Will you please open your Bible to Romans chapter 1 verse 16? The whole congregation in a moment will please recite that verse. We're all supposed to know it by heart. May I remind you, as our beloved pastor has already done, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and that's it, Next week, Doreen and I are supposed to be speaking in Arlington, Virginia, the following week in Phoenix, Arizona, and back to California on and on, doing one thing only, teaching the Word of God. May I further remind you, as I do every night, that these messages are in print, the Epistle to the Romans. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, I think that I shall tell my dear friends of this area, you have known about these studies for years. Every book of the Bible to encourage people in studying, they fit right into our loose-leaf notebook like this, and we're on our way. Last week, thank you, Pastor, they go in my notes. Thank you. Last week a missionary, I haven't even told Doreen this yet, I just thought of it. Last week a missionary from the Philippines was in my congregation in Pittsburgh. He came up to me afterwards and he said, do I have your permission to translate your notes? into one of our dialects in the Philippines. I said, it's a pleasure. So I gave him permission in writing, and I told him he could go ahead and translate them, sell them, and all the profits would go to their mission. I'm very careful how I say that. I want to be sure that the mission is true to the word of God. He represents a solid mission. As a result of this, these little studies are now being used as textbooks in more than 50 countries around the world. And I praise the Lord for that. Translated into Indonesian and Portuguese and you name it. They will be available tonight and the next three days out there, studies on all the books of the Bible, going right through them, the way we are doing through Romans. Now let's recite out loudly, Romans 1 16, everybody upstairs and down. If you forgot to bring your Bible, share with your neighbor. If your neighbor forgot, I have no further suggestions. Romans 1.16, here we go, ready? For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As is written, the just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." What is this Christian gospel? Have you people noticed this? We started this series on Sunday night. It is now Tuesday night, and we're still on the first five chapters. There are 16 chapters. Wouldn't you much rather rush to chapter 8? Wouldn't you much rather dwell in chapter 12, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice? This is not the way Paul, writing in the Spirit, went about it. Paul always started with his solid teaching, teaching, teaching. Doctrine. You see, doctrine is in order to duty. Creed is in order to conduct. Belief is in order to behavior. But don't turn these things around. Get your doctrine straight first. Now why do I mention this? Because in evangelical circles I note a certain theological impatience these days. My wife and I had a Bible conference about six weeks ago up in Cleveland in a huge Baptist church. And somebody was telling me that a book was going around. And it was becoming very popular. So I took this book and I went through it rather carefully. And the author was attacking what he calls propositional truth. That is, he doesn't like a statement like this, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. That he calls propositional truth, and he poo-poos it. He says what we need is more life. We don't need propositional truth. Would you like to know the name of that book? Incidentally, I happen to have seen a copy of it within 10 miles of where I'm now standing in the last three days. It's called The Taste of New Wine. Have you heard of it? It's a sample. a sort of impatience with theology. You do not get this from the Apostle Paul. Invariably, he gives you the facts of doctrine first, and from that emerges the Christian life. Did you ever try to build a house by putting the roof on first before you had the foundation? Try it sometime. Did you ever smell a lovely rose where there was no root? You gotta have the root first, then the blossom. You've got to have the solid foundation first, even before you can put in the windows. So it is with Romans, and so it is, for example, with Ephesians. Pastor, you've been teaching Ephesians. You've heard lectures, messages on Ephesians. Remember this? In Ephesians, watch this doctrine. Watch it. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having prayed desperately to us into the adoption of children by Jesus. Doctrine! And when he's got that straight, then you're up to chapter 4 of Ephesians. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk, walk, walk, walk worthy of a vocation wherewith ye are called. So it is with Romans. Don't be surprised that we're still on the first five chapters. You know why? In the first five chapters of Romans, One basic question is answered. How may a sinner, who by nature is separated from a righteous God, how may he get to heaven? How may he be justified, pronounced righteous, received as righteous, welcomed as righteous, declared judicially to be righteous, so that he can enter into fellowship with the righteous God? I pointed out on Sunday night that a precipitous chasm separates Almighty God from unrighteous man. Man has attempted to span that chasm. No human philosophy or religion can possibly span that chasm. God, in his mercy, has provided a bridge. And this bridge is justification by faith alone, apart from the deeds of the law. I spent almost one hour on that last night. I am giving you seven points in connection with that bridge. I've handled three. My assignment, with a quick review, is to move to number four at once. I pointed out, to begin with, the architect of that bridge. Many of you are taking notes. This is the bridge now, justification by faith alone. It spans the chasm of sin, of guilt, of wrath, of judgment, and of death. The first thing pointed out was this. The architect of that bridge, will you please turn to chapter 3, verse 24. Being justified freely by his grace. Freely. Grace. The architect of this bridge is not man, it is God himself. This is God's provision. You and I are pronounced righteous. We are received as righteous when we are believers. This is God's plan. It is God's bridge. He is the architect. Item 2, the anchor upon which it rests. Chapter 3, verse 24, right at the end. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. That's the anchor upon which this bridge rests. Calvary, redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The third point last night was our assurance that this bridge will not collapse. Will you please turn to chapter 4, verse 24. Speaking of Jesus our Lord, chapter 4 now, verse 25, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. I pointed out to you last night that Christ's resurrection from the dead is the basis of our assurance that we are justified, we are pronounced righteous, we are welcomed as righteous, and all that is reviewed. Now we are ready for our fourth point. And I might as well say at once that this fourth point is crucial. It's one thing to know that God is the architect, that's great. It's another thing to know that the anchor is the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. It's another thing to know that this bridge will never, never crash. Praise the Lord. But that brings us to the fourth point. And the fourth point is this. How does the sinner get onto that bridge? In other words, our access, A-C-C-E-S-S, our access to the bridge, this is very important indeed. Have you recently driven an automobile in Southern California? Have you recently done this? It is very important that you know how to get on the thing. Whether it's a bridge or a freeway or whatever it is, you better be very sure that you know how to get on. I was watching a football game once in the Rose Bowl, jammed. About 40 minutes late, I'll never forget this, a big fat man came in. He shouted out, what's the score? And about 500 people told him. Oh, he said, I got on the wrong freeway and I've been to Santa Ana three times. Now if you know anything about geography, you know what I mean. It is very important that you know how to get on this bridge. If there's anybody in this congregation tonight, and I thank God that these messages both in the morning and evening are being taped. I praise the Lord for that. Whoever is listening to my message, you better be very sure, my friend, that you know how to get on to God's bridge. To begin with, it's not by works of righteousness which we have done. But let's see what Paul says. Romans chapter 3, verse 28. Mark this in your Bible, please. Romans 3, 28. Therefore we conclude. that a man is justified, pronounced righteous, declared righteous, welcomed as righteous by a righteous God, 328. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without, apart from the deeds of the law. Look up from your Bibles, please. It is not of works lest any man should boast. No, no. It is by faith. But Paul, what do you mean by faith? Is that a vague sort of pious sentimentalism? No. Faith is something that is focused. It has a focus. Will you please look at verse 26. Romans chapter 3 verse 26. Right in the middle. that he, God, might be just, and a justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. If you're to be justified, you're justified by faith alone. That's faith in Jesus. But what about Jesus? Is it a vague faith that once upon a time Jesus Christ lived? Is that all? No. Will you please look at verse 25. Speaking of Christ Jesus, Romans chapter 3 verse 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation. Now here it is, here it is. Through faith in his blood. Look up from your Bible, please. That is not vague at all. What is our access to this bridge that takes the feet of wandering pilgrims all the way across the chasm of sin, of guilt, of wrath, of judgment, and of death to the gates of the city of God? What is our access? It is faith. Faith in whom? faith in Jesus. What about Jesus? That his blood was shed on Calvary's cross, that our sins might be washed away, and that he was raised again for our justification. That's solid theology. Wonderful. You know, friend, if you enter into that, you have great peace in your soul. The guarantee that this bridge will never, never crash is the fact that