The Confession of a Christian

[0:00] Well, if we could, this evening, with the Lord's help and guidance, if we could turn back to that portion of Scripture that we read. If we look at Galatians chapter 2 and the words of verse 20.

[0:19] Paul's letter to the Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

[0:35] And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

[0:52] And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I want to begin this evening by asking the simple question, what is a Christian?

[1:14] What is a Christian? And this question, I know it's relevant for all of us. Because some of us in here this evening, we are already Christians.

[1:25] We already profess the name of Christ. But there are others in here this evening in whom I am quite sure would like to be a Christian.

[1:37] They would like to profess the name of Christ. So, what is a Christian? And although it's a simple question, it's a question which has often been difficult to define.

[1:51] Because everyone has their own opinion and their own understanding as to what a Christian is and what a Christian isn't. And our opinions and theories have often shaped our understanding.

[2:03] And they've led us to have preconceptions where we have preconceived ideas about the question, what is a Christian? And these preconceptions have also led sometimes to misconceptions about what a Christian is and what a Christian isn't.

[2:22] And I say that because many people think, maybe you do too, many people think that a Christian is just a good person. A Christian is someone who is good living, where they've stopped drinking, they've stopped getting drunk and going out to the pubs and to the clubs at the weekend.

[2:42] And they've cut out swearing and they're no longer blaspheming the name of God. They're honest, they have integrity and they help people. A Christian is someone who is good living.

[2:54] They have the quorum. They are upright. And they are an upstanding member in their own community. That is the mind of some people.

[3:07] That's what they think a Christian is. But not only that, some people think that being a Christian means that you attend church both ends of the day. And you go to the prayer meeting and you read your Bible and you spend time in prayer.

[3:22] And you know, sometimes I wish that some of the Christians in our congregation were like that. But what's wrong with the view of a Christian and Christianity, what's wrong with that view is that it's all outward.

[3:35] It's all about the outward appearance. It's all about religious righteousness. It's all about what's doing on the outside. That doesn't mean that doing these things are unnecessary and irrelevant and you don't have to do them.

[3:48] Not at all. But it does mean that anyone can do these things. Anyone can do them. Anyone can live an upright life. Anyone can attend church and yet not be a Christian.

[4:02] And so if doing these things doesn't make you a Christian, then what is a Christian? What is a Christian? And asking this question is interesting because when Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians, he was dealing with the same issue and he was addressing the same question.

[4:22] Because the letter to the Galatians, it was Paul's first letter to the churches. As you know, Paul wrote many letters which make up the majority of our New Testament.

[4:33] But the letter to the Galatians was the first letter. And this letter was only written about 20 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

[4:45] But Paul's purpose in writing this letter was to remind the churches in Galatia what a Christian is and what a Christian isn't. Because by the time Paul wrote his letter, the Galatians, they had heard the gospel and they had converted from their old religion of Judaism to Christianity.

[5:05] They'd been converted and as Christians they enjoyed the gospel and they loved the gospel and they drank in the gospel. And they followed Jesus and the teaching of Jesus. But because the Galatian churches were young churches and they were young in the faith, the church was infiltrated by false teachers.

[5:24] And the false teachers, they dragged the Galatians into thinking that they still needed to keep all these old laws that belonged to the Old Testament. Where they still had to receive the symbol of circumcision.

[5:38] And they had to obey all the old food laws and keep the ceremonial laws for sacrificing animals in order to make atonement for sin.

[5:49] But when Paul writes to the churches in Galatia, the first thing he says to them in chapter 1 is, I marvel, he says. I marvel that you're turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel.

[6:06] Not that there is another gospel, says Paul, but there are some who want to deceive you and distort the gospel of Christ. And throughout this entire letter, Paul seeks to emphasize that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of grace.

[6:24] It's not a gospel of works where you have to keep the law in order to be a Christian. No, says Paul, you are free in Christ. You are free in Christ.

