In today’s sermon, Pastor Babij teaches from 1 Peter how the prophets of the Old Testament had to search their own prophecies and writings for the great grace that Jesus procured for His people on the cross. Pastor Babij also points out that angels joyfully watch this salvation story play out. Pastor Babij concludes with an exhortation for Christians to eagerly read, understand, and live out this great salvation before all these witnesses.
Full Transcript:
As we continue in 1 Peter 1, we will look at the destiny of the Christian, which is complete salvation. We have been considering the first of the three major areas in 1 Peter. The first being salvation, and submission and suffering is a response to salvation. Last time, we saw how trials play an important part in the Lord shaping us and preparing us to live as foreigners and aliens in this world. Also, there are three parts to this doxology, which is a human being, created in the image of God, verbally acknowledging God’s sovereignty. 1 Peter 1:6:
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.
Currently, we are on the second and third area, and in what do we greatly rejoice? In everything that has gone before, in our text, which gives us an indication that we are connected to our great salvation. In addition, we are to think about our great God, how awesome He is, what He has accomplished on our behalf, and our new birth. Now, we are alive to God, and able to serve and love Him. God has given us a new hope, and we are to ponder on our living hope, which means we have something quite grand to look forward to as believers. Then, we are to consider the promise of our inheritance safely kept for us in heaven, and us being safely kept for our inheritance.
Our great God, the great God of mercy, ensures His children of our eternal validity of our inheritance that will never be polluted, subject to decay, or destroyed. 1 Peter 1:4:
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
Already, we have considered the experience of the hope of our salvation, and the problems of the hope of our salvation. In continuation, we will examine the prophetic and angelic inquiries related to the hope of our salvation, which is important to know before our minds can be fixed completely on the present and future grace brought to us from the Word of God. Ultimately, this will prepare us to live a holy life like the One who called us to be holy, which is the Lord. 1 Peter 1:15-16:
but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
We will look at the hope of our salvation, which means the prophecy that foretold the glory of the hope of salvation. Meaning, we have a relationship to what the bible says about our salvation. Therefore, the Gospel of salvation should be considered by you since the prophets were preaching and searching the Scripture concerning your salvation. 1 Peter 1:10:
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries.
Let’s pray:
Lord, as I look at the Word of God, I pray that You press upon our heart, Lord, the greatness of our salvation, and that, Lord, some of the things that we need to consider because of what went on before us. I pray, Lord, as we do that, we would realize that our salvation, that we received in time, has a long history before we ever knew about it. I pray, as we connect ourselves to that, we would realize not only the eternal nature of salvation, but the hope of what God began long ago, He will finish, He will complete it, and we will have a complete salvation. Someday, standing in the presence of God, holy and without sin. O, Lord, Thank You for this hope we have, and I pray, in Christ’s name. Amen.
First, I would like to consider, in verse 10, the prophets. From the Old Testament, a prophet is someone who says, “Thus, says the Lord.” In other words, the Lord first speaks to the prophet; then, the prophet turns around and speaks to the people. The prophet didn’t study what he was going to say and then give it to the people, but the prophet got direct revelation from God, gave it to the people, and then he studied the word.
In each place a prophet would speak, there was a prior situation, and God would give a message to the prophet concerning that situation. God doesn’t give a Word to the prophet for the prophet himself, but He gives a word through the prophet often to the kings, the priests, and to the people of God. Therefore, God always speaks to His prophets for His people. In other words, the Words of a loving, living God to His people, and God being involved in what is going on in the lives of His people. Essentially, God speaks amongst His people when there is a problem, crisis, issues, or need that arises.
The whole prophetic ministry is a loving God meeting the needs of His people. God speaks direct revelation, but is occasioned by and related to a need among God’s people. Meaning, if the people need food, God will speak about food, or if the people need discipline, He will speak, through the prophet, about sin. If the people need hope, He will speak, through the prophet, concerning a future deliverer that would come. If the people need encouragement, He will speak about encouragement, and if they need grace, then He will speak of a coming time of grace, in the coming Messiah.
Now, when we look at this text in the New Testament, we see that a prophet was a special kind of person, who God set aside to bring a message to His people about certain subjects, issues, problems, or incidences. God wants to give His people hope in the message that they bring. So, what does a prophet pursue?
