It's a joy and a blessing to see you once again. On behalf of my wife and myself, we would like to thank you very much for your friendliness and your warmth and your Christ-like hospitality. It's always a joy. It's always a delight to break bread with God's people. This is our first trip to Hawkeye country, and we've thoroughly enjoyed it. And maybe in the providence of God, who knows, maybe He'll cross our paths again. this side of our heavenly home. I'd like to have you take your Bibles with me, please, and open them to the Gospel of John and John 14, a familiar passage of Scripture. And again, so that we can save some time, I'm going to read the first six verses, but we're going to go probably just into the first three verses and make some applications from that this evening. Let's bow together in prayer and ask the Spirit of God once more to instruct us His holy Word, and write with His finger upon our hearts and the walls of our memories this infallible, inspired, and scripturated Word. Our Father in Heaven, again we bow in Your presence and we ask the Spirit of God who authored this, Your Word through holy men of old, we ask You that He would be our teacher and instructor and that we might have teachable spirits. And that we might be in the same position, in the same place, in the same posture, that Samuel was when he said, Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth. We might be standing up, as it were, ready not only to hear, but to be doers of the Word as well. We pray again, Our Father, You'll continue to bless Your people and pastor in this place. We pray that they might pursue holiness and practice godliness and continue to persevere in the way which leads to life. Use us, our Father, these clay pots that You have purchased with the blood of Your own Son and sealed with Your Spirit unto the day of redemption. Use us in any way that will bring glory and honor and praise and thanks to You, and extend and expand and enlarge the Kingdom of Your Son in the earth. We ask these mercies in Jesus' name, with thanksgiving. Amen. Again, John 14, and we're familiar with the author. This is the one who laid his head on the bosom of the Son of God, John the Apostle, one of the sons of thunder. I'm looking forward to meeting him when we get to glory. I think he was not a pantywaist. He was not someone who was meek and mild. He was one of the sons of thunder. And John tells us in the 20th chapter, in the 31st verse of this, letter that he wrote, one of the Gospels, why he wrote. And I'd have you look at that verse, if you will, with me in John 20 and in verse 31. He says that he wrote that we might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that believing, you might have life through His name. So John's objective is to lead people into that eternal, abundant life that only the Lord Jesus Christ can and does provide. And I'd like to give you just a quick overview of the Gospel of John this evening and then move in quickly into the 14th chapter. Maybe that will help us, just give us a bird's eye view of what's going on here. The first 12 chapters of this Gospel of John speaks of the public life and ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and a number of these chapters are full of controversy. The second part of John's Gospel deals with things that are more private in the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they're full of confidence. In the first part of the Gospel of John, John reveals the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the second part of his Gospel, he emphasizes the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the sub and substance of our study this evening is found in a section of the Upper Room Discourse in John 13, 31-14. Now relax, we're not going to go through all of that this evening. And our meditation for this evening, our study this evening is going to be found in chapter 13, 36-38 and 14, 1-6. But again, we're going to be selective. in our study. And the first five themes that we encounter as we look at chapter 13, 34, and 35 and on down through chapter 14 are these. He speaks in John 13, 34, and 35 of another commandment. He also speaks in John 13, 34, 35, and 37 of a new commitment. And then in chapter 13, 36 through 14, 6, he speaks of another coming. In 14.7-15, another commission. And then in chapter 14, verses 16-31, He speaks of another comforter. So there you have the five themes that give us some background as to what the Lord Jesus Christ is saying in this discourse that He shares with His own. Now you're already there, I'm sure, in John 14, and our study is going to center around another coming. The second coming. The second advent. of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, if you will. And we're going to examine this portion of the Word of God under three headings, but really we're only going to get to two of them this evening. The first one is found, the human heart revealed in chapter 13, verses 36-38. The second one is the heavenly home revealed in John 14, verses 1-3. And the last one is the highway home revealed in chapter 14, verses 4-6. Now look at John 14, verses 36-38, and I want to read those and then make some comments concerning Peter. John 13, verses 36 and 37. Let's look at that together. 