God's Salvation In Our Testimony
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Pastoral Prayer
Pray according to Psalm 24
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Pray for the anxious of heart.
Pray for VBS
[SLIDE 1] Introduction
If you have your Bible, then I would invite you to turn to Acts 21:37.
We’re going to talk about God’s Salvation In Our Testimony.
Illustration
What I mean by “our testimony” is how God saved us as wretched sinners OR a story of how we became Christians. Question: “What is the story of God’s salvation in your life?”
Perhaps most of you don’t have a dramatic testimony where you were a drug dealer, gang member, or other egregious sins.
And then you came to believe the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and your life was transformed forever.
Perhaps you may have thought, “If I just had a crazy and dramatic testimony, I can convince more people to believe in Jesus!”
Perhaps your testimony isn’t all that dramatic. You may have grown up in the church and Christian family.
Somewhere along the way, by the grace of God, He grabbed a hold of you, made you alive in Christ, and opened up your spiritual blindness.
But you don’t remember when exactly God saved you or when you became a believer.
That kind of testimony is sometimes called a “boring testimony.”
But I know a friend who is so grateful for her “boring testimony” because how awful it would be to go through a life of terrible sins.
I’m talking about personal testimony because this passage is all about God’s salvation in the testimony of the Apostle Paul.
If you do not know anything about the Apostle Paul, this message serves as an introduction to this man that we’ve been learning and following throughout his missionary journey.
Paul had a unique encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.
However, I’m sure all of us who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have unique personal testimonies of how God saved us through the gospel of Jesus Christ, His death on the cross for sinners and His resurrection from the dead.
Paul’s testimony seems to have a similar format or template to every Christian’s testimony. And it’s usually outlined in three points:
First, who were you before you became a Christian.
Second, how did you meet Jesus (or how did you hear about gospel or good news of Jesus)?
Third, what is your life like after you met Jesus.
Just side note: your leaders and I are planning a baptism class in the near future.
If the Lord saved you, you’ll want to take that class and get baptized as an act of obedience to Him.
And one of the things you’ll learn to do is to write your own personal testimony. So, if that baptism has been something you desire to do, then let me know.
Biblical Theology
Context
As we look at this passage, let me remind you of the context. The Apostle Paul returned to the city of Jerusalem after his missionary journey.
Sadly, he was misrepresented for teaching the Jewish believers not to follow the law and the Jewish customs.
So, through the instruction of James and the elders, Paul had to demonstrate his loyalty to his Jewish heritage by going through purification.
And while he was in the temple, the non-believing Jews started to pull him out of the temple, make false accusation against him, and beat him almost to death.
Thankfully, God, in His providence, used the tribune, centurions, and the cohort of Roman soldiers to arrest Paul as a way to save and protect him.
So, we left off the passage with the soldiers bringing Paul to the barracks, which was a Roman headquarter, as the Jewish mob became violent and shouting death threat to Paul. Now, we continue with the narrative.
So, I offer you five lessons on sharing your personal testimony from this passage.
May our eyes and ears be opened and attentive to the exposition of God’s word.
Exposition
[SLIDE 2] 1. Find an opportunity to share your personal testimony
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
Just as Paul is about to be escorted and brought into the barracks, Paul speaks to the tribune (Claudius): “May I say something to you?”
Claudius, not knowing who Paul was and where he’s from, was surprised that Paul knew and spoke Greek.
He thought he was an insurrectionist.
He assumed that Paul was an Egyptian and Assassin who stirred up a revolt probably three years ago from this event, but the leader got away.
So, Claudius may have assumed that he returned to Jerusalem.
Paul responded to Claudius and corrected his misunderstanding.
After not knowing who he was, Paul essentially says,
“No, I’m a Jew. I’m not from Egypt. In fact, I’m from Tarsus of Cilicia.”
During the ancient world, Romans and Greeks looked down upon Egyptians.
However, Tarsus was a significant city. It was an educational center with a university rivaling other cities like Athens and Alexandria.
Claudius should know Tarsus was a Greek and renown city.
Because Paul was from Tarsus, he would have grown up learning the Greek language.
Paul then does something crazy. He begs Claudius to give him the permission to speak to the people.
