The Fruit of the Spirit: Part 2

Galatians five and we will begin reading in just a moment in verse one. Galatians five and verse one. I'm going play a record this morning. I can't do that. I don't have a record player.

Matter of fact, I don't have a record either. Alright. But there is a purpose in this and we'll get to that in a moment. Galatians five verse one. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Look if you would down to verse let's see. Verse 13. For brethren, you have been called unto liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love, serve one another. Look to verse 16. This I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh and then verses twenty two and twenty three, but the fruit of the spirit is love.

Joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your word today. May the Holy Spirit take it and use it in our life to convict us of sin.

Encourage to our hearts to give us joy and peace to challenge us in our service, to mold us more into the image of your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, do a mighty work that you can only do in the hearts of your children today and if there be one here that doesn't know the Lord Jesus as savior, may today be their day of salvation. We pray in Jesus name, amen. We're talking today about the fruit of the spirit. In previous messages in the past couple months, we've looked at the baptism of the spirit.

That happens when you trust Christ as savior and you're saved. You become baptized by the spirit into the family or the body of Christ. Then, we looked at being filled with the spirit, being filled. That means to be yielded and to be led by the spirit which dovetails with what we're walking, talking about today, last week, which was walking in the spirit. Being filled with the spirit, walking spirit very similar.

It's hard to be, you can't be filled with the spirit if you're not walking in the spirit. And to be walking with the spirit means to be walking in accordance with the guidance of the holy spirit that God has given us as he uses the word of God in our lives to make us to be more like him. And we need to be living, walking, being led, listening to the holy spirit that God has given us and finally, this morning, we're looking this morning and for the next few weeks at the fruit of the spirit. If we're walking in the spirit and we're filled with the spirit, first of all, if we've been saved and thus baptized by the spirit, then we will produce the what? The fruit of the spirit.

If you're not saved and you don't have the spirit, guess what? You're not apt to produce the fruit of the spirit but even as a Christian, if we're not walking in the spirit, we're not going to be see, we're not going to be seeing a lot of the fruit in our life either. It is vitally important that we walk in the spirit if we are going to produce the fruit in the spirit because you see really, the fruit is not produced by us. The fruit is produced in us by the holy spirit who lives within us. It is the evidence among others that we know the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, that we have been saved by God's grace and we are indwelt by his spirit.

The fruits in particular that are mentioned here in the scripture passage. Jesus said, in reference to the fruit of the spirit, he said, without me, you can do nothing. Without me, you can do nothing. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We'll walk in the spirit, we'll produce the fruit of the spirit.

If we don't, we walk in the flesh, we'll produce unfortunately a very different kind of fruit and that's the works of the flesh that were mentioned in previous verses there to verse 22 in chapter Galatians chapter five. We won't go back there this morning. The flesh is not capable in itself, in its own power producing the things that bring glory to God. Those things are only produced by the power of the holy spirit who lives within us. As we yield ourselves to him and follow him.

The fruit of the spirit we listed in verse 22 a moment ago starts first of all with the fruit which is love. And I spent the entire message last Sunday night just on this first fruit. This is agape. It's a very specific word in Greek. There are several words in Greek for the word love.

This one is the love of God that is produced in the human heart by the spirit of God, which is otherwise quite contrary to the natural desires within the heart of man. Naturally, man is selfish. Naturally, man is self centered. Naturally, man wants to fulfill his lust and desires which again are all centered around pleasing who? Himself.

But this love, the love of God is the very opposite of that. It is an unselfish love. We took time Sunday night to read through the description of that love in first Corinthians 13 and everyone of those phrases that describes love or charity as it's translated in first Corinthians 13. Point to it being unselfish. It is an unselfish love.

It is a sacrificial love for it is the love of God that sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins It is the love of Christ that held him there, not the nails. The nails couldn't hold him there. It was the love of Jesus that held him to that cross. A love that was willing to sacrifice all. For the object of that love.

