As we return to our study of the churches in Sardis, let me call your attention to the last book in the Bible, Revelation chapter 3. Forgive me, brethren, I seem to have forgotten my New King James Version this morning, so I am reading from the New American Standard Version, 1995. Please forgive me, that's tiny print. Thank you, I appreciate you. This is a very excellent translation, brethren. But this red print is very difficult. Revelation chapter 3, beginning at verse 1. To the angel of the church in Sardis write, he who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this, I know your deeds. that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die. For I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my God. So remember what you have received and heard and keep it and repent. Therefore, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. Thus ends the reading of God's holy word. As we've considered thus far in our series, Christ's message to his church, I hope you've seen the significance of the different ways our Lord identifies himself to the different churches. And as I hijack that familiar phrase from Hamlet's soliloquy, to be or not to be, as the motivation for us to personally consider the commendations and the condemnations of these letters. I hope it has been to your eternal profit. I hope it has caused you to pray, Lord, help me to be all that you command and not to be what you condemn. If Christ commands men to obey the gospel, then men need to pray and ask God for that saving grace. All that we have comes from God and God is watching our lives and watching and looking at our hearts. And brethren, we need to pray that God would help us to be all that he could, all he wants us to be and not to be what he condemns. That is the essence of the fear of God to Fear his frown, but delight in his smile. We've looked at what Christ calls his dead church to do in our past two Sundays together. And I sought to give you a brief sketch of the Sardean history and identification of the risen Lord to the church in Sardis. Then it was followed by an examination, the rebuke in verse one. And I started to consider the remedy in verse two. The exhortation to this church is the remedy for their condition. Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain. What our Lord describes here in this church is a church in a bad condition, in a bad way. They're, if you will, hanging on by a thread. The Bible says, those things which are ready to die, hold on to those things. Then at the end of verse two, we have words that shed light on their malady. For I have not found your works perfect before God. It is most helpful to identify what Christ condemns so that we can take the necessary steps to jettison that which brings His displeasure and His frown upon us. Their works were not perfect. Some of you might say, I thought that we'll never reach perfection in this life. And that is true. But our Lord is not referring to sinless perfection here in this portion of scripture in this letter written to the church in Sardis. This word in our text has the idea of not being complete, not filled to the full, not growing to maturity. It's much like what we saw in the parable of the sower. There was some seed that was immediately snatched up by the evil one. There was other seed that had no root. and withered as other fruit, other seed rather that had been choked because of the cares of this life and desire for other things. Church in Sardis was a very busy church. They rested upon their laurels on their past glory. Now they had taken their ease and their works were imperfect. Much like the works we read of in Matthew chapter 7, those who come before Christ in the day of judgment, and they say, Lord, have we not done these mighty things in your name? And he says, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. He did not deny the fact that they were busy. and that they were doing things that many churches do. But he says, I never knew you. There was no intimate acquaintance with those to whom our Lord was speaking. So the question is, what do good works that Christ commends and smiles on look like? How can I avoid my works being labeled not perfect? I hope that's your question. I hope we come like the disciples did on that day, on that night in which our Lord was betrayed. And they asked the Lord this question, Lord, is it I? Is it I? So when we come to the scriptures and we see these commendations and we see these condemnations, we need to examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith or no, and make sure that we're not in the group that Christ condemns. but rather in the group that Christ commends. And so we must ask serious questions, but we need some type of criteria, some type of guide to let us know what condition or how Christ views our works. I thought it might be helpful to take a side road this morning and consider the subject of our works in the Christian life. that we as well as God desire to be good, or as our text says, perfect. We need not reinvent the wheel, brethren. For many good and godly men have through the centuries searched and studied the scriptures and answered that question, what do these good works look like? I'd like to call your attention this morning to the polemical work the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, chapter 16, titled Good Works. It's a polemic. It's an argument that addresses and corrects error or defense or an attack of doctrinal beliefs. And so the framers of the confession set forth what the Bible teaches about good works. And I think it will be helpful for us to understand what the Bible says about good works. I think this is a good instruction here to help us know that our works are good in the sight of God and not those things which Christ considers dead works or those which are ready to die. The framers of the Confession break this chapter up, chapter 16 in the London Baptist Confession on Good Works, in two parts. One part they deal with a definition or what good works look like, and then they deal with the error associated with good works, what they are not. Reminds me of the verse in Titus chapter 1, verse 9, where we read these words. Speaking of those who are elders or under shepherds in the Church of Christ, they are those who are holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught. That's what an elder must do. He must hold fast the faithful word as he has been taught. Why? That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convict those who contradict, or as the King James says, convict the gainsayers. The responsibility of the elder is to teach the people of God, to exhort them with the Word of God, and also to attack or come upon those or fend off those who teach false doctrine. And that's what this chapter in the Confession does. It sets forth the exhortation. It also sets forth this convicting, this rebuke, this attack on those who falsely teach about good works. In Chapter 1 to Chapter, Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3 of the Confession, we find here the prominent features of good works. And in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of the Confession, in Chapter, pardon me, Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, and Paragraph 3 of the 16th chapter of the Confession, we see the prominent features of good works. It speaks of the standard, it speaks of the role of good works, and the cause of good works. And then paragraph four through seven deals with the prevailing eras of concerning good works. Supererogation, penance, perfectionism, and plagianism is addressed in those paragraphs. That's what I have learned from a former professor who labors in New York State, Pastor Greg Nichols, considers those things to be a polemic against those errors. But before we go on and look at the prominent features of good works. Let's ask the question, what does the Bible say or how does the Bible identify good works? Pastor Nichols gave this definition of what good works are. Good works in the saints reflect the goodness of God. Goodness in the saints reflect the goodness of God. What is a good work? It is something in us as his people that reflect who he is. Look with me at Matthew chapter five. Matthew chapter five, verse 43. We find these words. You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven. For he makes his son to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew says that you may be the sons of your father. He's not saying do these things, these good deeds, these benevolent things that in order to become the children of God. That's not what he's saying. He's saying you do these things to be or to be imitators of your father. That you may approve yourselves to actually be the children of God. these works demonstrate, good works demonstrate that we actually belong to God. The goodness of God has a dual focus. It's like a target. There's a big sphere, but then within that big sphere, there's a smaller sphere that's like a bullseye. The broad focus, when we speak of the goodness of God, we speak of his propriety, his commitment to do what is right, what is morally right. God always does what is right because God is good. God is wholly good and perfectly good. And as his children, we must desire that moral desire in our own hearts. And so God has given us the 10 words, which sets forth his moral standards. And it is our desire, those of us who love Christ, to obey, by God's grace, imperfectly but purposefully obey the 10 words that God has given to us. Secondly, there's a narrowing focus. The narrow focus is the beneficiality of God, His commitment to do what is beneficial. So we read in the scriptures of God's graciousness, His kindness, His compassion, His mercy. So not only do we desire to obey the law of God, which this actually speaks of the second table of the law, to love our neighbors as ourselves. So God has given us this holy, divine example of who He is and how He operates, and we as His children must desire to be as our heavenly Father. We see this in the scriptures in 1 Timothy 5. When instruction is given to the church about supporting widows and the identification of true widows had to be set forth, in 1 Timothy 5, verse 10, we read this. Speaking of those widows indeed, they are well reported of for good works. If she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work, that's the testimony of one who desires to be as their Heavenly Father. Timothy goes on in the sixth chapter of 1 Timothy, and he speaks to those who are rich. Paul says, you charge those, Timothy, who are rich. What did Paul tell Timothy to tell the rich? Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share. There is this benevolent disposition in the people of God. When we speak about good works and being like our Heavenly Father, there is ought to be this benevolent spirit within us. And we will not divorce the broader scope and obeying the moral law of God from the sharper and narrow focus of being of great benefit to those around us. hypocrites like to divide these two things, and we see this in the scriptures. They like to separate the broader focus from the narrow focus, and these things should not be separated. So in Mark chapter 10, we read of that rich young ruler who asks, how might I inherit eternal life? When a good teacher, how might I inherit eternal life? Scripture says in Mark 10 verse 17 and following. Now as he was going on, as he was going out on the road, one came running and knelt before him and asked him, good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? So Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good, but one, that is God. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and your mother. And he answered and said to him, teacher, all these things I've kept for my youth. I'm all right. I'm good. I'm not stolen. I've not committed adultery. I've not lied. I've kept all these from my youth up." And he answered and said to him, teacher, I've kept these things. I've kept the moral law. Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, one thing you lack, go your way, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Come and take up your cross and follow me. But he was sad at this word and went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. He could boast and speak about his morality Good synagogue goer. Benevolence? Sell all that I have and give to the poor? I don't think that's going to happen. The Bible says he went away sorrowful. There are those, brethren, who don't desire to do good, and it really sheds some light upon where they really are. The rich young ruler was not the only one. On the Day of Judgment, as we read in Matthew chapter 25, there are some others there who weren't concerned about these good works or this benevolent spirit that is part and parcel to good works. Then he will also say to those on his left, speaking of the Lord in the day of judgment, depart from me, you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. If anybody tells you there's no such thing as eternal punishment in the Bible, write this verse down. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and you did not take me in, naked, and you did not clothe me, sick in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick in prison and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them, saying, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of these, the least of these, you did not do it to me, these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. What did they do? They didn't do anything. There were no benevolent works in their lives. They did not care for the things that Christ cared for. They did not imitate God the Father. It's not just what you did not do, the evil things. I've not done this, I've not done that. As we say, I don't smoke or chew or run with those that do. But there are good things that are omitted. There are sins of omission, brethren. Sometimes we focus more on the things that we commit and the sins that we commit. Perhaps they scream the loudest in our ears. But there are other things that Christ has commanded us to do, that God has commanded us to do in our pilgrimage here, which we omit. And those are sins all the more and the same. They may have thought they were pretty moral, but they were not beneficent. Rich in kindness to the needs of others is the mark of those who imitate God the Father. The people in Sardis had works, but they were not perfect. They were not complete. They were just formal, empty, and hollow works. not energized by the Spirit of God, and not obeying God. Secondly, as we look at, firstly, the exclusive standard, the framers of the Confessions say it this way, good works are only those works that God has commanded in his holy word. Works that do not have this warrant are invented by men out of blind zeal or a pretense of good intentions." They state it positively, and they state it negatively. Good works are those works that are commanded exclusively only in the Word of God. So if you want to judge your works, put your works alongside the scriptures to see if this is what God has commanded. If God has not commanded it, however beautiful it might look to those around you, it's not beautiful in the eyes of God, like the plowing of the wicked. Hebrews 13, 21. It's a prayer, it's that benediction that we say. Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will. Working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. He makes you complete in every good work to do His will. And those things are well-pleasing in His sight. If you are obeying God's Word, and you are pleading and praying and asking God to give you what you need as we do in this benediction, Lord, please come and work in me. Make me complete in every good work. Work in me." Is that your prayer, Lord? Show me what you command and make it so, as Augustine would say. It's also expressed negatively. They talk about not just works that come from the Word of God, but they speak of men's works, works that do not have this warrant, the authority of the Word of God. But men invent their own rules and regulations. And so that was the indictment the Lord brought upon the Pharisees. Matthew chapter 15, verse 9. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men. They were so concerned about hand-washing and chastising the disciples for not engaging in this ceremonial washing, but they left off the greater matters. They were not concerned about their aging parents. They would not support and honor them in the way that God's word commands them to. And so we see, brethren, that the standard is God's word, and the negative that we get from that is that we are not to think we're doing well if we're just obeying man-made rules. Some of us may have come out of fundamental churches where there are all kinds of rules and regulations attached to the people of God, and they did not come from the scriptures. It's a sin to wear lipstick. Some of you have heard that before. It's a sin to come to church without a tie on. Man-made rules, and people are rebuked for these matters, and they don't consider what God has said. And secondly, in the confession, it talks about the vital role or function of good works, the importance of good works. Paragraph two. These good works done in obedience to God's commandments are the fruit and evidence of a true and living faith. Through good works, believers express their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, build up their brothers and sisters, adorn the profession of the gospel, stop the mouths of opponents, and glorify God. Believers are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, so that they bear fruit leading to holiness and have the outcome eternal life. What is the testimony of good works? It is the evidence of saving faith. Good works testify that you actually belong to God. You produce proper fruit. In James chapter 2, we read those familiar words, but someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. Do you see that faith was working together with his works, speaking of Abraham, and by works, faith was made perfect? It's a testimony that you belong to God, that you produce good works. What are the results of this good works? There are many, they list six here in the confession. They speak of thankfulness. Good works result in these spiritual blessings that come into our lives because we are obeying God's word and we're imitating our Father who is in heaven. So what do they do? Through good works, believers express their thankfulness, their gratitude. And how do we show our gratitude to God? By serving him. Jesus said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. It's evidence of love to Christ. Service to Christ is evidence that we are thankful. The psalmist said in 116, what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. First Peter two nine, we read these words, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You