The False Confidence of Spiritual Pride (Part 1)

looking at Philippians chapter 3 verses 1 through 7. I've titled today's sermon the false confidence of spiritual pride.

This will be a two -part series as we look at these verses. We'll look at the first section today and then

Lord willing next week we will conclude the false confidence of spiritual pride Philippians chapter 3 1 through 7.

Kind of a milestone for us because we have made it through halfway of this beautiful letter.

So this morning Paul kind of switches gears and he brings a strong rebuke against false teaching and false teachers and that's what we have before us.

Let's read the passage Philippians chapter 3 we'll look at 1 through 7. I'll be reading today out of the legacy standard

Bible. Finally my brothers rejoice in the

Lord to write the same things again is no trouble to me and it is a safeguard for you.

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation for we are the circumcision who worship in the

Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

Although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh if anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh

I far more circumcised the eighth day of the nation of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin a

Hebrew of Hebrews as to the law a Pharisee as to zeal a persecutor of the church as to the righteousness which is in the law found blameless but whatever things were gained to me those things

I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. The passage before us is about spiritual pride.

Spiritual pride causes blindness a blindness that leads to death.

It's possible to be so spiritually proud and have a false confidence in obedience that you are blind to the fact that you are in danger of spiritual death.

No one ever really dies. We all live forever with Christ or we will live forever without Christ.

The Bible speaks about a second death after the physical death. The first is in Revelation chapter 2 verse 11.

He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Revelation 20 verse 6 speaks of the second death in relation to a future period called the millennium.

Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

The second death is also mentioned in Revelation chapter 20 verses 14 and 15. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21 verse 8 explains the second death in the most detail. The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars.

Their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

And I bring these passages up because of how serious it is to be self -deceived, to be spiritually blind.

How serious it is to have a false confidence in spiritual pride that blinds you to the reality of how much danger your soul is actually in.

I heard a famous story that kind of helps illustrate this a little bit. A minister, a

Boy Scout, and the CEO of a large tech company were the only passengers on a small plane.

The pilot came back to the cabin and said that the plane was going down but there were only three parachutes.

The problem was there were four people. Four people. The pilot, the minister, the

Boy Scout, and the CEO. Four people but only three parachutes.

The pilot said, I should have one of the parachutes because I have a wife and three small children.

So he took one and jumped. The CEO said, I should have one of the parachutes because I am the smartest man in the world and everyone needs me.

So he took one and jumped. The minister turned to the Boy Scout and with a sad smile he said, you are young and I have lived a meaningful life so you take the remaining parachute and I'll go down with the plane.

The Boy Scout said, relax Reverend, the smartest man in the world just picked up my knapsack and jumped out.

Spiritual blindness, false confidence leads to death. Paul says those who add human obedience to salvation are dogs.

They're evil doers. Even looking at chapter 3 verses 18 and 19, for many of whom

I have often told you and now tell you even with tears walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.

These verses matter in a practical sense because the false teaching of the past is alive and well today.

In verses 1 through 7, Paul makes two critical observations about spiritual pride so that you won't succumb to false teaching and false teachers.

Two critical observations about spiritual pride. Number one, obedience to the law.

We'll look at that this morning in verses 1 through 3. Number two, human achievement in verses 4 through 7.

Lord willing will be for next Sunday. Two critical observations about spiritual pride.

Number one, obedience to the law. Paul says finally my brothers rejoice in the

Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me and it is a safeguard for you.

Paul starts this section with a finally. This is important because it signifies he is getting to his main point.

It's not that what he said earlier was not important, but he is saying based on what

I said earlier, finally listen to me now. This is a transition, not a conclusion.

It communicates that which is left over or pertaining to something not previously cited or included.

In an adverbial use, it is describing the imperative verb to rejoice.

This is a command. Paul is addressing the brethren, his brothers and sisters in Christ.

We know this letter is addressed to all the saints in Philippi, and Paul transitions here away from the ministry update on Timothy and Epaphroditus to a warning about false teachers in the church.

He starts his warning with another command to rejoice. He says to let your joy be based on your salvation, your salvation in Christ, the promise of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins in the gospel.

He is saying in addition to or as far as the rest is concerned, rejoice.

Finally rejoice from now on and in the future, rejoice.