If you were beaten by the crowd, would you have wanted to speak to them?
Most likely, you would want to run and hide from them and recover from that traumatic experience.
But this teaches us Paul’s courage and boldness. Not only that, but it also shows his deep love and concern for his own people.
I mean why not give that a try and get a permission? There’s no guarantee anyways.
Paul wasn’t expected to get his permission.
But God opened a door of opportunity for him to do so.
Given the information about Paul’s credentials, Claudius gives him the permission to speak to the crowd.
Therefore, he seizes this opportunity to share his personal testimony and preach the gospel.
Paul grabbed the crowds attention by motioning with his hand to the people.
And he addresses them in the Hebrew dialect, which would have been Aramiac during that time because that’s what Jews spoke.
He was standing on the steps of the barracks before hundreds or thousands of Jews plus thousands of Roman soldiers.
This is like his podium. His pulpit. All lights are on him.
We’ll learn about the 2nd principle in sharing your testimony.
[SLIDE 3] 2. Explain who you were before you became a Christian.
1 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” 2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.
Now, when Paul says, “hear the defense that I now make,” he’s using the word, “apologia,” which is where we get the English word, “apologetics.”
I don’t mean apologizing. Apologetics often means making a defense of the Christian faith.
He did not defend himself on the issue of desecrating the temple and the misrepresentation. He was defending his faithfulness to his Jewish heritage.
Furthermore, he’s witnessing for Jesus and testifying what He has done in his life. (1 Peter 3:15)
Paul gives his testimony or autobiography (or defense) by beginning with his identity, his upbringing, his religion, and his sin.
Paul was a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia.
But he was brought up in the city of Jerusalem.
After coming to Jerusalem, he went to school and studied under the teacher named Gamaliel.
The Jews would have known who he was.
In case you don’t know Gamaliel, he made his appearance in Acts 5.
He’s one of the most respected Pharasaaic rabbis of his day.
At this time, he may have passed away 5 years prior.
So, Paul was trained and educated by Gamaliel to be a Pharisee, a law-abiding Jew.
What I like about Paul’s testimony is that he tried to find a theme that can relate to his audience.
Paul can sympathize with the Jews who held to the law of Moses and customs because they’re jealous for God.
Paul was also zealous for the law.
[SLIDE 4] In fact, before he became a follower of Jesus, he was probably more zealous than his peers (Galatians 1:14; Acts 22:3).
14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
Paul was extremely religious and passionate for the law and should have a lot of confidence in his religion and self-righteousness (Philippians 3:4-6).
He studied the ancient traditions of his forefather and extrabiblical laws such as the Meshnah.
[SLIDE 5] What’s quite powerful about beginning his testimony is by relating to them: being zealous for God as all of you are this day (v.3).
Translation: “I used to be where you are.”
However, for the Apostle Paul, being morally good and superior in following the law cannot save him from hell because no sinner can measure up to the standard of God’s holy law.
Similarly, being religious, or trying to be a better and decent person cannot save you and grant you access to heaven.
Also, usually the motivation for going to church and being religious are wrong because they’re centered on self.
People go to religion (or even go to church) because they think it can help them become a better person.
Perhaps you think that by being religious, such as coming to church, and working hard in being good, then God will love you, accept you, and bless you and give you a better lifestyle.
Biblical Christianity teaches that, no matter how religious we are, we cannot save ourselves by being obedient to the law, and we’re still under the wrath of God.
Biblical Christianity teaches that the only way to salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ.
Biblical Christianity does not teach you to become a better person (i.e. moralism), but it teaches you that in Christ, you are a new creation.
Biblical Christianity teaches that you go to church and gather with God’s people and obey Him because your motivation is to glorify and worship the LORD based on the grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But Paul didn’t know that (yet).
Paul’s religion, Paul’s zeal led him to commit the sin of persecuting and killing God’s people who followed Jesus the Messiah. It is this same zeal that the Jews had that led to the murder of Jesus the Messiah.
[SLIDE 6] Paul continues to testify this:
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
Paul’s zeal for God led him to persecute the believers that followed the Way, which was how the early Christians had described themeselves (Acts 9:2).
