If you'll take your Bible and turn with me to 1 John, we'll continue in chapter 4, 1 John chapter 4. And I'll begin reading in verse 13, 1 John chapter 4, verse 13. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testified that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love. And whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us. so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen is for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, whoever loves God also must love his brother. Let's pray. Father, we need to hear from you. And so we have read these words from your scripture. Father, I ask that you might enable me to proclaim this word aright. Lord, I thank you that you speak through your word by the very power of the Holy Spirit. And so I ask your blessings upon each one sitting out there listening. Lord, would you speak to them? And we thank you for the glorious truths contained in this word. Will you bring them out to us? And it's only through Christ that we come to you. And it's through Christ that we have joy and rejoicing. And so it's through Christ that I pray. Amen. The gift of the Holy Spirit. If you If you'd like to think of a topic or a title of this passage we're going to look at and the things that I'll say, it'll be The Gift of the Holy Spirit. And when we hear gift, some of the young ones, the children's ears might perk up when you hear gift. And I could ask you, what is the greatest gift that you've ever been given? Or I could say if you could choose, if you had the choice, choose anything, no matter the cost, something to be given, what would you want to receive? Some might say just give me that winning lottery ticket for the millions and then I would be set. That's the gift that I'd want. But the truth is, as we've been hearing in the Sunday school hour, that a large amount of money is not always a blessing. Sometimes it is a curse. So you wouldn't want that as the gift, your one and only gift. Of any gift that you could possibly be given, We know that if we have poverty or riches, this could be bad. Like the writer of Proverbs said, if we're full and we deny the Lord, that would be terrible. Or if we're poor and we have to steal in order to have something even to eat, that would be terrible as well. The greatest gift that we can receive is not money because money cannot help us when we die. That's one way to try to put importance upon the gift. And money cannot forgive our sin. Money cannot forgive our sin. And we know that the wages of sin is death, as Paul writes to the Romans, the wages of sin is death, but then he goes on and says, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The greatest gift that anyone can be given is the free gift of God, eternal life in Christ Jesus. And so then it would come to the question of how do we know if a person has been given the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus? I've told you what the greatest gift that a person possibly could receive is, salvation. How can you know you've been given that gift? The passage tells us that a person knows that they are a Christian because they are given the Holy Spirit. And so the gift of the Holy Spirit, salvation through Christ, salvation that's accomplished by Christ, and is given to us through the work of the Spirit. The passage describes the effect that the Holy Spirit has on a person as well, and so the gift of the Holy Spirit and its effects are what we will speak about this evening. Look there, chapter 4, verse 13, 1 John 4, verse 13, By this we know that we abide in Him, we live in Him, we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. Important knowledge. By this we know. By this we know that we abide in Him, that there is actually a relationship, a good relationship with God established between a person. You have fellowship with God. Deep, spiritual, abiding relationship. It's an eternal relationship. We are in Him. He has given us life. John wants these readers to be reassured that they know God. If we read, if you were to go home this week and it would be a good thing to do, read First John. You're going to see several things, several ways that he says we can know. And this is what a Christian looks like. And this is how a person becomes a Christian. How do you know that you know God? Some people will say, I feel OK. They say, I feel OK. And the question is, is that what the Scripture says is the proper measure of a person to know that they are a Christian? I feel okay. Many feel okay who do not know God, have no thought of God in their mind, have no love to God that has been stirred up in their heart because of His love toward us. So feeling okay before God does not mean that we are a Christian. And what about you? You know, before I was a Christian, and probably before you were a Christian, you might not have spent a lot of time worrying about if you knew God or not. I actually would have said to you before I became a Christian, yes, I know God because I knew about God. I knew some of the facts, but I did not have saving faith. I was not trusting and depending upon this good news of Jesus Christ. It's not a feeling. It's not a feeling that we know that we know God. This passage tells us. How we can know for sure? How we can diagnose our condition before Him? Do we abide in God or not? That's why it's important for the Christian to be reassured from this passage and for the non-Christian to hear what is the proper mark? What is the way in which God saves a person and how does He work? This is an important passage. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit. He has given us of His Spirit. If you have been given the Holy Spirit, then you're a Christian. I could just say that and we could all leave. Thankfully, God has given us so much more. The next logical question that follows is, of course, How do I know if I've been given the Holy Spirit? Verse 13 tells us we know that we abide in the Lord, in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. You can have assurance, and here's how you can have assurance, if you've been given the Holy Spirit. You say, that's not enough information. I need some more. Well, God gives us more. And so we look. to this passage to see what is the way that we know that the Spirit works in an individual. People can answer the question in different ways, how do I know that I have the Holy Spirit? But let's look to the Bible and the following verses give us an answer. And so the Holy Spirit is a gift given by God. The person who has been given the Holy Spirit can have assurance. And so we're happy to know these things thus far, but how is it that the Spirit works? What is the way that you or I might know that we have actually been given the Spirit? Verses 14 and 15 say that the person who has been given the Holy Spirit, they confess Jesus as the Christ. And so let's look there. Verse 14, we have seen and testified that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. One way a person can know if they have the Holy Spirit is if they confess Christ. Certainly John had been given the Holy Spirit. And so he wrote, we and all those witnesses that were with Christ, they have seen, they saw him. This was something that happened in the past and has continual results to the future. What's the result? They testify, we have seen and testify, testify continually that the father has sent his son to be the savior of the world. Many, many, many people saw Jesus walk the earth, didn't they? So could they all say what John is saying here? No. They saw what Jesus did, they heard what Jesus taught, they heard the truth, but many did not see Jesus as He truly is. They did not see that God the Father had sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, to be the Savior of the world. He did not see Jesus aright, but John did, and John has been given the Spirit. He has seen who Jesus really is and he continually testifies to Christ being the Savior of the world. Many rejected Christ as the Son of God, many rejected Jesus as Savior of sinners. But John did not reject Jesus, and ALL Christians do not reject Jesus. No, they CONFESS Jesus. We see there in verse 15, whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. Well, that sounds similar. The second half of verse 15 sounds similar to the beginning of verse 13. God abides in Him and He in God. We know that we abide in Him and He in us. How is it this connection is established? Well, in verse 13 we found out it's because God gives the Holy Spirit to those who are His. And so now we're seeing also that those that are His, they confess that Jesus is the Son of God. Whoever, meaning all people everywhere who confess that Jesus is the Son of God dwell with God, or you could say are children of God. And we know it is the Holy Spirit that leads a person to this confession. Why would I say that? I say that because of chapter 4 verse 2. Why would I say that it's the Holy Spirit that enables this confession of Christ, that He is the Savior of the world, He is the only hope for a sinner? It is because the Spirit is at work in Him. 1 John 4, verse 2, By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. There it is, the Holy Spirit confesses that Jesus Christ, and He's actually come in the flesh. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus, verse 3, is not from God. This is the Spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard was coming and is now in the world already. And so we see from this, If a person does not confess Christ, then they're being influenced by another spirit other than the Holy Spirit. Here we see that the one who has been influenced by the Holy Spirit, they are the ones that confess that Jesus is the Son of God. And then they'll know that God abides in him and he in God. We can know if we've been given the Holy Spirit. Is it a feeling? No, it's faith, and there is a trust and a dependence upon Jesus that comes, there is a confession that comes out of that trust in Jesus. Not just saying the words with our lips, but we confess and we depend, we trust, we have faith in Christ. The person who has been given the Holy Spirit confesses Christ. This is in faith, of course. The point can be made simply, how can a person have a good relationship with God? How can a person know that they're forgiven of their sins against God? For we have all sinned against God Almighty. The Christian that has been given the Holy Spirit only answers this way. This is the connection between the work of the Spirit and the confession of Christ. The Spirit