Well, that's not fair. I cry every time I hear that one Beautifully done. Thanks folks. They're good to have good musicians And i'm so appreciative of that. Take your bibles, please. Let's go to rome or revelation chapter 16 We'll go through we're going to give a couple introductory statements from verse 6 or chapter 16 and then we'll go into verse, or chapter, I keep saying it, chapter 18 in just a few moments, but again, we're so happy that you're here. Starting next week again, we'll be going into the passion week, if you will, or the passion story of what Christ did. So we'll take a little break from Revelation, so we'll be very practical and very timely with what we're going to be looking at. We always like to say that you are at the church that God's love is building. And we trust as Justin, our chairman of the board, when he did the announcements this morning, we want you to feel loved and cared for. And boy, I just mean that with the ultimate seriousness. So, so happy that you're here. And it's always good to see you. We're going to be having very quickly, I just want to announce this. We're going to, I'm going to be doing a Passover Seder meal here. Good Friday, April 15th. And I really hope that every one of you can make it to this. It's going to be a very special event. I've done these in various places. We'll actually have, it'll be about two and a half hour ordeal. The first hour will literally take you through a Jewish Seder. practice what our Jewish friends would do, but a little bit different that we'll do is we'll show Yeshua or Jesus the Messiah in the Seder. So it'll be, most of you probably have not attended something like this. It's a very educational as well as a very biblically oriented time. After the Seder meal, or Seder presentation, which you'll all take part in, by the way. There's things for everybody to do during that part of the service, if you will. Then we'll have a big giant Jewish meal together. And I've got a wonderful Messianic Jewish lady who's volunteered from another church that's putting all this together. And this really is going to be a big event. So if you've not already done so, sign up in the back, please. It's $10 a person. We recommend 12 years old and up. But if your children are able to sit and take part, and there are things that the children will be involved in, then, of course, they're more than welcome to be here. But again, it'll be about a the first hour is pretty tight sitting down and then there's about an hour or so of food so Sign up if you can we're looking forward to that. All right, and then we just talked about that. So I'm gonna skip that We need to get into the message. So today we're going to be looking at from specifically Revelation chapter 18 economic deception, riches to rags, Babylon's future rise and fall from Revelation 18. Again, everything that we find in Revelation starting at chapter four through chapter 22 has not happened yet. It is all prophecy, it is all things that are yet to take place. So as we get started this morning, are you allured by the intoxicating effects of luxury? Most people, I mean, if you get that opportunity or you get to go maybe do something a little bit special, that's not normal. It can be very intoxicating, if you were very controlling or very inviting to take part in something that has luxury. And we're going to see in the passage this morning that it's a massive allurement that's going to be taking place. Do you find yourself drawn to those who have great financial success? Now, when I was younger, I was very intimidated by folks with money, and I mean, I'd just cower if I knew somebody was a little bit more on the wealthier scale. I've since learned that we all put our pants on one leg at a time, but we respect maybe those that have gone there, and we give them sometimes more credence than normal, average people, if you will, because they got a big bank account or fancy things. Folks, we're gonna see that take place in a massive way in the future. Where do you personally find true happiness? Well, that's the operative statement for each one of us this morning. All right. This is not moving up here, so I have to look to the side. And Tony, if you maybe have a second to reset or Bethany, that would be helpful. All right. Let's see where we're at here. Oh, there we are. OK, just came up. Sorry. We're good. All right. We're going to go to Revelation 16 this morning before we get into 17. And this sets the context about a place called Babylon. We're at the literally the last seal or the last bull judgment that will be taking place at the end of the seven year tribulation period, which is yet future. And here's the context. And the seventh angel, and of course there's only seven judgments, and this is the last one. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven from the throne saying, it is done. Again, last judgment before Jesus Christ returns. And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now, the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nation fell. And here's the operative for where we're going this morning. And great Babylon was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. There are multiple Old Testament passages that speak about Babylon's rise in the future and her absolute destruction, specifically Jeremiah 50 and 51. We look at also Isaiah chapters 12 and 13 all speak about Babylon's future destruction. Verse 20, Then every island fled away, the mountains were not found, a great hail from heaven fell upon men. Each hail stoned about the weight of a talon or 100 pounds. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great. So again, this is the last events that will take place at the end of the seven year tribulation period before Jesus Christ will return. All right this morning we're going to examine then the intoxicating effects of power wealth and luxury that can lead to absolute Annihilation father. I pray now that as we open up the only book you've ever given us to read The precious word of God, I pray that you'd speak to hearts this morning. Lord, we're going through troublesome times across the world right now, and yet things will become dramatically worse than they are now, more catastrophic than we can even imagine from a human standpoint. But Lord, you reveal these things in your word. So Father, I pray as we open these up that you'd speak to hearts this morning, that you would draw us closer to yourself, and we'll give you the praise and the glory for it in Christ's name. Amen. All right, turn over one chapter. Last week, we went through chapter 17, the religious system that will rise up in Babylon. Basically, the Antichrist, the individual who will be the worldwide dictator, will work straight out of a place called Babylon. There are multiple interpretations we went through that scholars have come up with. In most of your Bibles, you will see in verse, of five of chapter 17, something like this. Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth. Now I want you, some of you, those specifically may have the word mystery, and then what's right after the word mystery? a comma, and then it's Babylon the Great. So the two major interpretations of this passage are, number one, if you go with mystery, comma, Babylon the Great, that it's literally talking about literal Babylon. Now, over the years, there's many scholars that have been divided on this opinion, and I brought out last week, and I'll do so very quickly again, that during the Reformation times, there was a group that rose up known as the state church, the national church, the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church, which were being fought by individuals that you're very familiar with, known as Luther and Calvin. At that time, instead of looking at this as Babylon, which I think is the better interpretation, Rome became the object based on the interpreter's situation at the time. Revelation 16 makes it very clear that we're talking about Babylon. You go right into chapter 17. It's talking about mystery, Babylon the great. And in chapter 18, we're talking once again about Babylon. So chapter 17, we basically look at the perspective of the religious system or Antichrist system being destroyed. Now we're going to look at the economic situation that will take place During the tribulation and the disaster that will come to it verse 1 after these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great authority and the earth was illuminated with his glory verse 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen. Matches up with Old Testament prophecy, matches up with Revelation chapter 16 and what took place in Revelation 17. Now Babylon has to be resurrected in order for it to fall. Babylon sits in ruins right now. And we went through some pictures. in the past as to what is taking place currently in Babylon. So on our little map, we know where Israel is. Iraq is the current place, of course, the name of the country where Babylon was located. So if we look on this particular map, Baghdad, which we're more familiar with than Iraq, sits about 50 miles north of the ruins of Babylon. Babylon, so it's a real place. Here is a rendition, artist's rendition of what would have taken, of what Babylon would have looked like back during the times when it existed before it fell. And the kind of silverish grayish building is known as the Ishtar Gate. Now, Babylon was the mother of Harlot, speaking of false religiosity. It was a horrible place, filled with idolatry. And God makes it very clear that Babylon would be judged based on, if you will, not only their hatred of the true God, but who was the nation that took the people of Judah captive Who was it? Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar. Don't mess with God's people, by the way. God makes it very clear, Genesis chapter 12, verses one and three, I'll bless those who bless who? The Jewish people, I'll curse those who curse him. There's a curse awaiting for the rebuilt Babylon in the future as well. Saddam Hussein's palace is sitting up at the top of that hill overlooking the ruins of Babylon. So does the place still exist? Yes. Is it in a bad shape right now? Absolutely. It's in a bad shape This is a field looking out again at some of the ancient ruins of Babylon and that is its picture today but According to scripture, Babylon has to be rebuilt, and it will. By the way, Saddam Hussein, what was one of his goals? It was to rebuild Babylon. God said, not yet, it's not time, and he took him out, allowed that to take place. But in the future, Babylon will definitely become a major player in worldwide politics, religion, it's coming. and has become what has happened to Babylon. Well, if you get the context of chapter 18, is Babylon doing well or has it been destroyed? It's destroyed again. Chapter 17 goes through the things that were taking place. Babylon has been destroyed, and that's exactly what God says in chapter 18, first thing after these things. After what? After the destruction of Babylon. Now we're looking at the, if you will, the picture after the fact. So what does Babylon become? Why did God judge it? Because