It has been correctly observed that history is His story, that is, God's story, the unfolding of His eternal plan for mankind, determined before He created the world and revealed in space and time, leading forward into eternity. Each one of us is a traveler in this world, Each one of us is headed inescapably to our own meeting with God, where he will assign us either unending bliss in the presence of his glory or of everlasting agony in the presence of his wrath. There are no three paths, only two through this life unto eternity. Which will it be for you? Which will it be for me? The Bible is the inspired revelation of God's character and his dealings in this world. And therefore it is crucial to our happiness here and hereafter that we give careful attention to God's story. Now for a while, we've been studying the doctrine of heaven. The Bible teaches that we forfeited heaven because of sin. The first man, Adam, acting as our representative, failed to heed God's gracious warning not to eat the forbidden fruit. God placed a curse upon our parents and threw them upon all mankind, including ourselves, because of our representative sin in the first man, Adam. And so right away, we meet a lesson for all of us that our fall in Adam has cosmic present relevance and eternal significance for each and every one of us in this room. The doctrine of heaven fits within what is called the doctrine of eschatology. What is eschatology? That's a $2 word. Well, eschatology is the study of last things. The Bible teaches that we are in the last days of this age, and the last days were inaugurated by the coming of Jesus from heaven. While on earth, Jesus lived a perfect life. He died to save his people from their sins. After his resurrection from the dead, he ascended to glory and he will come one day again to judge the living and the dead and to usher in the new heavens and the new earth. And those who are his are eagerly awaiting his return from heaven. I trust that you this morning, you would include yourself, not just by wishful thinking, but by conviction, believing in the gospel of Christ, that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, which is far better. Well, we experience a foretaste of the coming age. Jesus will inaugurate as at his return in the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies of his advent and of the promised outpouring of the spirit. We read about that in the eighth chapter of Romans. The spirit of God is in the people of God, enabling them to cry out to God as their father. Jesus will return at the end of this age We will then witness the answer to the church's continual prayer that Jesus put in our mouth, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You see, heaven will come to earth. And we sing in anticipation of that day, Jesus who died shall be satisfied and earth and heaven be one. That's the day that Christians are looking forward to even now. When heaven comes to earth, God will make all things new. He will reverse the dreadful effects of the curse. He will purge this universe with fire and inaugurate the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness will forever dwell. And if you're a Christian, you long for that day. So this points us back to Genesis. The glory forfeited by Adam's sin will be realized through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the second Adam. He undid what Adam did, and he did everything Adam was supposed to do, and he purchased the salvation of all those that he represents. Our Lord refers to the world to come that he purchased for his people by his righteousness as the regeneration. Jesus even spoke about the new heavens and the new earth in Matthew 19 and verse 28. Jesus said to them, that is to his disciples, truly I say to you that you who have followed me in the regeneration, when the son of man will sit on his glorious throne You also shall sit upon 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. So Jesus speaks about the day in which heaven and earth will be regenerated and God's people will dwell with him in glory. So you see the regeneration is the world to come. It is when heaven comes to earth. Now, heaven is a subject that each one of us should find intensely interesting and personally applicable, since I trust that each person in this room this day is hoping one day, when they die, to go to heaven. Everybody has that hope, but not everybody will have that reality. So do you desire to go to heaven when you die? That day is stalking each one of us, and it may come sooner rather than later for any one of us. We need to be ready for that day. We've considered the teaching of the Bible that the present experience of Christians is a foretaste of heaven. The Bible speaks about those who have been raised up with Christ and seated with Christ in the heavenly places in Christ. And therefore we are to seek those things which are above, not the things on earth, we're to seek those things where Christ is, seated at the right hand of majesty on high. The apostle Paul puts it this way, Christ in you, the hope of glory. One day that hope that we have in our hearts will be realized, as our brother reminded us, when faith is turned into sight and hope, the