Well, good morning, church family. It's great to be with you as always. Would you open your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 1 this morning? We uh last week looked at verses 1 through 11, at Paul's like glorious intro to this passage, or or to this book rather, and he's instructing this young pastor Timothy, who is a pastor in the church in Ephesus. And last week, in his introduction, we saw uh the purpose of the letter immediately, like right from the outset in verse 3, that Timothy would battle against falsehood. And I use that word battle very intentionally, that he would truly fight against the falsehood that was infecting uh the early church. These would be things that were contrary truths, is the Greek word that Paul uses. And just a reminder, Timothy's pastoring in a very unique period in history. Christianity was still very new, only about 30 years old, roughly, and there was still so much to parse through within the Christian community. What is our identity? What is our mission? What is our purpose? But also things like what is our theology? What do we believe? These were all things the church was wrestling with. And it's not to say that their theology was different, but they need to clarify what their theology was, and that was a part of what Timothy was instructed to do. And all of that is in the middle of intense persecution, both from their Jewish brothers and sisters, but now from the Roman Empire as well. And so Paul understood the necessity of truth and the dangers when it's ignored or opposed. And in our passage this morning, Paul continues, obviously, his introduction. This really still is a part of the introduction, but he shifts and he focuses now on Christ's work in him, but specifically the mercy of God applied to him. And there's a really, really important reason why Paul starts, or I should say, finishes his conclusion this way. This whole passage, in fact, is a focus on God's supreme mercy, both in our sin, but also in our salvation. So would you read with me? This is 1 Timothy chapter 1, verses 12 through 17. You should have a Bible in the pew back in front of you. I do want to call out, um, and I'll mention this later, we do have extra Bibles in our library. If you need a Bible or your Bible's destroyed, please feel free, take the Bibles that are in our library. It'll also be up on the screen behind us. Verse 12. I give thanks to Jesus Christ our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry. Even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance and unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. Now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. This morning we ask that you would reveal your word to your church by your spirit. We pray all of these things for Christ's name's sake. Amen. If you know my girls at all, you know that they are really, really big musical fans. Uh we have music going on at our house all day, and that is not an exaggeration, whether it be from our Alexa or from their little kids' uh music player called a Yoto or from her other music player called a Tony Box or from the TV, they are requesting music. At some point in time, there's music going on. But they they cycle through what they enjoy or what they want to listen to as kids do. Right now it's the Hunchback of Notre Dame. And uh that movie is from 1994, and I maybe had seen it when I was a kid, but we watched a video on YouTube just about the music in the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and it's incredible. I mean, this is like Peak Disney right in the 90s when like it is Broadway-esque type music. It is beautiful, truly Disney at its prime. And I'm sure the story is very famous, right? It's about uh a hunchback named Quasimodo who uh lives in the bell tower of Notre Dame, but he's hidden because of his appearance, right? And the story begins by saying this is the story of a monster and a man. And at very first glance, the monster is Quasimodo, who is malformed, who looks horrible. And then it's contrasted with Cloud Frollo, who is his master, the person who killed his mother, by the way, and then almost killed him, but was guilted because he was at Notre Dame, so really raised him as his own son. But throughout the story, you realize that the monster is Cloud Frodo, or Frollo, and the man is Quasimodo. And throughout the story, people only look at Quasimodo's appearance until they notice what he does. And this story is very, very similar to the mercy you see, and I'm I use this intentionally, the mercy you see that Paul describes in 1 Timothy. Because the world looks at people and looks at outward appearances, at accomplishments, at weaknesses or mistakes. But when God looks at a person, no matter how evil, no matter how malformed or wicked or not, he sees someone who can be redeemed by his mercy. Like, praise God that he looks on sinners with mercy. In this passage, when Paul looks back at his life, he doesn't see a religious success story. He sees the exact opposite. He sees a blasphemer, a persecutor, he calls himself an arrogant man, someone unworthy of ministry, undeserving of salvation. Yet God did not deal with Paul in what he deserved. God showed mercy, and that is the beauty of the gospel, that God's mercy is not given to the worthy, it's given to sinners. If you take nothing else away from our passage today, I'd encourage you to write this down. We are saved by the mercy of God for the glory of God. That's what Paul reveals in these few short verses, that we are saved by the mercy of God. If it was not for his mercy, you and I would not be here. But we are also saved to something, for