And there are several commands to rejoice throughout the letter. Look at chapter 2 verses 17 and 18, but even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith,

I rejoice and share my joy with you all, and you also rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

And then of course our passage this morning. Finally my brothers, rejoice in the

Lord. We'll see another comment that he makes at the end of the letter in chapter 4 verse 4.

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice. This rejoicing is more than a sanctified suggestion.

It is a command tied to the very will of God. First Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The same things in verse 1 is referring to what he had previously said, but there's a nuance here where it's referring to also what he's about to say, the same things.

He brings up opponents to the faith as he gives a contrast between false believers and true believers.

He warns them about false teachers in verses 2 and 3. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation, for we are the circumcision who worship in the

Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

Paul had warned them earlier in the letter on how to deal with their opponents. Look at chapter 1 verses 27 through 30.

He said, only live your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or remain absent,

I will hear about your circumstances. That you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind contending together for the faith of the gospel, in no way alarmed by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction for them but of salvation for you and that too from God.

For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake, having the same struggle which you saw in me and now here to be in me.

The gospel is the center of Paul's writing, the faith granted by God to believe in Jesus.

Reminders based on the gospel. The Apostle Peter said similar things in his own writing as he told his readers his reminders were based on the gospel.

God will richly provide for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities though you know them and are established in the truth that you have, 2nd

Peter 1. And it's the same here for Paul, the same things. Paul says he is not hesitating or timid to write these truths.

He is not concerned about the repetition, it's not a problem. He will not shrink away from the truth and warning them because he wants them to be safe.

It is no trouble for him as in it's not tedious and it is safe for them.

The King James Version translates it like this, to me indeed it is not grievous.

The New King James says it indeed is not tedious but for you it is safe, hence it is a safeguard for you.

And the word for safe or safeguard pertains to being in someone's best interest, safe and secure.

He points to the truth of what he is writing and the command to rejoice as a safeguard against false teaching.

The truth will help believers resist false teaching and false teachers and the command of spiritual joy is a practical safety against error.

So if we think about this passage as a safeguard, as Paul did, then we can see why

Paul wrote what he did. He knew it was necessary to review the basic truths of the gospel with believers.

The gospel is every believer's safeguard. It is a protection from false teaching both morally and theologically.

When a believer reads the Word of God individually or hears it publicly in the local church setting, the truth of the gospel as revealed in the

Word of God alerts believers. It alerts believers to corrections that we need to make.

Corrections in our thoughts and attitudes about the true nature of justification and salvation.

Corrections in our action toward other believers and Paul follows his command to rejoice with a command to beware.

Translated in the English Standard Version as look out for the dogs and so on.

There is a lot of nuance in this word, beware, to look. It often conveys more than the physical act of seeing or looking.

Paul is using the word to convey to be ready to learn about something that is needed or is hazardous.

To watch out for, to beware of. Paul uses the literal word for dog.

He is making a strong illustration rebuke that the false teachers are animals.

He's referring to them as dogs in the sense that they are infamous. They are well known for their bad qualities or deeds and the error that they promote.

The language Paul uses here is another clue that Paul's thinking is greatly affected by his understanding of the

Old Testament, specifically being influenced by the Prophet Isaiah. Earlier in the letter,

Paul made a reference to Isaiah 45 -23 in Philippians 2. Look at Philippians 2 9 through 11.

Therefore God also highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now listen to Isaiah 45.

We'll do 22 and 23. Isaiah 45. Turn to me and be saved all the ends of the earth for I am

God and there is no other. By myself I have sworn from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return.

To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.

Though this section is not a direct quotation, it seems very clearly to be an indirect reference to Isaiah.

Paul would have been very well read in the Old Testament. Even this morning,

Philippians 3 4 through 6, he's about to go on with his credentials as a Pharisee. He says, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh, if anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh,

I far more circumcised the eighth day of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a

Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to the righteousness which is in the law found blameless.

His description of those that claim justification was through strict adherence to the

Old Testament law is very similar to Isaiah's description of Israel's irresponsible leaders.

Isaiah described the false shepherds of Israel as dogs.

Paul describes the false teachers in Philippi as dogs. This is Paul's description of false teachers in 2nd

Corinthians 11 13. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

The dogs are forcing circumcision on new converts and teaching justification by obedience to the law.

