Brethren, I'm going to begin this morning by going down a rabbit trail that I hope I can find my way back from. I took a few steps down that trail yesterday afternoon, and now I'm going to take a few more. A few weeks ago, I recall it being, I believe two weeks ago today, maybe three weeks ago, There was broadcast in the mainstream media a remarkable video. It was broadcast on the same day that two young enlisted Marines, one from Virginia, one from New York, were awarded posthumously the Navy Cross, and the video showed why. These two young Marines were serving as sentinels beside a gate. Inside the gate was a Marine unit of some fifty or more of our fellow citizens. The video, obviously from a surveillance camera, included an explosive-laden truck zigzagging down a roadway, a driveway, zigzagging around barriers and headed for that gate through which there would be entry into the area where this Marine unit was stationed. You see with your own eyes, in the video, these two young Marines, upon realizing what is about to happen, coming out of their Sentinel box, and moving toward the target. The video depicts them getting on or getting at the top of a retaining wall and lethally engaging the enemy. At one and the same time, as these two young Marines are moving toward the target, the bomb-laden truck, you see a uniformed Iraqi running in the opposite direction. He, too, was there near that gate. Now, I want to pause and say I am not condemning that uniformed Iraqi. I don't know its circumstances, and I do not know what I would have done in that situation. That is not my point, but my point is this. In contrast to one running and who survived, you plainly see, and you can see it today, I understand, on the Internet, These two Marines moving towards the target, engaging the enemy, and the video concludes when that bomb-laden truck detonates, and these two young men lose their lives. The Marine General interviewed that day said that their actions, that spanned about a six-second interval of time, probably saved the lives of some 50 Marines inside that gate. What those two young enlisted Marines did reflects a statement that is used to describe something of the ethos of the United States Marine Corps. It's the words, run to the fight. Not away from it. Run to it. And literally, you see with your own eyes these two young men doing that very thing at the cost of their mortal lives. I desire the brethren of my church to do what the Marines do, to run to the fight, not away from it. To run to the fight with a bold, clear, compassionate witness for the gospel of Jesus Christ to our fellow mortals. Some years ago, in an extended exposition of the Colossian letter, as we made our way into chapter four I gave some time to verse 4 of that chapter, or excuse me, verse 5. As the Authorized renders it, walk in wisdom toward them that are without. The sense of the language is to conduct yourselves wisely towards those who are outside of Christ unto the end of seizing the moment, seizing the opportunity that Providence presents to speak to them the gospel of the Savior. Now, as sometimes I am inclined to do, I expanded upon Colossians 4.5 and in this way, in that case, I sought to survey the Scriptures to try to identify what is revealed either in narrative or perceptive form relative to wise modes of conduct that are presented to us in the Scripture and presented to us in connection with speaking the gospel. wise modes of conduct that seem, under the blessing of God, to precipitate an opportunity to speak clearly and boldly and compassionately the Gospel. That survey included an episode, and I'm several steps down this rabbit trail now, in Acts chapter 16, the account of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail cell. And I want to begin to read at verse 25, And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard 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 bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And you know the rest of the story. here's my point in that case there was a literal earthquake that sent men into a panic to such an extreme that the jailer is threatening to commit suicide. But there were two other men of a different mind, Paul and Silas, who manifested what I would describe as spirit-wrought poise, a spirit-wrought composure, a manifest trust, and in the midst of the hysteria and panic, it is the observation of such by the jailer that leads to the question, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And upon that question, the poised and the composed and the confident missionary pair answer that question. unto the salvation of the jailer and his household. Brethren, it appears that we too are living amidst times that are analogous to earthquake-like events. Times, perhaps, when our very way of life Our constitutional system and our economy are being transformed before our eyes. We are living in times where people are preoccupied with the collapse of an unsustainable, debt-driven economy. And even for those who have not taken part in such extravagance, and have been prudent, and perhaps sought to live below their means, and to provide for the future for their dependents. They're suffering significant losses. The estimation now, as I mentioned yesterday, is somewhere between a third to a half in equities. And we ought not be cavalier about that. Granted, it is the treasure of this earth. God willing, it doesn't have a heart. But yet we ought