something, and that is for his glory. Again, Paul continues the greeting to Timothy, just sharing beautiful truths about the mercy of God. It is both for our good and for his glory. Paul understood this, and he knew that his whole ministry then, his salvation, his purpose were all tied to the mercy of God. And any gift he has now is now used for God's glory alone. And the same is true for us. If we want to know our purpose, let's look back at Paul's words here in 1 Timothy 1. Specifically, we'll see two truths regarding the mercy of God this morning. Firstly, in verses 12 through 14, we see the beauty of God's mercy. Just simply the beauty of God's mercy in 12 through 14. I'm going to reread these few verses for us. I give thanks to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened me because he has considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man, but I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance and unbelief. And the grace of our Lord overflowed along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Paul continues his greetings as he often does with thanksgiving. And this is something that is often in his epistles. Actually, there are only two epistles where he doesn't bring some sort of thank God or thank Jesus in his introduction, just Ephesians and 2 Corinthians. Every other epistle, he has some sort of thanksgiving. And here he gives, again, another word of thanksgiving. And as an aside, just a great reminder to us, just to just remember, there is no doubt in Paul's life that his whole ministry, his whole actions, everything he did to strengthen churches was just with a proper understanding of the tremendous mercy of God. He knew everything he was doing. Every aspect of his life that was lived for God was only lived because of God's mercy. And we should truly have the same attitude. We are here because of God's mercy, first and foremost. Not because we want to go to church, not because we love the people around us. All of that may be true. We are first and foremost here because of God's mercy. Do not forget that. But notice with Paul, that attitude of thanksgiving directly leads to actions. Paul must give thanks to God before he says anything else. He can't help himself, but give thanks to God before he says anything else. He must thank God for all of his glorious works. And then he gets specific. He says, Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry. Paul is thankful for God's mercy and appointing to ministry. And I'm going to be honest, this is very, very difficult sometimes to be thankful for a ministry. Because so often we spend most of the time asking God to give us strength in the middle of the ministry or just just uh pushing through the hardships of ministry that we forget to thank him for the ministry in the first place. That's what Paul is doing. He thanks him for his ministry, not just for his mercy, for his ministry. It is a tremendous privilege that I have to serve as your pastor. I must not forget that. That it is a privilege I have to stand up here. Difficult many times, yes. Easy other times, yes. But first and foremost, it is a privilege. But it's not just for me. Whatever your ministry is, whether big or small, whether lots of pomp and circumstance or no pomp and circumstance, whether people recognize it or not, you must be thankful to God for your ministry. He has equipped you to do something. Be thankful for that truth. What an honor that you and I, sinful people, get to participate in his glorious ministry of salvation in some small way. We get to see his kingdom come on this earth through the spreading of the gospel. Even participation in ministry alone, we are unworthy to do. But yet, he chooses to use people. Don't ever take that for granted. But that's exactly where he goes next, because he's not just thankful for his ministry. That is a privilege, which of course it is. He's thankful because God appointed him to the ministry. He says, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man, those are three things, if you're looking at a resume, you're probably going to reject the resume. But God absolutely did not do that. Paul views his ministry even more special, with even more reasoning for thanksgiving because of who he was, who he used to be, not who he is now. Paul was great at his ministry now. There's no way you can look at Paul's ministry and be like, oh, he could have done better. No, he did great now. But that's not why he's thankful, because God used his ministry necessarily. It's also because of who he used to be, a blasphemer, a persecutor, an arrogant man. If you don't know, this is obviously referencing Paul's life before coming to faith in Christ when he was known as Saul. And I'm going to read a longer section of Acts chapter 26 so you get a feel for how Paul described himself before coming to Christ. This is uh when he's standing on trial before King Agrippa, and he's questioning him about his ministry. So this is beginning in verse 4. If you want to turn there, feel free. It should also be on the screen in front of you. This is Acts 26, starting in verse 4. All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. Paul was a Jew. They have known me for a long time, and if they are willing to testify that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. And I now stand on trial because of the hope in what God promised to our ancestors, the promise of our twelve tribes, hope to reach as they earnestly serve him night and day. King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope. Why do any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? In fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority from that of the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them. In all the synagogues I often punished them, tried to make them blaspheme, since I was terribly enraged at them. I pursued them even to foreign cities. There are other passages where Paul describes himself going house to house and dragging Christians out and throwing them in prison. That was the man who Paul was before coming to Christ. The exact antithesis to who he is now. The opposite of what he is doing, he was doing. But not only was he just a Pharisee, it's not like he just thought Christians were crazy. He says that he was a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of Pharisees. Which, mind you, Pharisees were already a pretty strict people. And it's important to know who they were. I think we can just miss this. We read the Gospels and we're like, oh, those are the bad guys, and Jesus is the good guy. And no, but who were they? People often mistake Pharisees for like temple workers or Levites or priests, but it's not just those who served in the temple. The Pharisees were more of a political movement, a group more than anything else. They were lay people, they were lawyers, priests, many other influential positions they held. But their whole movement was to bring people to strict adherence to the law. Like that was their purpose. They saw other people not doing what they should be. Their whole movement was designed to get people to fulfill and strict or follow the law. And they didn't all have to be Jewish, mind you. Paul was both a Greek-speaking Roman citizen, as serving with the Pharisees, he was a Jew as well. But for Paul to claim that he was part of the strictest sect of Pharisees would mean that he was the strictest of the already strict. He cared deeply about his religion. He says this about himself. Philippians 3, 4 through 6. He says, although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews, regarding the law, a Pharisee, regarding zeal, persecuting the church, regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. Paul says, If you're gonna boast about what you did in the law, I can do it better. He followed the law, he persecuted the church, which was considered a good thing by the Pharisees. He was circumcised when he should have been. He was of the nation of Israel, he was of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee. He did the things, like all of the things you should do. He followed the law. He not just followed the law, wanted other people to follow the law. You must place yourself in Paul's shoes. Like you have to understand, he cared deeply about the law of God. You cannot take that away from him, though he was literally murdering and throwing people in prison. He cared about the law of God. He wanted others to uphold the law of God. So when he sees this group of Christians begin to rise up, claiming that the law was not needed, it had already been fulfilled, naturally, that's a threat to his entire way of life. It's not just something he thinks is annoying. It is literally a threat to his whole identity. But looking back at our passage in 1 Timothy, notice he first calls himself a blasphemer. A blasphemer. If he was strictly following the law, how is he a blasphemer? I get the persecutor, right? He was persecuting the church. I get an arrogant man, sure. He claimed to know like everything. So, sure, arrogant, but blaspheme. And it's not an accident that Paul lists this one first. Because the Pharisees, as we all know, if you've read the lick of the Gospels, rejected Jesus' ministry, but not just his ministry, his divinity, wholesale. They just said, You are not God, and they put him to death for claiming to be God, by the way. And by denying the divinity of Christ, they were denying God. They were denying his true nature. If Jesus is God, since Jesus is God, denying him is to deny God. To deny Christ at all is to deny God. This is something that Paul, after his miraculous encounter with Jesus, understood. That he had not been following God the whole time. He had been following his interpretation of God the whole time, and it's evidenced by his rejection of Jesus Christ. He wasn't just a misguided man who had the right intentions. It wasn't just misplaced or misdirected. His very mission and identity, like everything he did, was to reject the truth of Jesus and ensure that anyone who proclaimed Christ as Lord would either be killed or thrown in prison. So, yeah, he was a blasphemer. And that is the very same man that Jesus used to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. How ironic does God work in our lives? The man who was called just like us, by zero merit of his own, by negative merit of his own, but by the simple and glorious grace and mercy of God, just as Paul says, but I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance and unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Grace and mercy of God work together. You see them working together. They cannot be separated. God cannot be separated from his attributes. They work in tandem. And Paul's words here remind me of Jesus' words on the cross when he pleads with the Father. You remember what happens? Luke 23, 24. I will put this up on the screen. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them. Why? Because they do not know what they are doing. And they divided his clothes and cast lots. Sorry if I put the wrong verse up there. Our sin is so wicked that we are literally blinded to the things of God. Cannot see it, cannot recognize it, we can't see his beauty, we can't behold his glory, and we can't understand his salvation. We are dead in our sin. Paul makes that abundantly clear. Paul was a perfect example of that. We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to his truth, or we will not see it. So Jesus says, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. They know sin. That's it. This is why Paul's story of conversion is so beautiful. Because when he encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus, what happens? His eyes are blinded. They're covered in what's described as scales. But in reality, Paul could now see better than he ever could. Ever could. He was acting out of ignorance. He did not know any better. He was blinded in his sin. Christ has made him alive to see. This is not to say, by the way, that Paul was giving himself an excuse or that he thinks everyone else has a pass if they don't believe, because they're just acting out of ignorance. That is not what Paul's saying. He makes that abundantly clear in Romans 1. Romans 1 verse 20, for his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power, his divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. God is recognizable. We are incapable of recognizing it without his help. That's what Paul says. He's not excusing himself, he's giving us insight into what sin does to a person. It blinds them to the truth of God. This is why, by the way, Timothy's ministry is so important. Because people remain in that blindness unless they are told the truth. They will stay blind unless you share the gospel with them. The truth of Christ and his gospel are primary in the life of a church, there is no doubt. Because you're not giving people anything if you don't give them that. Romans 10, 14 through 15. How then can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent, as it is written, how beautiful are the people, or excuse me, are the feet of those who bring good news. That is how God has ordained his church to grow by the sharing of the gospel, by the word of our testimony, by truth. Not from miracles, not from our performance, from truth. This is how we combat evil in our world, by the way, just sharing the good news of Christ. There's lots of things you can do aside. You can call out a neighbor for being mean, you can hold a coworker accountable, a family member accountable, you can vote, you can engage in your civic duties, but you are not going to push back darkness by voting. You're not going to push back darkness by being nice to your neighbor. We push back darkness by sharing the news that Christ saves sinners. That's how you do it. And that is only possible because of the beautiful mercy of God who provides a way out in the middle of our sin, in the middle of our inadequacy, in the middle of our blindness. It's God's mercy. But there's another truth about God's mercy that Paul reveals next in the text. This is verses 15 through 17. We see the purpose of God's mercy. The purpose of God's mercy. We saw its beauty, that it encounters us, engages us, and pursues us in the middle of our wickedness and sin when we do not deserve it, but it is for a purpose. The purpose of God's mercy. Let's read verses 15 through 17. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst of them. But I receive mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. Now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, and only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Here he shows that God's mercy is not merely an overflow of Christ, it isn't Only something that rescues us from our sin, which it is that. It is also for him. His mercy encounters us. So, in that sense, it is for us. But notice what Paul says. I'll actually get there later. Because in verse 15, he quotes something, he quotes a saying. And the saying just beautifully summarizes the gospel. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That's what we preach. That's what we teach. That is the heart of our ministry. Some scholars are split on exactly what the origins of the saying are. Some people think it's just like a rephrasing of Jesus' words back in Luke 19, 10. Others think it would have been some early church apostolic phrase or a popular like gospel summary that was being spread. We don't really know, but what matters is the heart of the message. It's clearly something Timothy would recognize. It's clearly something Paul recognized, and it's a beautiful picture of the gospel that God saves sinners. So Paul uses this phrase then to further emphasize God's grace by tagging on. This wasn't a part of the phrase. And I am the worst of them. Unless people were just going around slamming Paul, I guess. But I don't think that was a part of the phrase. Paul, the blasphemer, the persecutor of Christians overseeing their murder and imprisonment, you would be hard-pressed to find someone so anti-Christian as Saul in the first century. It would be hard to find them. But Paul illustrates, not just by saying it, but by living it, that no matter your past or anyone's past, no one is too far from God. Nobody is beyond God's grace. Not a soul. Not a soul. Do you know why? Because if somehow you had done enough evil to be beyond God's grace, well, God has no power over evil then. I guess your evil is too strong for him. But that is not the case, church family. There is nothing you could have done that God's mercy cannot overcome. But then he reveals the purpose. The purpose of God's mercy to us. It's not just for nothing. But I received mercy for this reason. So that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. What is the purpose? That through God's mercy, through his patience toward us, sinful people, God