are thankful and people know you are thankful that you are children of God. You're not ashamed of God's. You're not ashamed of his son. You're not ashamed of the Holy Spirit. because you know it was because of the operation of the Godhead that you are now in the family of God and with joyful hearts. And so we come on the Lord's Day and we sing praises, not just because the songs and the tune, it moves us, but the words and the lyrics speak biblical truths to us that cause our hearts to run forth with thanksgiving to God. The gospel is not for good people who never do anything wrong. I'm repeating my professor. The gospel is for bad people who never did anything right. Sinners who are on their way to hell. But God say, It's not for good people. I did not come to call the righteous, Jesus said, but sinners to repentance. If you're not a sinner and on your way to hell, you're not hearing the gospel message. Titus says we were all once sometimes foolish and disobedient, serving divers lust and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. That's all of us. And the gospel comes to those kinds of people, and they humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, and they own up to their sin, and they confess their sins. And the Bible says he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But God, who is rich in mercy, saved us. If that don't make you happy, nothing will. There's nothing more joyous than to know sin's forgiven. What comes from this? What are the results of this? Thanksgiving, the confession says, but listen, these good works also strengthen our assurance. 1 John 2. Verses three and five, now by this we know that we know him. If we keep his commandments, but whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. By this we know that we are in him. Are you struggling with assurance? Be busy about obeying God and doing what he's called you to do. And God, the Holy Spirit, will encourage your heart The Father will encourage your heart. The Son will encourage your heart. The love of God is perfected in us. Second Peter, chapter one, verse five, but also for this very reason. giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to your virtue, knowledge, to knowledge, self-control, to self-control, perseverance, to perseverance, godliness, to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. These good works bolster your assurance. Strengthen it as you find yourself obeying the word of God. So Peter says, therefore, brethren, give the more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. you'll have assurance that you're on your way to heaven. What else does it bring? Well, these good works cause us to build up our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are people who edify one another. We're ones who encourage one another and provoke one another to love and good works. We read in 2 Corinthians 9, For I know your willingness about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal has stirred up the majority. Does your holiness stir up your brethren? Your obedience and your walking humbly and holy before God and producing good works. Do your brethren look on and are they encouraged in their faith because they see you walking with the Lord? That's what good works do. It's not just for us. It's not just God's smile upon us when he does smile upon us, but these good works cause our brethren to be stirred up in their faith. and encouraged. And if there are some amongst us whose faith is waning and they have things that are ready to die, that need to be shored up, can they look to you? Can they expect a word from heaven, a word from the holy scriptures from your lips that might help them and encourage them on their journey to the celestial city? The writers of the Confession also say these good works adorn the gospel. They adorn the gospel. They make it attractive. It's beautiful to see holy saints adorning the gospel of God. Titus 2, 5, we read these words, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers. You ladies know that. The Titus 2 ladies are familiar with this passage of scripture. As the older women are commanded to teach the younger women these things, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Holy housewives are a blessing First Peter 2, Peter says, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. They may not like you, they may hate you, but they can't get around the reality and the fact that you are imitators of your heavenly father. And if they don't do it now in this life, there's coming a day when they will acknowledge that you have been with Christ and you belong to the family of God. We make the gospel beautiful, brethren. God forbid that we would do those things that would bring reproach to the name of Christ. reproach, and as David, when he sinned, he caused the enemies of God to blaspheme. When we sin, we cause others to blaspheme. But we're called to be holy, that we might adorn the gospel and make it beautiful and desirable. Ask your neighbors as we've asked, well, what do you do with your sin? What do you do with your guilt? I got some good news. They might not receive that word, but they watch you every day. They see how you interact with your wife and your children and your classmates and your coworkers. And they can't get around the fact that there's something different about you because you belong to God and you're imitating your heavenly father. The writer says also it silences the gainsayers, those who come against us. It stops the mouths of the opponents. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, 1 Peter 2.15. Here, brethren, should be our great motivation here. What else does it do? What else do good works do? They glorify God. Not ourselves, but God. Is that not your desire? To glorify God in the earth? That's what good works do, they glorify God. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5, 16. First Philippians, pardon me, 1, 11. We studied this, Pastor Greg preached you the book of Philippians. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. We glorify God by our godly living in our good works. Ephesians 2 says, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. The role of good works. God has appointed the path that leads to eternal life. So they say at the end of this paragraph. So that they bear fruit leading to holiness and have the outcome eternal life. This is the way of life. The Bible says without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. And so we walk holy and humbly in the world, and we produce these good works because God is working those things in us. And we know that we are on our way, and indeed, we will be ushered into the eternal kingdom. It speaks of the cause. The Confession speaks of the cause of these things, and it also says something about It gives an emphatic assertion about these good works. Their ability to do good works does not arise at all from themselves, but entirely from the Spirit of Christ to enable them to do good works they need. In addition to the graces, they have already received an active influence of that same Holy Spirit to work in them, to will and to do of His good pleasure. Yet this is no reason for them to grow negligent, as if they were not required to perform any duty without a special motion of the Spirit. Instead, they should be diligent to stir up the grace of God that is in them. The familiar verse, for it is God who works in you, both the will and to do of his good pleasure. In John 15, we read, abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. We need God to work in us to do this work. He says, I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. Nothing. But there's a common perversion here. Some people think that they can do these things on their own and they have the ability to bring forth good works. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. You must work it out. You must work it out. Don't think that because, well, God is sovereign, Holy Spirit's in me. He's working in me, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. So I just sit back. We used to have the old saying, live and let go. Or how does it go? Let go. See, you guys know that. Don't do that. Don't do that. You work out your salvation with fear and trembling. you work out your salvation with fear and trembling. So you give yourself to those disciplines that help you work out your salvation with fear and trembling. You read your Bibles every day. You pray every day. You witness when you have opportunity. You do good works. You're benevolent. You do things for others. You're not selfish. It's common perversion. I was asked a question last week, and I just, I'm not gonna read the entirety of this. If you have this confession at home, go and read chapter 16. But I thought this was encouraging in light of a question I received last week. Let me read paragraph six. Nevertheless, believers, nevertheless, believers are accepted through Christ. and thus their good works are also accepted in him. This acceptance does not mean our good works are completely blameless and irreproachable in God's sight. Instead, God views them in his Son, and so he is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere even though it is accompanied by many weaknesses and imperfections. Yes, praise God. That though my works are imperfect and weak at best, because I am in Christ, God accepts those good works. If I'm sincere about following God, he accepts them because I am in Christ. Christ fulfills and Christ supplies all that I need. And when the Father looks upon us in our efforts to please him, he sees his son's perfect righteousness laid to our account. And he's working in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And not only is he pleased with our good works that are tainted with sin, They're tainted with sin, but we are in Christ, and they are accepted. But He rewards us. He rewards us as if those deeds and actions and movings in the earth that we do sincerely as we pursue holiness, He rewards us because we are in Christ. Meditate upon the blessings that you have in Christ. And see, won't that bless your heart? Many weaknesses we have. Brethren, we are living stones and we are being built up a spiritual house and a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. This verse I love. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward his name, that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. That benevolent aspect of good works is real in our lives. The Lord tells his church in Sardis, remember how and what you've heard. Remember that gospel message, remember it, remember it. Paul tells Titus, says, put them in remembrance of these things. That's a preacher's job, to remind you, to remind you. To take these sermons like sticky notes and put them on your foreheads to remind you over and over again what it means to walk and live for Christ. For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing, because when you receive the word of God, you received and heard it from us, and you welcomed it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectually works in you who believe." That's what the apostle said to the church in Thessalonica. But the people in Sardis heard a good message too, but they'd forgotten that message, and their faith had waned. There were things that were ready to die. He calls them to repentance. There's some of you this morning who are not savingly joined to Christ. You must work too. You have a work to do. This is the work you must do if you're not a believer. Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. That's your work. That's what you give your attention to. That's what you give your energy to, to find out all you can about Jesus Christ, the savior of sinners, who came into the world, who shed his precious blood to redeem a people, a people who will come to him by faith. That's what you must work to do. Find out about Jesus. Find about what He did and for whom He did it. And see, don't you fall into that category of those who were lost in sin and on your way to hell. Christ is the only Savior of sinners. There's no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved than by the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we confess with the Apostle Paul, we are what we are by your grace and your grace alone. It is all of grace. We thank you for your mercy. We thank you for your love. Father, we pray. Indeed, that you would work in us those things which are well-pleasing in your sight. And we shall be so very careful to give your name all the praise and all the glory, for you are worthy. And we ask it in Jesus' name, amen.