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[0:00] This morning is from Deuteronomy and from Ephesians. So first, from Deuteronomy chapter 7, verses 6 to 17.

[0:12] Deuteronomy chapter 7, verses 6 to 12. And that's on page 182 of the Pure Bibles for anyone who's using it.

[0:25] Deuteronomy 7, verse 6 to 12. So here we have God speaking about his chosen people and reminding them that it was not because of anything they had done that they had been chosen.

[0:48] But because of God's love. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession.

[1:01] Out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people. That the Lord set his love on you.

[1:12] And chose you. For you were the fewest of all peoples. But it is because the Lord loves you. And is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers.

[1:23] That the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand. And redeemed you from the house of slavery. From the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Now therefore, that the Lord your God is good.

[1:36] The faithful God he keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him. And keep his commands to a thousand generations. And repays to their faces those who hate him by destroying them.

[1:53] He will not be slack with those who hate him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.

[2:09] And because you'll listen to these rules and keep and do them. The Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers.

[2:23] Our second reading is from Ephesians. Ephesians 1 verse 1 to chapter 2. Ephesians 2 verse 10. It's a fairly long reading. But I think it's important at times that we read the word of God.

[2:41] And we'll read it in its entirety. Not just bits and pieces. So the plan is this morning we'll read the full passage. But we'll then look at a part of Ephesians 1.

[2:56] And then this evening we'll look at Ephesians 2 verse 1 to 10. And I think that these two passages together fit well. So we're going to read the whole passage just now.

[3:09] Starting at Ephesians 1 verse 1 to chapter 2 verse 10. Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.

[3:20] To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[3:35] Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

[3:47] That we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. According to the purpose of his will.

[3:59] To the praise of his glorious grace. With which he has blessed us in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood.

[4:10] The forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace. Which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight. Making known to us the mystery of his will.

[4:23] According to his purpose. Which he set forth in Christ. As a plan for the fullness of time. To unite all things in him.

[4:34] Things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance. Having been predestined according to the purpose of him.

[4:45] Who works all things. According to the counsel of his will. So that we who were the first to hope in Christ. Might be to the praise of his glory.

[4:58] In him you also. When you heard the word of truth. The gospel of your salvation. And believed in him. Were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Who is a guarantee of our inheritance.

[5:10] Until we acquire possession of it. To the praise of his glory. For this reason. Because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus. And your love towards all the saints.

[5:21] I do not cease to give thanks for you. Remembering you in my prayers. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father of glory. May give you a spirit of wisdom.

[5:33] And of revelation. In the knowledge of him. Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened. That you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

[5:46] And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe. According to the working of his great might. That he worked in Christ.

[5:57] When he raised him from the dead. And seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places. Far above all rule and authority. And power and dominion. And above every name that is named.

[6:09] Not only in this age. But also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet. And gave him his head over all things to the church.

[6:20] Which is his body. The fullness of him who fills all in all. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins. In which you once walked.

[6:32] Following the course of this world. Following the prince of the power of the air. The spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among whom we all once lived.

[6:44] In the passions of our flesh. Carrying out the desires of the body. And the mind. And were by nature children of wrath. Like the rest of mankind.

[6:57] But God being rich in mercy. Because of the great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses. Made us alive together with Christ.

[7:08] By grace you have been saved. And raised up with him. And seated us with him in the heavenly places. In Christ Jesus. So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace.

[7:23] And kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is a gift of God.

[7:35] Not a result of works. So that no man may boast. For we are his workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus. For good works. Which God prepared beforehand.

[7:48] That we should walk in them. Thanks be to God for the reading of his holy word. And to his name be the praise and the glory forever. Amen. Let's briefly bow our heads in prayer.

[8:01] Father as we come to study your word. May the words of my mouth. And the thoughts of our hearts and minds.

[8:13] Be acceptable in your sights. These things we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord and our Redeemer. Amen. So over tonight.

[8:26] Or this morning and tonight. We want to look at. The passage we read from Ephesians. This morning. We want to look particularly at Ephesians 1.

[8:36] And verses 3 to 14. And particularly with emphasis on verse 7. In him we have redemption through his blood.

[8:48] The forgiveness of our trespasses. According to the riches of his grace. So here we have.

