Take your Bibles this evening and go with us to Daniel chapter 6 and a wonderful, one of my favorite books, one of my favorite chapters I should say in the Word of God is Daniel chapter 6 and so much practical truths here. for us and maybe this is not part of the study but just a very basic outline of the chapter of Daniel 6 if you want to write this down somewhere there on your handout. At first there is of course the promotion for Daniel in Daniel chapter 6 because of his character and his integrity and then because of that of course the jealousy arises and we're going to go through all this but there is a plot against Daniel There was the promotion, then there was a plot, but then there was the persistence of Daniel to continue doing what he had always done. He wasn't going to sacrifice his relationship with the Lord. And then we see a prosecution against Daniel as the men plot there against him, and the prosecution is brought before him. Of course, he is guilty. And then the penalty for Daniel, which we know was the lion's den, But then we see his preservation through that, and then the punishment, and then a proclamation from the king. So just an alliterated outline there that might help you as you go through this, the promotion, the plot, the persistence, the prosecution, the penalty, the preservation, the punishment to those who tricked him, who plotted against him, and then the proclamation from the king. And the proclamation from the king was that they were to tremble before the God of Daniel, and that was the impact of this. Of course, we've been talking about all these people are people who have faith in God, and because of their faith in God, they have a faithfulness to God, and then because of that, we see fruitfulness for God that comes out of their life, and that is certainly true of Daniel, something that will come naturally when we live openly for Christ is opposition. And one of the great tests of our growth in our Christian life, how we're growing, how much we're growing, is how we respond to mistreatment, how we respond to trials and difficulties. And so we see in Daniel a man who lived a victorious life for the Lord in spite of the trials that he faced in his life. Read verses four through nine of chapter six together. It says, then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find none occasion nor fault for as much as he was fateful. Neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king and said thus unto him, King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors and the princes, the counselors and the captains have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for 30 days, save of thee, O King, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O King, establish the decree and sign the writing that it be not changed according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore, King Darius, sign the writing and the decree. We have been looking at character studies in this series, Portraits of Grace, and as we see here the life of Daniel, he is going to be for us an example of grace to stand for God. And we certainly need that in the day and age in which we live, the grace to stand for God in a society that is anti-God. As a child, Daniel lived in Jerusalem and he lived in the southern kingdom, the area of Judah, and he more than likely grew up in a strong home where he was taught to honor God and honor God's word no matter what. But due to the nation of Israel's repeated sin, you remember that God had promised that it would be conquered by the Babylonians and it was on a number of occasions. One of those occasions being around 605 BC when Babylon took a small number of young boys, young Jewish boys associated with the royal family and ruling class and they took them back to Babylon. Daniel was part of that group of young men He was taken there to Babylon, which is, by the way, present day Iraq, and they were trained in the Babylonian culture and the customs and the way of life there so that they could be assimilated into the Babylonian way of life and lose their national identity and religion. One thing that we see and learn from Daniel, and as we look through the Old Testament and through the Word of God, is this, that nations rise and fall. Nations rise and fall, but the work of God continues on. Daniel went through the fall of Israel. They would rise, they would repent, God would bless them. They would fall. Babylon, even though he was there and got a place of leadership, it was a nation that fell. And we have seen that time and time again. And I think it's important for us as Christians, We thank God for our nation, we love our nation, we fight for our nation, but we know this, that the kingdom of God is not dependent upon the success of the United States of America. The work of God will go on. And we see that in Daniel's life and in this story. Daniel became saturated with Babylonian culture and language and customs and But there was, you remember Daniel chapter one in verse eight, right? When he was taken, the Bible says that Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. This wasn't just about his diet. This was about his commitment to his God. This was about him showing that his God was powerful enough to bring him through without their help. And Daniel was all about bringing attention and glory to his God. For you and I, our testimony is at stake with how we react to the culture in which we live. And it is going to take, just like it did in Daniel's life, a purposed heart, a purposed determination in our life that we are not going to conform to everything that our society and culture does, that we are indeed going to be a different people, separated people, peculiar people, as Paul talks about in Titus. Somebody once said, the people who have changed the world are people who the world could not change. People who have changed the world are people who the world could not change. And that is certainly true when it comes to clear commands of scripture. And so because Daniel and the other Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were young men of character, they were