[6:35] Because being a Christian isn't about what you do. He says it's all about what Jesus has done. It's all about what Jesus has done.

[6:47] And so when we come to this beautiful text in his letter, Paul is now speaking from his own experience. And this, he's giving us this personal confession of his faith.

[7:00] And this confession of faith is the confession of a Christian. It's the confession of a Christian. I have been crucified with Christ.

[7:11] It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

[7:23] What a confession. What a confession to make. And this is the confession of a Christian. And it emphasizes that someone is a Christian not because of what they did for themselves, but that they are a Christian only because of what Jesus Christ has done for them.

[7:42] And I'd like us to consider this confession of a Christian this evening and see that the confession of a Christian is threefold. It's threefold because, as you can see from this verse, Paul has divided it up into three sections.

[7:59] It's either divided by full stops or by semicolons, depending on which translation you're using. But what Paul indicates here about the confession of a Christian, he says the confession of a Christian is a...

[8:14] that he says I am crucified. Then he says the confession of a Christian is I am connected. And the confession of a Christian is I am confident.

[8:27] A Christian confesses I am crucified. I am connected. I am confident. I am confident. I am crucified. I am connected. I am confident.

[8:38] So we look firstly at the first section where Paul confesses the Christian confession. I am crucified. He says I have been crucified with Christ.

[8:52] I have been crucified with Christ. And from the outset, Paul stresses that the heart of a Christian ought to centre on the heart of the gospel, which is the cross.

[9:07] The cross and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Because for Paul, the cross was everything. It's central to all our theology. It's central to our salvation.

[9:18] And it's central to our lives as Christians. The cross is everything. It's the power of God unto salvation to those who believe. The cross is the message of salvation.

[9:31] Christ and him crucified. And Paul believes so much in the centrality of the cross and the beauty of its message. That when Paul draws to the end of his letter to the Galatians, he says, God forbid that I should boast in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[9:52] For it is through him that the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. And for Paul, he brings everything back to the cross.

[10:03] Everything goes back to what happened at Calvary. Because the cross means everything to Paul. But of course there was a day when the cross meant nothing to Paul.

[10:14] There was a day when he had no interest in the cross. And my Christian friend, I'm sure there was a day in your life and my life when the cross meant nothing to us.

[10:25] Where the cross just seemed like foolishness. Absolute foolishness. That's not what Paul said to the Corinthians. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.

[10:39] But to us which are being saved, it's the power of God. Because, says Paul, it pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching.

[10:51] Preaching the message of the cross. And for one who grew up as a Jew according to the strictest sect of Judaism. Paul knew what the crucifixion meant.

[11:05] He knew that the act of crucifixion was the most barbaric form of capital punishment that the Romans used. He knew that no one ever survived a crucifixion.

[11:18] And Paul knew that the crucifixion symbolized the curse of sin upon all mankind. Because the law of God distinctly taught that cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.

[11:32] Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree. But now, as a Christian who loves the message of God's grace. And who loves the message of God's mercy experienced through the cross.

[11:43] Paul says that the crucifixion of Christ, it was the greatest blessing. Because in the cross of Jesus Christ, we are no longer in bondage to sin.

[11:54] We're no longer under the power of the law that condemns us. We are no longer under the curse of the law. No, says Paul. When he goes into chapter 3, he says, We are no longer cursed by the law because Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.

[12:18] For it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree. And what Paul is stressing to us is that It's not the cross which leaves us in bondage to sin.

[12:32] It's the law which leaves us in bondage to sin. The cross isn't a curse. The law is a curse. But the cross, he says, the cross of Jesus Christ gives to us the greatest freedom.

[12:48] Because it was upon the cross that Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, He became sin for us. He became the curse for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

[13:03] And though he was rich, says Paul, Yet for our sakes, yet for our sake he became poor, That we through his poverty might become rich.

[13:14] My friend, for Paul, the cross meant everything. So much so that he refused to boast in anything, Except in the cross of Jesus Christ.

