Good morning to everyone. Thank you, Mark, for leading us. Appreciate that. And good illustration about Abba there. My wife leaned over and said, this story isn't true. I said, why is that? And she said, because men don't wash their hands. 

Ah. So you're all battening down the hatches for tonight. We're looking at a snowstorm coming. I always like to mention that early. And we're in October, and then when you listen to this message in a few years, you can be like, phew, snowed early that year. It's always fun. 

We're continuing our study in the book of Galatians, chapter 4, verses 1 to 20. We've been studying through the book of Galatians for several months now. And Paul's been teaching us about our salvation and about the Christian life. And you'll remember the issue in this region was false teachers, legalistic Jews, who had come in teaching another gospel. Paul called it a heteros, a different gospel, which he says is not good news. 

And it was a gospel of faith in Jesus Christ plus the law of Moses. Faith plus works. This was their message. And Paul comes right out of the gate attacking this lie, pronouncing a curse on those who would pervert the pure gospel of grace, salvation by faith alone in what Christ accomplished on the cross. Paul was greatly concerned about keeping the gospel message clear. 

He even withstood Peter to his face and rebuked Barnabas when they were not straightforward about the gospel truth. We see something similar in 2 Corinthians 11. At verse 1, Paul says, "Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly, and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 

Now listen, he says, "But I fear lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it." 

There is another Jesus, a Jesus who cannot save, a Jesus who is insufficient. This Jesus is preached today in the mainline denominations of Christianity, where sacraments and good works and law keeping are added to faith in Jesus for salvation. Paul says anathema on those who would pervert the gospel of Christ. 

But Paul also had a great concern for the effect that this false message was having on the true believers in the region of Galatia. And we see this develop in chapters 2 to 5. A false gospel not only leads men to hell, but perverting the gospel also confuses the believer about the Christian life. 

And so we've seen Paul attack the adding of the law to the life of the believer as well. And he's made abundantly clear that we as believers in Jesus Christ are no longer under the law, that the law has served its purpose in our lives, showing us our sin and leading us to faith in Jesus Christ, and that we now live by the Spirit through faith and not by the letter. 

This is what was happening in these churches. The believers were turning back to the law of Moses as a rule of life, seeking to be made perfect, that is, sanctified by the works of the law, by the flesh. Paul says, "Are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" 

The promise of salvation was given to Abraham 430 years before the law even existed. We looked last time at how from Adam to Moses, 2,500 years, there was no law. And Paul's emphasis in chapter 3 is that the law cannot annul the covenant made with Abraham, fulfilled by Christ, the new covenant instituted by Christ that is coming. Salvation is by promise, through faith in the promise of God, not by the works of the law. 

The law was given to show us our sin, to leave us guilty, to shut our mouths, to show us our need for a substitute, a Savior, to die in our place for our sins. And Paul's conclusion to all of this great doctrinal truth is found in chapter 3 at verse 28, when he says, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Those who believe are sons, heirs of the promise given to Abraham, co-heirs with Christ, according to Romans chapter 8. 

In John 1:12, it says, "But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name." We are heirs of the promise, and we become sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. 

This truth is what Paul seeks to illustrate and make application of in our text this morning in chapter 4. And in this text, we see Paul soften his tone a bit, and he shows us that the reason that he is so passionate, that he's so firm with his words, is because of his great love for the believers in Galatia, those who he preached the gospel to and who believed and became the sons of God. 

He wants what is best for them. He wants to keep them focused on the truth, the gospel, and keep them from false teaching. He labors, he says, agonizes as a woman in birth pangs so that Christ might be formed in them. He calls them my little children. He was their father in the faith, and he loved them dearly. 

We're going to see these things in our study this morning, Lord willing, as we work through this marvelous passage. Let's look at Galatians 4, chapter 1. 

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so, we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father." 

Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. But then indeed, when you did not know God, you served those things which by nature are not God's. 

But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I'm afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 

You know that because of physical infirmity, I preached the gospel to you at first, and my trial, which was in my flesh, you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. 

Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? They zealously court you, but for no good. Yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. 

My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I have doubts about you. 

I've given you four points on your outline. First, kept under guard. Second, sons of God. Third, my little children. And fourth, all about love. 

Well, at the end of chapter three, Paul gives us some clear, powerful teaching about the purpose of the law and the truth that we are sons of God, heirs of the promised Abraham by faith alone in Jesus alone. The law was not given in order that we might live holy lives. The law has no power, no ability, nor was its purpose ever to produce the fruit of righteousness in our lives. 

Sanctification, holy living, Christ-likeness comes by grace through faith just as much as justification. And we are sons of God through faith, not by the works of the law. We've been given an inheritance through faith in Jesus. We are sons of Abraham by faith. We inherit the promise by faith. 

In chapter four, Paul begins with an illustration in order to make these things plain. He says that an heir in the worldly sense, like the son of a king, as long as he is a child, really doesn't differ from a slave. The child heir is kept under guardians and stewards and teachers and tutors until the appointed time. 

Paul says, even so, we were children, and we were in bondage under the elements of the world. What does he mean by the elements of the world? Well, he defines the elements of the world down in verses nine and ten. He says, "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years." 

The elements of the world literally means the first principles of the world and refers to the religious principles they once followed, Jew and Gentile. For the Jew, this would include the law of Moses. It would include the sacrificial system, the ceremonies, observance of days and festivals, and the law, as Paul so clearly laid out through this epistle. 

We gain clarity of understanding from the book of Hebrews on this as well. The Jews who are in the audience in the book of Hebrews are in the same sort of danger that Paul is describing here, leaning back toward the law, either as a way of justification for those who had not gone on to perfection through faith in Jesus, or a means of sanctification, a way of life for the believers there. 

In chapter six of verse one of Hebrews, we see similar phrase that says the elementary principles. And this refers to all the pictures of the old covenant, the first principles of the Christ, he says. The sacrifices, ceremonies, the whole law of Moses. The idea here is that the believers in Galatia, and all believers, had experienced the full intention of God through the law that he gave in order to show us our sin and lead us to faith in Christ. 

That's why he says in chapter three, when we've come to faith in Christ, we are no longer under the tutor. Those shadows and pictures that pointed to Christ, the sacrifice of the lambs, the laws and regulations that were binding on the Jewish people, found their completion and fullness in Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 

And now that we have come to Christ through faith, there's a completion, a consummation that the law only foretold, only pictured. A fullness that found its genesis in the promise of God, of a redeemer, of salvation and regeneration and adoption as sons and heirs of the promise. 

Paul is saying now that you have this fullness, now that you have this complete salvation through faith in Christ, regeneration, a new heart and a new spirit, and the life of Christ in you, why would you go back to those first principles? Those weak and beggarly elements? Why would you go back to the old when the old finds its consummation in the new? 

Hebrews 8:7 says, "If that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them," he says, "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah." Jesus is the mediator of a new and better covenant built on better promises. 

When I was writing these words, I thought of an old illustration I used when I was preaching through Hebrews when Sarah was not born yet. And Bobby went to the doctor and she came home and she had one of those sonogram pictures. I can't ever see, I think they're better now, but back then it's like, yeah, okay, whatever. But we put that on the refrigerator, that sonogram of our little baby in Bobby's belly there. 

And we'd look at that picture and say, "Oh, baby's coming, baby's coming. Look at that, there's a baby, baby's coming." Well, this going back to the law, this living by the law would be like if Bobby had that baby in the hospital there and we brought that baby home, and Bobby had the baby and I was over there with that sonogram, look, "Oh, what a wonderful baby. Oh, look at the wonderful baby," and the baby's here. 

I don't need the picture when I have the baby. And that's just what's going on here. They're going back to the weak and beggarly elements that pictured the Christ when the Christ is here, the Christ has come, we're no longer under the law. 

Look at verse four of our text with me, please. He says, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father.'" 

Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. We are no longer in bondage under the law. We are no longer slaves to sin and law and death. We are sons, full heirs, co-heirs with Christ. And now we live, we serve, not by the law, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The very power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work and active and effective in our lives, according to Ephesians 1:19 and following. Listen to the words of Romans 7:4-6 again. He says, "Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, to him who was raised from the dead." 

He'd given an illustration about marriage. A man's bound by the law of marriage until his spouse dies, and then by death, he's released from that law. And here he says, we also died. When we believe Jesus, it says, God crucified us with Christ, buried us with him and raised us to newness of life. We died, our old man died, who we were in Adam, under the law. 

And he says, we died so that we could be married to another, Jesus. Why? For the express purpose that we should bear fruit to God. Because 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. 

But now we have been delivered from the law, Paul says, 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. In our text, in Galatians 4:9, it says, "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire to be in bondage?" 

Paul does not understand a return to Jewish customs, feast days, new moon, Sabbath, nor the binding of the law of Moses on the believer. These things are all the first principles working toward the coming of Christ. But when Christ came, he fulfilled all of these things, and we now experience the fullness of salvation in him by faith. 

And yet this kind of thinking, this movement is pervasive even in the evangelical church today. Christians going to synagogue and participating in Jewish rituals. We see a draw to the ceremonial, the ritualistic worship and engaging in the first principles. Jesus is the fullness. Jesus is all that we need. Do not be moved from the simplicity that is in Christ. 

So we see that we were formerly kept under guard by the law as a child, Paul says. But when the fullness of time came and God sent forth his son and we believed the gospel truth, placing our faith in Jesus alone, we became sons, heirs of the promise made to Abraham in all of its fullness. 

I can remember that time for myself. We'd moved up here, got a caretaking gig at Crab Lake over here, and Guy Folsom started witnessing to me. I'd never heard the gospel, 26 years old. Grew up in the Catholic church, went to the Catholic school, altar boy, whole nine yards, never heard the gospel. When Guy told me the gospel, I didn't believe it, right? 

That salvation was by grace through faith alone. That Jesus died in my place and paid the debt for my sins. And that through faith in him, God would impute his righteousness to me. I couldn't be righteous. No man could be righteous. No man can keep the law. And the law requires perfection. 

And yet we went through all those religious rituals when I was young, when I was a kid, and the stations of the cross and the incense and the sacraments and trying to receive God's grace piecemeal through works. That's just what these Judaizers were teaching. 

And Paul says it was so damning because I couldn't keep the law, but Jesus kept the law in my place. Jesus kept the law perfectly. He didn't deserve to die. He didn't deserve the wrath of God for my sins, but he took the wrath of God for my sins and paid my debt on the cross in my place. 

And God says, if you'll just trust in him alone, I'll give you my righteousness and impute your sins to Christ and you'll be justified, made right with me. Now we must live as heirs. Paul says we're heirs, that we're sons with all the full blessings of the new covenant, Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

And how do we live? Paul says the just shall live by faith. Paul's been teaching us these things in these first four chapters of Galatians. And he's telling us, he's been using some pretty straightforward, some may even say harsh language and tone. 

But we see here that he's done this, he has this great passion for one reason, because of his great love for the saints. Beginning in verse 13, Paul recounts a little bit of history with the believers in Galatia. He says, "You know that because of physical infirmity, I preached the gospel to you at the first." 

And what he means by that is he had to stay in the region of Galatia because he was sick. "In my trial, which was in my flesh, you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me." 

Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? They zealously court you, but for no good. Yes, they want to exclude you that you may be zealous for them, but it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. 

"My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I have doubts about you." 

Apparently, Paul spent some time at the first with these people because of a condition, an illness that he was experiencing, and there's a lot of conjecture about what this illness was, this physical infirmity, but it appears from the language here that he had some sort of issue with his eyes. Some say it was a disfiguring condition with a continual oozing from the eyes that was less than attractive. 

Paul recounts that they did not shun him, they did not reject him, nor were they repelled by his condition, but they took him in and cared for him even as an angel from God or as Christ himself. And in verse 15, he says, "You would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me if that were possible." 

