Thank You Jake and Sarah and Mark again for leading us this morning. We're in the middle of a study of Ephesians 2. Two weeks ago we started in verses 1 to 10 and this is really an amazing portion of Scripture with profound implications for our understanding of the doctrine of salvation. 

So we learn in this text about the condition of the man in Adam, every man born into this world, and how the reality of indwelling sin, the forces of this cursed world and its system, and the prince who rules over this age, holds man in bondage, causing him to be dead in trespasses and sins, and to live out this condition consistently through the members of his body. Man in Adam is wholly unable to remedy his condition, impotent to solve his problem. No matter how he might try, what system of religion he might design, what human wisdom he might seek to apply, man in and of himself has no power to save himself from his wretched condition in Adam. 

But that's not the end of the story. We see the wonderful gracious truth in our text that God has stepped into the picture. He has entered the world of man for the purpose of saving him from sin and death and eternal separation from God. Man can do nothing to save himself but God. But God, because of the great love with which He loved us, made us alive. 

Now this is the good news of our text. This is a total transformation, the re-creation of man, raising him from his dead condition, making him alive in Christ. And in this resurrection we see the power of God, the very power that raised Jesus from the dead at work in the one who believes Jesus. For those who hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, the truth that God became a man, took on flesh, dwelled among us, lived a sinless life, died a death He did not deserve for my sins and my place and my stead, and was buried and raised again the third day, defeating sin and death and hell.

For the man who hears this truth about Jesus and turns to Him in faith alone, this man is made alive. God regenerates him, he is born again, he dies to sin, he dies to the law, he dies to death itself, and is raised a new man in Christ. And Jesus Himself comes to live in that man. And the Holy Spirit empowers him now to live a new life where righteousness and holy living is worked out through His members. 

And we live not by the letter, but by the Spirit who now works in us to do good works which God prepared in advance that we might live in them. And what we will see in our text this morning is that God has an express purpose in all of this, and it relates entirely to His glory. He has saved us because of His love, because of His character and nature, He has designed and brought to pass His salvation plan that He might take lost and sinful wretched men, cursed and fallen, and set them on the path to glory. 

And in glorifying Him when Jesus returns at the glorious revealing of the sons of God, He might set this new man, this new creation, by His grace and power before the entirety of creation, particularly the angels and the demonic realm, as a display in order to glorify Himself. We will see that it's all about the glory of our great God. It's not about me, but me bringing glory to Him. 

This is God's final plan and purpose in Christ, and it's all wrapped up in the cross, in God's saving plan and work in the person of Jesus. These are the great and amazing truths that we'll consider together this morning. 

In our text, if you look at Ephesians 2.1, it says, "...and you who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, the Spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

We're going to pick up our outline from a couple weeks ago. The first point is dead in sin, second condition versus position, third made alive, fourth saved by grace, and fifth unto good works. We spent a good deal of time looking at our first two points last time, so we will just briefly go over them to refresh our memory and set the context. 

When I was writing this, I'm on page three here in case you're wondering, when I was writing this I will just briefly go over these two, so that takes us to page nine, but then we'll pick up the rest of the points just so you know this is an important subject. 

In verses one to three we see the condition of the man in Adam, every man born as a son of Adam, and we saw in Romans 5:12 to 21 last time that our condition, that of the reality of physical death for every man, of indwelling sin living in each and every man and dominating and controlling him, producing fruit unto death out through his members, is a condition we inherited through the sin of Adam which brought the curse upon all mankind. 

And we see in our text that the result of this is a condition of deadness in our spirit in sins and trespasses. Now I want to go back to Romans 7 to see Paul explain this more clearly, he's very thorough in Romans 7 explaining this condition. He says in 1st Corinthians 15 that the strength of sin is the law. 

Now in Romans 7 Paul is discussing our relationship to the law in Adam and in Christ. Notice what he says in verse 5, Romans 7:5, for when we were in the flesh the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. Now this is a very succinct statement of what he's teaching us in the first three verses of our text. 

