Good morning. Please open your Bibles with me to the Book of Romans, Chapter 9. Our main text for today will be found in Romans, Chapter 10, but in order to give us an appropriate understanding of the context and the flow of Paul's thought, we're going to begin in Romans, Chapter 9. So we're going to read Romans 9, beginning in verse 30, through into chapter 10, all the way to verse 13. So beginning in Romans 9, verse 30, continuing on through Romans 10, up to verse 13. Hear now the word of God. What shall we say then? that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven, that is, to bring Christ down, or who will descend into the abyss, that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart. That is the word of faith that we proclaim. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, We beg you now to send your spirit to us and bless us through the spirit that we might understand these words. Father, we ask that you would speak powerfully to us through this, your word, your holy word, the scriptures. Father, we pray that you would build us up and edify us. Father, we pray also that you would glorify yourself, that you would glorify your son, that you would glorify your spirit in these words. We thank you for these words and we pray that you would bless us through them. In Jesus name. Amen. Two weeks ago, our youth group spent a weekend at our annual beach camp. And our theme for that beach camp was the gospel. And the youth heard several sermons relating to the gospel. And the gospel was chosen as the theme because it is the heart and soul of our faith. It is the heartbeat of our lives, the foundation of everything that we believe, and the fountain of everything that sustains us. And over the course of the weekend, the youth were taught that all unbelievers need the gospel, but also that all believers need the gospel, though in a different way. The gospel message, however, is not just for young people, nor is it just for special occasions like beach camp. The gospel message is a command and promise to all people of all genders, ages or nationalities. And it is the most important thing that you will ever hear in your entire life. This morning, I will preach the gospel to you from this text in Romans. And to do so, I have three main points. The first main point will be there is no salvation through works according to the law. There is no salvation through works according to the law. The second point will be, there is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. There is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. And the third and final point will simply be, do you believe this? And as we just read, our text is in Romans 9 and 10. And in these verses, in Romans 9 and 10, and much of this portion of the book of Romans, Paul is explaining how the physical nation of Israel, Israel as a physical people, fits into God's plan of salvation. Because many Jews outright rejected the message and teaching of the apostles. But many of them took it seriously. And those who took it seriously often had sincere and deep questions. Because in their own eyes, they were God's chosen people. They received the covenants, the law, the prophets, the kings, the kingdom, etc. That's how they viewed themselves. And so they could not comprehend why it was that the apostles did not preach the law of Moses. And they could not comprehend why it was that anyone, any and all Gentiles, male or female, were allowed to join the so-called people of God. It just didn't make any sense to them. And so if they were God's people as a nation, a physical nation, why did the Gentiles get to join? And why is there nothing being preached about Israel and the Jews as a nation? And so this is where we pick up Paul's train of thought and we enter into our first point. There is no salvation through works according to the law. Paul here is answering these thoughts and questions, explaining this dilemma or problem of Israel. And that's where we pick up his train of thought in verse 30 of chapter nine. He says, what shall we say then that Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it? That is a righteousness that is by faith, but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. And he continues in Chapter 10 saying, Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." And so this last sentence is the key to the Jewish puzzle. for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. So think about it. Paul says Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. They did not succeed. In other words, Israel tried to obtain righteousness. How? By keeping and obeying every part of the law. They tried to do that. But they did not succeed. They did not succeed. Why? Paul tells us because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. Paul is saying that righteousness is impossible when pursued through works. But why is it impossible? Why is it impossible? Why did the Jews fail? It's impossible because true righteousness, true saving righteousness, means absolute and complete moral perfection, inwardly and outwardly. It means there's not a single negative mark on your record, not even the tiniest one, absolutely nothing. To have true saving righteousness according to the law means from the moment you are conceived, you would never ever say, do, or think anything sinful. And you would never ever fail to do that which you ought to do. In other words, you would never do anything wrong, you would never feel anything wrong, you would never think anything wrong. On the contrary, you would do everything right, you would feel everything right, and you would think everything right. But do you think that's possible? Can you do that? Can I do that? Can anyone do that? Is it possible to have that kind of perfect righteousness according to the law? Do you think that a human being can keep every single requirement of the law with his whole heart, soul, and mind every single moment for his or her entire life? Clearly, no. Of course not. We are not able to do this. But we are responsible to do this. We