Philippians chapter four, beginning at verse 21. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. And you may be seated. Well, as I said, for about two years now, we have been working our way through this marvelous letter of admonition and commendation and encouragement from the apostle Paul. And hopefully during this time, we have learned a little bit more about the apostle and about this faithful congregation that lived in the ancient city of Philippi. And so this morning, we do come to Paul's final greetings and his benediction with which he ends this letter. And if you don't know this, this is important when you're reading the letters of the Apostle Paul. The Apostle's letters were to be read to the churches straight through as the congregation assembled on the Lord's Day. And then quite often those letters were circulated among other churches in the area. And so with this in mind, I thought it would be beneficial for us this morning to at least summarize our way through the entire book, highlighting the thematic movement of the letter that leads up to Paul's final greetings and benediction, so that we can get the impact that this would have had on the church in Paul's day. We've heard it piecemeal and we have mined deeply into the text throughout the time together in this, but now to hear it all together as the Apostle Paul's instruction to the church. And Paul does pack a lot into this epistle. He gives us ministry reports, personal reflections, practical admonitions, weighty doctrinal declarations, candid rebukes, and encouraging commendations. It's quite a letter for only four chapters. And this particular letter actually stands out among Paul's epistles for more than any other, it teaches us about true Christian joy. It's often referred to as the epistle of joy. But he's telling us about a joy that is rooted in realities that transcend our light and momentary afflictions that we experience in this world. In other words, the joy that Paul is talking about has nothing to do with what you're experiencing here and now at this very moment. Griefs and troubles mount on us, it seems, day by day. But for the Christian, there is a joy that transcends all of that. And that's the joy Paul speaks of in this letter. And Paul himself rejoices throughout the letter despite the fact that this letter is penned under extremely difficult circumstances. Let me remind you where Paul is. He is in a Roman prison awaiting trial before Nero that could very well end in his execution. And you need to also understand that Roman prisons were nothing like our modern American versions. There were no padded beds, no cable TV, no state-of-the-art gyms, no commissaries, no prison yards so that they could get sun and fresh air. Prisoners weren't given three balanced meals per day. They weren't issued laundered clothing. Prisoners were responsible for their own provisions. And then there were the prisons themselves. They were dark and dingy dungeons. It was freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer. I mean, it's not exactly the Hilton. And so the compassionate Philippian saints, many of whom had impoverished themselves for the sake of the gospel, got together and collected a gift. And this is just one of many gifts, by the way, that they had given. But they collected this gift to be delivered to Paul by one of their own by name of Epaphroditus, so that he could relieve some of this suffering of the apostle Paul. Paul writes, of course, in response to their gracious gift, And it's an uplifting letter of joy and rejoicing that he writes. But Paul goes out of his way to make sure that they know that his joy wasn't over the temporal gift he had just received. His joy and contentment was his before the gift ever came. And this new moment of joy and rejoicing that he talks about at the end of the letter is more about what this gift says about the saints than the fact that they had given him this gift. And that's true then for the Apostle Paul. It's a letter where he describes the joy that he has in Christ no matter his circumstances. And it's also relevant for the Philippians because they had a difficult goal of it as well. they had endured severe affliction for the cause of Christ. And remember, as I said a moment ago, many had been impoverished for the sake of the gospel. They lived in a proud Roman colony where the people there considered themselves first and foremost citizens of Rome and worshipers of Caesar. While the Philippians then stood out in this particular environment, conspicuously as citizens of heaven who only worship the true and living God. They dwelt then in a hostile foreign land that constantly opposed them. And on top of that, dissension had arisen within their ranks, and there was now anxiety in the congregation over this. And it's in this context, you see, that the Apostle Paul tells them, rejoice in the Lord, Always. And it's so important, he says, I will say it again. Rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord. So with this in mind, I want us to consider now the flow of Paul's letter. Now, if you remember, long ago as we began this, we talked about his address to this congregation. He addresses the correspondence to all the saints, the whole congregation. And then he specifically mentions elders and deacons, which gives us a bit of a hint that later he's going to be calling upon the leadership to help address certain matters within the church. And then, of course, he closes his opening greeting with the usual practice of entrusting the people of God to God's unmerited favor and the peace of reconciliation that is ours in Christ. That's always the way he begins. He begins his letters in grace, and we will see how he ends it this morning. Well, Paul explains then how he regularly remembers them in his prayers, thinking about them and rejoicing over them for their consistent and longstanding partnership in the gospel. He expresses his confidence that the Lord God will finish the good work he has