If you want to follow along this evening, there in your bulletin, we will continue working our way through the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith from 1689, looking at chapter 15 together. and we will walk through it in similar fashion to last week, considering one paragraph at a time, and in some of those paragraphs, just considering a sentence at a time. Of Repentance Unto Life and Salvation is chapter 15. Look at how it begins. Some of the elect are converted in later years, having lived for a time in the state of nature, as unconverted, and in that state having served various lusts, sinful desires, and pleasures." Now, some of these chapters more than others we can feel a bit of the historical context in which the confession was written. This is definitely one of those chapters. The Presbyterians of that day had established a very sound document, and one of the biggest differences between the two documents, between the Westminster and the 1689, is this chapter. Obviously things like about ecclesiology and baptism are different, but here in the chapter on repentance is different. There's not a differing view of repentance at the core, But the way that it displays as a result of what we believe about God's covenant, it's dealt with differently here. It's a bit of an odd way to begin this chapter on repentance. Some of the elect are converted in later years, having lived for a time in the state of nature as unconverted, in that state having served various lusts, sinful desires, and pleasures. It doesn't really say anything at all about repentance. It's going to get there, but that's where the chapter begins. The next sentence in the paragraph references repentance, but the reason that the authors of the confession, and they've done us such a wonderful service in doing this, is because the reason that they've done this is because radical conversions do happen among some of God's children, not among all of them. Now, again, every conversion is radical in one sense, in that we are transitioned from death to life. But we also have to realize that God is not locked in to saving only a certain type of people nor in a specific way and he doesn't save us all at the same times in our lives or from the same types of pasts. What's being emphasized or clarified here in the initial sentence of this first paragraph of chapter 15 is that a crisis experience conversion is not necessary. Again, remember, they're writing against the historical background of covenant children. Some of the elect are converted in later years, which means some are converted in earlier years. I mean, this is the point that's being made. God saves all types of people. Some is young and some is old. And we are evidence of that. But also what one of the services that the writers have done for us here is warning us that testimonies at times can be dangerous. Testimonies of salvation. This is what I mean by that. because some who do not have a dramatic testimony, like a very sinful past, wish for a dramatic testimony, particularly when they're longing for assurance, like, has God really saved me? When I hear this person talk about what their life was like before and what it's like now, I mean, it's night and day, it's so drastic. However, those with dramatic rescues from their sin, while they are grateful for their salvation, they wish that they hadn't sinned so greedily prior to their conversion. And this is just like every other issue in the history of humanity. We always want what we don't have. And that's what's happening. So testimonies are great, but they can be dangerous. I mean, you think about the 12 testimonies that we all have sitting in our inbox right now that we will be receiving into membership this coming Lord's Day. They are a good example of the many ways that God saves. He saves some young and some old. I mean, even among us here this evening, how many of us were converted under the age of 12? Raise your hand. How many of us were converted under the age of 25 or between 13 and 25? How many of us were converted after age 25? There are people in all of the groups. We are evidence that God is still, this was published in 1689, God is still saving all types of people and praise the Lord that he is. And this is also true, and we can read this into this first paragraph a little bit. The age at conversion is often, not always, but it's often in correlation with how outwardly wicked we have been. That's not always true. Sometimes we do live fairly moral lives outwardly and are converted later in life. But oftentimes, the point that's being made here, being converted later in years, having lived for a time, unconverted, given to sinful desires and pleasures. And then the next sentence that leaves us hanging a little bit, but it wraps up with the next sentence. God gives to such repentance, gives to such repentance to life in connection with their effectual calling. No matter how old, no matter how young, no matter how sinful, no matter how No matter how far from God, no matter how close to God, God saves by his means each and every one that he has called to himself. And remember, this is building on the previous chapters. We've looked at election before. God saves every single one in his time, everyone that he has called to himself, he ultimately will save. Can someone turn the sound on in the, Training room, got it, good. I just got a text. Chapter two, paragraph two, chapter 15. Just making sure you're paying attention. There is no one who does good and does not sin. A great emphasis here, the universality of sin. All are sinners, all people everywhere are sin and do sin. Romans chapter 3, there is none righteous, not even one. We're at the apostle here quoting the psalmist. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. all who have turned aside, together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one." This first sentence of paragraph two is summarizing that statement from the Apostle Paul. Let's continue. Even the best of men may, as a result of the power and deceitfulness of their corruption dwelling in them, together with the prevalence, that is the strength and extent of temptation, fall into great sins and provocations of God. So the point here, initially it's all people are sinners, but this next sentence focuses in a bit more. And the point is not just sinfulness among all people out there somewhere, but sinfulness among Christians. And not just Christians in general, but even the most mature, or the word that's used here, best of men, the most mature Christians sin greatly, great sins and provocations. How does this happen? How does it happen that even the best of men may fall into great sins and provocations of God? If we take out that central parenthetical statement, that's the point that's being made. because of the corruption dwelling in them, that because of the remaining sin in us, we are still prone and inclined to sin as long as we live in these fallen bodies. So there's a sinful tendency within us as humans, as fallen humanity, and when that mixes with temptation from without, it can result in sins and provocations of God. No one is able to be beyond the deceitfulness of sin. And that's the great warning here that the writers of the confession have offered to us. No one is able to be beyond the deceitfulness of sin. If you say, or are tempted to say, I would never do that, you are doubly deceived. Because you are capable of doing that, and you're not even aware of your capability to do that. Because of the power and the deceitfulness of our corruption that dwells within us, together with the temptation that is a result of us living in a fallen world, we are susceptible to that. Remaining sin in us and the power of temptation is much stronger than we realize. So we should be aware of that. It, that is sin and temptation, causes the best of Christians to fall into great sins. That's what this paragraph makes clear, this first couple of sentences. But let's read the third sentence in this paragraph. Because of this, It's so wonderful. I mean, it's pretty miserable news, right? The first couple of verses, like, really? So why keep going? Well, it gets better. Because of this, God in the covenant of grace has mercifully provided that believers who sin, even the best of men who sin and fall in this way, in a great way, shall be renewed through repentance to salvation. Succinctly stated is this, God in his remarkable grace has made wonderful provision for his people who fall into great sins. Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin. That's the reality. Luke 22, Simon, Simon, behold, Jesus said, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. but I've prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Peter hasn't even fallen at this point. Simon Peter hasn't even fallen and here's Jesus saying, I've prayed for you. So that when you fall, not if, but when you fall, that you'll be strengthened, that you'll be restored. that you'll turn again. That turning is the idea of repentance and then strengthening others. When we sin, we must not remain far off from God, but we must take advantage, take full advantage of this way that has been provided by Christ back into fellowship with God. But that is not our first inclination. is it? When we sin and the distance is created, a little bit of fellowship is broken, our tendency is to increase that distance, to feel bad, to wallow, to turn inward, rather than looking again at the forgiveness that is free and full, that is provided in Christ. and repenting of our sin and trusting afresh in Him who loves us and gave Himself for us. Because even the best of men may fall into great sins, God in the covenant of His grace has mercifully provided that we who sin and fall in this great way shall be renewed through repentance to salvation." What a glorious truth that though we are constantly faced with the sin within and the temptation without and we are prone to fall, that we have this pathway back into fellowship with God. It's a well-beaten path if we will take advantage of it that Christ has laid out for us. We come again to him and find forgiveness. This saving repentance, paragraph three, this saving repentance is an evangelical or gospel grace. The demands of the gospel, the demands that have been made of us in the gospel, Repent and believe. They come as gifts. We considered this last week with regard to believe or faith. They come as gifts or grace from God. Saving repentance, repentance that leads to life is a gift from God. God commands us to repent and he gives us repentance. You can't ask for a better deal. It doesn't get any better than God commanding us and then giving us what he's commanded. Repentance, the command, the demand is also repentance, the gift, and the grace. What a wonderful truth. In Acts 11, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life. which is where the title of this chapter comes from, of repentance unto life and salvation. Not only has God given There in Acts 11, they realize not only has God given his people