Good morning to everyone! Good to see you all on this spring morning. We had a litter of pigs late last night, so I was out enjoying the warm weather. I remember a few years ago it was 36 below when we had our first litter, so it was a pleasure last night, and it's going to be warm today. So that's nice. We can enjoy that.

We're going to be talking today about speaking with authority and the need to speak with authority from the Word of God in the world in which we now live, and I'm going to talk a little bit about that world and how we respond to that. I really want to lift the phrase out of the text this morning where Paul says in verse 15, "I have written more boldly to you on some points," and the necessity of that for Paul to accomplish the mission that God gave to him, as well as for us to accomplish the mission that God has given to us—to lead men to faith in Christ and also for the believers to be built up and to grow together.

I'd like to begin by asking you to turn to Galatians chapter 1 to look at probably Paul's boldest statement. Galatians 1 verse 6: He wrote, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than that which you have received, let him be accursed." 

Now look at verse 10. Paul says, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." 

Well, Paul in our text in Romans 15 has really concluded his doctrinal teaching and the specific application of that doctrine by way of exhortation at chapter 15 verse 13. But in this last chapter and a half, he wants to summarize to get to the heart of why he has written what he has written in the letter and what it should mean to our lives concerning how we live and what our purpose is. Paul wants to emphasize the importance of doctrine, the importance of application of this truth in our lives, and the vital nature of understanding our purpose—our goal, the reason why God has us here and why all of this matters so much. He does this in the text before us this morning. This is more than just closing words that we're going to be studying over the next several weeks; this is Paul's heart, and there are rich lessons for us in these words.

Look with me at our text, Romans 15:14, please. Paul says, "Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points as reminding you because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me in word and deed to make the Gentiles obedient in many sought and mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Elycraeum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation. But as it is written: 'To whom he was not announced, they shall see, and those who have not heard shall understand.'"

Paul is really explaining in this text to the believers in Rome why he has to write the way he has written, why he must be more bold on some points. His purpose, his goal, is the mission given to him by God, by God's grace, to reach the Gentiles for Jesus Christ, and then to bring them to maturity in Christ, that they might be fruitful in their ministries as well. 

I'd like to outline the text before us for our study with four points you have on your outline: first, we see Paul's commendation; second, we see competency; third, concern; and fourth, conclusion. 

Well, as I observe our world today and as I seek within the context of this world to bring a good news message to this lost and dying world, I believe that Satan is accomplishing one of his greatest works in opposition to the truth being spoken—to speaking with authority. It's been called cultural Marxism; you may also know it as political correctness. It's a stunning thing to observe the very power of it to change and shape our society, our culture, and our thinking—and even the church. Clearly, there is a satanic agenda behind it, a promoting and pushing of things that are anti-God, anti-truth, anti-Christ, and anti-gospel and salvation.

The ultimate goal of the insanity that we see in our world concerning the thinking of men and the way they act in relation to this is to keep men from Jesus Christ, to keep them from the truth. Truly the words of Paul in Romans 1 come to life in our everyday life in 2017 and around our world. Romans 1:21 says, "Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened; professing to be wise, they became fools."

It's been interesting for me to watch. I just use this as an example. I think something that really struck me with this, as I think about speaking boldly and speaking with authority and thus saith the Lord, was my daughter Caitlin told me that in her generation, even I've been helping a little bit with their Bible studies, and even in their Bible studies she says the kids of this generation will never say, "This is right" or "This is wrong." It must always be prefaced with, "This is my opinion" or "I think." Never, "This is what is true." The idea of absolute truth has all but vanished.

I've been interested to watch all of the news coverage—the American perspective on the country of Sweden. I know a little bit about Sweden; I have close friends in that country, all across that country for more than 15 years. Every year when I guide these guys from Sweden, I get a little glimpse into their thinking, their philosophy, government, personal relationships, as well as the social ills of their day. The country is very small in population, it's rich in natural resources, and it has an interesting geography. It gives them advantages that most in the world do not have. They have a socialistic philosophy of government, no doubt being taxed at 90% of their income. 

However, what is most amazing to me is their commitment to the ideology, to the government—their unwavering commitment to this ideology that's been taught to them. The point I want to get to here is that they all have this same mind. Some more extreme than others, and to different degrees, but they all have been inculcated with this mindset, this ideology. And it has affected them in how they think and how they speak.