[8:59] Paul's letter to the Ephesians. And it's unlike many of Paul's letters. To. That he wrote. In the sense that. There is no immediate urgency in this letter.

[9:11] Of. Something that needs to be addressed. Whether it's about. In Corinthians for example. Immoral living. And. The shame that that brings upon God.

[9:23] Or in Galatians. And the false teachings. That was threatening a young church. As the Judaizers arrived from Jerusalem. And said. Redemption that's been preached by Paul.

[9:34] Is correct. But you also need to add. Adherence to the law. Or in Philippians. Which was a general letter. Of encouragement. But also. Highlighted the dangers.

[9:46] Of false values. Of holding on to. Beliefs that. Your social superiority. Superiority. Was all that was required. Or that your physical prowess.

[9:57] Was important. Or. That. Would you go after. Financial success. Dangers of false values. Was not.

[10:08] What is important. It's faith. In Christ. Or in the letter to Galatians. Paul points out. The dangers of believing. The value of all religious truths.

[10:20] That all religious truths. Are equal. Of course. The scripture tells us. That. All religious truths. Are not equal. Because there is only.

[10:30] One truth. And that is. That there is one God. Who created the universe. There is one God. Who created man. And desires. To be in communion.

[10:41] With man. But we had rejected him. But. God. And his grace. Gave us a gift. Of his son. That. Our sins.

[10:51] Could be forgiven. And it was by. His grace. And his mercy. That he gave his son. As a sacrifice. For us. Ephesians.

[11:03] As an instruction manual. It highlights. The truth. Of God's. Redemptive work. Through Christ. And it highlights. The blessings. That we receive.

[11:14] Through Christ. Not through our own actions. Not through. Our own good works. Our piety. But. Through Christ. Alone. As we read.

[11:27] Verse. Chapter 1. And parts of verse. Chapter 2. It may have felt. That perhaps. Paul had got it. In the wrong order. Does Paul get it.

[11:38] In the wrong order. Shouldn't it actually be. Chapter 2. That's first. And then chapter 1. That we are fallen. That we have. Departed from God's ways.

[11:51] And then. The fact that God. Redeems us. Well. That probably. Is a way of man. To put ourselves first.

[12:02] And put ourselves. At the centre. To make us. The focus of things. But actually. It's in the right order. Because God.

[12:13] Has. Gave us a gift. God. And his. Wonderful character. And his. Unending grace. Has.

[12:23] Gave us a gift. Of his son. He cared for us. So much. That he called us. Back to. Himself. And it's from. That gift. That our salvation.

[12:35] Comes. It's from. That gift. That we come. From being dead. To once more. Being able. To have life. Our need.

[12:46] For salvation. Is secondary. To God's glory. And God's love. For us. Because. It is his love. And his grace.

[12:58] Which makes. It possible. For us. To have salvation. For us. To once more. Know God. It is our turning away from him.

[13:10] That has caused. Our need for redemption. So Paul. Has it right. First and foremost. In chapter one. Is about. God's.

[13:20] Spiritual blessing. To us. Through the gift. Of his son. Paul highlights. Throughout this. Passage of. One to. Verse three to.

[13:33] Fourteen. About. The working. Of the triune God. We see the working. Of God the father. Who cares for us. And wants to be communion. With us.

[13:43] And calls him back to himself. We see. The working. Of the son. As he. Gives himself up. To death. On the cross. Sheds his blood. For us.

[13:54] And we see. The Holy Spirit. Moving our hearts. That we. Can accept. Christ. As our saviour. And that.

[14:05] He. The Holy Spirit. Is also. The one. Who gives us. Assurance. Of our inheritance. So first. We see. The work of God.

[14:17] God the father. Through the passage. As he delivers. His plan. To. Realize. Man's salvation. In verse three. And four.

[14:27] We read. Blessed be God. The father. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who has blessed us. In Christ. With every spiritual blessing. In the heavenly places. Even as he chose us.

[14:38] In him. Before the foundation. Of the world. That we should be holy. And blameless. Before him. Paul states. Or starts with the fact.

[14:49] That man should bless God. Now. That doesn't mean. That we can give anything. To God. We cannot. We are the one. Who is created. God needs nothing.

[15:00] From us. He requires. Nothing of us. For his existence. But rather. We should bless him. We should praise his name. And give him thanks.

