of our Lord Jesus and his word by turning together to Acts 16. Acts 16. Friends, if you would, grab your Bible. Acts chapter 16, verses 25 to 34 will be our text this morning. And friends, I have entitled this morning's sermon, What Must I Do to Be Saved? What Must I Do to Be Saved? Acts 16, beginning down at verse 25. Dear friends, let's read together. The word of God says, About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, do not harm yourself, for we are all here. And the jailer called for lights and rushed in and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. And he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. Dear ones, this is the Word of God. Thanks be to God. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you for your mercy to this Philippian jailer and his house. Father, thank you for saving them by your grace and redeeming them in Christ your spirit. We pray that you come and help us to see the mercy you show to us, the full, perfect mercy you give to us in Jesus Christ. Oh Lord Jesus, it is in you alone We are delivered from the wrath to come. Spirit guard us from error, help us to treasure these truths and to speak them to others. Help us now we ask, Father, in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Well, friends, in the scriptures, salvation has a multifaceted meaning. unfolding. Friends, salvation can be spoken of when someone is delivered from a great illness. For example, we can say that God gave a measure of salvation to Hezekiah when he prolonged his life. We can think of salvation in terms of a rescue from financial distress. It can be said that Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were rescued from the ruin that they had fallen into by Boaz, the kinsman redeemer. And for instance, salvation can be spoken of God giving deliverance to his people over their foes in battle. So we can think of God delivering his people from Egypt through the Red Sea, delivering them from Pharaoh and his chariots. But friends, what we see at the center is, and right here in this text, is that the salvation that's in view here is that of salvation from God. That is, God saves us, dear friends, ultimately from himself. That, friends, the greatest danger that we face as fallen human beings, as sinners, is that their God who created us, who will judge us, is holy. This God has promised that he will not ignore sin. This God has promised that he will not turn a blind eye to transgression. He has promised vengeance is mine, I will repay, thus says the Lord. So friends, the ultimate rescue for us, the greatest salvation we need, is to be delivered from the just judgment that rightly falls against us for our sins. And friends, that is the problem. The gospel answers by driving us to Jesus in his all-sufficiency. So friends, this morning, we're going to see how the Lord works through Paul and Silas uses this occasion of deliverance to be the means by which this Philippian jailer and his household hear the gospel. They are born again and brought into faith and salvation in Jesus Christ. And so, friends, as we're looking here, friends, we're asking the question, how can I be saved? How can I, as a sinner, being made right before a holy God. Well, friends, remember what's been going on. Paul and Silas are in the city of Philippi. Remember, Philippi is Little Rome. It is a Roman colony populated by retired legionnaires. These war vets make up the bulk of the population. And this is a very Romified, Romanized city, not just in their language, not just in their political structure, but also in just the very environment that's there. So when Paul exercises the demon that was possessing this little girl, by the Spirit of God, Paul gives a measure of relief to this young girl. Remember, her masters were upset because they had been using her for fortune-telling, and so they bring Paul and Silas before the magistrates, before the officers, before the judges of the city, and they charge them, essentially, with sedition. They say, this Paul and Silas, they are Jews, and they had to pay customs that are not lawful for us. because they are proclaiming that there's only one God, only one God who is worthy of worship and only one way of salvation, which is in and through the Lord. Jesus Christ, and so Paul and Silas were roughed up, they were beaten, they were locked up, they're thrown into the prison, and they're treated as a most dangerous criminal by being put in the inner chamber in the maximum security unit of this prison, and their feet are stretched in the stars. It's a miserable night. They've been beaten, they're bloody, bruised, but what do they do? Well, first of all, friends, it's hard to get comfortable. They can't sleep. It's the middle of the night, and so they begin to encourage each other. with hymns, they begin to exhort one another with prayers. They begin to use the time and the opportunity that's before them to worship together. Now, friends, I want you to understand that, friends, the scriptures tell us that we are to admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and that, friends, God has given to us these beautiful hymns of the church in order that we might be reminded of God's promises. Friends, you know, when we pick on Sunday mornings the hymns that we're