begun in these people. He lets them know that they hold a special place in his heart because they have shared with him in the grace of God and they have stood firm with him in defense of the gospel even while he's in prison. That last part's important because there were people in this day and time, Christians as they called themselves, who believed that if he were really of God, he wouldn't be in prison. He would be out preaching the gospel freely. Oh, the Philippians didn't fall for such a superficial view of things. And so Paul prays for their growth in knowledge and discernment, that they might be filled with all the fruit of righteousness, all to the glory and praise of God. That's what he says to them. Now these saints had collected this gift more than likely because they were deeply concerned about Paul and his ministry. I mean, surely his imprisonment, going on four years now, has been a hindrance to him. So the apostle Paul says, no, no, not at all, and he gives them an encouraging report. The gospel cannot be defeated. Far from hindering Paul's ministry, in fact, his incarceration actually opened new doors for the advancement of the gospel. It was an advance in his ministry, not a setback. And the good news had now spread throughout the entire imperial guard and even penetrated Caesar's own household. And what's more, Paul's imprisonment, he says, inspired others to be much bolder in their proclamation of the gospel. And of course, he mentions that there were some who had malicious motives, who took this as an opportunity to make Paul's life more difficult. Nonetheless, he said, I thank God either way that the gospel is preached, because that's far more important, Paul is saying, than his own comfort or his own reputation. Do we have that attitude? That the gospel of Christ, our faithfulness to that is far more important than our own personal comfort, and our own reputation? It should be, and that's what Paul exhibited before these folks in Philippi. Paul then eased their anxiety by addressing their concern that his imprisonment might well end in his execution. He's not worried. He's not depressed. In fact, he rejoices at the prospect of deliverance, however it comes. If he lives, he'll be ministering more for the Lord. But if he dies, he'll immediately find himself in the presence of the Lord. You can't lose in that situation. And he says, I'd actually prefer the latter. I'd actually prefer to be rid of the problems and difficulties of this life and be in the presence of God. But he says, I suspect that I'll be with you a little while longer because you need me. Yeah. And then having addressed those issues, the Apostle Paul turns to his concerns now for the congregation, reports that he had been hearing, reports of dissension in their ranks, even as opposition against the gospel was intensifying. You know, the enemy picks the most opportune times to make his attacks upon the people of God. When our defenses are weakest, he can make the greatest advances. And this is what was happening here, even as their commitment to one another, the dissension was arising within them and their commitment was waning. Persecution and opposition was increasing. And so the apostle Paul says, listen, this is of utmost importance, that you live as good citizens of heaven in a manner worthy of your homeland. You must stand firm together, hold the line, strive side by side for the faith of the gospel. And if you'll do this, there is nothing you should fear from those who oppose you. And so he assures them that suffering for Christ is just as much a gift as the faith with which they had believed in him. That's a remarkable passage to me, the very last verse of chapter one. A privilege, not only to believe in him, but to suffer for his sake. Well, at this point, Paul begins to get very specific. The problem is pride. And he appeals to them on the basis of their shared relationship to the triune God, as well as their relationship to him. Nothing would give him more joy than to hear about this congregation that they had begun to think the same way, to show the same love, to be of one accord and of one mind, that they be motivated not by selfish ambition or empty conceit. That's unbecoming a Christian. Instead, may they be motivated by humility to consider others more important than themselves. And so he says, look to the interest of others as well as your own. Follow the Lord's example in thought and in attitude. And then Paul breaks into the wondrous hymn of Christ, reminding us of the Lord's attitude and the way he thought and how this was all demonstrated in his condescension. Herein is the crux of the entire book. This is the climax. This is the high point. From all eternity, he says, the son dwelt in the glory of deity. As we read this morning from the second Helvetic confession, that very thing. And yet he laid aside that heavenly glory to assume a human body and nature. And being born in the likeness of men, he came into this world, not in the form of a mighty king, but taking the form of a lowly servant. And as if that were not humbling enough, he became obedient unto death that he did not deserve. And not just any death, the obscene death of the cross. He subjected himself to such suffering that he might redeem his people and glorify the father who had set forth his plan of redemption since before the foundation of the world. But of course, as we follow through Christ's condescension. That's not the end of the story, is it? Now, having fully humbled himself and entrusted himself to the Father's hands, the Father then exalted him above all and gave him the divine name. And one day, we are told, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord and God, all to the glory of the Father. And this, he says, this is the example we're to follow. Listen, selfish ambition and empty conceit will only debase us. It will only bring us down. But if we humble ourselves before God and before others, he will exalt us. Well, the Apostle Paul