Which is you and me. It is an unchanging love. It's not a love that changes when the wind changes directions. It's not a love that is a fair weathered friend, so to speak. It's a love that's there through thick and thin and a love that can be counted on because it's not based solely on emotion and feeling but on a commitment of the heart.

This is the kind of love that holds marriages together. When this love is absent, unsadly, it's often the reason that marriages fall apart. It is the love that God has for us because God's love is unchanging and therefore, as I sang a minute ago in the song, we are secure in his love because he's always the same. He doesn't change. It is the love by which we serve the Lord Jesus Christ and one another because it is love that exalts other above self.

It is a love that sees the needs of others. And strives to meet those needs even at personal cost to self. Again, Jesus Christ came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. He came to serve us. Why?

Because he loves us. Even though we are very unlovable we're sinners but God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Because he loves us. It is fitting that should be the first mention in that Paul defined the life of grace by faith as one based on love instead of fear and obligation. Look, if you would in verse six of chapter five.

For in Jesus Christ, there's neither circumcision, neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by what? Faith which worketh by love. Not merely out of fear or obligation. Perfect love casteth out all fear. If we love the Lord as we should, then we will not find it difficult to do those things that honor him.

If we're doing them out of fear or out of feeling of obligation and love is not a part of that, then we will find serving the Lord to be a very difficult thing. But God has shed abroad his love in our hearts. And therefore, if you know the Lord, you love the Lord. And you want to do those things that are pleasing unto him. And as we grow closer to the Lord and we walk more in the spirit, our love for him and for others will grow.

But I spent the whole service last Sunday night on love. So, let's move on. The second fruit of the spirit is joy. I want to read you, I have a book here called Foxes Christian Martyrs of the World. And I want to read to you a paragraph here concerning a martyr.

It says, and going toward the place of execution and seeing the cross waiting for him, neither changed his expression, never changed his expression. Neither did he fail in his speech. His body fainted not nor did his reason fail. As often happens to men about to die. He said, oh cross, most welcome and longed for, with a willing mind, joyfully, and desirously I come to you.

Being the scholar of him which did hang on you. Because I have always been your lover and yearned to embrace you. Let me read though what he said, oh cross most welcome and longed for, with a willing mind, joyfully and desirously, I come to you. Being the scholar of him which did hang on you because I have always been your lover and yearn to embrace you. You might find that an odd thing to say.

Or the world would certainly find that a very odd thing to say. But these are the words of the apostle Andrew. According to church history. Before he was hung on a cross and executed. And he uses the word joyfully.

Now, how is that possible? How is that possible that he could say that as people were nailing him to a cross like unto his savior. Well, the fruit of the what? The fruit of the spirit. The second in our list this morning.

This fruit is produced only in the heart of the child of God who has experienced salvation by grace. It is a new hope, a hope of eternal life. You see, when they nailed Andrew to that cross, was that the end? No. That was only the beginning of something much better.

He had a new hope of eternal life. He had a a new home and that home was in heaven. We're pilgrims and strangers in this world. We're just passing through. He had a new father.

God. That would take him home and welcome him into his arms. And a new reason to rejoice. Because Andrew knew that he was forgiven and Jesus Christ, his savior, who died for his sins on a cross. Like unto that one.

And therefore, despite horrendous circumstances, he actually had joy. First Peter one eight says, whom having not seen you love, speaking of Christ, in whom though now you see him not, yet believing you rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. You that have seen Christ with your spiritual eyes and have come to know Jesus Christ as savior. God has given us a joy which the world and life cannot take away. Particularly, when we keep our eyes fixed on who?

Fixed on Jesus. Romans five two, by whom also you have access by faith into his grace wherein you stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God because of the grace of God that has been manifested towards you. Through salvation in Jesus Christ, his son. You have a reason to rejoice no matter what else is going on in life. We have a reason to rejoice.

One of the reasons you're here today, hopefully, is to rejoice with other Christians. In Jesus Christ, your savior. I like that last song we sang, there's within my heart, a melody. Jesus whispers sweet and low. Fear not I am with thee.