God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Christ was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. The axis is saving faith in Jesus as my dear Savior. That's it! Who said so? The Apostle Paul writing in the Holy Spirit of God. When I teach this to teenagers, and you people know that I have taught many thousands of teenagers the Epistle to the Romans, I like to make it very clear that this faith in Jesus is not just something that involves that part of you which is from the neck up In other words, it is not just a mental assent to certain empirical propositions. What do I mean by that? When you say you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose blood was shed on Calvary for you, it is not just a mental assent. It is a totalitarian, affirmative response of my whole being to Jesus Christ as my Savior. That is faith. Some of your young people are away at the university. Many of them may be studying philosophy. If they are studying philosophy, then they are bound to be taught about one of the greatest philosophers of the last centuries. His name, Immanuel Kant, capital K-A-N-T, of Königsberg, East Prussia. Brilliant mind, Kant. Oh, the very names of the books that he wrote. It's hard enough to say the names of the books. Much best to read the books. For example, he wrote a book called, see if I can say it, die Kritik der rheinischen Vernunft, which means in English, the critique of pure reason, pure reason. And he came up, among other things, with a brilliant idea that human personality consists of at least three items, intellect, feeling, and will. That man by nature has rational faculties, emotional faculties, and volitional faculties, and everybody said three cheers. Well it so happens, it so happens, that Solomon told us this about 900 years before the time of Christ. This is nothing new. Solomon knew that. Trust in the Lord with all thine what? Heart. And lean not unto thine own what? Understanding. In all thy what? Ways. Acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path, that's intellect, feeling, will, that's personality. Now look, When an individual puts his faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as his Savior, it is not just a quote, belief, end of quote, with the mind. Even the demons have that kind of quote, belief, end of quote, and the net effect upon them is they tremble. It is a totalitarian, I repeat, positive, affirmative response of my being. The illustration I use with teenagers is this. I tell teenagers this. I tell them, I have been a pastor for 16 years. I have married a great many people, and that doesn't mean I'm a polygamist. I have performed a ceremony. And when the ceremony takes place, there's only one person there who's not nervous. And that's the pastor. He's not nervous for two reasons. Number one, he has done it before. Number two, two hours later he has a funeral. So he is not nervous. And he is in a position from which he can watch the face of this young lady. When the pastor asks the question, will you? Do you, whatever it is, you should see the expression in her eyes and you cannot see it unless you're a pastor. See, you can see it. Does she stop, does she stop and say, wait a minute pastor, I want to reflect. His name is Jim. Nice boy. Three weeks ago he brought me red roses. She's reflecting. Chocolate's too weak? No. Is that what happened? That is precisely what does not happen. When the pastor asks her, you should see her eyes when she says, I will. That is what I call a totalitarian, affirmative, positive response to a young lady. If that's not the way you love him, don't marry him. Incidentally, marriage is an act of faith, but that's not the point. Anybody here speak Chinese? Anybody here speak Chinese? Where are you? Bi fang di hua, that's Chinese. By way of illustration, it's perfect. It's a totalitarian thing. Our access to this bridge, therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, apart from the deeds of the law, him that believeth in Jesus through faith in his blood. That's it. Why is it so important to have faith in the outpoured blood of Jesus Christ? When I was in the Sudan teaching the Word of God a few years ago in Central Africa, you can't get back there now, it's closed, it's closed. I was there a few years ago and I told these beloved Africans, I'll never see you again on this earth. I didn't know it would be closed. I said, I will never see you again, this is too far from where I live. But I hope that I'll see you in heaven. I'm going to heaven. How can I say that? Because I think I'm so good? No. No, no, no. The trouble is that heaven is a clean place. Nothing dirty ever gets to heaven. God is holy. And the real trouble is that by nature I'm dirty. And how can I tell you I hope I'll see you in heaven? Because the word of God says, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. We had a revival. They understood. They understood. Faith in his blood, this is the means of access. There is no other way. Will you please turn to chapter 4 of Romans. I'm now ready for point 5. There are 7 points. Number one, the architect. Number two, the anchor. Number three, the assurance that it will not crash. Number four, the access to it. Now, this one is very interesting. Romans chapter 4 verse 1. What shall we say then that Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, here's a quotation from Genesis 15, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of death. Skip to verse 6, please. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying," here comes a quotation from the 32nd Psalm, "'Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute.'" Say, look up from your Bible, please. Abraham. How do you think Abraham was saved? David. How do you think David was saved? Abraham lived approximately 2,000 years before Christ. David lived approximately 1,000 years before Christ. And Moses split the difference. That's a good thing to know. Did you ever wonder how Abraham was saved? Do you ever wonder how David was saved? Anybody here named David? I hope there are a few Davids here. Where are you, David? Glad to see you, my friend. Any other Davids? Do you mind if I have a quiet chat? Yes, hello, Dave. Dave, I am going to teach you something now you may not have known. Did you know that the word David occurs more often in the Bible than the name of anybody else? with a possible exception of our Lord's name. Over 1,000 times. Did you know that? Guess who's next? Moses. Over 800 times. Well, that has nothing to do with Romans. I just thought of that. My question right now is, how was Abraham saved? How was Isaiah saved? You ever think about that? How was David saved? How was Amos? How were these people saved? Oh, I hope everybody here knows that. There has never been, since the fall of Adam, there has never been more than one way of salvation. One. And do you know what that way of salvation is? It's the principle of justification by faith alone, apart from the deeds of the law. Based upon Calvin, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, in its influence extends backward, backward, backward, backward to embrace the first believers since Adam's fall. And the blood of Jesus Christ in his efficacy reaches forward, forward, forward, forward to embrace the final believer. There has never been but one way of salvation. These people before Christ's time were looking forward to his coming. You and I are looking backward to his coming. But the Apostle Paul tells us that Abraham was justified by faith looking forward to the Messiah. David was justified by faith looking forward to the Messiah. Just as the Roman assembly was justified by faith looking backward to the Messiah. Theologically this is called the centrality of the cross. These people are right on the bridge with us. They are our companions. But that starts with the letter C. I want one that starts with the letter A. Why? So that you can teach this. Don't say, I learned this from Dr. Woodbridge. Guess where I learned it? Right out of the Bible. You can teach it. This great bridge, number one, the architect almighty God starts with the letter A, the anchor upon which it rests. I got it. The assurance that it will not crash, our access to it, and now every believer through the centuries, our associates on the bridge. David was saved in exactly the same way you were saved. He looked forward to Calvary, you and I look backward to Calvary, but the outpouring of our Savior's precious blood, there is no other way. Isn't that interesting? I wish I had two hours for this, particularly for the teenagers who are here tonight. You know, Abraham was not stupid. David was not stupid. They knew a great deal about the coming Messiah. They knew a great deal about him. They knew perfectly well that the shedding of blood had to precede covering. They knew this. All they knew that when Jesus Christ the Messiah came, wonderful salvation would be wrought. And in advance, they were men of faith. And their faith was imputed to them for righteousness. They were accepted. They were justified. They are our associates on the bridge. And that brings us to chapter 5. We're moving now. Chapter 5, verse 1. Chapter 5, verse 1. Look up from your Bible, please. You having a good time? Since 1957, I've done this on an average of once or twice a day. What a privilege, opening the words. Therefore, being just... Whenever you find that word, therefore, in the King James Version, You've got to study the context to see what it's there for. Let it go. Some of you didn't hear it. By virtue of the contents of chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, there is therefore being justified by faith. Look up from your Bible. Isn't that wonderful? I hope that everybody here tonight can say, I have been accepted in the Beloved One. Remember that in Ephesians 1, 6? We are accepted in the Beloved. We are in Christ Jesus. We are accepted, not because of who we are, not because of what we have done. We are accepted in Him. We are justified. We are pronounced righteous. We are received as righteous. 100% because of who Jesus Christ is, the Son of God, and what he did on Calvary, delivered for our offenses, then raised again for us. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Therefore being justified by faith. Now look at verse 1. Romans 5, 1. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, friends, there's no other way to have peace with God. By nature, man is a rebel. By nature, man is at enmity with God. But now, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus. Is there anybody here who is restless, restless, restless in your soul? You know, you cannot have in your soul the peace of God that passeth all understanding. until first you have made your peace with God. And the only way to make your peace with God, Romans 5, 1, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And now that we're trusting the Savior, the Holy Spirit of God dwells within our hearts, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. Galatians 5.22. Do you know what I like to call this sixth point? Maybe I better read a little bit more and you'll see what I mean. Verse 2, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. Now will you please skip down to verse 9. I want to show you something you may never have seen before. Turn in connection with verse 9, please. Back to chapter 1, verse 18. Romans 1, 18. Now notice carefully Romans 118 in the light of chapter 5 verse 9. Romans 118. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, the wrath of God. Skip to chapter 5 verse 9 please. Chapter 5 verse 9. Much more then. Being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Did you ever hear us? I never preached a sermon on that. Wonderful! For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness that men, Romans 1, 18, then 5, 9, much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Look at verse 11, please. Not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement. Peace with God, access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, deliverance from wrath, we joy in Christ. You know what I like to call this? It had to be something starting with the letter A. I like to call this item six the advantages, the advantages which accrue to those who are standing on that bridge. If you're trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior and you know it, you have made your peace with God, you have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, deliverance from wrath and joy in the Lord. Look up from your Bible, please. What a privilege to be teaching the Word of God. You know, one reason, one reason Doreen and I are going all over the world, one reason out of about a hundred, one reason we're doing it is this. Some of God's people need to be cheered up. I have noticed this. I have noticed this. And for your information, it's not going to get any easier here in New York State or in California or anywhere else. It's not going to get easier. You know, your beloved pastor and I have long conversations together. It's beautiful. We have wonderful fellowship. And I was telling him last night, I personally believe, I've never heard any other Bible teachers say this, and I want to say it very carefully. In the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians, we read in connection with our Lord's return, He that letteth will let until he be taken out of the way. That means in modern English, speaking of the Holy Spirit, he that restrains will continue to restrain until he be taken out of the way. The Holy Spirit through the years has been restraining the forces of evil on this globe. Thus it has been possible to proclaim the gospel all over the world. He has been exercising his restraint. But I for one believe that one of the signs of the times is that we are just beginning to observe the Holy Spirit starting to remove his hand of restraint. Why? Because It is connected with our Lord's return, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And when that happens, the hand of the Holy Spirit will be completely removed, the hand of restraint. You detect just the beginnings of the removal of his hand of restraint. It hasn't been removed yet, but you can sort of sense that there's the beginning of that removal, one of the signs of the times. That brings us at once to my seventh point in connection with this bridge. Final review of the week. the architect of this bridge, Almighty God, the anchor upon which it rests, the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, the assurance that it will not crash. He was delivered for our offenses and was raised for our justification, our access. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Our associates on the bridge Moses and all the rest of them, the advantages which accrue to us. Now the final point, and this also is important. If you ever teach doctrine, if you ever teach doctrine, Pauline doctrine, don't leave it up in the air. Bring it right down to where people live. Our seventh point is a question. A question which starts with the letter A. Are you on that bridge? I feel in the mood to teach you another Chinese expression. It's a beautiful expression. You ever hear this Chinese expression, chop-a-doo? That means approximately. The difference is not great. That's the exact meaning in Chinese. There are some people who seem to have the conviction that you can be more or less a believer. Out. As the Germans say, it's entweder oder. I am either on that bridge or I am off that bridge. One or the other. The Bible is perfectly plain. We conclude that a man is justified, he's pronounced righteous, by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Question, question, do