In this sermon, Pastor Babij finishes teaching on the Perseverance/Preservation of the Saints and completes the Doctrines of Grace series. Using the Bible, Pastor details the spiritual vital signs that determine whether one is a Christian or not. He admonishes believers always to check their spiritual pulses and to be wary of backsliding. Pastor Babij concludes by encouraging Christians to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) and to finish the race well (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Auto Transcript
Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.
okay this morning I am going to actually be completing finishing up adoption degrees today and I like you to take your Bibles and turn first job where I’m going I’m gonna be in first on most of the time this this morning so turning there now so I get there first John because we have been examining as I’ve mentioned already the most joy producing doctrines in all of Scripture they’re also the most hated hated doctrine the great BB Warfield theologian from days gone by I believe we should teach right here in Princeton New Jersey he said that Calvinism when he mentioned it he says by which he simply meant that system of theology that joyfully embraces the rich comforting God exalting self amazing Christ honoring biblical message of the sovereignty of God in salvation and in all things and he summed it up in these words God saves sinners alright and what he really meant by that is that when God saves sinners he actually saves them forever it’s not this in-and-out type of thing up and down all around God saves people that’s what he does he doesn’t save people halfway or quarter of the way or three-quarters of the way he saves them completely and he saves them eternally so these five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace have already been I’ve gone through all of them I’m on the last one the perseverance or the preservation of the Saints that’s the second part to this and of course the preservation I’m going to spend more time on the perseverance part of it because we are called to persevere in the faith and to cooperate with what God is already doing in our life and of course I mentioned this this unbroken golden chain in Romans chapter 8 where when God definitely for new somebody then he predestined em he called them in time then he justified them and then of course he ultimately will glorify them and glorification means we drop off these bodies and we are now in the presence of God and we have been prepared by the spirit for that very purpose to be to meet Christ someday and to be in his presence so in think of about that a definition a running definition of the perseverance or perseverance define perseverance is the doctrine which says that those who are the elect because they have been the object of God’s decree of election and because they have been the object of Christ’s atonement then that means they shall continue in the way of salvation as as the same power of God that saved them will also two key words keep them and sanctify them until their final salvation so that would be that a good definition of that and that would be one that we could actually simply understand so today we’re going to to move to this third level of understanding this fifth point of the doctrine of grace and that is the perseverance or the preservation of the saints that we have briefly examined the first two levels the profession level and then of course the heart level the profession of Christ then it goes down to the heart the transformation of the heart and then today we’re going to look at the very practical level the living level and this is the place where we can actually evaluate ourselves a right in other words the question would it be how does perseverance look at day in your life in my life how should it look see the this very in it’s very important because it helps us to examine examine the vital signs of the new birth vital signs should quickly bring to your mind and my mind the indicators that show that someone is physically alive or physically healthy when you go to the doctors what do they usually do in the doctors they usually take your pulse right blood pressure temperature see your breathing capacity brainwave activity if they get that far in the tests and they’re trying to figure out right if you’re healthier or if you’re not where is the problem so when you go to the doctor’s the first thing they do is they take your vitals they want to know are you alive are you healthy so the Word of God also addresses the reality of the spiritual vital signs just as there are always signs present when a person is physically alive there is there are also signs that are always present and those who are spiritually or physically alive those who are spiritually live – there’s signs knowing that you are born again so this morning we’re going to be looking at the living level the reality of the believers profession of faith right how does it look in your life how do you know practically that you belong completely to Jesus Christ that you have been born again that the Spirit of God does live within you so far learning on this Lord’s Day there are really two overarching points with with many sub-points and one is the objective the other is subjective but be sure that this these both points are founded within the biblical text how does perseverance look on the everyday living level and so that’s what we’re going to look at this morning right first looking at the objective vital signs but before I do that let us pray let’s pray Lord this morning as we do look at your word and as we do come to the conclusion on these great doctrines of grace lord help us to now take the theological part of it and apply it to our everyday life I pray Lord that we would see these things in our life that we would recognize that they’re growing in our life