Amen. Well, turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter four. John chapter four.

As we have continued to see throughout this study in John’s gospel, John’s gospel is preeminently one of a story of belief. It’s an accounting of the life of Jesus and John’s main purpose is that we would believe. We’ve seen this many times. We know well that John wrote his book so that his readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, they may have life in his name. We’ve looked at this a few times.

In fact, the word believe, the Greek word pisteuo, it appears in this one book over 100 times. And for a book that’s 21 chapters long, that’s a word that appears very, very often. John explains that this belief that he is drawing us to leads us to many spiritual blessings. Belief is not just an idea. It’s not just an intellectual agreement. Belief is real, and it leads to real results in the life of a believer. Listen to just a few of the results that John explains for us.throughout this book.

We saw in John 1, verse 12, that through believing, people become the children of God. In John 1, verse 12, but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name. We also see that believers gain eternal life. Through belief we gain eternal life. We saw in John 3.16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. We see in John’s gospel that believers avoid judgment. Because of our belief, we avoid the judgment that God brings upon the world. In John chapter five, we will see Jesus say, truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come in to judgment. But he’s passed out of death and into life. That’s in verse 24 of John chapter 5.

So believers avoid judgment. Believers also partake in the resurrection. The resurrection is not just something we believe in, it is something that we partake in, and something we look forward to. In John chapter 11, verse 25, we see that Jesus says to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even if he dies. We see that believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In John chapter 7, verses 38 and 39, Jesus says, he who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. This is what he just explained to the woman at the well in John 4. But he continues, but this he spoke of the Spirit. whom those who believed in him were going to receive. For the spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.” A result of belief is receiving the spirit.

We also see that believers are delivered from spiritual darkness. John 12 verse 46, I’ve come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in me. will not remain in darkness. And believers are given the ability, the empowerment for spiritual service, for living lives of obedience to God through Christ. John 14, verse 12, Jesus says, truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will also do. And greater works than these will He do, because I go to the Father. Because of our belief, we will do greater works than what Jesus came to do. In these passages, and many more I could go to, belief is the direct cause of all of these incredible spiritual blessings.

Belief is a big deal in the Gospel of John, and it’s a big deal for Christians. Belief is not just the thing that gets us in. Belief affects all of our life. All of our life is a result of belief. Belief affects everything we do and say and think. We do what we do as Christians because we believe. It is the very work that God has given us to do. Jesus’ work was to come and to live and to die and to rise again for us, and he completed that work. That’s not our work. Jesus tells us what our work is in John 6, verses 28 and 29. Therefore, they said to him, what should we do so that we may work the works of God? Jesus has his work, and he was doing that work, and his disciples said, what about us? What are we supposed to do? Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. Believe. Because belief leads to a life lived for him.

Belief has consequences. You cannot believe and then live unchanged. You believe something is true, you will act like it. That is the work that he gave us to do, to believe in him and to live lives that show that we believe. Belief is a whole life response to who Jesus is and what he has done. And the sad reality that we’ve already seen over and over in the book of John is that many people will refuse to do this work. They will refuse to believe.

Jesus explained this in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14, he tells his audience at the Sermon on the Mount, enter through the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction. There are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life. And there are few who find it. In comparison, there are many more who will go the way of destruction. Many versus few.

And they’re not always the ones that you think. There are many who will look like really good people who are on the road to destruction. There will be many religious people in hell. There will be many who the world and everyone thinks we’re a really good person who are in hell. Those that do the right things and say the right words. They might even go to church on Sundays. But none of those things are what gain you access to the narrow way that leads to life. The only way to gain access to that way is belief, faith in Jesus Christ. Because all of those things that people do that make them look like a good person, without faith, without belief, they’re nothing.

Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 tells us, without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who draws near to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. It is impossible to please God without faith. Which means anything that’s done by somebody who does not have faith, does not have belief in Jesus Christ, does not please Him. There are no good people. It is not the works of religious people that bring eternal life. It is faith alone.