[13:29] And that ought to be the boast of every Christian. Not to boast of self, Or of ego, But only in the cross of Jesus Christ.

[13:40] Only in the cross. But when we consider what Paul is saying here, Paul doesn't just speak about the cross from the perspective of Christ dying for our sin.

[13:53] Paul speaks about the cross from the perspective of Paul, Or the Christian, Dying with Christ. He says, I have been crucified with Christ.

[14:05] And what Paul is drawing our attention to, Is the call to Christianity. The call to becoming a Christian. And that call, It was issued by Jesus in the Gospel.

[14:19] When Jesus said, Whosoever will come after me, Let him deny himself. Let him take up his cross. And follow me. My friend, the call to become a Christian, Is the call to take up your cross.

[14:35] The call to become a Christian, Is the call to live a crucified life. The call to become a Christian, Is the call to be crucified with Christ.

[14:46] The call to become a Christian, Is the call to surrender your will, And your heart, And your mind, All over to Jesus Christ. My friend, The call of the Gospel, To become a Christian, Is all about dying with Christ.

[15:01] It's about dying to sin, And it's about dying to self. Dying to self. It's the hardest thing to do.

[15:16] To die to self. And it was A.W. Tozer, He was an American theologian, And writer during the 19th century.

[15:27] He wrote a book, That was based on Paul's words here, In Galatians 2 verse 20. And the book was titled, The Crucified Life. And it's a brilliant book.

[15:40] It's very, very challenging. It will challenge your, Every area of your Christianity. And I would highly recommend it. Because throughout the book, Tozer is dealing with the question, What does it mean, To be crucified with Christ?

[15:56] What does it mean, To be crucified with Christ? But in the introduction, Tozer gives his explanation, For the title of the book. And he writes, What I mean by the title, The Crucified Life, Is a life, Holy, Given over to the Lord, In absolute humility, And obedience.

[16:15] And then Tozer goes on to say, That the crucified life, Is a life which is committed, To following after Jesus Christ. To be more like him, To think like him, To act like him, And to love like him.

[16:31] That is the crucified life. My friend, That's what it means, To be a Christian. That's the confession, Of a Christian.

[16:43] I have been crucified, With Christ. My old self, The old man in me, Where I enjoyed sin, And I boasted in self, And I gloried in the pleasures, Of the world.

[16:58] But now, As a Christian, My confession, Is that of Paul, God forbid, That I should boast in anything, Except the cross, Of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[17:11] Because it's through him, That the world, Has been crucified, To me, And I, To the world. And what Paul is reminding us, Is that the life of a Christian, It's a crucified life.

[17:25] And you know, Thinking about, This crucified life, And being crucified, With Christ, I'm reminded of, Those lyrics, Of a well known hymn, In which the question, Was asked, Were you there, When they crucified, My Lord?

[17:45] Were you there, When they crucified, My Lord? And the confession, Of every Christian, Ought to be, I was there, When they crucified, My Lord.

[17:58] I was there, When they crucified, My Lord. Because I, Have been crucified, With Christ. And so what's the confession, Of a Christian?

[18:10] The confession of a Christian is, I am crucified. I am crucified. But secondly, We see that the confession, Of a Christian is, I am connected.

[18:23] I am connected. He says, I have been crucified, With Christ. It is no longer, I who live, But Christ, Who lives, In me.

[18:36] And this second statement, From Paul's confession, Of faith, It draws our attention, To the theme of, Union with Christ. Union with Christ. And, Union with Christ, It's a theological concept, Which, It underlies, Every aspect of, Salvation.

[18:54] In which there is, A union that exists, Between Christ, And the Christian. And I suppose, It could be, Illustrated, With the image of, An extension lead.

[19:07] An extension lead, In which there's, This spiritual, Extension lead, And it's, Plugged into the source, In heaven, With Christ. He is the source. He's the source, And it extends, All the way from the source, To the believer, On earth.

