If you read the Bible, and especially the letters written in the New

Testament, you realize this is not the normal way that a letter begins… No

greeting. No pleasantries. No commendation. No author. No blessing.

It’s not: to the saints; grace and peace; greet you in the Lord Jesus;

blessed be our God. He doesn’t even mess around with introducing himself.

It’s a good way to start a sermon. Right out of the gate, he throws down

the core proposition of the book.

What God gave you in Jesus is better—and once you have Jesus, don’t ever go

back to what you had before him. What God gave you in Jesus is better—and

once you have Jesus, don’t ever go back to what you had before him.