not be indifferent and cavalier about what some of our people are going through. I mentioned yesterday the preacher included. Perhaps I should have added clarity based on yeary inequity statement, what's going on, the present trend, and what I think I'll see at the beginning of April. I'm probably somewhere in there between that third and half. I don't know exactly, but it's probably in that ballpark. For one thing, that can help me to empathize with generous men in our congregation who give liberally of their tithes and offerings, who do live below their means, who are generous to the brethren, and yet are suffering to an extent. The unemployment numbers have come home to our little church. My point is this, brethren. Amidst what may be earthquake-like events in our own society, let us not take part in the hand-wringing, in the panic-mongering, in the fear-mongering. Let us remember Paul and Silas and where their poise and where their composure led to. Let us run to the fight. To the fight of a confused and perhaps collapsing culture. But run to the fight with a manifest confidence in the God, not only of providence, but of special providence. And let us go with the gospel of Christ, the content of which is epitomized in the very text of our concern. and let us manifest a spirit-wrought poise, a spirit-wrought composure, trusting that as we interact with our fellow mortals, there may be those amongst them, like under that Philippian jailer, who ask questions that throw open the doors, not of a prison house, but the doors of providence, to speak clearly, boldly, and compassionately the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the rabbit trail. Now let's back up a few steps and get back to the point of departure or assignment. I left you yesterday afternoon with an illustration that no doubt I picked up from somebody else and modified it a bit An illustration regarding two young boys accused of stealing a bicycle. Their day in court comes. One who was innocent is acquitted as he should have been. The other who was guilty was also acquitted. And I ask the question, how can someone who really did break the law, in this case steal the bike, be told by the judge that he is a law keeper, how can he be acquitted? How can he be treated as a righteous person? How can that be? The very question could direct our minds to what we read in Romans 4 at verse 5, Him who justifies the ungodly. All of us are like that guilty bicycle thief. We have really and actually committed crimes against God and His law. We are really natively lawbreakers and God fully, plainly, clearly knows this. And yet, He justifies the ungodly. I left you with the question, what did God do? so that it is right, it is consistent with his moral government, for him to say to sinners, you are not guilty, you are righteous, law keepers, obedient, and further, you are free to enjoy all the liberties and privileges of my kingdom. The answer to such opposed questions is bound up in that portion of 1 Corinthians 1.30 that will be our concern this morning. What did God do? In Christ Jesus, He became to us righteousness. That's what He did in a word. God sent forth His Son, fully God, born of a woman, fully man, born under the law that is subject to its authority, obligated to obey it perfectly as every man is. But unlike every man from Adam, He was obedient and obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. That is, he was a perfect law keeper in his life, and consummately, in his cruel death, in his doing and in his dying, he obeyed all the demands of the holy law of God. He accomplished what no one ever had, a full, flawless righteousness, but there's more. he did this as the representative of his people he did this as the representative of guilty lawbreakers who believe upon him he took their place doing for them what they had not done but should have done he stood in their place in his perfect life as a law keeper and was punished for them, obeying in His death all the just demands of His Father's law that they had broken. In His life, in His death, He obeyed the law for those He represented, and God the Judge will let Jesus' perfect obedience, His perfect and accomplished righteousness, count for them. When God justifies the one who has faith in Jesus, He does it because of Jesus. Jesus becomes his or her righteousness. Jesus is that one's obedience to all the do's and don'ts of the law. And Jesus is that one's obedience to all the penalties justly imposed upon lawbreakers. Because of the infinite value of His law-keeping and blood-shedding, and because that value is credited to those He represented who trust Him, who are united to Him, God justifies the ungodly while remaining righteous and just and gracious upon the grounds of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Now, again, a question. What is at issue in a criminal court? i've been in a criminal court recently it is a sobering scene that if you have sanity can strike the fear of god in you as it ought what's the issue with a criminal court the issue is the relationship of the accused to the law. The question under consideration is, is the accused innocent or guilty of law-breaking, and thus liable to just punishment in monarchies? That question also includes the issue of an accused person's relationship to the authority of the monarch, and thus a trial may be designated the queen versus the accused. When the court pronounces its verdict, it