Micah chapter three, Micah chapter three. Politicians and preachers denounced. And I'm just gonna say again, Micah did not have a popular warm, fuzzy feeling message that he had when he in particular gave a message to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. And again, this is when we think about this is one of the last messages obviously from prophets before Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom. but he's going to, in this chapter, have quite a bit for Judah as well. Notice we have verses one through four to begin with, as he denounces the princes, the politicians of his day. It says in verse one, and I said, here, I pray you, so I remind you that as we saw back in chapter one, there's three different series of messages here that he presents, here is the key word to recognize that a new message is starting. And so we have chapter 1, verse 2, chapter 3, verse 1, and then chapter, I think it's 6, verse 1, as we see the different starts of the different prophecies. And he said, here I pray you, O heads of Jacob and ye princes of the house of Israel, is it not for you to know judgment, so justice, discernment, those types of things, who hate the good and love the evil, who pluck off their skin from off them and their flesh from off their bones, who also eat the flesh of my people and flay their skin from off them. Notice the word pictures here. And they break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot, as flesh within the cauldron. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them. He will even hide his face from them at that time. as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. I want to remind us of chapter 1, verses 2 and 3 again, as far as the start of these prophecies. Verses 2 and 3 of chapter 1. Hear, all ye people, hearken, O earth, and all that therein is. Let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and I will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. Again, that's how these prophecies started. And so it's interesting as the Lord is witnessing against Israel and Judah from his holy temple, we see that he's coming forth out of his holy temple to deal with the sin and so on. Isaiah 26 verses 20 and 21 says, come my people, enter thou into thy chambers. and shut thy doors about thee. Hide thyself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation be overpassed. For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain." Notice that statement again. The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain. So when we think about the descriptions here in verses two and three, in relation to the princes of the house of Israel, so again, this is the Northern Kingdom here, but he's also going to, in this chapter, going to insert some things as far as Judah as well, because he speaks of Zion, but he says, O heads of Jacob and ye princes of the house of Israel, is it not for you to know judgment? Now, as we break down this chapter here, first of all, in verses one through four, we see the cruelties of the princes, as I'm referring to them politicians as we know them today. Verses five through seven, there's falsehoods of the prophets. So he deals with the preachers. And then verses eight through 12, there's a false sense of security as they are trusting in the fact that they're going to not experience the Lord's judgment. And so as we see what was true in about 710 BC, it's still true today as we see this in this chapter. So it says here, the end of verse one again, is it not for you to know judgment? So we're speaking here of justice, discernment between good and evil, because it says, beginning of verse two, who hate the good and love the evil. So that tells you exactly, this is the answer to the question, is it not for you to know judgment? They hate good and love evil. That doesn't sound like anything today, right? So as we think about Christians today, who continue to vote for so-called lesser of two evils. And so we get increasing evil. So we have this same type of thing here today. Do we truly hate evil and love good as we vote for lessers of two evils? Well, we don't want, you know, we have a liberal either way. We have a liberal either way. And so The reality is, as we think about the message that was directed to the princes, but it also related to the people as well. Now, as far as the princes here, it says, they pluck off their skin from off them and their flesh from off their bones. I mean, these are quite the word pictures here. And I remind you that prophecies are given with similitudes. They picture something. And so, as we think about The similitudes that are mentioned here, as we understand, even in first Samuel, chapter eight, where it says the king that Israel wanted would take, would take, would take. I believe that's what this is describing here. Literally, they're just taking everything from these people. And it's described even, verse three, eating the flesh of my people and flay their skin from off them. and they break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot as the flesh and as flesh within the cauldron. Now, again, I believe these are similitudes to picture using people for gain. But at the same time, though, I believe this is speaking of of oppressive, murderous governments, as we've seen throughout history. So when you think about the rulers doing these things in these, according to these phrases here in verses two and three, I think of the Armenians in Turkey, which is Ottoman Empire at that time. And there were up to two million people were killed from 1915 to 1918 during the time of World War I. So we think about all of the wicked things that were done to the Armenian people. Then we think of Rwanda in 1994, I think it was, for 100 days. They estimate as many as one million were killed because they were part of the wrong tribe. So we see rulers