have a duty and obligation to keep the law perfectly. And you know what? That's the point of the law. The purpose of the law is to shine like a spotlight on every single dark and shadowy corner of our lives and hearts. and to root out and reveal all the filth, the sin, the wickedness, the unrighteousness, and the lies that are within us. The law reveals our sin, it does not establish our righteousness. The purpose of the law is not to say, you've been so good. The purpose of the law is to say, you have failed. You are not righteous. The law does not establish our righteousness. It reveals and establishes our unrighteousness, our wickedness. But if we back up and think about it, when we're born, we're not neutral babies that just happen to sin and mess up. We are born with a sinful nature. And so we do not It is not that we have sinned and so we are sinners, but rather we sin because we are sinners from birth. So even if you lived a life that externally, outwardly, appeared to be in obedience to the law of God, you are still absolutely guilty of it because inwardly, in your heart, you are a sinner. But that was the Jews' problem. They didn't understand that. And they thought that they could obey the law externally in the sight of man, and forget about the fact that their own hearts, their very hearts, their own being and nature itself was sinful. As Paul says, they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They thought it was something outward. They thought it was something that they had to do in sight of others. They did not understand the inward requirement of the heart. And so we see there is no salvation through works according to the law. It is impossible because not only can we not keep it, but the law serves not to establish our righteousness, but to reveal and establish our unrighteousness and our sinfulness. The law doesn't say you're pretty good. The law says you are a sinner deserving of the eternal and just wrath of God. But Paul understands this problem. He understands the Jewish side, but he also understands the Christian side. If I can put it that way, he understands the truth. He understands that the Jews have tried to obey the law, but they failed because they did not pursue righteousness by faith. That's why he says in chapter 10, brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. for I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. And so we see that zeal is not good enough. Desire is not good enough. Trying hard is not good enough. Wanting to be good is not good enough. There are many people with zeal for God, and they seem so spiritual, like the Pharisees did. but they are trusting in themselves and they are trusting in their own works and their own righteousness. It is completely external. Why are they trusting in their own righteousness? Paul says in verse 3, for being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. men and women, the law of God condemns you, each and every one of you. The law of God condemns every single person in this room and in the world as a sinner deserving of eternal and just punishment. The law of God condemns every human being as a sinner deserving of eternal and just punishment. And if you attempt to obtain and earn righteousness by living according to the law, It will only reveal your sinfulness more and more and more because that's its purpose. That's what it's supposed to do. Paul says in verse five, for Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. In other words, if you trust in your righteousness through obedience to the law, if you trust in your own obedience, That will be your defense before the throne of God. When you are judged by God, if you live by the law, if you trust in righteousness according to the law, you will have to submit to God your report card, and you have to tell God how well you did. And He will demand, without exception, an absolutely perfect and spotless report card. negatively and positively. You've never sinned. You have always done that which is righteous. But as we have seen, there is no righteousness through works according to the law, because the law does not establish our righteousness. It establishes our unrighteousness. Therefore, there is no salvation through works according to the law. If you live by the law, you will die by the law. But the good news, the gospel, is that Jesus Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to everyone who believes. And this brings us to our second point. There is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. There is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Why is Christ the end of the law of righteousness to everyone who believes? Why is he the end of the law? Christ is the end of the law because he kept the law perfectly with all of his heart, soul, and mind in his entire life. Christ never sinned and Christ always did what was righteous. He kept the whole law of God perfectly. He was tempted in every single way as we are, yet without sin. Christ fulfilled the law. He is the end of the law of righteousness to those who believe. But what does it mean to believe and how are we saved? What do we believe? How does Christ's perfect law-keeping somehow rescue us from the guilt and condemnation that the law has already placed on us? It seems that it's already too late. I'm already guilty. I've already been condemned. The law has already got me. So how does Christ's righteousness and his law-keeping rescue us from condemnation that we are already under? Paul says in verse 5, For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. In other words, if you live by the law, you will die by the law. But the righteousness based on faith says, do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down. Or who will descend into the abyss? That is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart. That is the word of faith that we proclaim. Now, these words are a bit confusing, aren't they? They're a bit confusing. When you read this, you're trying to follow Paul's thought, and it's a bit jumbled up in our minds. And