going to sing, I try to be very careful in asking the Holy Spirit for guidance, asking the Lord to have mercy, choosing hymns that will reinforce the promises or the doctrines that we are studying this morning. And I pray that these hymns are not just good melodies that we love to sing, and many of them are wonderful music, beautifully composed. We love to sing them, and there's a certain joy in that musicianship. But friends, they are meant to be truth that we are giving voice to. Yes, in adoration to God. but also, friends, an encouragement to one another. So, friends, as you sing, you can look around this room and you can say, I pray that she and he are being reminded of the faithfulness of God, of the goodness of Christ. I pray that these promises are coming home to them as well. And so, friends, here Paul and Silas, in the midst of their pain, they endure in hope. By faith, they begin to encourage one another to look to the Lord, to trust in His faithfulness, to see His love forever proved, and then they pray together. They spend that time in intercession, not just for themselves, but praying for the churches, praying for their families, praying for all those that God has put in their path. Friends, that's how we endure. The strength to endure trial is not in me and in you. We don't have it in us. We think we're tough, and many of us may be physically strong and mentally strong, but friends, the strength to endure trial and to be faithful to Christ is not sourced in you. It comes from the Lord. We are weak, but he is strong. That's why Paul will say, when I am weak, therefore I am strong, because the power of Christ rests upon me. So friends, prayer drives us to remember our weakness, admonishing one another in gospel-rich music and truth of Psalms. These are the ways that we point one another to the true source of our strength, who is our faith in God. So friends, I pray that that gives you a new love for music, especially godly hymns. I pray that this encourages you to pray more earnestly as families and as a church together, because the effect is is that it's not just a blessing to Paul and Silas. It is an infectious witness. When the people of God under trial continue to put themselves before the Lord of all mercy, asking for his grace, praying for those in need. Friends, when they are worshiping before the Lord, it is an attractive witness. These prisoners can't help I mean, you got to remember, Paul and Silas are in the darkest, dankest chamber of the prison, and all the other prisoners are in that other room, and so they're just listening, wondering, we suppose, how can these men sing? How can these men be filled with such joy and delight? How can they even think about prayer when they're locked up in the prison? Well, friends, when we trust the Lord, as we endure trial, as we hope in his promises and encourage one another, friends, the world will see that. The world will see these people are different. And it's not because of some super strength that they have. It's not because of some extra degree of wisdom that they possess, but it is because they will see the power of God. They will see the faithfulness of Christ shining through our witness and trial. So friends, every season is purposed by God. I don't know where you're at right now, but you may be in a very difficult time. A difficult time with your family, a difficult time with your health, a difficult time in your employment. Whatever that case may be, friends, Trust your Lord. Banquet on the truth. Encourage one another with the truth. And trust that even in this time, He is faithful to use you and to use your patient endurance. Well, in verse 26, we see that there is a miracle. causes an earthquake. Remember sometimes, friends, in the scriptures, when God appears, the earth quakes. That's repeated in the Psalms. It was true when God appeared on Mount Sinai. He came down in a pillar of fire, and the smoke of that mountain went up like a great kiln, and the earth quaked. And so God, the sovereign Lord of the universe, gives a miraculous deliverance. This is not something that Paul and Silas could have done. This is all of. the majesty of God. Friends, God is in control. Friends, the God of the Bible is not a impotent deity. The God of the Bible, friends, is not someone who sits back and has no power to work his will in the world. Friends, the God of the Bible, the God that you serve, is the Lord God omnipotent who reigns, who is able to do all that he wills. and whose purposes cannot be thwarted. Remember, friends, the God you serve. Remember, He has the power to save. He has the power to sustain. And He is faithful to you. That great earthquake comes, it shakes the foundation of the prison, and immediately, the scripture says, the chains fell off and the doors were opened. Well, the jailer himself, he lives next door to the jail. In fact, friends, the structure of this prison is most likely like an L-shape, and so there's a whole section that is the jailer's dominus, his house, where he has his rooms for him and his family, and they live there. They're literally sharing a wall with the prison. And so when the earthquake comes, he's awakened. And what does he do? He rushes over to the jail. And as he's going into the jailhouse, what does he see? He