works in this way in a person. to say, I can only have a good relationship with God because God the Father has sent His Son to be Savior of the world. What else can we say? Well, a person that's not indwelt by the Holy Spirit can say lots of things about having a good standing before God. They might say, look at all I've done in the work of the church. It's good to do work and spreading the gospel, but that's not our salvation. We can say, oh, I've lived a life of love. I gave away every penny that I earned. Look, God. But that's not the way the Holy Spirit works in a person. The Holy Spirit works in a person to confess Christ is the Son of God, that Christ is the one Savior of the world. They say the one with the Holy Spirit, us Christians, we say Jesus took away my sins. We say Jesus took my punishment. And we say that Jesus lived in my place, He lived a perfect life, so I might be given His righteousness. The Holy Spirit works in a person to confess Christ, saying, I don't have to be punished forever because Christ was punished for me as He hung on that cross. The record of the debt that I had against me, my sin debt that I should have paid for all eternity, Christ nailed it to the cross. That's the way the Spirit works. The Spirit stirs in a person and works faith in a person so that they depend upon Jesus and say, Jesus is my only Savior. The Holy Spirit is a gift, you see. Have you been given the Holy Spirit? There is more. I said the Holy Spirit is a gift and the person who has been given the Holy Spirit confesses Christ, but also the person who is given the Holy Spirit They know the love of God. They know the love of God. And we see this in verses 16 through 18. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God in him. Wow, there it is again. Abides in God and God abides in him. And there is also a connection to love here. So John says, we, John and the Christians he's writing to, they've come to know and believe. And us, if we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us, they come to know and believe this is something again. That they have known this. They knew it in the past. And this knowing continues to work in them. It hasn't been lost. You know, sometimes we know something in the past and we forget it. Our mind gets foggy. Is there anything you've ever forgotten before? By God's grace, the Holy Spirit enables us to know the love of God. And we don't forget this, you see. We know that God has loved us. How has it? What is the reason that John knows and believes God's love for him? It must be the Holy Spirit at work to see the love of God displayed in Jesus Christ. For that's how John will know the love of God, when he sees Christ and properly Receives this he discerns. He doesn't just look at the life of Christ and what all he has done and this is Confusion and thinking oh, there's maybe salvation in some other way No, he's known it and he's seen the love of God and this is love chapter 4 verse 10 Chapter 4 verse 10 not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins and So John, the Christians he's writing to and all the Christians gathered here, we've come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. But why do some know the love of God in Christ and others don't? Well, it is because some are born of the Spirit and some are not. Oh, thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, you see. It is in this life of the Spirit that we have eyes to see the love of God and Jesus Christ. Jesus was very clear to Nicodemus in John 3, you must be born of the Spirit, you must be born of the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So it is this LIFE that God gives us. Born of God, we find in 1 John he speaks of, but we gotta say this is also a birth, a spiritual birth. The gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to see the love of God. And also we begin to see that God is love. John knows this. You can look there at verse 16, we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love. How can John know that God is love? It must be because of the work of the Spirit in him. He's seen Christ, and we have seen Christ as we look to the pages of Scripture to find out the truth. But how is it that some that read the Bible don't properly receive this and receive Christ as they ought? It must be the work of the Spirit. Only by the power of the Spirit can anyone know that God is love. And this knowledge transforms. I hope this is a helpful phrase, the transformative knowledge of the love of God. When you know, because it says there, verse 16, we have come to know and believe. So there is a knowing and then a confidence, a place in your trust, a belief in the love that God has for a person. I hope that you know this knowledge transforms. You can't just sit back and yawn and casually know the love of God and it not have an effect upon you. God is love. When the knowledge of the love of God transforms you, what will happen? How will a person be changed by this knowledge? Well, certainly, they will abide in love. They'll abide in love. First and foremost, they'll abide in God's love toward them. They will rest and rejoice and know that their eternal life is based upon God's love and Jesus Christ. The beginning of our relationship with God, no