From the beginning, Paul came preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the people there received him, and believed, and cared for him, and even would have given their own eyes for his if they could. They had a deep love relationship built on the gospel of Christ and their common salvation. 

And Paul expresses this love for them and explains that he's being so harsh, so firm in his words because he loves them. And then he makes this great statement in verse 16, "Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" Paul was speaking clear truth to them, trying to keep them from false teachers who were courting them, drawing them away from the truth. 

He says, "Am I your enemy because I tell you the truth?" Sometimes the truth is hard. Sometimes the truth is difficult to take, but the truth is what we need. And the brother who is willing to speak the truth in love is not your enemy, but your friend. 

Paul loved them deeply, had really given his life for them to preach the gospel to them, to help them to grow and to be fruitful, to keep them focused on Christ. And false teachers were coming in and perverting the gospel of Christ, and it was having a grave effect on the believers there, so much so that they were turning back to the law of Moses. 

Paul had to tell them the truth, and he had to for one reason, because he loved them. Look at his words, his tone in verse 19, "My little children, for whom I labor and birth again until Christ is formed in you." The word labor here is agonize. Paul said of all that he suffered in his ministry in 2 Corinthians 11, shipwreck, stoning. They stoned him and left him for dead outside of Lystra. Rods, whips, jail, persecution. 

Of all that he suffered, the most difficult was his daily concern for all the churches. Now, brothers and sisters, he loved them. He loved them enough to tell them the truth. 

We've been studying the law a lot lately and its relationship or lack thereof to the Christian life. We've looked at some hard words from Paul, but clear words. We've seen parallel teaching in Romans and 1 Peter in the course of our studies. And what we've learned in all of this is really most interesting, and I'd like to show you a pattern that I have noticed in these three important books that I've been teaching through for the last several weeks. 

What we see in each case is an explanation of our salvation. First, we see doctrine. We see teaching concerning who we are and what we have in Christ. And this is most evident in Romans, beginning with justification back in chapter three and running through sanctification in chapters five to eight as we've been studying. 

But we also see this clearly in 1 Peter 1. Turn over to 1 Peter 1 with me, please. 1 Peter 1:3. Listen to Peter's words here. Amazing truth concerning our salvation and what we have in Jesus Christ. He says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again," that speaks to the new birth, "has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you've been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love, though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

I'd say that's a wonderful explanation of our salvation. Who we are and what we have in Jesus Christ. And we've seen the same thing in Galatians, relating to the promise of the Christ given to Abraham, a blessing to all nations, how we become sons and heirs of the promise through faith, and what this means to our Christian life and how we live, like in Galatians 2:19 to 21. 

We see the purpose of the law laid out clearly in these letters as well, clear in Romans, most clearly laid out here in Galatians, to show us our sin, to lead us to faith in Christ. All of this doctrine, all of these truths are meant to lay a foundation, to give us the why. Why we can now live a new life because of what God has done in us, uniting us to Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection, our new birth, regeneration. 

But there's also a very interesting conclusion in each of these books, as to God's intent and purpose for this great work of salvation that he's done in us. Let's look at 1 Peter first, as we see that it's all about the love. 1 Peter, after laying out the truths of our salvation, Peter calls on us to live out who we are by God's grace and power. Look at verse 22 of 1 Peter 1, notice what he says. 

"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever." 

Peter says, since you have obeyed the truth, that is, that you have believed the gospel, that you've taken it for yourself, and through this you've experienced the purification of your souls, which is regeneration, and this new birth has given you a great affection for the brethren, this common bond, this like precious faith we have in Jesus. 

He says, here's my command to you, agape, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again. Love, this is the command, this is the conclusion of our salvation, what God intends for us to do as believers in Jesus Christ. Love one another fervently. 

We see the same thing in Romans. You remember at the end of Romans 7, we see an example of the man and Adam in verses 22, 23. He talks about a law, the law of sin, and his members holding him, bringing him into captivity so that he cannot do the things he wants to do. 

And then in chapter eight, Paul gives the testimony of the believer. He says, "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." 