This was the dividing line between the Protestants and the Catholics when the Reformation happened over 500 years ago now. The Reformers stood up against the Roman Catholic Church that was saying, you need to do all of these things that we tell you to do in order to be saved. Like go to mass and take the sacraments and go to confession and pay your penance and your indulgences and on and on and on. The list kept growing. The Catholic Church told people that you have to do all of these things in order to keep your salvation. Sure, you can believe, that gets you in, but you’ve got to keep all of these other things that we tell you in order to stay saved. That faith alone was not enough to save you.

You see, there’s a big problem with that, because that’s not what the Bible says. That’s what the Catholic Church says. That’s not what the Bible says. Isn’t it coincidental that all of these things that keep you saved are the very things that keep the Roman Catholic Church powerful and wealthy? Is faith alone enough to save you? That is what still divides Protestants and Catholics. and everything else. Every other religion in the world tells you you need to do something. You need to do something in order to achieve whatever salvation they tell you they provide. But is faith alone, the claim of Christianity, is faith alone enough to save you? Is belief in Jesus, that He is the Christ, that He is the Son of God, is that enough to give you eternal life? John says yes.

That is what gives us eternal life. And we will see in our text today the very difference between faith that saves and acceptance that doesn’t save. I’ve titled this message Revival in Sychar, because that’s exactly what we see in this passage. We see a revival in the city, the Samaritan city of Sychar. But the sad reality of this passage is that there are two locations. There are two locations here, Sychar and Galilee. One of them saw revival. And what we’ll see in this passage is that of these two regions, there were two very different responses to who Jesus is. Two very different beliefs in who Jesus is. And that is what resulted in revival for one and not for the other.

So the two places here are Sychar and Galilee, and the two responses, the way we will divide this text this morning is number one, believing. We’ll see that in verses 39 to 42. Then we’ll see number two, receiving. And that’s in 43 to 45. And that again is how we will structure this passage this morning.

So allow me to read once again for us John chapter four, verses 39 through 45. From that city, many of the Samaritans believed in him. because of the word of the woman who bore witness. He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking him to stay with them. And he stayed two days. And many more believed because of his word. And they were saying to the woman, it is no longer because of what you said that we believe, For we have heard ourselves and know that this one is truly the savior of the world. And after the two days, he went from there into Galilee. For Jesus himself bore witness that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast. For they themselves went to the feast.”

So again, the first location we see in the text this morning is Sychar. It is where we have been for several weeks in this encounter with Jesus in the woman at the well. We saw back in verse five of John chapter four, the location of this event. In John chapter four, verse five, it says, so he came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. And here we saw that Jesus met this woman at the well, the well in Sychar. And we’ve seen that Jesus shared the truth with this woman. He shared the truth about her sin, what it truly was, how he saw it. And he shared the truth that he is her Messiah, that he is the Christ. He is the I am. He shared the gospel with her. And when she heard this, She ran into the town of Sychar.

Verses 28 and 29, we saw the woman left her water jar and she went into the city and she said to the men, come see a man who told me all the things that I have done. Is this not the Christ? And while she’s gone, Jesus is teaching the disciples what’s going on, revealing to them all the things that are happening that they have no idea about. In verse 30, it says, they went out of the city. The people of Sychar who heard this news about this one who had told this woman everything that she had ever done, they went out of the city and they were coming to him.

The harvest was coming to Him and His disciples. And as He is teaching them and revealing to their blind eyes all that’s going on, He says, look up. The harvest is white, ready for harvest. And that’s where we pick up our passage this morning. After Jesus’ discussion with the disciples, the focus is back on these people coming to Him. And we see our first response. to Jesus, and it’s that of believing. In verse 39, from that city, many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman who bore witness. He told me all the things that I have done.

From that city, again, the city of Sychar, many of the residents, the members of this town believed in him, many of them. And it says they believed because of the word of the woman. The woman who went into the town and told them about Jesus. And she said, he told me all the things that I have done. Jesus’ evidently divine knowledge of these details. Only God could know that. And he convinced her of that. simply by telling her things that there’s no other way he could have known. And that knowledge of her past convinced these people that he was at least worth going out for further investigation.