Jesus is the Way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the way of life. Jesus is the way of salvation, true way.
But Paul was antagonistic towards biblical Christianity and those who followed Jesus.
If the Jewish mob didn’t believe that he was the persecutor of the Christian faith, the high priest and the elders can testify for him because they gave Paul a letter to go and arrest believers according to verse 5.
It was his mission.
He was chosen by the Jewish authorities.
Paul wasn’t satisfied of persecuting believers in Jersualem.
He’s so zealous that he went to Damascus to bound the believers and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
Paul begins his testimony by sharing who he was and what he did before his conversion.
Similarly, this should also be a part of our own testimony.
Who were you before you became a Christian?
[SLIDE 7-8] 3. Explain how you met Jesus and heard the gospel.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
This text is the retelling of the story in Acts 9. However, there are few things where Paul provides supplementary comments from his own experience.
In verses 6-8, Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest and bound the believers.
On his way to Damascus, a great light from heaven suddenly shone around Paul at noon (Acts 9:3-7).
Jesus spoke to Paul, “Saul, Saul, why are persecuting me?”
Paul responded, “Who are you, Lord?”
Jesus responded, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.
By the way, if you don’t know, Paul is also called Saul. Paul was his Roman name. Saul was his Hebrew name.
In verse 10, Paul didn’t know what to do.
So, Jesus instructed him to go to Damascus.
Based on the Lord Jesus’ instruction, Paul will be told all that is appointed for him to do (by Ananias).
This word, “appointed,” is rather important.
It shows that God, in His eternal and sovereign plan, appointed/determined Paul’s future task as part of His plan of salvation.
Every Christian who is saved by the Lord is generally given a task from Him. No truly born-again believer can just believe in Jesus and be done with it.
Jesus is not only our Saviour, but He is also our Lord whom we’re called by Him to obey.
So, those who were travelling with Paul (Acts 9:7) were able to see the light, but did not understand the voice that they were hearing.
And then these men brought Paul into Damascus as they led him by the hand.
[SLIDE 9] And then Paul encounters a man named Ananias.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
In case you forgot who he is, Acts 9 provides further context.
We learn that Ananias was a Jewish believer in the Lord.
The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision and instructed him to go and find Paul.
However, Ananias was hesitant to reach out to Paul because he knew about his persecution against followers of Christ.
But the Lord reassures Ananias that Christ has chosen Paul as His instrument to reach the Gentiles.
From Paul’s perspective in his testimony, he testifies about Ananias.
While Ananias was a Jewish Christian in Damascus, notice…he was a devout man according to the standard of the Law.
He was well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there. He has a good reputation.
Ananias obeyed Christ and went to Paul, saying to him, “Brother Saul, receive your sight.” (Acts 9:17-18)
Paul continues to testify in verses 14-16 that Ananias helped him understand what the Lord has appointed him to do.
It was God who appointed Paul:
To know his will.
To see the Righteous One, namely Jesus. (Acts 3:14)
To hear a voice from his mouth.
Shouldn’t this describe the reality of the Christian life?
God has chosen His people to know His will, to see the Lord Jesus Christ, and to hear from Him through His word.
Ultimately, the Lord Jesus appointed the Apostle Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
Afterwards, Ananias commands and instructs Paul to:
Rise
Be baptized
Wash away your sins (cf. Acts 2:38).
Calling on his name (Romans 10:9)
Paul was to confess his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by being baptized in his name.
Baptism is a public declaration of one's identification with Jesus Christ and a lifelong commitment to following Him.
It symbolizes the inward transformation that God has done in the individual.
Baptism does not have the power save a person.
But when a sinner becomes a born-again believer, he or she is fueled with gratitude for God’s grace and love, and would naturally choose to act in obedience to Jesus' commandments to get baptized because that person loves the Lord Jesus.
What you need to realize is that Paul wasn’t seeking Christ.
Everything about Paul’s conversion came from God. Nothing about his conversion stemmed from Paul.
Instead, God’s salvation is initiated by God himself, and Him alone.
God is the One who chooses to save sinners, not because He saw anything good in us...
Not because He foresaw that the person will one day choose to follow Him.
The truth is…no one would ever choose God unless God sovereignly first does a work of grace in your hearts.
