Lesson 44b & begin 10:1-21 Lesson 45a
Romans 9:22-33 · Mike Doyle · Dec 8, 2019
Romans (2018-21), No. 93
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261917101866

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, lesson 44. We've gotten down to question 7. It should be an easy answer. Why didn't the Jews receive righteousness? You know, the previous question was, how did the Gentiles receive righteousness? How did they do it? How did they pull this off? They were better workers than the Jews? Yeah, they did it through faith. So how come the Jews didn't get it?

Verse 32 says, in answer to verse 31, But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, or the principle of righteousness, did not arrive at it, at the law, because they didn't pursue it by faith. But as though it were by works, they stumbled over the stumbling stone. The parallels between contemporary Christianity and these issues are really big today, I think. Because so many Christians really do work hard under some sort of law principle to not only obtain righteousness, but to keep it or to grow it.

And they never get it. They never arrive at it. Where the believer who has received it just by the fact that they believed can rest in the fact that they are righteous. So, pretty simple. Question 8. In verse 9, 6 through 29, Paul shows that the Jews have no right to salvation. Why don't they have a right to it?

Salvation is a gift. It's not something you work for, it's bestowed on you because of anything you do. Yeah, it's interesting because the story of Nicodemus, he thought he already was in through natural birth. He was a Jew. And so, right here is a kind of a division in Chapter 9.

The relationship between the Jews and the Gospel, that the Jews don't have any claim on the right of salvation, no claim at all, because of their Judaism. Before Christ shows up, do they have a claim? Not really. Why? Yeah, I knew you'd ask that. Only to the promises. Yeah.

It would seem that God is acting on quite a different principle now than he was in Judaism, but really he's not. He's still operating under the principle that in order to be righteous you have to believe. That principle has never changed. from the time of Adam all the way till now. There's definitely that the Jews were guilty and that they were rejected because they didn't believe, not because they didn't obey the law, just because they didn't believe.

So a couple other things about that. Bear with me a minute. Salvation has always been on the basis of faith. That's exactly right, it has been. Always been on that basis. Never by works. Never. From a grace standpoint, the works are a result of the righteousness, not the cause of them. But I think that's a really, really difficult principle to get straight for a believer, for a Christian. Because we're raised that way. I mean, didn't you raise your kids that if you obey, you get the blessing? If you don't, you have a consequence? Isn't that the way you raised your family? I raised my son that way. I sure did.

Everybody does. And even in Ephesians 5, it says that children are under the law of their parents. They have one responsibility. You know what it is? Obey. So, no matter how you slice it, You start in law. You start under a law system. Is that a law or a principle? Well, is my or your parenting, my children are under the principle, my principle or my law? I think it's the law. Because it's based strictly on if you perform, you're fine. If you don't, you're not. My drill instructor at Parris Island said, I want you to obey the principles. No, that's not what he said.

So what's going on here right in these verses is there's a contrast between the Gentiles and the Jews and that the Jews were doing, how do I say this? The Jews and the Gentiles both were seeking righteousness. Both of them would like to have it. The problem was the Jews were doing it in the wrong way. They were working for it. They still work for it. Come and visit my neighborhood on a Saturday. You'll see what I mean.

To lay hold of it for themselves, they weren't doing very well because they were going at it the wrong way. Is it important to know not only the truth but how to acquire it? Is it important to know the truth and also how to live in it? How you live in it?

There's so much of Christianity today that says, well now you're saved by grace, get busy and here's the book full of rules. Christians act this way and that way and they do this and they don't do that kind of thing. So what motivates a Christian to behave like a Christian? What motivates them? Grace. Explain. Such love that He has already positioned us, raised us, ascended, seated us. That's what the motivation is. The grace is the principle, but what motivates you? The Holy Spirit living inside you. Okay, and what's the Holy Spirit's job? What's his main job?

Conformance to the image. Conformance to the image. And how is that done? How is conformity to the image done? What do you do? Behold. I'm sorry? Behold. You behold. You behold the glory of the Lord. The beholding process is all something that the Spirit of God does. you are able to behold because He enables it. Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord in the mirror is the word of God. I'm transformed from one state of glory to the next even as by the Spirit of God. The beholding is the secret.