so, in order to explain this, and in order to shed a little light on it, we have to recognize a few things. What Paul is doing is he's quoting an Old Testament passage. And then he's adding on a little explanation of his own. And because he has an overall argument, and then he adds in an Old Testament quotation, and then he adds in a little comment on that quotation within his larger argument, it just gets a bit confusing. But remember that we are answering a question. What do we believe, and how does it rescue us from the condemnation that the law has already laid on us? And Paul is answering that question in these words. And his answer is actually quite easily explained, although the way that it's set before us is a bit confusing. And the passage that Paul is quoting from the Old Testament is found in Deuteronomy. And this passage comes at a point where Israel is about to enter the promised land. And Moses is preaching to the nation. And he's delivering and explaining the law of God to the people, to the nation of Israel before they enter into the promised land. And Moses told the people that if they wanted to live in the promised land, they had to obey these rules, the law. And if they did, they would live, they would prosper, and they would be blessed. And if they did not obey the law, they would die, they would fail, and they would be cursed. And so he sets the law before them and says, if you do this, you will live. If you don't, you will die. And in order to make sure that no one said, but I don't know what to do. It wasn't presented to me. Moses said in Deuteronomy for this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you. Neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say who will ascend to heaven for us to bring it to us that we may hear it and do it. Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? But the word is very near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it." And so what Moses is doing is he's giving no one an excuse. No one can say they did not hear the law, and no one can say that it was not explained to them, or that it was unclear. So in the same way that the law was presented to the old covenant nation of Israel, clearly and plainly, So here, Paul puts the same words in a new covenant context and presents the gospel clearly and plainly, essentially saying the gospel is not too hard for you, nor is it distant and remote. Paul is saying that righteousness, which comes through faith, does not say who will go into heaven and rule. Because by faith we know that Christ has arisen and ascended. So to ask such a question dethrones the king, and true faith would not do that. We do not believe that Christ is not king. Similarly, true faith, the righteousness of faith, would not say, who will descend into the abyss and conquer death for us? Because by faith we know that Christ died, was buried, but rose again, conquering death once and for all. So then true faith, Saving faith the righteousness of faith does not ask these questions or doubt such things But believes them and that's why Paul says the word is near you in your mouth and in your heart That is the word of faith that we proclaim What word of faith Paul? because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead You will be saved And these simple words, these few words presented here so clearly and plainly, not too far off, not too distant or remote, not doubting Christ's life, death and resurrection. These words are the heart of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. Friends, the law of God condemns us and shows us our sin. But the gospel frees us from that condemnation. We see our sin in light of the law. We acknowledge it, and we hate it, and we repent of it, and we believe in Jesus Christ. We believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, came to earth born of a virgin. He lived a perfectly sinless and righteous life and went to the cross as a spotless sacrifice on the altar of God. And there on the cross, God poured out his wrath on Jesus, wrath against the sin of mankind. And Jesus paid the price of our sins with his own blood. And his sacrifice, his blood cleanses us from all our sins, past, present and future. And we are clothed with his perfect righteousness. We believe that after three days in the tomb, God raised Christ from the dead. And after 40 days, he ascended into heaven as the Lord and Savior of all those who believe. To confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord is to publicly acknowledge and profess your own sinfulness by acknowledging Jesus Christ's authority over you as Lord and Judge. To believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead is simply to truly and sincerely believe that Christ is who he says he is in every single way, in his work, his life, and his death. Also, believing in acts that no human being could ever accomplish, rising from the dead. It is to say, God, no man could ever do this. It is impossible in my mind and according to my understanding. But I believe that you have raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And our belief and our confession are two sides of the same coin. The belief is an inward change and profession or confession is an outward manifestation of the inward reality. True faith believes and willingly confesses. By confessing that Jesus is Lord, we are confessing that we are but sinners deserving his wrath. But because we have believed, we are not cast out as sinners. We are not told to go away. We are not told to come back when we look better. No, Paul says, for with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says, everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. There is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, because he is our righteousness. The Gospel is not far off. It is not remote. It is not hazy. It is not difficult. It's not a riddle. It's not a secret. It's not a puzzle. The Gospel is not law. It does not demand that we earn heaven. Rather, it says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Do you