Believer, Do You Know Where You Are?

I want us to turn to Romans chapter 8. Romans 8 is an ocean of the Spirit. Romans chapter 8, up to this time Paul has mentioned the Spirit only a couple of times. Now in Romans chapter 8 we enter into this brand new sphere and it's massive. The truths of Romans 8 are massive. I would suggest I know I've tried to eat and memorize different sections of Romans, but I would really like to twist your arm to begin to memorize Romans chapter 8. You will find this one of the most useful passages in your Christian life that you will ever have because it speaks so clearly and so directly to our life here in this time as we walk with Christ in this fallen world and await His coming. Living in the Spirit is what God has called us too.

It is really the distinctive of this dispensation or this period of time we are living in this overlap of the ages as we await the coming of Christ. We live in the Spirit. We walk in the Spirit. All that we do is to be in the Spirit and that's what this chapter is about. What I want to do is just maybe dip our toe into the ocean. This morning we're just going to look at the first verse and then we'll get back to it and we get back to our regular place. As we've gone through Romans, the first seven chapters, if I was to ask you to tell me what is the essence of Christianity based on what you've learned from Romans 1 through 7. I wonder what you would say. One of the things you could say is that based upon this revelation we could say that the essence of Christianity is that God is a supreme value in the universe and that our problem is we do not value Him.

We do not honor Him as supremely valuable. We are idolaters at heart. That is the great sin of mankind that we do not value this God who is above all who created all and therefore we're guilty of sin and we stand under God's omnipotent wrath that's going to fall up on this rebellious creation in the future and that God alone is the one who can rescue us from his own condemnation against sin and rebellion and what he has done is he has rescued us that through his son, through his death, his burial, his resurrection. Jesus Christ is the answer to this condemnation for everyone who is in Christ Jesus. The first seven chapters of Romans is really about a holy God, a sinful humanity, the coming wrath of God upon the earth, a perfect Savior Jesus Christ who was crucified and raised from the dead and justification by faith and sanctification by faith.

That's what those first seven chapters are about and now we have a summary of that whole message here in verse 1 of chapter 8. In a sense this is one of the best summaries of the gospel you could ever find and that is there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. In a real sense that's the essence of Christianity there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. This is the central foundational message of God to the world. It is the message that we send out throughout all this globe, the people that we send to to every place on this globe to take the gospel. This is the message that they are taking that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

It's what we lay down our lives for. It's what we are willing literally to die for is the propagation of this truth to this whole world that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Now I want you to notice something in that statement that begins chapter 8 that there are really two pieces to this statement. The first is it describes a gift, a glorious gift. There is therefore now no condemnation. But it also describes the recipients of that gift those who will enjoy this gift and that is those who are in Christ Jesus. We just want to look at those two pieces this morning for a few minutes. First the gift and then the recipients of that gift, those who enjoy that gift. Who is going to actually enjoy this gift of no condemnation?

It's those who are in Christ Jesus. I notice something when it describes a gift it describes it this way. He says therefore there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. What is the significance of the now? Why does he say now there is no condemnation? When you use that term, even in English and especially it's true in the biblical use of this word, it's always bouncing off of one of two things or both and that is it's either bouncing off the past in contrast to the past now or it's bouncing off the future. In contrast to what's going to take place in the future, now is our situation. Now you have that all the time. Most of us have traveled in cars with small children and we tell them we're going to get somewhere and we have a destination we're all interested in and they keep saying are we there yet?

Are we there yet? Are we close? Or if you put a lot of gifts under the Christmas tree for weeks before Christmas and every day the child's children wake up and say is now the day is this the day? You see what they're doing is they're using the concept of now in contrast to the past. Is the past over and if we now entered into the proper time at the right time, but the other way now is used is in contrast to the future and anticipation of the future. In the scriptures there's this concept of first fruits. First fruits is an agricultural concept of course and this was an agricultural culture and so the concept of first fruits was always that because there is some fruit that comes out on the tree that you can taste and experience that is a promise of a future crop.