And if you understand the sequence and how it all goes together then you understand well what really motivates me to be compliant to walk, like Paul likes to say, walk as a son. Walk, you're in the light. Walk like you're in the light. In Galatians it says, stand fast in the freedom with which you were made free. What motivates it?

I think it has nothing to do with learning the rules. I think it has everything to do with the intimacy with Christ himself. Everything has to go that way. Because I'm not going to respond over the long haul by a set of rules no matter how much holy water you put on them. I'm going to respond if I have this personal intimacy with Christ and He loves me and I love Him. And I have His very life which is responsive. And I rest. I don't have to work at it.

So the pursuit is to know Christ. That's the pursuit. And that's what the Spirit of God is up to. The Spirit of God is not up to making you a really cool-looking, fine-acting Christian. He's pursuing you to reveal Christ to you right now. I dare say a lot of believers when they leave this planet and go home, Christ is going to be a stranger to them. Oh, that's who it is.

Sorry, I missed it. What the Jews were doing is that they were aiming incessantly at bringing their conduct up to a standard of law in which righteousness was certainly held out. We don't ever act like that. But they never were able to achieve it. So the point is, the bottom line is, they, which is question 10, they stumbled. They stumbled right over the one that was most important to them, should have been most important to them.

Who is the stumbling stone in Zion? The resurrected glorified Christ seated in the heavenlies. who the Holy Spirit's whole job is to reveal Him to you. And as a believer, that's what He's trying to do. And if you're humping down the road trying to find more rules to keep, you're missing. You're going right by the bus stop and never getting off the bus. The bus of legalism. So how is the stumbling stone a rock of offense?

Why is it offensive? The Lord Jesus is offensive. How come? What about Him is offensive? We go around today saying, I'm offended about this, and I'm offended about that, and everybody's offended today. Courtney's offended. I'm offended. You're offended. We're all offended. You're not supposed to make me offended.

But the Word of God says, There's a stumbling stone in Zion and he's offensive. Why? To the Jews. To the Jews he's offensive. They didn't come up to him what they wanted. Somebody was trying to set up the kingdom and he told them exactly what they were and they didn't like it. They didn't like it. Why didn't they like it? What was it about Christ that offended them? Grace. What? Grace. No, it wasn't that. What was it? He was righteous and they weren't.

It's the cross. What does the cross represent? The end of your entire system. It's the end. Everything stops at the cross. But they were offended before the cross. Oh, sure. Because he walked around righteous and they could smell it. None of them had it. The reason Christ is so offensive is because of his cross. The cross is offensive because the cross says to the old man, it's over for you, buddy. God is finished with you and Adam. Adam is done.

That's why it's so offensive. If you're headed down the death row to the gallows and they're going to give you the juice in your arm, I would think that the rumor they're going to kill you would be offensive to you. Right? Because I'm going to die there.

And the Lord Jesus is an offense to every man and Adam because He represents the death of Adam. And we've all tried so hard to make Adam You know, do good, look good, be good, and be successful. And the Lord Jesus says, nope, we have a new man in town now, and it's me.

And your old man has got to go. There's the offense right there. Yeah, because these guys are always trying to pretty up the old man. Make it work. That's what Christians do. And that's what Reformed Christianity does. They're always trying to make the old man. I was working on my sermon this week. I was thinking, gee, if I was a good Baptist right about here, I'd give them five things to do. Perfect the old man. That's right. You've got to tell the old man what to do. He doesn't know. But that's really right.

We want somebody... Have you ever had a guy come up to you and say, just tell me what to do and I'll do it. I've had more guys say, well, I went to my wife and I said, just tell me what to do and I'll do it. She says, I want you to love me. Oh, well, tell me what else I can do. Or I want you to talk to me. What can I do? Do, do, do, rather than be, be, be. Courtney, you're up. All right.