Peace be still. In all love life's ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name. I know. We have reason to rejoice today because of the grace of God wherein we stand justified declared guiltless because of Jesus Christ who took our place and will never leave us nor forsake us.

Romans fifteen thirteen says, now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the holy ghost. Paul says to the Romans as he concludes his his his letter he sent to them, He encourages them and says, now, the God of hope fill you with all joy. In believing by the power of the holy ghost through the holy spirit. It is the fruit of the spirit that's manifested in the life of the Christian as we trust in who? As we trust in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

As we trust in our God, as we grow in our faith, we also will grow in our joy. You say, but Noah, you'll grow in your joy when when you have plenty of money in the bank and when you have good health and when your family is doing well, that's no. No. That joy is fleeting. You see all that money in the bank?

That actually brings stress. And what happens if you lose it? And you could, but you can't lose your salvation and you can't lose your savior Jesus Christ, that He will never leave you nor forsake you. The true joy that lasts is produced in us by his spirit. Not a fleeting happiness nor a product of pleasant circumstances But an underlying and enduring joy which cannot be drowned out or waylaid by the trials of life.

A seeming contradiction to the world. Turn if you would to James chapter one. Hold your place in Galatians. We'll be back there. Turn if you want to James chapter one.

James chapter one, one of my favorite passages of scripture. I when Kate and I were dating and I I worked at the tire factory. Where's Al? Anyway, I I decided a couple summers that we were going to work on memorizing the book of James and and I kept at it for a while, and I memorized most of the book, though sadly I can't quote it all today. But this passage was one of the first ones I I memorized, and it sticks with me.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations or trials. Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work that she may be perfect and entire, wanting or lacking nothing. My brethren, count it all what? Joy.

Joy. It doesn't say be excited and jump up and down and say hooray, okay? But it says, count it as something joyful. Allow the joy of the Lord to overcome. The burden of the trials of life because it can.

If you'll remember that God is in charge If you'll trust in his word when he says all things work together for good to them who love the Lord, to those who are the called according to his purpose. Count it all joy because if God is allowing this in your life as a Christian, as a child of God, God has a purpose And God can take the thing which is painful, uncomfortable, distressing in your life, and if you will believe and trust in Him, you can turn it into something good. He's sitting right here. His name is Steve Open. For how many years you were on dialysis, Steve?

Years. Years, Steve was on dialysis. Before that time, he found out his kidneys were failing. Actually, they failed pretty quickly, I think. I mean, they were gone.

And he had to go on dialysis. Dialysis is often a death sentence. Dialysis means you have to take three times a week, half a day to go get your blood cleaned. Takes up half the day and then you come home and you rest half the day because it drains you of your energy. But after nine years, Steve got a new kidney.

God has done a wonderful work. And I like going to visit Steve because nine times out of 10, he's got a smile on his face. Now, he still got some battles and we've still been going through some battles But the joy of the Lord is my strength. The Bible says and the joy of the Lord is Steve's strength. And when I go to minister to him, I'm usually the one who gets ministered to.

I don't know if you can see that from back there. This is one of my wife's records when from when she was a kid. The the person in the middle is Joni Eareckson. Anybody know who Joni Eareckson is? When I was about 12 or 13 years old, we didn't go to movie theaters.

My parents still do not go to movie theaters but my aunt did. And and I dare say my aunt did not get on my dad's my dad's good side because she bought a ticket for me to go to the theater, this movie theater to see a movie entitled Joni. Joni was a young lady who, as a result of an accident, broke her neck, as I think she was a teenager at the time, and she was paralyzed pretty much from her neck down. Her life changed like that. Joni was not a happy camper at first.

She was a very distressed, very depressed individual as you can imagine. But something changed in her life. You know what that something was? She met Jesus. She met Jesus.

And Jesus gave her something. That her circumstances, her health, and her world could not give her. He gave her joy. And that's the one thing I took away from that movie that my aunt took me to. Was that you can have joy in Jesus without the ability to move your arms and your legs.

She became a painter. She paints with her paintbrush in her mouth. She became a speaker. She became a a singer. This wreck, this record is a kid's record.