they may not be there and completely but they are there because the Spirit of God is growing us in Christ’s likeness and I pray that you would help us to be encouraged by what we see and by these truths that really do give us a greater understanding of what you have done to us in Salvation and what you’re going to complete because you what you start you complete and I pray Lord that you would just give us the wherewithal to be able to see these things today in Christ’s name Amen so the person is believing in Christ I’m looking at the person who was believing in Christ faith is not only the means of receiving salvation like it says in Ephesians 4 by grace you have been saved through faith that not of yourselves it is gift of God but also it is an ongoing heart of those who are saved for example in Romans where it says for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek for in the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith that is writ as it is written the righteous those who have been justified though as men who have been called to Christ shall live by faith that’s how we are to live by faith so when we look at first John first John tells us that the person who is born again believes certain foundational truths that are believed by everyone who believes in Christ no matter when they lived or where they live and the first one is this let’s look at 1st John chapter 1 verse 8 through 10 the first one is this everyone has sinned and is is in need of God’s forgiveness it says in verse 8 of 1st John chapter 1 if you say if we say that we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and verse 10 if we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us now a lot of stuff going on in that passage of Scripture but if you notice it’s teaching us that a very fundamental truth everyone sins and even as a believer you sin but a believer learns how to take care of his sin how does he do that he confesses his sin and he knows theologically in his mind from the study of the word of God that God is faithful and righteous to forgive that sin and to cleanse that person of all unrighteousness and but if a person digs in and says well I haven’t sinned then that person is just deceiving themselves there they make God a liar and the word of God is not even in them of course concluding that person doesn’t even know Christ all right so that’s the first thing another foundational truth is that Jesus Christ is the son of God equal with the Father now again look at 1st John chapter 5 verse 4 and 5 and then verse 10 through 13 so the disturbed son of God you see riddled through these passages is the title of deity and equality with God the Father the first thing when you’re when you’re dealing with any kind of false teaching or cults the first thing you ask is what do they say about Christ if somebody says I believe Jesus but I don’t believe the rest of it then they they’re saying something if they say I believe Jesus but I don’t believe that there’s a Trinity or there’s a plurality within the Godhead then there’s a real problem right now the what it says here in the text in chapter 5 verse 4 it says for whatever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith who is the one of what overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God then look down to verse number 10 it says the one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself the one who does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his son verse 11 and the testimony is this that God has given us eternal life and this life is in his son and it says he who has the son has life he who does not have the son does not have life these things I’ve written to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life in other words that Jesus Christ and the father and we know the spirit our one God they there there’s a oneness in the plurality of God see that is not only here but it is all over the Word of God and if somebody goes wrong on that point they are wrong on all the rest of it that is one of the key things and then of course a third vital objective vital sign is this that Jesus Christ is sinless and perfectly righteous and is our only basis of forgiveness with God the Father 1st John chapter 2 verse 1 and 2 says my little children I’m writing these things to you so that you may not sin and if anyone sins we have an advocate with the father Christ Jesus the righteous and he himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world and remember the whole world does not mean everybody in the world but it means it’s the disc designation in Scripture between that God has now gone from the Jews to the Gentiles to all tribes and nations that’s what that is referring to there and of course another passage would be that by the love of God was the love of God was manifested in us that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through him and then a next objective foundational truth is this that Jesus death and resurrection are the only basis of righteousness before God that his death was substitutionary that means was in our place and satisfactory that means he paid the full penalty we deserve to save us that’s what he did now our passage outside of the gospel or first John is the passage in 1st Peter where it says for Christ also died for sin once for all the just Christ the just for the unjust us so that he may bring us to God having been put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit so faith in Christ alone not our goodness saves us faith in Christ alone not our goodness saves us and then one last one on this one is that Jesus alone is Lord and Savior he is the Christ it says in first John chapter 2 verse 22 in 23 who is a liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ that is the Antichrist the one who denies the father and the son whoever denies the son does not have the father and the one who