False teachers are dogs. Isaiah describes the dogs like this, his watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge, they are all silent dogs, they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.

The dogs have a mighty appetite, they never have enough, but they are shepherds who have no understanding, they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all,

Isaiah 56. And Paul is using this kind of language because he is saying these

Judaizers are no different to the false shepherds of Israel. They are teaching error as truth.

They are falsely claiming obedience to the law results in righteousness and they are committing evil.

Paul explains the problem here after he just got done giving the solution. The solution is

Christ, or rather the blessings in knowing Christ, spiritual joy, and refreshment in the truth and promises of the gospel.

As we have mentioned previous in different sermons, these dogs or evildoers are the

Judaizers. These were Jewish converts to Christianity. They wrongly believed that it was necessary for Christians to follow all the

Old Testament laws. They promoted and obedience to the Jewish laws in order that one might be saved along with faith.

They taught submission to the right of circumcision in order to receive salvation.

Many of these false teachers were motivated by spiritual pride. These false teachers had invested much legalistic effort in keeping the

Old Testament law. Because of spiritual pride, the false teachers would not accept that their obedience would not bring them salvation.

Paul harshly rebuked the false teachers of his day because they looked at Christianity backwards.

False teachers who place false confidence in spiritual pride have something in common.

They think that what they do makes them believers, in addition to the free gift of grace given in Christ.

And there are many modern -day false teachers who have taught that justification is brought about by obedience.

They use crafty doublespeak, saying things like, obedience is organically infused with justification.

It's so slick and it sounds smart. Some extremely popular have said heretical things about the gospel, that you are not justified by faith alone, so start killing sin.

Satanic teaching that you are justified by God in adherence to the sacraments, regenerated in the act of baptism.

And these are not Roman Catholic teachings. Some extremely popular so -called reformed evangelicals have promoted a twisted and satanic version of the gospel.

A gospel that claims you are justified and reconciled to God by faith plus obedience.

Not that obedience is a sign of salvation, that obedience is necessary for salvation.

Language like the final salvation, in that one is not justified by faith alone.

But that obedience of faith is necessary for our final salvation and entrance into heaven.

Modern -day heretics and false teachers are among you. Modern -day dogs and evildoers.

They are popular and they are influencing many. Think about it like this, what believers do is a result of faith, not a prerequisite to faith.

Obedience to the law does not make a person saved. This was confirmed by the early church leaders at the

Jerusalem Council years earlier. Turn with me to Acts chapter 15.

The Acts of the Apostles chapter 15. We can start in verse 1. The Jerusalem Council.

Acts 15 starting in verse 1. Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers.

Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.

And when Paul and Barnabas had not a little dissension and debate with them, the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the

Apostles and elders concerning this issue. Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both

Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting in detail the conversion of the Gentiles and were bringing great joy to all the brothers.

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the Apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, it is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

Both the Apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter, and after there had been much debate,

Peter stood up and said to them, brothers, you know that in the early days

God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.

And God, who knows the heart, testified to them, giving them the

Holy Spirit, just as also he did to us. And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

Now therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way as they also are.

And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders

God had done through them among the Gentiles. This was a settled matter, and Paul's communicating to the

Philippians because he is warning them about such men that have come into the congregation and are stirring up the

Kool -Aid. These guys are coming in and causing problems, and they're leading people astray.

And as he's hearing about this report in prison, he has to address this. And so here we find in the letter, he's addressing this issue.

So the question that matters today really is, who are the Judaizers of our day?

And without naming names, think about it like this, they are the false teachers who say that people must add something else to simple faith.

A person that claims the gospel is faith plus anything is a false teacher.

No person can add anything to Christ's offer of salvation by grace through faith alone.

And Paul will continue in verse 3. When Paul says, we are the circumcision, he is speaking figuratively of believers in Jesus Christ as truly circumcised people of the promise.

This is not literal circumcision as commanded in the law, but circumcision of the heart.

Romans chapter 2, 28 and 29 is helpful here. For no one is a

Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical, but a

Jew is one inwardly and circumcision is a matter of the heart by the

Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man, but from God.

The rest of verse 3 is Paul's explanation of the activity of true believers versus the activities of the false teachers.