So yeah, lesson 45, it's going to be on chapter 10. I'm just reading the last of 9, and it follows along. Just remember that 9, 10, and 11 are kind of an offshoot of everything else that was done in the first eight chapters, kind of laying out the foundation of the Christian life, our identification, all that. an interlude here on 9, 10, and 11 to address the Jews. And you really see it after what he's just said and what he's gone through, what Mike's gone through in Chapter 9. You see it really comes out at the beginning of Chapter 10.

We get very focused, so what I wanted to try and do is read all of 10 so we get the context of it, of everything that's in there. and then we'll go back on the questions. So I kind of like to do that because sometimes we get so focused on one verse or that. So I like to, I'll go through it.

Really what you see right at the beginning of chapter 10, brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. So again, we've talked about a lot of things in chapter nine. Now he's just really laying his heart out about his love for the Jews and his concern for them. So, brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by that righteousness. but the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows do not say in your heart who will ascend in heaven that is to bring Christ down or who will descend into the abyss that is to bring Christ up from the dead but what does it say the word the word is near you in your mouth and in your heart that is the word of faith which are which we are preaching that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the scripture says, whoever believes in him will not be disappointed. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is the Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on him. For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things. However, they did not all heed the good news. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed a report? So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have. The voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation. By a nation without understanding will I anger you. And Isaiah is very bold and says, I was found by those who did not seek me. I became manifest to those who did not ask for me. But as for Israel, he says, all the day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.

So quite a bit in there. A lot is, you know, this is all focused on, well, the primary focus is on Israel and Paul's love for them and his concern about them just rejecting or not accepting what was being taught. So you see, we'll see a lot of things that are you know, pointed at the Israel and the Jews, but also how it's pertinent to today.

Beginning with question one, is zeal all that you need for a relationship with God? For he says, brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God. So Paul says they have a great zeal for God, but is that all he says they need? If you have a zeal for God, is that it? I am really pumped up about God.

No, they need to know the truth. Need to know the truth. Okay. The facts. Do we have the facts before the tracks and whatever that thing that Vern always put out? You guys know more than I do. What is it? We need the picture. You need to know before you believe. You can't just randomly believe without any facts.

Finishing in Romans 10. So, for I test about them that they have a zeal for God. and then finishing that, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. So, the question I have is, do you know people who have a zeal for God but lack in knowledge about Christ? I have a lot of Catholic friends. Catholic? You know, what about Muslims?

They are zeal for God. They'll blow themselves up. They'll kill themselves. They have a zeal for God. Is that the right God that they're supposedly following? The true God? No, but they have a zeal for it. Allah, they'll scream Allah before they kill themselves. They have an extreme zeal for God.

The others, like Catholics, and not all Catholics, I know a lot of Catholics who have personal knowledge, but do they typically preach about a personal relationship with Christ? Any about identification even? And not that identification is the only thing, I think simple faith is still there about the Corinthians 15, 13, whatever, I have it later in here, about believing in Christ died. Buried. Resurrected. Fifteen. Yeah.

So a lot don't ever preach that way. And I know this is some Methodist. Methodists are more, I think, about today's topic rather than anything about a personal relationship. So they have a zeal. I mean, I know some Methodists that are just on fire. But are they following the true God or Christ in what's presented, as what Paul has presented in 1-8 of Romans? They don't. And so, we see Paul talking about the Jews, but I think it's every bit as practical or pertinent today. that people have a zeal, but in totally wrong direction, or without truth, without knowledge, without the facts, they have a very good zeal, but what does it lead them to? Same thing with the Jews. Rejection, false, everything. Yeah, Mike?

So it starts with knowledge. Knowledge. You've got to know. You've got to know what... The knowledge has to be, I think, Well, what does God's view of salvation? He's the one that offers it. How does He say it should go? Right. And that's what Paul has laid out in 1 through 8. Specifically in 6, 7, and 8 we get a real layout of the identification truths there and what it means and the benefits and everything about that. That's the true knowledge. Remember, that's where I try to put this in all the perspective. I agree. Put it in perspective. See, we chop this out in little pieces. But remember what he's just gone through in this letter, this epistle. He's just laid out all these truths to them. And now what's he saying about the Jews? He says you have a great zeal, but what? You don't know anything about what I've just told in Romans 6. Do they know about Romans 6? They do know, but what did they do? They rejected it.