doubt, is apprehending His love, knowing His love, and trusting in Christ what He has done for us. And it's a continual trust. But also this person that has received this gospel, they abide in love. Abide in God's love and then I would say they will abide in love or display love as well. So love is perfected in us. I'm going to come back to that if that were somewhat confusing. Verse 17, "...by this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment. Because as He is, so also are we in this world." John is telling us a good bit here. This is what we certainly need to know, that when we see the love of God toward us, This love is accomplishing a purpose for the Christian. What is the purpose of God's love toward us? Well, when God puts His love on us, it accomplishes a purpose that we would begin to love Him and glorify His grace. Do you know anyone who is a Christian is a vessel of mercy? They are ones that are to the praise of the glorious grace of God. when we receive the gospel to begin to live a life of love, love to God. Praise God, the God of all grace. Let me tell you about Him. He is pleased and His name is, the fame of His name is being spread over the whole world. We are His messengers. We also begin to love others. So we show the love of God to others. God's love PRODUCES love. You see that? God's love PRODUCES love. And if we live this life of love, resting in the love of God in Jesus Christ and have been transformed to live a life of love, love to God and love to others, we may have confidence at the day of judgment. Hold up, let me wake everybody up for a second. We're talking about having the gift of the Holy Spirit, having assurance of salvation. How can I know that I actually know God, the One who made me and rules and reigns over all things? The One who is a perfect judge and He judges all sin. How can I know that I know Him? Well, there is a judgment coming. And you can have confidence at that day of judgment. Why? Can you have confidence at the day of judgment? Well, it's because the love of God is perfected with us. We can have confidence at the day of judgment, verse 17, because as He is, so also are we in this world. What is He? We just saw that He is love. may also be as He is in this world. When we imitate the love of Jesus, according to one commentator, we need not fear coming judgment. And I know that can concern someone. They can begin to say, well, I'm not living a life of love enough, and so I need to be worried about the judgment to come. This is, as we live a life of love, this is evidence that we've been transformed by the love of God in Jesus Christ. We're saved by faith, trust, and depending upon Jesus. But how do you know you're saved? Well, I keep trusting and depending upon Jesus, and the Scripture also says that we're going to begin to live a life of love. You say, oh, the work of love is too hard, I'm not living a loving enough life to say that I'm saved. We don't examine our works to see if they have saved us. Do not look at your life and say, am I good enough to save myself? I've got to do better. Rather, examine your life, examine your works to see if God has saved you. Because once God saves you, He changes you. You begin to confess Christ because you see the love of God in Jesus Christ. And this is all by the work of the Holy Spirit conforming us to the truth of the Word, working this truth in us. And there's fear that is removed. There's fear that is removed. Has anyone ever experienced fear? Verse 18, we find there is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Isn't it good to fear the Lord? The Bible talks about that. The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Of course, we know that fear has got to have two senses or two meanings, you could say. Again, Accommodator says that there's one idea of fear, alarm or fright, and there is another idea of fear, reverence and respect. When we look at verse 18 and it says there is no fear in love, we're not talking about there is no reverence or respect in love as we see the perfect love of God that casts out reverence and respect. No, God's love doesn't cast out reverence and respect. He calls us to have more reverence and respect for Him. What the love of God casts out toward us is a fright or an alarm. We know that God has given His Spirit in Romans chapter 8. Let's just turn over there for just a second. We're considering the work of the Spirit and God's love that casts out fear. Romans chapter 8 verse 16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. You see, fear is cast out by the love of God. I'm turning back to 1 John chapter 4. If you know God's love towards you in Jesus, then that perfect love casts out fear. You don't have to fear punishment at the Day of Judgment because you know that Jesus was punished in your place. If you fear the Day of Judgment, then God's saving love has not been perfected or completed in you. You don't have the transformative knowledge of the love of God. If you have been, though, delivered from fear on the Day of Judgment, it's only because we're trusting in Jesus for salvation. This is evidence that you have been given the Holy Spirit. And there is a godly fear. We should not want to offend God in any way. But then there is a, as Jameson Flawson