I or do I not have that faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as my Savior? That's the sine qua non. Without it, there is no salvation, there is no fellowship with God, there is no entrance into glory. Am I on the bridge? Am I positive? Paul is not willing to come to chapter 6 until he has stayed in what we call chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Let's be sure that we are standing firmly beyond hesitation or vacillation or equivocation upon that bridge that leads to everlasting life. Then we are ready to change the subject. Will you please turn to chapter 6, verse 1. Chapter 6, verse 1. I have about three more paragraphs and that's it tonight. About three. Will you please look at verse 1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Look up from your Bible, please. As I have said repeatedly this week, the Apostle Paul had a scintillating mind, keen He knew perfectly well that in the assembly in Rome, when they got this letter, when they got the letter, they start to read what we, there were no chapter divisions, there were no verse divisions, just went on and on. As they started to read, Paul knew perfectly well that when they got to the end of what we call chapter 5, somebody in the Roman assembly would start to think as follows. Well, Paul, so salvation is all of grace, wonderful, not of works, by faith alone. All our sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven us because we're trusting Jesus Christ as our Savior. Paul, all our sins, future as well as past, forgiven? what a break if all my sins in the future are also forgiven on the basis of I got an idea why don't I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior all my sins will be forgiven then why don't I start to live for the devil Because my sins will be forgiven, I'll eat my cake and I'll have it too. I'll continue in sin. This will afford Almighty God more opportunities to display His grace. All I have to do is to keep cheating, keep lying, keep living for the devil. Every time I do this, it'll give God another opportunity to display His grace. Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? The next words in Greek are these, me genoito, that's optative. Comes out, God forbid, here in the Greek, it means no, no, no! And this starts another section of Romans. And you have been a wonderful class, and I wouldn't think of starting it tonight. I would simply give you your assignment. Will you kindly memorize the next three chapters before tomorrow night? Amen. Let's all unite in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we praise Thee for Thy grace. We thank Thee that salvation from beginning to end is all, all of grace, all to grace. How great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be. Let thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee. Lord, on this rainy night, when there's so much trouble around, headlines in all the papers, television news, radio, trouble, trouble, trouble. We thank Thee for Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday and today and forever. We can stake our soul's immortal destiny upon Him. Lord, we praise Thee tonight. I wonder whether there are some in this congregation who have never been too sure that you were on this bridge. You had thought perhaps that it was a matter of works, or trying, or effort, or resolution, or the will. And here you've been hearing that Paul teaches that it's all of grace. It is God's plan. He's the architect. It's the shed blood of Christ. The basis of justification. It's our redemption. The Holy Spirit of God has been dealing with you recently, and you know that your greatest need is to trust Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as your Savior. My friend, there is no hope anywhere else in this sin-cursed world. But Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. The Spirit of God has been dealing with you, and your heart's been made tender, your pride has been melted. You know way down deep in your soul that your greatest need is to trust Jesus Christ, who was delivered for your offenses and was raised again for your justification, and you really want to trust Him. I would love to pray for you. If you are the one friend, will you let me pray for you? If you'd like to say, please, Dr. Woodbridge, please pray for me. I need Jesus Christ as my dear Savior. The Spirit of God has been dealing with me for the first time in my life. I really mean business with God. I want to trust Christ. Please pray for me. I'll wait just a moment. If that's your desire, let me know, will you? Anybody upstairs or down? Never mind who's sitting next to you. If that's your desire, will you raise your hand high so I can see it and put it right down again? Please pray for me. I need Jesus Christ and I want to trust him. I'll wait just a minute. Now protract this. Don't raise your hand, please do not, unless you're sincere. But if you really want the prayers of God's people, I'd love to pray for you. I'll wait. Please pray for me. This is it. Our Father, in Christ's name we dedicate the opening, the exposition, and the reception of the Word of God to thy glory, in our Savior's dear name. Amen. And we are dismissed.