So right here, he's really concerned about them. They have a zeal, but he knows they're going in the wrong direction. They've rejected all of the truths that he's talked about. I understand, too. Is there a sense there that it's personal, that it has to be personal rather than... I think here he's still addressing the nation. Him personally is concerned, but I think he's addressing the nation here that's rejected him. So it's not as much personal, I think, to a person. He's addressing the nation here, if that's what you're...

Is the knowledge there? I think that's an acknowledgment. Yeah, this is the knowledge of Christ. All of the gospel, basically. That's what he's saying that knowledge is. But in accordance with knowledge. They don't do it in accordance with knowledge. So, from what I've reviewed, and I also knew what he was talking about, he's addressing Jews who have heard the gospel.

So, these are ones that have heard. But he's lamenting about, I think, the whole nation who's rejected him. We'll get into that a little bit, because they've had all of this in the scriptures. They have laid this out, which we'll get to with Galatians 3, 23, 24, where it was all pointed to Christ. They knew, but they rejected. And when he finally came, they rejected him. Is Galatians 3 about Abraham? My point is that Abraham believed God and he was accounted righteous by his faith. I think I've told this story before, but I had lunch with a rabbi across the street one day. He doesn't live there anymore. Finally, after two years of knowing this guy, I said, let me ask you a question. I said, I've been studying Abraham lately.

He said, yeah, what have you found out? I said, well, what I found out was that God declared him righteous. He said, yeah, he did. I said, he declared him righteous based on the fact that he believed God. Isn't that what Genesis says? He said, yeah. And I said, then Why didn't he circumcise him right then? He waited 12 years before he goes to whatever it was where he was circumcised. So circumcision didn't make him righteous. It's faith that makes you righteous. And he never answered.

Well, with the point being that in Genesis, we're studying Genesis on Wednesday, the righteousness of God and the grace of God is all over Genesis. And yet, It's all around the readers of Genesis and the Torah, and yet they, like this verse says, they didn't grasp it somehow. They didn't have God's knowledge about righteousness.

Well, you know, and this is where I say the dual purpose of this. What about people today? It's exactly the same. Paul's directing this at the Jews. But it's every bit as applicable today. Is there a person that the Lord can't get the word to? So, everybody who has a heart or an inkling or whatever, he'll get the word, but they reject it, just like the Jews did.

And the other is, which is addressed in the last of chapter 9, which we'll hit it again here. They didn't pursue even righteousness, which is by faith. And we're going to see that whole message carried through in 10. We see a system that's based on law and works versus faith, and righteousness associated with faith or law. And so we're going to see that carried through here.

So the other is, should Jews in Paul's time, with their zeal for God, have had knowledge of Christ and their lost condition. Would they have that knowledge at Paul's time? Or about Christ? Would they have had that knowledge? After Paul was converted? After Paul, yeah. Oh, sure they would. Yeah. Not only that, about what Paul was preaching, but, you know, I went to, you know, the prophets in the Old Testament all pointed to Christ.

They rejected him because he didn't fit their mold. They wanted the king, they wanted the guy to come in and get rid of these pesky Romans and all these people that were oppressing them and everything like that. That was their vision of it based on all the prophets. Because it pointed to a Messiah that would come in, well, it's later, in the millennium, will rule and reign. But they were looking for him and they said, no, this isn't the guy. This isn't him. This isn't what we pictured him based on all the prophets and all the testimony we've had before. That doesn't fit what we think it is. So they rejected him.

But when you look at it, and this is where I think they knew. In Galatians 3, 22 through 25, and a lot of people use this about who want to stick with the law. They always forget the last verses on here. They love the first part. They don't like the second part of this.

So in Galatians 3.22, but the scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith, which was later to be revealed. So again, faith and righteousness and all this being contrasted here. Therefore, the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ." So, the law was what? Pointing towards Christ. The fact that all these laws, could you ever attain life or full righteousness through the law? Or adherence to the law? No way. So all of the laws were meant to point to where you couldn't do it on your own.