You see and so God uses this concept of first fruits all the time in fact the Holy Spirit is the first fruits of our salvation. We have experienced, we have tasted heavenly things in the person of the Spirit. Now both of those uses of now are used here in this context. There is now no condemnation and you could translate that finally now there is no condemnation but you could also interpret it this way already now even before the final judgment there is no condemnation. Now those are two glorious truths in contrast to the past. It is finally now that there is no condemnation. Now how do we know that? Well look down in verse three of chapter 8. He says for what the law could not do. Now he's already told us that the law came in at the time of Moses.

The law was given through Moses and the law lasted as the regulator of God's people's relationship with him from Moses to Jesus Christ. And so when he speaks about for what the law could not do he's talking about this long history of the law. What the law could not do weak as it was through the flesh. God did finally sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin he condemned sin in the flesh. There's that word condemnation. There is now no condemnation but he says in the past under the law as he looks back over this long history of the law as the people of God lived under the law. He says that the law continued to give commandments. The law continued to condemn lawbreakers.

It pointed to a righteousness that was in the future. A sacrifice that God was going to provide that would someday in the future throughout the history of the law. There would be coming in the future a sacrifice that would deal with the failings and failures and law breaking of the people of God. In verse 21 of chapter three turn back there just a moment. In verse 21 in the midst of his argument in chapter three Paul says but now apart from the law the righteousness of God or a righteousness of God has been manifested being witnessed by the law in the prophets. He says the law of the prophets look forward to this righteousness that we have now seen manifested. It has come in the person of Christ.

And so when Paul says now there is no condemnation he is saying in contrast to the past through these many years in generations of people who lived before God under the law. He says now there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Something significant had to happen before this time could come when the condemnation would be lifted sinners could experience no condemnation. Wow that's an amazing thing and we take it so for granted. If you look back at the history of God's people and realize that every day the law of God was regulating their life and it was showing them and telling them continually that condemnation was over their heads, that there was all kinds of condemnation. The ungodly are going to be justified in the future of the law set and condemnation is going to be dealt with and removed.

But in order for that to happen God had to do something. Something major had to happen in order for this time to come when there would be no condemnation. In other words God had to do something besides giving the law. Now most of you have raised children know that you have to do something more than simply give children rules don't you in order to develop their character because all rules continually do is they manifest and reveal the true nature of the heart. So there has to be something more God had to do something more than giving the law. So what was it that he was going to do? Well he sent his son in human nature. He sent his son in the likeness of sinful flesh as our substitute and representative.

And on the cross in the suffering of his son God condemns sin. God condemns sin. That's what he says in verse three. At the cross the father condemned sin. And so I want to ask you who's sin? Who's sin did God condemn in the flesh in verse three? Well Jesus had no sin. He was without sin we're told. He had the very character and nature of God took on the likeness of sinful flesh but not sinful flesh. So what was condemn was not Christ's sin for he had none but it was our sin. That's what the gospel is. That's what Christianity is. That Jesus Christ through Jesus Christ's sin has been condemned in the flesh. My sin has been condemned in the flesh. And the fact is what Paul has told us in these first seven chapters is that all of us were under God's condemnation because of our sin.

And there is there are none of us who are outside of that sphere of being condemned before God because of our sin. But in Romans five six Paul had given us this promise while we were still helpless at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Christ died for the ungodly. What does that mean that he died for the ungodly? Well now we can see because in chapter eight verse three we can see what he means by the fact that Jesus died for the ungodly. It doesn't just mean he died for the ungodly because he loves us and therefore he was willing to die. But it means something even more than that. It means that in Jesus Christ's our substitute God poured out on his son the condemnation that was due me and you as sinners that we deserved.

So he condemns my sin in Jesus Christ in the flesh of Jesus Christ in his humanity. And so the gospel says to you do you believe this? Do you believe that the condemnation that your sin that is due you because of your sin has been poured out upon your substitute that your sin has been condemned already in the past two thousand years ago. See that's what faith in the gospel brings us to and so Paul is saying now finally finally since the coming of Christ there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Now that everything's been done that needs to be done in order for Christ to absorb think of that concept. Christ absorbing the condemnation of God for your sins. He absorbed it. He took it completely and it has been exhausted.