When we were in Adam we were slaves to indwelling sin, we were in bondage to the law of Moses, and the fruit of these powers that work in us was constant and continual fruit unto death out through our members, when we speak, when we look, when we steal with our hands, all those kinds of things through the members of our body sin is manifested. So we saw sin, sin and more sin leading to death in the man in Adam. This is the condition Paul is talking about in our text. 

Now I want you to notice something interesting in Romans 7:5 and the rest of the chapter, we're going to stay here for just a little bit. In Romans 7:5 we see that Paul ties the law to sin and he ties the law to death. You see that in 7:5, nod the head, yep, okay. You might imagine that this would be quite offensive to the Jew of Paul's time, and this truth that he states about the man in Adam and the implications of his statement concerning the law might require some explanation. 

The doctrine he wants to teach in Romans 7 is found in the first six verses, particularly in verse 6 concerning the change that has happened in relation to the law of Moses for the believer in Jesus Christ, and this thread is picked up back in 8:1, we'll see that in a minute, but he's raised some hackles with his statement about the law's relation to sin and death in verse 5, and he must answer the questions that arise, that's the rest of chapter 7's purpose. 

See in verse 7, the question he anticipates about the condition of the man in Adam and his relationship to the law, Romans 7:7, what shall we say then, Paul? What are you saying, Paul? Are you saying the law is sin? See the question that arises because of the statement of verse 5? This question comes directly out of verse 5 and what he said about the man in Adam, and he answers that question in verses 7 to 12. 

Look at verse 12 with me. He says, therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. So you see there he says the law is good. Verse 13, has then what is good, the law, become death to me? Ah, the second question raised about the man in Adam in verse 5, and so he answers that question in verses 14 to 25. 

So when we look at verses 14 to 25, the context in which he's talking is out of verse 5, and we are still talking about the man in Adam and his condition and relationship to law and indwelling sin. And Paul's express purpose here is to show that it is not the law, but it is sin that is the problem for the man in Adam, his bondage and slavery to indwelling sin. 

So we see the condition described in Ephesians 2:1 to 3 more fully explained here in Romans 7:14 to 25. Look at verse 14 with me. Look what he says, for we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, a slave to sin, or sold under sin. I am a slave to sin, he says. For what I am doing I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do. If then I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. The law is not the problem. 

But now it's no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. What's the problem, Paul? The problem is indwelling sin. That's what he's trying to highlight. So we see that the law is not the problem, but it's indwelling sin. He misunderstood the purpose of the law. We see that before, that which he thought was to bring life brought death, and it was indwelling sin that was the problem, not the law. 

Look at verse 18. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, nothing good dwells. For to will is present with me. He has a will to do good. He has a will to keep the law. But how to perform what is good, I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do. But the evil I will not to do, that I continually perpetually always practice. That's a present tense in the Greek. 

Now if I do what I will not to do, it's no longer I who do it. See, again, what's he trying to do? Highlight indwelling sin is the problem. It's sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, a principle, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 

What an amazing description of the man in Adam. Under law, in captivity to the law of sin in his members, so that he only always does what he hates, transgressing the law of God which he loves and wants to keep. This man still has a will in his mind. If you say, well, I'm not quite following that, think about Saul of Tarsus. He thinks he's serving God. He's trying to keep the law of God. He's seeking to establish his own righteousness through the law. 

But when the Holy Spirit came and convicted him of sin, of falling short of the glory of God, his righteousness, and his perfect standard, he realized that the law only gave rise to the sinful passions in him and produced fruit unto death. And dwelling sin is the problem in the man in Adam. And living under the law as a rule of life only exacerbates this problem. 

And that's why we see the solution in our text as well as in Romans 7:4 to 6. Look with me one more time at that great text, Romans 7:4 to 6. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ. Why? That you may be married to another, to him who was raised from the dead. Why? That we should bear fruit to God. We had to die to the law. Why? In order to bear fruit to God. 

Verse 5, for when we were in the flesh in Adam, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. That's what we just saw in the man in Adam in the rest of Romans 7, a man in bondage to the law of sin and death and his members. 

