And thank you, Brother Burns, for that. We'll go to Daniel chapter four. This is not a Christmas message, but I would encourage you to do something over Christmas. I won't get to see you, Lord willing, until next Sunday. We'll travel back to Alabama tomorrow, be with my family, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. And there's all kind of traditions you can have. I'd like to recommend one to you. I'd like to recommend to you sitting around on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, whichever one it might be, and just giving your testimony to family members. You say, well, preacher, my spouse no longer here, my children no longer around, but there'll be somebody around. And just tell them how Jesus Christ saved you. Listen, greatest thing you'll ever be able to tell somebody is that you've been born again by the blood of Christ. And so many people, when they come to the end of their days and they start talking about, well, I don't know if mom was saved or not, or I think she was at such and such a Baptist church, go ahead and just make it known. This is how I got saved. And I'm looking forward to hearing my dad tell the story about when he got saved one more time this coming Christmas. Daniel chapter four, there's a phrase that just really would not leave me alone Really probably now for a couple of weeks. I want you to look at that, that phrase, you know, the story that we've looked at in Daniel four is that this great tree, this great tree that has all kinds of fruit and branches and um, that is affecting so many people around the world is going to be cut down. And after it's cut down, that picture is of Nebuchadnezzar. It's a man that's being cut down, being destroyed. And that's gonna last for seven years. And if you look in the Bible, in the description of that, I want you to see in verse number 14. This is Nebuchadnezzar's rendition before Daniel gives him the interpretation. The Bible says, he cried aloud and said thus, hew down the tree, cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, Scatter his fruit and let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from under his branches. Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field. Now, he says that at verse 15, but he repeats it again in verse 23. Look, Daniel gives the interpretation, whereas the king saw a watcher and holy one coming down from heaven and saying, hew the tree down and destroy it. yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass and the tender grass of the field. And the last time we read about that is in verse number 26, and whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall surely, or be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Now I think it's very, to me it's very, very reminiscent of when someone's life is destroyed. And what you have at the end of that life, no matter how old they are, is you have this stump. You have the part that remains. The branches, gone. The leaves, gone. The fruit, gone. All those people that were under the tree, those fowls that were in the tree, all those others, they're gone. And all you have left is this stump. And I'm sure that there was a lot of despair in the heart of Nebuchadnezzar because of that. In fact, if you take, let me show you the first time the word stump occurs in the Bible is 1 Samuel chapter 5. Would you turn there? And I do believe that there's only four occurrences of the word stump. Now, we're all very familiar with that, just as God is familiar with that. But he only mentions the word stump four times in the Bible, three times here in the book of Daniel, and comparing that to the life of a man, and one time in 1 Samuel chapter 5. In 1 Samuel chapter 5, they bring the ark of God into a pagan, idolatrous God's house named Dagon. And if you look when they bring it in, verse number two, they brought it in the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. So they take the ark of God and they set it right next to this idol, Dagon. As if to say, we can have both. And then he says this, verse three, and when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they come in the next morning, and what they see is they see this god, Dagon, that has fallen over, and it says before. Now, whether that means in front of or right next to, I can't really tell you. I'm just saying, but he fell before. So they see this god that they have framed and built, much like you find in Daniel chapter three, this image, and this god is laying on his face. Well, they take and they set him back upright. He fell down, so we set him back upright. Look what the Bible says in verse four. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold. Only the stump of Dagon was left to him." In other words, God made certain that this time you're not going to take and stand him back up. He's fallen over this time, but I'm gonna remove all hope that you're gonna be able to put him back up. I'm gonna leave a stump, and I'm gonna cut off his head, and I'm gonna cut off his hands, and you say, that's just a little bit much. No, it's not. The false gods of this world will lead you to hell. There's only one God that'll take you to heaven. Amen. I don't have a problem saying that. I know we say, well, we're going to heaven our own way. No, we're not. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Now that being said, so what God does is he leaves a stump of a God. In your mind, if you could think, all that's left is this stump. It's broken off, hands are broken off, head's broken off. God says you're not gonna put it back up again. All right, go back then to Daniel chapter four and think about that for a moment. The hope of Nebuchadnezzar and the life that he's living is about to change. Verse four, I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house. and flourishing in my palace. Nebuchadnezzar could look around at all the blessings that he had, though he didn't acknowledge they were from God, he wanted to say, I built these things, I amassed all these things. He's at rest. He's at rest in his house, he's flourishing, he's growing, he's thriving, a picture of that tree. And now he's about to have hope taken away. And he's told that you're gonna be like this stump. We're gonna leave, verse 15, nevertheless leave the stump. You know, Christmas time for me is a wonderful time. I do, I enjoy all these decorations and I enjoy family. I enjoy singing songs about Jesus. I enjoy all that, I really do. We enjoy giving gifts. We enjoy eating together. But you know, Christmas time for some people is one of the hardest times of the year. It's hard to put that in perspective when you're younger. When you haven't known the loss of things the way that Nebuchadnezzar's about to lose things. It's hard to put that in perspective. It's hard to put it in perspective somebody that will be without their spouse for the first time this Christmas. It's hard to put it in perspective someone that will be without their father or their mother for the first time this Christmas. It's hard to think about somebody who finalized a divorce this year. And Christmas time is not something they're looking forward to. It's something they're dreading. It's something that they have all kinds of anxiety about how that's gonna go and how that's gonna work out. There are people this year that lost everything. Listen, businesses around this country have closed in droves. They're gonna have Christmas this year, and they're not gonna have anything like they had the previous year, and Christmas becomes a very hard time for them. And Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar, I want you to see what God describes about Nebuchadnezzar and how hope is taken away from him. Now, I don't believe that's true, perhaps, of most of us here tonight, but it is true of him. Look in verse number 14. In verse 14, he cried aloud and said thus, Hew down the tree. All right, that's demolition. of a tree. When you hew down a tree, you know, there are guys that have these great big saws that have these huge bars on them, and they can take that huge husk of arna, and they can cut that into that tree, and in a matter of minutes, it's gone. When you demolish a building, you set all kinds of charges around specific points of that structure. You detonate them at one time, and that whole building comes down. But that's not what happens when you hew down a tree. When you hew down a tree, you take an axe in hand and stroke after stroke, stroke after stroke, pieces begin to fly off and parts begin to fly out. And that's exactly what is happening here. Hew down the tree. The destruction of Nebuchadnezzar's life by stroke. I've heard people say it this year. I've heard them say it. Preacher, I thought it couldn't get any worse, and then this happened. I'm amazed at all of the things that have happened. And I thought that it wouldn't get worse. And what they do is they watch stroke after stroke, perhaps their marriage, perhaps their health, perhaps their finances, perhaps their children, their spouse. And it's just like stroke after stroke, something's being removed. There's demolition of this man's life, but it doesn't stop there, and it's amazing. Look at verse 23, because I don't want you to miss this word. And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven and saying, hewed the tree down. Pretty much the same thing, but look at the next three words, and destroyed. Do you see that? This tree, this man's life wasn't just gonna be demolished. But this man's life was going to be deconstructed. Look at it again, verse number 14. It's a sad picture. Verse 14, cut off his branches. Look, if you're going to cut down the tree, what does it matter where the branches are? Why not just leave them? But instead, we're going to take and we're going to remove all the growth. Every year that tree grows and those branches move out and they get larger. That's just a testimony to the growth. And what's happening is the growth of Nebuchadnezzar's life from the time that he was a young man until the time he's at the pinnacle that he's at now, he's going to have that removed, all the growth of his life. And people suffer and they sorrow over that growth. But look at the next thing. Again, it's in your Bible. And shake off his leaves. Shake them off. Get rid of them. Why? What's the point? I mean, come on, the tree's down now. Cut off the branches. Why do I need to shake off the leaves? The leaves are a lifeline to that tree. That's the way that tree breathes. That's the way that tree exchanges carbon dioxide and oxygen. And now we're getting rid of all the things that connect to life. except the root. All the things that are fulfilling, all the things that bring joy, all the things that there's some kind of life in is shaken off. Look at the next thing, the Bible says this, and scatter his fruit, take all the productivity of his life, remove what he's produced. There are people in this world, this