acknowledges that these saints had always been an obedient bunch of people. He had never had a problem with them. He had told them what the scripture says, what God demands of us, what he requires, and they were always quick to obey. And so he says, now, even though I'm not with you, he says, as you've always obeyed, not just in my presence, but when I'm absent too, I want you to continue this pattern of obedience and work out your own salvation in all of reference. in all reverence. In other words, live out what you say you believe. He's quick to add, however, and you can do it because God is at work in you, giving you both the will and the ability to do it. You couldn't do it on your own. Try as you may, you will fail every time. It is only by God's work in you that you will have the will and the ability to do it. And so what will it look like when they work out their own salvation in fear and trembling? What will it look like? Well, in this particular case, Paul goes on to tell us that they'll begin to do all things without grumbling and disputing. And that one hits close to home for everyone, doesn't it? Grumbling and disputing are things that we refine to an art. We do it better than just about anything else. But indeed, the scripture tells us this is not becoming a Christian, because this grumbling and disputing is first and foremost a complaint against the God who is sovereign over all things, who has ordained your steps and mine, the God who says this is the path you are to walk. And so grumbling about that is a sin against God, not just a sin against our brothers and sisters in Christ. And so, what will it look like to work out our own salvation in fear and trembling? To stop grumbling and disputing with God. To stop grumbling and disputing with one another. And to submit to God's sovereign purpose and continue trusting in his word. And then Paul says, you'll shine as lights among this crooked and twisted generation. Paul says, that will be the evidence, by the way, that my ministry has been worthwhile. that I have not ministered in vain. And then he also says something quite beautiful. He says, if I die for having ministered to you and saints like you, let's rejoice together in that. That's a different perspective, isn't it? Let's rejoice together in that. And then Paul takes a moment to commend the ministries of Timothy and Epaphroditus, godly men. He's going to send to them with this letter And he lets us know they're both excellent examples to follow. In fact, Epaphroditus was so committed to discharging his duties that he became quite ill in his attempt to minister to Paul. But with rejoicing in his heart, Paul says, God raised him up, and now I'm sending him home to you. And having shown them, then, why they should have this transcendent joy, Because look at Christ, look at the example of him. Why you should have this transcendent joy? Because this Lord of glory humbled himself for you and for me. And he made of himself no reputation. He humbled himself even to the death of the cross that we might be redeemed. You should have joy. And so why they should have transcendent joy, the Apostle Paul now gives them the command. So rejoice in the Lord. That's the first time he gives them the command to rejoice in the Lord. And then he also wants them to know that he's not perturbed about having to remind them of what they already should know. This is good for all of us. Sometimes we get a little impatient with others when we should be getting impatient with ourselves, right? We need the repetition. We need our minds renewed. We have to meditate upon that. And we have to realize that we need this again and again and again because the world is relentless in trying to conform us to its image. We need the word of God. And so Paul says, listen. You know, I am not perturbed in the least that I've had to go over these things that you should already know, whatever it takes to keep you safe in Christ. That was Paul's attitude. And as for keeping them safe, he goes on to say, I want you to be on your alert. I want you to be on guard for legalistic, works-based Judaizers who pervert the gospel because they're everywhere. And he says, you must put no confidence in the flesh. That's what they're doing, he says. But you must put no confidence in the flesh. And then I love the Apostle Paul. He gives himself as the example, doesn't he? He says, if anyone has a reason for fleshly confidence, it was me, he said. I have the pedigree. I have the achievements. I have zeal that is second to none. But what does he say? I counted it all as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus as my Lord. That's what he says. So he says, I abandoned self-righteousness that I might have the righteousness of Christ. I devoted myself, he says, to knowing him in the fullness of his redemptive work. And then he encourages the congregation by letting them know that he's on the very same journey they are. He's not yet perfect, he says. Hasn't yet attained. But, and here's the example for us, he doesn't dwell on the past. You can get caught up dwelling on the past and it will occupy all of your time. It will eat you alive with guilt. Bring your guilt before the Lord in true repentance and leave it there. Let the Lord Jesus Christ work in you and then press on toward the mark of the high calling in Christ, because that's what Paul does. He says, I run my race. I look ahead. I strain forward to the finish line where the prize is awaiting me. And it's awaiting all who trust in him. And this is how, he says, mature Christians live. And so Paul encourages them to follow his example and to also be aware that there are enemies of the cross and these enemies of the cross live for this world and for the passions of their flesh. That's not why we're here, he says. That's not what we're called to do. This world is not our home. Our citizenship, he says, is in heaven, where we await our blessed Savior, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and he's