But look at verse 6, but now, but now. Here's what Paul wants you to know about who you are in Christ. We have been delivered from the law having died to what we were held by so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Now go straight to Romans 8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 

Look at verse 2, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do and that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law, love, might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 

The man in Adam, Romans 7, is in bondage to the law of sin and death and his members, he's captive to it, he's a slave to sin. The man in Christ, in Romans 8, has been made free from the law of sin and death. The man in Adam lives under the law of Moses, the Ten Commandments. The man in Christ lives by the Spirit, empowering him to be holy. The man in Adam is dead in trespasses and sins, meaning that indwelling sin rules and reigns over him, but the man in Christ has been made alive and now lives under grace, righteousness, and eternal life. 

Praise God, my brothers and sisters, you He made alive in Christ so that you who died might now live for him who raised you from the dead. And so we see the condition of the man in Adam and we see the truth of regeneration and freedom from the controlling power of indwelling sin in Romans 6, freedom from the bondage of the law in Romans 7, and empowerment by the Holy Spirit and the promise of glorification in Romans 8. 

Don't go destroying the whole flow and context and message of Paul in those three chapters by inserting some kind of believer's struggle with sin in the middle of Romans 7, because it's just not there. Romans 6, you're free from sin, you're no longer a slave to sin, God crucified you with Christ, united you to him in his death, burial, and resurrection for the express purpose that you might now no longer be dominated by the sin that dwells in you, but by the way, the height of the mature Christian life is you'll never ever do what you want to do and you'll always perpetually do what you hate. 

Well that seems to kind of undermine what he's saying in Romans 6, doesn't it? If we understand it in its context and what it's trying to say, then we have a beautiful flow of freedom from sin, freedom from law, empowerment, and now living by the Holy Spirit rather than living by the law. All of that is wrapped up here in our text in Ephesians 2 in the truth that he made you alive when you believe Jesus. 

Well next we see that we were made alive by grace because of His love, Ephesians 2:4, but God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 

This great salvation about which we are learning originated in the heart and mind of God. God set his love upon us. He lavished his grace upon us, not because of us or something about us, but because of his love, because of his character and nature, his grace that he chose to save those who would believe. 

We just considered the sinful state of man and the essence of this sin is this, he has fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 says, for all have sinned. What's that mean, Paul? It means they've fallen short of the glory of God, they've missed the mark. Jesus defined this in Matthew 5:48 when he said, in order to enter the kingdom you must be perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect. 

All men have fallen short of this perfect standard and this most clearly defines the sinful separated condition of man. But we also see in the salvific act, God has done this by his grace because of his love, and he and he alone is responsible for our salvation through the person and work of Jesus on the cross. 

And as we've seen already in 1st Corinthians 1 and 2 last time, Paul explains that God did it in this way so that he might receive all the glory, that no flesh would glory in his sight. So it was our falling short of the glory that was the problem. It was God's love and grace that brought the remedy to our condition for the purpose of his glory. 

And we also see concerning this salvation that in justification and regeneration, God has set us on the path to glory. I'm gonna take another little detour here, go to Hebrews 2. We studied Hebrews 2 on Thursday night and I want to look at that passage with you, along with Hebrews 12, but look at Hebrews 2:9, we're talking about glory, we're talking about God's glory ultimately, and the road that Jesus has paved to glory. 

Verse 9, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting, it was right for him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 

We see a couple very interesting things here. First we see the word translated captain, archegos, it means a forerunner, a trailblazer, one who goes before to make a way for others to follow. It's the same word translated author, which is a horrible translation in the Authorized Version, in 12:2, okay, the author and finisher of our faith, he says. 

Next we see the word translated perfect in verse 10. How is it that Jesus was made perfect through sufferings? This word is teleao, it means to bring to consummation, a finish, an end, like telestai, where you spoke on the cross, it is finished, right? To reach the desired goal. It's the same word also used in Hebrews 12, you're familiar with the verse, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. 

The word archegos means that Jesus was the premier example, the forerunner, the ultimate example of faith, and that he trusted the Father even unto death on the cross. The author just gave us the whole of chapter 11, remember Hebrews 11 is the what chapter? Faith chapter, right? The heroes of the faith. And he says in beginning of 12, since we're surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses, all these heroes of the faith I just told you about, and then he sets Jesus as the ultimate example of faith, the one who blazed the trail of faith for us to follow, archegos. 