God exhausted his judgment upon your sins in Jesus Christ for the sins of all those that are in Christ and now finally there is no condemnation. That's a glorious truth. We live in an incredible time in the plan and purpose of God. We live in a time where we have no condemnation because we are in Christ Jesus. You know it is a very common thing to have relationships with people who are full of condemnation, they're full of judgment and you walk on egg shells because they're always going to find things in you where you don't meet up through their expectations and they want to pass judgment on you in several ways and some people think God is that way. And that's why they live in such a nervous way before this holy God because they don't understand the glory of this truth.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Now the other side of this statement, the other side of this concept of now there is no condemnation is the fact that he's looking to the future and he's basically saying already now before the final judgment there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. In fact look at verse 8, over to verse 33 of chapter 8, he says, who will bring a charge against God's elect? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? Who is going to bring a charge before the judgment of God against God's elect? He says, and this is his answer, God is the one who justifies. God's the one that declared you righteous. Who is the one who condemns?

Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather who was raised, who was at the right hand of God, who also intercedes. So on that judgment day, who could bring a charge against God's elect? So Paul looks to the future. When he says now there is no condemnation, he is also looking to the future, to the final judgment. It is yet to come. It's on its way that there are many days, many days have passed since the cross and the day of judgment has not yet come and there may be many days in the future. And there are days in which the adversary, the devil, will come against you and he will try to deceive you and bind you with the guilt of your sin and accuse you and try to swallow you up in guilt-feeling over your fallenness and sinfulness.

And so Paul writes about already now of no condemnation. We live now that judgment has taken place. So now is both a look back as well as a look forward. It looks backward to remind us that Christ has died and has become our condemnation. That he stood in a place and received the condemnation that was due to me. That's why it's such a serious thing to minimize your sinfulness. To propagate this self-deception that somehow you are righteous in yourself, righteous enough to stand before a righteous God. That's offensive to God because God has paid an awful price to take care of your sin. And so for me to minimize my sin and to exalt myself righteousness is a great affront to the God who gave his son.

But it also looks forward and reminds us that even though there's a judgment day coming and it's coming for certain, Christ is coming back and there is a quite thrown judgment that's going to take place and sometimes we tremble at the thought of it. Sometimes when we hear about the judgment of God, it makes us tremble because God's going to judge in holiness and truth. Back in the early chapters of Romans, remember he said that that final judgment God is going to judge not only what you have done, what you've actually done and he knows everything you've actually done. Not only that, he's going to judge the thoughts of your heart. He's going to judge the motivations. Behind what you have done.

So God has penetrating eyes. He knows the truth about and this judgment day is coming and so we can tremble at this. But you don't have to wait until the final judgment to find out if you pass, you can pass this judgment bar. In the last day, when your whole life with all of its Romans, seven kind of qualities about it, that you struggle, you want to do the right thing and you end up doing the wrong thing. You want to be loving and you end up not being loving. You want to be longsuffering and instead, you have such a short temper. You want to forgive and instead you hold grudges against people. You want to be humble but instead you are just riddled with pride. You know the truth about yourself in your most same moment.

And yet Paul says because something has already taken place, it is God who justifies. It is Christ who has died, who was raised and who innerseeds for us before the throne of God. So the verdict of the last day was already given in 33 AD for all of those who are in Christ Jesus. Imagine that. If somebody says, well, are you afraid of the judgment day? You can say no, it's already taken place for me. 2000 years ago, 33 AD Jesus stood before the judgment bar of God and my condemnation, the condemnation that was due to me was poured out upon him. And so already not, already not yet, we stand in this place of no condemnation. In fact, we stand there together, together as all of those who are in Christ Jesus.