She sings with kids on here. And how amazing it is to see a smile On her face on this album cover, sitting in that wheelchair. Brother Al and miss Joe's son-in-law, Scott Mitchell, is in a similar circumstance. And I've only got to speak with Scott two or three occasions when he's been here visiting. But he too has a smile on his face.

And the joy of the Lord in his heart which is very quickly evident. How is that? He has been near death several times in the last five years because of his condition. But I look forward though my visits with him are very brief. I look forward to seeing him when he can make it here.

Because he manifests the joy of the Lord that only God can give. That is the fruit of the spirit A joy which the world cannot diminish The only thing that can diminish that joy is when we choose not to walk in the spirit. David said in Psalm 5,112, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit. David lost his joy. In a matter of fact, most of the Psalms are about the subject of joy.

Even in many of the darkest Psalms, the most the the most terrifying of circumstances, David finds a reason to have what? Joy and that joy is in his God and in his deliverer, his savior. But he had been robbed of his joy because he had harbored sin, unconfessed sin in his life and it had robbed him of his joy. The only thing that can rob you of your joy, Christian. Is when we choose not to walk in the spirit but fulfill the lust of the what?

Flesh. And don't deal with it. And let it fester and let it grow. Don't let Satan rob you of the joy that is yours in Jesus. Confess that sin.

And walk once again in the spirit. We see the third one here is the fruit of peace. Love, joy, peace, peace. What is peace? Well, peace is the cessation, the cessation of strife, and turmoil.

It's the cessation of strife and turmoil. It is a state of satisfaction and rest. Peace. The scripture speaks of peace with God and the scripture peace speaks of peace of God which the world cannot know without knowing Jesus Christ. First, let's look at the peace with God.

The cessation of strife between man and God. What brings strife between man and God? What is separated God from man? What is it? Sin.

Sin. It is sin that has brought strife separation to our relationship with God. It is Jesus Christ, the sinless one who died on Calvary's Cross and paid the price to bring us reconcile us back together. That once again gives us peace with God. It says in Colossians one twenty and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.

That first, that first part of that verse again and having made peace through the blood of his cross. By him to reconcile all things unto himself. God brings peace through what? Through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ, on that cross. Amen.

To pay the penalty for your sins and mine. The penalty had to be paid and the only one who could pay that penalty in our place is Jesus and the only one who could reconcile us to God is Jesus. The only one who can save us by grace is Jesus. Romans five one says, therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have peace with God through whom?

Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Nobody understood that more than the man who God used to pin the words in both of these verses and his name was Paul. If anybody was in need of reconciliation with God, it was Paul. He calls himself the chief or chiefest of sinners because he was on a crusade against Jesus. He was on a crusade to eradicate the cancer of Christianity as he saw it from his Judaism, from his faith.

And then he met Jesus and everything what? And everything changed. The hostility that he felt. The hostility that his life manifested toward God. The condemnation that he was under before God because of his sin.

All changed. When he met Jesus and God gave him peace peace with God but not God did not only give him peace with God but he also gave him the peace of God and that's what I think is primarily the emphasis of the fruit of the spirit in verse 22 is the peace of God. Not a temporary peace based on the course of life but a settled and enduring peace based on the salvation and justification we have in Christ. A calm assurance and rest given God's children despite the turmoils of life. This is the peace that is the fruit of the prayer.

This is the peace of God in our lives. A calm assurance and rest. Jesus said, come unto me all you that labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Rest. Jesus said, you're burdened with life.

You're burdened in the case of the Jews with trying to keep the law. He said, come to me. I will give you rest. I will give you peace. In your life.

A calm assurance and rest given God's children despite the turmoils of life. Isaiah twenty six three, Isaiah writes, he will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon thee because he, miss Dolores, trusted in thee. Second Thessalonians three sixteen, now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. Who gives you peace?

God does. Not something you can work up. I want to be peace. I want to have peace though. It doesn't work that way.

You're just going make yourself stressed trying to get peace. Think those two are contrary one to the other. If you want to have the peace of God, it's simple. Get closer to God. And you'll have more peace.