doing these types of things, literally killing off many multitudes of people. Cambodia, 1975 to 1979, one and a half to two million people. There was an attempt to kill Christians. That was their stated purpose. But entire villages were killed to make sure they got all the Christians. And you have the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Vladimir Lenin, then the Russian Civil War that followed after that, and eventually And there were up to 20 million people died in all of those things in the years following. But tribal purging in the Congo, Africa, millions, China, all throughout these things in history. But it's interesting. I have a book. I've never read it. But I kind of glanced back at it because I remembered seeing it here recently. But there was a book that was written. It's entitled Death by Government. And basically, as I was just looking down index, the table of contents, it showed all of the different times in history. And literally, they estimate that millions upon hundreds of millions of people have died in some of these things started by the government. So then when we think about abortion in the United States and internationally, so we think about these descriptive phrases here. Eating the flesh of my people. When we stop and realize that Parts of aborted babies are in vaccines even. Flay their skin from off them. Some of the pictures of these babies that are literally burned alive in the womb. We're doing that to people. Those are children with a soul. Chop them in pieces. Hmm, that sounds like an abortion. As for the pot, it's the flesh as within the cauldron. So death by government. So we see here that there's a condemning of the princes of the house of Israel. Again, the question in verse one is, is it not for you to know judgment? Again, the summary, they hate the good and love the evil. Verse four, then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them. Now, who's the they in this verse? It says, he will not hear them. He will even hide his face from them at that time as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. I remind you that in verse one, he's addressing the princes here. So when the judgment upon the nation comes, they will cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them. It's interesting, people don't want anything to do with the Lord until they hit a rough spot in life, and then they'll start praying. I was reminded of the situation that happened in the United States after 9-11. All of a sudden, for three days, everybody's praying in bars and canceling football games or sports games and all that for three days. And then after that, it's back to business as usual, corruption as usual. Notice with me Proverbs 1. Proverbs 1. Idea in scripture is that people will do their own thing, and then when it gets rough, then they decide they want help from the Lord. Well, there's a time when the Lord will say, nope, sorry, you didn't want me before, so. Proverbs 1, verse 24, this is in relation to God's wisdom. Verse 24, because I have called and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. But ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof. They didn't want God's word. They didn't want the reproof of the word of God. I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind. when distress and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. Notice, this is wisdom, God's wisdom speaking. Then shall they call upon me and I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge, and notice, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. That sounds like what Micah said. They hate the good and love the evil. that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them. Prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me and to wisdom shall dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil." Also Isaiah chapter one. Isaiah chapter one, we saw this at the beginning of our Micah study, but I want you to see this in the context of what he's saying in chapter three here. Isaiah chapter one, verses 10 through 15. Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers. So Isaiah's writing to, this message from God to Judah. And notice, ye rulers of Sodom. Give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. Even in the time of Isaiah's prophecy, Judah was already being described as Sodom and Gomorrah. That's how wicked they were already becoming. They still had a good king coming, King Hezekiah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? Saith the Lord, I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations. Incense is an abomination to me. Here's some things that God had asked for them to do in relation to their worship of him. Notice the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies. I cannot away with, I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. So the things that God had ordained for them to do in their worship of him, he actually says, I don't want, it's become wicked, it's iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed feasts, my soul hateth. There are trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear, your hands are full of blood. As you go back to Elmica, I want you to notice again that there's a point where God will not hear when they call. It says again in verse four, then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them. He will even hide his face from them at that time as they, have behaved themselves ill in their doings. So again, we see here that even in our day, we've replaced biblical Christianity with conservative politics, the so-called moral majority. It's not very moral anymore. You think about compromise between Baptists, Catholics, and Mormons to the point where Liberty University will give a Mormon an honorary doctorate. So all of these things, so now we have log cabin Republicans as they