sees doors open, bonds falling off, and he knows he's in trouble. Because, friends, the Roman jailer is responsible for these men. And if they escape, he will face certain death. That, friends, it was Roman law that if one was entrusted with a prisoner and that prisoner escaped for whatever reason, the life was forfeit of the one who had charge over him. And so the jailer despairs, friend. He despairs, thinking that this will be a time for his Death would lead to ignoble ends for his family. He is seeing his life, it seems, in ruins. There is no way out. That's why he contemplates suicide. You know, friends, the Bible always tells us that, and describes suicide as an ignoble end. You know, friends, there is, in pagan cultures, you know, they talk about, You know, here you have, you know, Socrates drinking the hemlock tea, right? You think of those, you know, samurai of Japan who have their ritual disembowelment as a sign of having a good death. But friends, the scriptures tell us that we don't have the right to take life unwontedly. We don't have the right to end our own life. Friends, God, again and again tells us that in the scriptures, friends, when a man, when a woman contemplates suicide, it is because of great despair. Friends, it's been said, you know, if somebody's wrestling with suicide, you know, they should wait 24 hours and they probably wouldn't even do it because there's so much emotion that is welling up in these grave, dark hours of despair. And all that the Philippian jailer can see is that everything is falling apart, there is no hope, there is no rescue, there is no potential release. Friends, if you've been in that despair, and perhaps you haven't contemplated suicide, but perhaps, friends, you have had that dark night of hopelessness and helplessness, where you said to yourself, Lord, There's no way out of this. My life is over. My relationships have ended. There's no way I can get back from this. Friends, let me tell you that there is a God of mercy. There's a Lord Jesus who speaks hope and life and mercy to despairing sinners as you are. There is a Lord Jesus who is more faithful and more brilliant in his love than all the darkness of the abyss. So friends, when the flesh and the devil tempt you to despair, when the difficulties of your circumstance cause you to sink, look to Jesus. Open his word. hear these promises again, because as the man is about to plunge the sword into his own body, what does he hear? But he hears Paul, the Holy Spirit leading Paul. Now, remember, friends, Paul's in the innermost chamber. He probably can't see the jailer where he's standing way at the front. But nevertheless, he cries out, do not harm yourself. A word of mercy, a word of warning. Don't do it. We're all here. Nobody's left. I'm here. Silas is here. The prisoners are all here. It's okay. No one has escaped. You don't have to do this. Aren't we thankful for the restraint that the Lord gives? Aren't we so thankful for those times when the Lord has held us back from certain choices, certain decisions, certain inclinations that we have. Oh, friends, do you see that your life is is surrounded by such a good and gentle providence? Do you see how kind and loving your father is to direct your steps, how the Lord Jesus in his love for you continues? like the good shepherd to raise you up out of the ditch and to protect you from distress and danger. This is your God. And the Philippian jailer can't Believe what's going on. He calls for lights. He calls for the torches. He calls for the lamps. He calls for the candles. He gets everybody and says, we're going in. And so him and his household and whoever's there with him in the jailhouse, they rush in. And what does the jailer do? He falls at the feet of Paul and Silas. You see, friends, that earthquake terrified that jailer. The prospect that he had lost all the prisoners in his charge frightened him to despair. And now the word of this apostle has shaken to his core. Friends, this jailer is encountering the glory of God and his holiness. He is encountering the living God. And so as he comes, he does what any of us would do. As the glory of God is made manifest to us, he falls on his face. God, you serve Paul, he is for real. He is the God who plays for keeps. He's the God who, it's not like these idols of Rome. And so he falls down before them and then he brings them out in verse 30. So what he's doing now is he's taking them out of the inner prison and he's bringing them into sort of the processing room at the front. So they're out of the prison, you know, out of the dungeon aspect of it. And so they're in a more comfortable space. And the jailer looks at Paul and Silas and he says, sirs, friends of the Greek, it's Kyrios. And he's acknowledging this Paul and Silas who he bound in prison and threw in there, that he is worthy of respect, he's worthy of They speak for the Lord. They speak for God himself. He says, sirs, what must I do to be saved? Friends, this is a crisis moment for the Philippian jailer. Think of this. Think of all the emotions. Think of all the distress and all of the uncertainty. And what is pressing in this man's mind now? I need to be saved. But I don't know how. Now again, what does the jailer, what does he want to be saved from? He's just encountered. He