And then we see the word finisher, and this word means he took the principle of faith to its full end, to its furthest extreme. Think about this with me. Jesus was tested far beyond what any of us have been, because he never gave in to the temptation. He showed a greater faith and trust than any man because he never sinned, but always did what pleased the Father. 

Like Mark was talking about when he was separated from God on the cross, something that's never happened in eternity and in the glory he had with God since before the foundation of the world. He experienced things that we never experienced to greater degree because he never gave in. So these are very interesting sort of parallel passages using the exact same words in the same form, and even the conclusion is the same in Hebrews 2 and Hebrews 12. Listen, Hebrews 12 goes on, it says, "...who for the joy," and really the word for there is anti in the Greek, it should be instead, "...who instead of the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." 

So what he's saying here is, instead of remaining in the glory he had, instead of holding on to that, he took on flesh and became a man. He was willing to give that up, and the result of this is that he has been glorified through the resurrection, ascension, and is now sitting at the right hand of God. That happened through sufferings. 

We see the same thing in Hebrews 2, "...Jesus the Archegos, the forerunner, has blazed a path for us, opened the doors of heaven to all who will follow him in faith." And he's brought salvation to its completion, to its final end, the consummation, and watch this now, "...the road to glory is paved with suffering." 

The only way that salvation could be accomplished, the trail could be blazed by the pioneer, the sacrifice could be full and satisfying to the wrath and holiness of God, was through suffering, through death. We see this in Romans 3:25 and 26, the only way that God can remain just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus is if Jesus is presented as a propitiatory sacrifice for sins, paying the full debt of your sins and mine by his death, by his suffering, and it was the pathway of suffering through which Jesus came back to his rightful place of glory and brought glory to the Father as well. 

Now here's something fascinating we see in Hebrews 2 and is wrapped up in Ephesians 2, which is why I'm going through all this, it's that the road of salvation that Jesus set us on when we believed him, that God the Father made effective in us through faith, when he crucified us with Christ and buried us with him and raised us to newness of life, his life, you see, when we were dead we were separated from the life of God. 

Listen to Ephesians 4:18, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. Our deadness was a separation from the life of God, but when God by his grace, because of his love, saved us, he regenerated us, he united us to Christ, and he gave to us his very life. We have been given the divine nature, we have the mind of Christ, the very life of Jesus living in us, and the power, the power of the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling us. 

The first example of his power in our text is the resurrection of Jesus, but the second example of his power is our resurrection from the dead. And you, it says, he made alive. Ephesians 1:19 says it's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that is at work in us. And so God set us on that road of salvation, the path that Jesus blazed for us. 

And my friends, that road leads to glory, glorification. And that glory comes through suffering, not atoning or propitiatory suffering, that's finished, complete in the one-time death of Jesus, but sanctifying suffering. Turn over to Romans 8 with me, please. Romans 8, verse 14. 

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, look at this, if indeed we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified together. If we suffer, we suffer so that we may also be glorified. 

This is a done deal, we see this in Romans 8. The rest of Romans 8 fleshes this out. We do suffer, we were appointed to suffer. Peter says, for to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. Paul says we are killed all day long, counted as sheep to the slaughter, but in all this we are more than conquerors. 

My brothers and sisters, according to Romans 5 and James 1 and several other passages, God is making us like Jesus through suffering. He's sanctifying us, he's moving us down the road of salvation that began with justification and regeneration. We are now being outwardly conformed to the inward reality of who we are through suffering, and this road leads to glory. Glory revealed in us, and it all goes back to the glory of God, to bring him glory. 

Look at Romans 8:18 with me. This passage just takes on more and more meaning. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now, and not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, groan within ourselves, suffering in this world, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope, for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 

A glorious revealing. Why? For the glory of God. Go back to Ephesians chapter 1. We spent a lot of time in verses Ephesians 3-14, I want to just have you read through that passage with me, follow along with me. In 1:3-14, we see the motive of God in salvation, His love, His grace and mercy, just like we're talking about in Ephesians 2, and we also see the purpose in this salvation, that we should be holy and without blame, why? For the praise of His glory. 