[15:11] Because God has blessed us. In Christ. With every spiritual blessing. God. Doesn't hold back. In the blessings. That he gives us. He even.

[15:22] Gives us his son. And gives his son. Up to death. For us. It's not decided. By our merits. It's not decided. By anything.

[15:33] That we do. After all. As part of humanity. We all deserve. The same reward. We all. Have went down.

[15:45] The same route. Of rejecting God. And turning away from him. And therefore. Our reward. Should be death. And separation. From God. Because the penalty.

[15:56] Of sin. Is death. Yet. He blesses humanity. Not. On a whim. But. By his unchanging love.

[16:08] So God. Doesn't decide. One day. He will bless you. And the next. He will take it away. He's the same. Today. Yesterday. And forever. And his love for us. Is unchanging.

[16:19] And he blesses us. With the gift of his son. It's not something. That God makes up. As he goes along. As we read. In verse 4. Even as he chose him.

[16:32] Chose us. And him. Talking about. Us and Christ. Before the foundation. Of the world. So God. Doesn't make it up. On a whim. God.

[16:43] Has made his decision. And he stands by it. God chose us in Christ. From the beginnings. Of time. God didn't decide. Watching recent events. On the earth.

[16:53] That man needs savings. From himself. He didn't decide. At the birth of Jesus. That this might be a good idea. To give man. A way back to himself.

[17:05] He decided. Before. Moses even led. God's people. Out of Egypt. That he. Would. Save us. Through.

[17:16] His son. Before he even. Called Abraham. Out of the. City of Ur. He had decided. That he. Would send a redeemer.

[17:27] For man. He had decided. Before the beginning. Of time. Even as he chose us. Before the foundation. Of the world.

[17:40] God. Had predestined. What would happen. In his wisdom. In his mind. He had set forth. The events. That he would bring. A savior.

[17:50] For you. And for I. That he would bring. A savior. For mankind. That is why. God. Could be sure. Of the promise. He gave to Eve.

[18:02] When Adam. Had eaten the apple. When Eve. Had fallen. For Satan's deception. He was sure. In his promise. That he would bring forth.

[18:14] One who would strike. At Satan's head. He would bring forth. One who would defeat. Satan. Who would free man. From the. Slavery of sin.

[18:28] And enable man. To return to God. God. Give his son. For you. That you can come to him. And find forgiveness. And true life.

[18:39] In him. Find forgiveness. And a new life. Putting an end. To the old you. Verse five. Tells us. Of how God.

[18:50] Had decided. In your redemption. Through Christ. He predestined us. For adoption. As sons. Through Jesus Christ. According to the purpose.

[19:01] Of his will. God. Had foreordained. Your salvation. He had foreordained. That he would bring. A means for man. To come back to God.

[19:14] God. Has made provision. For you. To return. To him. And know him. As your heavenly father. If you accept Christ. As your savior. If.

[19:25] You come to him. Through Christ. Whom he. Gave for you. By his free decision. That. Those events. Took place. Not by anything.

[19:36] That we done. Not by anything. That you do. Or anything that I do. But through God. How wonderful. Are those divine blessings. That God. Has gave to us. That they are unchanging.

[19:50] And they are a gift from him. You are adoptees of children of God. Through Christ. Through faith in him. You now have a birthright. Rather than being faced with.

[20:02] Eternity of separation. From God. You can now be part of his family. Not by birth. But by adoption.

[20:13] So let's stop. And just think for a moment. Of adoption. Who makes the decisions. About adoption. It's not the child. It's not the one.

[20:24] Who is being adopted. It's the parent. Who is about to make the adoption. Who makes the decision. And in making that decision. We have to make sure.

[20:35] That the law is satisfied. The adult chooses. To adopt the child. Into the family. And the child. Without making any decision.

[20:47] For themselves. Has all the blessings. Have been part of that family. The law reviews it. The law says. That things have been satisfied. And the child is adopted.

[21:01] And when the child is adopted. At least. Now it's probably done in computer. But in my day in social work. We used to have the files. And they would be. Sort of tied together. The file would be closed.

[21:13] And it would be put over it. Closed. And it wouldn't be opened again. Because. The child had a new name. A new identity. And a new life. Similarly.

[21:25] For us. We are adopted. We are adopted. By God. It's not a decision. That we make. It's a decision. That God.