And that's the second part of this statement. Who are the recipients of this? Now, notice what he says. It is to those who are in Christ Jesus. There's two implications to that. The first is, is that not everyone can say there is no condemnation for my sins. There's no condemnation over my life. You cannot say that necessarily. Not everyone can say that. Only those who are in Christ Jesus, some are in him and some are not in him. That's the clear testimony of Scripture. Some people are in Christ and some people are outside of Christ. In fact, look at chapter nine, verse three. Paul says of interesting statement, and notice what he says, for I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brother and my kinsman, according to the flash.

That is my brother, my Jewish brothers and sisters. You get that statement. I wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ. That is the opposite of being in Christ. The word, if you notice, in fact, there's a word added there in your English text, the word separated, it just says, out from Christ, it's the opposite of being in Christ. And so the whole world, in a real sense, everyone you know, everyone who lives on the face of this globe is either in Christ or they are separated from Christ. They're separated from Christ. You know what motivates so many people to go to the remotest parts of this globe, to preach the gospel, is because they realize there are billions of people who are outside of Christ.

And so it isn't everyone who can say there is no condemnation over my life. I fear no condemnation. It is only those who are in Christ Jesus. And so it is only by being in Christ, that Christ's condemnation becomes your condemnation. That is God's condemnation on sin in the flesh. That is only credited to those who are in Christ Jesus. And if you want to be able to say now, and at the last judgment, there is therefore now no condemnation, then you have to be in Christ Jesus. If you're in Him, what happened to Him has happened to you. That's Paul's testimony. Over 130 times Paul uses this expression in one way or another, we are in Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus. That's the most significant thing is where are you?

Where are you? Are you in Christ Jesus? Are you separated from Christ Jesus? If you're separated from Him, you have no basis for saying that what happened to Him happened to you. Now I would hope some of you would be thinking right now, wait a minute. Doesn't the Bible say, in the words of John the Baptist, behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world? Doesn't John the Apostle say he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world? Doesn't Paul call Jesus Christ a Savior of all men and God the Father a Savior of all men? Yes. Doesn't the Bible say that Jesus died for the world? Yes, it does say that. What do these passages mean? This is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

Let me tell you for sure what it means. There may be a lot of disagreement about this. You all have probably heard the expression limited atonement or particular redemption and how we can argue over the economics of Christ's death. You know who exactly did he die for? Let me tell you this. What this what the Bible clearly says is there is infinite room in Jesus. There is infinite room in Jesus. He is not a studio apartment. You want to be in Christ Jesus. Well if you were not it's not because there's no room. There's plenty of room in Christ Jesus. There's room for everyone and in fact everyone is invited and everyone is commanded to come and be in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the one that said come to me all who are weary and heavy laid and he's talking specifically about all you who labor so hard to be right with God.

He says come to me and receive rest. He also said let the one who is thirsty come let the one who wishes to take the water of life without cost come. He also said the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. You know the gospel of Jesus Christ is so wide and so great. There is never a person you will ever meet in your life but you don't have a message a glorious message that meets their need. It's the message that is summed up in those words there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. But what if a person doesn't come? What if a person doesn't believe? What if a person doesn't receive this free gift? Well Jesus tells us in John 336 and these probably are the words of Jesus they may just be the words of John they may be the words of John the Apostle who was writing this it may be a comment but this is in the context in which Jesus is telling us about eternal life and that chapter ends with these words he who believes in the sun has eternal life but he who does not obey the sun will not see life but the wrath of God still remains upon him.