Watch for these phrases as we read, Ephesians 1-3. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together and one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, which are on earth, in Him. 

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be what? To the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. 

God saved us, set us on the path of holiness to glorification so that we might glorify Him and that through us His glory might be shown to the principalities and powers, the angels and demons, and all of creation. You feel like maybe you have a higher purpose than just a better life on this earth because you came to Jesus, right? Come to Jesus and your life will be better. You'll be rich and have a better marriage and Jesus is going to fix all your problems. No, we are saved for God's eternal glory. 

There's a revealing coming of the sons of God when Jesus comes back for us and God's going to set us as an example of His grace and His glory and His power to show all of creation and the angels and the demons. Think about where Peter said the angels desire to look into this, they're looking intently, they're trying to understand it, and God's saying, watch my glory, watch my power, watch what I'm going to do in saving lost men. 

In Ephesians 2:7, back in our text, it says that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. The phrase in the ages to come speaks of successive ages. 

God is showing now in salvation the exceeding riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. He's done that in the plan of salvation in the ages past. He's done this in bringing these things to pass in the present, including the cross and our salvation and our transformation, and He will do that in age after age after age to come as we manifest His glory throughout eternity. 

His love and His grace is going to evermore and ever increasingly be poured out on us in age after age in order that He might display His glory and receive glory from all creation. I want you to just look, we read in Ephesians 1:10 about God bringing all things to consummation, that's bringing them back to a prior point, if you remember from our study. 

We saw it at the end of chapter 1 with principalities and power, we saw it in verse 7 that we just read. We read it in Ephesians 3 at verse 9 as we're closing here. Ephesians 3:9, it says, God's plan is to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, to the intent, to the intent, what is God's intent in salvation, that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

That my friends is an amazing revelation. And it just impresses upon me that this salvation accomplished through Christ is not ultimately about me, it's ultimately about the glory of God. Look down to verse 20, now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, what? To Him be glory in the church, by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever, amen. 

To Him be glory in the church. Our salvation, our conversion from death to life, being made alive by God's grace because of His love, our transformation and new life in Christ by His grace and power is meant to bring glory to God. And we see in verse 10 of our text that even the works that He's prepared for us are for His glory. 

We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which He's prepared in advance. You're going to have opportunities, God has facilitated the details tomorrow and the next day and the next day for you to do good works, to preach the gospel, to minister to one another. This is the fruit of holiness because of the life and power of Jesus in and through us, because of the Holy Spirit imparting strength to our inner man, a life of fruit that is possible only because God crucified our old man so that the body controlled by sin might be rendered powerless. 

One of my favorite verses is John 15:8, listen to what Jesus said. He said, by this my Father is glorified. How do we glorify God? That you bear much fruit. And then He says, so you will be My disciples. Why are you a disciple of Christ? Because He wants you to bear much fruit. Why? So that you can glorify the Father. 

Even the fruit of holiness, the good works that are a result of the salvation we've already experienced and those we lead to faith in Christ are fruit meant to glorify God. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so you will be My disciples. 

So we see God's glory all over this salvation. And my friends, we didn't even get to an exposition of verses 8 and 9, so I guess we'll have a part 3 of this message next week. And you, He made alive. Praise God. Give Him glory for His love, His grace, His mercy, His power for salvation and hope and promise through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we're so thankful, just so thankful for Your grace, for Your love, for who You are. Thankful that You're our Father, our Abba Father, that we can crawl up into Your lap as it were to find grace for help in time of need. Thank You that You love us, that You've set Your love upon us, that You've lavishly poured out Your grace upon us and that's just going to continue throughout the ages. In all this for Your glory, help us to understand why You saved us. Help us to understand Your plans for us. Help us to understand the magnitude of what You have for us and how it pales in such comparison to this life, this world, the sufferings of this time. Help us in all things to bring glory to You. In Jesus' name, amen.