things? Well, the these things are what just came. It's Paul speaking of absolutely no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. It's Paul saying that those who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit. They can please God. They want to please God. Such people, though they may suffer, they are heirs of God, heirs with Christ. They will have glory after the time of suffering. They are those, in verses 26 and 27, who have the help of the Holy Spirit when they do not know the that for which they should ask, the Spirit helps them to pray. And we don't know the very things for which we should ask, and we may ask amiss, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us because God understands the mind of the Holy Spirit, who knows our hearts even better than we ourselves do, That's one of these things as well. And thus there are verses 28 through verse 30, all of the pearled necklace of salvation as it's been called, that those whom God foreknew in eternity, and called in history, and justified, and will glorify even though it's put here in a past tense. All of these wonderfully firm, reliable truths of the gospel, what shall we say to these things? And Paul goes on and preaches absolute confidence. to the people of God, that nothing would separate us from the love of God. No charge would stick against us. No one can condemn us. Only God can and will keep us. So these things are things that are back in the context. As we look at verse 37, the scenarios are those then of verse 35. Verse 35, tribulation. Do you know tribulation? We talk about trials. We talk about things that we suffer or face. But tribulation is an interesting word. That's the word that speaks about things being compressed, things being squeezed. Pressures, we could say. Those are tribulations, where you're between a rock and a hard place, where you're hemmed in. Maybe you don't know then whether you will continue, whether you will be squeezed and snuffed out. There are tribulations that happen in life. There are many, a martyr Christian is laid down his or her life for the sake of the gospel. And it seemed there was no way forward. Those are tribulations. Added to that are distress. This is a similar word that with Paul here combining the word straight and narrow with place, a straight and narrow place. Well, that's good in terms of the way that leads to life as Jesus said, but as a Christian, the straight and narrow place is a hard place. straight and narrow, constricted, confined, seemingly limited. You can't see around you. You can't turn around. It's difficult to turn. The only way you can go is forward. Things that are distressing. Some people don't like being in tight places. You probably don't like the financial crunch, or the tight place of being financially strapped. Maybe you're a person who doesn't like to be confined on such things like airplanes, or in the middle seat, or when many people gather around you. I understand it in these times, perhaps, but even in healthy times, where you don't like being too many people, you get claustrophobic. Distress is a part of the Christian life. Of course, he goes on and says, persecution, literally being hunted, being pursued. Do you have people that pursue you, people that are hunting you, people that mean things against you, people that are malicious, always scheming? Are you being mistreated for your faith? Are you ridiculed for your faith? Is there someone that's always ready to rub it in for whatever stance or whatever doctrine you hold rightly as a Christian person? Is it that you're at risk in the workplace because you're a Christian? Do you find yourself made fun of because you're the one who says the buck stops here? You're the one who says, no, I can't do that. My conscience doesn't allow me. You're the one who doesn't participate in the lawlessness of people around you. You're the one who's not like the world in your neighborhood, at the workplace. And you're persecuted. You're made fun of. You're ostracized. People don't spend time with you. People talk about you to other people. It's persecution. There are people that, in far greater ways than that, are being persecuted. They're in jail. They're being sued. They're being brought into civil court. They're paying fines. They're, as it were, losing the battle, it would seem. And even in persecution, if you stand your ground for the faith, You are hyper-conquering. You're not moving. And that's something that we need to hear because persecution may be coming. People are already starting to say, you cannot worship this way. You cannot, you are not free to sing and praise the Lord. You have to be restricted in that. Someway limited. This is the distress. This is the straight, narrow place that Christians often face. Famine. You say famine? We're not starving for food. We may still be lacking disinfectant wipes. We may be lacking other commodities at the grocery store, but we're not in famine. Food supply as well, but Paul's word has to do with lack. It's usually used for food, but it speaks of things that have run out, things that no longer are supplied, things that have failed. I'll let you fill in how there may be a famine, certainly for food, but is there a lack of other things that we have with life? The godly man ceases to be, Psalm 12. It's a temptation to think that God has abandoned us in time of even famine or things failing, a Christian testimony throughout this land, understanding culturally why the gospel and the truth matters. There's a famine for the word of God. Things like a nakedness, being unclothed, Paul's saying. Going around begging. Even should you or I be put into that, we would overwhelmingly conquer. There