grace of hope, will not be there in our hearts anymore because our hands will handle the very things that we hope for today. So this hope of glory we are calling the now heaven. We prepare for heaven tomorrow by living for Christ today. The Bible teaches that heaven must first be in us before we will be in heaven. And we will conclude our study of heaven in days to come with practical directives to prepare us for heaven. Now, last time we briefly pondered the next heaven, that is, the place where Christians go when they die, what Bible teachers call the intermediate state, that is, the period between death and the coming resurrection. Well, it is our privilege today to begin to contemplate the new heaven. We've looked at the now heaven and the next heaven. Now we're going to look at the new heaven. That is when the next heaven is brought to earth at Jesus' return, when he comes to regenerate this cursed universe. Now, I had Chris read Romans chapter eight. There's a method to my madness. The eighth chapter of Romans reveals the glorious freedom enjoyed by God's believing people because of what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ. The blessings of salvation give us a foretaste of heaven. We read about our freedom from condemnation. We read about our privileges as God's adopted children, our hopeful prospects amidst tribulations, our assistance from the Holy Spirit in prayer, our experience of the love of God revealed in predestination in our lives and salvation all the way through glorification, and our final triumph through Christ by Jesus' intercession and his preservation. There's nothing that can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And so this glorious chapter begins with no condemnation and it ends with no separation. Christians as God's adopted children, no matter what their presence, situation, and circumstances might be, no matter how difficult and how dark, even how dangerous, we should be a people characterized by hope. Those who are justified and adopted into the family of God, who are sanctified, being conformed to the image of Christ, will one day be glorified. Paul speaks of it that way. Those who be called these also justified. These who be justified, these he also glorified. In the mind of the Apostle Paul, it's a done deal. We will be glorified if we have been predestined, if we've been called, if we've been justified. We will be glorified. See what Paul's teaching there is grace leads inevitably to glory for the people of God. Well, Paul grounds his hopeful eschatology, his hopeful view of last things in God's promise to our fallen parents in Genesis. After pronouncing a curse upon the tempter and then in the midst of his curses upon our disobedient parents, the Lord utters the first gospel promise found in the Bible. A descendant of Eve would deliver a head crushing blow to our arch enemy, the devil. Paul informs us one day that the curse will be forever lifted. The glory forfeited by Adam because of his sin would yet be realized by the Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of his adopted people. Look at Romans chapter eight again if you're not already there. I'll be reading verses 16 through 23. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longings of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves having the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Now, in studying the doctrine of the new heaven, we are going to, like the Apostle Paul, we're going to go back to Genesis to see how the promise of glory that Adam forfeited is realized through Jesus Christ. And that promise involves not only the removal of the curse from this earth and from the whole universe, but also the glorification of God's people and also glory as it will one day fill the universe. And for this we anxiously wait. So with that rather long introduction, what we're going to consider this morning is two points by way of exposition. First of all, we're gonna look at creation's past ruination, the imposing of God's curse upon creation. And then we're going to consider creation's present anticipation that is groaning under God's curse. And next time we return to our study, we're going to look at creation's future renovation. That is the glorious. fulfillment of God's plan for his world. So let us consider then, first of all, creation's past ruination, the imposing of God's curse upon creation. Now, if you remember back in Genesis, Genesis chapter two and verse 17, God warned our first father that sin would bring death. Genesis 2.17, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat for the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die. God said you can eat freely of all of the trees. There's one tree that you shall not eat from. This is a special test I'm giving to you to see if you love me and you will obey me. And we see here that the essence of the curse is death. Now, as we noted in a previous message, God likely warned Adam of the evil that would result for himself, not only his death, but death for all of mankind and for creation if he transgressed his command. So Adam went in to his covenant with God with his eyes open. Notice two points. First of all, the divine imposition of the curse, Romans chapter eight and verse 20, for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of him that is of God who subjected it. Now, brethren, let's take a step back here and consider this statement. The same God who pronounced a wonderful blessing upon his newly minted creation, he called it very good. After Adam's sin, he pronounced a terrible curse upon what he had made. Creation was perfect. There was not a flaw here or there or anywhere. But God's curse upon Adam's sin, notice, subjected creation to futility. And this word means frustration or purposelessness. It's often used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in the book of Ecclesiastes. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. He's recognizing the effects of the curse in his own experience in this cursed earth. And notice here that Paul personifies creation. He states that it would never have chosen futility for itself, but it bowed itself under God's curse. You see, he who invested creation with purpose and progress, he now scuttled his original design. And this was God's cosmic judgment upon man for his sin. Brethren, we see right here that God takes sin seriously. He will judge sin. He either will judge it in us or he will judge it in his son, but he will judge sin. We will either be condemned for our own sin or we will trust in Christ and not be condemned because he condemned his son for the sin of all who believe upon him. Notice, cursed is the ground because of you, Genesis 3, 17. It's cursed because of you. So that's the divine imposition of the curse. Notice, secondly, the dreadful implications of the curse. Two of them. If you're not in Genesis 3, please turn there. I read Genesis 3.17. Notice, first of all, the dreadful implications of the curse for mankind, Genesis 3.18 and 19. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread till you return to the ground. Notice the effect of God's curse upon our ordinary labors, speaking particularly to breadwinners. God's curse introduced weariness to our work, causing us to see little return upon our labors. The curse injects a sense of futility into our work. Our efforts may at times even seem utterly hopeless. I do all this work and I get so little return from the sweat of my brow. Adam never experienced this before his sin. Work for him was not a drudgery, but a delight. But this is the effect of the curse. This is life under the sun. This is life because of God's condemnation of our sin. Now, you all know this by your own experience, do you not? Well, we know that sin causes laziness, but even for the diligent and for the hardworking, labor is no longer filled with delight as it once was before Adam fell. Our labors lack complete fulfillment. Instead, all work is tainted with a sense of drudgery. This is the effect of the curse. Notice further the effect of God's curse upon women. Verse 16, Genesis 3, to the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children. She had yet born her first child. And he's saying, when you do, it's going to be painful. And something else, yet your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you. So pain in childbirth and a seeking to usurp the place and the rule of the husband in the home. And brethren, there's a reason why giving birth is called labor. You women know this, don't you? You either have children, it's painful, it hurts. You gasp, you long for that baby to come into this world to end the pain. Further, the curse also produces disharmony in the home. You want to know where the feminist spirit came from? It came from God's curse upon our first mother. Infected with a feminist spirit, women seek to usurp the place of men. to overturn their role and to place themselves where God has put men, and especially of wives, the role of their husbands as leaders in the home. You want to take your husband's place. You don't want to arrange yourself under his gracious leadership. Maybe he's not such a gracious leader, but you want to take over. You want to wear the pants, as we used to say. You want to boss your husband. Well, the curse also sets siblings against each other. In fact, the very first murder took place in the first home. The curse lies behind all hatred, from family feuds, to racism, to genocide, to world wars. The curse also affects the church. Why aren't churches havens of happiness and harmony? Why does unrest and even bitterness divide some of Christ's beloved people? Well, the answer is simple. It's due to the curse. It's due to sin and impenitence and pride, spots and wrinkles, sully, even the best churches the Apostle Paul teaches. And we must not discount the devil's evil influence under the curse. The whole world, the Apostle John says, lies under his power. And this is especially evident in the world's animosity against God's people. You see, Satan was a murderer from the beginning. Surely he influenced unrighteous Cain to slay his righteous brother because his worship was accepted by God and his own was not. Right away we see a rift. Inspired, I believe, by the evil one. We should not be surprised at the devil's bitter hatred of God's people. He hates God, and therefore he hates God's people. And this too is the effect of the