declares how the accused stands in relation to the monarch's law. Parenthetically, I add, in a democratic republic wherein law is made by the representatives of the people, a trial is designated the people of a given jurisdiction versus the accused, and when the court pronounces its verdict, it declares how the accused stands in relation to the people's law. Now, God is a monarch. God is a sovereign. and God has authoritatively set forth His law. All the subjects of His domain are accountable to obey, if every directive and prohibition yet all had transgressed the King's law, and all stand before the monarch of heaven, guilty, justly accused, convicted, and duly condemned. This solitary, royal, holy lawgiver and judge pronounces that the status of some before his law is one of innocence. He freely, sovereignly, and on grounds which uphold his character in ways as righteous and just, acquits some of the charges against them, he absorbs them of all liability for the law that they have really violated, he declares them righteous before that law, and further, he grants them all the prerogatives of law-abiding citizens. In a word, again, he justifies the ungodly. He declares judicially that moral criminals are righteous. This, in an economy of language, this is the doctrine of justification to which that portion of 1 Corinthians 1.30 to which we have arrived at this morning points us. Christ Jesus who became to us righteousness. This is the doctrine by which Luther said the church stands or falls. And you might know something of the heart agony that Luther himself wrote of as he described his wrestlings trying to understand what this righteousness is. With regard to Romans 1.17, where it is the subject and set out as the content of the gospel, Luther says, and I quote, I hated that word, the righteousness of God. He understood it primarily as retributive righteousness that punishes the unrighteous sinner. He goes on to write, at last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I came to understand its sense. I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. He says, Here I felt I was altogether born again, and had entered paradise itself through open gates. I extol my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had hated that word righteousness before. Thus the place in Paul, that is where he speaks of the righteousness of God, was to me truly the gate to paradise. And brethren, it's the equivalent to anyone who understands who they are, who God is, and what God in Christ has done on behalf of His people. It is that same righteousness of which Luther writes that is our concern this morning, the righteousness of God accomplished in and by the life and death of Christ, offered freely to sinners in the message of the gospel, received with self-abandoning, self-forsaking, self-disowning, Christ-embracing faith, such righteousness is a primary benefit provided by the wisely designed and accomplished salvation in Christ. And it answers to one of the most pressing needs wrought by sin. That is, it answers to our guilty law-breaking. Well, brethren, now I would ask you to take out Your outline, if you have it, the outline consisting of five headings. And as you do, I want to direct your attention now for a few minutes in 1 Corinthians 1.30 to that term that is rendered, righteousness. And I want to do a bit of word study before making our way into the headings that I trust will unfold theologically the doctrine of justification. The term righteousness, I should add, translates a Hebrew term in the Old Testament that means etymologically being straight, consistent with, parallel with, a standard, being straight. The etymology of the Greek term and its broad family of terms speaks essentially of being equal. That is, equal with reference to a standard, in most cases that standard being the demands of the law. Righteousness signifies the condition, thus, of being as one ought to be. A condition of conformity to God's law, righteousness signifies the keeping of the commands of God and, upon consequence, being acceptable to God, the law giver. Now, in the New Testament, Righteousness and its derivatives are used first with reference to God Himself as an attribute of God, John 17, 35. Our Lord says, O righteous Father. This family of words is used to describe the law. It is used to set out an attribute of His law. Paul said in Romans 7, the commandment is holy and righteous and good. This family of words is used to depict an attribute of the judgments of God, 2 Thess 1 5, God's righteous judgment, we read. Further, This term is also used with reference to men. Romans 3 at verse 10, there is none righteous, none straight, to refer to the Hebrew roots, None equal, that is to the commands of the law reflecting the Greek etymology, there is none righteous, no, not one. Paul wrote to Titus, he saved us. Not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, that is an impossibility for us to do deeds in righteousness that prevail meritoriously in the sight of a righteous God. He saved us not on the basis of deeds we've done in righteousness, but according to His mercy. But finally, with regard to this compacted little word study arising from righteousness in 1 Corinthians 1.30, The term righteousness is used with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is used with regard to His character and His person. The Apostle John said in 1 John 2 verse 1, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And further it is used with reference to His accomplished perfect work of righteousness wrought by His life and by His death. A specimen of text that warrants such an assertion. We read in Romans 3.22 of the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. In Romans 5.17, the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. We read in that same paragraph of the obedience of the One, that is, that wrought this perfect righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Paul wrote to the Philippians that he might be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. This family of words represented by the noun in 1 Corinthians 1.30, righteousness, it has reference to the righteousness of Christ in terms of what He accomplished by His doing and His dying. And that is the precise sense, as I understand it, of righteousness here in the text of our concern. Christ Jesus became to us wisdom from God and righteousness. Christ Jesus in His righteous person, tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin, wholly innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners. Christ Jesus in His righteous person, and in His work of active and passive obedience, performed, brought into existence a perfect, complete, infinitely meritorious righteousness wrought by His obedience, which is revealed in the gospel, received by self-disowning faith, and credited to believing sinners. Now again, with reference to the text of our concern, one last word before beginning under the headings. Christ Jesus became to us righteousness. I do not understand how this construction doesn't put to rest some of the present controversies surrounding justification and whose righteousness is the grounds of it. Christ Jesus became to us. The verb again, as noted last night, signifies something coming into existence where before it wasn't there. The verb means to come into existence and the voice signifies we receive the action of this righteousness coming into existence. Does that not speak exactly to the controversies of our time over this central matter of the gospel? The verb infers And really, that's a mild statement. There was none of this in existence. It's external to the sinner. There was none in existence with respect to us. We had no righteousness of our own. The testimony of the Scripture is we were all unrighteous, guilty, moral criminals, insolvent debtors, morally homeless people, destitute, bankrupt with regard to righteousness. And by the grace of God the Son, there was brought into existence and received by us something that did not exist. External to me, credited to me, where before I was immoral and destitute. bankrupt. Baptism or no. That leads us then to the outline. Five headings. The fifth, as you can see, will be expanded upon most extensively. And it's possible, Pastor Pollard and Frakes, that that may take a little bit of tomorrow that fifth heading. We come now to the first heading, the background for this righteousness. That is, the conditions which form the setting for the circumstances which were antecedent to bringing about broadcasting becoming and benefiting from this righteousness. Our first heading is addressing that which forms the context from which this righteousness arose. The background for this righteousness, the righteousness of God in Christ, involves, in summary, the character and law of God and the condition of man and the necessity that man possess a righteousness lest he perish eternally under the just wrath of God. Now, concerning God and His character, one relevant epitomizing text comes from the Psalter. Psalm 89 verse 14. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne. In the interest of time, I will move beyond other supporting texts. But I offer to you Psalm 89-14 as an epitomizing text relative to God's person and character. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne. Throughout the Bible, God is revealed as perfectly righteous in His person and His ways, that is, the perfection of all moral rectitude, the full and flawless personification and manifestation of what is absolutely right The sum of moral excellency and purity is found in Him. The Apostle John says it this way, God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. Now, arising from the perfect righteousness or holiness of God is what? arising from it is the law of God. The law of God being the unified expression of His righteousness to men summarily revealed in the Ten Commandments. The law of God is the timeless, changeless expression of the inherent perfect righteousness of God. And thus Paul writes, in language that could have been directed to God Himself, he says, the law is holy The commandment is holy, righteous, and good. Why? Because it arises from the holy, righteous, and good character of the lawgiver who revealed it. The Bible teaches, as we've seen in our recent consecutive exposition in Galatians, that the only demand that this unified expression of the character of God can make upon men in a moral order created by a righteous God, the only demand it can make upon us is perfect obedience. That is the only thing consistent with the lawgiver. Obedience in all things at all times. Cursed, Galatians 3.10. is everyone who does not abide by all things. In those four words, abide by all things, you have the demands of the law. Obedience all the time in everything. Now, with regard to men, the distilled essence of