confesses the son has the father also so again Scripture is making a clock thing this should cause one to soberly evaluate whether he or she is born again if these things aren’t there then you have to question what’s really going on in your heart so that brings me to this next one and that is the description of the vital signs which is getting a little bit more personal for each and every one of us that these these can be described in Scripture that in other words a real genuine born-again believers are going to see these things at different places at different times in their spiritual growth evident in their life and what’s the first one the first one is going to be this and increasing awareness and acknowledgment of their sin so the more you grow in Christ you know the more you’re going to say this is what you’re gonna see the more you’re going to see the remaining sinfulness and evil and corruption in your own heart and then you know what you’re gonna want to do something about it it says look what it says in John chapter 3 verse 4 to 6 it says everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness and sin is lawlessness you know that he has appeared in order to take away sins and in him there is no sin no one who abides in him sins no one who sins has seen him or knows him so a believer is going to be one who is simply recognizes that they are a sinner and that they have to do something when they see their own sin in their life a second one under this title is that they must sin or they may send but they won’t continue in it and this is the key of understanding the Christian life you’re going to sin but you do not continue in that sin in other words you don’t practice that sin alright look at again in first 3:9 it says no one who is born of God practices sin why don’t they do it because his seed abides in him and he cannot practice sin because he is born of God here’s a key verse about being born again that if you are born again you are not going to habitually practice the same sin over and over and over again without dealing with it this habitual pattern of sin and that you love and you don’t want to get rid of may show that you don’t have the life of God in your heart now why does a born-again believer want to get rid of sin because sin is no longer their master Romans chapter 6 I don’t have to obey someone who’s not my master and sin wants to be the master of our life but we can say no to sin because Christ is now my master first john 5:18 says we know that no one who is born of God sins it is saying here that one who was born of God will it was not saying one who was born of God will never commit sin the idea here as those who have been born of God do not keep on sinning the same sins over and over and over again without confessing the sin repenting of the sin putting off the sin putting on righteousness that’s always the pattern in the Christian life see they have a different master and now they want to obey Christ and they want to be like Christ where we can conform to the image of Christ and we want to be like Christ so it is this sense in this passage that the believer is moving in the direction leading to a conclusion and what is the conclusion God’s bringing us to present sanctification present holiness will end up in future glorified station it will end us up right in the presence of God as being perfect we will never be perfect until we drop off these bodies and stand in the presence of God that at that moment we will be perfect God will make us perfect and the Lord has done everything to make sure that takes place and then there’s one other here and it’s this a born-again believer will strive to obey God’s Word and practice righteousness that’s what they want to do again first John chapter 3 verse number 7 it says little children make sure no one deceives you the one who practices righteousness is righteous just as he is righteous in other words we’re living our life in conformity to Christ this is the way the Lord wants me to live I’m giving the power by the Spirit of God to live this way I’ve given the desire by the Spirit of God to live this way and I want to live this way so growing in maturity and becoming more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ is the goal of the Spirit of God in every one of your lives so practicing of righteousness is the mark of the new birth and the practice of righteousness reveals membership in God’s family in other words the believer who is habitually practicing righteousness has already been born a God to live in righteousness is to avoid practicing sin but not only that is to actively pursue what God says is right in the word of God in both attitude and action that means consequently that all who are truly born of God will manifest a righteousness which is produced only by the divine nature implanted in their soul by God at conversion and here’s what happens to a believer once they are born again into God’s family they grow first of all in the wonder of their new status their new status on one of God’s beloved children secondly once they begin to know those things that creates a joy in their heart then that motivates them to a holy living which produces a desire for a higher goal in their life and that higher goal is Christ like this see that’s what the Spirit of God is doing that’s our hope our hope is to be like Christ and that’s where perseverance shines the most when we have that desire that we know we have to want to be like Christ so hence for a professed Christian to live in a continuous habitual pattern of sin is actually shown they don’t belong to God’s family at all they are deceived into thinking that they are what they are not they are not true genuine believers so brethren the scripture is telling us that true Christians do not practice sin sin no longer is their master Jesus Christ as their new master and their desire is to serve to