True believers worship God in faith. Jesus spoke about this with the woman at the well from Samaria in the eyewitness historical gospel account from John chapter 4.

Jesus said to her, woman believe me the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the

Father. You worship what you do not know, we worship what we know.

For salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the

Father in spirit and truth. For the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

And that's what Paul is talking about here in this verse, in verse 3. The contrast is critical to see so that we can understand this passage.

The false teachers who promote obedience of the faith as a means of justification or the final salvation, as some modern -day

Judaizers do, are not worshiping God. They're not worshiping

God at all and they're not worshiping in the spirit of God. They have a false confidence of spiritual pride because they have added works to justification.

And they teach a false version of salvation. Paul says true believers glory in Christ.

Our boasting or pride is in Christ's work alone. Some translations use the word glory in place of the word to boast.

And Paul refers to this kind of boasting in his letter to the Galatians, a letter that is in defense of justification and God's grace.

The Greek word Paul uses here in verse 3 for boasting means to take pride in something, to boast, to glory, to pride oneself.

It conveys the idea of bragging. But we know Paul doesn't mean his own accomplishments in verses 4 through 7, just as we read earlier.

Let's go back to Philippians. I mean, look at what Paul says after just this long explanation of having confidence in the flesh in 4 through 6.

How does he end it? Well, look at verse 7. But whatever things were gained to me, those things

I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. And in your translation you might see the word rubbish.

He says it's garbage. All of the human achievement, it's nothing. Yet to boast or to glory,

Paul's not talking about his own achievements. In the classic passage about salvation from Ephesians 2, 8 through 10,

Paul explains, for by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which

God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Even the good works we do are provided and enabled by God.

God gets the credit. God gets the glory. We add nothing to our salvation, and we are not saved or justified by obedience of the faith.

We are justified by faith alone in Christ alone. And saying different is promoting a false gospel.

Adding anything to Christ's work on the cross in our human ability is a false gospel.

Paul says true believers glory or boast in Christ's atoning death on the cross.

Not anything we do in obedience after our God -given justification.

No, even the obedience we have is in the faith and is given and enabled by God alone who gets all the glory.

True believers boast in the death and resurrection of Christ, which produces a genuine godly spiritual pride that puts zero confidence in the flesh and gives 100 % of our confidence in the work of Christ alone in laying down his life.

This confidence is in Christ alone, and it gives God a hundred percent of the glory.

Not us. No matter obedience in the faith, we glory in Christ.

We boast in Christ. In his final warning at the close of the letter to the

Galatians of putting competence in works rather than faith, Paul writes this, but far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our

Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Galatians 6, 14, and 15. God values the attitudes of hearts more than an emphasis on human effort.

It's easy for us to place emphasis on human effort over faith because it produces spiritual pride, but it is extremely deadly to place a false confidence in spiritual pride.

People can fool themselves and others outwardly with religious piety. Don't judge a person's standing before God based on their fulfillment of duties.

Don't judge yourself based on your own level of human activity and obedience.

God is the one who saves. No man can add to the work of God.

Whatever you do, please don't think that you will satisfy

God by doing good deeds, whether you are doing them in his name or not.

And let's be clear, God notices all you do for him, right?

Ephesians 2, verse 10. He has made these things for us to do. It pleases him.

It is the pleasure of his will. But let's be clear, that's not sanctification.

God notices all you do for him and God will reward you for it. But let me say this clearly.

Listen to me. Only if it comes as a loving response to the free gift of salvation.

One way to think about this is the famous hymn, How Deep the Father's Love for Us.

It's a modern Christian hymn written and composed by Stuart Townend. The hymn's lyrics praise and admire the love of God the

Father and the sacrifice made by Jesus. How deep the

Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that he should give his only

Son to make a wretch his treasure. How great the pain of searing loss the

Father turns his face away, as wounds which mar the chosen one bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon his shoulders. Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life.

I know that it is finished. I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from his reward? I cannot give an answer, but this

I know with all my heart, his wounds have paid my ransom.

Two critical observations about spiritual pride. Obedience to the law does not produce righteousness, verses 1 through 3.

And the second is human achievement, verses 4 through 7. We'll look at that next week, Lord Willie. We must not put confidence in our own works.