repentance, the Jews, he's given the Gentiles. He's commanded all people everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. And he's given all kinds of people everywhere faith and repentance as gifts in order that they might exercise them and find salvation in his son. Let's keep reading there. By this grace, By this evangelical gospel grace of saving repentance, when a person is made aware by the Holy Spirit of the multiplied evils of his sin, he does, by faith in Christ, humble himself for his sin with godly sorrow, hatred of it, and self-loathing or shame. Now, we're halfway through the chapter, we're in the third paragraph, and finally repentance is defined for us. It's spelled out. Being aware of sin is the beginning of repentance, but acknowledging our sinfulness is not repentance. Jesus came to save us from our sin, not just to expose or to reveal our sin, but to save us from it. We have to be aware or convinced of our sin in order to repent of it or in order to be saved from it. So it's part of it, being aware of our sin. That's the very first line there. By this grace, when repentance comes, we are made aware by the Spirit's work in us of the multiplied evils of our sin. And then by faith, which came as a twin gift along with repentance, we are humbled, that is overwhelmed by the undeserved good and graciousness of God. How would he ever be so kind and so gracious to come alongside and expose the need that we have and to make us aware of these things that will damn us if we don't deal with them properly. What grace He has shown us and it results in humility for our sin, not just that but with godly sorrow. Godly sorrow leads to salvation. Godly sorrow leads to life. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10, which we'll look at more in just a little bit. Merely feeling bad about your sin is not repentance. Godly sorrow over sin leads to life. Godly sorrow is repentance. turning from our sin, seeking to be done with our sin. That's what produces salvation and life. It's what guarantees salvation and life. Humility with regard to our sin, godly sorrow, hatred of it. As Christians, it only makes sense that we would hate that which is trying to kill us. And that's what sin is doing. So it makes sense that we would hate our sin and self-loathing or shame. We unquestionably lack a healthy dose of shame in our culture today. Because we lack this shame in our culture, we are prone, and we see it all around, the increasing flaunting of sin everywhere. And the further the culture out there goes in their lack of shame, the more likely we are to trickle along behind, not at the same pace, but a little bit behind, also lacking shame. Just one quick illustration. A decade and a half or two decades ago, homosexuality was still shameful, even in our culture, even in the secular culture in which we live, homosexuality was shameful. We live in a day now where prominent Christian leaders suggest that gay Christianity or homosexual Christianity is actually a thing. The shame isn't there anymore. It left the culture, continues to be gone from the culture, but those in Christian circles are following in that pathway. But repentance, real repentance, produces a self-loathing and a shame with regard to our sin. A true shame is not celebrating our sin or our sinful past, but mourning it when we honestly assess our hearts, our history, and ourselves. So we are ashamed that we have brought a blight and darkness to Christ. This grace makes us aware of our sin, producing humility with regard to our sin, a godly sorrow over our sin, hatred of our sin and shame of our sin. And it doesn't stop there. He prays for pardon and strength of grace and determines and endeavors as one supplied with power by the spirit to walk before God so as to please him fully in all things. This prayer for pardon, we might call it the third part of repentance. So there's grace given, there's an awareness of our sin granted, which produces humility, sorrow, hate, and shame of our sin, with regard to our sin, and then a prayer for pardon. Psalm 51 too, create in me a clean heart. Pardon, that's verse 10. Verse two, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. That's the prayer for pardon that we see from King David. There's a prayer for strength and for determination. Look at the first line of that sentence again. The one who has received this evangelical grace, the gift of repentance and faith, Having been, by the Spirit, shown that we are sinners, we then beg for pardon and strength and grace and determination from God. Created me a clean heart, Psalm 5110, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Give me the strength I need. Give me the determination I need. We need not just forgiveness, Repentance doesn't just provide forgiveness, but power to not sin again. That's an aspect of repentance. It's turning away from the sin. And this is how we fight sin, not just fighting sin on the one hand, but this is how we walk with God as his people, taking advantage of Philippians 119, the provision of the spirit of Jesus Christ, or as is stated here in the confession, to walk before God so as to please him fully in all things. It's remarkable to think about what has happened here. who has sinned against a holy God and is worthy of eternal damnation as a result of that. Yet God in his mercy and grace has invaded this person's life and given them faith and repentance that is guaranteed to be exercised. They realize that they're a sinner. They feel bad for their sin. They're ashamed of