would be revealed. That God would be revealed by your life, by your story of salvation. One of the most beautiful parts about our salvation is that through our inadequacies, through what we can't do, God is further magnified. His glory is further displayed. Because how on earth else could somebody like that become someone like this? This is especially true, though, within the first century. I've talked about this idea before, I've even talked about it in class today. That we we really do live in a blessed time. I hope you recognize that. Like I have the blessing of being upset about a basketball team losing the game. Like that that's the luxury that I live. And I was upset. But we have blessings both materially, but also blessings morally. Do not misunderstand this. We often just think like, oh, we have access to so much technology, we have grocery stores, we have vehicles, we have air conditioning in homes, like we have stuff like that. Yes, but our culture benefits morally. In the United States, we benefit from thousands of years of Christian ethic. Even the atheists will acknowledge that. We benefit from Christian ethics that have evolved over thousands of years in infected culture in a good way. Because of that, much of our culture, while not directly Christian, I'm not saying we're a Christian nation, reflects Christian values. Part of our nation reflects Christian values. It's hard to deny that. That is not to say that there are not large swaths of our culture that are very anti-Christian, but the foundational ethics of our nation make no sense if separated from God. They don't make sense from an earthly, or excuse me, from an atheistic worldview. And I mention this because being a Christian, quote unquote, I use air quotes today, has a very different connotation and far less consequences than being a Christian in the first century. Far less. We talked about it a bit last week, but the early church was experiencing tremendous persecution now from both sides: Jewish neighbors, Greek neighbors, Roman officials. To be a Christian would mean to be somebody that is drastically different than the culture around them. Not just a little bit different because they go to church on Sunday. Drastically different than the culture around them. Their actions, their decisions, their lifestyle, who they choose to hang out with or not hang out with, what they choose to do or participate in, what they said, where they went. Like it all would have been different. Christians in the first century did weird things because the culture didn't do them. So if you've ever been to like a Thunder game, especially when we're playing the Lakers, you see a Lakers fan from across the arena because they got that bright gold jersey on that is annoying. But that's what it's like being a Christian in the first century. You stand out like a sore thumb, like that's just what you do. People see you. They see that gold jersey on you. Like that's what it would have been like. That's why Paul understands that the mercy of God displayed in us is in itself testimony of God and his salvation. Like our very salvation is testimony to God's plan of salvation. And what drastic change alone took place within Paul's life for somebody who was opposed in every way, literally in every way to Christianity, now living in every way his life for it. Opposed to Christ, now following Christ. There is no doubt that people would have seen this change in his life. Not only non-believers, but believers as well. And here's a key I think we can often miss is that my testimony is not just for non-believers that they might believe, which it is, but it's also for you that you would be strengthened, that you would be encouraged, that the church would be built up because of our stories. We see this. Paul makes this clear. Acts chapter 9, 26 through 30. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. I wonder why. Since they did not believe he was a disciple. Yeah, I mean, I would be like, no, you're lying to get in and get us. Like that's what you're doing. Praise God for Barnabas. Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road, and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. Praise God for Barnabas. Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the brothers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. Literally, Paul's whole ministry strengthens an entire church. An entire church to the point where people are being encouraged by the Spirit. It's increasing in number. Their church is now expanding. Why? Because Paul was converted. That's why. Once they saw Saul's transformation in character and in his action, they knew it could only be from the Lord. It could only be from God. There is no other way. And that is in itself a testament to the patience and mercy of God. Saul is a picture. To the point where the whole church had peace and was strengthened. Church family, your very salvation, your testimony, your story of coming to Christ is itself a testament to the reality of God and the plan of his salvation, but it is a way that we, me, I am built up and encouraged. Don't ever think that someone else's story of salvation is better than yours, or that it's somehow more impactful than yours. All of our stories are a story of death to life if you are in Christ. Every single one. Death to life, of sin to salvation. Remember growing up, I uh watched a comedian Tim Hawkins. I'm sure some of you know Tim Hawkins. He has this really good one where he says, Man, he has an awesome testimony. I have a horrible one. I wish I was addicted to crack, is like what he says. Because we look at somebody like that