Let's open our Bibles together to the book of Romans, Romans chapter number five. In Romans chapter five, we're gonna find out how that grace really worked, how you and I could be sinners and yet be allowed into heaven. Romans chapter number five. Would you stand with me as we read? We'll start reading in verse number five of Romans chapter number five. Romans five, verse five. The Bible says that hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet preadventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also enjoy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received, Father, thank You for the privilege it is to gather together this morning with brothers and sisters in Christ that we love. I pray, Lord, that You would be honored as the Word of God is opened. I pray that as we consider what Christ has done for us that we could leave this place with tremendous joy. because of Calvary. But, Lord, some need to leave under great conviction because they've truly never been saved. Well, I pray they'd realize their desperate need to be born again. Lord, when all is said and done, I pray that as Jesus Christ lifts it up, Lord, that you would be magnified and draw all men to you. We love you. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. You may be seated. This is not hyperbole. This is This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest portions of Scripture in the entire Bible. I believe the verses that we just read, from Genesis to Revelation, encapsulate the entire message of this entire book. Now that's a pretty bold statement, but let me try to share it with you. In this small text, from chapter number 5, verses 5 all the way down to verse number 11, The Apostle Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, talks about our condition, talks about our condemnation, and then talks about our conciliation. Our condition, our condemnation, and our conciliation. Now, I use the word our. There's a lot of times when we use that word our or use that word we, and we don't really mean it. When my wife says, can we remodel the bathroom? That word we does not mean us, it means me. We. I said, we. Do you have somebody in your pocket? Are we French now? We, we. Why are you saying we? The word that he uses here is the word our. The word I'm using is our. That we're going to look at our condition. Then we're going to look at our condemnation. We're going to look at our conciliation. That word, our, means pertaining or belonging to us. Now the Apostle Paul in chapter 1, chapter 2, and chapter 3 of Romans has made it very clear about the condition that you and I, that we, are all found in. Now, there are times maybe perhaps you go to the doctor where you feel terrible. I mean, you feel horrible. And you go to that doctor, and the doctor looks at you, and you begin to say, here's my symptoms. This is what I'm experiencing. And maybe sometimes, maybe you're at my age where the doctor looks at you and says, well, that's part of getting old. I guess that's the way it's going to be now. I hurt myself sleeping. I don't know how. But that's just the way it is. Now, this is what my ankle's going to do for the rest of my life. There's times when you go there and you say, this is how I feel, and they give you a prescription for it. There are other times when you go just for a general checkup. And I know most of us don't like doctors very well, but you go there for a general checkup. You feel fine. And the doctor runs all kinds of tests. You feel OK. And the doctor looks at you and says, no, we have some concerns. There's some things that we see that are severely wrong with your immune system, severely wrong with your body, and you're in trouble. Now listen, you might realize you're in trouble. You might realize you're in trouble. You might not realize that you have any health concerns. But spiritually speaking, everyone here has spiritual health concerns. You might know that you're a sinner. You might think that you're a saint. But I'm here to tell you that we are all under the same condemnation, that we're all in the same condition. Let's look at our condition. In chapter 1, 2, and 3, he says that our condition is poor at best. We find in chapter 5, verse number 6, he says this. Verse 6, for when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. We find out that in chapter 1, 2, and 3, that we are ungodly. What's our condition? Ungodliness. That we are irreverent, that we are impious, that we are wicked. When the Bible refers to people being ungodly, to be ungodly is to act in a way that is contrary to the nature and the commands of God. To be ungodly is to go our separate way. To be ungodly is to be rebellious against His specific commands. And the Bible says that we are all in that condition of ungodliness. Then in verse number 8, but God commended His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners. Not only are we ungodly, but the Bible declares all of us as sinners. In chapter 3, verse 23, for all have sinned. for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So we are all ungodly. We are all sinners. We've all missed the mark. We've all known what God has said and fallen short of His commandments. The Bible says if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, that all of us have sinned. Now, I'm not here to tell you what sin is, but the Bible tells us what sin is. I've been asked that multiple times. Who are you to tell me that what I'm doing is wrong? I'm nobody. Sin is the transgression of the law. It's God that says what is right, and God that says what is wrong, and it's God that will be the judge of all men. And so when God looks at us and says, listen, let me tell you your