So they’re coming to him. And when they did come, they became convinced themselves that he was, in fact, the Messiah. So much so that when they come to Jesus at the well, verse 40, so when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking him to stay with them. And he stayed there two days in Sychar. And we don’t know exactly what happened during these two days. Again, John says if you could write down everything that happened in Jesus’ life, you wouldn’t have the books to contain it all. But what happened here in these two days caused many more to believe. So not just the ones that came out of the city, but in verse 41, many more believed because of his word.

And the next verse, verse 42, is really remarkable. Verse 42, they were saying to the woman, It is no longer because of what you said that we believe. For we have heard ourselves and know that this one is truly the savior of the world. It’s no longer because of your word that we believe. We’re not just taking your word for it anymore. Even though you were right. He is the Christ. But we don’t need to take your word anymore. We’ve heard it from him. The word of the woman was important. It drew people to Jesus. And verse 39 tells us it was because of her word that this initial response happened. But it wasn’t only her word. Because hearing from Jesus himself was even more convincing for them. It strengthened and deepened their faith.

And isn’t this the way it happens with all of us? Everybody begins with a childlike faith. You believe what you’re told. Somebody tells you the truth. Somebody shares the gospel with you, and you take their word for it for a time. But then you investigate for yourself. You read for yourself. You hear from God for yourself and you believe his word. And that’s the way everybody comes to Christ, by hearing and believing his word. Your faith really begins to grow when you take ownership of it and you’re no longer relying on the word of somebody else. When you really pursue Christ and you want to know more of him, that’s when you grow in your faith. And you continue to want more of him. And that’s what’s happening here.

Jesus is staying with them and convinced many more because they begged him, stay a couple more days with us. We want to know you more. They didn’t just believe he was some prophet or a fortune teller or a miracle worker. They became convinced that Jesus was the savior of the world. And this is a significant confession for them. Because they’re not Jews. They’re not Jewish and they’re not considered Jewish. And Jesus even said earlier with this woman at the well that salvation is from the Jews. But salvation is not just for the Jews. It came to Samaria. It came to Sychar. That’s what the Savior of the world means here. It’s not saying that he saved every individual that was in the world, or even that he intended to. It’s simply saying that Jesus is the only Savior for anyone in the world. Yes, he came from the Jews, he came for the Jews, but anybody who comes to him in faith, from any ethnicity, he is the Savior, the only Savior for the whole world. And many of these people became believers.

This is a revival. Through this one conversion with this woman at the well, a whole town came to be saved. A few years ago, during the adult VBS, we watched a series on revival. And that was instructive, because it showed us the difference between revival and revivalism, and what true revival is. And we do see true revival in Scripture. True revival is a work of the Holy Spirit, when He causes a great number of people to be regenerated and believe in Christ. That’s a revival. We see it throughout the book of Acts, where multitudes are added to Christ at once. The evidence of a true revival is seen in conversion and changed lives. Not just in numbers of decisions, but in true changed lives. Lives that glorify Him and obey Him in faith and obedience. That’s revival.

Revivalism, on the other hand. is more about the man-made methods, the efforts that men give to try to work up results that look like revival. These things were very popular in what was called the Second Great Awakening. We learned all about that in that series with men like Charles Finney who held tent revival meetings. I had to read some of Charles Finney’s sermons for my preaching courses. It was awful. Some of the coldest, most spiritually deprived sermons I’ve ever read. Charles Finney said about revival, that a revival is not a miracle. It’s not dependent on a miracle in any sense. It is purely philosophical result of the right use of constituted means.

That’s what Charles Finney believed. That revival had nothing to do with God’s work. That it’s about what we do. And he’s saying we don’t need God’s work for revival, we just need the right methods. Hence where Methodism comes from. The right methods, or as he says, constituted means, what were they? Well, you needed good marketing to advertise your meetings. You had these long, drawn-out meetings that went for hours and hours until they got enough people that they could end the meeting. There was psychological pressure, there was drama and emotional manipulation. And it was all to elicit these decisions where people would come down front. They even had a bench at the front they called the anxious bench. And they had to get people to the front so they could guilt them into repeating after me the right prayer and then they counted that as a decision. And they believed that they were growing the kingdom of God this way.