year, that they're going to go through a Christmas, and the things that they worked so hard for are going to be gone. And the things that they built a life on are going to be gone. And they may have pictures, but they're not going to have what they had. That's Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar's life is being deconstructed, his branches, his leaves, his fruit. This is the hardest. To me, this is the hardest thing. Verse 14, let the beast get away from under it and the fowls from his branches. Now we know that to be all the people of the earth. So that means that others were removed from his life. I think that's probably one of the hardest things that people have to go through when people they love are removed from their life. This man's life is not just demolished, but it's deconstructed. The people that he has been around or around him, they're removed now. A mother, a father, a spouse, children. All the productivity of his life, the wealth that he had, removed now. All the things that were good about his life when it comes to the life, the enjoyment of it, removed now. The growth, all the things that were out there that he took time and stretched himself, they're all gone. And when you look at that, that is such a picture of hopelessness. 15, nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth. When I read that, when I read that phrase, nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, you know what I get out of that? I get hope out of that. The tree's gone. The branches are gone, the leaves are gone, the fruit's gone, and everything else is gone. Everybody's gone, and all you got is that stump, that part that remains. But God said, I want you to take a ring of brass and iron, and I want you to take it, and I want you to hold it together. I want you to constrict it, hold it tight together. And when I see that that stump's left there, I see hope. And I don't just see it here, put a little mark right there in Daniel 4 and go if you would to Job chapter 14. You see the same thing in Job 14. There are a lot of people that are gonna be without hope this year. A lot of people that are going to look at their life and say, oh my goodness, how did it end up this way? That's why people take their life. That's why people end up going and wasting their life on alcohol and drugs because they want to be numb to all of those things. Job 14, look what the Bible says, speaking, and I watch. Verse 1, man that is born of woman is a few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down. He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. And dost thou not open thine eyes upon such a one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, not one? Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds, that he cannot pass turn from him, that he may rest till he shall accomplish as in hireling his day. For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again and that the tender branch thereof will not cease, though the root thereof wax old in the earth and the stalk thereof die in the ground, yet through the scent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant. You find the same thing in Job 14 that you find in Daniel chapter 4, this tree that is demolished and deconstructed, and all that's left is a stump. Look how God compares it. It's amazing to me. Verse 1, you have birth. Man that is born of woman, you have birth, but you've only got a few days and full of trouble. Can anybody say amen to that? Hey, listen, life is full of trouble. It is a lie that is preached on these Christian radio television shows that, hey, God just wants you healthy, wealthy, and wise, and if you'll buy my book and do your hair like me and come to my place, then you can have a perfect life. That's a lie. Man that is born of woman is a few days and full of trouble. Look at the comparison, verse number two. He cometh forth like a flower and is cut down. It's like a flower that's been harvested. You know, when you harvest a flower, it's beautiful. I don't think flowers smell today. I don't know what they did with the fragrance of flowers. I guess they genetically just wired all that stuff out. I think God did a better job with flowers than man's done with flowers. But you cut that flower off, and boy, you look at it, and man, it's fragrant, it's beautiful, but you know, it's only gonna last a little while because you just, you cut off the life, just like that stump. Then look what else it says. The Bible says, he fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not. A shadow that is fleeting. The light is going down. The shadow is getting longer. And soon there will be no shadow because when the sun's down, the shadow leaves. You see what he's saying? Man that's born is born to trouble and shortness of life. And he's born, he's born like a flower is, harvested like a shadow that's fleeting. And then he comes down to this tree, verse seven. For there is hope of a tree if it be cut down. So here's a tree that's cut down. And look, not only is it cut down, but look at verse number eight. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, You know, the Bible says that we're like trees, that we're supposed to be like a tree that's planted by the rivers of water. How many of you feel like you could relate to that root waxing old? Anybody like that out here in the auditorium? Root wax is old. But then not only does it stop there, then he says, not only is the root wax old, but he says the stalk thereof has died. It's dead in the ground. That's a pretty bad picture. It's a bad picture, the same thing you see in Nebuchadnezzar's life, but there's a phrase, there's a phrase, I hope you underline it, because it's what I'm preaching on, verse number seven, there is hope. There is hope. That harvested flower, that shadow that's fleeting, that tree that's been cut down, there is hope. That though it's been cut down, look at the way it's described, verse 7, that you've got sprouts. And in verse number 9, you have buds. And in verse number 9, you have bows. You've got sprouts, buds, and bows. You know what that sounds like to me? Something that's living again. Most of us have seen that. You've seen a stump that's been cut down and all of a sudden those branches are coming up out of that stump and they're all, we've got some right here on the property. We've got them up by the widow's apartments. These branches that are coming up out of there. That tree's been long cut down, it's hardened, it's weathered, and yet there's still life coming up out of it. But how did that come to pass? In verse number nine is how it came to pass. Look what the Bible says. Yet through the scent of water it will bud. Have you ever smelled water? The only water I've ever smelled is in Florida. Y'all laughing, you smelled it too, hadn't you? You go to this beautiful place, you're down there on the coast, you got the sand, you got the sun, you got all these things, and every time you turn on the sink, you got rotten eggs coming out. I don't understand it. That's the only time I've ever smelled water. The scent of water. You know, we talk about that rich man, he said, I just want a drop. Well, the scent of water is less than a drop. Would you agree with me on that? A scent of water, that's not a lot of water. That's like smelling rain from a distance, but not having anything that gets wet. And you've got to have that water if you're going to have something come to life. Again, I'm not a farmer. I don't claim to be, but I do know this. John chapter 12 says that except a corn of wheat fall on the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, It brings forth much fruit. It's always amazing to me how you can take and you can mark off a row and you can take two little kernels of corn and you can start dropping them in the ground and you can put them in there and they're all withered and shrunk and shriveled and you cover those things up and you get enough water on top of those and all of a sudden you'll have little sprouts coming up out of the ground. You got to have water for that to happen. To have that to happen, there has to be watering going on. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, Paul talks about, I have planted, Apollos watered, God gave the increase. What I'm saying is here in this passage, the hope of this tree in Job 14 is based on the scent of water. Now, I'm going to tell you what I believe that is. I believe that's the Word of God. And I'm going to show you why I believe that. Go, if you would, and get two places, Deuteronomy 32, Isaiah 55. Are you still with me? Deuteronomy 32, Isaiah 55. I believe the picture in Job 14 of this tree that's been cut down, that at the scent of water, it begins to sprout and to bud and to have boughs that are growing. It's because of the water. If you look at Deuteronomy 32, Isaiah 55. In Deuteronomy chapter 32, look what the Bible says. Look at verse number two. We'll start in verse one. Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass. So in other words, the words of a man, are you looking at your Bible? The words of a man are compared to water that is being distilled as the dew. Small rain upon the tender herb and showers upon the grass. Dew is very different from a very small rain, a light rain. And then showers are very different. The words here are being compared to the word of God. Look if you would one more time, Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. Look at verse number 10, Isaiah 55, 10. Well, we'll start, I just love to read verse 8, let's read that. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. Watch verse 11 now. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. In other words, God is comparing his words to water. At the scent of water, an old dead tree can sprout and bud and blossom. Now, I'm not gonna do it tonight, but I could preach it. Wouldn't you agree with me? We are born, not of corruptible seed, but of the incorruptible Word of God. I'm telling you right now, I found out who Jesus was through the Bible. Listen, something that's dead, on its way to hell, has no life in it, can be born again. Regenerate is what we call it. Comes to life. Hey, I'm glad to not, listen, I'm not going to preach it tonight because I want to get back to my point. I'm glad to not, I've got life on the inside that didn't come from me. It came from heaven above. It's not something I created. It's not something you get as a Baptist. You don't get a card that says I'm a Baptist and you get life from that. No, you get something better. You get eternal life from God and he puts it on the inside and it can't be taken away. Amen. Somebody told me on the way out today they appreciated my energy. I can't help it. I'm just, there's something living on the inside. There's something down inside. And what I'm saying is it's like the rain that comes down. God is saying my word is like the rain and like the snow that comes and gives life. That's Job 14. But that doesn't help me in Daniel four. Go back to Daniel four. Maybe it does. Daniel 4 I'm not I'm not much longer now stay with me Daniel 4. I know I feel like I'm going a long circuitous way right here So I'm talking about hope so let's look at it just a minute Daniel chapter 4 Daniel chapter 4, if the Word of God is something that gives hope, and let me read to you. Maybe you could write out in the fly leaf of your Bible there by verse number 26. Write Romans 15 verses 3, or excuse me, verses 4 and 13. Let me read it to you while you're looking at your Bible. Romans 15, 4, the Bible says this. Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Hey, church, you know where we find our hope? We don't find it in a new president. We find it in the Word of God. I find hope in the Word of God. But it doesn't stop there because it's not only in the Word of God. Listen to verse 13. fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost." A life that is wrecked can find hope in the Scriptures and it can find hope in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the God of hope. You say, preacher, you don't understand. It's gonna be hard this year. I do understand. In this fashion, whatever the loss is, whatever the thing that is that takes away hope and brings despair, there's a God in heaven that can put hope in your heart that abounds if you believe the Bible. Now, let's just go, let's just look at Daniel 4, see if that works, Daniel 4. Daniel 4, and speaking of that very thing, In verse number 15, nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots, even with the band of iron and brass and the tender grass. So we're gonna leave the stump there. Then look what the Bible says in verse number 23, it says, whereas the king saw the watcher and the holy one coming down from heaven and saying, hew the tree down, destroy it, yet leave the stump of the roots there up in the earth, even as the band of iron and brass and the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beast of the field, till seven times pass over him. Verse 26, and whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, now watch, are you watching? Thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee. After that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Now you just gonna have to indulge me for a minute. This morning I was talking about Nebuchadnezzar had fingernails like claws of an animal. Had hair like an eagle. He's running around seven years, seven years, a life that has been demolished, a life that has been deconstructed piece by piece. The good has been removed. People have been removed. And here's this man, he's a man, I know he's the ruler of the world at that time, he's a man, and he's out there and he's eating grass, and his whole life is transformed. And in my mind, now listen, in my mind, if hope If hope is found through the scent of water, in my mind now, is it possible that verse number 26, this man's life that's deconstructed, is it possible that the words of God came back to him and said, Nebuchadnezzar, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee. After that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. What if that man's out there eating grass and all of a sudden he remembers, Seven years later, wait, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee. He's lost his mind. He has no concept of who he was, but now something's coming back and something's touching, like the scent of water. I don't know how you see it. I think Nebuchadnezzar at some point in his life, he's out there and he's got these claws, and he's walking around, and man, his hair's a mess, and he's probably not clothed very well, and he's eating grass. He's a crazy man. He's an embarrassment to his family. He's nobody you want to be around. And all of a sudden, that verse, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee. Thy kingdom. I had a kingdom. He said the kingdom would be sure unto me. He said that my kingdom would be sure unto me. The God of heaven promised that my kingdom would be restored unto me. And maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe he's out there in the field, and he went, whoa! And they thought, there he is again. Old Neb, he's lost it again today. Except on that day, he came walking back in. He said, listen, you need to get some of my quarters together. I need a pedicure. I need to get this stuff off my hand. I want you to get the barber. I need to get this cut off. And I want that suit of clothes that I used to wear on those special days that hangs in the left-hand corner of that closet, I want you to bring those out here because I'm about to put them back on. I think everybody's just stepping backs in. Is that possible? Is that, I'll tell you it's possible because he had a, look at it, I'm not making this up. Verse 26, thy kingdom, your stump, your life's destroyed, demolished, deconstructed. Thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee. After that thou shalt, known that the heavens do rule. Can I, listen, listen, let's just make it real practical. Some people gonna face some things this year that are real difficult. Maybe the people that they loved are gone from them. Can I say this to you? The Bible promises, you wanna know something that's got the sin of water into it? I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Your children may leave, your spouse may leave, listen, mom and dad may graduate to glory, you may have friends that graduate to glory, but are you listening to me? You're still never alone with the Lord Jesus Christ. You're not alone. No, but I'm despairing, and I know it hurts, and it's bothersome. Oh, God, why? And I love them so much, and I wanted us to stay close together forever, and now they're gone, but I'm telling you, they may leave. God will never leave. I'd say that's a pretty good sin of water right there. Preacher, my business is destroyed. My finances are destroyed. My 401K is all a mess. I've spent my savings and things just look horrible. Hey, I got a good verse for you. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches. Aren't you glad it's not according to your riches? It's according to his riches. I don't know what we're gonna do, preacher. I don't know how we're gonna make ends meet. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to keep the house. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to keep the cars. I'm just, I'm embarrassed about the whole thing. Look, I'm just telling you right now, God, are you listening? God can supply the need. Smells like a little sin of water to me. Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Boy, aren't you glad that there's somebody that cares. You know, the song says, does Jesus care? That's the question. Does Jesus care? You know, the chorus says, oh, yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary and the long nights dreary, I know He cares. Listen, there may be people tonight, you may be listening by live stream or on the internet, and this year may have been so upside down, and there may be burdens that you have carried and hope has gone right out the door, and you've seen huge branches of your life cut off, and you've looked and you've lost some things you don't think you'll ever get back. I want to tell you something tonight. There's a God in heaven that can restore hope because He cares for you. You've got to roll those burdens onto him because he's got shoulders big enough to carry them. I'm glad I'm not just preaching tonight. I'm glad what I'm saying is true, that I can find comfort and hope, not only in the Scripture, but in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. I've told this before. My grandmother I used to feel sorry for. Because my granddaddy, Logan, passed away as a younger man in his 50s, and she didn't know how to drive, didn't drive a car. And all of her kids gone, six of them. Didn't have a job, just took care of the house. I remember talking to her about that. You know, grandmother just kind of feels sorry for you being here all by yourself. And my grandmother said, oh, you don't need to feel sorry for me. I'm not by myself. The Lord's right here with me. You say, that's wishful thinking. No, that's Bible. And that gives hope. And she was such a hopeful lady, even though her life was very hard. As a Bible college student here some 30 years ago almost now, Hurricane Hugo came in. I'd never seen a hurricane, didn't know anything about it. I drove to the coast. I wanted to see what a hurricane, what the destruction looked like. Probably not a good thing to do, but I did it. I don't know if I had permission, Brother Raul, please don't give me the demerits tonight. But on the way down there, I started looking and seeing, and you could see millions, multi-millions of dollars of destruction, homes. And there were places I couldn't even get into. And it was really sad, I'm looking at all that. And then I saw this huge sign, probably at least as wide as I'm reaching right now, at least six feet wide, probably larger, staked out right there at the entrance of one of these huge subdivisions. And here's what it said, hope still rises with the sun. And you know, I took that, and they meant it in a carnal way, as long as the sun comes up, we still have hope. I say hope still rises with the sun. No matter where you are, what you face, what you have to go through. No matter what you have to carry, no matter how big your load is, I'm telling you right now, hope still rises with the sun. And if I could, I would reach into people's lives and I would help strengthen and comfort and do all the things that I know that I'm limited in. But where I know I can't go, are you listening to me tonight? This Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ can go much farther than anybody else can go. So you say, I just don't know if I got any hope this year. Preacher, it's been taken away. Well, it couldn't be taken away much worse than Nebuchadnezzar. leaves are shaken and gone, fruits scattered, branches cut off, nothing but a stump with a band of brass and iron around it. But then a promise came from heaven and a man that lost everything got restored and added to. So I say there is hope tonight. There is hope. You're gonna have to receive that. It can't just be a bunch of words that I preached in an evening. You're gonna have to take that. And you're gonna have to let these words in the Son of God give you something on the inside that nobody else can give you. And when it comes from heaven, it's real and lasting. and there won't be a bill that comes along with it. Could I get an amen at Christmas time right there? No bill. Let's stand on our feet just a moment, would you? Brother Ken, Sister Judy. You know, I'd invite you to come tonight if there's somebody you know that is carrying such a burden this year. If you could get the scripture to them and if you could get them to see Jesus,