going to transform us into his image by his sovereign power. And that's what we look forward to. And at this point, the Apostle Paul then gets very personal in another way. He begins to tell them how beloved they are to him, how special in his heart they are. But you must stand firm in the Lord, he says. And then this personal address that he makes gets extremely personal, as he mentions two ladies by name in the congregation who were at odds with one another, and this had caused a riff in the body. So he urges them to find agreement in the only place where you can find it, and that is in the Lord. And he calls the elders and the deacons to come alongside and help them find this agreement. And then Paul sets forth some general commands, very important general commands that will help them set their lives aright, to put things aright within the body of Christ. He urges them then, having talked so much about joy in this book, he urges them now to consider the transcendent joy that belongs to all who are in Christ. Listen, it's hard to grumble and complain. It's hard to harbor resentment. It's hard to nurse your wounded pride if your eyes are on the wonder of God's grace. For you know that you didn't deserve it. you know that there is nothing that you have done or ever will be able to do that will merit the grace of God. And if that's the case, if your eyes are on that, the wonder of God having set his love upon you, then with ease you should be able to say, rejoice in the Lord, always. Again, so important, I'm gonna say it, rejoice in the Lord. He's driving this point home. And then he tells them that the calmness and moderation that you ought to have in obeying the Lord should be evident to everyone around you. Why? Because he is near, he is at hand. And that means two things, I think. That first of all, we live our lives, Coram Deo, before the face of God. He is always near. And yet, also, he's coming again. And so we need to remember that. And then he gives the remedy for anxiety. And this is one that we need to remind ourselves of constantly because we're an anxious creature, aren't we? That's just what we are, anxious creatures. And so what is the remedy for anxiety? He says, be anxious for nothing. What is the remedy? Submit everything to the Lord in humble, thankful prayer. And then he says that incomprehensible peace of God will protect your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That peace will overwhelm you, it will overtake you once you have submitted everything to God and you have left it in His hands and you've stopped trying to second guess Him as to how this is all going to work out. You know, sometimes we do that. We come to the Lord and we make our definite request known to Him and then we spend all of our time second guessing what God's doing. Learn to trust him, leave it there. Make your petitions known, that's what we're told. It doesn't say make your petitions known and then keep hounding God that he's not doing it the right way. No, come and submit it to him, leave it in his hands, and then the peace of Christ, the peace of God that is incomprehensible to the world will keep you. And then Paul addresses the Christian's thought life. Something so important. What we dwell on makes a major difference in how we live. It has a major impact on what we do and how we conduct ourselves. Filling then their minds with the nature of the goodness of the triune God, that will ensure God's peace. And that's what he says. If you look at all of those qualities that he says, to dwell on these things, they are all things that tell us about who God is and the wonder of his being. the perfection and excellency of his nature and then dwelling on him what does the scripture say I will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on me that's what the Lord says that's his promise and that's all Paul is referring to here And so as he brings his letter to a close, he finally gets around to commending them for their generous gift. This is why I don't think that Paul set out simply to write a thank you note. There's far too much in this letter. He's dealing with things there. There are some people who say, well, this is Paul's thank you note to the Philippians. Not until the very end. And even then, it's a commendation for their obedience to the Lord. That's really what it's about. But nonetheless, he finally gets around to doing so. And so he wants them to know that while he rejoiced greatly whenever Epaphroditus finally showed up, because it had been quite some time since he had heard from the Philippian church, he said, I want you to know that it's not the gift itself that was my reason for joy. Paul practices what he preaches, he does. And he's learned the secret, he says, of contentment and how to be joyful in all situations, no matter what circumstance he is in. And he says, I can do all things, whatever I have to do in fulfillment of the purpose God gives me through Christ who strengthens me. And so therefore I am always supplied because he is the one who supplies that need. This is what Paul knows, and this is what he believes. And still, though, I love this, Paul says, but it was right for you to send the gift. It was the right thing to do. And then he says, you've been faithful supporters of mine from the very beginning. And when he writes this letter, at this point, they had been the only church that had partnered financially with Paul. But he quickly adds, I'm not telling you this because I'm fishing for future gifts. No, I'm not looking for you to give me more. What you have sent is more than enough. He said, it's an abundance. I am well supplied. And he says, I want to send you my receipt. I don't need anything else. And then Paul wants him to know, however, that by partnering with me and the gospel, you have joined me in ministry. And together, we are investing in God's gospel enterprise. That's what we're doing. And then he assures them that those investments pay eternal dividends. And then he