And the means and methods that they used can still be seen in many Christian circles today. Methods like altar calls, walking the aisle. Repeating emotional worship songs until you manipulate people to come forward. This is even where we get the repeat after me prayers. All of these things are man’s efforts to do what only the Spirit can do. Now, have some people been saved through these methods? Absolutely. I know a lot of people that have been saved through these methods, for sure. God can use crooked sticks and broken vessels to accomplish His work, but is this what we ought to be doing? No, it’s not.

We should not be manipulating people or guilting people. Because I know many people who have a false sense of assurance that they are saved because of an aisle that they walked or a prayer that they prayed. and then they live a life that shows absolutely no evidence that anything happened. I know parents who have children who live lives full of rebellion and sin and crime, but in talking to them, they don’t see the need to evangelize their children because they’re convinced that they said a prayer in Sunday school and they even have a date marked in their Bible And that’s all the evidence they need. But all that’s really happened with many of these people is that they did what they were told. They did what they thought they were supposed to do. They were manipulated into some decision.

But is there belief? Did they really believe? Do they believe the words that they repeated? Do they believe the message that they were preached? If there was true belief, there would be result. There would be fruit. You cannot manipulate people into the kingdom of God. You cannot coerce people into the kingdom of God. That’s God’s work. God brings people into his kingdom. You must be born again to enter the kingdom of God, and you cannot cause yourself to be born again. God does that and works belief in your heart. That’s God’s work. We preach the gospel. We preach the truth and we let the Spirit work through that truth. We let the Spirit work in the hearts of those who hear. That is why you do not and will not see any of those methods in this church. Because while it has caused some people to be saved, there are many more people who are deceived.

We believe what the Bible says about true conversion. about how it is that we are saved. Romans 10 verse 17, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. And that’s exactly what we see in this revival at Sychar. John 4 verse 41, many more believed because of his word. No methods, no music, no aisles to walk, no repeat after me’s. They heard his word and they believed. Just the word of Christ applied by the spirit to the hearts of these believers. And it was seen in the repentance and faith of this city.

The evidence for true faith. is repentance and a life of obedience to Christ. Not perfection, but a life of continually repenting of our sins, living in obedience, that desire to do better in our imitation of Christ. The times where we see when we fall and we feel the guilt from the sin that we committed once again the sin that put Christ on the cross, but that drive to repent of it, to put it to death, to turn from it, and to live for Him, that is the fruit of true belief. That is the evidence of salvation. Not a date written in our Bibles. Obedience is the result of true belief. And true belief is what brings conversion. That’s what a true revival is. And if we want to see true revival again, that’s what we ought to pray for. Lord, regenerate the hearts of the people of our city. Have them turn to you. Bring true repentance to our land. God, do that again. But the first response we see in Sychar is belief. Belief that leads to a revival in the city. So the first division of our text here is believing.

Secondly, we see another response. We see another response and we are leaving the city of Sychar. The episode of the woman at the well, of Jesus coming to Samaria, all of that is over at verse 42. Because now we see another location in Galilee, verse 43. After two days, he went from there into Galilee. Again, we see a second location and our second response is receiving. Receiving. We had believing in Sychar where Jesus stayed for two days and he ministered to them and preached the word to them and the word is what caused them to believe. But he had to return to the purpose for his mission. The good news of the kingdom of God had to be offered first to Israel. We see that throughout the New Testament.

In Luke 24, verse 47, we see that Jesus came, that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem. And as we see that happen in Acts, chapter 13, verse 46, Paul in Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, it was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. speaking to Jews. It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Why? Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life. Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. And Paul explains to us in Romans chapter one, he says, I’m not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God’s salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Salvation came from the Jews, and it came to the Jews first, and they rejected it.