condition. You are ungodly, you've broken my laws, you've broken my commandments, I'm declaring you ungodly, and I'm declaring you a sinner. And if that is not bad enough, look at verse number 10. For if when we were enemies, Because of our ungodliness and because of our sins, our condition means that we are enemies of God. That means we are on the wrong side of this conflict. It means that we are, well, he goes on in chapter number eight, verse number seven, Romans chapter eight, verse number seven, he says this, because the carnal mind is enmity against God. The way that we think is against God. The way that we act is against God. We are ungodly, we are sinners, and we are at enmity with Him. Wow, that's not a good condition. But that's all of our condition. And because of this condition, we see our condemnation. The word condemnation means the judicial act of declaring one guilty and dooming him to punishment. Because of our condition, God finds us guilty. Because of our condition, God is going to judge us for our sins. We are all under condemnation. And that condemnation is declared by the fact that we are under God's wrath, that God is angry at the wicked every day. Does Paul talk about the wrath of God? Yeah, Romans chapter one, let's look there, Romans one verse 18. Romans chapter one and verse number 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against most ungodliness, All ungodliness. Well, wait a minute. Pastor, you just said we're all ungodly. Yeah, we are. And his wrath is revealed. It's brought to bear from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. So we are subjects of the condemnation and the wrath of God. Look at Romans chapter two. Romans chapter two, verse number five. Romans chapter two and verse number five. But after thy hardness in impenitent heart, treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. That because of our ungodliness, we're under the wrath of God and condemnation. Because of our continual disobedience, we are under His wrath and condemnation, and that will be brought about and brought to bear on the day of judgment. Let me give you one more. Romans, chapter 2, verse number 8. Romans, chapter 2, verse number 8. But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, what do we have? Indignation and wrath. I know I had someone come up to me once and say, well, you're one of them fire and brimstone preachers. I've been accused of that more than once. You're one of those condemnation, one of the wrath of God, of the vengeance of God preachers. Yes. Because until we realize our condition and our condemnation, then we don't understand, appreciate, or need the gospel. Let's be clear, the gospel is the good news, but in order for you to receive the good news, you have to understand that there's bad news. I've asked you this before. If your spouse comes up to you and says, I have some good news and I have some bad news, which one do you want first? How many of you are like me, you want the bad news first? OK, I want it first. Because in my optimistic mind, I think that somehow the good news is going to overcome the bad news. So give me the bad news first. Now sometimes, Miss Heidi does that to me. She says, do you want the good news or the bad news? And she gives me the bad news. I say, OK, what's the good news? And she says, there is no good news. Give my hopes up for nothing. The bad news is our condition is as being ungodly, unrighteous, disobedient, and at enmity with God. That's the bad news. That we, as ungodly, are going to experience the judgment of God, To where he says, depart from me, workers of iniquity, I never knew you. You see, God judges the ungodly. The Bible says in 2 Peter 2, verse number 5, And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. That God judged the entire earth one time in the book of Genesis, chapter number 6. He judges the entire world because of their ungodliness. He sees their condition and destroys them. 2 Peter 2, verse number 6. And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly. That God judges ungodliness. that God deals with those that are at enmity with Him. Well, pastor, those are Old Testament examples. Well, Jesus says in Matthew 7, verse 22, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have we not cast out devils? In thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. See, the people on judgment day are gonna stand before God not realizing their poor condition. Not realizing that they're ungodly. They say, well Lord, I've preached in your name. I've done good things. I've given a lot of money in the offering. I've been baptized. I did a lot of good things. Not realizing that God sees them as ungodly and as unrighteous. That sees them as disobedient sinners. And there are no good works that can be done to overcome the sin that we have committed. Let me give you an example. Say a man commits murder. I mean, just blatant, cold-blooded murder. and he stands before a judge who's a good judge. He stands before the judge as a murderer, and he stands up there, and his lawyer gets up and says, well, Judge, I know he's a murderer, but can we forget that because he was a Boy Scout? Would you forget that because he was an altar boy? Would you forget that because he was baptized in his church? Would you forget that he's a murderer because he did a couple really good things in his life? No. He has to pay the penalty for that murder. And there's no good amount of things he can do to overcome the fact that he is guilty before that judge. Are we getting this picture? You say, well, Lord, we've done this, and we've done this, and we've done this. Yeah, but you're a worker of iniquity. Your condition is one that's