I've heard for years from my friends of the problems with immigrants and refugees, and this latest splash in the news is no surprise. But what is a surprise is the reaction of the Swedes—the absolute level to which they guard the ideology to a level of insanity, in my opinion, as I watched a video made by Ami Horowitz that he called "the Stockholm syndrome." In the video, he talks about the historical harmonious nature of Sweden and its peaceful society and how over the last five years, through taking in more Islamic refugees than any other Western country, there's been a massive cultural shift destroying the peaceful conditions in Stockholm. Sweden is now the rape capital of Europe.

He interviews two policemen who talked about the no-go zones in the suburbs of Stockholm where police will not pursue criminals. One police officer cited statistics on rape in Sweden. He said, "Before the influx of refugees, there were, on average, two rapes a year." That's quite amazing in a city of that size. But now they are experiencing two to three a week. In one suburb, they have never had more than one murder in a year; last year, they had 11, which is clearly not a war zone like Chicago, but for the number of people living there, this increase is astounding.

While filming in northern Stockholm, he was confronted in one of these no-go zones by five Muslim men, and they came and told him to leave. The people—his cameraman—ran, but he stayed, and he was wired for sound, and those men began to beat him and dragged him into a building and beat him almost to death. The rapes of Swedish women by refugees have reached frightening levels. They have even had to cancel music concerts because in these crowds, the men will surround women, sometimes girls as young as 12, and the men in the inner circle will rape those women during the music concerts. 

The government gives the refugees housing, food, spending allowances—everything they could need. Yet, when Muslim men are involved in crimes, the government does not record those statistics. This peaceful, liberal society is seeing a culture war and a massive increase in violent crime. 

But the interesting part—the instructive part—is the end of this video where Ami goes and interviews people on the street in Stockholm. They all know about this; they've all seen this; they've all talked about it in the video. But when he asked them, "Do you think any of this increase in crime is connected to the refugees?" they all say, "No, no, it has nothing to do with that. This is not a cultural problem." They said one man said, "The problem is that the Swedish government has failed in how they have brought these people in." They say that the problem is not cultural, and to say so is racist. Over and over, the people say that. He asked if the violence and rape are connected to Islamic culture and refugees coming into the country—no. 

I’d like to see the evidence for that, one woman said. Yes, if there’s a limit to how many immigrants Sweden should take, the answers were, “No, there's no limit to helping people.” The people of Stockholm, in the midst of all that's going on in their city, are absolutely delusional when it comes to defending their ideology and have a tremendous unwillingness to recognize the reality that is playing out before them.

And I see this kind of mentality taking hold in our culture as well, where the greatest sin of all is to offend someone. And you know, that's a problem for Christians because the gospel is offensive. Anyone who dares to stand up for truth, who would espouse the reality of absolute truth and morality according to God and his word, has become public enemy number one.

My question for you this morning is, where does this leave us? How has all of this affected the way we think, the way we act, what we stand for, what we say, and what we will not say? One of Paul's main goals in our text this morning is to explain the need for boldness in speaking truth in order to accomplish the purpose of his mission—to tell the believers his motive, his reasoning for speaking so boldly in the letter.

How can we be bold speaking the truth in love in such a world as this? Paul understood a bit about swimming upstream and bucking the system and preaching an unpopular truth. In 2 Corinthians 11, he lists out all the times he was beaten and stoned and shipwrecked and all the trials he experienced from Jew and Gentile alike because he was bold with the truth, preaching the gospel of Christ. 

Paul's ministry was not carried out in a society friendly to the gospel. He did not minister in the Bible belt. Yet he understood his ministry. And because he understood the call of God on his life, the gravity of the eternal destiny of men, and the grace that had been given to him in salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ, one word described Paul in his ministry: bold. Paul was bold, and that's the word that jumps out at me in our text in verse 15: "Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points as reminding you." 

Paul is bold, and he says that this is necessary. I fear that this mood of political correctness has not only affected our witness in the world, but it has also crept into much of the church, and men are afraid to stand for the truth. They're afraid to preach and proclaim boldly, "This is what the word of God says." We see in Paul's example a willingness to preach the gospel to the world and the gospel to the church, plain and clear, because he knew his calling—he knew his obligation. He knew his great need to tell the truth in order to accomplish his purpose.