chosen to serve in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Look back at chapter one in verse eight, or one in verse 18 are there in your notes, I think it's there as well. It says, now at the end of the day that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, and the king communed with them, and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them," I love this statement, 10 times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. These were young men who had the power of God upon their life. They had God's help in their life and they stood for the Lord. And one of the things that I've always admired about Daniel and the Hebrew boys, and also Joseph and others, is that they stood for the Lord in their youth. That they stood for the Lord even as young men. They stood against their elders many times for the Lord. And so because of his character, Daniel was promoted and this decision, sets the direction for the rest of his life as just a young man. By the time we get to Daniel chapter six, where we are looking at tonight, 65 years has passed since he was brought into Babylon there. And he is still at this time preferred above the presidents and princes. He was preferred above them in chapter one, 65 years later, he is still preferred above them. He is a man who has been faithful to the Lord in a captive place, in a foreign place for many years. I love what Proverbs says, a fateful man who can find. In other words, it's not the norm, it's a rarity. And we see in Daniel a very fateful man. He was preferred above the presidents and princes. Notice what it says, because I believe it's in verse number three of chapter six, it says, Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Because of his faithfulness, because he was trustworthy, he is now put in command of all the treasury in Babylon. And the reason is because an excellent spirit was in him. What a wonderful testimony. When he thinks, when he's talking about an excellent spirit, he's talking about his attitude. He's talking about his outlook, his attitude on life. It would have been very easy for Daniel to have a bad attitude, wouldn't it? After what he had been through, 65 years of being brought out of his homeland and now living in a nation in captivity, it would have been very easy for him to have a bad attitude, but he didn't. He realized, hey, God is in control of my life. God has me here, as Esther says, for such a time as this. God has put me here. to speak for him, to stand for him. I love what somebody said, our attitude determines our altitude, and it certainly does. Our outlook on life determines our highs or our lows spiritually. And so with promotion, of course, comes opposition, as it did with Daniel. People began to to put together this cruel plot. And what the Bible records for us is that Daniel, even in the midst of injustice, he still honored God. We see here, first of all, in your notes, an evil declaration. Franklin Roosevelt said this, a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. And that's very true. Anyone who has done very much for God is somebody who has gone through difficulty and Daniel's about to enter a major life storm. Every faithful Christian is going to face trials and attacks. So we see first of all here an ungodly trial. As we read in our texts, these men who did not like Daniel or the promotions that had been given to Daniel, they began to carefully analyze Daniel's life and attempt to find something that they could hold against him. They were looking for a reason to bring Daniel down. And his testimony made people feel uncomfortable. He had risen above them in their own nation. And because of that, he became their target. You know, some opposition we bring on ourselves, don't we? By our own behavior, we bring some opposition on ourselves. But some opposition is just going to come in the Christian life if we stand for the Lord. And when that is true, we can remain joyful and we can remain confident knowing that we have done what we have done for the Lord and with the Lord. It's like Peter says in 1 Peter, chapter three, verses 14 and 15. But if you suffer for righteousness sake, isn't that what Daniel was suffering for? For righteousness sake, happy are ye and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Those two verses describe Daniel's life, don't they? He was going through persecution. He was suffering, not for wrongdoing on his own, but for righteousness sake. And because of that, he was a tremendous witness for the Lord Jesus Christ, for God. So we see here that there is this ungodly trial that arises. William Wilberforce was a man who strongly opposed slavery in England during a time when his position against slavery was very unpopular. He went through really 15 years of persecution by the English people, people who spoke against him, people who did terrible acts against him, but after 15 long years of standing against slavery, his bill was finally passed by a vote of 238 to 16. He was consistent, he was faithful, and his life investment still continues today. When we stand for truth, we must purpose to remain standing no matter how viciously the attacks come. When we stand, a fateful testimony to the grace of God emerges, and we see that in Daniel's life. So not only was there an ungodly trial, but secondly, there was a fateful testimony given by Daniel. Some of the greatest testimonies have come out of some of the greatest tests, haven't they? That have come out of the deepest trials. And certainly that is true with Daniel. Despite everything that he went through and all the efforts to destroy his testimony, in the end, Daniel had a good testimony. He had a good name. One of my life verses, one of them, because I have several of them, but one of them is Proverbs chapter 22 and verse one. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor rather than silver or gold. This is talking about our character and because of Daniel's character, although he was not a perfect man, He was someone that King Darius could trust wholeheartedly. He was a man of integrity, which means he did the right thing even when no one else was watching. We see this as well in the life of Timothy. You remember in our study of Philippians on Sunday mornings in Philippians chapter two, Paul is writing back to the church at Philippi and he is talking about Timothy and he says, for I have no man, who I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your state. These are men who have a good testimony, a good name, and the convicting question for us tonight is if someone put the scope on us, if they were looking in our house, if they were looking at the places where we go, would they be able to find no fault in what we do? Would they find character or carnality? Would they find integrity as they did with Daniel? Or would they find an inconsistency in our life? And since the princes and the presidents could not find a legitimate fault in Daniel, they began then to develop a trap because of their jealousy. So the third thing here, not only an ungodly trial and a fateful testimony, but we see the jealous trap. These men knew that the only way to get Daniel in trouble would be through his faithfulness and his commitment to God. That was the one thing that they knew was not consistent with King Darius and the people of Babylon. They noticed that Daniel prayed three times a day. This was something that he did every day, and so they knew where to find him, and they were confident of this. This is another great testimony of Daniel. They were confident that Daniel would continue to do that even if it became a law not to do so. And so they came up with this plot and this plan. And because of that, Daniel had to make a choice. And his response was to do right no matter what. I love what Dr. Bob Jones Sr. wrote down. He says, do right till the stars fall. Do right till the last call. Do right when there's no one else to stand by you. Do right when you're all alone. Do right though it's never known. Do right since you love the Lord. Just do right. Great statement, do right till the stars fall. Just do what is right, no matter if you're alone or whether you're with someone. So we see here an evil declaration, but then secondly, we see an earnest determination in Daniel's life. Look again at chapter six, look down at verse number 10. Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and he prayed and gave thanks before his God. And I love this phrase, as he did a four time. You say, why couldn't Daniel have just walked around, kind of changed things up a little bit, and still talked to God, maybe not opened his windows, kept his doors shut, still communicated with God? Because Daniel knew what was up. Daniel knew that for him to compromise in this way, for him to change in this way would cause shame to the name of Christ, would mean that he was a coward to stand for his God, that he really did not have confidence in the God that he prayed to. And so he did it just like he had done it before. He didn't change anything. He raised his windows just like he had done before, and he prayed to his God three times, just as he had done before, verse 11. Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near and spake before the king concerning the king's decree. Hast thou not signed a decree that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within 30 days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true. According to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. You could not change a law that was in the Medes and Persians. It says it was something that could not be altered or changed. The king had to stick with his words. So verse 13 says, then answered they and said before the king that Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him. He was trying to find a way around this, and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him, trying to find a loophole. Verse 15, then these men assembled unto the king and said unto the king, know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. Then the king commanded and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, thy God, whom thou service continually, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Daniel is faced with this choice here when this decree is given. He either has to hide his faith or he has to hold firm to his faith. And he was not going to allow this law to rob him of his communion with his God, of his communication with his God. So we see, first of all, this was a planned prayer. As we saw in verse number 10, it says a four time, this was something that he planned. This is something that he did every single day. He consciously chose to put God above everything else in his life. You remember in the New Testament in Acts chapter five, after Jesus had come to this earth and he had given his life on the cross and he had been buried and he had risen again and he ascended back into heaven and the church has started in Acts chapter two and Peter and the apostles began to evangelize that area. You remember that as Peter was preaching one day that the religious elite tried to tell him what he could, couldn't preach, what he shouldn't be preaching. And in Acts chapter five and verse 29, Peter says this, we ought to obey God rather than men. Church, that is a principle that we ought to live by. We ought to obey God rather than men. So in this time of testing, Daniel prays publicly and he prays towards Jerusalem. Why does he do that? Why is he praying towards Jerusalem? He did that because Solomon had prayed when he dedicated the temple that if any of the children of God were ever taken into captivity, and taken out of their land, if they would pray towards Jerusalem and the temple, that God would hear them." That was his prayer. It's found in 2 Chronicles 6, verses 36 through 39. It says, "'And if they sin against thee, for there is no man which sinneth not, and thou be angry with them and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near. Yet if they bethink themselves in the land, whether they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly, if they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whether they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name," talking