Because as we see in verse 44 of John chapter 4, for Jesus himself bore witness that a prophet has no honor in his own country. This is a statement made by Jesus in all of the other gospels, but John just alludes to it here. He said, Jesus said himself that a prophet has no honor in his own country. We see this in Matthew 13, verse 57, where they were taking offense at him, the people of his own country. They were taking offense at him, but Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor. except in his own town, in his own household.

At first glance, it seems like John is using this quotation of Jesus out of context, because the next verse says, when he came to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they themselves also went to the feast. A lot of people read this and think, wait a minute. It says they received him, and John just said, a prophet has no honor in his hometown. What do you mean? What do you mean he has no honor?

They received him. It means they were glad he was back. They were glad he came back to Galilee. And it might seem confusing to us, but not when you see the contrast that John is showing us here. He is contrasting Sychar with Galilee. Because how did the people at Sychar respond? Verse 39, they believed. Verse 41, they believed. And verse 42, we believe. They believed in him. They believed his word. They believed what he said. They heard His Word and they believed in who He was, that He was the Christ, He was the Savior of the world. Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. They have faith.

How did the Galileans respond? They received. They received Him. And that probably sounds like a nice word. That sounds nice because you’ve probably heard that in regard to salvation. You need to receive him. You need to accept him into your heart. That’s what I heard growing up, and that’s what I thought I did. In reality, I did a lot more than that, but that’s what I thought it was called. But receiving here is used in contrast to what the people of Sychar did. They believed. There’s no belief anywhere in these verses in Galilee.

Why do I say that? Well, why did they receive Him? Why did they receive Him in Galilee? Verse 45, when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him. having seen all of the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they themselves also went to the feast. They received him because of the things they saw him do.” They were in Jerusalem too. They saw the miracles. They saw the healings, all the things that took place. They saw what he did. They’re probably wondering, where did that guy go? We saw him at Jerusalem, we heard he was from Galilee. Where is he? And he comes back to Galilee and they receive him. As if they’re saying, oh good, the miracle worker’s back in town. I got some things that need fixing. It’s like they’re welcoming their plumber back to town. Because they have some chores for him to do. They wanted Jesus for the things that he could do to make their life better. You could say that they wanted their best life now.

The Samaritans what? They believed. They believed in his word. It was not an easy word to hear. Because Jesus’ word, as we saw with the woman at the well, his word pointed out sin. pointed out their unworthiness. He pointed out that they didn’t even worship God right. But he also pointed out that he is the Christ. He is the I am. And even though that is hard to hear, they believed it. They believed in his word. They wanted more of him. They asked him to stay longer. They wanted more of Him because of who He was. Not because of what He could do for them. The Galileans, they didn’t want Him. They wanted what He could do. They received Him. But they didn’t believe.

Because receiving Jesus is not what saves you. There are a lot of people who receive Jesus. There are a lot of people today who receive Jesus. They’ll even respect your belief of Jesus. That’s great. How good for you. I’m glad you have religion. But there are even those who call themselves Christians. who have only received Jesus. And they’ve received Jesus because, well, it’s better than the alternative. But for some reason, their lives look a whole lot like everyone else. And there’s not really a lot of evidence of Jesus when you look at what they do and how they live and the things that they partake in and participate in. Because Jesus is just something that many people claim and add to their life like it’s a good luck charm, or a talisman that they wear around.

It’s great to claim to be Christian, especially in our country, until it’s inconvenient. Until it doesn’t get you what you thought it would. Until it requires something of you. until it actually costs. Oh, I have to start living like Jesus told me to? Oh, I have to stop sinning? Well, I’m not a religious person. Oh, I have to stop looking at those websites? Well, no one’s perfect. Everybody does it. Oh, I have to stop sleeping with my boyfriend or girlfriend? Well, it’s not really that big of a deal, is it? Oh, I’ll go to church when I can, unless my kids have something going on this weekend. Then Jesus just takes the back seat, and he can come along for the ride. This is what receiving Jesus looks like, that you just add him onto your life, to go along with everything else that you wanna do.

This is what is happening in Galilee. Oh, the miracle worker is back, nice. Welcome back, great to have you. This is very different than what we saw in Sychar. In Sychar we saw, they were saying to the woman, it is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard ourselves and we know. We know, we are convinced, you can’t convince me otherwise, that this one is the Savior of the world. He is the savior of the world.