We see this in Acts 26, one of my favorite passages, where Paul is giving his testimony of his conversion. And in Acts 26:16, Paul said that Jesus said to him, "But rise and stand on your feet." This was on the road to Damascus. "But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."

We also see Paul's purpose and reason for boldness in our text in verse 15 again. "Nevertheless, brethren, I've written more boldly to you on some points as reminding you because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, in order that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." 

And so, I have made it my aim to preach the Gospel, he says in verse 20. Paul's heart and goal of his ministry was, according to the will of God, to go to the Gentiles and preach the Gospel to them without compromise in order that they might believe and be saved, and then to teach them, disciple them, bring them up to a point of maturity that he might present them to God, acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. This was Paul's life. This was Paul's ministry, and in order to accomplish these things, boldness was required. Truth was required. Self-sacrifice was required, because apart from speaking the truth boldly, apart from being willing to offend at the point of the Gospel, no one could be saved. No one could grow and be built up in the faith, become complete and lacking nothing, and thus Paul would have no one to present to God as an acceptable offering.

Boldness is the key to Paul's ministry, as well as to ours—the truth spoken in love with the right motive. The love of Christ compelling us, but the truth spoken nonetheless. I'm talking about boldness to preach the Gospel, to tell the truth, to admonish one another, to encourage one another by pointing each other to Christ.

Okay, we're halfway through our time, so let's get to our first point. Our first point is Paul's commendation in verse 14. "Now, I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another." 

There's a wonderful three-point sermon in this verse, and I entertained that thought, but we're going to try to cover these points briefly here. Paul says, "I'm confident concerning you, my brethren, that you're full of goodness, that you're filled with all knowledge, and that you are able to admonish one another." After chapter 14, the believers in Rome may have gotten the idea that Paul thought something was wrong—that they weren't loving one another, that they weren't bearing with one another's burdens. But Paul lays that to rest here, using language to show that he has been fully persuaded and that he's come to the conviction that they are full of Christian love and goodness, the kind that bears with the weaker brother.

He recognizes that they have a comprehensive grasp of Christian knowledge and doctrine, even though he has not personally discipled them. And then in this last phrase, which I think is most instructive for us, he says that you are able to admonish one another. The word admonish literally means to put in mind. We would say to remind. It's often used of warning the brethren. Paul uses it that way in 1 Corinthians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, concerning warning the brethren—admonishing them, putting them in mind. 

In mind of what? What do we need to continually be put in mind of? The truth of the Word of God in every area. In Thessalonians, he says that the unruly brother, the one who would not work, should be warned, should be admonished to work with his hands, and if he would not, then he should be put out. This is a truth of the Scriptures that needs to be applied. We need to remind each other of these kinds of things.

The real essence of the word here, and what I think is so interesting an application for us, the word could be translated to counsel one another—to admonish one another, to put each other in mind of the truth, to remind one another of Christ, and the Gospel and the truth applied in our lives. What Paul says here in our text is that he's fully persuaded to the point of having a firm conviction that the believers in Rome—and this would apply to us as well at Living Hope Church—are competent to counsel one another.

And what does biblical counsel consist of? It consists of putting each other in mind of the truth. I remember many years ago, I was helping a young man who was having a great deal of trouble handling his emotions. He was engaged to be married, and my concern was to help remedy this before he was married, for sure. But some in his family were convinced that he needed a psychologist and professional help. So he went to the psychologist, and he called me after his visit. After spending an hour or so with this professional and spending who knows how much money, do you know what the counsel was that was given to this young man? He told the young man that he needed to have premarital relations with his fiancée, and this would cure his issues. That's what he told him.

My brothers and sisters, Paul is saying here that we as believers are competent to help each other. We are competent to counsel one another, and that the essence of any counseling situation, no matter the problem or the trouble, is discipleship, is growth, is being continually, daily put in mind of the truth of the Word of God. This is what we all need. Sometimes life situations are extremely difficult. Sometimes things have to be done to secure someone, to provide safe haven. I understand that. But long-term, what we all need continually to be reminded of, daily, is the truth of the Word of God—to set our minds right, to help us see things correctly, and to help us understand what God would have us to do. It's this transforming that takes place through the renewing of the mind, as Paul said in Romans 12, 1 and 2.