That produces a false confidence in spiritual pride. We must put our hope in the

Lord Jesus Christ, a true confidence devoid of pride that is based on the gospel.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul commented on circumcision when he confronted Peter publicly on this issue.

He said, I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless, for if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Galatians 2 21. Don't judge yourself based on your own level of human activity.

Judge yourself based on Christ's obedience. Do you know him?

Do you know him? For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things like we are, yet without sin.

Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4. Do you him? Do you know Christ?

Don't be led astray by false teaching that you can go to heaven because you're a good person.

In today's passage, Paul makes a critical observation about spiritual pride so you can avoid succumbing to false teachers and false teaching.

Obedience to the law does not produce righteousness. In an article titled,

The Art of Being a Big Shot, written by a very prominent Christian businessman named

Howard Edward Butt, Sr., the idea of pride was discussed. If you've traveled to Texas, you may have heard of this grocery store chain,

H -E -B Grocery. They are all over the place. It's a chain based out of San Antonio, Texas, with more than 340 stores throughout the state of Texas as well as northeast

Mexico. Howard passed away in 91 at the age of 95.

As of 2019, the company had a total revenue surpassing $31 .2 billion.

H -E -B Grocery ranked number nine on Forbes 2020 list of America's largest private companies.

In the article, The Art of Being a Big Shot, he said this before he died. Start the quotation.

He said, it is my pride that makes me independent of God. It's appealing to me to feel that I am the master of my fate, that I run my own life, call my own shots, go it alone, but that feeling is my basic dishonesty.

I can't go it alone. I have to get help from other people and I can't ultimately rely on myself.

I'm dependent on God for my next breath. It is dishonest for me to pretend that I'm anything but a man, small, weak, and limited.

So living independent of God is self -delusion. It is not just a matter of pride being an unfortunate little trait and humility being an attractive little virtue.

It's my inner psychological integrity that's at stake. When I am conceited,

I am lying to myself about what I am. I am pretending to be

God and not man. My pride is the idolatrous worship of myself and that is the national religion of hell.

Two critical observations about spiritual pride. Obedience to the law does not produce righteousness.

And number two, human achievement. We'll look at verses four through seven next week. Let me pray.

God, thank you for this word today. Thank you for the convicting power of the scriptures.

Thank you for encouraging us with the reality of the gospel. What a great thing to contemplate that our salvation does not depend on us.

It doesn't depend on our human effort or obedience because Christ won that for us.

He laid down his life. He took it up again. God, we are thankful for the life of Christ.

We are thankful for your love and your mercy, your compassion. Heavenly Father, thank you,

God, for your word today. We give you praise and glory because you are so good to us in proclaiming the truth to our souls.

We need your word every day because it is our natural inclination to have self -reliance and self -righteousness.

God, I thank you for what you have shown us this morning in your word. I thank you for the human example that we have in Paul and the ultimate example that we have in our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray this morning that you help us as you did with Paul to count everything as a loss.

All of the human obedience and self -righteousness, the human accomplishment, the human achievement, being able to live a life of obedience, that we understand that it is nothing compared to the worth of knowing

Jesus Christ, to know him and to be found in him. God, I pray this morning that for all of us we put no confidence in our human abilities or human works.

May we think of our human works like Paul and count them as worthless in comparison to being found in your

Son, that we would understand we do not have a righteousness of our own. We can't attain that.

It comes through obedience. God, we pray that you would help us to remember that, that our salvation is not obedience to the law but a righteousness that comes through our faith in Jesus, a righteousness that is from you that depends on faith.

I pray, God, that you help all of us this morning to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection, to remind us,

Father, that you crucified sin and that we have died with Christ and because you have raised the Son, we have new life in Christ.

Help us to consider this reality now as we are living on earth, that sin has no dominion or power over us and that because of your free gift of grace, we can live our lives as an act of worship to you, that by forsaking human self -righteousness, we do in fact gain

Christ, that by knowing him and being found in him and having no confidence in the flesh but having all our confidence in our righteousness from you that comes through faith in Christ, we know we may obtain the resurrection from the dead.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this time of worship together. I pray for the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and righteousness and I pray for his supernatural enablement for us to live a life worthy of the calling of the

Gospel, worthy of our life in Jesus Christ. I pray all of this in the power of the

Holy Spirit and in the name of the only one who is the true living God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.