As you can see, our target for this morning is the book of Leviticus. We're doing one sermon on each book of the Old Testament. We'll give the same amount of time to the one-page book as we will the many pages book. You were looking at your Bible and you're probably noticing the sermon title and noticing it's Old Testament Volume 4 and thinking, gee, in my Bible, Leviticus is the third book. Well, we did an introduction and that's why this has gone this way. I was rather pleased. I looked online this morning to the update that comes from sermonaudio.com, a worldwide opportunity on the internet where our sermons are posted. And there were something like 35 worldwide downloads of that message that was an introduction to the Old Testament. So what a joy it is. And beyond the joy of knowing that There are those invisible congregations that have never been anywhere near Heritage Bible Church who are listening in with us. It's been a great blessing to me that so many of you have commented that you've accepted my challenge to read through as we go. Now, if you haven't started yet, OK, start now. You can start with us in the book of Numbers for this week. You can even review Leviticus this week if you want to. And we can work in Genesis and Exodus for you when you get finished or somewhere else along the way. But we come to this third book of Leviticus which is admittedly one of the most tedious to read because so much of it is not immediately relevant to you and me. Now the impact is, it is profitable for teaching and reproof and correction and training in righteousness, but it's full of details about the sacrifices of the Old Testament. Leviticus, the name itself has to do with Levites. It was primarily for the priests, but all the people needed to know how to approach God through the priests and by way of the sacrificial system. So, we're going to look at the book of Leviticus today. And notice that I'm not going to follow an outline per se. I'm going to give you highlights. But the first 16 chapters mainly have to do with how to approach God. How to come to Him in the first place if you are an Israelite. If you were an Israelite. And then the last 18 chapters are how to maintain your fellowship with God. The ongoing, repeated sacrifices. As the book of Exodus concludes, we go right to the book of Leviticus. At the end of Exodus, God's glory is present in the now finished tabernacle. They are establishing the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the temple workers, and that's where Leviticus fits in. Leviticus was revealed in its entirety during the time that Israel was at Mount Sinai. Israel doesn't travel anywhere during the book of Leviticus. Over 125 times in just this one book, Leviticus rebukes mankind for uncleanness, for sinfulness, and instructs on how to be purified. The motive for holiness, setting yourself apart to the service of God, separating yourself from sin, the motive is stated almost always in conjunction with two often repeated phrases. I am the Lord and I am holy. Those phrases are used over 50 times. That's the theme of the book of Leviticus, as Dirk said. And I want you to see that. I read this to you earlier in the service because it is the theme, Leviticus 11, 44 and 45. For I am the Lord your God, consecrate yourselves, set yourselves apart, therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. Thus, you shall be holy, for I am holy. Set yourself apart from anything unworthy of God's character and commit yourself to doing those things which are worthy of His character. Now, I'm going to pick out a few highlights from the book of Leviticus. Highlight number one, if we wanted to put it in vernacular, we might call it, you're fired. There is one event in Leviticus that probably as much as all of the details combined should shape your understanding of God's holiness in light of your sinfulness. And it happens at the grand opening of the tabernacle. As I said, at the end of Exodus, the tabernacle is finished. God covered it with his glory. He put this physical manifestation of his presence on earth right there at the tabernacle and always over it. Finally, the day comes for the tabernacle to be put into service. The priests are to be ordained. The sacrificial system is to begin operating. From this day on, every sacrifice for hundreds of years, day after day, will picture man's sin and God's provision. Now, the priests, of course, are under the leadership of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Aaron and his four sons study hard. After all, he's going to be the high priest. They're going to be the leaders of the priests. They memorize every detail of the instructions God gave to them. They go through every sacrifice that was required for them. Then they wait seven days in the tabernacle as God prescribed this set apart stuff. That's really important. Setting these men apart from everything else to do with everyday life. Now comes the incredibly exciting day. The joy and the anticipation are palpable. And they are led to expect an unprecedented display of God's glory, because that's what they've been told is going to happen. Aaron and his four sons do everything exactly as prescribed, offering the first sacrifices in the tabernacle, sin offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings. And then, look what happens. at the end of chapter 9 in Leviticus, starting at verse 22. Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. That's not the holy of holies, but that's the next most intimate part of the tabernacle, the smallest part. When they came out and blessed the people, The glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Get a load of this. Then fire came out from before the Lord. That phrase before the Lord is like a code to say the holy of holies, that little inner sanctum where the Ark of the Covenant was. Fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar. And when all the people saw it, They shouted and fell on their faces. It's not the only time it happens in the Old Testament. This is the first time that fire from heaven consumes a sacrifice. And it was shocking. It was miraculous fire because it instantly and totally consumed the offerings and damaged nothing else. Now, we don't have fires like that. Lightning bolts that take away something and don't scorch anything around it. Well, the people did just what you and I would do if we saw miraculous fire. They shouted and they fell on their faces. Nobody had to give them instructions. What a reaction it was. They're stunned. They are in awe. They are amazed and appropriately so. They're full of joy because their sacrifices obviously have been accepted. And that's why they shout. It's a natural reaction. It was the spectacular display of God's glory. They fell on their faces because that's what people do when they see a display of God's glory and holiness. Like Isaiah seeing God in His glory and saying, woe is me, I'm undone. I've seen God. That's the natural reaction. You can be sure every eye was riveted on that scene. We know that there was instructions about how Israel was to surround the tabernacle, so it was the focal point. The text here at the end of chapter 9 connects immediately to chapter 10. That's a rather unfortunate chapter division. We know those were created by man. The text actually connects directly to chapter 1, and what happens next immediately follows the miraculous fire, the shouting, and everyone falling on their faces. Chapter 10, verse 1. Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, that's his number one and number two sons, the two oldest ones, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. Now picture the scene. Here come Nadab and Abihu, the two oldest sons of Aaron. They step forward before the crowd. There was no instruction for them to do anything here. Even though, for over a week now, every single detail of everything that had happened was ordered by God, communicated through Moses or Aaron, but now Nadab and Abihu jump up and do something that God had not commanded. The firepans are special utensils that the priests had in the tabernacle. They were the pans in which coals were to be carried from one place to another associated with the sacrifices. There were many specifications about where the fire had to be taken from and how and when it had to be handled. They took some of the coals, they put them in the fire pans, they sprinkled incense on it. Now, burning incense is one of the many activities that God prescribed for the tabernacle. But this is not the time when the incense was to be offered. So they make this spontaneous offering before the Lord, which, like I said, is another way of saying in the Holy of Holies, they pulled back that veil that separated that from everything else. They walk right into the place where, by God's design, only the high priest, their father, was allowed to go. And he was allowed to go there only once a year on the Day of Atonement. And what they did is described by the phrase, offered strange fire. Now, There were to be fires. There was to be fire involved with offerings. There was to be incense involved with offerings. They were priests. They were to make the offerings. Everything they did was something that God said to do. It's just that they didn't do it when God said it or how he said it. Maybe the coals were not taken from the right altar as required. Maybe the incense they sprinkled was not the proper incense for the incense offering. But maybe maybe those things don't matter. We know it wasn't the time of day for the incense offering, even if it was the proper incense. But beyond that, they crossed a boundary they had been instructed never to cross. And what happens in the next moment is as dramatic as what happened to the offering at the end of chapter nine, chapter 10, verse two. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Welcome to my house, says God. Wipe your feet, or something to that effect. Does that seem harsh? Like I said before about this passage, there's no warning. There is no time for an appeal. God did not ask Aaron to explain his sons or his sons to explain what they were thinking. No questions allowed. No hesitation. Nadab and Abihu die on the spot. That very same miraculous fire which consumes the sacrifices pleasing to God now consumes the number two and number three priests in Israel right in front of everyone. fire shoots out from the Holy of Holies, kills them both, and leaves their clothes unburned. Again, miraculous fire. That's quite an introduction to the tabernacle. Now, friends, this passage is not about two impatient or overzealous priests. Oh, they're central to it. It's not about them. It isn't about miraculous fire. It isn't about the grief of a father who lost two sons, and I'm sure his grief was incredible. The whole point is in one sentence from God. Chapter 10, verse 3. Again, I read this earlier in the service. Then Moses spoke to Aaron. It is what the Lord spoke, saying, By those who come near me, I will be treated as holy. And before all the people, I will be honored. My friend, you cannot approach God on your terms. That is part of the understanding of the holiness of God. He dwells in unapproachable light. And in our sin, we are full of darkness. You must come to God on His terms. One way. One way only. One very specific way. And you are not called to be creative about adapting that way to something you think is more cool or more convenient. What went wrong here? Did they get the death penalty because they took coals from the wrong place? Did they get the death penalty for peeking behind a curtain into the Holy of Holies even when they had watched it being built just a week ago? They might have even hung that curtain for all we know. Did they get the death penalty for choosing their own incense? Maybe all of those things were factors, but that's not the ultimate issue. God made this spectacular gruesome, shocking example of Nadab and Abihu for one reason. They did not treat him as holy. You say, wow, am I glad I wasn't alive then? Am I glad this isn't the tabernacle? How does this connect with us? Well, I want to suggest to you it connects quite directly to us. I think Nadab and Abihu were like a lot of Christians and pseudo-Christians in America. They got comfortable. They got casual. They decided that this can be a come-as-you-are, drop-in worship service. They didn't take God's instructions seriously. They said, wait a minute, they did too. A week they spent in the tabernacle, all these sacrifices, every bit of their clothing down to the gnat's eyebrow was exactly right. What do you mean they didn't take God's instructions seriously? They didn't take them all seriously. They thought that having gone as far as they went, now they could freelance. They tried to get in on the action prematurely. There was a lot for them to do, but not right then. Maybe they were jealous of their dad getting all the attention when the sacrifices were consumed. If you read on in the context, maybe they were intoxicated and therefore lost their inhibitions. So many good things happen when people get drunk. No, they don't. Maybe that's one of the factors. But even if that's the main factor, the issue isn't why they did what they did. The issue is what they did. They ignored the holiness of God. Leviticus is about God's holiness. It is about honoring God. They did not fully obey everything which is what the Lord spoke. They decided that since now they're installed as priests, They could handle the worship of God however they like. They probably thought they were being innovative. They probably thought they were being clever. They probably thought they were being cool. Maybe they told their younger brothers, watch this. I don't know. But now the main point of the incident. Don't miss this. or you won't learn the lesson, you'll tend to leave it way back there in Leviticus, a long, long time ago in a place very far away. Yes, it is about the holiness of God in worship. Yes, it is about honoring God and Him being honored among His people. But what does it mean for you and me? Well, look at the words that God spoke to Aaron. I'm sure he was the man most open to spiritual lessons at that moment, after having watched two of his sons incinerated. We go down to verses 10 and 11. And so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane. Now, when we use the word profane, we think of profanity, ugly things. Well, profane in this context just means that which is not specifically set apart for God's worship in the temple. Make a distinction between the holy and the profane and between the unclean and the clean. Same distinction. So as now here's the point to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses. There's the explanation of why God dealt so dramatically with these two guys. It was to teach. To teach all the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses. God takes His holiness very seriously, and you must too. There's a parallel to this, by the way, in the New Testament. When the church was born, remember Ananias and Sapphira? Struck dead in front of everybody, and what was the result of that? All the rest feared. Yeah, I bet. Would you be a little extra zealous about the offering that you were going to bring the next day if you'd just seen this happen? Are you sure you would? That's how much it matters to God that you know his word. This event was so that Israel would know to pay close attention to what God says and to worship him only on his terms. So how about us? This isn't the tabernacle. You can bring me any animals you want. I'm not going to sacrifice them for you this morning. How does this apply? Well, we know that the ceremonial and sacrificial laws do not apply any longer. Christ has come, the once for all sacrifice. We don't have the priesthood of Aaron's descendants. There is no temple. There is no tabernacle. We are all a kingdom of priests and that we can all come directly to God. But here's the point. God is exactly the same God today that He was then. All those rituals, all those sacrifices, all those details are here for us to learn the mind and the character of God. Leviticus is in the Bible, so you will know about God's holiness. And by the way, God was not unfair to Nadab and Abihu. They got exactly what they deserved for being casual and innovative about their worship. You know what? They were probably a lot better by comparison than a lot of people in Israel. But they got what they deserved. Truth is, they got what I deserve. They got what you deserve. For every moment of our lives that we are less than reverent toward God, for all the times that we presume on His grace." My friends, if everyone got what they deserved, none of us would be here today. But here we are, worshiping the same God who dealt that way with Nadab and Abihu. When we worship, my friend, it has to be on God's terms. True worship cannot be done by anyone who hasn't come to God on His terms, through His Son, Jesus Christ. Next time you hold the bread of communion in your hand before you eat it, remember, it symbolizes that God sent his son to die so that you can be part of God's family. Christ has made you holy. So act like it. Next time you hold the cup of communion in your hand before you drink, remember, it's there to remind you that symbolizes Christ died in your place. And that's the reason you are alive. That's the reason that you belong to God. The fire of God's wrath will not consume you because it was satisfied on your behalf by Jesus on the cross. Next time you're ready to come to a gathering for worship, Spend a little time thinking about what you're doing. We have in our society primarily turned worship upside down. We have raised a generation of people who think that worship is about you and how you feel. Worship is not about you and about how you feel. If you truly worship God, it will affect you. It will affect how you feel. But worship is about God. Worship is about the holiness of God. Worship is about honoring God. And when you truly worship God, you will be affected and your feelings will be affected. But it's all about God. And where true worship is, people don't always go away with good feelings. I think people went away laughing. after the Nadab and Abihu incident? I don't think so. Worship is about you responding to Almighty, Holy God. And what do we usually associate with worship? It was too long. It was too short. I didn't like the music. It was too warm. It was too cool. It was too loud. It was too quiet. It wasn't comfortable. You think it was comfortable standing around the tabernacle for a few hours out in the desert? I rather doubt it. Ultimately, my friends, not one single aspect of any of those things matter. What matters is God is God. He is holy. He is almighty. He is consuming fire. I am his creature. How do I respond to him? That's worship. That's all there is to worship. You can worship when you pray. You can worship when you sing. You can worship when you listen to God's Word. You can worship as you encourage another. All of those things can be done as part of worship. But worship is about you responding to God. And He is the same God that He was that day. The instant Nadab and Abihu pulled back that curtain, stepped into that place which separated the rest of the tabernacle from the holy of holies, fire from the presence of God killed them. That veil, that curtain represented separation of God who is perfectly holy from everything else. When he was on the cross, Matthew 27 starting at verse 50, Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. He gave his life voluntarily for you. Listen to this. And behold, the veil of the temple, that's referring to that curtain that Nadab and Abihu pulled back in the tabernacle. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the earth shook and the rocks were split. How significant is it what Christ did? When He gave His life, God opened the curtain. It's torn from top to bottom. God did it. He opened the way. Remember, my friend, God is holy. We need to come to Him on His terms. We need to cling to Him through His Son Jesus Christ by faith. Never forget the holiness of God when you worship. A lot of people are scared to death that they'll get in trouble if they're five minutes late for worship, but 20 minutes, five minutes late for work, but 20 minutes late for worship? Oh, that's okay. God's cool. He's my buddy. I have never seen anybody struck dead for coming to church late. Don't think it's going to happen to you. But what does it say about our hearts toward God when we consider coming together with His people to honor Almighty Holy God is something that we do if it's convenient. We do when it's convenient. We complain if it isn't convenient. If it doesn't fit our whims. This stuff is here for our edification. I might start preaching if I don't move on. Highlight number two. Why is blood so important? Some people like to criticize the Bible. It's so bloody. Yeah, it's very significant. Leviticus 