[21:35] Our Heavenly Father makes. And then. That adoption. The law had to be satisfied. The law says. That the penalty. For our sins.

[21:46] Was death. So how did he satisfy that? He satisfied that. By the gift. Of his son. His son. Who was innocent.

[21:57] Would die for us. And take our place. He would pay our penalty. What a transformation. Now occurs.

[22:09] We go from. Being a sinner. Condemned. Unclean. To being now blameless. Through Christ. What a transformation.

[22:21] We were everything. That God could not look at. Upon. We rejected him. We disobeyed his word. Now through Christ.

[22:33] We are renewed. We have a new life. In him. We have redemption. Through his blood. The forgiveness. For trespasses.

[22:43] According to the riches. Of his grace. Your transgressions. Are wiped out. They are gone. No more. To be cast up.

[22:56] No more. To come back. And haunt you. What an inheritance. We will receive. And nothing. Can separate us from God. Nothing.

[23:08] Can separate us from God. As Romans 8. 38 and 39. Reads. For I am sure. Paul writes. For I am sure. That neither death. Nor life. Nor angels.

[23:19] Nor rulers. Nor things present. Nor things to come. Nor powers. Nor height. Nor depth. Nor anything else. In all creation. Will be able to separate us.

[23:30] From the love of God. In Christ Jesus. Our Lord. What an inheritance. We receive. Reading here. Shows.

[23:41] The character of God. That he is the creator. And controller. Of all things. He created all things. He can control all things. And therefore.

[23:51] If we are called to him. And we accept Christ as our saviour. Nothing can wrench us. From his grasp. Nothing can separate us. From God's love.

[24:04] And from his hold upon us. Not death. Not life. Nothing in this earth. And nothing beyond this earth.

[24:15] Can separate us. Not our fellow man. And not Satan. Because the power of Satan. Has been crushed. By the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[24:27] Christ. We. Are secure. In Christ. Verse 7. Highlights. The father's role.

[24:38] But it emphasises. The work of the son. In Jesus Christ. It emphasises. His sacrifice for us. That redemption. Is through his blood.

[24:51] Redemption. Denotes. A ransoming. It denotes. That a price is paid. For our freedom. We read. In our first reading.

[25:02] About. God's act. As he demonstrates. His love for his people. About. How he redeemed them. Out of Egypt. They had been there.

[25:14] For 400 years. The people felt. That they had been forgotten. But God hadn't forgotten them. He had never even. For a moment. Forgotten them. Because if we go back to.

[25:26] Genesis. In the. Tale. In the story of Abraham. Abraham warns. Sorry. God warns Abraham. That. His people will go down to.

[25:38] Egypt. They will reside there. And they will become enslaved there. And they will be enslaved there. For 400 years. And when the time is right. He will lead them back out.

[25:50] And he will lead them to freedom. He will redeem them. So we see. God. Keeps his promises. He doesn't.

[26:01] Forget. What he has promised. He doesn't promise it. And then think one day. Oh I said I would do that. That's the things that man does. God had made his promises.

[26:13] He had set his timeline. And he fulfilled. His promise. When the time. Had came. He led his people. Back out. Of Egypt.

[26:24] Into. Their own land. Our salvation. Came with. A lot. With a. Price. It's not. Cheap. Our salvation.

[26:34] God. God. Did not bring us. To. Salvation. To our new life. By a simple wave. Of the hand. He. Didn't act.

[26:44] Like some. Earthly prince. Who could make a decree. Wave a hand. And it would be done. Rather. He. Ensured. That. The law.

[26:55] Which he had given. Would be fulfilled. And that law. Said. That the penalty. Had to be paid. For the sins of man. The penalty.

[27:06] Of that sin. Was death. It was a price. Which was heavy. It was a price. Which. No man. Could pay. We.

[27:19] No matter. How good we are. Cannot. Pay that price. Because at some point. We will sin. At some point. No matter how good a life we live.

[27:30] We will do something wrong. Either in thought. In word. Or in action. We will. Rebell against God.

[27:40] In some way. So he. God. Gave us. A redeemer. He. Gave us. His son. To take away your sins.

[27:51] And to wake away my sins. He took your place. And he took my place. That we. We could be free. And once more forgiven. That we.

[28:02] Through his blood. Could have the forgiveness. Of our sins. And our trespasses. After all. Jesus was the one. Who was sinless.