In verse ten, the prophets pursued what had been written about this salvation. The prophets who gave that message was about this salvation, which was to come way in the future, and it was going to be focused in on a specific person and what that person had done. Of course, we know that person is Jesus Christ.
If you notice in our text, there are two terms used to emphasize the efforts of the prophets that they used to find out what the Scriptures meant. In verse ten, the word searches mean to search after something, and the second term inquires means to carefully examine something. In the second term, the word means to search as a lion or a dog does, following the scent of its prey. When we put all of that together, it gives us the pictures that the Old Testament prophets were doing their utmost to hunt down the meaning of what had been written. Now, this salvation captured their attentive minds, and, just to name a few, it captured the minds of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
Without a doubt, all the prophets were saved, yet the full understanding and enjoyment of the truth was reserved for us, not for them. Therefore, we live in a light of a finished message of salvation. If the fellowship of all the prophets, who lived and died to study and foretell this great salvation, pointed us to the Lamb of God according to the best light given to them, and foretelling the coming of the Redeemer, then how much more should we be careful not to be silent or careless with the message that we have in our hands? We have a whole, finished bible, so we must stand up and rejoice that we have lived to hear the complete message of salvation. Romans 10:15:
How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
However, the verse came from the prophets. When the apostles preached, they preached the Old Testament, but in the Old Testament, it contained the message of salvation. Basically, in this text, he explains how could anyone know this great salvation that Isaiah, the prophet, spoke about unless somebody comes and preaches to them. Then, he proceeds to say the quoted text, so this changes it and adds words. It was beautiful when we had someone come to us and share the gospel to us on how our souls can be saved, and how we can be made right with God, which is the greatest message your ears will ever hear. Luke 24:27:
Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
In other words, the Old Testament was telling us about Jesus Christ way back when, especially since Jesus Christ is in the Old Testament. John 5:46:
For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.
Here’s the kicker: the prophets got direct revelation from God, but it did not mean that they comprehended everything. The prophets had to study and carefully search their own prophecies. They did not grasp it all at once, and, as a matter of fact, many of the prophets did not grasp the message at all. It was not given to them to understand the whole message, and that whole message would ultimately come. They laid the foundation of that message that came directly from God.
In saying that, the great need of the people was that they needed to be saved and made right with God. Remember, the law only condemned them in their sin. The law was never developed or given to us to save us. Rather, the law was given to us to magnify our sin, so that we would see our need and cry out for someone to save us. Luke 10:23-24:
Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, 24for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”
Once we have the New Testament complete, in our hands, we have the complete message of salvation, which started by the prophets pursuing with diligent search about this salvation. Very clearly in the Word of God, we now know about this salvation.
Looking back in verse ten, they proclaimed grace. The prophets were filled with great desire for the arrival of the great period of grace. More than anything else, they desired to see that period themselves, but did not. The prophets were holy men, chosen to be God’s mouth piece, and the prophets told us about this grace in past ages. God’s grace was to be to all people, the Jews and gentiles, and it is to go to all cultures, groups of people, and all over the world.
Today, we still live in the age of grace, which comes from God in His mercy to man in his helplessness. In other words, the Gospel did not come to you, asking something of you, but comes to us with hands loaded with gifts more precious than gold, which freely gives to guilty people. The gospel comes to us not as a reward for the obedient and deserving, but comes mercifully to us, the disobedient and undeserving. The gospel of God’s grace asks no price or purchase. The Lord purposes to save you because you are miserable, and He is merciful, and because you are in great need, He is a bountiful God, who can meet that need.
The great thing about God’s grace is it’s everything for nothing, it is pardon free, it is Christ free, and it is heaven free. However, it doesn’t mean that it didn’t cost God, but it cost us nothing. Therefore, there is nothing in our hands that we could bring to get salvation. Isaiah 55:1:
Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
Isaiah was looking for a time where there would be so much of God’s grace, and he realized the only way to put it into words was to say, “you don’t have to bring any money, cannot pay for it, it doesn’t cost you anything, but you do have to receive it.” It is a gift, and a gift is something you must receive. Somebody can bring you a gift, and if you refuse it, then you don’t receive the gift.
See, God is coming to us freely, which the prophets saw. When they were under the law, this was a great message to hear, and it was a message of hope. In Isaiah, the salvation that God offers is so great and attractive. To those who are willingly to hear, it sounds like a rushing stream to thirsty man. To a convicted conscious, the message of free pardon is like a roadway in the wilderness that leads to life. This is what faith is, and it gives us the hunger to receive something from God, especially since we know that we cannot obtain it on our own. It cannot be worked for, paid for, but received free.