You say, no, what I need is for my marriage to go better. What I need is for my friends to treat me nicer and my relatives. What I need is for my health to straighten out. What I need is for to get a good job. What I need is and you can fill in the blank.

But none of those things can really bring you peace. Because when one things get straightened out, guess what? There's another thing, right? Around the horizon that will rob you of that peace. If your peace is based in your circumstances But if your peace is based in Jesus and if the peace in your life is coming from the Lord, which it can, if you will draw close to him and walk in the spirit, then God can produce a peace in your life that just seems different and that the world just won't get.

Look if you would in Philippians chapter four. Philippians chapter four. We're going to look at verse six, verse seven, verse 11, and verse 13, okay? Four, six, seven, eleven, and thirteen. Chapter four verse six.

Be careful for nothing. That means don't be anxious about anything But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. Okay, you understand that? Don't worry and stress out about things. Take them to who?

Take them to God with a thankful and trusting heart. What will result? Next verse, verse seven, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Take it to God. Now, in order to truly take it to God, you have to trust him.

A lot of times we pray but we really don't take it to God. Because we hold on to it because we just don't feel like we can trust him with it. We we still gotta figure it out. We we still gotta fix it and and and worrying about it is is going to fix it, right? No.

But take it to God. Trust him with it and if you do, then he said, I will give you peace. What kind of peace? A peace which passeth what? All understanding.

A peace that passes all understanding. A peace that the world just can't understand, can't comprehend. Look if you would in verse 11. Not that I speak in respect of want, Paul wrote, for I have learned and whatsoever state I am, therewith to be what? Content.

You know, a state of contentment is very close to the same as a state of peace. You know, one of the things that robs us of our peace is a discontentment on our part. And when we're discontent, we're not at peace. But if we can trust the Lord with wherever he takes us, whatever trial he carries us through, with whatever he has provided us, then we can have contentment and peace. You see, Paul should not have been content.

He shouldn't have. Listen, this is the kind of things that happened to Paul. He list them in one of his letters, some of them anyway but he he would go into a city with the gospel and he would go into the synagogue which is where his fellow Jews were and they would allow him at least at first to speak in the synagogue because he was a trained rabbi and so he would speak and of course, he would speak about who? About Jesus, that he was the Messiah. Well, what would happen to his people?

Well, they would often times turn on him. They would they would make him be quiet. They would kick him out of the synagogue. They would say all terrible things about him. They would go throughout the city, city spreading rumors about him.

They would drag him before the the judge of the city. They would accuse him of of of treason against Rome. And he would get thrown in prison and he would get beaten and he would get whipped and city after city after city, this happened and if it weren't the Jews that did it, it was the Gentiles who did it. Almost every city, you realize almost every city that Paul went to, he got kicked out of. Almost every city he went to, he got kicked out of.

In most cases, he got beaten and jailed and imprisoned while he was there. In one case, he was stoned and left for dead. Three times, he said, he was in shipwrecks and stranded. In the ocean, in the sea. At times he had plenty of food, at other times he was very hungry, at times he had clothes, at other times he had nothing but rags.

But Paul said, I have learned in whatsoever state I am there with what? To be content. Where does that come from? Where does that come from? That comes from God.

That's the fruit of the spirit that brought peace to Paul even when circumstances dictated otherwise. It's a peace that passes all understanding because it is not rational, it is spiritual. And the only way to have that peace is to draw close to who? Let's draw close to God. And if we'll walk in the spirit, stay in his word, draw close to our savior, he will give us peace Not as the world know it.

Not as the world give it. But what God gives that passes all understanding. Paul says in verse 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He said, I can endure it all. I can go anywhere he sends me.

I can say anything he tells me, and I can endure any consequences I have to as a result of it. And not only can I endure it, but I can do it with peace and joy and contentment? Why did the Philippian jailer get saved in Acts chapter 16? Because that Paul and Silas while they were bound in prison were testifying of the grace of God. And of Jesus Christ, their savior.

They had joy and peace in a circumstance where you would assume that nobody would have any but they had peace that passed all understanding and something the Philippian jailer wanted to have also. John fourteen twenty seven, peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. That's the promise of our savior Jesus Christ. David found that peace in Psalm three, laying on the floor of a cave running from an army led by his son coming to kill him.

David said that he laid down and he slept and he slept a peaceful sleep because he knew the Lord was on his side. Jesus was on a boat in the middle of the Sea Of Galilee. Now, when you think of a fishing boat, our idea of a fishing boat is something maybe half the size of this auditorium. But I saw a fishing boat that had been dug up out of the ground and put on display in Israel while I was there. And that fishing boat was not any longer than this pew and wasn't any wider than these three pews put together.

Now, imagine several people, twelve, thirteen people in a boat. Not much bigger than that. On a sea, with waves and winds and you'll get to see the picture that they didn't feel all that secure. But while they were anxious and scared, What was Jesus doing? He was sleeping.

He was sleeping. Why? No reason to what? No reason to fear. He had peace.

He was God. That ship wasn't going to go down. But here's the thing, his disciples really had no reason to fear either because God was on board and God wasn't scared Jesus got up and he calmed the storm and he gave them peace and he promises to give us peace if we'll draw close to him and learn to trust him. Stephen demonstrated peace as they gathered stones to stone him in Acts chapter seven. I would like to read for you in closing two more stories here.

This is is about a man named John Rogers. John Rogers was an Englishman who is was a translator along with William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale of one of the early translations of scripture from Greek and Hebrew into English. He was basically executed for that treason in England in 1555. I'll read the last few things that are recorded of his life. It says, early on the morning of Monday, 02/04/1555, the jailer's wife woke Rogers and told him to hurry and dress.

This was the day he was to burn. His wife and 11 children met him on the way to Smithfield, but Roger still refused to recant. Arriving at Smithfield, he was given one more chance by Sheriff Woodruff. That which I have preached, I will seal with my blood, Rogers replied. Then, said Woodruff, you are a heretic.

Rogers replied, that will be known on the judgment day. Woodruff said, well, I'll never pray for you, to which Rogers replied, but I will pray for you. A little before the burning, a pardon arrived, but Rogers refused to recant and accept it, becoming the first martyr to suffer death during the reign of Queen Mary. I like the way one of the last words he said is that his executioner said, I'll never pray for you. His reply was, but I will pray for you.

That manifest the peace of God. And then I want to read one more the last words of a man named Thomas Hudson. I didn't recur, recall knowing anything about Thomas Hudson but he was a a follower of the reformers and of William Tyndale, another translator. It says, on 05/19/1958, Thomas Hudson was taken out of prison and led to a place called the Lollards Pit just outside the Bishop's Gate at Norwich along with two other condemned men. Just before the chain around him was made fast, Hudson stooped, slipped out from under the chain, and stood a little to one side.

This caused many to wonder if he was about to recant or if he was coming forward for his parents' blessing but no one knew the real reason. Hudson had suddenly been afflicted with doubts and felt his faith growing weak. Therefore, not willing to die while feeling this way, he fell upon his knees and prayed to God. Who sent him comfort? Then, he rose with great joy and as a reborn man and cried, now thank God, I am strong and care not what man can do unto me.

So, going to the stake again, he put the chain around himself and they were all burned together. The peace of God that passes what? All understanding. You and I may never face execution for Jesus Christ. But if we did, we serve the same God who gives the same what?

Peace. And if they can have this peace under these circumstances, I know that God can help us to have peace in ours. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord for your word today. For the joy and peace that is ours in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

May we draw near to you to walk in your ways, to listen to your spirit, and to your word. That we may grow in the love, in the joy, and the peace of our savior. Lord, help us to take our eyes off of the circumstances of life and fix them on you and what you have done for us and who you are and the promises which you have made to us, who you have saved by grace through faith in your shed blood. Lord, I know there are Christians here today that are in need of joy and peace. Lord, would you help them to look to you?

And would you fill their hearts with it today, I pray. In Jesus name, amen.