[19:23] And in that connection, That union, Christ provides, Every spiritual blessing, In heavenly places. Or as, A theologian, Put it better, Union with Christ, Is the fountainhead, From which flows, The Christians, Every spiritual blessing, Repentance and faith, Pardon, Justification, Adoption, Sanctification, Perseverance, And glorification.

[19:55] It's all, Encapsulated and, Bound up with, The Christians union, With Christ. And you know, I love that question, In the larger catechism.

[20:06] It's a question which is, A catechism, It's often, Neglected. But, There are so many, Precious truths, In the larger catechism. Because in question 66, The larger catechism asks, What is union, What is union, With Christ?

[20:23] And the answer, Which the catechism gives, It's wonderful. It says, Union with Christ, Is the work of God's grace, Whereby the Christian, Is spiritually, And mystically, Yet really, And inseparably, Joined, To Christ, As their head, And husband.

[20:41] And so, By referring to Christ, As our head, And husband, In the catechism, We're given, The illustration there, Of marriage.

[20:52] He's the head, And the husband. Marriage, Which is the closest union, That we have on earth. And yet, It's the image, Which scripture uses, To describe, The Christian's relationship, To Christ.

[21:06] Where Christ, Is our husband, He's our head, He's our bridegroom, And the Christian, Which is part of the invisible church, They are the bride. They are the bride, And although the union, And the closeness, And the relationship, Between God and mankind, Although it was, It was broken at the fall, In which that marriage union, Was severed, That union is now restored, In and through, Jesus Christ.

[21:32] And you know, Paul loves this concept, Of union with Christ. Because in every letter, He's writing about it, And he's talking about it, And he's bringing it back, To this wonderful union, That we have.

[21:46] And he's emphasising, How precious, Our salvation is, Because of our union with Christ. And when you read Paul's letters, All you see is that, Every aspect of our salvation, Every spiritual blessing, Which flows to us, It does so, Because we are in Christ.

[22:05] We are in Christ. We are in union, With Christ. And these are the key, Phraises for Paul, That we are in Christ, And that we are with Christ.

[22:18] And it all comes back, To our union with Christ. And that's what Paul, Is emphasising here, In his confession of faith, Because he's saying, I am connected. I am connected, And because, I'm connected, To the source, I have been crucified, With Christ, And now it is no longer, I who live, But Christ who lives in me.

[22:43] And there's the union, There's the union. Because what Paul is, Highlighting to us, Is that the blessings, Which flow from, Union with Christ, They all come down.

[22:54] They all come to us, Through our union, With Christ, In his death, And our union with Christ, In his resurrection. Because Paul says, I have been crucified, With Christ.

[23:08] Which means, He died with Christ. He died to sin. The old man, It was crucified, Dead, And buried. But then Paul says, It is no longer I who live, But Christ who lives in me.

[23:24] Although I was crucified, Dead, And buried, I have been made alive again. But I haven't been made alive, In and of myself. No, no, no, no, no. It is Christ, Who lives in me.

[23:38] And what Paul is saying, About the confession of a Christian, And their union with Christ, Is that, When the Christian is crucified, With Christ, They die to sin.

[23:49] And they are made free, From the demands and power, Of the law. But in the resurrection, The Christian is raised with Christ. Raised with him.

[24:00] They are raised to, The newness of life, In which Christ dwells, In them. And Paul puts it so beautifully, In his letter to, The Corinthians, When he says, If anyone, If anyone is in Christ, If anyone is in union with Christ, He says, He or she, Is a new creation.

[24:26] The old things have, Passed away. All things, Have become, New. And it's a wonderful image, Because it's the image, Of restoration, And renewal.

[24:38] It's the image of, Of new life, Through the power, Of the resurrection. It's all, Newness. Newness of life. And Paul also, Illustrated this transformation, By our union with Christ, He, Illustrated it in, Romans chapter 6.

[24:57] Because Paul wrote, He said, We were buried with him, Into death. That just as Christ, Was raised from the dead, By the glory of the father, Even so, We also should walk, In newness of life.