switches to another metaphor. Paul says, the gift you sent was a fragrant offering, an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice that you made to God. You sent the gift to me, but you were making a sacrifice to God. For it was out of obedience to him It was in praise of Him that you sent that gift. And then Paul assures them, these faithful saints, that God is faithful to you. He says, my God will supply your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. And of course, as we pointed out, the promise is for need, not want, right? And it includes far more than material goods, thank the Lord. It's everything we need that pertains to life and godliness. In fact, as we looked through the rest of scripture about the riches of glory, the riches of His grace, it is all about spiritual blessings. And so the greater blessings are the spiritual blessings that God supplies from His rich storehouse to His glorious praise. Blessings that are ours simply because we are in Christ. And that's where all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden, in Him. So what can we say to such a wondrous and generous God as this, a God of never-ending mercy, a God rich in grace, a God abounding in love? Well, Paul finds himself overwhelmed, and as we said, as his normal practice throughout his epistles, he sometimes comes to that place where he can't bring himself to go on without taking a moment to stop and give our God and Father all the glory. Glory, he says, that has always been his and will always be his. And to this, Paul says, amen. It is a solemn truth. It is an undeniable truth. So what more can be said? Well, Paul closes his letter at this point. I think Paul has exhausted everything he wants to say to them, though there is much more that we could have learned from this. But Paul has said what he wants to say, what the Holy Spirit has put upon his heart. And so he says, greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers that are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. And then he ends with the benediction, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. And that's how he closes the letter. So the Apostle Paul, this is like his signature. He delivers his greetings, the greetings of those who are with him, and then the greetings of all the saints that are there in Rome, where he's in prison. But these greetings are more than a simple, Paul says, hello, and others who are with me and others in this city who are Christians also want to say hello. It's not that simple. The word conveys a degree of warmth and caring and closeness. It means to greet with an embrace. We're huggers around here, aren't we? And there's biblical precedent for it. It's right here. We're not just acquaintances. We're not just members of a congregation. We are the adopted children of God, all of us. That makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. And so Paul says, greet every saint in Christ. That is, embrace them for me. Give them a hug for me. Tell them it's from Paul. Now, I'm fairly certain that they didn't take it literally. And after the dismissal of the congregation, one by one, they hugged him and said, this is from Paul. Another one, this is from Paul. No. He's addressing the deacons and the elders, those who'd be responsible for reading the letter, and I think he's just simply telling them, be sure and convey my sentiments to the congregation, and that it is sentiments that belongs to each and every one of them. All in all, this is a very unusual way to close letters for the Apostle Paul, and perhaps the uniqueness is a reflection on how close he was to this congregation. Very, very close. You know, in most cases where the Apostle Paul begins to give his greetings, he mentions the names of specific recipients that he wants to send his greetings to, and the person that he sends the letter to who is responsible for this, they're now responsible to communicate that for him. He mentions them by name. And he also mentions the names of those who send their greetings as well. And the list can grow quite long. Just read the last chapter of Romans or the end of Colossians. But here, he simply says, greet every saint. He doesn't name a single individual. And there were some very prominent Christians in this congregation. I mean, what about Lydia, right? Her and her household were the founding members of this church. What about the Philippian jailer in his household? Or the slave girl that Paul freed from the spirit of divination? I mean, they were all charter members of the church at Philippi. And of course, we can't forget about Euodia and Suntouke, who had this problem with one another, who were at odds with one another. He named them earlier in the letter, but now he mentions no one by name. On the other hand, he doesn't just say, greet the congregation. In other words, hey everyone, Paul says hello, he sends a hug for the entire assembly. That's not really what he's saying here. He mentions no one by name, but he does single them out individually. Notice the language. Greet every, every saint in Christ. Greet every saint. He wants the Philippians to know that he remembers them. I remember you each and every one. So perhaps the reason he doesn't name each and every one of them is he wouldn't have papyrus enough to do so. He wants them, however, to know that they are, to a person, saints, holy ones, people sealed by Christ and marked out as his own. Greet every saint. And I've also thought that perhaps Paul's approach has something to do with the situation. While he knows these saints intimately, he doesn't want them to think that there's any partiality at all. As I said, it would take probably too long, too much waste of papyrus to be able to name every single one. And some of you who have been here a long time may remember there was an incident some years ago, a good friend of mine who passed away at far too young an age. And he was speaking on a Sunday evening. And just inadvertently, he just