He came for me? He came and he lived as a weak and mortal human for me? He came and lived in perfect obedience even though I couldn’t? He came and He died for me? He rose again and He conquered sin and death for me? We have heard ourselves and we know that this one is the Savior of the world. They believed, they heard and they believed and it changed their life. And they kept coming to him. They were begging him to stay longer. They wanted more of him.

This is what belief looks like. He comes to Galilee and they receive him. Oh, good to have you back. Will you quit preaching like that? Who do you think you are doing this on the Sabbath day? Don’t tell us that we’re wrong. Who are you? Maybe we don’t want this guy around.

Receiving Jesus will not save you. Accepting Jesus will not save you. The Bible tells us how we can be saved. It’s also in Romans 10, verses 9 and 10. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. He is my master. He is my owner. He tells me what to do, and I do it. That’s what that means. And you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. But there’s more. For with the heart, a person believes, leading to righteousness. And with the mouth, he confesses, leading to salvation. Belief leads to righteousness. True belief in who Jesus is and what he has done and everything that he came to do, if you actually believe that, it must lead to righteousness. So if you claim belief and yet your life shows no growth in righteousness, well, what do you really believe? What do you believe about Jesus?

There’s nothing about receiving in these verses. You are saved when you believe. And believing will result in following Jesus as your Lord, your master, your owner. He owns you like a slave. And you do what he says because he says. That’s what being Lord is. And you don’t obey Him unwillingly because He gives you the heart to want to. But with a heart, a person believes leading to righteousness. If your belief does not lead you into wanting to live in righteousness, again, it’s not perfection. Yes, we stumble and we give in to sin and we fall, but we get up and we keep pursuing righteousness.

If that’s not what your life looks like, maybe you’ve only received Him. Maybe you’ve only received Him for the good things that it seems like He could do for you. But you need to submit to Him as the Lord, as your master. You need to surrender the sin that you’re holding onto. Because when He is Lord, He is Lord of all of your life. And those things that you don’t quite want to give up yet, He is Lord over that too. And you need to completely trust Christ as both your Savior and your Lord. That is what it looks like to truly believe.

So, have you received Him? Or do you believe in Him? Do you believe that He is the Christ? That He is the only Savior for your sin? That it is faith and faith alone in Him that will grant you eternal life. That it is the only way to be saved from the wrath of God. If you do not know Him, if you have not truly believed in Him, if you have just been playing with this Christian life and doing the things that you think everyone else wants you to do, but you’ve never really committed to Jesus as your Savior and your Lord, as the one who determines all of the things that you do in life, the one who you seek to obey with every decision, with every thought, with every word, with every deed.

If you have not yet submitted to him in those ways, don’t leave here today without talking to somebody, talking to one of us about how you can be saved You too can be like the people of Sychar who said, we have heard for ourselves and we know that this one is the savior of the world. He is the Christ. He is the son of God. And by believing, you can have life in his name.

Let’s stand and close in a word of prayer this morning. Our God in heaven, we thank you for what your word says to us. We thank you for the conviction that it brings to us. Lord, reveal our hearts. Show us where we need to grow. Show us if we have the desire to grow. Lord, if there’s any here today who have merely accepted you, merely received you, but have yet to recognize that you are Savior and Lord, that have yet to submit to you, Lord, convict them of sin. Convict them of righteousness. Regenerate their heart. Cause them to believe and to live a life that looks like belief. that shows the evidence of somebody who truly believes. Help us, each one of us, to grow in this area because none of us are where we need to be, where we ought to be. Show each one of us sin in our own lives, in our own hearts, and give us the desire to put it to death, to get rid of it. and to pursue righteousness, to follow in the steps of Christ. He is the one who is the Savior of the world. Give us a heart for him. We thank you, Lord, for your word. We thank you for what it shows us, for the things that it convicts us of, and for the way that it shows us how we can live in righteousness. We pray all of this in Christ’s precious name. Amen.