[25:10] For if we have been, United together, In the likeness of his death, Certainly we also, Shall be in the likeness, Of his resurrection. Knowing this, That our old man, Was crucified with him, That the body of sin, Might be done away with, That we should no longer, Be slaves of sin.

[25:27] For he who has died, Has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, Says Paul, We believe that we shall, Also live with him. Knowing that Christ, Having been raised from the dead, Dies no more.

[25:40] Death no longer, Has dominion over him. For the death, He died, He died once, To sin for all, But the life, He lives, He lives to God.

[25:52] And that's the image, Which Paul is giving to us here. That the Christian, And the confession of a Christian, Is that they have received, All the blessings, Of salvation, Through their union, With Christ in his death, And their union with Christ, In his resurrection.

[26:08] And because of our union with Christ, There is new life, There is new beginning, And in which a change, Has occurred in the life, Of the Christian.

[26:19] It's no longer I who live, But Christ who lives in me. Christ lives in me. Christ lives in me. Isn't that such a beautiful statement?

[26:29] It's, It's, Because it not only draws, Attention to the union, And the closeness, And the relationship, Of the Christian, With Christ.

[26:42] But it also shows us that, When Christ lives in me, I'm a new person, With new desires. New desires, That weren't there before.

[26:52] Because when Christ lives in me, There is a desire, To read the Bible, That wasn't there before. When Christ lives in me, There's a desire, To be in church, And to hear the preaching, Of God's word, That wasn't there before.

[27:09] When Christ lives in me, There's a desire, For the things of Christ, That wasn't there before. When Christ lives in me, There's a love for other Christians, And I'm drawn to them, And I want to hear, Of what they have to say, And I want to speak with them.

[27:24] It wasn't there before. It wasn't there before. And you know, I sometimes wonder, That for some of you in here, Christ does live in you, But you just don't realize it yet.

[27:43] Because, Where else would all these desires, Come from? Where would your interests, In church, Come from? Where would your interest, In the Bible come from?

[27:56] Where would your interest, In other Christians come from? Where would that come from, If Christ didn't live, In you? But my friend, What I love about, Union with Christ, And this connection, To Christ, Is that every Christian, Can say, I hope every one of us, Can say, Because, Because, He, Lives in me, He is always with me, Because, He lives in me, He is always, With me, He is, He is with me, Everywhere I go, He is with me, When I go to work, He is with me, When I go to school, He is with me, When I go shopping, He is with me, When I am in the car, But not only that, Because, He lives in me, He is with me, When I go through illness, He is with me, When I experience sorrow, He is with me, When I am confronted, With things, That are too much for me, And my friend, Jesus was true, To his word,

[28:56] When he said, I will never leave you, And I will never forsake you, And he is true, To his word, Because, As a Christian, He lives in me, He lives in me, It is no longer I, Who live, But Christ, Who lives in me, And as the hymn writer wrote, Because he lives, I can face tomorrow, Because he lives, All fear is gone, Because he lives, I know, He holds the future, And life is worth the living, Just because he lives, But the wonder of it all, Is that the Christian can say, He lives, In me, Christ lives, In me, Christ lives, In me, And so what is the confession, Of a Christian, Paul reminds us, That the confession, Of a Christian is, I am crucified,

[29:57] And I am connected, But lastly, We see that the confession, Of a Christian is, I am confident, I am confident, I have been crucified, With Christ, It is no longer I, Who live, But Christ, Who lives in me, And the life, I now live in the flesh, I live by faith, In the son of God, Who loved me, And gave himself, For me, In the last section, Of this verse, Paul indicates to us, Where his confidence, Comes from, As a Christian, But what Paul wants to make, Perfectly clear, Is that the confidence, Of a Christian, Doesn't come from self, It's not self confidence, It's not self assurance, It's not self righteousness, Yes, Yes, There was a day, In Paul's life, When he was, Self confident, And self assured, And self righteous, Because when Paul,