In saying that, to the unsaved, that you would get some idea of the greatness and value of this salvation, and may be stirred up to seek it for themselves. For those who have not come to Christ for salvation, perhaps the Holy Spirit will show the preciousness of this salvation, so that you will no longer despise, reject, refuse, or neglect this salvation. Hebrews 2:1-2:
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty
If God in the past era did not fudge on His justice and came down hard on people, who received His word mediated by angels like Moses and the prophets, then how much more will God hold people responsible, who shrink back from Christ and willingly repudiate the only way of salvation? Remember, Jesus is the last word from God. He is the last message to us from God, and there are no other prophets from God. Jesus was considered prophet, priest, and king, and He was a prophet. Hebrews gives us a warning-question, Hebrews 2:3:
how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
If God, now through His son, provided a greater salvation, and you neglect His final revelation and means of salvation, how will you escape? Well, what that person will not escape is God’s justice. It’s just a matter of not paying attention, and it’s not only being hostile towards the message, but also being indifferent or pragmatic. Pragmatism would say something along the lines of, “If this thing you’re doing with Jesus is good for you and works for you, then good, but it doesn’t work for me, so leave me be.” Also, they might not feel that they need Jesus, or they never felt the thread of God’s justice, law upon them, and condemnation of the law.
Therefore, they are just not interested. Of course, we know they are dead in their trespasses and sins, but the law does bare weight on the conscious to bring a person to see that they are under God’s condemnation. Here is where the exhortation and warning should really claim your attention: if you neglect the only great means of salvation, to escape God’s wrath, you will stand alone to face God’s justice. Then, there will not be a matter of how you escape or if there is a way to escape, but the cold, firm realty of there not being an escape. Someday, that will be the case, so if you are still unsaved, how great you lose will be missing this salvation.
Now, a word to the saved: for the saved, you should be more grateful for salvation, its benefits, and your choice inheritance that is reserved in heaven for you. More frequently, you should stand up, praise, and worship God. A Christian can stand and declare, “I have been saved by a great salvation from my God!” Our whole position has changed from being unsaved to being saved, and from being condemned to being free from God’s condemnation. In other words, a believer has moved from one place to another, and from the place of not being a Christian to the place of becoming a real Christian, who perseveres right to the end in faith, hope, and in love grasping the full salvation God has given us in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, the prophets desired to study and preach of this time of grace, and, Brethren, we are still in this time of grace. Prophetically, this is a very exciting time to live. You live now, so you are living in a very exciting time when it comes to this message of salvation. It is still being preached, and it should continue to be preached by you to your family and friends. However, what did the prophets ponder? 1 Peter 1:11:
seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
Therefore, they pondered and searched the Scripture to find out what person Isaiah is talking about. They pondered and question when this was going to happen. See, the prophets tried to search out what kind of period would be the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow. In this passage, the word time means a period and season of time. At this point, the prophets seem to be most concerned about what kind of time, and, historically, the situations of these events that would occur. In other words, not so much the duration of the period, but the distinctiveness of the period.
Yet, they were very much concerned about the time of when it would happen. They were asking the question, “are we going to be alive when it happens?” Sometimes, when you read Scripture, both the first and second coming of Christ are right in the same passage of Scripture. Now, we know there is a division and time between the first and second coming, but they didn’t know. The prophets did not know everything that was going on, but we do. Therefore, we are privileged characters when it comes to this knowledge. Habakkuk 2:3:
For the vision is yet for the appointed time.
The prophet, Habakkuk, let us know that it was going to be in the future, and not now. In Daniel, He set his face to pray and study, while fasting for twenty-one days, to seek God’s plan concerning the salvation of the future and nation of Israel. Toward the end of the Babylonian captivity, Daniel was greatly concerned because the seventy-year period of exile, foretold by the prophet Jerimiah, was about to end.
Basically, Daniel is looking at the Historical situation of how the seventy-year period of exile was about to end, but he could see no sign of the fulfillment of Jerimiah’s prophecy. Because he is searching the scripture, he is getting anxious. At that point, he seeks God out in prayer, and that’s when he found out, from God’s angelic messenger, the rest of the story. Daniel 7:15-17:
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. 16“I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.