[28:13] The one. Who. Became God incarnate. He lived as a man. He experienced. All that we. Experience of man. He experienced.

[28:24] Temptation. He experienced. Sorrow. He experienced. The death. Of friends. But he was still. Sinless. He.

[28:36] Never wavered. In his obedience. To God. He never wavered. In fulfilling. God's plans. For him. He never faltered.

[28:48] In what his father. Desired of him. And he died. In your place. For your sins. That you could have a new life. Through him.

[29:00] Think about that. For a moment. Jesus. The innocent. The sinless. Died. For you. And I. He died.

[29:12] That us. Who are convicted sinners. Us who are convicted criminals. Because we. Have disobeyed. God's law. Could be free. He died.

[29:26] That we. Could have life. And life. In all. Its fullness. In Romans 5. Verse 8. We read. But God. Shows his love for us. And that while.

[29:36] We were still sinners. Christ. Died for us. God. God didn't say. Well. If you can show me. That you can follow my ways. For a certain length of time.

[29:47] I will give. My son. To pay. The price of your sins. It was. While we were still in sin. While.

[29:58] We were still far from God. That God gave us a gift of his son. That we could be redeemed. That he could pay the price. And the death itself.

[30:10] Was horrific and humiliating. He was stripped. Tortured. And left to hang on a cross to die. He was left to hang for you. And for me.

[30:20] We caused the suffering. It's the suffering. Through which. We now can have eternal life. And think of Christ.

[30:33] As he hung on that cross. He didn't curse man. He didn't curse us. For causing his pain. He didn't pray to his heavenly father.

[30:44] For revenge. But rather. He prayed for man's forgiveness. He prayed. That. Forgive them father. For they know not what they do.

[30:58] We have a. Saviour. Who was prepared. To lay down his life for us. Are we prepared. To come to God. With an open heart.

[31:10] Accept that sacrifice. And know God personally. And have an eternal life. Now in the second part of verse 7. We see that we are forgiven.

[31:23] Our sins are wiped away. They're not there to be cast back to us. And it reminded me a wee bit like.

[31:35] Being back at school. If you remember. You used to have the blackboards that used to spin around. And at least in our school. If you were in trouble. Your name would be written on the blackboard. And you knew you were in trouble later on in the day.

[31:48] But then it would disappear. Because the teacher worked her way through the day. The blackboard would be spun around. But lo and behold. At the end of the day. The blackboard would be spun around.

[32:00] And there would be the names. That's not. What happens with sin. With God. Our wrongdoings. Aren't written in a blackboard.

[32:11] To be cast up later. For us to be held accountable. Rather. They are wiped out. The blackboard is cleaned. Our names and our sin is gone.

[32:23] We have a new life. We have redemption. Through Christ. And as we move to. Towards the end of this passage. We see in verse 11.

[32:35] Again the image. Of being God's children. We have obtained an inheritance. Through faith in Christ. Inheritance. Is something.

[32:46] That is guaranteed. Something. Is security. That we know. That is coming. Something. That is guaranteed by law.

[32:57] Is something. That we do not yet have. Something. That we await. To arrive. But we know. That is guaranteed. And so.

[33:09] Is our salvation. Guaranteed. Because the penalty. Of our sin. Has been paid. By Christ. God. Has provided us. That we may fulfill.

[33:21] That he would fulfill. His promises. To us. He predestined. Predestined. Man's salvation. And he has delivered.

[33:32] Man's salvation. Now. Many would say. That. Surely. God. Here. Has been unjust. He predestined.

[33:43] Predestined. Man's salvation. And yet. Some decide. Not to come to him. Some. Reject him. Well.

[33:55] Actually. All of us. Reject him. Our natural state. Is to rebel. Against God. To. Have ourselves. As far away. As we possibly can.

[34:05] From God. But it is by God's grace. That. He. Causes the Holy Spirit. To move in our hearts.

[34:16] To melt our hearts. And call us to him. It is by his grace. That we know him. Because.

[34:26] Our own nature. If God. Left us. To it. None of us. Would ever come. To Christ. None of us. Would ever accept him.

[34:37] As our saviour. But God. In his grace. In his mercy. His unending love for us.

[34:49] Moves our hearts. That we can be called to him. And we see. How God's. Love for us. Throughout this passage.