[30:58] Wrote to the Philippians, About his, Pre conversion days, He said to them, If anyone thinks, They have confidence, In the flesh, I had more, I had more, I was circumcised, On the eighth day, He says, I was from the stock, Of Israel, I was from the tribe, Of Benjamin, I was a Hebrew, Of the Hebrews, But more than that, He says, If you want confidence, Concerning the law, I was a Pharisee, Concerning zeal, I was persecuting the church, Concerning the righteousness, Which is in the law, I was blameless, But what things, Were gained to me, Then, Says Paul, These I have counted, Loss, For Christ, In fact, I count all things, Loss, For the surpassing, Value, Of knowing, Christ, As my Lord, For whom I have suffered, The loss of all things, He says, And count them as dung, That I may win, Christ,

[31:59] And be found in him, Not having my own righteousness, Which is from the law, But through faith, In Jesus Christ, Confidence, Confidence, Says Paul, My confidence, Is in no other, Except Jesus, Christ, And him crucified, And this change, In Paul's life, It had such an impact, On him, That he also spoke, To the Galatians, About his self-confidence, Before he became, A Christian, Because he says, In chapter 1, At verse 13, You have heard, Of my former conduct, In Judaism, How I persecuted, The church of God, Beyond measure, And trying to destroy it, How I advanced in Judaism, Beyond many of my contemporaries, In my own nation, Being more exceedingly zealous, For the traditions of my fathers, But when it pleased God, Who separated me, From my mother's womb, He called me, Through his grace,

[33:00] He called me, Through his grace, And so Paul is, Saying here, In his confession, Of faith, What he is saying, Is that his confidence, Is grounded, Entirely, Upon the grace of God, In Jesus Christ, His confidence, Wasn't in his ability, To keep the law, His confidence, Wasn't in his works, Of righteousness, And his good deeds, In trying to get, To heaven, His confidence, Wasn't even in himself, Because he is confessing here, I have died, I have died, To self, I have been, Crucified, With Christ, I have been, Resurrected, With Christ, It's no longer, I, Who live, But Christ, Lives in me, And because, He lives in me, And he has changed me, And he's transformed, My life, And he's made me, A new creature, With a new beginning, He says, The life, That I now live, In the flesh,

[34:01] I live, By faith, In the son of God, Who loved me, And gave himself, For me, And Paul is saying, My confidence, It's in Jesus Christ, And Jesus Christ, Alone, And that ought, To be true, Of every Christian, Your confidence, Is in Jesus Christ, And Jesus Christ, Alone, Now because of, Our union with Christ, In his death, And in his resurrection, Our identity, Who we are, Our identity, Is now in Jesus Christ, It's no longer in self, We've died to self, We were crucified, With Christ, That we have crucified, The old self with him, We went, To the cross with Christ, We have been, Come out of the empty tomb, With Christ, And now our identity,

[35:02] Is that we are, One of Christ's people, We are one of his, We are, Christians, We are followers, Of Christ, We are Christians, And of course, Being a Christian, Certainly doesn't mean, That we're perfect, And Paul knew that, He confessed, To the churches in Rome, The good that I would, I do not, But the evil that I would not, That is what I keep doing, Christians are not perfect, They're not perfect, Because they're not, The finished article, Every Christian, Is God's workmanship, Created in Christ Jesus, The beginning, The beginning, Is when he, When you are crucified with him, Raised with him, Christ living in you, That's the beginning, There's a long way to go, Before he's finished with us, And as John Newton,

[36:04] Said long ago, I'm not what I ought to be, I'm not what I want to be, I'm not what I hope to be, In another world, But still, I'm not what I used to be, And by the grace of God, I am what I am, My friend, That's the confession, Of a Christian, The life that I now live, In the flesh, I live, By faith, In the son of God, Who loved me, And gave himself, For me, That although I'm not perfect, And although I'm not, The finished article, When my life is, Full of flaws, And failings, But the life that I now live, In the flesh, I live by faith, I live my life, Day to day, Every day, I live my life, Which may be considered, As mundane to many people, The mundane things of life, Yet by faith, I know that every day,