He begins to explain to him this prophecy, which Daniel was seeking out. Therefore, Daniel had no way of knowing what we know now. The final week of the seven years would be separated from the rest of the period of time by some two-thousand years, the duration of the age of grace, which we are still in right now. Daniel 9:24-27:
“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
Daniel didn’t see the first and second coming there, but we know it since we have the rest of the story. Daniel 12:6-9:
And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” 7I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. 8As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” 9He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.
You can see that the prophets pondered the person and time of revelation, but they did not see these things. They did not see that the church age would be a time of the preaching of the Gospel of Grace, they didn’t see the rapture of the church, and, though he mentioned the great tribulation, he did not understand fully that it would be the seventieth-year of Daniel’s prophecy. In fact, Daniel only understood it until about the sixty-ninth-year. In addition, Daniel did not see the thousand-year reign of Christ, that Satan would be released, and that the end would be the new heaven and earth.
Though Daniel didn’t see those things, we have it all in our Bible. We know things that the prophets did not know then, which makes us privileged characters. It makes our salvation incredibly awesome that the prophets prophesied direct revelation, but did not understand fully the own message. However, we do, and we have it so that we can understand the message. Not all of us study to understand what is difficult in Scripture, but we can if we give ourselves to studying.
Secondly, under the third point of the prophecy that foretold the glory of hope of salvation, is that the gospel of salvation should be considered by you because the spirit was predicting and leading concerning your salvation. In verse eleven, the term indicating has to do with pointing to the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit throughout the prophetic age. From the first prophet, to John the Baptist, to Christ, to the New Testament Apostles, the Holy Spirit has been guiding and leading the message for us, so that it would not be messed up by human hands. He superintended it for us, so we can find out about the sufferings and the glories that would follow, which is what the Word of God tells us. John 12:41:
These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.
Isaiah saw the glory of Messiah, and he knew he was speaking about Messiah. 1 Corinthians 10:4:
and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
Jesus, through His spirit, was there with His people right in the beginning. Hebrews 11:24-26:
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.
Moses knew that there would be a deliverer, a Messiah, greater than him, and he knew that by the spirit. Therefore, the Spirit of God was predicting, through the holy prophets, two stages in the time sequence of Christ’s ministry. The first being the prediction of the sufferings of Christ. In the Gospel of Mark, the people had a hard time with a suffering Messiah. They had a hard time since they got away from the Old Testament Scriptures, including the messages of the prophets. Mark 8:31:
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
The Messiah must be killed by the religious and political system of His day. Also, He must be killed according to Scripture and the Old Testament sacrifices. He must die as the Lamb of God, and be a sacrifice in accord with the Old Testament sacrifices. Meaning, a type of sacrifice that is a substitution, a redemption by the blood of God’s son, and the cleansing of the soul from guilt. Isaiah 52:13-14:
Behold, My servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. 14Just as many were astonished at you, My people,
So His appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.
We know that he is speaking about Jesus Christ, where He would suffer and be beat to a point where His own appearance would be so marred by the beatings and sufferings. Therefore, Isaiah was prophesying that about Christ roughly seven- to eight-hundred years before it ever took place. They knew the punishment for sin before an Almighty God was death, and if Jesus was to save His people, it would be necessary for Him to make full payment of their sin, which is what the prophets saw.
In addition, the Spirit of God not only spoke to the prophets to show them the sufferings of the Messiah, but also the glories that would follow. This includes Christ’s resurrection, ascension, the exaltation, and the eschaton, which is the second coming of Christ. In Mark, he indicates that He must rise again. Psalm 16:10:
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
The body of the Messiah could not lay in the grave and rot. It must rise from the Grave just as the Old Testament says, “death did not mark the end of Jesus Christ, and on the third day, He rose from the grave.” The prophets saw this great event and time happening. Meaning, all these Scriptures are saying to us that we have a privilege of knowing more than the prophets. This knowledge is awesome, but it also brings a responsibility. We have full revelation, so we have no excuse. Again, we ought to worship and praise God, and rejoice with inexpressible joy, full of glory.
In saying that, this leads to the disappointment of the prophets. Their message was not their own time, but it was for the Apostles day, and beyond right up to our day. 1 Peter 1:12:
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
Here, they are talking about apostolic ministry, preaching, and the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God was poured out. Therefore, Christians are experiencing what the prophets long to see. Think about it, we are living in a day in which the prophets longed to experience, but did not experience.