are standing for the sodomite lifestyle. We have profane, adulterous presidents many times now. That tells us where we are as a nation. And again, when judgment comes upon this land, they're going to cry out to the Lord. We're going to want religion again. And God says, I'm sorry, you've missed your opportunity. So first of all, we see the message to the princes. Then verses five through seven, we have the falsehoods of the preachers, the prophets. Notice verse five through seven, it says, thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err. Notice the prophets are leading people into error, that bite with their teeth and cry, peace. And he that puteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Therefore, night shall be unto you that ye shall not have a vision, and it shall be dark unto you that ye shall not divine. and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed and the diviners confounded. Yea, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer of God. First of all, you see what the prophets do in verse five. It says, first of all, the prophets that make God's people to err. So God's chosen nation was led into error because of the prophets. Second of all, that bite with their teeth, One preacher described this as taking a bite out of them financially, because that's how the verse ends here. And notice they cry peace. They cry out a message of peace, even as they're leading them into error. I want you to see something else in Isaiah, Isaiah 57. Isaiah 57. So they're crying out peace when there is no opportunity for peace in the nation. Isaiah 57, notice verse 19 into chapter 58. Isaiah 57, verse 19. I create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him that is far off and to him that is near, saith the Lord, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. Notice there is no peace, saith my God to the wicked. Notice chapter 58 then, cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice. So this is a message to the wicked. This is a continued thought here in this chapter, dealing with the wicked at the end of chapter 57. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. I wanna go show these people over here that are allowing their so-called music to disturb us. I'm gonna go show them their iniquity also, their transgression, but anyway. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God. They ask of me the ordinances of justice. They take delight in approaching God. Notice again, verse one there, Isaiah said to cry aloud, spare, not lift up a voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression in the house of Jacob, their sins. Verse three, Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not. Why have we been fasting, Lord? You're not paying attention to us. Wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledge? You're not paying attention. Behold, in the day of your fast, ye find pleasure in exact all your labors. So the fast did not mean anything. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Ye shall not fast as ye do this day to make your voice to be heard on high? Is it such a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen, to loose the bands of wickedness?" Again, this is in the context, verse 20 of chapter 57, the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire, there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. To loose your bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke, prove your repentance, prove your fasting is making a difference. He wanted a changed life. So when you think about As you go back to Micah 3, verse 5 at the end there, it says, he that put it not into their mouths. Who's he speaking to here? He's speaking to the prophets, right? He that put it not into their mouths. So they're all about financial gain. So if you're not giving something to this prophet, it says they even prepare war against him. They will attack the one who doesn't financially support them. Therefore, night shall be unto you. As you pay attention to verse six, notice statements here. Night, dark, and the day shall be dark. Therefore, night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision. Again, he's speaking to the prophets here. They won't be able to see what the Lord has for the future. And it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine, and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Isaiah 8, verses 19 and 20 says this. And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto wizards that peep and that mutter, should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead, to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. I want you to understand that night, the dark, the darkness, the day shall be dark, that tells us that there's a darkness that they could not even see the message of God anymore. The light has gone out in many churches today. As we think about how many times something is twisted in scripture, even as I've mentioned here recently in a couple of series, but the light has gone out in many churches and in many cases, they don't even see it. Verse seven, it says, then shall the seers be ashamed and the diviners confounded, confused. Yea, they shall all cover their lips for there is no answer of God. So as far as the seers here, it's one who sees a vision, a prophet. 