and we're like, their story is way more impactful than mine. Like, how could they possibly have come to cry? I just, I grew up in the church. Like, it just makes sense for me. Like, myself included, I was saved at eight years old. Like, praise God. I'm not saying that's bad. Praise God, I was saved at eight years old. My dad was in church and a pastor. I don't have a story of drug addiction or anything like that or something so drastic like other brothers and sisters in Christ. But do you know what I do have? I have the same story of being dead in my sin and becoming alive in Christ because of the wonderful mercy God had for me. Same as anybody else. And now I recognize that my life is lived to reflect that same mercy to others, to you, to non-believers, to build you up and to share God's love with those who have not experienced it. Romans 2, 4. Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance. I am to reflect that kindness to other people. When people see God's kindness, it will draw them to him. Not maybe, will. His sheep will hear his voice. And to conclude this section, Paul can't help himself but give a quick word of praise. Verse 17. Amen. What an attitude, what a perspective, what a display of priority that before getting to the body of the letter, Paul ensures that God is given the honor and glory he is due. So let us do the same thing. Give God honor and glory today. Give him worth, worship him this morning. Else, literally, what are you doing here? As we go about our normal routines in your day, give God some praise. Because he is worthy and his mercies are new. Like just six verses is all this is, right? Six verses. I had to count. It's the beauty of our salvation, but it's also the purpose. In six short verses, how Paul can summarize this is beyond me. The text simply shows that we are saved by the mercy of God for the glory of God. So simply, so beautifully. So the call is so simple. If you haven't experienced the saving mercy of God, guess what? It is available to you every moment you draw breath. The mercy that calls you out of your sin into life with Him, the mercy that is sufficient no matter your past or your circumstance, you can believe because God is merciful. So just come to Christ this morning. Place your faith in his work, in his death, and his resurrection. And for those who are in Christ, I'll leave you just with one simple but challenging question. Does my life reflect the glorious mercies of God? That's it. Does my life reflect the glorious mercies of God? If you are here and you say that you are a Christian, a follower of Christ, does your life prove it? Would others agree with that claim? That is our call. To reflect God's glory by living and proclaiming his mercy to other people. And if that isn't true in your life, if you feel like you're far from God or my life does not actually reflect the fact that I claim to be Christian, I'm just going to read something. We're going to read this together to conclude, but I'm going to read it again. Lamentations 3, 22 through 24 is one of the most beautiful passages of scripture. Because of the Lord's faithful love, we do not perish. Not your performance, not your attitude, not your fervor, the Lord's faithful love do we not perish. For his mercies never end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, I say, the Lord is my portion. Therefore I will put my hope in him. So if you're feeling discouraged and your life does not reflect the glorious mercies of God, just his mercies are new. Draw near to him. He is not far. Pursue him. We're going to have a time of responses. We always do. Just a few minutes to pray. I think I have a prayer prompt up on the screen. I should have a prayer prompt up on the screen if you don't know what to pray. I'll give you a couple prayer requests as well. We have uh Brett, you may notice Preston and Daryl both out. Preston's family's sick. I think Lydia has RSV, which is not fun for babies, and so they're struggling. And then uh I think some of you know, Daryl's mom fell a couple weeks ago and broke her tailbone, I believe. And she needs like 24 or 7 assistance. So his sisters have her during the week, but he is there with her on the weekends, which is why him and Robin have missed the past few weeks. So please keep them in your prayers. Um, if you want, if you'd rather pray that this morning, completely fine. Pray whatever the Lord the Lord leads you. But I did want to go ahead and mention that. Just be in prayer for them. But we're gonna respond no matter what. And when you're ready, I'll lead us in the Lord's Supper. Just come and partake. Grab it whenever you're ready. I just ask that you be a believer in Christ Jesus, baptize as a believer to partake, and then we're gonna do that together this morning. Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, I thank you again for your word. I thank you for Paul. I thank you for his story from Saul to Paul. The fact that somebody like that, somebody so opposed to you, you use for your glory and you do the same thing with us. So this morning, I just ask that you would show us the ways that we need to reflect your glory and your mercy to other people. Just remind us of your mercy, first and foremost. Help us to live in thankfulness for your mercy because we cannot perform for it. We cannot earn it. You just give it to us. And so I just ask that you would just lead us in thankfulness in a heart of an attitude of thanksgiving, that we would be united as a church because we want to celebrate your glorious mercy. And I pray all of these things you would do by your Spirit's power for Christ's name's sake. Amen.