it. They're humbled as a result of it. And so they beg God to pardon them and to give them strength. and a determination in order that they might walk with Him and please Him. That's remarkable what God has done in His people. We go from hating Him and hell-bound, and deservedly so, to having the capacity to walk with Him in a pleasing manner, as Adam did in the cool of the day. From God hating to God pleasing. because of this work of grace, because of this evangelical grace of repentance that God has gifted to every one of his children. The privilege of pleasing him fully in all things. Listen to Colossians 1.10, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects," Paul writes, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Or 2 Corinthians 5, 9, we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. What a glorious ambition we have the privilege of having as Christians to be pleasing to the one who made us, to the one who saved us, to the one who we get to live forever with, worshiping. So this evangelical grace is granted to us in the gift of repentance, making us aware of our sin, causing us to pray, helping us to determine in order that we might walk and please Him. I typically think of it, and this will sound familiar to some of you, because I've shot it to you in a text or mentioned it in a conversation. It tends to be the way that I remember these aspects that are lined out here for us in the confession. We recognize our sin, we repent of it, we resolve to not return. So we recognize it, we're made aware of it, We repent of it, we pray, we resolve, we determine, we return to walk and plead, to not return to this sin, but to walk in a way that's pleasing to the Lord. Now you may be able to remember. It makes you aware in order that you pray, in order that you can determine to walk and please him. I think it'll be easier if you remember, recognize, repent, resolve, and return. It's just the way my mind works, but we recognize our sin when God gives us this gift. And we repent of it. And included in that repentance is a resolve, doing whatever it takes to not keep going down that path away from what's pleasing to Christ, but rather seek to not only not return to that, but to only walk in a way that's pleasing to God. Let's look at paragraph four. Repentance must be continued through the whole course of our lives because of the body of death and its actions and inclinations. So that's good news and bad news. The bad news is if there's breath in your lungs, you need to be repenting. The good news is you can stop repenting as soon as you stop sinning. And we will all stop sinning. If you're in Christ, there's coming a day when you will sin no more and repentance will not be needed. But as long as we live in a fallen world with fallen bodies, fallen minds, fallen hearts, we must continue to live lives of repentance. That's what this paragraph is emphasizing. Repentance must be continued through the whole course of our lives. We're not going to outgrow it. It's not like if you put in a good 10 years or a good 40 years, then you can retire from repenting. because we live in this body of death and its actions and inclinations are toward sin. There's a little pamphlet that I believe Jim Eliff wrote it called The Repenting Repenter. Maybe Richard Owen Roberts, I think it was Jim Elliffe though. It's a great little pamphlet, great encouragement, a reminder of this truth, that yes, we repent as we're coming into the faith as it were, we repent and believe, but we continue believing and repenting. We continue trusting and turning away from our sin. Jesus said it this way in Luke 13, verse three, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. And two verses later, he said this, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. The exact same thing. We must continue through the whole course of our lives, turning from our sin and turning to God in Christ for our salvation. The next sentence there. It is therefore every man's duty to repent of his particular or specific known sins particularly or specifically." So the encouragement here is avoid the generic, forgive us of all of our sins, Forgive us of all of our shortcomings. Not that that's bad, but there is an expectation for us to deal with particulars and specifics. We sin in specific ways, in particular ways against God. In Psalm 19, who can discern his errors? After the psalmist does a glorious job talking about the way that God has created the world and then centers in on the scriptures and what we have and the word of God. And the point is there that God in his revelation, it's the revelation of God that exposes us and shows us our sin. And it causes the psalmist to say, who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me. Then I'll be blameless and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. So these hidden sins, it's worth talking about because the confession has just encouraged us, each one of us, to repent of our particular or specific sins particularly or specifically. But what about the hidden ones? Some sins may be overlooked or hidden, not necessarily because they're too small to notice, but because they are just too common in us for us to rightly recognize. And so we pray for God, as the psalmist is doing here, for God to reveal it to us. And he does that through his word and through our friends. Oftentimes these hidden sins, it's not that they're hidden and that no one sees them, it's that we don't see them. But oftentimes other people do. Oftentimes they're the most