So it all pointed to Christ. So they knew it. And so a lot of people who like the law love to end the verse right there. The law is holy and righteous, which it is, and it points us to Christ, so the law is what we need to follow. We have some friends who brought that verse up, and they ended it right there. Did you read the next part of this verse here? So the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. It pointed us to faith as the process, not law. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. What was the tutor? The law. So are we under the law? No. I mean, this is, again, another way, but we've seen it in Romans 7. Are we under grace or under law? I mean, we're not under law anymore. There's clearly verses that show that we're not under law.

But there are so many people today that want to be under the law because it's warm and cozy and it's something you can do. And who's the one who wants to do that? The old man. Somebody who wants to do something. So again, a lot of these things that Paul's pointing out about the Jews are applicable to us today.

People still want to be under the law. And like I said, we have friends and there are some groups that We've discussed it and it's like they just want to stay under the law. But you point these things out and then, well, no, that, no. We're still, the law is good and we have to be under the law. All of these things push us away from the law and Paul is telling the Jews, you're not under law anymore.

We have a different system. Just what Mike was saying at the end of 9, that upset their apple cart. Put yourself in their position. Their whole life has been ingrained in them to do law. Everything about it. What was the important part of a life for a Jew? To be part of the synagogue. The synagogue is there to be part of that. When you said, that's all not true anymore. I don't have to do that. I don't have to be under the law. We don't have to read the law every day or every meeting. Would you just go, sure, I'm in for that, after your whole life has been there? And then when you believe, you're going to be kicked out of that synagogue that you've been a part of and your family has been a part of forever.

So I understand where Paul is. He's trying to plead with them. It's been a part of your life, it's all of this, but it's different now. Brethren, I have a heartfelt desire for you to know that you don't have to be under that system again." And so, you know, they still want to do it, they still want to be under the law, and he's struggling with telling them that you don't have to be under that system anymore.

So, for Israel and those who have a zeal for God without knowledge of Christ and His finished work on the cross through the face, what is the result? They have a zeal without knowledge. What is the result? It says here in verse 3. They're ignorant. They're ignorant? The righteousness of God is wrong. Yep. But what is it? So for not knowing about God's righteousness, what did they want to do?

They seek their own. Seek their own. I don't like your plan. I got a better one. I'm seeking the way I see it, the way I want to do it. I'm blowing this knowledge off that we've known about and all this, but what you're telling me, I want to do it my way. Now, I mean, again, is that applicable today? Do all the people want to do it their way? Absolutely.

So, for not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, They did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. So what did the Jews do? What did they establish? 600 plus laws. That's the way to get to righteousness, right? If we create enough laws, I'll be righteous.

But they'd get around the laws by doing it started out at a hundred and then they needed another hundred to get around the first hundred and then another hundred to get around the next one and another you know and you know from the stories or whatever it is you know you can only walk a day's journey from your house or something or whatever it was on the sabbath so you bring a piece of your house and drop it here and then you get another you know because your house was now here or the part of it.

So, I mean, it was a law to beat the law because we want to do it our way, not God's way. So the result of the zeal without knowledge was, I'll figure out my way to do it. My way is better than your way, God. And that's what the Jews were doing. They were trying to establish their own ways. Again, why you have 600 laws to be good and righteous before God. They sought to establish their own way to please God. So, who's the one who wants that? It's in nature. He wants to do something.

And you've got to recognize that in ourselves, too, when we try and put ourselves back under law or anything that we have to do, we're doing the same thing. The old man is the one who is trying to drive you into this system. And I said, I think it's the same for unbelievers today. We try and do the same thing. We want to do something.

We just don't feel good under grace because that just, it's just not, I have to do something. Well, who's that one itching me and pushing me that it just isn't right? I have to recognize that's the old man pushing me in a direction that is contrary to what scripture says. And we have to see that. And I think in believers today, we have to be conscious of that, and again, through the direction that we're not trying to do things outside of what God has established for us.

And that's hard. We always want to do something. It's America. We want to do something. Have you ever had that discussion with a group of believers where, when you come down to the end of the argument, when somebody says, well, you can believe what you want, I don't believe what I want, it's tied with other opinions. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, too many times. Yeah. So I like the way Newell puts it here.

He says about the Jews, they were wholly ignorant of the one great vital fact sinners must know. The righteousness, life, and all things are a free gift of the grace of God, and that the law was meant only to make them discover their sin and their own helplessness, their own helpless need of the outright gift of righteousness from God.

Also from verse 3 it says the Jews were ignorant or that they did not know of God's righteousness. Did Paul mean that the Jews were ignorant of God's holiness and righteousness as attributes of God? Were they ignorant of his attributes? Don't you think they recognized that God was holy?

Yes, that's my point. It wasn't that they were throwing out his attributes. They knew he was righteous and holy. They were just ignorant of who Christ was. So that's what Paul's addressing here. He isn't saying that you guys are ignorant of God being holy and righteous and all this. He's just saying you guys were ignorant of the fact that Christ came. So I just want to make clear that they weren't ignorant.

It says they did not know of God's righteousness. That wasn't to say that they didn't know that God was righteous and holy. God's righteousness through Christ. question two what does it mean that christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes uh... invert verse three and four for not knowing god's righteousness and seeking to establish their own they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of god for christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes so again i just want to go back a little bit what what what was the law intended to do impart life make you dance perfectly. Ultimately it's to point us to Christ, but what was, how was the process?

What? Show them. Try and fail. Try and fail. Right, that's the pointing I think is the point, the pointing part of it. But I think that that the people who try to adhere to law today, believers who want to put you under law, have no clue about what the law was meant to do.

I think they think it's meant to make you holy and just and right. Is that what it's supposed to do? Was that what it was intended to do from scripture? How many people think that Christians believe that the law is meant to make you more Christ-like. Or make you that really cool Christian, because I'm adhering to these laws. Most Christians are like that.

Most. Remember, what's his name, Judge Roy, whatever the guy in Alabama, I think it was. Roy Bean. Yeah. And the guy who was adamant about keeping the Ten Commandments at the courthouse. That was just, oh, we've got to have those things. And he got thrown out. being a judge, because he wanted, and all the Christians came, that this was a great and wonderful thing. Is that a great and wonderful thing?

No. I remember there was a guy, what's his name, Saul Thomas, he was the guy we met at the prayer breakfast. He was the only guy, he's a journalist, he's the only guy who said, we should be a, yeah, he's a journalist. Cal Thomas. Cal Thomas. And I remember he came out.

He was the only guy I saw that said, we should be getting as far away from this as possible when that whole event came out. But that was one tiny voice in most of Christendom. Most of Christendom was saying, yes, yes, yes, yes. We're supposed to be as far away from that as possible. I mean, it's good and holy. And it shows, I think, a lot of God's attributes and things in it.

But are we under that law? Number one, were Gentiles ever under that law? Never. So a Gentile saying we pound the table and we should be under this, that's even more freakish, because we were never under it in the first place. So again, most Christians today don't understand what the law is intended to do. And we can get it from scripture, which I think when you read this to people, We had some, is that first or second? Second. We'll get to it next week. I don't want to, I've got a lot on this. So let's close. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you again, just for your scripture again, and your Holy Spirit indwelling us.

And again, just what we've learned about we can have a zeal for God, but without knowledge, it's very dangerous. So we just pray through the Holy Spirit. revealing your word and just our study of the word that will have the right direction and the right zeal for you. And again, just that comes from the intimate knowledge of your son. And again, just as we've talked about the scriptures about the word is the mirror and how that changes us to conform us to the image of your son. And again, it's just that personal knowledge of him and just the life that comes from that and is revealed. As we know more and more about our relationship with Christ. So we just thank you for this time. We do pray for Mike as he brings this message and just in the next meeting, just prepare our hearts to receive it. And we thank you for all these things in Jesus name. Amen.