36 and 37, Simon Peter said to Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord, where are You going? Jesus answered, where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me later. Peter said to Him, Lord, Why can I not follow you right now? I will lay down my life for you. Notice something about Peter. Here's Peter's bewilderment, the first thing that we see in verse 36. All of a sudden, the light went on and what our Lord had been speaking to His followers about, His disciples and apostles about for the last six months grabbed Peter's attention. He'd been telling them for this period of time that He was going to leave them. by dying, but that He would rise again from the dead and they would see Him and after a time He would come again. Suddenly it seemed to dawn on His followers that He was actually going to die. And that's about all they understood. The Old Testament saints didn't have as clear and complete and comprehensive picture of life after death as the New Testament saints do, as we do. And this was made much clearer after the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the advent or the coming of the Holy Spirit that's spoken of just in two chapters over in chapter 16. Paul reminds us in his second letter to Timothy, this young pastor, that the Lord Jesus has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10. And so think about Peter. Here is Peter. He's grappling with and he's trying to gain and grasp an understanding of what the Lord Jesus Christ has been saying to them for six months, that He's going to leave them. He's going to die and He's going to be buried and He's going to rise again. And at some time subsequent to that, they're going to see Him again. And put that in an Old Testament framework if you can. These were Jews and they were thinking in a Jewish framework. And it was difficult for them. They were looking for a military Messiah. They were looking for someone who was going to come and deliver them from the iron fist of the Romans. And now Jesus starts talking to them and telling them that He's going to die and He's going to leave them and He's going to be away from them for a period of time and then He's going to come again? It just didn't compute. But look at this, if you will, because in these two verses that I just read, we see Peter doing something. Many questions arise in his heart. He says, in essence, what lies beyond death and the grave? Where are you going? Why are you going? Why can't I come with you now? And notice please, beloved, that the Lord Jesus Christ does not reprove him or rebuke him at this point for his question. He was asking some very important questions. Some very good questions. Some questions that the other disciples wanted to ask and maybe didn't have enough courage to ask at this point. But He was asking those hard questions. And the Lord Jesus Christ is patient with Peter. And I'd like to just stop and make an application here. First of all, don't ever be afraid to ask the hard questions. and never be ashamed or afraid to ask questions, especially as they relate to the teachings and the testimonies of the Scriptures. Now in verse 36, we saw Peter's bewilderment. In verse 37, I think we see his boastfulness. Go back there and look at that verse again. Peter said to Him, Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You. Uh-oh. It appears that Peter has now accepted the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was going to die, and he seemed to have an elemental, fundamental understanding of what the Lord was saying. And he was sincere in what he said. He said, you're going to die? I'm willing to die for you. But here in verse 38, The Lord Jesus Christ does reproof him and He does rebuke him. Look at verse 38, if you will. Jesus said, will you lay down your life for Me? Of a truth. And again, you've heard this over and over, but whenever you see these words, truly, truly, the Holy Spirit of God is taking His divine finger and He's underscoring, He's underlining something that He wants us to give our undivided attention to. And He said, of a truth, Peter, I say to you, shall not crow until you deny Me three times." That word deny is an extremely strong word. It's a very, very strong word. And here the Lord strongly rebukes and reproves Peter for his boastfulness. Poor Peter. His mouth went into motion before his mind went into gear. Did you ever have that experience? Probably not. If I took a survey here, and ask you that question, probably no one would raise their hand. Well, I have to confess to you tonight that there have been times when I have opened my mouth only to change feet. And that's not a very comfortable feeling. And hopefully, it doesn't happen very often. But here it is with Peter. His mouth went into motion before his mind went into gear. The Lord knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. The Lord is omniscient. And He knows us better than we know ourselves. And the Lord said to Peter, Peter, sometime between midnight and dawn, you will utterly deny Me without hesitation, without reservation, without qualification. You will utterly deny Me. You will plunge to the depths you will plumb to the depths of being a coward." Those are very strong words. But they were true, and we know that because we have the record in the Scriptures that he did deny the Lord Jesus Christ three times. In fact, that's why the Lord Jesus, I believe in John's Gospel in the latter part of that, said to Peter, how many times? Peter, do you love Me? Three times. Because he denied Him three times. And he said, then feed my sheep. Care for my lambs. Well, sheep need to be fed and they need to be led, don't they? That's right. That's what the Scriptures teach. And so God has appointed His leadership for His people, but that's what Jesus said three times. He asked Peter that question. As our Lord warned Judas, He also warned Peter here. Be swift to hear, but slow to speak. And sometimes we need that reminder too, don't we? We need that reminder to be swift to hear and slow to speak and slow to rap. Make sure we have all the facts before we draw the conclusions and we're motoring down that road. And so the Lord was telling that to Peter. And the Lord's admonition to Peter, I think He heeds that here because we don't find Peter speaking again during the remainder of our Lord's discourse. Now, we've looked at the human heart revealed, and now we want to examine the heavenly home revealed. And this we find in chapter 14, verses 1-3. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you, and since I go, There isn't any question that He's going, and there's no question where He's going. He's going to prepare a place for His own. So the Word is translated there, if and maybe I might not go, or if I might go. No, no. It's since I'm going. And since I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am there you may be also. So here we have Our heavenly home, if you will, the heavenly home of believers in Christ revealed. And you know, one of the things that's pointed out to us right away here as we think about the heavenly home revealed is that so often times our hearts are troubled, aren't they? As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. For various and sundry reasons. And when our lives are invaded by difficulties and discouragements and disappointments and depression, or even death, even that final enemy that our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered, this is a very good portion of passage to turn to and cushion your hearts with. Now notice first of all that he talks about a new peace in verse 1. And the verb he uses here for believe, he repeats this twice. And there's some discussion as to how this verb, believe, should be translated. Should it be translated as an imperative, believe, or as an indicative, you believe? Well, in my personal study, it has much more force and it better fits the context if you interpret it as an imperative. And the Lord Jesus Christ is saying, believe in God, believe in Me. This is going to comfort your hearts. This is going to quiet your hearts. This is going to strengthen you. Believe in God. Believe in Me. The Lord points to Himself as the object of the believer's trust. Trust Me, just like you trust God. Trust God and trust Me. He challenges us to render to Him the same trust, the same response, that we give to God. Literally, in the original, it reads, trust in God, believe in Me. And he also teaches us something else here. He talks about peace. Peace. He talks about the quality of peace. He talks about the quantity of peace. He talks about the origin of peace. And if you go back to, or go on further, in the same chapter in verse 27, he gives more comment and more commentary on what he is talking about when he refers to peace. The peace that he mentions here is the Jewish word shalom. And it speaks of wholeness. It speaks of completeness. It speaks of security. And it speaks of a peace that's built not on resources. The peace that the world has to offer says, Peace comes when there's an absence of crisis, when there's an absence of conflict, when there's an absence of war. We have to work for it. We have to hope for it. Jesus said, no, no, no. The peace that I offer you is different. It's not built on resources. It's built on relationship. He talks about He and the Father being one. The same. He's co-equal. He's consubstantial. Co-eternal. Consubstantial means he's the same nature of God as God is. And he talks about the Holy Spirit in two chapters later. He said, you want real peace? Peace is based on a relationship with the Father, with the Son, and with the Holy Spirit. And the peace that I give you is what? It's a free gift. You don't work for it. It isn't because of an absence of crisis or conflict. conflict or some cataclysmic thing that's happening in your life? No, no, no. It's built upon relationship. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have what class? We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You see what he's saying there, what Paul is saying? The peace of God that passes all understanding, that surrounds your heart? In Philippians 4, 7, like a military garrison, you know how that's obtained? That's obtained by the believer having the right, an individual having the right relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It's having made peace, He made peace for us through the blood of His cross. Now, the armistice has been signed, the peace treaty has been signed. Now, You have joy. Now you have contentment. The world can't offer you that. That's only to be found in the right relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Do you have that peace tonight? That's the kind of peace that's lasting. That's the kind of free gift that God gives to anyone who comes to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. And it's not based upon resources. It's based upon relationships. May God help us to see that and rejoice in it. Now, let's go on if we will. He talks about this new peace. And he's talking to believers in Jesus Christ, not the world at large. And Jesus said, trust in God and in Me also trust. Whatever we render to God, we are to render