it's the dwelling place of David. Demons, a prison for every foul spirit and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. What God's saying, and by the way, folks, don't ever doubt the reality of the demonic world. Demons are fallen angels. They're those that chose, instead of following God, to rebel against Him. They're alive and well, they're everywhere. You say, well, I haven't seen them. And you may not see them. But you're seeing the effects of it all across the world today. You see it in your schools in America today. You see it on your televisions today. You see it on the mission field today. You see it in the places you work at today. You see with the ethics and morality today. The demonic world is alive and well, having a tremendous influence and that being a negative one. Chapter 18, verse three, for all the nations, in other words, the entire world, when the antichrist takes his worldwide stage, have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Now, the word fornication, basically, if we looked at the word, what does fornication mean? It means any foul, immoral act from an intimate perspective, and I'm not going into the details, of course. What is he saying? He's saying he is likening the horrible things that Babylon did, if you will, to spiritual uncleanness. He's not talking about the literal acts of inappropriate intimacy. He's comparing that from a human perspective so we can understand it. That is how foul, that is how loathsome what the people during the seven-year tribulation have done in following the antichrist and the satanic religion he'll set up. The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her. Folks, this is a worldwide, global situation. Wednesday nights, we have a, every single one, well, that I'm here in town, every single time on Wednesday nights, we have our show, if you will, that we broadcast over the internet. We have right here for our folks to be able to come to, and it's called Prophecy Focus Global Update. Why do we have global update? Because this, the scriptures make it absolutely perfectly clear that this world is going to be going to a global system, a one-world religion, a one-world economy, which we're going to talk about Wednesday night. If you think you've got problems now, folks, you don't want to miss Wednesday night about the global economy and what's taking place as potentially we speak. It's disturbing, but it's coming. So where do we find all that? Revelation chapter 13 goes through specifically those things. A one world economy, a one world banking system, a one world religion, it's all coming. Next. Let's see, I'm not kicking in, there we go. All right, the merchants, all right, so not only the kings of the earth are rebelling, but the merchants of the earth have what? They become rich with the abundance of their luxury. So what do we know? We know that there's gonna be terrible, chaotic things that are gonna be happening across the world. All's you can do is go through the 28 judgments, major judgments spoken of between Revelation chapter six and Revelation 16. But somehow in Babylon, there's going to still be some luxurious things going on. Somehow God's going to allow that to take place, and the merchants, if you will, are looking at Babylon as a place to get rich. Now, let's get practical for a couple moments. I know some people are like, ah, you know, prophecy's okay, but I need to know how this applies to my life. All right, after I go through this, you may not want the application. 1 Timothy 6, verse 10, for us to date, for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The King James Version, it'll say, the love of money is the root of all evil, from which some have strayed from the faith in their, what? greediness and pierce themselves through with many sorrows. Folks, money is attractive. Things are attractive. Cars are attractive. Fancy new toys are attractive. And we can easily get sucked into the love of money. When money becomes more important than God, it's idolatry. Now, you say, well, Brother Rich, are you against money? Absolutely not. Got no problem with money. Got no problem with those who don't make it a god or a compulsion or an obsession. It's all fine. By the way, God uses people who are wealthy, not only to do a lot of different things, if you will, for the economy, but folks, we, and I'm not, this sounds bad, but what do you think keeps the church running, right? I mean, God uses people to help things run, and it includes everything. So am I against money? Absolutely not. Is God against money? Absolutely not. Is God for doing the very best you can with the talents and education you have? Absolutely. But when all of a sudden God becomes second place and money becomes the forefront, it says a love of, well, what of money? The love of it. Who are you supposed to love God with all your heart, strength, soul, and mind? The game of the Lord. And if money becomes more important than God, now we got a problem. And that's what's going to be taking place during the tribulation period. Money will become an obsession. God becomes second place. And that's what God is warning against. Folks, just a word of the wise. If money has become a compulsion or an obsession, take a moment and check yourself. Say, well, I work 80 hours a day to put money in the bank. And I know that's not possible. Everything I do I got to make sure I get money money money money and more money folks You're gonna you're gonna wreck your family. You're gonna wreck yourself. You're gonna walk away from God. Just be careful Alright again, no