Lastly, the gospel of salvation should be considered by you since the angels joyfully watch concerning your salvation. Yes, the angels are involved. If you notice, in verse twelve, angels long to look at this salvation that was coming to people from God. Meaning, angels were kept from many of the mysteries of redemption. Mark 13:32:
But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
The angels were kept from some things. Also, this could mean that fallen angels desire to watch, in an evil and hostile sense, to oppose the work of God concerning salvation. However, this idea doesn’t not fit the context. Thirdly, it could mean that angels are intimately involved and interested in the unfolding work of salvation, and are watching God’s plan work out in us, which is happening even right now. Who are the angels?
Looking at Scripture, in their work about Jesus Christ, the angels announced the conception of Christ, the birth of Christ, the resurrection, the ascension, the second coming of Christ, the birth of John the Baptist, and the forerunner of Christ. In Scripture, they are subject to Christ. 1 Peter 3:22:
who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
The angels shall execute the purposes of Christ, accompany Christ at His second coming, and they know and delight in the Gospel of Christ. From these references, we can conclude that God’s creation, these pure spirit beings, are ranked very high and are quite awesome. However, angels were only created beings, so they were not privy to all the mysteries surrounding God’s plan of redeeming mankind. Angels do play a part in God’s work of salvation, and remain interested in the unfolding work of salvation.
Through Jesus, the Messiah, the angels knew God would bring salvation to mankind, which is a message they helped reveal to the prophets, but they did not know the details. Therefore, they are eagerly and joyfully watching God’s plan unfold until this day. Of course, they know what we know, and they stoop down to watch. Like when a parent stoops down to listen to their child since their child is only so far up from the ground. Basically, the angels are right in the mix, and they are excited about what God’s doing.
If the prophets searched out this salvation, the Holy Spirit predicted this Salvation, the Apostles reported this Salvation, and the angels long to know it, then how much more should we eagerly study to understand it, live out its implications, and to proclaim it to those who have not yet heard. Therefore, this is our responsibility now that we see these things in the Word of God, knowing how great, wonderful, and awesome this salvation that has come to the prophets, by the spirit of God, to the Apostles, right up until our days, which the angels long to know. Man, we should be so exited!
In this portion of Scripture, the blessings of the Christian have been packaged in terms of the new birth, the inheritance, and the certainty of final salvation. When these truths permeate the mind of the believer, produces hope and joy in suffering and multifaceted trials that we are going to go through. Also, it produces in us an increased faith and deeper love of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the prophets, spirit, and angels all give testimony to how great and wonderful our salvation is, and we have the rest of the story. I feel like Paul Harvey, who had a five-minute radio broadcast, and he would say, “Now, let me tell you the rest of the story.” So, you have the rest of the story, and you have no excuse. This salvation is the key point of this text.
One, are you saved? Two, if you are saved, are you living for Christ with your whole heart? That’s what you must ask yourself. Also, you should understand that you are very privileged to be a Christian. Not everyone will become a Christian, so if you are, you must take that great gift as something so special that you could never give it away. It is something you keep close to you, and then live out what God is going to continue to do in your life.
So, I pray that this is the case considering this text, especially since it is bringing us to the next part of our passage, in verse thirteen, to prepare our minds for action. Meaning, by keeping sober in spirit and fixing your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Why? When we drop off our bodies and go into the presence of God, that is the final salvation, which is a reality for all of us that we hold by faith. Let’s pray:
Lord, I pray, as we consider these things in the Word of God, that it would really grip us in our heart. Lord, that it would squeeze our gizzard. Lord, it would cause us to be overwhelmingly thankful for the grace that came to us. Then, to know all the history and the people that were involved telling the message, and how the Spirit of God kept that message accurate through His servants, in whom He moved upon. Then, the Word of God was written down, so that we may have it today and carry it around in one book. Lord, that is an awesome thing to think about. I pray, Lord, that we would never ever take for granted of the things that we have because we’re believers. Let us joyfully give an expression of our gratitude to you every single day. Now, we understand things that we didn’t understand before, and understand more than even Your prophets. So, Lord, we praise you for these things, and I ask you, Lord, to bless us and expand our understanding. I pray these truths would get into our lives so that we live holy lives, and used by You in the time You have given us. I pray this, in Christ’s name. Amen.