love and to please him and accordingly Christians do not regard sin any more as a matter of indifference that is to think of sin it’s not a big deal falling into sin is not a serious matter the Christian should never think that they can sin with impunity and presume and of course if you think that you’re now committing the sin of presumption you presume that God should be gracious to you when he when you’re not taking care of your own sin that’s a very dangerous way to think and even shows a false understanding of sin and what Christ did on the cross in relation to sin we don’t want to presume that God I can send this and I know I can go over here and ask forgiveness I’m going to forgive assume that you may presume that if you are believer God is going to discipline you because you’re not disciplining yourself and taking care of your own sin and cooperating with the Spirit of God and he will step in if you don’t police yourself and the church doesn’t police you God will police you and he will discipline you and of course if he doesn’t discipline you in Hebrews chapter 12 he says he loves you right as the loving father not wanting his children to go on in their sin if they’re not going to take care of it and if they’re genuinely one of God’s kids he will discipline and he will step in to take care of the matter and of course after that’s done then you understand what God has taken care of in your life and then you go on and live a Christian life so see the genuine Christian looks at sin all sin as a very serious matter more serious than you ever thought of it before they do not think about it lightly they know that they are not sinless but they know that they are and they know that they’re not in fact free from temptation to sin and sin itself they know the great price that their Lord Jesus suffered in their place so that they can be forgiven and made righteous before the father they know that and those truths themselves drive them to take sin very seriously and soberly and don’t play around with it but to take that matter into your hand quickly and deal with it all right especially in your own mind and imaginations so Christians live should really live it in a manner in which they manifest an opposition to sin and develop a holy hatred for sin why because God has a holy hatred for sin one commentator of Peter Marshall rightly communicated that the Christian is a person whose heart is set on pleasing God and who therefore cannot make sin a way of life even if they may lapse from their high intent for a moment they want to get back on track that’s what they want to do so that is an important point in understanding real conversion and the perseverance of the saints that God does his part and that he calls us to cooperate in sanctification and perseverance to do our part we don’t sit back like a bump on the log and think the Spirit of God is gonna do everything for you he’s not you have to cooperate with that and then the fourth thing under Neath this is they view the born-again believers born-again believer views obeying God’s command in the Bible as the delight and not a burden now I want you to look at first John for a minute because you know what sometimes when you and I catch ourselves sighing do this again I have to serve God again this is so heavy when you do that just recognize this you’re already sinning look at this passage of Scripture first John chapter 2 verse 3 and 4 and then it says this first John chapter 2 verse 3 and 4 well you know what let me cut to the chase look at chapter five verse verse number three it says for this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and His commandments are not what say that again his Commandments are not what all right so the Bible is telling us listen God has commanded believers to live a certain way and His commandments are not weighty or put a burden in your life right they are not right matter of fact what the Spirit of God produces in us is he produces a one – not a half – attitude I want to do this why do you want to do this because I love Christ because I want to serve Christ because I want to use my gift to build up the body I want to do this as soon as you begin to think I have to do this you’re already sinning as soon as you think serving God is a burden you’re already sinning soon as you think the Christian life is a burden you don’t have some understanding of what God’s done an appreciation for the work that he completed in your life so I want to have a want to attitude but I must confess I don’t always have a want to attitude right I sometimes have oh no I have to do this again I have to deal with that person again this problem again see that’s that just displays the flesh so I want to have a want to add to the heart towards obeying the Word of God and a heart that is filled with thanks thankfulness and love to Christ that’s what I want that’s what the Spirit of God wants in my life so see if you are cultivating that the Spirit of God is cultivating that and you are cooperating with that then there shouldn’t be any problem with anybody doing anything that needs to get done in in the church and the body right with with a full cooperation I mean when it comes to when things in the church need to get done and it’s like pulling teeth to get people to to lay aside their life to do something in the church there’s something wrong all right we should have five people in line every time something should be taking being in that being announced we should have people ready to do that I’m willing to do that I’m to do and to do it with a good attitude to do it with a desire to want to praise God and know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it so the Christian life is something like this all right you make a profession of faith right and of course when you do that the Christian is alive but there are ups and downs and then of course you grow more in the faith more in your knowledge of the Word of God the Lord gives you strength and then you spend most of your life now obeying Christ wanting to serve Christ and then of course you end up bearing fruit and persevering right to the end of your life and then that goes right into glory and so that’s kind of like our lives as believers where it’s been a little bit of it up a little bit down of levels off we grow more in the knowledge of God the Lord has to discipline as at one point we go into the valley but in the valley the Lord teaches us a whole lot of things about ourselves and about what needs to be changed and then we go up and we grow more in the Lord and we begin to level off and God blesses us in that so that is kind of a example of the picture of the Christian life the Bible does not promise that the Christian life will always be in a straight upward line rather it may be like a small boy climbing a snowy hill he frequently slips but he does manage to get to the top see that’s a good all these all these kind of illustrations fall short of Scripture but it gives us some kind of understanding of what it means to grow and move forward and mature in the Christian life now another under this title is that the description of these vital signs is that they a believer regards the Bible not man’s philosophies as their authority and living right the Bible is the authority for living nothing else and this so they want to know the Word of God and then another one number six would be they will not deny but instead be confessing others to others that Christ is their Lord in other words it says in first John chapter 2 verse 23 whoever denies the son does not have the father the one who confesses the son also has the father a growing desire to want to confess Christ to want to tell people about what God’s doing in their life to want to share the gospel with someone you know who’s not a believer because you know where their destiny could end up if they don’t come and believe in Jesus Christ so there’s a growing desire every day to want to confess Christ you go into the workplace everybody knows you’re a believer they should you go into school people should start knowing that you’re a believer in school that you’re confessing Christ that you’re different because you believe in Jesus Christ and then of course that leads to the next one that a born-again believer will want to fellowship worship and be with other Christians it says in 1st John chapter 1 verse number three and then verse number seven verse three says what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also so that you too I have fellowship with us and indeed our Fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ verse 7 says but if we walk in the light as he is in the light as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin that’s after someone taking care of their sin and of course the restoration of fellowship begins and continues when we are taking care of our life and are putting sin to death putting on righteousness and walking in the light we have we maintain that fellowship because fellowship means unity this fellowship or causing disunity is not of the Spirit but it is of the flesh and of the world and of Satan and then the next one would be that a born-again believer they love God by loving and serving other Christians first John 2 verse 9 and 10 it says the one who says that he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now but the one who loves his brother and abides in the light there’s no cause of stumbling in him that they love to serve they love believers and they ultimately will love to share the gospel with the Lost and then of course the last two is that a born-again believer who’s genuinely saved in persevering they are they are not overcome by the influences of the world but continue in faith and repentance towards Christ and of course this very famous and well-known passage of Scripture right here in chapter 2 of first John 4 16 and 17 it says for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not from the father but is from the world and then verse 17 the world is passing away and also its lusts but the one who does the will of God lives forever so a growing persevering believer is less and less influenced by what’s going on in the world today today the world doesn’t overcome them like it once did before they didn’t even know they were overcome but now they just the influences just get dull in an almost distant and because you know the world is heading nowhere and they’re without God and without Christ they need the gospel all right and then one one last one underneath this a born-again believer who’s persevering they are cognizant of other idols vying for their heart’s affection and remain on guard now you know the last passage of Scripture in is in first John chapter 5 the last verse in the whole of 1st John is this little children guard yourselves from idols why does it have that there it’s it has it there because little children all right those who are persevering are very aware that they have all kinds of things vying for their attention for their hearts affection there’s a lot of things to love out there all right and sometimes what we think we could love is not necessarily in other people’s view sinful but it becomes sinful to us because our affections move from Christ to some object or to some other person and that’s where idolatry steps in and if you notice the passage it says little children guard yourself be like a soldier when it comes to anything else that’s trying to get the affection of your heart because the only affection the only one who should have the affection of your heart is God himself right and of course after that would be your spouse if you’re married and then there’s that affection is very important well-placed affections are very important in the Christians life what do you love