[37:06] Is appointed for me, By faith, I know that every, Every moment in my life, Is a blessing from Christ, And by faith, I know that every, Providence, That has been put, In my path, And in my experience, It's been put there, By the one who loved me, And gave himself, For me, And it's, For that reason, I love, Says the Christian, I look to Jesus, I look to Jesus, Because he is the author, And he is the finisher, Of my faith, My friend, This is the testimony, Of the Christian, Where they can say, I am confident, In Christ, My saviour, I, And I have, The assurance, That through my union, With Christ, There is nothing, I can do, To make God, Love me any more, Than he already does,

[38:07] And there is nothing, I can do, To make God love me, Any less, Because my confidence, It's not in, In self, It's not in me, But in, The assurance, Of his promise, To me, That neither death, Nor life, Nor angels, Nor principalities, Nor powers, Neither height, Nor depth, Nor any other creature, Is able to separate, Me, From the love of God, Which is in Christ, Jesus, My Lord, Therefore, I live, Every day, As a Christian, And I live it, Knowing that Christ, Is with me, I live it, Knowing that Christ, Is in me, I live it, Knowing that Christ, Loves me, And I live my life, Every day, As a Christian, Knowing, That Christ, Gave himself, For me, For me,

[39:09] For me, That's the confession, Of a Christian, That's the confession, Of a Christian, What is a Christian?

[39:23] A Christian, A Christian, Is someone, Who confesses, I am crucified, With Christ, I am connected, To Christ, I am confident, In Christ, I am crucified, With Christ, I am connected, To Christ, And I am confident, In Christ, A Christian, Is someone, Who confesses, I have been, Crucified with Christ, It's no longer, I who live, But Christ, Who lives in me, And the life, I now live, In the flesh, I live by faith, In the son of God, Who loved me, And gave himself, For me, And so, My only question, For you, My friend, Is, Are you a Christian?

[40:16] Are you a Christian? And if you're not a Christian, Why? Why? Do you want to become a Christian?

[40:33] If you do, Then make this confession, Your confession of faith. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us, Let us pray.

[40:46] O Lord, our gracious God, We give thanks to thee, For Jesus Christ, We have so much in him, We have so much because of him, We have so much through him, And Lord, Help us to be thankful, For every blessing, That is found in him, O Lord, To give thee the praise, And the glory, For providing such a wonderful saviour, Help us Lord, To follow after thee, To confess that, He is, My Christ, My God, My King, And my Lord, Help us Lord, To follow after him, Lord, Do us good, Then we pray thee, Bless thy word, To our souls, Help us Lord, To apply it in our lives, And to see that every promise, And every blessing, Is ours in and through, Jesus Christ, Go before us then, For we ask it in his name, And for his sake, Amen.

[41:44] We shall conclude by singing in Psalm 116. Psalm 116, That's page 395 in the Scottish Psalter. Psalm 116, Singing from the beginning, Down to the verse marked 4.

[42:01] Psalm 116, Psalm 116, I love the Lord, Because my voice, And prayers heeded here, I, while I live, Will call on him, Who bowed to me his ear, Of death the cords and sorrows did, About me compass round, The pains of hell took hold on me, My grief and trouble found, Upon the name of God the Lord, Then did I call and say, Deliver thou my soul, O Lord, I do thee humbly pray.

[42:33] These verses of Psalm 116, To God's praise. I love the Lord, Because my voice, And prayers heeded here, I, while I live, With God on him, Who bowed to me his ear, Of death the courts and sorrows, Does he act, about me Protection of God,

[43:37] I dream and travel past upon the name of God the Lord.

[43:53] Then did I call and say, Give me my heart, my soul, O Lord, I do thee, humbly pray.

[44:16] Amen.