to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that peace, that peace which He gives us as a free gift, we have obtained it, and it's not the absence of the crisis, as I said, it's not the absence of some pratechismic event. It's based upon our relationship to Jesus Christ, and that peace is given to us through the person and the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit of God. Read John 16 for further commentary on that. So he talks to his own about new peace. And he said, remember this, that I must be and God must be equally trusted. Other world religions put their trust in rites and rituals and creeds and confessions and counsels and good works and fear for their salvation. Only blood-bought believers in Jesus Christ trust God, believe His Word, and take Him at His Word, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now who are you trusting in for your salvation? What kind of peace do you have this evening hour? Have you ever heard an individual say with good intentions, to someone who is either experiencing or about to experience a dark providence, that everything's going to be okay. You know, that kind of optimism has no biblical warrant or basis. If you're going to say to someone, let not your heart be troubled, then we must finish that statement by saying, believe in God, believe also in Jesus Christ. When sorrows like sea billows roll, we have a place which we can flee to. Christ's our rock and in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm. So we have a new peace as those who are in Christ. And it's not due to an absence of war or distress or conflict. No, no. It's due to our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Now, I'm not surprised that the disciples needed a new peace. Are you? The Lord had just announced that one of them was a traitor. He had also warned Peter of his upcoming denial. He told his own that he was going to leave them for a time. And there was Now, their every prop and their every anchor was being swept away from them, was being stolen or taken away from them, if you will. And soon Jesus would lie still in death, His body riddled with wounds, separated from His own, and on the other side of the grave. And prior to His going, the Son of God prepared His own by offering them this new peace. reminding them of their relationship with Himself and with His Father and in the coming of another Comforter. The Pericle, the One who is going to come alongside of them, the One who is going to continue the work of the Lord Jesus Christ when He was on earth. Isn't it a blessing tonight, beloved, that God has not aborted us and He hasn't abandoned us as those who are in Christ? But He's given us the Spirit who lives in us. Taken up His residence in us. and empowers us and enables us and it energizes us to walk in the light as He is in the light. That we might enjoy fellowship one with the other. That no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the conditions, no matter what the conflict, no matter what the crisis, we have peace. We have peace with God and we have the peace of God. He talks to them about a new peace. Now He speaks to them about a new place. Look in verse 2 of chapter 14, if you will. In My Father's house are many mansions, or dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. And then He goes on. But here is a new place. There's not much said in the Old Testament as we indicated about heaven. But look at the unique phrase that the Lord Jesus Christ uses to describe heaven. He says, My Father's house. And He uses this only one other time that I can find in the Scriptures, and it's found here in John 2, verse 16, when He's driving the money changers from the temple. Remember, they were making merchandise of God's house? And He took that scourge and He dumped it over their tables and He chased them out? And he said, make not my father's house a house of merchandise. The temple, beloved, with all of its courts and chambers and its porches and its porticos and all of its wide spaces for the worshipers, was a shadow of our more spacious home on high. And it's a blessing to see how the Lord Jesus Christ describes heaven the way that He does, using this phrase, my Father's house. Death, you know, can strike a note of terror in our souls, even those who have the assurance that all is well with their souls. And I would pray that it's well with your soul tonight. But even those who have the assurance that it's well with their soul draw back at death. because we don't know exactly what lies on the other side and because no one has ever come back or ever returned to tell us what it's like. Because there is a stillness, a silence, a great gulf fixed which can cause our hearts to draw back in dread, as it were, even though the Scriptures give us some commentary on what heaven is like. But Jesus uses this term, My Father's house, And as I thought about this and tried to find an illustration to fit, I did the best I could. Most of us, not all of us, but many of us can remember the home that we grew up in, and that it was a pleasant and a peaceful place where we were protected and provided for, and of which we have many precious and fond memories. Now, I know that that's not the way It was with everyone, so I have to put a disclaimer in there, but that's the best illustration that I could come up with. A few years ago, well, I guess it's been quite a few years ago now, a London newspaper decided that they were going to run a contest to increase their circulation. And so