the law. Obedience to divine authority, that's how I would describe the distilled essence of the law. Obedience to divine authority was expressed to Adam in Genesis 2.17. standing as our representative, Adam rebelled, Adam defied, Adam fell from his innocency, and Paul succinctly interprets the consequences of such. Through the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners by means of Adam's representative transgression. All men fell. The guilt of sin was imputed and Adam's corrupted nature conveyed. And since Adam, all men have manifested both their guilt and their depravity by their own sinning against God and His law. All have joined Adam. in proudly turning aside and going their own way, those ways depicted by our Lord's statement in Mark 7, 21-23. Further, God is just. That is, as the morally righteous, lawgiver, and governor of the world. He distributes rewards and punishments as each is due. There is exact recompense. He rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness. Again, Psalm 97 to and equivalent to the 89th. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Paul writes, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Through one transgression, chapter 5 of Romans, there resulted condemnation to all men. The wages of sin is death! It must be! In view of the sanctity of God's law, arising from His righteous character and authority, the transgression of the law of God must carry with it, it can only carry with it, in a created order, architectured and brought into being by the God with whom we have to do, it can only carry with it just penalty. The demands of a violated law must be satisfied. When the law is broken, justice demands retribution and requital. God would deny Himself if the law's just penalty went unpaid, if a violated law went unanswered. The necessary just vindication of the law, the just execution of the law's curse upon lawbreakers means eternal perdition. because the lawgiver and his law are eternal. And we must measure the magnitude of our affrontery against God by who He is. All men are now under the just curse of the law. Guilty, depraved, destitute of righteousness, And yet, these things being the case, as evidence of men's moral insanity, they try to obtain a righteousness of their own, derived from the law. In view of the truth that righteousness is required to stand in the presence of God, Jesus said, I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Righteousness is required stand in the presence of the righteous one. In view of that, much of what men speak of and rest upon is exposed as a lethal fiction. They presume, upon God's mercy and forgiveness, as if somehow he will deny his righteousness. They profess to be less than perfect. Yes, I've made a few mistakes. In the morally anemic language of our culture, I did something inappropriate. poor judgment, that's about all that can be produced from the moral anemia of our culture. And with that, sinners profess some kind of vague hope in a nebulous, vague, loose pardon, as if somehow God is going to repeal his law, and take a plea bargain. Brethren, that, if you understand the background of righteousness as it's presented in the Bible, that is a delusion. Yes, God is merciful and gracious, but the whole law must be obeyed and satisfied, either in your person or in the person of another authorized to act for you. It's one or it's the other. The demands of the law must be paid in full. My moral debt must be discharged either by myself or someone else with sufficient moral capital to pay for me! And who and what that is, is represented here in 1 Corinthians 1.30. Christ became to us Righteousness. Brethren, that's the background for this righteousness that God in Christ brought into existence. The background includes God's righteousness expressed to man in His law. It includes accountable, fallen, guilty, depraved men who have defied and continue to defy His law. It includes the justice of God whereby retributive punishment must be imposed and supremely. And here's the good news of the Gospel. It includes grace, abounding grace whereby A righteousness has been procured, has been provided, and in the gospel is freely offered to believing sinners. That is the background for the righteousness of God in Christ. Now we come secondly, and with seven minutes left, we're at one of those points, do I move into the second heading and chop it off? Or do we just dismiss now? I could roll this over on my brother to make the call. Brethren, we come then for the last six minutes. I've just wasted one. We come, secondly, to bringing about this righteousness. Now, what I mean by the second heading is this. The affecting, the causing to be, the causing to take place, the accomplishment of, the occasion of this righteousness which is the ground of a righteous and just God, justifying the godly, so as not to violate His character or mock His law. This righteousness was brought about by Christ's work of obedience in His life and death, in His perfect whole soul conformity to all the demands of the law in its letter, in its spirit, in its vast extent, and in his undergoing vicariously in the place of those he represented, the penalty which the violated law demanded. That is how this righteousness was brought about. Christ's perfect compliance with His Father's law brought about a righteousness on the grounds of which those united to Him by faith are declared righteous. Or as Paul writes in