being lost, and I am going to judge sin. They thought they were good enough to go to heaven, only to find out too late that they were not good enough. that there's none good, no, not one, that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. In 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 8, inflaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. At this point, when we realize our condition and our condemnation, then our question needs to be this. It should be the same question that the Philippian jailer asked. What must I do to be saved? If that's where we're at, then what do I have to do as a sinner to be right with a holy and just God? Because I want to remind you that it's appointed unto men once to die, and after this, the judgment. that we're all gonna die and we will all stand before God. And that at this judgment, at the great white throne judgment, standing before God, the only options for eternity are heaven or the lake of fire. That's it. There's no purgatory, there's no transition period. It's either we are allowed into heaven and a holy city with a holy God and a holy throne, or he will say, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, into everlasting darkness. where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. So what do I have to do? What do I have to do in order to be right with this God? That has to be your heart's desire. You must see your need to be saved. What must I do to be saved? Well, we have another problem in our condition. Look back with me at Romans chapter number five. Look at verse number six. Romans five, verse number six. It always says this, Romans 5 and verse number 6, for when we were yet without, what? Strength. Wow. So I'm ungodly and disobedient and I'm at enmity with God. I'm a sinner. And not only that, but I am without strength. I am feeble. He's talking about being impotent, weak, wanting of strength or power, unable by nature or disabled by disease or accident from any act. Meaning, I cannot, I don't have the power or the strength to be able to perform what I need to perform. So he's saying this, your condition is severe. You are now under condemnation and you are weak and without strength and can do nothing to save yourself. Look at this great example. Keep your finger there in Romans. Go back to the Gospel of John for a moment. In John chapter number five. John five. Look with me at John chapter number five and verse number one. John 5 and verse number 1. After this there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season to the pool and troubled the water. Whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. A certain man was there which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. And when Jesus saw him lie, he knew that he had been now a long time in that case. He saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? So here's Jesus in John chapter number five and he sees a man who's been lame, injured for 38 years. And he's been in this case for 38 years. He might be 38 years of age. But for 38 years he has been in a place where he is infirmed, he is impotent, he is in desperate need for help. And he's there at the pool of Bethesda. And I don't understand how it all worked. But an angel would come down and move the water. And the first person in the water would be healed. So here's a man who desperately needs his condition desperately needs to be fixed. But he can't even get himself to the spot where he needs to go to be fixed, to be healed. So he is without hope. He can't do anything of his own self to get himself to where he needs to be so that he can be made whole. In chapter number 5 and verse number 6, when Jesus saw him lie, he knew that he had been now a long time in that case. He said unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool. But while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. That man knew his condition. He said, I know my condition and I know I can't even save myself. I've been in this case now for my whole life. I can't even get to where I need to be to be healed. I need some man to come to where I am and bring me to where I need to be. You know in this story who that man is? It's Jesus. Do you know in your story who that man is that can take you in your sick, sinful, disobedient condition and take you to where you need to be? Jesus. There's one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ, Jesus. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Say, Pastor, what are you trying to say? I'm trying to say our condition is one of sinners, and as a sinner, we're under condemnation. But lastly, I wanna look at this. We looked at our condition and our condemnation, but I wanna look at our conciliation, our conciliation. That word means the act of stopping someone from being angry, the act of mediating between two disputing people or groups. Our conciliation. Well, what is our conciliation? I mean, how do I get from being a condemned sinner to being saved? I know it's not by works. I know it's not by my own means. How do I go from being a sinner to being a saint? How do I go from being condemned to death to be given eternal life? How do I go from my destination being hell to my destination being heaven? How do I do that? What is the consolation? I've disobeyed and I've angered a holy and righteous God. How am I made right with this God? Well, you've asked the right question. Our conciliation, look with me back in Romans chapter number five, because that's really what this whole text is about. Romans chapter five, look with me at verse number five. Romans five, verse number five. And hope maketh not ashamed, now listen to this, because the love of God is what? shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given on us." The love of God is shed abroad. That word shed means to pour forth, to run greedily. Do you know the term, I looked them all up, the term shed is used 47 times, if I counted right, 47 times in the Bible. 