the question that they put out in the survey is, give us a definition of home. And the winning definition was, it's the place where we are accepted the most and where we complain the most. And I thought, hmm, that's a pretty good definition. Robert Frost, the poet, defined home as when you have arrived there, they must take you in. Jesus assures us that if it was some weird, bizarre, grotesque place, that He would have told us that. But it's not like that at all. It's a real place. It's a reachable place. And it's a restful place. And Jesus said, when you arrive there, instantaneously, instinctively, you'll know where you are. Because that's home. That's home for the believer in Jesus Christ. And ever after the Apostle Paul had the vision of our heavenly home, he had a desire to depart and be with Christ. which he said, he testified, is far better. The Scriptures testify to God's people, you and me, that heaven is localized. It's somewhere, and it's substantial, and the Lord Jesus Christ is abiding there, living there now. I got a little nervous this morning when Matt started getting into Acts 1, verses 9-11, but he didn't take it all. And here Dr. Luke reminds us that Jesus went back home with an angel escort, through the clouds, up beyond the stars, back to glory, where He came from, with that human, battle-scarred, resurrected, glorified body, and that He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. And beloved, the one seated there, the second person of the Trinity, as I said earlier, is co-equal, co-eternal, and of the same nature and essence as God Himself. In Colossians chapter 3 and verse 1, the Apostle Paul tells us, all these things are true, but He has a right to be there. And as we're reminded this morning, so do we, by the grace and the goodness and the mercy of God. who are new creatures in Christ, are seated there with Him positionally. Ephesians 2, verse 6. And one day when He comes for us, we will be seated with Him there practically and permanently. Now, Paul tells us in Colossians he has every right to be seated there because of who he is, and we have every right to be seated there because of who we are in him. Jesus reminded His followers that He was living in heaven, and there are many abiding places there. I'm glad of that. We lived for a time, for about seven years, on Long Island, which is the bedroom of New York City. And many times we passed through New York City. And I'll tell you what, if I were not claustrophobic before I moved there, I would be claustrophobic when I lived there. You know, those homes were so close together that if you turned around, you'd be in somebody else's house. That's how close they are. Jesus said heaven's not like that. Heaven is spacious. The world's population is over four billion people. Heaven could hold all of those and there would still be more room. It's of significant size. It is of sufficient size. That's what Jesus is telling us here. I'm so glad. I rejoice in that. We'll all be able to fit in there. It's not going to be crowded at all. And the Lord Jesus Christ reminds us that He's there now. And when those who have been washed in His blood and sealed by His Spirit arrive there, He'll be there. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke of a new peace, a new place, and now He speaks of a new pledge. What is a pledge? A pledge is a promise. And so we see here a new promise. What was His promise? Look at His promise in verse 3. It's four words. I will come again. No question about it. He's coming again. Jesus promised it. The angels proclaimed it. As the apostles stood on the Mount of Olives watching Him ascend skyward, the same Jesus shall so come in like manner as you've seen Him go into heaven. This is the blood-bought believer's hope. This is the blessed hope. This is our personal, precious, purifying, powerful hope that every believer possesses. Let me ask you a question. Is this your hope tonight? I don't want to bore you with history, especially family history, but my grandmother gave me a middle name that sounds more like a disease than it does a name. And after I was old enough to understand about this, I asked my grandmother one day in private what this name that she had my mother and father give me as a middle name meant. And she said, your name Wellington, you are named after the Duke of Wellington who is one of your ancestors. So I said, well that's nice, Grandma, but please don't call me that in public. Don't call me Wellington in public. Okay? Grandma, for the most part, honored that. But once in a while, she would slip up. And she had her own short version of that, which I'll not tell you what it was. But anyway, we are related to the Duke of Wellington. And I also found out that my great-great-great-grandfather, I think that's enough greats. Maybe there's one too many in there. I've lost count. But he was used to found Wellington, South Africa. And some of my relatives come from there. So there again, is that namesake, if you will, or that name that was given as part of our ancestry. I love to study history, and when England was at its zenith of her power, members of her parliament bragged and boasted that the sun never sets on the British Empire. They can't say that anymore. God has taken them to task for their arrogance. and their pride. Pride goeth before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction. But one of the members, the new members of the House of Commons in those days was a man by the name of Benjamin