No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws you.
No one is able to come to Jesus unless it has been granted to you from the Father.
The amazing truth about God’s salvation is that God can save any sinner just like Paul, including those whom we think are hopeless and would never come to Christ, including the hard hearted atheist, including the most religious people.
That’s because salvation is nothing but God’s grace.
How did you hear about the gospel and meet Jesus?
[SLIDE 10] 4. Describe what Jesus is calling you to do.
17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
We learn about Jesus’ commission to the Apostle Paul.
Paul returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple.
This was to continue his devotion and piety of following the law.
He didn’t abandon the Jewish custom.
Suddenly, Paul went into a trance.
Paul was being directed by the Lord to do something.
Jesus speaks to Paul in the temple. Christ tells him to get out of Jerusalem quickly because the Jews will not accept Paul’s testimony about him (cf. Matthew 10:14).
However, Paul questioned why he was supposed to leave since, in his perspective, he can convince the non-believing Jews about Christ.
We know in Acts 9:28-29 that Paul was preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ boldly. That’s the nature of Paul’s newfound faith in his Lord.
However, the Jews would view him as an apostate. Someone who had abandon his Jewish faith and believed in Jesus. And they wanted Paul dead.
However, the Lord protected Paul from the threat of death.
The Lord did not call Paul to stay in Jerusalem, but rather, He called him and sent him far away to the Gentiles (v.21)
And we have followed Paul’s missionary journey. Paul spent a lot of times preaching to the Gentiles. Many of them came to faith in Christ.
Paul planted many churches in Gentile territories.
That’s what God called him to do.
Paul was prepared to leave Jerusalem. In Acts 9, the believers in Jerusalem helped him escape from the threat.
We must remember that ultimately it was the Lord who saved Paul and the Lord who called and commissioned Paul.
Salvation is nothing but the sovereign grace and acts of God.
Since Paul was acting in obedience to his God, how could anyone question his experience and calling? How could anyone condemn him?
When God saved you, He has given you a commission.
While not everyone is called to be a missionary like Paul, we are to make disciples and we are to tell others about the gospel.
God has called you to follow the Lord Jesus and to study His word.
God has a calling for every believer wherever you are at.
You’re exactly where God wants you to be so that you can be a light of the world.
So, you should pray to the Lord and ask Him, “Lord, how do you want me to fit into Your plan and purpose in seeing lost sinners come to know You?”
Finally...
[SLIDE 11] 5. Describe what happened after you followed Jesus.
22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”
The crowd listened all the way until they heard him say that God sent him away to the Gentiles.
Paul would most likely not have been done with his message.
Paul would most likely have continued on with his defense, but he was cut short.
The Jewish mob then protested and raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” In other words, they want him dead.
So, they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air.
This was an expression of horror and grief of the Jews in hearing something that is considered rather blasphemous.
Either it was blasphemous for Paul to go to the Gentiles.
Or it was blasphemous to think that God would want anything to do with the Gentiles.
Or it was blasphemous that the Gentiles could be saved without adhering to the law of Moses, without becoming Jews.
In their heart, they have animosity towards the non-Jews.
That’s their outrage. That’s their rejection of Paul.
So, now, Claudius, the tribune, ordered Paul to be brought into the barracks.
23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this.
Now, so far, Claudius did not understand anything that Paul said because he was speaking in Hebrew dialect.
Claudius may have only understood Greek.
To him, Paul was speaking in tongues without any interpretation.
He may have thought, “What in the world did this man say to the Jews? What has he done that would cause the crowd to be silent in the beginning and then outraged? I must find out the truth about this man.”
That’s why in verse 24, it says that Paul should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this.
And throughout the rest of the narrative in Acts, Claudius has been trying to figure out what Paul did wrong and why he was beaten by the Jews and why there’s an uproar, and eventually why Paul was plot to be killed.
So, Claudius has been doing everything he can so far to know who Paul was and what he did.
If Claudius cannot find information, then he’s going to flog Paul to get answers from him. This was perhaps the ancient form of interrogation.
They stretched Paul with arms held up with a tied rope.
They got the whips ready.