are people that have gone forth nonetheless in goatskin, Hebrews tells us. God provided for them. Or how about peril? Things he says here as a sixth point. Ready or extreme dangers. not knowing who it is that may, in a moment's notice for the sake of the gospel, take issue with us. In these volatile times when people are polarized, and we bring our view about what the Bible teaches about sexuality, or about marriage, or about the gospel itself, or how we raise our children, or what we want to teach them, There are all sorts of perils and being exposed to dangers. There is the sword, a threat of being killed. It could be the state in bringing its actions against Christians unjustly, and I think the way Paul is meaning it here. It could be the malicious treatment of other people. In all these things, Paul is saying we hyper-conquer. Could it not be that the Lord has already allowed us to conquer in some of these cases, and we don't see it? And we don't realize that God is, unbeknownst to us, leading us to overwhelmingly conquer in these things. There's a sense, as Paul keeps going, But wait, there's more. Ever seen those kinds of commercials? A pillow, the advertiser speaks in light of the product itself. And then he says, but wait, there's more. If you buy now, I'll throw in an extra pillow or a blanket or some other item. And then he pivots again and says, but wait, there's more. If you order today, there will be free shipping. Taking all of the marketing savvy away from that, it's as if Paul is saying here, as he goes from verse 35 to verses 38 and 37, but wait, there's more. I'm not merely talking about these seven issues of tribulation to sword, I'm talking about these as well at verse 38. How about death? It's one thing to be lacking food, or clothes, or being persecuted by men. But what about death? That's what Satan holds and uses. He tried to bring it against Job. But what about death? When a Christian is often at his or her weakest point, and it seems that Satan will reach down and grab once again what was once his. What about there at death, which not only is death, but could have with it disease and some additional trial? Paul says here, but wait, there's more. Even at death, we overwhelmingly conquer. We hyper-conquer. Death, where is your sting? You can even say to death, because of the mercies of Christ, dying at the cross, and I mean no irreverence, bring it on. Where's your sting, death? Grave? Where's your victory? Where is it? I overwhelmingly conquer. I hyper-conquer. And if there's death at verse 38, certainly Paul could speak lighter things such as life itself, very broad. Angels, of course fallen angels that in hidden ways that we can't see work against us, try to trip us up, bring evil and harm as Job and destructive angels saw and meted out in the past. There are such things, the principalities, It seems to be not only heavenly, but even earthly authorities. People abuse authority. They bring tyranny. They oppress the fatherless, the orphan, those that lack. There are things present, again, open-ended, whatever you're facing. There are things not only present that are seeking to squeeze you and bring pressure on you, there are things that could be coming. What sickness may come? What pandemic may increase? What wars could we have? What crashes might happen? Paul is saying in all these too, wait, there's more. In these we overwhelmingly conquer with these. or things even more broadly, height, which he doesn't say where the top is, depth, where he doesn't say the bottom is, or any other created thing, which is as wide as you can get, including Satan or yourself. Nothing, Paul says, I am convinced, I am persuaded that nothing will be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Hyper-conquering, overwhelmingly conquering, mismatched to what our Savior has brought forth in his death. So that's the sense and those are the scenarios. We could apply it by then saying that you and I, overwhelmingly conquer in life because of Christ himself facing death, facing the world, facing Satan, and being victorious at the cross. All of your victory, all of our hyper-conquering is on account of Jesus having overcome. What is it that he said to the disciples before he went to the cross? Be of good cheer. Be courageous. In the world you have tribulation. You have that pressure squeezing upon you. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. If you and I are to overwhelmingly conquer, it only comes on account of Christ's death. If you've died in Christ, then you've died to sin. You've died to the world. You've died to the penalty, which is death. You've died to the power of it. You've died to the master of it, which is Satan. You're now alive as a second creature, unlike these first creatures. you're on a whole other level of being transferred from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of Christ. And all of that is only because of the death of Jesus Christ for you. Robert Murray Machain, Scottish preacher of the earlier 1800s, said in a sermon, even before the battle is done. I'd take it a step further. I would go further and say that we conquer even before the battle is fought. We've sat down with Christ in the heavenly places. We have overcome by virtue of being united with Christ through faith. We already have this in Christ. And so whatever skirmish, whatever battle, whatever conflict and adversities that we face, we can go into them hyper-conquering. We will overwhelmingly conquer. Paul was convinced of it. Are you and I convinced of these things of the gospel? Are you convinced of it? Book of Revelation with all the things that we may not understand about it, this one thing we should. And