problem. Go to work make money Pay your bills support your family all good, but just be careful. Don't let it become what it will become in the future Which is a horrible horrible tool Wait a minute, they got drunk with the fornication and the lust, if you will, of money. Let's go back to another very practical concept, Ephesians 5, verse 18, and do not be drunk with wine. Oh boy, here comes that old fundamentalist talk. Not just plain old Bible talk. Fresh as a daisy, right off the biblical tree. And Bible says, don't be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation. That's a fancy word for recklessness. But be what? filled, controlled with the spirit. What's God saying? And you see kind of a, it's actually a policeman on the side and a guy doing sobriety testing, come out very well. But what's it saying here? It's saying, listen, if you're drunk, what do you do? You flip around, you flop around, you fall. You say stupid things. You do things that are inappropriate. You're controlled by it. And God said, listen, Christian, hang on. He says, have you ever driven down Main Street, drove by the bar and watched some guy fall over and because he's dead drunk out of his skull? You ever seen that? I've seen it. I've seen it many a time. By the way, those of you that don't know me, while I was in law enforcement for 32 years, I saw a lot of that. Controlled by alcohol. God said, listen, Christian, you see what alcohol, he says, I want you to be filled with the spirit. I want you to be controlled by the Holy Spirit the same way that alcohol can control a drunk. You see what he's saying? He's giving us illustrations of things we can understand. Guys don't be drunk. Don't let it be don't be controlled by outside sources. Don't be controlled by drugs and alcohol. Don't be controlled by Abusing substance or substance abuse. Don't be taking stuff that your doctor didn't prescribe. It's gonna wreck you Folks that's good advice Amen, you didn't get one. There we go You're gonna make me preach now You gotta respond to me. The jail is filled 98% with folks that are on substance abuse. You go to Milwaukee County right now, there's 900 probably inmates sitting in the Milwaukee County Jail. There's probably another 1,000, 1,500 sitting in the House of Corrections. Same statistics. Proportionally we'll be hearing Racine and Kenosha. 90% of crime takes place when people are drunk or high. And God says, don't be controlled by that stuff, folks. If you're dealing with it, you call me, you see me. Let's get out of it. So he says, don't be drunk with wine in which is dissipation or recklessness, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. How do you do that? Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another, in the fear of God. Revelation 18.4, and I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people. In other words, there will be folks that'll come to the Lord during that time. And God's saying, get out. Don't spend time in Babylon. Get away from it. Don't get caught in with the luxury. Don't get caught in with the demonic realm, if you will. Okay, you ready for the next practical piece? 2 Corinthians 6, this is right to us today. The Bible makes it very clear. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Every date is a potential mate. Did you hear that? Every date is a potential mate. The Bible says don't you dare go dating unbelievers, Christian. You say, why? It's going to lead to destruction. It's going to lead to a marriage that's divided. It's going to lead to raising your children, where this person wants to say, forget Phooey on church. This person says, oh, come on, honey. I want to go to church. I want to raise our kids for God. And this person says, listen, yeah, I played along with that before we got married, but no more. Don't make alliances with the unsaved. Don't be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship is righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And God is saying to those during the tribulation, time, come out of her, my people. It's not because he hates you. It's not because he's trying to take away your fun. It's not because he's saying, I'm gonna get you. He said, listen, I want you to have a good life. I want you to walk with me. I want you to love me like a God. I want you to be able to enjoy your family. I don't want the divisions that'll take place if you're unequally yoked. What are unequally yoked? Do you take a thoroughbred horse and yoke it up with a little lame donkey? Do you take an oxen? and take a old, decrepit, old raggedy dog and put it on the other side of the yoke. It's unequally yoked, it doesn't work. You put two strong oxen in a yoke. You put two medium oxen with a similar strength in a yoke. Why? So he can walk together. And God says, listen, when you are unequally yoked, when you have a Christian versus an un-Christian, when you have those who love God versus those who don't love God, you're unequally yoked and you're going to suffer. I don't like that. Well, you may like it or you may not like it, but folks, God's trying to keep us in a situation where we can walk with God and be a blessing to others. Verse four. Bible says, listen Babylon, those that are believers, come out of her unless you share in her sins, unless you receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquity. Now, what is the censure on Babylon? Remember, render to her just as she rendered to you, repay her double according to her works, in the cup which she has mixed, mixed double for her. In other words, what God's saying, Babylon's gonna get it. and she's gonna get it hard. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow, for she says in her heart, I sit as queen and am no widow and will not see tomorrow. In other words, Babylon, the Antichrist system will rise up. All right, so now we're going to take very quickly, we're going to look at the reaction of three different groups of people. How do the kings react when Babylon falls? And this is when, did this happen yet? His future, this is gonna happen. Therefore, her plagues, Babylon plagues will come in one day. Folks, we're living in wartime right now. You've watched cities fall in a matter of a day or two. God says Babylon is going to fall as quick as one of the cities of Ukraine. Therefore, her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine. She will be utterly burned with fire." Why? Because we went back a little bit early. Babylon historically has been against God. Babylon historically has meant God's people. The Babylonian captivity put the Jewish people out of commission for 70 years, and even though they were doing it as if you will to fulfill God's will, God says, listen, even though I use Babylon to fulfill my will in punishing the Jewish people for 70 years, you're still gonna pay. Don't mess with God's people. All right, let's move on. The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxurious with her will weep and lament for her, and when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance, the fear of her torment, saying, alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty cry from one hour your judgment has come, they don't fall on their face and say, oh! We were wrong. Babylon wasn't serving God. We need to repent and got right with God. No, the leaders of the earth say, oh no, where's my money going? Oh, where's my wealth going? Where's my luxury going? They don't turn to God. the reaction of the merchants or the storekeepers, if you will, of the day, and the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her for no one buys their merchandise anymore. God is making it very clear that the kings of the earth, those who got made good money, if you will, even during the tribulation time, they're going to be tremendously upset, all of their goods will no longer be available. Verse 14, the fruit that you're so long for is gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things who became rich by her will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing. And that will be, if you will, the final reaction, if you will, of the rich and the merchants and the kings to Babylon. Now, here's the next tricky one. We're almost done. The shipmasters involved with Babylon, you say, well, wait a minute, there's no port in Babylon today. You're absolutely right. Do you know that Saddam Hussein was looking to build a white port, if you will, outside of Babylon? It's gonna happen. Watch your news. Maybe it's going to happen in our lifetime, maybe not. Watch Babylon, what's going to take place. Maybe it'll take place again. It could happen after the Lord raptures the church or takes us to heaven, but it's going to happen. Here's the reaction of the shipmasters, guaranteeing there's going to be a wet port someday. Verse 17, for one hour such great riches came to nothing. Every shipmaster, all who traveled by ship, sailors and as many as trade on the sea stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning saying What is like this great city? They threw dust on their heads and cried out weeping and wailing and saying alas alas that great city Babylon which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth for one hour. She is made desolate by the way This was on the news of her last week There's discussion, I don't know if it'll ever go anywhere, but you know where there's discussion about making Babylon the headquarters for the United Nations? It was on the news last week. I mean, I was like, are you kidding me? Babylon doesn't even exist today, and they're talking about potentially making the United Nations center there. Now folks, that's craziness. but not from a biblical perspective, and I was like, okay, maybe that's gonna fit the prophetic scenario, maybe not. I couldn't even believe they were saying that about a city that doesn't exist today. 1,000 prophecies in this book, 1,500 have come true exactly as stated, fulfilled exactly as God said they were. 500 more that are gonna be fulfilled exactly as he said. There's no doubt about it. It's coming. All right, let's close this down. Revelation 20 verse 8, Rejoice over her, O heaven. Wait a minute, what? The merchants are upset. The ship masters are upset. The kings are upset. And here's God's reaction. Rejoice, O heavens, that satanic, rotten antichrist kingdom, his terrible place where he has defiled the entire earth, has fallen. And God says, hey, we're gonna have a party up in heaven because they finally got what? So what are you saying? Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets. This is her just due. It's what God mandated would take place. Why? For God has avenged her, or you, on her, on Babylon and all the horrible things that she took place. Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, threw it into the sea, saying thus, with violence the great City of Babylon shall be thrown down and shall not be found anymore. Folks, that particular piece has not happened yet. It's still future, it's still prophetic, and God will bring his word to pass. What is the result of that? We already know it. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore. And the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore. And the voice of the bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth. For by your sorcery, demonic works, all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints. Now that's another major reason why Babylon will be judged. God loves his people. God loves the Jewish people. God loves his Christian people. And by the way, God loves the entire world. With the caveat, That you have to respond to him as we talked about before communion this morning And then her was found the blood of prophets and saints and of all who were slain on the earth Folks, here's the end What does all that mean to us we went through that extremely quick that normally I would do at least three messages on What's happening here folks I'm hoping, not that we enjoy it, not that we like it for one moment, but what's taking place in the world right now? What's the world's situation? Russia, major player in Ezekiel 38 and 39, is taking up arms and is flexing its muscles in a big way. If you understand, by the way, one third of the Bible is prophecy. You say, why do you preach on prophecy? All right, well, it's one third of the Bible. Yeah, there's two thirds of other things which we'll get to, which we will next week. but one third of it talks about yet future things. And now we're watching the stage being set for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled as Russia takes on its strength. As in all probability, it'll overtake Ukraine. As in all guaranteed, not probability, but in all guarantee, they will one day, with all the nations listed in Ezekiel 38 and 39, including China from Revelation 16, are going to attack Israel. And God's gonna wipe them out at that point, by the way. God's going to win. But the stage is being set for all that to take place. You say, why do I care about that, folks? Some of you are scared right now. Some of you are worried. What's going to happen to America? What's going to happen to my bank account? What's going to happen to my children? These are scary times. And it all comes back to one thing, folks. We've got a job to do. 2 Chronicles 7, verse 14, God gave to the Jewish people these words, and I believe they're very applicable today. If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, pray, pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, Then and only then I'll hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land. Folks, it's time that God's people got busy about God's business. It's time like never before that we took up Not guns, not machine guns and all that right now. God uses this right here in our hands. Now we may need to do all that other stuff too, but here's our weapon. I'm holding it right now. It's more powerful than any bomb on earth. God changes hearts with this and this alone. The government never changed the heart of a single person. Who does? God and God alone. Now then, Christian, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled, get yourselves right, if you will, with God. Christian, you're God's ambassador. We got a couple seats left here this morning. We need to fill them up. We have Easter time coming when folks are open to the word of God, like no other time except Christmas. We need to fill this up. You need to bury, if you will, the fear sometimes, or maybe the embarrassment sometime. And when you go to your schools, when you go to your church, or to schools, to your workplace, to your grocer, to your community, where people know you, folks, The only thing that's gonna help them, the only thing that will get them through the worst times of this earth is only one thing and one thing alone, and that's knowing Jesus Christ is our personal Savior. That's it, there's nothing else. No other assurance, no other guarantee of anything positive. Every head bowed, every eye closed, please. Father, I pray now that you do what only you can do. A little bit earlier today, we gave the gospel, how to know for sure if one died that they go to heaven. If you've not done that so far this morning, would you place your faith and trust in Jesus? He's the only, only way, only hope of salvation, and hope meaning assurance. Have you trusted and placed your faith in Him? Christian, if you're here, are you worried? Are you troubled? Are you heavy-hearted? And a good song says, tell it to Jesus right now. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, the Lord, and He shall direct your paths. Just give it to Him. and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guide your hearts and your minds. Father, help us to rest in you. Father, help us also to take our sword, the Bible, and get out there while we still have a time and tell folks about Christ. You're here this morning, are you his ambassador? You say, I don't know. Are you a Christian? You say, yes, I am. Then you're an ambassador. Would you please use what God's called you to do to tell folks about Christ this week, to invite them to church this week, would you do it? Would you make that commitment to him? Would you take one of those prayer sheets we have out in the lobby and write down one or two people in the neighborhood or folks that you know and are praying and need to pray for, stick that and tape it to the back of the inside of your Bible and put down a couple of folks that you'll pray for this week and ask God to give you the opportunity to invite them to church or to give them the gospel. Would you pray for folks this week? Would you do that, please? Father, seal what only you can do this morning. We give it to you in Christ's name, amen.