Why? What's Romans 8:4 say? "That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit." In salvation, God set us free from the law of sin and death for the express purpose that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. 

And in Romans 13:8, he says that love is the righteous requirement of the law, the fulfillment of law. "Owe no one anything except to love one another for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." Love is the fulfillment of the law. 

And in the book of Galatians, we see the same conclusion to this great salvation and life in Christ by grace through faith. Look at Galatians 5:6. He's talking about in the context of the Jews and the law of Moses here, but he says, "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything." We could say today, baptism, no baptism, doesn't matter. It doesn't mean anything. 

What does mean something? "Faith, working through love." Look at verse 16. Paul says, "I say then, walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh for the flesh lusts against the spirit. Now, the flesh here is this body controlled by indwelling sin. You can see that in Romans 6:6, other passages. The flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish, but if you are led by the spirit, who's led by the spirit? Believers, right? 

If you don't have the spirit, you're not his, Romans 8:9. If you're led by the spirit, you are not under the law. The works of the flesh are evident: adulteries, fornications, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. 

See any of that going on in our society? The works of the flesh. He says, "Just as I told you in time past that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, but the fruit of the spirit is love." Love, joy, peace, you know, so forth. 

Fruit of the spirit is love. We are no longer in the flesh. We no longer live by the law. We walk by faith. We live by the spirit, and the fruit of the spirit is love. Our salvation must result in love for God, and love for one another. 

And this should be no surprise for what did our Lord teach us. John 13:34, He said to His disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love." How did He love us? Self-sacrifice. He gave Himself for us. 

Chapter 15, verse 12, "This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you." These things I command you, that you love one another. 1 John 3:11, "For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." 3:23, "This is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another." 

4:7, "Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us." 

And now I plead with you, ladies. 2 John 1:5, "Not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we should love one another." This is His commandment. Believe Jesus and love one another. This is the new covenant commandment. It's not a new commandment. 

Jesus said the whole law rests on this, that you love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. But it is a new commandment in that we have a new capacity to love. Because of the blessing of the new covenant promise given to Abraham, prophesied by Ezekiel and Jeremiah, we have been born again. 

Jesus said you must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Well, if that's true, I'd really like to find out what being born again is. If I must do it to go to heaven. People talk about, "Oh, you're born againers." Yeah, well, I hope so. I hope so. 

We have been born again, regenerated, and now have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit living in us and empowering us to love as we walk by faith. This is a supernatural love. This is the fruit of the Spirit. 

And we have a new motive. Think about this. We have a new motive. The love of Christ compels us. We love Him because He first loved us. You can't understand that until you understand the gospel. My brothers and sisters, Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant built on better promises. 

And now our life is not one of an external standard that we're trying to meet. It's not an extrinsic motivator. Our life is one of love. Love for God and love for one another because He has poured His love out into our hearts. 

And our motivation is not out of fear of breaking His law or of His wrath. Our motivation is not one of earning His favor because we have become accepted in the Beloved by His grace alone. Our motivation is love. Our motivation is thankfulness. Our motivation is a deep internal desire because of our relationship to God as our Abba Father. 

To live for Him, to serve Him, to glorify Him. I most want to live for Him. And I most want to be a witness for Him so that others might hear and believe and be saved. And I most want to love one another fervently. 

To love men as God loves men. Not like religion, comparing ourselves with ourselves and among ourselves. Paul says that's not wise. You know, I'm not as bad as that guy. Guess what? I am as bad as that guy. I want to love men and tell them the truth so they can believe and become a child of God. 

Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful for Your Word, Your truth. Thankful that You teach us, guide us, that You've given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Thank You for Jesus who died in our place and satisfied Your wrath. That You showed that You were satisfied by raising Him from the dead and that for all those who will turn from their own self-righteousness, from their religion, from their works, and turn to Jesus in faith alone. 

You say, You promise, they'll be saved forever. And now help us to live for You, to live holy lives, to be a witness in this world, to love one another, to show the power of the gospel, and to bring glory to You in all that we do. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.