47 times that word shed, to overflow, to run greedily, 47 times. And I read every single one of those accounts, and I found something interesting. Every single time, except for two, every single time that word shed is used in the Bible, 45 times that it's used, he's talking about blood. 47. Now there's two other times, and those two other times he's talking about the Holy Spirit, shed. In Genesis chapter 9, verse number 6, "...whoso shedeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for the image of God made he man." And so throughout Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and throughout the whole Old Testament, he talks about innocent blood being shed, and the problem with blood being shed, and the blood overflowing, and the blood pouring out, and the blood, the blood, the blood, the blood, and it's 99% horrible context. And this is what he's saying now. He says, you're a sinner condemned to eternal destruction. You're a sinner with your condition being ungodly, and you're under great condemnation under the wrath of God. What's your conciliation? How can you be right with this holy God? And he tells you, there's only one way to be right with that holy God, and that is through the shed blood. That's it. When Jesus was having the last supper with his disciples, he says in Luke chapter number 22, verse number 20, he is likewise also the cup after supper, likewise also the cup after supper saying, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you. In Matthew 26, verse 28, for this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins. We find out in the book of Hebrews that we're not saved, the only way we're saved or have remission of sins, Hebrews 9, verse 22, is only by the shedding of blood. One of my favorite stories, I met a pastor, he was in his late 80s, and I was preaching for him at his church, and I said, I said, Pastor Huebscher, I said, how did you come to know Christ as your Savior? He said, well, you wouldn't believe it if I told you. I said, well, tell me. He said, all right, I'll tell you. He said, well, I'm one of 12 children. Wow, 12 kids. One of the 12 children, and I came home from school one day, and one of my older siblings looked at my mom and said, Mom, I was talking to the kids about the Bible at school. Could we read the Bible? And mom said, well, I guess we can read the Bible. And so we're looking around the house for a Bible. And he said, she pulled out this big family Bible, like a 30 pounder. You know what I'm talking about? Pulled out this Bible, put it on the coffee table. She sat on the couch, and we sat on the floor. And she's like, where should we start? And somebody said, in the beginning. So, you know, it started at the beginning. And she said, every day we'd come home from school, Mom would read us the Bible. That's a good mom, by the way. And we got the Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and she said, my mom said, you know, if we're gonna be right with God, then blood has to be shed to be right with God. And she said, so we all went outside in the back and we had chickens, we were raising chickens, and so my mom killed a chicken for us and shed some chicken blood. I said, come on, you're kidding me. He goes, no, I'm serious. Oh, really? Yeah, we killed a chicken a month for our sins. That sounds incredible, doesn't it? He said, we kept reading. He said, and we kept reading and reading and reading. And he said, it was only till we got to the book of Hebrews. Praise the Lord, they kept reading. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. We kept reading. And he said, we got to Hebrew chapter number nine. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered at once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For the blood of bulls and of goats and of ashes and heifer sprinkled on the unclean sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? When we got to chapter number 9, we realized, wait a minute, it's not by the blood of goats or of bulls or of chickens. The chickens were glad they got to the book of Hebrews. They said, it's only through the blood of Christ. And he said, when we realized that, we sat down that day, one after another, from my oldest sibling down through me to my youngest sibling, every one of us asked Jesus to forgive us of our sins. And that's how I got saved. Listen, that's only how anybody gets saved. What shall wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus. See, He is our reconciliation. He is our atonement. Look at verse number 11. Not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the what? The atonement, that through Jesus Christ we receive the atonement. That word atonement, I believe, is only used once in the New Testament, but it's used throughout the whole Old Testament. The atonement, the atonement, the atonement, but the atonement's not made by the blood of goats, by the blood of lambs, by the blood of bulls. The atonement, the true atonement, how a sinful man can be made right with a holy God, is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He's our atonement. Atonement. At-one-ment. Our reconciliation. Taking a sinner that disobeyed God and making him right with a holy God. It's only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Are you alright? Let me show you something because I think this is important and I'll be done. Look at verse number six again. For when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died. For