unpleasant aspects of who we are. And so we want God to acquit us of them and to reveal them and to use his word and one another to expose and reveal them, making us aware of them, right? Because once we're aware of it, then we can properly deal with it. We are humbled as a result of it. We feel shame because of our sin and we beg for pardon. and for determination and strength to deal with it. And we continue doing this all the days of our lives. In the final paragraph. This is great. If you were here last week, you'll remember me mentioning, I think it was in the last paragraph, somewhere along the way, the authors of the confession, you can tell that they're not theological eggheads, right? They're not, you know, sitting as seminary professors somewhere just waxing eloquent about theology, but they're dealing with real people's souls and they've dealt with their own soul well. And so they're good soul physicians. And this last paragraph really, again, like last week, is such a warm, shepherding approach that you can just feel their warm-hearted care for the people that they're writing to, for us. They probably had no idea that people so long from then would be taking advantage of their words or that I would be saying nice things about them. but we can feel the warm shepherding aspect of the authors bleeding through here again. God through Christ, they write, in the covenant of grace has made such a provision for the preservation of believers to salvation that although there is no sin so small that it does not deserve damnation, yet there is no sin so great that it shall bring damnation on those who repent. Such an emphasis on the grace of God here again for the preservation of believers. Because God is gracious, we will persevere to the end. Because God is gracious, we'll be preserved all the way to the end. He's provided it for us. The grace of God in Christ continues granting us all that we need for salvation. It wasn't a little deposit in the beginning and we've got to make it last all the way to the end. but he's an infinite God who has storehouses of grace that he dumps out incessantly into our lives, guaranteeing that we as his people will finish in the end. There's no sin so small, no sin so great, which is helpful for us to think about. Are there small sins and big sins? Are there small sins and great sins? We'll use the words of Jesus to answer the question. Jesus to Pilate, hours before his death, he who delivered me to you has the greater sin. So evidently there are small sins and great sins according to what Jesus said. Both the Pharisees who knowingly turned Jesus over and Pilate who ignorantly had him crucified are deserving of domination. But according to Jesus, those who turned him over to Pilate are guilty of the greater sin. The emphasis is, for us, the emphasis is encouragement. In this sense, every sin, every single one, even small ones deserve eternal damnation. But even the greatest sin, the most horrific and heinous and grievous sin you could imagine, will not damn those who repent. There isn't better news than that. Forgiveness always, always comes to those who repent. No matter how big the sin, no matter how far you think you've fallen, no matter how great or grievous, repentance brings us back into the right relationship with God always. the way Charles Wesley says it in his hymn, Depth of Mercy. There for me the Savior stands, holding forth his wounded hands, scars which ever cry for me, once condemned, but now set free. He recognized that he was a horrific sinner. but that God had a depth of mercy that knew no bounds. It was limitless. And as a result, we can have confidence that God through Christ and the covenant of grace has made a provision to preserve us to salvation. That even though the smallest sin you could ever commit deserves damnation, even though that's true, The greatest sin imaginable will not damn those who repent. And the final sentence, this makes, this reality, this truth makes the constant preaching of repentance necessary. The preaching of repentance alongside the practice of repentance is what produces assurance of salvation in God's children. The gospel is not the gospel and is an incomplete or truncated gospel without the demand of repentance, without the promise of what's offered to those who repent. Now, repentance is hard. There's a reason why we shy away from it. By we, I mean generally. Because it hurts, but it's a good hurt. It's a wounding and exposing of our sin, but it's a joyful wounding because of what comes on the other side of it. Sin exposes. It hurts us. It wounds us. But sin forgiven is good and it's joyful and freeing. So we might say repentance is wonderfully painful, which sounds like a contradiction in terms, but we all know what that means. You probably know someone that's had a knee replacement in the past several years or a hip replacement. Oftentimes those people will say they felt better immediately after surgery than they did before going in. Well, imagine them doing the surgery without anesthesia, right? It would hurt really bad, but this is going to be really good. And repentance is that way. There's a hurt to it. There's an exposure of our sin before God. But when we bring it before him, when we repent and turn from it, there's a joy and a freedom. We need the constant preaching of repentance for the conviction of our sin, and we need the constant preaching of repentance for the assurance of our salvation. 