Brown says, a slavish fear of consciously deserved punishment. If you fear the Lord because you know that you have punishment coming in the future, then you have not experienced the love of God that casts out fear. You've got to see first and foremost the love of God in Jesus Christ that He took all punishment. That the judgment for the believer in the future is not going to be an eternal punishment. For Jesus was punished in your place. The Holy Spirit is a gift. And the Holy Spirit that is given to a person enables and causes that person to confess Christ, it causes them to see the love of God, and also the person who has been given the Holy Spirit is enabled to love God and his brother. I say that because of verses 19 through 21. We love because He first loved us. We love because He first loved us. The foundation of love, our understanding of love, is that God first loved us. This was love He preferred us, even to the point that He would send His own Son. Again, we've talked about this image because it is scriptural. The Father sending His only dear Son. The Father confessed, this is my Son whom I'm well pleased. Listen to Him. He would send that Son to suffer and die. We love because He first loved us. The life of love that we might be able to live is only because God has loved us first in Jesus Christ. We have been loved and we know what love is because of the love of God in Christ. We might have life through Him. God comes and He restores to us, He awakens us, gives us a life of the Spirit. He has created man in the image of God. Let us create man in our own image, God says in Genesis 1. And that image is to be able to live a life that would display and reflect who God is to the whole world. We know that God is love, certainly one attribute of God. God has loved us in Christ. He has sent Christ so that His image might be restored. Some will question, is the image of God lost in a sinful person? Is the image of God gone in all humanity since the fall? No, there's something worse that's happened. It is the image of God is marred, and the blessings of God toward His creatures, toward the people in this world, we have used them in the wrong way. Rather than using the blessings of God to show forth to the world who God is, we have used these blessings for our own glory. and not to show forth who God is. So the foundation of love, the beginnings of living a life of love is based upon God's love toward us. Again, not as salvation. God first loved us, giving us salvation. Now He is working in us. He is sanctifying us. So now we love. Couldn't you describe the process of sanctification that way? We begin to love. We begin to live a life of love. But that's only because God has first loved us, because He first justified us by His love toward us in Christ. He declared us right based upon the righteousness of His Son. In verse 20, if anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. Liar? What is a liar? Opposite of the truth! You know, that's shaking us up here. If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he's a liar. That's NOT the truth! If a person says, I love God and hates his brother, that is an IMPOSSIBILITY according to this Scripture. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." And so, there's no place for hatred toward another in the family of God. According to this Scripture, if a person hates their brother, then they cannot love God. Literally, we see people And this is the truth of the matter. It is difficult to love people at times. If any of you lived with me, you'd know the difficulty of loving people at times. But yet, that is the Christian life. We have been transformed. We love because He first loved us. We love because He has powerfully given us the Holy Spirit. You say, well it's not possible, you just don't know what that person has done to me. We love because He first loved us. He has given us of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is being given to a person, they are enabled to live a life of love. This life of love doesn't save us. But it certainly shows that we have been saved. Verse 21, this commandment we have from Him, whoever loves God must also love his brother. The life of love must be to God and others. And this is a serious matter that John continues to bring up. We must listen to this truth for week after week we have heard it. And if we're not affected, then there should be some question. Have we begun to live the life of love only because we know the love of God toward us in Jesus Christ, because we are trusting and depending upon Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins? God has loved us with this everlasting love. Have we been transformed? I don't know. You say the scripture says if I've been given the Holy Spirit then I know that I abide in God. And this scripture is pointing us to the fact that those that have been given the Holy Spirit begin to live a life of love. Again, Jameson, Fawcett and Brown, he who loves will do what the object of his love wishes. And so God has loved us. And if we say we love God, then we will do what God wishes and God wishes that we would love one another. And if we are not actively living a life of love, we must confess this sin and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of