Jesus himself says it again and again and again. Interesting, another seven times like Romans chapter eight here. to him who overcomes, I will give." Go ahead and read Revelation 2 and 3 today, and you'll see all these promises by which God lifts the spirit of weary, troubled, harassed Christians. We hyper-conquer They overcame him, it says again, because of the blood of the lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives, even when faced with death. Put yourself right there. You believe on the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your sins have been forgiven by it. You believe in the word of your testimony as a Christian. Put yourself right there when you're faced with death. Put yourself under the guillotine. Put yourself at the firing line. Put yourself even in the electric chair for the sake of Christ. Do you hyper-conquer? Can you say, I am not merely here today to conquer. I will overwhelmingly conquer. What is ammo? What is a sharp blade? What is high voltage electricity? It is nothing because I've already died in Christ. I'm here today to hyper conquer. We only do this because Christ has died and risen again. And through faith, wonderfully, mysteriously, We have to. We hyper-conquer. I'd say then that there's another application. Paul's words orient us to what is really happening and what will truly result in all of our trials and opposing forces. That's what's going on. We pay attention to the fighting. We pay attention to the sword that because of our blood, sweat and tears, we lose the grip of it. We pay attention to the sword that's fallen from our hands. But the reality is, is that God is waging war and overwhelmingly conquering through things that we can't see. We see our body running down. We see such things as disease. and cancers, and debilitating troubles to the body. But God says, no, no, no, hang on. Wait, there's more. There's one more step, one more swing, and it's glory. Paul's words orient us to what is really happening. That's what he said to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 57. Thanks be to God. After he's just used the prophet to stare death in the grave in the face and say, where's your sting? Where's your power? He says, thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's interesting, there's no mention of fighting there. He gives us the victory, but it includes the warfare. that we bring to bear a big wooden cross to the matters of our conflicts. Thirdly, as Paul in no way minimizes then, a believer's hyper-conquering. We should in no way then ever minimize either it or the opposing forces that come against us. This is not a cakewalk, walk in the park way of Christianity, no. We must face opposing forces. We are not hyper-conquerors that just simply leap up over things. No, we go through the valley of the shadow of death. It is through tribulation, those pressures, that we inherit the kingdom of God. We are hyper, but we don't just go over things nimbly. We slog through them. Trials are real. Sin. Whether it's outside us or inside us, sin is real. Enemies to the gospel, whether it's Satan or persecutors, those things are real. God's providence by which he will make us holy and like Christ are real. Don't minimize the opposing forces, just as you don't minimize hyper-conquering. The person who becomes really good at something, very familiar and experienced with something, can become careless. Just take a lumberjack, used to lifting large logs, even in wet weather, and yet there is that rainy day when he's got all his logs in his hands, I know this is not quite how they do it nowadays, But imagine the picture on that rainy day when this experienced lumberjack with all his muscularity and fitness and logs in his arms slips, doesn't notice the wet leaf there. Things become dangerous. The load will fall on it. Don't minimize the conquering while you maximize the hyper of the conquering. Lastly, I'll just say that believe what the Holy Spirit says you are as a Christian. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rely on the Holy Spirit. Believe that when the way is so straight and clouds pass in and you can't see the sun, that the word of God is true and that the way forward is believing that we are and will be hyper-conquerors. We will hyper-conquer. It is our constant challenge to be in the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus says we are as Christians. We are to live as he calls us to by faith. So face all your temptations, endure all your trials, await all your heavenly hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Go and hyper-conquer. Be strong and very courageous. God said that to all people, be it Joshua all the way down through the Apostle Paul, to face our trials so that we may overwhelmingly conquer. God give us that grace in this new week ahead. Let us pray together. Our Father in heaven, as we consider such marvelous things that we even struggle at points to believe, not because they are confusing, but because we are confused and we are often weak. We often see with limit our sin is heavy upon us, But Lord, our Savior is mighty strong above us. And we pray that as we have need and view of this message as it's uncovered, help us to see that you are not only equally strong, but so far surpassingly strong that we should have hope and live to the glory of Christ. Lord, we have many things to take home and consider ourselves. And we pray that you would help us and bless us in your strength this new week ahead. Lord, may we come back this next week thankful and praising you for the saving help that you've been with us through all of our trials. Be with us, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen.