We'll be reading from our church covenant this morning, and we're reading through the articles contained therein as a means to prepare ourselves for signing our covenant in the coming weeks. This is an important commitment and thus worthy of due preparation. In many ways, what our covenant teaches is a distillation of the scriptures teaching on Christian living. It begins with how you enter the path and then teaches how to continue on the path. Last week's article, Article 6, gave us a sort of general preamble which gave great thematic aim to the Christian life. We're to live as Christ by the power of God, denying sin and seeking holiness. In this week's article, Article 7, begins putting meat on those bones. It says we will be just and honest in our dealings and faithful in our responsibilities and commitments. So how are we to deal with people as we go about living in this world? We are firstly to be just and honest. This is to seek to do right by others in our interactions, in our thoughts and words and deeds. We are to treat others the way that we would wish to be treated. We are to love our God by loving our neighbor. And that begins with being honest and just. It continues in valuing someone enough, they will make your yes, yes, and your no, be no. That you will to the harming of yourself do that which you have said you will do. And for scripture reference, I refer you back to Psalm 15, which embodies this article, just as it embodies Christ. For he was the only honest and just one and fulfilled his word and obligation under the pain of death. As we see in Psalm 15, who may abide in your tabernacle, who may dwell in your holy hill? And the answer is given, he who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart. And further on, that he who swears to his own hurt and does not change. And so Christ embodies this. He is honest and just in his dealings. He speaks the word of truth and the word of life. And he did indeed, to the pain of death, fulfill his obligation unto us. And likewise, as we continue working our way through this, we again see a wonderful responsibility and likewise a privilege. We are to fulfill our responsibility one to another, to every man, and especially to those of the household of God, to be just and honest in our dealings. And we are likewise to fulfill all of our responsibilities and commitments And this is likewise a privilege, as we will see that others are to do this as well. We get to participate in this. This makes things so much more delightful as we interact with one another, as we continue to commune with one another, that we may trust one another. That's the foundation of relationships, is trust. And it's a privilege to be able to be with one another here and trust one another as well. Let's go ahead and pray. Oh Lord, we thank you this day that you are honest and true. All your word is truth. Lord, I pray that you would help us to grow in humble dependence upon your truth. the truth of the whole of your scriptures and particularly in the gospel that we may trust in the life and death and resurrection of Christ to fulfill the obligation that our sin is due. Oh, Lord, we are in need of grace and mercy is truly offered in Christ as he fulfilled the obligation to go to the cross to die and suffer for sin and likewise to live in righteousness that we may have righteousness Lord, may you help us to do likewise, to look to Christ, to walk as he under the power of God, to shun the unrighteousness, the sinfulness of lying, a false witness of not upholding our commitments. but Lord may help us to walk a holy life, to speak truth, to honor our commitments, even if it costs us something or cost us much. All the while, may we look to Christ to rest in him, even in our failures to these, as we know that we often more than we'd like to admit, fail to uphold us. but he is true to his word. He is faithful to forgive those who confess their sins to him. In your name I pray, amen.