what do you spend your time with you spend your money on you want to know what you love look at all those things answer those questions honestly and you’ll find out you may love things that God’s not pleased with and so you have to take care of those things so these are the believers responsibilities so what does the doctrine of perseverance of the saints teach us I want to mention it again it teaches us this that if a person is totally depraved and cannot do anything to help himself spiritually and if God is absolutely sovereign in the manner of election choosing the elect on the basis of his will and his will alone and if Christ’s death was for the elect guaranteeing their salvation and if God calls the elect irresistibly then it follows that God will assure the final salvation of these elect that is they will persevere till the end of their life and they will go into glory because they were called by God and God will finish the task and bring them into glory now to fail to give evidence of being a new creature is to be lost just because somebody makes a profession of faith and says they believe in Jesus they believe that that he died he rose does not mean they’re a believer there’s got to be evidence to prove you’re a believer right because faith is not alone some say oh he’s backslidden right now he’s a carnal Christian if these have no evidence of spiritual mindedness and spiritual concern let alone evidence of real salvation there must be a big question mark as to if their conversion is genuine the only way to really identify a true believer is by their continuance in holy in fact job said something very interesting in his book in job 79 which basically is Roxy the first book of Bible joke he said nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way and he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger that’s a pretty incredible verse as God holds us the Saints will also hold to their way both of those things go together in fact Calvinistic Baptist minister Charles Haddon Spurgeon put it like this he says a man on board a ship may be knocked down on the deck by the waves again and again but he has never washed overboard that’s a good picture of the Christian life – you get knocked down but what do you do you get back up you get knocked down again what do you do you get backed up are you getting back up in your own strength by your own will no way you’re getting back up because the power of God is in your life that’s why you get back up and God is not going to let us stray off the path too far before he gets our attention so here’s the questions do you have a pulse are you breathing spiritual life is there bible brainwave activity is there visible spiritual fruit in your life hopefully you’re not like this but maybe more like when you get your vitals taken there’s a smile on your face knowing that you are born again that God is working in your life that the direction of your life is to serve God you know you’ll never be perfect here and when you do sin you do endeavor to take care of that sin quickly and not only to repent of it but to put on righteousness and to put that sin to death and very you’re very clear about watching any patterns of sin in your life and God’s gonna bring those things to your attention as you grow in Christ as you hear more of the Word of God so what are we persevering in what’s the what’s the bottom line of perseverance well two passages in 1st Timothy chapter 6 verse 12 it says fight the good fight of faith take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and you made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses and then in 2nd Timothy another passage of Scripture it says I have fought the good fight I have finished the course I have kept the faith in the future there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day and then notice not only to me but also to all who love his appearing see that is very key to this whole doctrine is that you fight the fight of faith you finish the courts and you finish the course when you keep the faith the body of truth delivered to the Saints that will keep you on the straight and narrow so after taking these vital signs well the conclusion manifests spiritual maturity will it manifest spiritual life in your soul Bible blood running through your veins I pray the diagnosis will be that you are spiritually alive and in good spiritual health I pray for that let’s pray Lord thank you this morning for the Word of God I praise you that these things are even in the scripture to give us the information to be able to take our vitals spiritually and to be able to look at ourselves and see where we stand how much we have matured to see that we’re taking care of our sin to see and trust you Lord that you have accomplished our salvation and that the Spirit of God indeed does live in us and that we desire not to grieve him or quench him but we desire to give ourselves over to the spirit of God’s control and as the Spirit of God lives in me and the Word of God is the very thing that he uses to sanctify me that I am cooperating more and more with what God is doing in my life and you’re making me and others Lord more holy every day of our lives so lord thank you for your work on the cross thank you Lord for these truths and the doctrines of grace help us to be growing in our understanding of them and I thank you Lord that you have your hand on us that what you started when you called us to salvation you will finish it and you will bring us to glory that’s our great hope and we know Lord you are a God who does not lie you tell the truth and the truth is the very thing that sets us free from all kinds of error and bondages and things that can deceive us and I think Lord the truth gives us a clear view of what you’ve done who we are and what where you’re taking us and for that we give you praise and I pray it in Christ’s name Amen