wanted to let people know that he prayed for them. And he prayed for them every day. And so he got himself into trouble because he named someone. And then he realized, well, I can't just name them. So he named someone else. And then he named someone else. And half of his message was naming the saints who were here that evening. You see the problem for the Apostle Paul? He doesn't want to single anyone out. And so I think it might have something to do with the problems they had. They needed to have their unity restored, and Paul, I think, leads the way here. Don't get puffed up. Don't get proud. I'm not going to single out any one of you because there's no partiality. I hold each and every one of you in my heart. And then again, rather than naming those who were with Paul and were ministering to him while he was in prison, he simply says, the brothers who are with me, they also greet you. In other words, this isn't really all about us, this is all about Christ, who binds us together, who unites us together. They send you their embrace as well. Now we know at least Timothy and Epaphroditus were with him, and it's very likely that Luke was there as well. And if they want to know who all is sending these greetings, when Timothy and Epaphroditus reach Philippi, they can fill them in. But the Apostle Paul is not concerned with that. He's concerned with unity that is born of humility, and that's his intent. And then we find that the apostles circle then of sincere and affectionate greetings expands like ever broadening concentric circles. It starts just with him. and then those who are ministering to him, and then he broadens it out to all the saints who were there in Rome, and especially those in the household of Caesar. So, he begins with his personal embrace, and then includes those in his presence, and then to all the saints where he was imprisoned, that is in the city of Rome, and then all the Christians in Caesar's household. Now, before we close, I do need to make this note, because we've mentioned this before, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea. It doesn't necessarily mean that there were Christians in Caesar's family, although it's not beyond possibility. But there's no indication that that's what he means because Caesar's household encompassed imperial guards, his officials, even his slaves. It was like his cabinet. It was like his advisors. Everybody that had an official capacity was considered to be a part of Caesar's household. But it is nonetheless remarkable. Why does Paul mention it? You see, through Paul's imprisonment, that's how the gospel had penetrated the ranks of the enemy. It had breached the belly of the beast. And this news would be encouraging, particularly encouraging to Philippian saints. I mean, while they were enduring persecution at the hands of Roman citizens who were loyal to Caesar, the gospel they learned was taking spoils from Caesar's own realm. Can you see how that would encourage them? They're being persecuted by those who are loyal to Caesar, and Christ is stealing away. He is taking from them, plundering Caesar's own household. Among the slaves, among the officials, among the imperial guards, Christ was calling people to himself. And so the gates of hell, it's true, they cannot withstand the advance of the gospel. Now, finally, after the Apostle Paul then relates these heartfelt greetings, he pronounces this benediction. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Now, the letter ends as it began, highlighting the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this isn't the grace of his nature. Yes, he is gracious in character and in nature. This is talking about the grace he bestows upon his people. It's the unmerited favor he shows to those he redeems. We don't deserve his favor. We can't earn it, there's no way. And notice how Paul puts it, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. That grace you do not deserve, that grace that has made you a new creature in Christ, be with your spirit. This is where the work of Christ begins in us, isn't it? When we come to Christ, we don't get better looking, right? There's no outward change that is prevalent, right? Outward change in our behavior, perhaps, but not in our appearance. This is where the spirit of the Lord begins to work, in the inner man. And so our Lord has called us from spiritual death to spiritual life. You can't see that on the outside. I age every day the same as I did before I came to Christ. Let's keep aging, right? Don't see it on the outside. And he has also given us a new identity. He has made us citizens of heaven. He has taken us out of the kingdom of this world and put us into the kingdom of his dear son. He has adopted us into his family. And he is now at work in us conforming us to his holy image. And that's a work that begins on the inside. That's a work that begins in the inner man. It begins with your mind. It begins with your heart. It begins with that which motivates the decisions you make and the way you live. And so God has indeed blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. And it's all to the praise of his glorious grace. Can you see why joy permeates this epistle? The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is the source of the joy that is ours, joy beyond words and full of glory. So may the Lord grant each and every one of us such understanding, such growth in the grace and knowledge of our Savior that we live our lives rejoicing in the Lord always. that we might be a testimony to those around us of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is beyond description. This is our calling. This is who we are intended to be. And may He give us the grace to pursue living up to that wondrous blessing that is ours in Christ, that we may be more and more like Him day by day, as the scripture says, that we are transformed one degree of glory to another as we behold him, the glory of our savior and to our God be all glory forever and ever. Amen.