about the tabernacle, verse 39, then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer, and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee." For many years, Daniel has been doing this same routine, for 65 years, and he wasn't going to stop what God had called him to do. Don't you think that you and I need the same commitment to prayer that Daniel had? the same commitment to meet with God, that it is an appointment that no one can break, that it is an appointment that every day we are going to meet God. By the way, we ought to be so humbled that the God of the universe, our creator, wants to communicate with us. It ought to humble us, it ought to make us make sure that we have a time where we come to God in prayer And so when Daniel's caught praying, they bring him to the punishment that had been planned for him. So we see a planned prayer, but we also see a prepared persecution. The other officials assembled at Daniel's house until they saw him praying, verse number 11. And then they went and turned him in, verses 12 and 13. They remind the king to enforce the punishment, verse number 15. This was again an irrevocable decree. And so Daniel is thrown into the den of lions where they were sure he would die. This wasn't just a random den of lions. It wasn't a den of lions with just a few lions that they fed every day and took care of like they do at the zoo and they just put somebody in there with the lions. These were lions that were there for a particular reason for capital punishment to end people's lives. They were starved and they were there to kill people and it happened all the time. So Daniel was put into a den of lions, a stone is put there. I can't help when I think of this, of 2 Timothy 3 in verse 12, what Paul says to his son in the faith, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. In fact, if we're not going through some persecution, some rejection, some difficulty for our faith, and we're probably not all that we should be in our stand for the Lord. So we see here an evil declaration, we see the earnest determination, and then lastly, an exceptional deliverance. Look at chapter six, verse 18 through 24. Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting. He could not sleep. Neither were instruments of music brought before him. His sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and he went in haste into the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel. And the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou service continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? He asked that a little late, didn't he? Daniel had just spent the whole night in the lion's den. Then said Daniel, I bet he was so glad to hear the voice of Daniel. Then said Daniel unto the king, and we see again here Daniel's respect, oh king live forever. My God has sent his angels and has shut the lion's mouth that they have not hurt me for as much as before him Innocency was found in me, and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives, and the lions had the mastery of them and break all their bones in pieces wherever they came at the bottom of the den. The princes and the presidents knew that it was not humanly possible for Daniel to escape this punishment that had been prepared. They knew that if he was saved, it would be an act of Daniel's God. By the way, they had seen Daniel's God deliver before with the three Hebrew boys. They had seen him do the miraculous before. There was no doubt in their mind that this was an act of God. Psalm 37 verse 40, the psalmist said, and the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him. We see a concerned king. We see that he was not able to eat, that he had a lot of respect for Daniel. He had a lot of care for Daniel. And we see that God was, again, working in the king's heart through this. I'm reminded of Proverbs 21.1, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. And as the rivers of water, he turns it whithersoever he wills. This is the omnipotent God. He is keeping him awake. He's also at the same time protecting the prophet protecting Daniel. He miraculously took the appetite away from the lions and Daniel was protected by his God. His response to them in verse 22 is that he gives God the glory and the honor for it. Daniel 3.17, you remember, he no doubt remembers what happened with the Hebrew boys It says in Daniel 3.17, if it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. And then, of course, they said, and if he doesn't deliver us, that is fine as well. The truth is, as we look through the word of God, there are some that God chooses to deliver who are suffering for righteousness' sake, and there are some that God chooses not to deliver who are suffering for righteousness' sake. For instance, the Apostle Paul, who was beheaded for his faith in Jesus Christ. God doesn't always spare his people from persecution. In fact, sometimes he is glorified through persecution and even martyred them in ways that he would not through deliverance. Again, this is us putting our hands in the hands of our sovereign God and believing that he is in control. And by the way, to end this life here is awesome for a child of God, isn't it? It is to enter the presence of God. He says in Hebrews 11, the writer of Hebrews 11 says in verse 35 through 40, describing these, he says, women received their dad, raised to life again. In other words, they were delivered. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance. that they might obtain a better resurrection. That's what we have if we die for Christ. It is a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword. They wondered about in sheepskin and goatskin, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens, and caves of the earth, and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, verse 40, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. See, sometimes God does deliver us from the circumstances, like he did with Daniel, and sometimes he delivers us from the fear of the circumstances, and in many times, He brings us on to heaven as he has done many in the past, martyrs of the faith. David Livingston, who was one of the great missionaries in Africa, he was asked once to speak in Scotland. And in his speech, he said this, would you like me to tell you what supported me through all the years of exile among a people whose language I could not understand and whose attitude toward me was always uncertain and often hostile. It was this, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. He said on these words, I staked everything and they never failed. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Hebrews 13 in verse five says, let our conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have, for he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Our God is a God of deliverance, whether it be to deliver us in this temporary life or to deliver us from this temporary life, he is a God of deliverance. He is the giver of grace. And that includes the grace to stand for God. I know I need this more in my life. I need the grace of God to stand in a society. And many of you who work in public places, you need the grace to stand. You need the grace to speak up. You need the grace not to conform to the society and the people around you. What makes us be able to make an impact on our surroundings? I want to just give these to you really quick. They're not in your notes. I think we have them maybe on the screen, but we see them in the life of Daniel. First of all, he prioritized eternal issues over temporal issues. Daniel prioritized eternal issues over temporal issues. He was not always looking for a political battle. He wasn't always looking for a political fight. He realized that the most important kingdom was God's kingdom, was eternal kingdom. Number two, he lived a consistent life. He lived a consistent life all the way from as a young man to an old man, he lived a faithful, consistent life. He was virtuous when he was young, he was virtuous when he was old. Number three, he fulfilled God's calling upon his life. He realized that where he was may not have been where he would have personally chosen, but it was God's calling upon his life and he fulfilled it. Number four, he had a right attitude. He had a right attitude. He had an excellent spirit, the Bible says. Number five, he did not choose bitterness. Would have been easy for him to choose to get bitter, but again, he realized that his life was in the hand of God. Number six, he was blameless. He was above reproach. There wasn't anything in his life that people could look at and challenge him on other than his faith in Jesus Christ. He was blameless. His enemies acknowledged his virtue. There's a lot to be said when your enemies acknowledge your virtue, when those that are against you have to acknowledge and realize that you are a person of purity and character. Number eight, he was obedient to civil laws unless they caused him to disobey God. As Christians, we ought to be obedient to the civil laws that we have only Only unless they go against God should we not follow those laws and those rules. Number nine, he left the outcome to God. Number 10, he served no matter what it cost. He served God no matter what it cost. Number 11, he was not defensive, but he left it to God. He was not a man who lived a life trying to defend himself all the time. He left it to God. Number 12, He strengthened the faith of others. In the end of this story, it was the king who realized that Daniel's God is the true God and that he gave the decree that the people should acknowledge and should worship God. He strengthened the faith of others, giving them hope. Number 12 or number 13, and I love this, he was a vehicle for God's glory. At the end of this story, it wasn't Daniel who was praised. but he quickly transferred the glory and praise to God. That is what you and I are called to do, to be a vehicle of God's glory. And then he was avenged by God. He didn't try to avenge himself, he was avenged by God. What's the Bible say? Vengeance, God said, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. So many Christians that I know are constantly just trying to avenge themselves defend themselves, hey, God will defend you. God will avenge us. And then 15, he is exalted. He was exalted by those around him and by the one above him. He was exalted by those around him, other people, and he was exalted by God himself. He was a humble man. He was a man who constantly pointed people to He lived a consistent, faithful life. He didn't try to change his culture by arguing and fighting. He changed his culture by being a faithful man of God who had a real relationship with God, a real walk with God, and just a consistent walk with God, a consistent life that followed the word of God. We have so much we can learn. This is how we can impact a culture around us. So much to learn. from the life of Daniel. Let's pray. Father, we love you and we're thankful for this story. We're thankful, Lord, this is not just a made up story. This is your inspired word about a real man who had strong faith. He was confident in you and Lord, we thank you for his testimony. We thank you for the example that he leaves us. And Lord, we recognize tonight our own need for grace to stand for you. And Lord, I know there's people in this room tonight, Lord, who have gone through opposition even recently. And Lord, I believe that there is a day when we are gonna face more opposition, not that we've brought on ourself, but because of our identification with you. And God, I pray that you'll give us courage. I pray, Lord, that you will give us the courage to stand as Daniel did. And I pray, Lord, that we will have purposed hearts, that we will purpose in our hearts, Lord, that we will not defile ourselves, that we will not adopt the philosophy of this society, but we will stand upon the word of God, that it will be our final word. that it will guide everything that we do. It will guide our thinking and it will guide our decisions. I pray that for myself. I pray that for those that are here, those that are watching for this church, Lord, and through it, may you be glorified and honored. In Christ's name we pray, amen.