[35:01] We've seen how our salvation is in Christ. And now we see our security. As being. Sealed. By the Holy Spirit.

[35:13] The third part of our triune God. We hear the word of God. And we. Respond to his message. We become new people.

[35:26] The Holy Spirit seals us. In verse 13 and 14. In him you also. When you heard the words of truth. The gospel of your salvation. And believed in him. We're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

[35:38] So. The moment that we hear the word of God. When we hear. Salvation preached. And our hearts are moved. That is a work of the Holy Spirit.

[35:50] When we accept Christ as our saviour. The Holy Spirit. Enters us. And assures us. Of our salvation. And he plays two parts.

[36:02] Here. He protects and preserves us. Until we reach our inheritance. That doesn't mean. That he's going to protect us. From all physical harm.

[36:13] That's not what scripture promises. He doesn't promise us. That life is going to be easy. What he does promise us. Is that. He will strengthen us.

[36:23] And he will hold us. Safe. From the temptations. And the difficulties of this world.

[36:34] That he will ensure that nothing. Wrenches us. From God's promise of salvation. And secondly. Our reassurance of salvation.

[36:45] Certifies. That our conversion. And our coming to Christ. Is genuine. It's not. It's just something that we do. In a fleeting moment. It's something.

[36:57] That is within our hearts. He works within us. To bring change. To bring us. Into. More.

[37:09] To make us. More Christ like. That each day. We become. A little. More like Christ. For some. The transformation.

[37:19] Will be huge. And instant. And then. They will continue. To grow in God. And become. More Christ like. And others. We move.

[37:30] Gradually. Along the line. Each day. Becoming. More Christ like. The Holy Spirit. Works within us. Those changes.

[37:41] Are not. Done. By us. Ourselves. Because we. Cannot. Bring about. Change. We cannot. Change. Ourselves. Our natural. Desires.

[37:52] Are to go back. To our old ways. Go back. To. The way we were. And run from God. It's he.

[38:02] Who changes us. Day by day. To become. More Christ like. Sin. Will always be a part. Of our lives. Sin. Will always have a pull on us.

[38:12] Because that is our nature. Sin. Sin. Sin. But as we. Grow in the Holy Spirit. We learn. To have strength. To withstand.

[38:24] The temptations of Satan. And we know. And learn. Of the security. Of our salvation. It's by God's grace.

[38:36] That you are called. It's through faith in Christ. That you are redeemed. And it's by the Holy Spirit. That you are transformed.

[38:48] It's by him. That you have assurance. Of what is to come. So we see. In this passage. That there is one God.

[38:59] But we see. The three persons of God. We see the Father. Who loves us. Who shows mercy to us. And calls us to him. We see the Son.

[39:13] Whom the Father sent. As our Redeemer. And by whom. We have a new life. If we have faith. In Christ. And we see the Holy Spirit.

[39:27] God's helper. And enabler. Who is with us today. And always. Until Christ returns. We have a God. Who loves us.

[39:39] And in God. We have redemption. Through the blood. Of his Son. That our. We have forgiveness. Of our sins.

[39:50] And our wrongdoings. Through God. eternal love. We have the gift of his Son. What a promise. What a blessing.

[40:02] We have this morning. Let us just bow our heads. And give thanks for that blessing. Father. We thank you. That. You are a God. You are a God.

[40:13] You are a God. You are a personal God. You are a God. You are a God who cares about us. You are a God who cares about us. You are a God who cares about our situations. You are a God who wishes to come close to us. But we have rebelled against you.

[40:26] We have went our own way. At times with great effort to do all that. against all that you desire of us.

[40:38] Yet, you call us back to you through the gift of your Son. You have called us back that we can have communion with you by accepting Christ as our Saviour.

[40:57] And as you have called Christ to yourself and resurrected Him from death, so if we have faith in Him, we have a new life. We give you thanks for that new life.

[41:11] And we give you thanks for your Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit which guides us and enables us to grow each day. To have a greater understanding of you and to transform our lives.

[41:26] Lord, for those who are unsure, we ask that you pour out your grace upon them.

[41:39] That the Holy Spirit may move within their hearts. That they may come to know Christ as their Saviour. And may come to serve you as their Lord and Father.

[41:52] These things we ask through Jesus Christ, their Lord and Saviour. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[42:02] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[42:14] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[42:24]  Amen. Amen.