Paul says, "I am confident that you believers, you with the Holy Spirit..." I always think that to myself. I take someone with the Holy Spirit over someone without at any time, because God is able to bring truth to bear—to bring encouragement through the Word. I am confident that you believers, you with the Holy Spirit, are able to help one another and promote growth and sanctification unto holiness.

And this is Paul's concern, our third point on our outline. Paul's concern is that the believers would be growing, would be built up, would be moving toward maturity in Christ's likeness. Verse 16 says that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Now I want you to zero right in on that word in verse 15: boldly. Because this is a key word in our text. He says, "I know that you are full of goodness. You are filled with all knowledge. You are perfectly capable to admonish one another. Nevertheless, I have written more boldly to you on some points as reminding you because of the grace of God given to me." Not too boldly, but more boldly—making it clear. Here we see Paul’s ministry, his concern, his goal.

As God has given him grace to go to the Gentiles, to lead them to faith, and to remind them, instruct them, and disciple them—this is his concern, and it is his purpose as a minister to the Gentiles. And boldness is a hallmark of the life and ministry of Paul. It's necessary. Paul is conveying that loving need for boldness here in his words, saying, "Brethren, I know you're growing. I know you're doing well. I know that you love the Lord. I know that you love each other. But there is a need. It is necessary to be bold, to make things clear in some areas so that you get it, because none of us have arrived yet."

You need instruction. I need instruction. We need reminding. And I know that you can do that for each other, Paul says, but I want to make sure through my boldness in writing that you get these things clear because the truth—because doctrine matters. My friends, how can we minister in a world such as ours? Our society, our culture, our world. The men of this world have rejected God. They have suppressed His clear truth and revelation of Himself through creation, through Jesus, and through His Word, and certainly through the nation Israel. And God has given them over to their sin, Romans 1 tells us. He has given them over to a debased mind. They cannot think anymore. Their foolish hearts are darkened. And professing to be wise, they have become morino in the Greek. That's where we get our word moron. They've become fools. Their very thoughts have become useless, futile, according to Romans 1. And as a result, they hate the truth more than ever. They hate God's people more than ever. And this is building, my friends, to a crescendo that will take place in the tribulation time on this earth.

So to speak the truth, to reject political correctness, can really cost you in our time. Perhaps your money, your peace, your business, even your life. A few years ago, a Canadian pastor was found guilty of a hate crime because he wrote a letter to a local paper commenting on what the Bible says about homosexuality. The Canadian Supreme Court ruled that it is illegal to read from the Bible concerning homosexuality. In Sweden, a pastor was sentenced to a month in jail for committing a hate crime by reading the Bible out loud on the street corner. 

But you say, not here. Not in these United States. I read two stories, one in Idaho and one in Vermont, where pastors were fined and jailed for refusing to perform gay marriage ceremonies. It's here, and it's growing all the time. But it's not just the forces of the secular world that want to stamp out morality and truth—biblical truth. You can go into an ecumenical religious group today, meet with some local pastors for lunch, and then begin to talk about the exclusivity of Christ, the need for every man for the gospel, salvation by grace through faith alone, apart from works, basic Christian Bible truth, and see the reception you get.

You won't be welcome in religious circles either. Free speech and freedom of religion have already been overruled in the case of Christianity, and we know that persecution of Christians around the world throughout history has been the norm and not the exception. So how do we respond? What do we do in face of likely persecution of one kind or another, whether that be being shunned at work or losing our business or being lit on fire in a cage or dropped into acid by ISIS in the Middle East? How shall we respond in our kind of world?

I'd like for you to turn to Acts 4 with me, please. Acts 4, verse 1: "Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000. And it came to pass on the next day that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, 'By what power or by what name have you done this?' They're talking about healing a man here."

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled, and they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, "What shall we do to these men? For indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak to no man in this name." 

So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." 

Now go down to chapter 5, verse 17. We'll see the story continues. It says, "Then the high priest rose up and all those who were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison door and brought them out and said, 'Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.' And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together with all the elders of the children of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought."

When the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, "Indeed, we found the prison shut securely and the guards standing outside before the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside." Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priest heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came and told them, saying, "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people." Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people lest they should be stoned. 