our sin once again. Christian, if you are here today and you know that there's hatred in your life, confess it. If you have anger, do not let the sun go down on your anger. and unrighteous angers. Do not give the devil a foothold. Go to Christ once again for the forgiveness of your sin. For the love of God and Jesus Christ is our continual need. We continually need to abide in Christ. Thankfully, it is not by our own power that we are required to live a life of love. Thankfully, God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit. So are you seeing the Holy Spirit as a gift? I hope so, for the Spirit indeed will bring to completion that good work which He has begun in us. It is the Holy Spirit that is that guarantee of the down payment that God has indeed given us salvation in His Son. The person who has been given the Holy Spirit can know that they abide in God, and God with them. And so we know we've been given the Holy Spirit and you can thank God if you are one who confesses Christ. One who confesses Christ and the fact that the love of God is displayed in Him. Can you see the love of God this evening in Jesus Christ? If you can, then I think that you have been given, according to this scripture, the Holy Spirit. Because we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He's given us of His Spirit. The Spirit works in a powerful way. We're transformed. We begin to live a life of love. What does that look like? We are enabled to love God and to love others. That means we prefer them, we prefer the good, we prefer good for their soul. You can tell a person I love you, I love you, I love you until you're blue in the face. Parents can give kids all that they could possibly ask for and imagine and say I love you, I love you, I love you and look at the love that I have for you as I give you all this stuff, kid. But is that love that God's calling us to? Our love toward others should be a display to them of the love of God and Jesus Christ. We should say, I love you. I want your soul to be done well, so let me tell you, child, or let me tell you, friend or family member, look to Christ. If you want to know my highest love toward you, yes, if you're hungry, I'll give you something to eat. If you need some clothes on, I'll give you some clothes, but let me give you something better than food and clothes. Look to Christ. Oh, and when you see Him, You will see Him, you'll know that you've been given the Spirit. You'll know that God is at work in you. You begin to confess Christ. You won't confess, Mom or Dad, I need more. You won't confess, Government, I need more. Hand something to me. You'll confess Jesus Christ. You'll see the love of God in Jesus Christ. Oh, may we know the love of God. Once we do, may we begin to live a life of love. So what is your conclusion? I guess the quick conclusion tonight is, have you been given the Holy Spirit? I hope we can all heartily say Amen. I'm confessing Christ. I see the love of God in Jesus Christ. He is changing me and I'm beginning to live in a loving manner because He is sanctifying me. Again, don't look to your life of love to see if that life of love has saved you. Look to see if this is evidence that God has saved you. But if you've not been given the Holy Spirit, then we have a word from the Scripture. We have a word from the Scripture. Listen to this passage, I'll tell you where it comes from in a moment. Jesus speaking, I tell you, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If then you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, earthly fathers, mothers, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? When you ask for the Holy Spirit, do you know what you're asking? If you ask for the Holy Spirit, you're asking for the ability to see Jesus Christ as He really is. You're asking to see the love of God that transforms. Oh Lord, may we see Jesus aright, and when we do, We will know we're the children of God. We'll know that we abide in Him and He in us. We won't have any fear at the judgment. We'll have confidence at the judgment. Your death is approaching. Are you prepared? Jesus Christ, looking to Him as your Savior, the One who is the One mediator between God and men, the One who has made the way that you might inherit eternal life and be a child of God. So when we ask for the Holy Spirit, we're asking for Christ. Let us pray. Father, I do ask that you would take this, cause us to focus more on Christ. He is our only hope and we are so thankful that you have given the Spirit that has enabled us to see Him aright. I even pray for your Holy Spirit to be poured out on every soul here. And that's what, Father, I'm asking that each one might be born of the Spirit. And oh, we thank you for the glorious results of that new life. We thank you that we might see Jesus Christ aright, just like John had. And so he said, I've seen and I testify. Oh, may we rejoice in you this night. Lord, would you stir us up. to more faith, trust, and dependence upon Christ. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot even live a life of love by our own power. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. It's through Christ I pray. It's the very Spirit of Christ that we've been speaking of, so it's through Christ that I pray. Amen.