Romans 5.19, through the obedience of the One, the many were made righteous. You, I trust, are aware that obedience is the most comprehensive perspective by which we view and understand the incarnate life and vicarious, curse-bearing death of Jesus Christ. He did all that He did as the obedient servant of Jehovah, who became flesh and dwelt among us to do the will of the Father who sent Him. In the major messianic prophecies of Isaiah, the Savior is designated repeatedly, My Servant. My Servant. will justify the many as He will bear their iniquities. The Messianic prophecy of Psalm 40, verses 7 and 8, applied expressly to the Lord Jesus in Hebrews 10, sets forth the obedience of Christ. Behold, I come. In the scroll of the book it is written to me, I delight to do thy will, O my God. Thy law is within my heart. At Jesus' baptism, He responded to John's protest in this way. permitted at this time, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Those words, brethren, express his self-consciousness. He was not some kind of robot. No, his self-consciousness of the fact that his mission demanded the fulfillment of righteousness in all of its dimensions, head and heart, motive and deed. And this resolution to fulfill all righteousness is reflected especially throughout John's Gospel. With the two minutes left, I'll not cite the text, but you probably know them anyway. Recurrently through John's Gospel, there are statements from our Lord that express His self-consciousness that He had become incarnate and dwelt among us to do the will of the Father. in Gethsemane. This reaches its crescendo. Matthew 26, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt. My Father, if this cannot pass away from Me, unless I drink it, Thy will be done. and his father's will was done in his life and in his death. Christ as the representative of his people lived a life of perfect obedience to God. He obeyed the perceptive requirements of the law. That included, as I like to remind, honor my father and mother. He continued in subjection to them, Luke 2.51. It included, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. It included, you shall not murder, commit adultery, bear false witness, covet. Tempted to do all of this in the language of Peter, he committed no sin. He fulfilled all righteousness. Unlike all of those whose human nature He shared, it was not necessary for Him to receive the wages of sin. As wholly righteous, He was free from the penal demands of the law. Yet those He represented were not. And thus, as their substitute, He stood in their place As a guilty criminal lawbreaker, as a moral debtor incurring the full penalty as though he had personally breached the law. He came under the curse and the condemnation of the law. His people had broken. and bore the full and just judgment of God they deserved. In the language to the Philippians, he was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And thus in his passive obedience, he satisfied all the penal demands of his father's broken law. And the Bible teaches he did both. He accomplished his work of active obedience. his work of passive obedience as the representative and substitute of his people. He stood in the place of his people, bringing about a righteousness in his doing and dying, in his life and his death, in his law-keeping and blood-shedding, that that righteousness of infinite merit might stand for them. Christ Jesus becomes to believing sinners righteousness. He brings into existence for this believing sinner that which he had none of. He puts to my morally insolvent account a righteousness external to me that is infinitely meritorious because it arises from His own infinite person as the God-man. Our confessors write, God freely justifies by imputing God's active obedience into the whole law, Christ's active obedience into the whole law, and passive obedience in His death for their whole and sole righteousness. In uninspired language, That's the sense of the inspired language of Him. You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, because I'm a moral criminal, as we'll see perhaps tomorrow, because I'm a moral leper, and sanctification. Brethren, this is the heart of the Gospel. When we come to the next heading, the broadcasting of this righteousness, we're going to Romans 1, 16 and 17. And by express language, we are connected to the truths of 1 Corinthians 1. This is Gospel truth that our fellow mortals need to hear. And in the fight of our generation, let's run to the fight with it. To declare it clearly, boldly, and compassionately. Let us pray. Father, we can only bow in gratitude for Your gracious condescension to the likes of us. And by God the Son taking upon Himself a true and full humanity, accomplishing that, bringing into existence that which no man had. Lord, I pray this morning that whatever our moral failures, whatever our struggles with remaining sin, that our hearts would be strengthened as we are reminded that there is a prevailing righteousness, a prevailing merit. The righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ put to our accounts, standing for us, graciously rendering us acceptable in Thy holy sight. Lord, may the accusing work of the evil one be silenced as we consider who and what Christ is to us. We pray in His blessed name and in confidence that as we assemble here our living exalted Savior is at your right hand awaiting the command of you, His Father, to return. Amen.