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council, and the high priest asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood on us." But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Boldness. They marveled at the boldness, and they realized that they had been with Jesus.

My friends, John the Baptist was beheaded because he spoke out against the immorality of adultery and Herod taking his brother's wife. Jesus was crucified because he threatened the prominent religious system of his time. The apostles were jailed and beaten for proclaiming the Gospel, and eventually, all but John were martyred for their testimony for Jesus Christ, and he was exiled to the island of Patmos. Paul was beaten many times, stoned, and left for dead, and eventually beheaded.

Notice that the apostles had boldness because they had been with Jesus. We see this throughout the book of Acts, where it says they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and so they spoke boldly. Paul said, "We believe, therefore we speak." My brothers and sisters, we must obey God rather than men. We cannot help but speak the things we have heard, the things that Jesus has done for us, the truth of our salvation. Because we love men. 

We are not against sinners. We're not judging sinners. We do not hate sinners. But we, having been sinners, know that only the truth can set a man free. And only if we are bold, only if we are abiding in Christ, being filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit, can we speak the truth boldly in this kind of world. And we will, no matter the cost, because we believe Jesus, and we love one another. This is the need for the lost and for the saved—the truth, to be put in mind of the truth, to hear and believe. Paul said, "Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel." The love of Christ compels me.

My friends, how can we know what we know and not tell the world? It's difficult, but how can we love the brethren without telling them the truth, pointing them back to Jesus continually in every situation? And this requires boldness, and this is Paul's heart. So filled with love that he must tell the truth. He uses a most interesting word in verse 16 of our text. It's translated minister. But it's not the usual word for minister. Rather, it is the word that is often translated priest.

Paul draws on this language here, defining his goal, the desired conclusion to his ministry, the result. What he hopes to accomplish by being bold and having concern for the salvation and growth of the Gentiles. This is the conclusion. This is our last point. And we see it in verse 16 and following: "that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."

In verse 20 he says, "I've made it my aim to preach the Gospel." Paul's highlighting his ministry to the Gentiles here. It was Peter who was sent to the Jews; he laid a foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ there in Jerusalem. But Paul was sent out to the Gentiles, to the nations, to bring them to Christ. And that is what he says here. He preached the Gospel everywhere, and with signs and wonders and powerful working of the Holy Spirit in his apostolic ministry, myriads of Gentiles were saved. And it's now Paul's desire—the conclusion of his ministry and the purpose of these epistles as well—to bring the Gentile churches to maturity in Christ, that he might present them, that he might offer them as a sacrifice to God—holy and acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

This is why Paul uses the priestly, sacrificial language much like he did back in Romans 12, 1 and 2: that we as believers would present our bodies a living sacrifice to God. The Gentiles, the believers, are seen as an offering to God. And Paul makes it his aim through boldness and reminding the believers of sound doctrine, of truth continually, and imploring them to do the same for one another, to bring each other to maturity. The conclusion of his ministry is to present the believers to God as a holy and acceptable sacrifice.

In the beginning of this epilogue to the epistle to the Romans, Paul bears his heart and explains the necessity and reason for his boldness. He gives a vote of confidence to the believers in Rome, and this applies to us as well at Living Hope Church—that we are able to minister to one another, to put each other in mind continually of the truth of our salvation and the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. That we might keep our minds right, that we might focus on the right things, and that we might continue to grow and bear fruit for God's glory—fulfilling the mission He's given to us. That's what this is all about.

My brothers and sisters, we believe, therefore we speak. We speak the Gospel to a lost and dying world. We don't need to offend men at every point, but we need to offend men at the point of the Gospel. That is necessary. And we also need to help each other. We need to put each other in mind of the truth—to encourage one another and to keep our minds focused on Christ. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we're so thankful for Paul's words recorded here for us. We just thank You that You've given us this book and preserved it for us. And I pray that You would give us a great desire, a hunger, a thirst to know Your truth and to know You through Your Word. Help us to understand that our life is all about Jesus Christ—the salvation He's given us, the ministry He's given us, the purpose for our lives, Lord. And help us to understand that it's by abiding in Him one day at a time, putting our minds in line with the truth that allows us to fulfill this ministry. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.