1711. This is the key to all of the blood sacrifices which have to do with sin. For the life of the flesh is in the blood. How many of you can get by without blood? None. OK, when somebody's blood stops flowing, We pronounce them dead. All right. The life of the flesh is in the blood. And I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. While the blood flows through your body, it carries life sustaining elements to every cell. It carries away the waste. Therefore, blood represents the essence of life itself. It's a metaphor. The shedding of blood is therefore a Hebrew euphemism for death. Shedding blood pictures death. That's why sprinkling the blood of a sacrifice which has died, putting the blood on the altar, That's the picture of one death being substituted in place of another, one life being offered in place of another. So the blood, the death of the substitute, atones for the sinner who is then allowed to live. That's why blood is so important. Romans 6, 23, the wages of sin is death. We deserve that. We deserve exactly what Nadab and Abihu God, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. It is Christ who through his death offers us the free gift of eternal life. That's why blood is so important. Now, if you have read through Leviticus or if you're about to read through Leviticus, you will discover when you get to chapter three, Israel's annual calendar of Feasts. Holidays. I would suggest to you, every single one of these points to the Savior. The Bible makes these connections. Israel celebrates Passover in March and April. I'm always putting a combination of months here because their calendar is different than ours. This is why Easter floats back and forth between March and April because of the Passover calendar. Christ died on the Passover. Passover pictures the death of Christ, according to 1 Corinthians 1-7. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which follows the Passover day, that pictures the sinlessness of Christ. The unleavened bread is the bread that has no corruption in it, 1 Corinthians 5-8. The Feast of Firstfruits marks His resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15. The Feast of Pentecost looks forward to The outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which took place in Acts 1 and Acts 2. The Feast of Trumpets in September-October looks forward to Christ regathering Israel at His Second Coming, Matthew 24-31. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, September-October, that's the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. Tabernacles looks forward to Israel's rest and reunion with Christ and us being united with them, according to Zechariah chapter 14. When I say all of this is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and training in righteousness, do I mean we should be celebrating all those feasts? No, I don't. I actually think it is misguided at best for Christians to be celebrating Old Testament feasts. That's as if we're saying we're stuck back there. In some cases, there are some very subtle heresies that are connected with trying to make Christians more Jewish. I've told you about the Hebrew Roots Movement, the Sacred Name Movement. There are other things like them around here. Colossians chapter 2 verse 16 said, lay this to rest for you forever. Verses 16 and 17 in Colossians 2 says, therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or with respect to a festival, that's referring to these feasts of Israel, Leviticus 23, or a new moon or a Sabbath, things which are a mere shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. It's fine for us to know these things, study these things, observe these things, but that's not for us. We have the reality in Christ. Why celebrate the shadow? It can be a teaching moment, I understand that, but that's not for That's not for us. Highlight number four. You want to understand your Bible, right? When you are reading through the New Testament, one of the books that's going to probably give you the most trouble is the book of Hebrews. And the reason that a lot of people have trouble with the book of Hebrews is that they forget to read the introduction. And you say, well, I have studied Bible. I read the introduction and all of that. No, what I mean is the book of Leviticus is the inspired introduction to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews explains that everything in the Old Testament, all this stuff about the priesthood, all this stuff about all these sacrifices, all this stuff about the perfect Sacrifices, or the sacrifices required, it all points to the perfect priest, Jesus, who makes the perfect sacrifice, which is Himself. My friend, all of these sacrifices in the Old Testament are compared and contrasted to Christ's sacrifice in the book of Hebrews. And Christ is, in the book of Hebrews terminology, superior, better, the ultimate, the fulfillment. The old covenant is temporary. The new covenant is permanent. The old covenant has obsolete promises. Christ has better promises. The Leviticus tells you about the shadows. Christ is the reality. The Leviticus tells you about the priesthood of Aaron and his descendants. Many priests. Christ is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. One and only