who? Let me tell you what every single religion is. I don't care what you, I don't care you call it a cult or call it, I don't care what you call it. Every single religion is this. Well, let me make myself good so that I can be right with God. I'll make myself good so that he will receive me, that he'll let me go to heaven. I'll clean myself up. I'll make myself good. That's not how it works. Well, I'll do good works and I'll make myself righteous. I'll make myself right with God. No, that's not how it works. Matter of fact, it works the exact opposite. Look at verse number Six, for when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the who? Ungodly. Jesus isn't calling the righteous to repentance. He's calling the sinner to repentance. So we have to admit that we're a sinner. Those that are holy, not a physician. Well, I'm godly. Well, then you don't need Christ. And you're going to find out too late that you're not godly. So Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. While we were still sinners, He died for us. While we were still ungodly, He died for us. While we were still disobedient, He died for us. I don't, listen, I don't know who you're willing to die for. He says, scarcely for, well, He uses those two words. Scarcely for a, verse number seven, scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Somebody's righteous, you know, oh, he's a righteous man and I'm willing to die for him. Okay, good. Yet, preadventure for a good man, some would even dare to die, okay. He's a good man, I'll die for him. Jesus looked at us and we were not righteous. He looked at us and we weren't good. But God displayed his love, commended his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Do you understand how much grace that is? I love that word for, it's the word hooper, it's for the sake of, it's on the behalf of. You can also mean instead of, in the place of. That while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, in our place, on our behalf, Christ died for us. I'm gonna read some amazing verses. Ephesians 2, verse 12, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our peace. He's our reconciliation. He's our atonement at one minute, for he is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in the ordinances for to make himself of twain one new man. So making peace and that he might reconcile both on a God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to you, which were a far off to them that were nigh. Ephesians 2, verses 12-17. He's saying, listen, when you were far off and couldn't save yourself, when you were without strength and due time, here comes Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, and He died on the cross, and He became sin for you, and He died in your stead, and He died in your place, and He died for you, and He rose again the third day, that we might have everlasting life. that we could have peace with God, no longer be at enmity and under condemnation. There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Chapter eight, verse number one. What's our response? It needs to be two responses. Let me just give them to you. Number one, if you're lost, the response needs to be, you need to get saved. I don't know what you're trusting in, but salvation is Christ plus nothing. Are you saved? I know a lot of people that are moral and conservative, but they're lost. Romans chapter number two. You need to be saved. Yeah, but I've been going to church for a long time. I don't care how long you've been going to this church or any other church. You must be born again. And then number two, this is what I'm concerned about. Let me just read the text one more time and make one comment. The comment will take 10 minutes, but let me just make one comment as we read. Chapter five, verse five, and hope, hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given on us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet preadventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God committed his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him, through him. For if when we were our enemies, we were reconciled to God, here's our reconciliation, by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Meaning he died for us and rose again and never lived to make intercession for us. Verse 11, and not only so, but we also, what's the next word? joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. So, number one, you need to be saved. But number two, if this is true, and it is, there needs to be joy. The response to being saved is one of joy. The response to being saved is one of gladness. And this is what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of the people got saved 10, 15, 20 years ago, and now they're just living their life. They go to church once a week or once a month, and they're just kind of just going along through life, and they've truly lost the joy that salvation brings. David, after he sins and breaks the commandments of God, he says, Lord, would you restore to me the joy of my salvation? And the churches that I am able to travel to, you know what I don't see a lot? I don't see a lot of joy. All of us are going through trials and tribulations and problems and difficulties. All of us have struggles and hardships. I understand that. But I'm here to tell you, your biggest problem you ever had, Jesus solved at Calvary. I'm here to tell you, no matter what your body's going through, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, your corruptible body will put on incorruption. I'm here to say this, that the greatest gift you have ever been given is the Son of God through salvation. The greatest gift you've ever been