believe this? That is our third point. Do you believe this? When I was 15, I was asked the same question. I grew up in a Christian home with godly parents who cared for me and taught me well. My dad was a pastor, so I didn't lack biblical instruction. But like many children who are born in a Christian home, By the grace of God, I was not involved in any outwardly terrible sin. And I was not living an extremely rebellious life. And I wasn't hateful and opposed to the truth or the church. But I was 15 and I had not been baptized. And my brother-in-law, Bradford, wanted to know why. And he asked me why I had not been baptized. And I gave a very common answer, one which you perhaps have heard before, one perhaps which you have given yourself. And I said, well, I just don't feel like I've changed enough for me to be saved. I don't feel like my life has really changed. And Broderick opened his Bible to Romans 10 9 and he read, If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. And he said, Sam, do you believe this? And I waited for a moment because I knew it was a serious question. And I sincerely and I honestly answered, yes, I do. And I did not say that because I wanted to appease him or I wanted him to stop asking me. I didn't say it because I wanted to please people or anyone else. I truly did believe it. And I had believed it prior to being asked that. But when I said, yes, I do believe this, he looked at me and said, well. And then it clicked that I had missed the whole point of the law and the gospel, because it wasn't about how good I was or how good I should have become. It was about how bad I was and how I would never be good enough. I was looking to my own righteousness to try and justify my salvation. And I had allowed God's gracious restraint of my own sinful nature to fool me into thinking that for some reason I ought to be better, but I wasn't super, super bad or anything like that. I was just very confused and wrong. I was a Pharisee. I was not looking into the sinfulness of my heart. I was looking at the outward obedience of my life according to the law. But the result of that, that illusion, is that I was not truly looking at Christ's perfect righteousness, which is given to believers through faith. And so I do not believe that I was saved there and then, because I believed the Gospel prior to that moment, but I didn't truly understand it, and so I did not have the confidence that it gives to believers. And in that moment, I realized I had nothing to fear. I did not need to keep examining myself to try and find traces and justification of my own salvation, because I would never ever find that in myself. I truly trusted and believed that Jesus Christ was Lord, and that God had raised Him from the dead, and that He had paid the price of my sins. I trusted in his righteousness as the guarantee of my salvation. And at that point, I wanted to be baptized. I wanted not only to obey the scriptures, but also to publicly confess that Jesus is Lord. My experience is a very common one. One, although it often manifests itself in different ways. There are many children who have grown up in a Christian home. And they live lives that are not characterized by extreme or blatant sin. And they wonder, am I saved? Am I good enough? Does my life measure up to the standard of salvation? But that's not the point. And many other people in the world think the same thing. Am I good enough? I think I'm good enough. They try and measure themselves to find justification for their salvation. But that's not the point. You must look away from yourself and look to Christ and to Christ alone. Whether you grew up in a Christian home or not, the common experience is that we look to ourselves to find assurance of our salvation. We look to our works and our deeds to try and find something that fits the picture or meets the requirements. But that is impossible because works according to the law will not save you. They will only show you how sinful you are. But the gospel is not law, and it is that Jesus Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to those who believe. And if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Men and women, do you believe this? If you do, do not be afraid. The Bible says everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. I know there is a hesitation, there's a fear, there's a nervous apprehension, a sense of indecision and almost paralysis. You feel like you can barely move, perhaps. You feel like you don't know what to say or what to do. But Scripture tells us what to say, and it tells us what to do, and it promises us that we will not be put to shame. And I can assure you that God will never put to shame a believer because he has promised it in the Bible. God rejoices when a sinner is converted because he has a new son or a new daughter. And God is not a father who would put to shame his own beloved children. And I can also assure you that you will not be put to shame by the church. If you're wrestling with this, that is a good thing. There's nothing more important that you can deal with in your entire life because you're dealing with the fate of your soul. It's not a therapy program. The Bible does not offer a therapy program. It does not offer a rehabilitation program. It does not offer a philosophy to live by. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. And so if you have questions about this, or you simply want to talk about this, do not be afraid to ask. Christ has put shepherds over the church to minister to the souls of men and women. That is their calling and privilege. There's no need to fear. I promise you that there is nothing that they want to hear out of your lips other than that you have repented of your sins, that you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and that you believe that God has raised him from the dead. Do not be afraid. Scripture promises everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. Brothers and sisters, men and women, these words, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. The law reveals our sin. It will never, ever establish your righteousness. It will only show your sin. And so you must see your sin. We need the law. We need to understand that we are sinners and acknowledge that. But Christ is the end of the law because He kept the law. And when you believe in Him, when you confess that He alone is Lord and Savior, you will be saved. Do not look to yourself Do not be afraid. The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. And so I ask you today, do you believe this? If you do, confess that Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart, but confess with your mouth. If you do not believe this, you must see that the law condemns your sinfulness, and you must run to Christ in faith, confessing with your mouth that He is Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved. And as was said at the beginning, the Gospel is not just for unbelievers, it is also for believers. Because after we are justified, The Spirit sanctifies us, and in our sanctification, in the Christian life, as we battle sin, oftentimes we become discouraged when we examine ourselves, and we see that we're not perfect, that we're not doing as well as we ought to do. And sometimes, once again, we begin to look to ourselves and lose our assurance and our confidence. But our sanctification must always be grounded in and rooted in our justification, the gospel. And so once again, do not look to yourself to find assurance of your salvation. Do not look to yourself to try and establish your own righteousness, because if you are looking to yourself, you're going to be measuring yourself according to the law and the law will not give you assurance. The law will not establish your righteousness. It will only show you that you are a sinner. And so, believer, if you are struggling, if you feel downcast, if you feel like you are not making the progress that you ought to, you need to pray for the Spirit's help, but you also need to find confidence and joy in the gospel and what Jesus Christ has done for you. Because the same question goes for you and me. Do you believe this? I believe this. You are a child of God And so we find our confidence in our joy in Him and in the cross and in the gospel as was said at the beginning It is the foundation and the fountain of our faith it establishes us and it keeps us But it replenishes us and it sustains us and it feeds us and it nurtures us We must be rooted and grounded in the gospel every single day of our lives There is absolutely nothing that will give us strength and joy in our lives to persevere in our sanctification, other than our justification, which is the gospel, that Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all our sins and clothed us with his own righteousness. And so when I ask, when scripture asks, do you believe this? And you say, I do believe this. Then find joy and confidence in the fact that your Savior Jesus Christ has shed his own blood for you. and that you are his, that you are God's child, that you are his beloved son in the faith. And so rejoice, find joy in these words, and live your life conscious of these things, living a life of gratitude, a life of thanksgiving, that you have been rescued, that you have been saved, that you have been cleansed, you have been forgiven, and all of your sins, every single one has been wiped away. and that you are now perfectly righteous, clothed with the righteousness of Christ himself, and that nothing can take you out of the hand of God. And so the gospel is the foundation and fountain for the believer. It is the focus for the believer. And for the unbeliever, it is the only source of hope. It is the only way of salvation. The law will never save you. Jesus Christ will save you. There is no salvation through works according to the law. There is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Do you believe this? You must believe this. If you do not, flee to Christ. Repent and believe. If you do, confess with your mouth and find joy and confidence in the salvation of Jesus Christ, which is ours through faith. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank you and we praise you that Jesus Christ has done that which we could never, ever do. We thank you that he is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe. We thank you that we do not live under law, but under the gospel. We thank you that you have forgiven us of all of our sins. By grace, we have never deserved what you have done for us. And we will never be good enough, but Father, we thank you that it is your grace and your mercy and your kindness and your love that you have shown us in the gospel, in Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross for us. We pray that you would cause us to be ever mindful of these things, to be living lives that are always Christ-centered and gospel-centered, remembering what he has done for us, empowering us and giving us confidence and joy in our lives with gratitude. Father, we thank you and we praise you. This truly is the foundation and fountain of our lives and our faith. And we have nothing other to say other than that we praise you and thank you. But we pray, Father, that you would work in the hearts of those who have not repented and who have not believed. We know that these words, your own word, is the power of yourself unto salvation, and that you can and will save people through the gospel. And so we pray that the seeds which have been planted today would bear much fruit in our loved ones, in our children, in our friends, in all those who unbelieve. Father, you are able to save them. It is not too hard for you. And so, Father, we pray that you would arrest their hearts and minds, that you would truly show them their sin by the law, but that you would lead them to Christ in faith and repentance. Father, we pray that you would do a mighty work in our midst through the power of the gospel, and that you would save unbelievers and strengthen and encourage believers through the cross, through the gospel, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.