Like imagine this for a second the cruelty that Paul is about to experience.
He was already beaten almost to death by the Jews.
And now, Claudius just wants to do more severe and permament physical damage on the body.
This was what Christ experienced.
Flogging was only reserved for slaves, and THOSE who were non-ROMANS.
So, just before Paul was about to be flogged by the Centurion Roman soldiers, he pulls out a trump card. [SLIDE 12]
25 But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27 So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” 29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
In other words, Paul says to the centurion who was about to flog him, “is this legal for you to do?”
Paul was a Roman citizen. He didn’t share that information so far to the tribune.
In this situation, he used his citizen rights to hold the centurion and the roman soldiers accountable.
Of course, the tribune was rather surprised and afraid to learn that Paul was a Roman citizen
For him, he purchased the Roman citizenship, most likely in a form of bribery.
However, Paul is a Roman citizen by birth.
Therefore, they backed away from flogging Paul lest they do something illegal.
It was a violation against Roman law to beat their own citizens and throw them into prison without trial.
If Claudius and the centurions violated the law, then they would be guilty of the crime and be stripped of their privileges.
So, now, the Roman legal system is working in favour of Paul. It is now protecting him.
While he may be arrested unjustly, at the very least he wasn’t flogged illegally.
God, in His providence, placed Paul in a unique situation to be a Roman citizen so that Paul can fulfill his calling from Jesus in bearing witness before the Gentiles and kings...
What could be the outcome of obeying Jesus in your life? That should be a part of your testimony. What happened after you trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?
Not everyone will suffer like Paul.
Sometimes, you may be rejected by your family members and friends for being a Christian. Or they may think you’re a weirdo.
Or sometimes, the outcome is nothing but a blessing from the Lord.
Nonetheless, there’s a cost to following Jesus.
But you can also describe how your life is different after following Jesus.
Perhaps, you found peace and hope from the Lord.
Perhaps, you’re set free from guilt and shame that enslaved you.
For me, when the Lord saved me after high school, he gave me a hunger and thirst to read and study His word, and God gave me a strong desire to serve and love Him.
GOSPEL
[SLIDE 13] Application/Conclusion
1. Find an opportunity to share your personal testimony
2. Explain who you were before you became a Christian.
3. Explain how you met Jesus and heard the gospel.
4. Describe what Jesus is calling you to do.
5. Describe what happened after you followed Jesus.
If you’re a Christian, I encourage you to reflect on your personal testimony. I want to challenge you to share your testimony with at least one person this month.
If you feel like you have a boring testimony, be grateful to God for sparing you from a life of terrible sins, and own that testimony because God has given you that story in your life so that you can share it and give it to a non-Christian.
While our testimony is personal, it is not about us.
Ultimately, it is all about God’s salvation. It’s all about God’s grace in your life. It’s all about what Christ has done to save sinners like you from your sins and eternal condemnation.
And we give God all the glory by joyfully and boldly bearing witness for Him.
Lord’s Supper
Brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper of the body and blood of Christ, we are grateful to remember that our Lord instituted this ordinance:
To always remember how much He sacrificed for us and how much He loves us.
To strengthen our connection with Him and each other as members of the body of Christ.
To show that He has given us His special and unmerited favor
To renew our joy and commitment to obey Him teachings and deepen our relationship with Him.
To be reminded that He is with us whenever we gather in His name.
To proclaim that He will come back in the future.
This special time at the Lord's Table is for people who believe in and trust the death and resurrection of Christ.
If you're not a believer yet, please refrain from participating until you have faith in Christ.
Once you believe, you can joyfully join others in partaking.
We encourage believers to examine their hearts before participating, making sure they are ready.
READ: Isaiah 53:3-6
BENEVOLENT FUND
As today is the 1st Sunday of the month, whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, I want to encourage you to consider making a donation to the benevolent fund, in addition to your offerings.
OBC has an established benevolent fund which the elders and pastors disperse to those who find themselves in need.
But this fund has decreased to being almost empty, so we as a church family would want to replenish that fund.
If you’re able and cheerfully generous, you can give by marking your envelope accordingly or leave a brief message with your e-transfer, indicating “Benevolent Fund.”
BENEDICTION
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.