needs to be saved from the living God who is holy. You know, friends, the scriptures tell us that even people that don't have a Bible, who have never read the scriptures, still have a sense of the deity. That is, God has put his law in our very conscience. Friends, human beings are moral creatures. You can go anywhere on this planet and you will find people making moral decisions, good or bad, virtuous or wicked. Friends, you cannot not, you can't not be a moral creature. And friends, it is that sense of morality, that sense of oughtness and ought, there's always ethics. That reminds us that a moral God A righteous God, the law-giving God, made us for a relationship with Him and with one another. Remember, that's what Paul argues in Romans 2. He says, you know, even Gentiles who do not have the law sometimes do what the law requires. They are a witness to themselves that the law has been inscribed upon their heart. And so, first, this jailer recognizes the depths of his sin. He knows that he's messed up in his life. He knows that he has wronged the God who has so gloriously revealed himself in the deliverance of Paul in silence. And encountering God in the glory of his holiness, now the jailer knows his own sinfulness and recognizes that there is judgment for him. He recognizes, if I had plunged that sword I've taken that blow. I've been face to face with God. And I could not stand. I need to be saved, but I don't know how. And notice how the jailer says, what must I do to be saved? Friends, that is the core of all man-made religion. All man-made, all idolatrous religion is a mixture of Right thinking and behavior. It's all about ultimately what I do, me, to make myself right with God. What rituals do I need to perform? What doctrine do I need to possess? What behaviors do I need to engage in? And friends, the Bible tells us that the true message of Christ, the gospel is Jesus did it all for you. Jesus did it. He did what you could not do. Friends, our salvation we must see as all in Christ. Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. Friends, where are you today? when you think about your own standing before God? Are you resting today perhaps on accomplishments that you have? Or perhaps on things that you have done that are virtuous and good? Perhaps, friends, today you're basing your standing before God on certain behaviors you don't do, right? You're saying, well, you know, I could be out doing this, I could be out doing that, and I'm not, so therefore God must be God will accept me because I'm a little more righteous than the average bear. Oh, friend, may that not be you today. Because notice the answer that Paul and Silas give to this jailer. Verse 31, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. Friends, Paul says, it's not in you, jailer. You can't make yourself right before God. You cannot save yourself. You cannot even contribute to your own deliverance. You must believe in the only one who can save, and he is the Lord Jesus. Now, friends, we may think of belief as doing something. Oh, in fact, friends, you do trust. It's something you do and nobody can trust for you. You yourself must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But your faith, friends. It's no meritorious work. It's no grounds for your justification. You can't say, well, because I have faith, therefore, God will accept me. That's the grounds of my righteousness. No, no, no. Remember, if God says to you and makes you a promise, He ought to be believed. He is true and completely trustworthy. God must be believed. He ought to be believed. Friends, belief means to receive and rest. It means to hold fast, too. Friends, this faith that we exercise, friends, it's not even sourced in us. It's not as though, friends, we willed up enough virtue, we got our act together, God the Holy Spirit was at work upon us, and we reached out with our last modicum of goodness and said, I will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. No, friends, Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 tells us that it's by grace that you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Paul says in Romans, it's not of he who runs or he who wills, but of God who has mercy. Friends, when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, it's because God has already changed you. He's changed that heart. He's given to you eyes to see and ears to hear. And friends, that faith, well, friends, the power to save is not in the instrument. The power is in Christ. Remember that Baptist theologian writing his, that illustration of the train. And he reminds us that in our salvation, we are like a train car that sits on the track. We are inert. We have no power to deliver ourselves, no power to work for our own redemption. We are stationary. Christ Jesus, he is that locomotive. He's that steam-powered engine. He's the one. that has the power. And faith is like the pin, the coupling, the link, right? The power is not in the train car. The power is not in the pin. It's not in faith. The power is in Jesus Christ and God's appointed faith to link, to join, to bond, to unite you to the all-sufficient Savior. The power is not in me. The power is not in faith. The power to save is in Jesus Christ. Why, friends? Because Jesus lived the