Desirelli. And it was the custom that when a new member of Parliament came in they would have to give a speech. And so After this man Desirelli was announced, he stood up to give his speech. And Desirelli was a little different. He was eccentric in many of his ways. He dressed differently than the other Britishers. And he was Jewish. And I think that probably, from the description I have, the map of Israel was all over his face. So it wasn't difficult to determine where his ancestors came from. And so as he stood to speak, the other members of the parliament, and unfortunately, shamefully, they are noted for their rudeness. And they all began to speak out loud, and they all began to shout him down. In fact, again referring to history, the only individual, or except at least one of the individuals that has had been able to control the parliament is a lady that was termed the Iron Lady. You know who that was? Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher took those old boys to task. And she had them straightened out. And they weren't shouting and misbehaving while she was the Prime Minister. But they continued to shout as Desirelli tried to give his speech. And the uproar was so loud when he attempted to speak, that he had to abandon his attempt. So he raised his voice in defiance and he said, I will sit down now. In fact, he bellowed that. But you will hear from me again. And history records that Desirelli went on to lead Britain to its greatness. Today is the day of our Lord's rejection Judas betrayed Him. Peter denied Him. The Jews mocked Him. The Romans crucified Him. And the world at large has no use for Him. He's gone back home now. But He's saying, I will sit down now, but you will hear from Me again. Yes, Jesus said, I will come again. And that's the new pledge. that He's given to His own. He's coming back to earth. The Good News was first announced to His own in the upper room. And His coming again is the next item on God's prophetic calendar. And the time and the day and the hour is the best kept secret in the universe. We know that. Right now, He's putting the final touches, the finishing touches, if you will, on that wondrous place He has gone to prepare for His own. But we have His pledge. We have His promise. I will come again. And the Word of God ends with the same strong voice ringing down through the ages, surely I come quickly. And what is the response of His people? What is our response here at the Reformed Baptist Church in Tama? I know that for many of you, it's the same as it was in the close of the unveiling of Jesus Christ or the revelation of Jesus Christ. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. On the outskirts of London, there's a famous palace built by Cardinal Wolsey and confiscated by Henry VIII. On the grounds of that place, there is a maze of hedges. And for a small field, you can go in there and get lost. This is true. I mean, this is historical. And you wander around for a long time, and then you come to an opening, and in that opening, there are some benches. And you know, if you've been wandering around for a while, you're going to be tired, right? So you sit down on the benches, and all of a sudden, after you're there for a little while, a man appears. And He asks you if you're lost. And if you say, yes, I am lost, then He'll say, follow Me. And as you do, He turns back and forth and this way and that way until finally you're outside again where you started. Back where you started. Let me ask you a question as we close the Word tonight. What made the difference? giving up on your own efforts, admitting you are lost, and trusting and following the One who knew the way. Let me ask you a question this evening. Are you lost? What can you do about it? You can give up on your own efforts, and you can admit that you're lost, and you can trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. because He's the only way. In fact, that's what Jesus said, didn't He? He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but through Me. And whenever you see that definite article in the front of something, that means the only way. Not one of many. People today want to be contemporary. They want to be non-confrontational. And I'm not suggesting that we be cave people, nor am I suggesting that we be confrontational. But you know what? There aren't many ways to God. There aren't many ways to have your sins forgiven. There aren't many ways to have peace and be able to claim this promise and this pledge and have this new place awaiting you. There's only one way. And that's repent. of your sins. And receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith as your personal Savior and Lord. And then, then, this new peace, this new place, and this new pledge is yours. And I can say that with biblical warrant and authority. May God help it to be so. For Jesus' sake. Amen. Our Father in heaven, again, we thank you for your people. We thank you for their appetite, for spiritual things. We thank you for their attention to the truth. And our Father, we pray that you'll use us to bring honor and glory to your name. We pray that we might gossip the gospel. We might gossip the good news to those that we come in contact with this week. Give us opportunities to talk to people about where they're going to spend eternity. And we pray this in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who bought us with his own life's blood, whose we are, whom we serve, and whom we long to see. In Jesus' name, amen.