2 Corinthians 7 verses 8 through 11 is the place in Scripture where we have the most, the largest portion dealing specifically with repentance. Listen as I read these four verses. For though I caused you sorrow in my letter, this is the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Corinth about a letter that he most likely wrote between 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians that we don't have anymore. We don't have a copy of. God has seen fit to not include it in the canon. But Paul tells us a little bit about it here. It caused you great sorrow. I do not regret it, he goes on to say, though I did regret it, for I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while. I now rejoice that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance, for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow has produced in you, what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong. In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. Repentance leading to life and repentance leading to death. Those are pretty different. They can't be more different. So it's really important that we get repentance right. And if we begin by understanding that it's a gift from God, rather than trying to work it up on our own, we're much more likely to get it right. when we understand that God has given us because we respond to him appropriately, recognizing that he's done the work and is doing the work in us that he himself commands and requires. Verse 11 reveals these fruits of repentance that John the Baptist was talking about in the early days of his ministry, bear fruit in keeping with repentance. So while repentance is toward God and vertical, the fruit of repentance is horizontal. And that's what verse 11 spells out for us. Before it gets into this, these horizontal fruits of repentance, it mentions that what earnestness, this very thing, that repentance ought never be half-hearted, but it ought to be diligent. or earnest. And then he goes on to say these are the evidences of it. These are the fruits of repentance in our lives. What vindication, a commitment to make wrongs right, what indignation. There's a displeasure with ourselves and with our sin. There's anger at our sin, which we've considered in some measure already. There's fear, not a dread of God, but a reverential admiration and an attempt, a tender regard to please Him, a fear of offending Him. a longing, a desire for righteous dealings in our lives and in the lives of others. And zeal, again, devoted, enthusiastic approach to doing what is right and an avenging of wrong, kind of sandwiching it together again, making things right. And then the last sentence of verse 11, in everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. Innocent. not having done no wrong, but due to forgiveness, through repentance. Not because no wrong was done, but because forgiveness is really full and really free. The law of God exposes and reveals our sin. Apart from the law, sin is dead, but the law has come and it reveals sin in us. But the kindness of God leads to repentance. And God has revealed both of these aspects to us. We open his word and his law is there. His character is revealed through his law and sin is exposed. Oh, but we see the hope that is offered and the grace that is offered in Christ. And it's his kindness that leads us to repentance, to appropriate the gift that he's given us. It's remarkable, really, that God in his grace gives us this gift of repentance. which is absolutely necessary for salvation. And not only does he give us this gift, but then he entices us to repentance by means of his eternal kindnesses in Christ, basically guaranteeing that we will exercise this gift that he has given us. It's like giving a kid who absolutely loves baseball, a brand new baseball, And as they're opening it up, they're completely infatuated with the gift. And so they don't notice that you've pulled out a glove. And as soon as they look up with the glee on their face, you're popping the glove ready, you know, throw it right here. That's what God has done. He has given us this remarkable gift and he entices us, he woos us, soliciting us to take advantage and appropriate and exercise this gift. And what happens when we exercise it? we're saved. An assurance of salvation continues to well up in us and we are made increasingly confident in Him so that time and again when our sin is exposed, we run back to Him and recognize that because of the cross and what Christ has done for us, our salvation is still there. And we're secure in Him because of what He's done for us in Christ. May God help us on the one hand to come to grips with the reality of whether or not we have this repentance. And if you don't, if you aren't confident that you've repented, run to Jesus. The gift is free. Trust in Him and turn from your sin. And if you have repented, You know the experience of a clean conscience before God. Keep on repenting. Keep on turning to Christ and away from your sin. Let's pray. Our God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your son, for your spirit, for your law, for your kindnesses towards us. God, we are so undeserving. And we are amazed at the kindness that you've shown us in Christ. God, do not let us lose the reality of being wowed at the amazing grace that you've shown us in Jesus. God, grant repentance and faith for the first time to those who know you not, and give others copious measures of your grace that we might appropriate it and apply it seeking to be conformed into the image of Christ Jesus. We pray that you'll do it for his sake and for our good. Amen.