one like him. It was a sinful priesthood in Leviticus. It's a sinless priest in Christ. It was a priesthood limited by death in the Old Testament. Christ is a priest forever. Daily sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again. Big emphasis in Hebrews. Christ is the once for all sacrifices. In the Old Testament, it's animal sacrifices. In the New Testament, we see all of those animals are pictures of Christ, the Son of God. In the Old Testament, it's ongoing sacrifices. In the book of Hebrews, the emphasis is sacrifices are no longer needed. In Israel, on the Day of Atonement, one year of atonement covering everything else that wasn't covered by all the other sacrifices. But in Christ, it is eternal propitiation. His blood is applied to you once, just like the blood of the Passover lamb was applied at the mercy seat in the Old Testament. Christ's blood is applied for you once and you are holy forever. So, highlight number five. What should you learn from Leviticus? be accused of repeating myself. I want to own up to that. I want to repeat myself for the third time this morning. What should you learn from Leviticus? If nothing else, a couple of great verses to memorize. Chapter 11, verses 44 and 45. For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. Thus, you shall be holy for I am holy. Learn that and remember God never changes. And you say, well, wait a minute. I've never even been to Egypt. Why should I make that my verse? God never changes. I'll tell you what, I can give you a more updated application of Leviticus 11, 44 and 45. 1 Peter chapter 1. You agree 1 Peter is written to you? Even though you're not Israel? Yeah, he's the one that talked about the we being the kingdom of priests, the royal nation. 1 Peter 1, starting at verse 14. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. That's like telling Israel, you're free from your life of bondage in Egypt. But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. That's pretty direct. Because it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. Where's that written? Leviticus 11, 44 and 45. Don't tell me Leviticus isn't important for you. And if you address as father, the one who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth. Fear of what? Fear of God. The same God who took out Ananias and Sapphira at the birthday of the church. The same God who took out Nadab and Abihu at the grand opening of the tabernacle. Conduct yourselves in fear of Him. Jesus even said, don't fear those who can only kill your body. Fear Him who can kill body and soul in hell. This is for you, my friend. Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth, knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood as of a lamb, unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. You'll understand that when you understand what Leviticus is all about. You cannot approach God. On your own terms. He does not negotiate contracts He made the perfect offer. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest, says Jesus. You come on His terms. One way and one way only. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me. And if you didn't catch that one, In John 14, how about when he says, no one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him? It's God's way and God's way only. And you do have a choice. You are perfectly free to make your own choice. Accept or reject. But you can't renegotiate. The wages of your sin is death. The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Or as Paul wrote it to his friend Timothy, First Timothy, chapter two, verses five and six, there is one God. My friends don't buy into the stuff that there's lots of different religions, lots of different gods, lots of different ways. There is one God. There are lots of wannabes, there are lots of frauds, there are lots of. Empty substitutes, there is one God. And there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. And the cool thing about him as a mediator is that he doesn't sit down and say to his father, well, that's a pretty good offer. Now, here's a counteroffer. Now, let's see if we can bring the two of you together. He is Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all. Leviticus is all about you shall be holy. Let us pray. Holy Father, as I stand here, even as I have the unspeakable joy to proclaim Your Word and to preach the Gospel of Your Son, I realize that I don't deserve my next breath. I thank you for your grace, which has saved me. I thank you for giving me the faith to respond. I thank you for the work that you have done and are doing in my life. But I understand you are holy and you call us to holiness. Thank you for making the way Thank you for sending your Son. And thank you for promising that as you began a good work in me 44 years ago, that you will be faithful to perform it until the day I am with your Son. Father, that's all your grace. We stand in Your grace. Your Word tells us that, but let us not presume upon Your grace. Therefore, whatever You choose to do through us, make us more useful, we pray, by working in our hearts today to change us more and more into the image of the one and only mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, Your only Son, in whose name we pray, Amen.