life. You couldn't. That Philippian jailer stood before a holy God with all of his sin. He stood before a holy God knowing that if the judgment were to fall at that moment, he would be consumed. The Bible says that Jesus did what that Philippian jailer couldn't do, and you and I couldn't do. That the life of perfect, personal, and perpetual obedience to the law that God requires of you, Jesus did. I remind you again, friends, God does not require of you that you be a pretty good person. Your Creator does not ask of you that you try to have a better-than-average character record. God doesn't say, I'll be pleased with you if you just are good enough. No, He says, be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. The standard by which God will judge you is His own perfect holiness, the same impeccable moral character that belongs to himself, God says, that's the bar, that's the standard. Absolute moral perfection is required of you, not just in your works, and not just in your words, but even in your attitude, friends. Kai Kalas, we love him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And dear ones, you and I have not done that for one moment of our lives. And friend, until you can see that cliff, until you can gaze up at that Mount Sinai and realize that there is no hope of redemption there for you, but the law condemns you under the wrath of God, until you come here, you will never see the cross for what it is, for Jesus, for how wonderful he is. Because Jesus lived the life you could not. and he died a death you deserve to die. You deserve hell, for that himself. The wrath of God was to be poured out on you, Jesus drank that cup. The estrangement, Christ bore. Jesus took the curse for you, for your sin. and he secured the blessing of righteousness and life for you. And God raised him from the dead on the third day and brought him into glory to reign at his right hand. He is the Lord Jesus. As I saw Paul and Silas were saying, Jailor, don't you understand? The only one who can deliver you the absolute sovereign one, this promised son and Messiah. And when you come to him, and when your household comes and believes in him, you will be saved. Friends, that's the good news you hold out. That's the gospel message that is so sweet to suffering sinners. And friends, we're praying, asking the Lord to work, to our loved ones as an understanding of the holiness of God, the severity of their sin, but of the sweetness of Jesus the Savior. Let us pray that for our children, our grandchildren, for ourselves. And so we see that they speak the word to him. So they say all the things that we've just been going through. They share the gospel with him. They tell the story of Jesus and they speak of his place in redemptive history as the one son of promise, When they finish, friends, he takes them that same hour of the night, verse 33, and he washes their wounds. This man, this jailer has been converted, and so we see his family have been converted too. They've been born again. This household has been redeemed by faith. And the jailer now demonstrates his faith, just like Lydia does, by the works of kindness and generosity. by that love that overflows. You know, friends, if we are in Christ, if we are truly trusting in Him as our Savior, then that will be seen in living under His mercy and wanting to please Him and desiring to give the Father glory and to thank Him for His mercies to us. Friends, the evidence that we are in Christ is seen in a changed life. Not because, friends, your works or behavior give you any credit before God. It's not as though, friends, you say, well, Jesus got me into the kingdom and now my works of obedience, you know, Jesus got me in and now my obedience is gonna keep me. Friends, no, no, no, no, no. Friends, that will destroy the gospel message. But because we're united to Christ, friends, because we are new creatures in the Lord Jesus, there's going to be new attitudes, new ambitions, new inclinations. There will be a desire and a joy to serve the Lord and to serve his people. There will be a delight in Christ that was not there before. And our lives, by the mercy of God, by the scriptures, by the Spirit, will begin to change. And the jailer demonstrates that. washing the wounds of Paul and Silas. Remember, friends think Paul and Silas have been beaten and all manner of abuse, and now the jailer takes the time to clean out those cuts, to put fresh bandages on, tender kindness to these who had such mercy on him, to save him from despair and to point him to Christ, the only hope. and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Now friends, as I've said to you before, when we looked at Lydia and we looked at Cornelius, remember that that word for family, oikos, has a, it's meaning a household, it's a household unit, and just like our own households can be very diverse, so too they were in the ancient world, right? So a household could have a mom and a dad grown children and servants. He could have 18-year-olds and eight-month-olds. And so friends, this is no evidence, this is no firm ground to make the assertation that infants were baptized. You can't find that here. But what it does show us is that God so wonderfully redeems this family. Not only does he save the jailer, but he even saves those that are dear to Him, those who belong to Him. Think about it, friends. Again, how much does Christ love your children? We were speaking Wednesday night, friends. There is no one in the universe that loves your children or your grandchildren more than the Lord Jesus. Friends, not even you. Not with all the love you have in your heart for these. God the Father loves them more. The Spirit loves them more, Jesus loves them more, and he loves them with such a holy affection, with such tender mercy, for there is no one better to put your children and grandchildren's destiny in their hands. You can come to the Father, you can come to Christ and say, I know that you love my children, You show steadfast love, O Lord, to thousands of generations. You, Lord, are kind to those who come after you. We can go to the scriptures and we can see how God was kind to Abraham and blessed Isaac for Abraham's sake, and blessed Jacob because of his oath to Abraham. Friends, your Lord loves you, and he loves your children, and you can trust him. And we see here a marvelous instance of God's grace and kindness, not just to this jailer, but to his whole family. They're baptized together. They're brought into the kingdom together. Remember, friends, what does your baptism mean? As we said, baptism sometimes we just as a historical marker, I was baptized. And remember, it is important, friends, Jesus commands you to be baptized. That's not an optional thing if you're a disciple of Christ. But I urge you to think not just about it as a past event that you checked off your list, but to remember what the scriptures continue to tell you about your baptism. You know, Martin Luther, he would reflect on his baptism, and that was a core of his hope. He would say, who am I? He says, I am a baptized man. And what he meant was is that his baptism reminded him of the washing of his sins, of being cleansed by the mercy of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, but it was because he was united to this Christ. That's what his baptism said. I am one with Jesus and all that he is and all that he has done is now mine. I am in him and he is in me. You know, my friends, faith very much is like a union and a marriage ceremony, right? When we come by faith to Christ, says, all that I have, I give to you, all that I am, I share with you. And it is though we as sinners now looking at Jesus as that wonderful groom, we as the bride say, Lord, all that I am, I give to you, all that I have, I share with you. And we bring our sin and we bring our guilt and Jesus pays the debt and wipes us clean and friends, It is as though when the minister says, I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride. Friends, there, when you held fast to Christ, it was like that holy kiss. And you know, friends, you got some rings after you got married, didn't you? And you're wearing them to this day. You've got that wedding band on. You've got that wedding ring on. Well, friends, in many ways, your baptism is like that wedding ring. Who do you belong to? I don't belong to me anymore. I don't belong to self. I don't belong to the devil. I don't belong to the world. I am Jesus's. Friends, that's the richness of that sacrament to you. The Lord is saying you can reflect on this day in and day out, month in and month out, and it is a testimony to you that if you have come by faith to Christ, You are his, and he is yours forever. And so the joy that that brings, friends, now the jailer and his household, they celebrate, they bring Paul and Silas into the house with them, and they give joy and honor to God because the jailer had believed along with his family. You know, friends, joy marks the Christian. We are a people who can and ought to be joyful. Now, friends, where does that joy come from? Well, the joy, friends, of the Lord is something that He gives and He stirs up. And we, in turn, may ask for the Lord to awaken us again. Remember what David said in Psalm 51. He said, O Lord, restore to me the joy of my salvation. Friends, As we think about our baptism, as we think of our union with Christ, as we think of the mercies that God has shown to us, let us ask the Lord to restore and to refresh and renew our joy so that we, as his people, might delight in him and encourage one another and point to the world that this Savior who redeems is truly a joy to serve. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for your kindness to us. We thank you for Jesus, and we ask, O Lord, and pray for those here today. have not yet come to Christ, who have not yet, Father, turned from their sin to trust and follow Jesus. We pray that, Lord, today, this may be the day where they hear Christ the Good Shepherd call to them. Our Father, we pray also for ourselves that you would cause us to always meditate on these rich gospel promises. We thank you, Lord, that you have saved us by your grace and by your grace alone, and we pray that you would continue to deliver us Deliver us from despair. Preserve us in trial and tribulation. Be with our families, Lord. Help us to love and entrust them to you. Lord, we're so thankful that in Christ you have given to us a full and perfect salvation. Dear Father, please have mercy on us, on our church. Be with us in this week to come, we pray in Jesus' name.