You get that? That those who are in Christ Jesus all condemnation has been removed but those who do not obey the sun who do not come to the sun for the sun is commanded everyone to come to him and so if you don't come to him you don't obey him you're disobeying his command and he says everyone who does not obey him the wrath of God abides it remains it's still there in fact in the Greek the idea is the wrath of God is slowly moving towards him it's kind of like one of those disaster movies you know there from the meteors coming towards earth and here it is it's rushing towards it it's falling closer and closer and closer and closer and that's the picture here the wrath of God is moving towards him everyone who does not obey the sun that is a great motivation to take the gospel to the world the wrath of God the condemnation of God is taken away in Christ but not to those who are outside of Christ and so we go to the world and we call we are ambassadors of Christ saying be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ come to him he's the only place this is the only place that you can escape the judgment of God is in Christ Jesus Jesus so you need to ask yourself where am I where am I am I in Christ am I outside of Christ I remember the first time I seriously thought about these words as a kid everyone they penetrated me and troubled me they weren't put in exactly this way that I remember that weight of that question are you right with God through faith in Jesus Christ you may be very young sitting here this morning but you can understand these words you are either in Christ by faith or you are outside of Christ and if you are outside of Christ you're in a place of condemnation that will hover over your life and ultimately fall you don't have to stay under condemnation that's a good news of the gospel you don't have to stay under condemnation there's room in Christ there's always room in Christ as long as you have breath you can call upon his name one of the primary ways that the people have got are described in the Old Testament as they are those who call upon the name of the Lord they call upon the name of the Lord we called upon the name of the Lord and so Christ word to us has come to me trust me enter in to me I will be your life I'll be your righteousness because I've been your condemnation I'll be your justification that's a glorious promise and invitation from the living Christ there's no condemnation this settles your eternal destiny all those who are in Christ Jesus now this is a glorious truth and it settles and seals your eternal destiny but let me ask you something just for a few minutes let's think about this what difference does it make in your daily life that there is no condemnation to those who in Christ Jesus does this have any practical value for tomorrow next week next month next year for the seasons of life does this have any practical application for teenagers for middle-aged folk or CDs does have any practical application to us oh it does in fact every area of life in fact if you can come to grasp this and begin to apply it to all of life you will be amazed at the practical value of understanding that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus for example in regards to your physical pain have you been experiencing any physical pain lately or do you have those in your life who are undergoing great physical pain in fact maybe physical pain that could end in death I'm going to somebody last night on the phone they were telling me that not too long ago the doctors told them that they feared that he wasn't going to live he wasn't going to survive this thing he was going through this physical suffering he was going through does this statement there is therefore now no condemnation have any value when you're in a great pain for someone you love is in great pain well absolutely you see what happens when you're in pain you've all experienced this I mean when you're in serious pain when you're looking at the future and you're wondering if you're going to survive and Satan comes against you and he basically like Job's comforter says you're suffering like this because of your sin this is the judgment of God that's why you're suffering that's why you're feeling this pain it's because of God's anger with you his wrath against you what's the answer to that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus get behind me Satan because the judgment against my sin has already been paid for oh I believe that God is sovereign and he's in control of all things and so even the suffering is not outside of his purpose and plan but this could not be judgment upon my sin because God has judged my sin the person of my substitute I'd say that brings great pain great comfort to the person in pain even a person on their deathbed suffering unto death is the fact that those who are in Christ Jesus for them there is no condemnation what about things like a being a failing as a parent or going through a time of great stress as a parent where you have a child that breaks your heart you know how it is when your child goes off the path and you begin to analyze your parenting and those you don't know it yet you will discover that after you've spent some time parenting when that happens to you can look back and you can find a million reasons why you could be blamed for this you know you'll never be able to sort that out you'll never be able to figure out how much you contributed or didn't contribute you know what the glorious truth is there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus are you going to keep loving somebody who's sending against you there is no condemnation for those who in Christ Jesus how can you put up with the sins of fellow believers I've been so struck lately by how you use a term that isn't a been shift how messed up we are how far from the likeness of Christ we can be it's just amazing to me as I look at myself and others who have been in the faith a long time how petty and far from the image of Christ we can be you know what's great is when you come up against that and a fellow believer you can say there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus I don't have to get my pound of flesh I don't have to judge you for your short coming now I may need to confront you for your good I may need to prove you or talk to you and be honest with you in ways that no one's ever been honest with you for your good but I don't have to get a pound of flesh I don't have to prove that you're wrong and I'm right because there's no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus so we can actually live with each other with all of our flaws and shortcoming we don't have to pretend to be perfect what a joke what a joke it is when Christians think that they have to put on this image of holiness that doesn't reflect the truth about who they are that we think we have to hide 90% of our life because if people found out the truth about us they've never won anything to do with us now I think the reason sometimes we hide things is we don't want people to know so that they confront us so that we have to deal with it so that we have to turn from our pet sins that's another issue altogether you know we're never in danger of rejection there are extreme cases when somebody's in open rebellion they refuse to come under the authority of Christ the church has to say we're going to put you outside the umbrella of the church you have to sit over there by yourself so that you come to your senses so that the living God will deal with your sin we don't bring judgment against you we're just putting you in the hands of the living God because you say you refuse to come under his authority those are extreme cases in very rare the most cases it's a wonderful thing love covers a multitude of sins but more than that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Christ has died those obnoxious sins of yours isn't that great and there's no condemnation and I think the same thing is true with marriage problems when you're wronged in a marriage by your mate we're in the world you're going to find the moral power to forgive somebody who's sinned against you in a deep and hurtful way over the years I've had been come to me who have been unfaithful to their wives and the big question in their mind is when they come to repentance is should I tell my wife and the same thing is true I've had women with the same question tough question see because you're thinking I've found forgiveness in Christ why should I hurt them with my sin because they need to know the truth it is them that you've sinned against along with God and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus you know where you can get the moral power to forgive great sin against you it's across it's the gospel it's applying the gospel it's like it's like an ocean of mercy buckets of mercy can be drawn out of this ocean and you can apply it in those situations there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus you can apply this gospel to every area of life there is no condemnation regards to ministry in regards to peer pressure sexual temptation pride racism all the areas of life that you face you can apply this glorious truth there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus so where are you are you in Christ by faith well if you are then God calls you to worship him in response to that you know I would start by this you know this verse in his eco-22 God says to his people who are in great sin and they're under the judgment of God they're in a Babylonian captivity because of their sin and idolatry and God says to them I searched says to Ezekiel and through Ezeka to the people I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land so that I would not destroy it but I found no one that was statement when he says I look for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me the word that expression before me is before my face as I confronts for somebody who would pray for my people who were in danger of the judgment of God I was looking for somebody who cared enough about my people they would stand in the gap and they would stand before my face in the intercession and calling upon me for my people it's not amazing and he said I found no one now ultimately that's fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ who stood in the gap stood before the face of God and interceded for his people intercedes for us but you know he calls you for that you know when you understand the truth that there is therefore now no condemnation those are in Christ Jesus it gives you great impetus to be to fulfill your calling the calling that's upon your life as an intercessor as a priest we are a priesthood we've been given the assignment to stand before his face in light of the cross and say not only are believers around me who are in such desperate need of the work of God in their lives such great need for revival in our lives we're so captivated by materialism I mean it's eating the power of the spirit out of our life and we believe the lie of this world system that says life consists in the abundance of things we're riddled with somebody needs to stand in the gap to stand before the face of God and call out to God for his people because there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus you know we can have such confidence when we intercede because of the work of Jesus Christ for his people so I just encourage you live in light of this truth live in light of the fact that there's no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus both you and all of your brothers and sisters who are in Christ Jesus those people that you are holding a grudge against or that you feel judge judgmental towards because of their shortcomings and their weakness and their lack of Christ's likeness remind yourself that there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and those who are outside of Christ who are separated from Christ let this be a motivation for you to pray that God would draw them in you know all they need all they need is to be in Christ Jesus they need to be in Christ Jesus let's pray our Father we are grateful for the gospel we thank you for the implications of the gospel that touches every area of our life we thank you Father though we are failures and we have fallen so short of the perfection that sometimes we crave to be like Jesus Christ and yet we see daily so many things about us that is so unlike him we are so grateful for this reality there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus thank you Father that that is the that is this atmosphere in which we live as as brothers and sisters in Christ that we can get along with each other because we know we don't have to perfect one another that we can be honest and truthful even when it's difficult because we're not going to destroy a fellow believer because there is no condemnation I can deal with my sin when I'm confronted with it because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus how we thank you for that we pray that it would free us up and motivate us and energize us in the work of the gospel we ask this in Jesus name