curse. And when God cursed the serpent, God issued a declaration of war between the sons of Eve, that is the righteous, and the sons of the serpent, that is the wicked. And we see the effects down to our own day, do we not? Genesis 3.15, I will put enmity between you, that is the serpent, Satan, and the woman, and between your seed, those spiritual sons of Satan, and her seed, that is the righteous. The history of mankind is in no small part a history of the hatred of the wicked against the righteous. The Apostle Paul assumes this. We are led like sheep to the slaughter every day. And Jesus thought so. Because men do not know God and because they are of the spiritual seed of the serpent, they persecute God's people. Listen to Jesus in John chapter 15 verses 19 and 21. He says to his disciples, if you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know the one who sent me. They don't know God, and therefore they don't see who you truly are. Jesus goes on to say at the beginning of John chapter 16, these things I have spoken to you that you may be kept from stumbling. I don't want you to be surprised when you find out that you're not the darlings of the world. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue. It's gonna start right at home, not with the Gentiles, but unbelieving Jews. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. Do we not see this on the world stage? And these things they will do. Why? Because they have not known the Father or me. Jesus said earlier, because they do not know the one who sent me and because they do not know the father or me. And he says in John chapter eight and verse 44, speaking of religious people that hated the disciples, you are of your father, the devil. So that's the dreadful implications, very briefly, for mankind. Notice, secondly, dreadful implications of the curse for the rest of creation and the whole cosmos. Verse 18, Genesis 3, but thorns and thistles it shall grow. And that's just a summary of the effect of the curse upon all of creation. Thorns and thistles. You work and it produces that. You see, God's curse disordered the cosmos. The friendly and fruitful creation that once gladly yielded its bounty to our unfallen parents now seems opposed to mankind at every turn. Weeds need no cultivation. We know that, don't we? We have gardens. But fruit and flowers are produced only at the end of a dull hoe. We have to work it and work it and work it to get flowers and fruit. And God's curse turns beasts against men. Even filling a pail of milk now becomes a chore. The cow doesn't cooperate. And after the flood, the sun's rays that before warm now burn. No longer can Adam, if he's walking out in the field, lie down and take a nap against the mane of a lion. He can't do that anymore. He can't even walk barefoot without watching where he's walking. Banished from paradise, he found the wilderness of this world an increasingly hostile place. And at times he may have wondered if all things that were once for him are now and forever against him. You see, things have changed, but not for the better. Such is the effect of the curse. So that is, very briefly, creation's past ruination, imposing of God's curse upon creation. Now, let us notice, secondly, for the rest of our time before we come to a couple of words of concluding application, creation's present anticipation, that is, groaning under God's curse. Notice two points. First of all, the groaning of cursed creation, which longs for man's glorification. You see in the 8th of Romans, Paul personifies creation, cursed creation. It groans, it eagerly longs and looks for the revelation of the sons of God when they receive their full adoption before the gathered universe. He longs for the removal of the curse. And we might expect this. I mean, shouldn't we? Creation was innocent. It wasn't complicit in Adam's sin. No, but what happens, it suffers collateral damage. Since a friendly creation is no longer suitable home for a fallen man. God is going to match the creation for the man. God cursed creation to reinforce his judgment upon man's sin. And yet we see here in the eighth chapter of Romans, creation is hopeful for the removal of the curse. The word translated anxious longing is found only here in one other place in the Bible. And that is in Philippians 1 in verse 20. And there the imprisoned apostle confesses his earnest desire and hope that Christ would be exalted in his body whether he lives or whether he dies. One writer notes of this word, that it properly denotes a state of earnest desire to see any object when the head is thrust forward, looking, longing, giving it all of his attention, you see. An intense anxiety, an ardent wish, and is thus well employed to denote the intense interest with which a Christian looks to his future inheritance. And so does creation. What is Paul saying here? Creation is a word cranes its neck. in anticipation of the end of the curse. It's panting after the coming end of the curse. Look at verse 19 of Romans 8. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. The curse isn't gonna be lifted from us, that is, the curse says, on behalf of all of creation, until you're revealed as the sons of God, until the regeneration, to use the language of Jesus. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption. into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together and so now. You see, Paul pictures creation as convulsed in labor pains, looking anxiously for the restoration of it to its pre-fallen state. But as we're going to see, there's something even more glorious waiting for creation in our next message, God willing. You see, this restoration can only come when God removes the curse he has imposed upon men and the universe because of Adam's sin. Paul. He has such a wonderful picture here of something we know in our own experience. And notice, too, that the groaning of flora and fauna harmonizes with the groaning of mankind under the curse, specifically the groaning of the seed of the woman, God's redeemed people. looking for their liberation, longing for their full freedom, which is promised them in Christ, but not in this world yet realized, but only in the world to come. Therefore, notice finally the groaning of redeemed Christians longing for their glorification. We've seen the groaning of the curse creation. Notice now the groaning of redeemed Christians longing for their glorification. God originally promised Adam glory, both for himself and for all mankind, if he had fulfilled his obligation and was obedient to God's command and his prohibition. But this he tragically forfeited when he sinned. He and we received not glorification, but a curse when he fell. Bless God that the fall is not the end of his story. What a terrible thing it would be if there was no Romans 8 and the truths that it teaches elsewhere in the Bible. We would be, of all people, most miserable. We would have the curse here and hell hereafter. Ah, but we have now the firstfruits of the Spirit if we are Christians, and we have the promise of glorification. We will be like Jesus when we see him when he comes. See, we know the end of the story if we're Christians, and it's most glorious to us who are suffering the pangs of labor under this cursed earth right now. But see, if you're not a Christian, But if you are a Christian, however difficult it is now, glory yet awaits you. Our merciful God gave us a preview in Genesis 3.15 of how his book will end. Then with increasing clarity, he's repeated this promise of a coming redeemer, who would glorify sinners and regenerate this cursed world. Notice three points before coming to a word of application. First of all, the initial anticipation of the glorification in the promise of Messiah. Genesis 3.15, and I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. Oh, I'm glad that that is not all that is found in Genesis 3.15. He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel. This is speaking of the coming Messiah. He would receive a blow on his heel, as it were. He would die for the sins of his people, and in so doing, he would inflict a skull-crushing blow upon the evil one. You see, embedded in God's curse is the glorious promise of a coming Redeemer who would gain the victory for the seed of the woman, that is, for the righteous remnant that are persecuted even now under the serpent in this world. contained in this first gospel promise is a redeemer who would die to destroy the devil and to save his people from their sin. That's how we can be people of hope, brothers and sisters in Christ. And that's how you can be a person of hope if you lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. You can know today that your sins are forgiven and you will be received into glory when you die and you have hope every step of the way between here and your last gasp. Notice secondly, the prophetic elaboration of the promise of glorification and the coming of Messiah. You know, it may well be that our first mother may have thought that her firstborn son, Cain, might have been God's promised seed who would bruise the serpent's head. Instead, he proved to be a seed of the serpent. She later may have hoped that her son, Seth, might be the promised son, Genesis 4, verse 25. But he was not the promised seed either. Noah's father, Lamech, we fast forward a few generations, may have regarded his son as the promised seed who would deliver mankind from the curse. Listen to him, Genesis five and verse twenty nine. Now he called his name Noah. This one shall give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed. That's gonna come in Noah. But it didn't. Fast forward 400 years to God's promise to Abraham about a coming seed that would bring blessing to the whole earth. To him was going to be born one who had proved to be a great blessing, not just to the people of Israel, but to all the peoples of the earth. So the promise goes outward. Paul in Galatians identifies this seed, not as Israel, but as Israel personified in the person of Jesus, you see. Between the promise given to Abraham and Jesus coming, the prophets, most particularly Isaiah, prophesy of a coming Savior who would not only save God's elect, but also remove the curse and usher in a glorified universe. Isaiah 11, verses six through nine. We often read this during the Christmas season. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb. Well, you can't do that under the curse, the wolf eats the lamb. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. Why? For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. The whole world will be covered with the knowledge of God. We know that Isaiah is prophesying of a glorified creation since he repeats these words in chapter 65 when predicting the arrival of the new heavens and the new earth. And in that prophecy, he also promises of the demise of the devil, the full removal of the curse, not only the glorification of creation, but the removal of the evil one. Isaiah 65 verses 17 and 25. Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. See, that's his subjection. You have your foot on his head, grinding him into the ground, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall do no evil or harm in all my holy mountain, says the Lord. Now, God willing, we will come back to our study and we will consider creation's future renovation, the removal of the curse and the glorification of the universe. One final point, and that is the apostolic confirmation of the promise of the glorification of the coming of Messiah. Romans 8 unites Glorification with the removal of the curse. 1 Corinthians 15 gives a detailed explanation of the nature of the glorified body. 2 Peter 3 speaks of the purging of the present creation by fire and the glorification of the heavens and the earth. Revelation, the last book in the Bible, in its last two chapters, dwells at length upon the blessings of a coming glorified universe. And that awaits us for next time. Just a couple, well, three concluding applications this morning. Notice, first of all, sin must be a terrible evil for God to pronounce a curse upon his creation. And it tells us something, that our sin impacts other people, doesn't it? Adam's sin impacted the whole human race. It impacted the whole cosmos. We don't live under ourselves. We don't die under ourselves. Our sin impacts other people. But notice the terrible evil that sin is, for God to pronounce a curse upon all of creation. There's decay, and there is death, and there is destruction. There's pain, there's parting, there's funerals. Sin must be a terrible evil. In fact, there's only one thing that God hates, dear people, it's sin. And he will judge sin, he must judge sin. He either judges it in the sinner or he judges it in his son. Well, which will it be for you? Which will it be for me? Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Because he took the wrath of God for the curse upon man, Jesus did, so that he sets us free into the liberty which belongs to the sons of God. Secondly, a Christian's sin will be the chief cause of his groaning. Oh yeah, we groan because of the effects of the curse around us. but the curse around us, it's caused by sin. We will be people of Romans chapter seven, as well as people of Romans chapter eight. Paul says, I have an evil principle within me. The good I wanna do, I don't, and the evil that I don't wanna do, I do. Oh, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death? He's talking about the effects of the curse through his own sin. There's one thing any true Christian wants to be done with. It's not hard labor. It's his sin. Thirdly, Jesus bore God's curse, removing it from all who believe in him. That's the glorious truth of the gospel. There came into this world one who was bruised on the heel. He died for his people's sins. And in so doing, he delivered a crushing blow to the head of the evil one. We've been delivered from sin. We've been delivered from Satan. We've been delivered from hell. We've been delivered from the wrath of God. He made him, that is God made his son. He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in him. That's the glorious cosmic transfer of our sin to Christ and his righteousness to us. There's nothing more glorious than the doctrine of God's substituting his son for sinners, the one who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might be his righteousness. Oh, may you know this glorious truth in your heart, not just in your head, but may it sink down into your heart and might it lift you up on your toes and say, how glorious is the God who sent his son into this world to save sinners, Like me, he didn't come to call the righteous. He came to call sinners to repentance. He didn't come as a physician to heal the whole, but to heal the sick. And he did so by his own holy life and his atoning death. Praise be to God. Let's pray. Lord Father, these are glorious truths. How they lift our hearts and how they put us on our face. Why us? Why did You send Your Son to die for the lives of us? Oh, Lord, how glorious it is to contemplate the so great salvation that we have in Christ, that You who began a good work in us will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. And one day our faith in Him will become sight of Him. One day our prayers to Him will be praise forever of Him. Warm our hearts with those truths. Cause us to look to the future with hope. For the hope that we have in our hearts, we will one day have in our hands. All because of what Jesus has done for sinners like ourselves. Oh, magnify his name through our lives and call sinners to yourself this day. Let us be dismissed.