given is the grace that Jesus Christ gave you at Calvary. He died in your place. And what that should produce in the hearts of a believer is joy. That is that contentment and joy that endures any trial or tribulation. I'm saying I think so many believers, they've accepted Christ as their Savior. Now they're living their life on their own. They're doing what they want to do. They're serving what they want to serve. They're going where they want to go. And they have truly lost the joy that the gospel brings. I don't understand that. I'll just be honest with you. I struggle with a lot of things. I'm here to tell you, I don't struggle with that. I am more excited about being saved. Listen, I'm 50-something, and I was saved when I was 7, so I've been saved for a little while. And I'm here to tell you, the more I study the Word of God, the more excited I am about the fact that He saved my wretched soul from hell. I'm just here to tell you, you say, well, you're a preacher, so you ought to be that way. No, I'm telling you, if I was a preacher or not, I'm a preacher because I get to talk about what I'm excited about. I'm saying that I don't see the joy of God's people. I'm talking about when we sing victory in Jesus, when we hear songs of those ladies saying about, I was a wretch and I was blind, but now I see. And I see a congregation that just sits there and just kind of ascends to the doctrinal statements that have been made. I'm saying the response to what Jesus has done for us ought to be one of joy. Joy. Overwhelming. God showed me mercy. I'm not getting what I deserve. He showed me grace. I'm getting what I don't deserve. Does that make sense? Joy. I know you're going through it. I understand. But the joy of Christ, the joy of salvation, never goes away unless we are so entrenched in the world, and so continuing our sin, that's what saps us of our joy. Listen, the book of Nehemiah says, the joy of the Lord is our strength. I challenge you, you go to, you walk in churches and you look around. Somebody will walk in here and say, oh, your church is something different about your church. And I tell you, I think what it is, it's, well, we're different, but I think it's, I think it's the joy of the Lord. We're nothing but a group of people that have been saved by grace. That's all we are. That salvation should produce joy. And some of you have lost it. You have lost your joy. That means this, you're not, you might be in sin, you might not be focusing on what he did for you, you're focusing on other things. My goal this morning is to get us to focus on Jesus and what he did for us. Joy. Joy. Do you still have it? Have you lost it? Father, I pray that you'd bless this time around your word. Lord, I, This portion of scripture is so powerful. Lord, I feel like I've done such a disservice to it. But Lord, I know that we were all in a condition of sin and disobedience. And I know that all of us were condemned because of our sin. But I know that our reconciliation comes through Christ. Lord, there are many in this room that have truly been saved. They've accepted Christ as their Savior. They're on their way to heaven. Lord, but there's some in this room, in a group this size I know, probably a few, that if they were to die today, they would talk about their own goodness before you, but you'd say the part for me, workers of iniquity. They've never truly been saved. I pray that today would be that day. They would swallow their pride. They see their sin as you see it. They would repent of their sin and turn to Christ. Lord, I'm also very burdened for the saints of God that are here this morning, people that I love that are saved, but They're focusing on the world and politics and entertainment and focusing on all kinds of things that sap us of the joy of Christ. Lord, may we refocus here. May we just turn our eyes to Christ. May we come before you as a thankful people for what you've done for us, for our eternal life. And Lord, may you restore the joy of our salvation. Every head bowed, every eye closed, let me ask you this. There's someone here this morning saying, oh, Pastor, I'm not sure if I'm saved. I just, I think I may be, but I'm not sure. I'd like to pray for you. If you're not sure of your salvation, would you just slip your hand up right now, and I might pray for you. No one looking around. I won't call you out. I'd like to pray for you. Pastor, I'm not sure. Please pray for me. All right. Christian, let me ask you this. Have you lost your joy? Have you lost your joy? Say, Pastor, I have lost my joy. I've been focusing on other things. I've lost the joy of my salvation. But I realized this morning, he saved me from my sin, give me eternal life. I'm right with God. I'm on my way to heaven. And he needs to be my focus as I live my life. But I've kind of lost my joy. If that's you, would you honestly slip up your hand? Praise the Lord. Thank you for your honesty. Why don't you come get it back here this morning. Father, I pray that you bless this time of invitation. Pray that we could come and thank you for who you are and what you've done. And I pray that we'd come before you, that you might restore the joy of our salvation. Lord, what a marvelous, wonderful salvation it is. May we never lose focus of it. We pray these things in Jesus' name. If you had about everybody close, I wanna ask that piano to play. Would you stand on your feet and maybe wanna come and thank the Lord for such a wonderful salvation. Maybe you wanna come and ask him to restore your joy. Maybe you're not sure of your salvation, didn't raise your hand, but you need to know. I'd be honored to show you from the Bible how you can make sure that heaven is your home.