1 Samuel 9 tells us that Samuel was called a seer. The prophet was originally called a seer. So in the context, we see that not a prophet of God that has a message from God. As far as a diviner here, it speaks of one who professes divination, one who pretends to predict events, or to reveal occult things by the aid of superior beings or of a supernatural means. Reminds me of Benny Hinn. Benny Hinn is not a prophet of God. He's not a Bible preacher. But here's what I want you to catch at the end of verse seven. There is no answer of God. God is not answering them, even though they are trying to seek this message from God. The third part of the chapter, notice in verses eight through 12, there's a false sense of security. What we see in this passage is it's caused by their princes and prophets, giving them a false sense of security, the people, a false sense of security in their wickedness. It says in verse eight, truly, but truly, contrast here, but truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord and of judgment and of might to declare unto Jacob his transgression and Israel his sin. Notice here, it says, truly, I am full of power by the spirit of God. That's not a statement of pride. That's a statement saying, I've been filled with the Spirit of God, and therefore I have the power, the authority to proclaim the message of God. And notice, the Spirit of the Lord and of judgment and of might to declare unto Jacob transgression and to Israel his sin. So as we think about 1 John 3 and verse 4, sin is a transgression, transgression of God's law. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. That's in the New Testament. Again, I want you to understand very clearly why God wants to fill people with the Spirit of God. This is not just for the preacher, by the way. This is not just for the pastor. In fact, it says in Acts, they were all filled with the Spirit of God and proclaimed the Word of God with boldness. Notice here, when we have the filling of the power of the Spirit of the Lord, we are able to declare transgression and sin. We have a message to declare that is not popular, and God is the one who gives us the power and the authority to proclaim God's truth. I think of John the Baptist. It says, John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elias. How many miracles did John the Baptist commit, perform, I should say? John did no miracle. That's what the people said of him. He had no miracle, but it says he had the spirit and power of Elias. So as we think about the spirit the Spirit's power that's designed for us to be able to declare to this generation, our generation, the wickedness of it. Verse nine. Hear this, I pray you. He heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel. Notice that a poor judgment and pervert all equity. Notice they abhor judgment and they pervert equity. Notice the wickedness here. Says he's pleading with them. Hear this, I pray you. This is right after verse eight, the power of the Spirit to proclaim the transgression and sin to the people. I pray ye heads," he's talking about the leaders here, the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel. Again, they abhor judgment, they pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. So we see here that this announcement here is they're talking about the judgment that's abhorred and equity that is perverted. So I think of the preachers of our day, so-called, James Dobson, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Paula White, Mike Huckabee, Robert Jeffress, on the list goes. I've mentioned this before, how many of these preachers have had access to the presidents, several presidents in the United States? How many of them have ever, ever announced the wickedness of our land? How many of them have ever reproved rulers for their wickedness? That tells me they do not have the Spirit of God. They do not have the power of the Spirit behind them, or they would proclaim these things. So you think about our rulers, our judges, our congressmen. How many are telling them to stop abhorring judgment, to hold to righteousness? How many preachers are telling our rulers today, stop perverting all equity? Verse 10, it says, they build up Zion with blood. Hmm, that's interesting. They're trying to build up Zion today with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. Notice Judah was not exempt in this message from Micah. Notice with me Jeremiah 22. Jeremiah 22, verse 13. There's another woe. This is, of course, a message to Judah, Jeremiah's message. Jeremiah 22, verse 13. Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by wrong. They useth his neighbor's service without wages and giveth him not for his work. Thus saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers and cutteth them out windows, and it is sealed with cedar and painted with vermilion. It's kind of a red paint or dye. Thou shalt thou reign because thou closest thyself in cedar. Did not thy father eat and drink and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? Your father was just in his dealings, and it went well with him. So is it going to go well for you, he's asking? He judged the cause of the poor and needy, then it was well with him. Was not this to know me, saith the Lord? But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood and for oppression and for violence to do it. Notice also Ezekiel 22. Ezekiel 22. Again, this was a common message amongst the prophets. Very similar messages as they announced the problems, the wickedness they were using to rule. Notice verse 23 and following of Ezekiel 22. And the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Say unto her, thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They have taken the treasure and precious things. They have made her many widows in the midst thereof. All right, so we see all the different groups here that are singled out as far as Ezekiel's message. Verse 26, now the priests. Her priests have violated my law and profaned mine holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and profane. Neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Now the princes," again, this sounds like Micah's message, her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood and to destroy souls to get dishonest gain. And her prophets, notice the prophets again here, Her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken. They pretend to speak on behalf of God. The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery and have vexed the poor and needy. Yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. Notice he says, I sought for a man. I'm seeking for one man among them. In the context, we have the priests, The princes, the people and the prophets all singled out, all of them being singled out for judgment. I saw for one man among them, a man that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it. But I found none. Notice there was no intercessor for the nation. Therefore, have I poured out my indignation upon them? I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. Their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God. Also Habakkuk 2, Habakkuk 2, verse 12 and 13. There's another similar message to Micah. Habakkuk 2, verse 12. Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood and establish a city by iniquity. Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for vanity? Again, verse 12, Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood and establish a city by iniquity. I believe we see a lot of that in our world today. Back in Micah 3, verse 11, the heads thereof judge for reward, for bribes. Nobody in our government is perverted by rewards, right? APAC with almost $2 million to Ted Cruz's campaign. I think it's Joe Biden's gotten almost $4 million over the years. Nobody's been corrupted by rewards, right? The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire. It's all about the money. And notice the prophets thereof divine for money. All right, so as they say, follow the money. Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say, is not the Lord among us? Notice this, this is the confidence here, the false security. None evil can come upon us. Is not the Lord among us? I think of some of the statements that were made in relation to the Republican National Convention. God is with us. As they had, what was that religion? They had somebody pray in the beginning of the national convention. Some false worship. Notice, is not the Lord among us? Not an evil can come upon us. It's a false sense of security. Verse 12, therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. We saw this at the beginning of Micah. I want you to see this again because this statement is mentioned. Jeremiah 26, Jeremiah 26. Notice, Zion for your sake shall be plowed as a field. Jeremiah 26, verses 16 through 19. Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets, this man is not worthy to die for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God. Then rose up certain of the elders of the land and spake to all the assembly of the people saying Micah, the Morestite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and spake to all the people of Judah saying, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Zion shall be plowed like a field and Jerusalem shall become heaps. and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? So why are we going to try to kill Jeremiah here? We didn't, you know, Hezekiah and them, they didn't put Micah to death, the same type of message. Did he not fear the Lord and besought the Lord and the Lord repented him of the evil that he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls. So it says that Jerusalem would be plowed as a field. Zion would be plowed as a field. In 70 AD, the Roman conquest is described by Jewish historian Josephus in this way. According to accounts, the Romans ran a plow over the central part of the city. Micah's prophecy was fulfilled literally in that way. Jerusalem shall become heaps. We've already studied Matthew 24 and the related passages, how the temple would be taken apart stone by stone. And then it says, in the mountain of the house of the high places of the forest. As we close, notice John chapter 10. John chapter 10. So in reality, we see back in Micah chapter 3 that essentially, princes and the prophets were hirelings doing things for bribes. It was all about money. In fact, if they didn't fill their mouths, if they didn't give to them, they would go after them. They would declare war on them. John chapter 10, notice verses 10 through 13. I want you to see the contrast here between the Lord as a good shepherd and the hireling. Verse 10, it says, the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own sheep are not, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. Notice the hireling fleeth because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I really believe we have a lot of preachers today. It's all about money. I say this so many times. I've known of situations where a church doesn't pay enough, and so a preacher won't even consider it. We have politicians. It's all about money. Who's going to pay the most for my vote? I really believe Micah 3 is a passage for us. And of course, then you have the contrast. Somebody who is an under shepherd from the Lord Jesus Christ, being chief shepherd, will proclaim the word of God and have a burden for people. And he's the one who's rejected and so on. So again, we see the contrast here. Micah did not have a popular message. Anyone who preaches the Word of God today is not going to have a popular message. We have so much wickedness in our land, and they don't want to hear that message. Lord, I pray that you help us in these last days to understand that we need the Spirit of God upon us to proclaim boldly thy truth. Lord, help us to proclaim. Micah didn't know what kind of response he was going to get. Didn't have a popular message. Same message as other prophets. So Lord, help us to proclaim the message, thy message boldly. I pray for the spirits filling and power upon our lives, upon this church. Proclaim thy message in a day when people don't want the message of God anymore. Help us, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen.