Well, I invite you to take God's word this morning and turn with me to chapter four. This is our first sermon in chapter four, as we continue to make our way through second Timothy in chapter three, after Paul warns Timothy of the ever increasing presence of evil, evil men upon the earth or particularly within the church. hauled in by way of great contrast. admonishes Timothy in verse 14 to continue in the things that he had learned from Paul. Verse 14 of chapter three. You, however, you can see the contrast describing those who are who have a form of godliness, but deny its power. Those who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. You can see the contrast in verse 14. You, Timothy, you, however, Continue in the things that you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them. What things is Paul referring to in verse 14? Continue in the things you have learned. Well, Paul is speaking generally of his teaching and his example, but more specifically, The apostles referring to the scriptures continue in the scriptures that you have learned from me in verses 15 through 17. Paul refers to the scriptures as the very word of God. In verse 15, he calls it the sacred writings. And then in verses 15 through 17. Paul gives a fantastic, profound statement on the nature and the transmission of the very Word of God. How did we get the Word of God? Well, God moved on holy men by his spirit in such a way that they wrote precisely the words that he would have them to write. We believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of scripture. In other words, verbal meaning the words, plenary meaning all the words, inspired meaning God breathed. And while maintaining the personalities of the authors, their educational level, their vocabulary, their culture, the time in which they lived. God maintaining the character of the human being still moved within their inner being in such a way that they wrote precisely the Word of God. And doing so over many centuries, but still their words are in absolute harmony with one another. Because indeed, this is the word of God. It is the self-pronouncement of the word of God. This word, this book, these scriptures are inspired by God. But then now, as we move into chapter 4, Paul is continuing to press the importance of the word of God. In essence, Paul is saying, because the Word of God is inspired, because it is absolutely essential both to saving faith as well as our sanctifying growth, make it the focus of your ministry. Preach the Word. Verse 2, be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. Preach the word, but in order to press the weightiness of it. And it is a weighty charge. We must never take this for granted. We must never take the word of God for granted. Preachers must take their charge very seriously. And so he begins in verse one. I solemnly you can you can feel the weightiness of it. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. God refers to the Father, and Christ Jesus refers to the Son. And of course, it is implied here that it also includes the Holy Spirit. In essence, Paul is saying, I solemnly charge you in the presence of the very God. But this morning, I want to pause with this for just a moment. Sometimes preachers take this liberty. And as I was reading this, I was really stirred, really, to the depths of my soul. This is weighty what Paul is saying here, what Paul is saying. And it's not as if it's the first time he has said it. He is saying, by the very force of the presence of God in my life, I am calling upon God as my witness, and I am pressing these weighty words upon you, O Timothy. He used the same expression in 1 Timothy 6, verse 13. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things. God is my witness in the presence of God. God who is here, I charge you, Timothy. And then chapter two, verse 14, here in Second Timothy, remind them of these things and solemnly charge them in the presence of God, before God, before the face of God. Well, for Pyle, I really think this is a significant statement. because he was calling upon the witness of God as a solemn witness to the very words that he is speaking. And it's significant because this is at the very heart of the Christian life. You should be able to testify it. It is at the very heart of the Christian life. In other words, your life is lived in the presence of God. And that has a weighty, profound effect upon everything you do. Everything you say, everything you think, every action you perform, all of it, every decision you make, all of it is done in the presence of God. This abiding presence of God, to live before Him, to always be mindful of His watchful eye. There is a Latin phrase that describes it. And the Latin phrase is taken right out of the scriptures. Here, the Latin Vulgate was the chief translation for literally centuries. The church received the Latin. Everyone knew Latin. Our forefathers, as you read the Reformers, they're continually speaking in Latin. Now, even more recently, you pick up Charles Hodge and his systematic theology, and you'll be reading along, and all of a sudden, he breaks into Latin. These people knew Latin. It was considered one of the classical languages and they knew it and they knew it well. And so the Latin Vulgate, which is the Latin translation of the scriptures, it was the prevalent edition during the time of the Reformation. In fact, it was Martin Luther that translated the scriptures into German. Every tongue, every people did not have the word of God. When the scriptures were translated into English, William Tyndale lost his life. It was considered blasphemous to begin to take the word of God and translate it into a vulgar tongue. So the Latin Vulgate was the chief translation of the Greek and Hebrew scriptures for generations. And in the Latin Vulgate, it reads this in verse 1 here in chapter 4. Testificorum quorum Deo et Christo Iesu. Quorum Deo. Quorum Deo. It means, the word quorum means before, or in the presence of, and Deo is God, in the presence of God, before the face of God. And we use that expression, we think of it often. I live my life quorum Deo, in the presence of God. It's a very common expression throughout the Word of God. Psalm 56 verse 13, For you have delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living." 1 Chronicles 13, 8. Listen to this. David and all Israel were celebrating before God, in the presence of God, in the face of God, with all their might, even with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and with trumpets. 1 Timothy 5.21, Paul says, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ and of his chosen angels. And then we find in this passage here, I solemnly charge you quorum Deo, in the presence of God. Now, this concept, is completely foreign to fallen, lost humanity. That's why it's so significant in our life. It's meaningful in our life. We live our life quorum Deo, in the presence of God, with a constant, mindful understanding. God is here. God is with me. He will never forsake me. He's beside me all the time. I'm before Him, under His watchful eye all the time. But lost people, They deny the presence of God. That's the problem. Do you think when Congress meets to pass laws that govern our land, do you think that they are mindful of the very present watchful eye of the living God? They are not. In fact, they live their lives. I guess we could use Latin again. In absentia Dei, in the absence of God, they deny him. And if God, you know, God, I mean, they believe God does not exist. God does not see. And if there is a God, you can't know him and he's not active. You know, there's a difference between atheism and agnosticism. We use those terms interchangeably sometimes. Oh, he's an agnostic. He's an atheist. And we don't really distinguish between the two. There's really a big difference between the two. There's really no such thing as an atheist. They try really hard to deny the existence of God, but they cannot. The word atheist, in the Greek, the alpha can have a negating force. So in other words, we use the term amillennialism, which means the millennium is not a literal thousand years. So it's no millennium. We use the term atheist. And what if you look at the word is atheist. In other words, no God, no God. Agnostic, on the other hand, agnosis, no understanding, no knowledge. So an agnostic is someone that says, well, there may be a God, I'm not sure there's a God, but if there's a God, you can't know him. And if there's a God, he is not a never-present reality among us. He is just out there. And that's the way most people live. They live as if God does not exist, that he is absent from their life. He does not observe. He doesn't take notice. And so they can live their life any way they want. They can govern their life any way they want. The reality is what they declare it to be. If there's no God, then you just do your own thing and you declare whatever you want to exist. And if you declare it, it then must be. If a man wants to call himself a woman, then that's his determination, that's his identity, that's his freedom, because there is no God. There are no absolutes. Everyone does that which is right in their own eyes. And they pretend, God does not know, He does not see. Which is exactly what David said of the wicked in Psalm 94. Verses 3 through 7, David says, How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly, all who do wickedness vault themselves. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage, and they slay the widow and the stranger and murder the orphans. Yet they have said, the Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed. He doesn't notice. He doesn't care. We do what we want because we live in the absence of God. Psalm 10 verse 4, The wicked in the haughtiness of his countenance does not seek him. All his thoughts are, there is no God. And you know the official verse of April 1st, right? What's April 1st? Well, we refer to it as what? April Fool's Day. Psalm 14, verse 1, the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. Paul describes it in Romans 1, verses 18 and 19. He says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. to suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God has made it evident to them." That's quite a profound statement. This is saying that God has made himself evident to all men. All men know him. All men have an understanding of him, though kata echo. Literally meaning, hold them. They suppress it. They deny it. They push it aside. They declare in their heart, there is no God. I live the way I want. The nations of the earth are in rebellion against God and his anointed. And the one in the heavens scoffs. He laughs at them, holds them in derision, because who in the world would stand before the Almighty God and deny his King? But they do so, though they really can't deny it because the scripture says God has made it evident to them so loudly that they are without excuse. Verses 21 and 22 of Romans one, by the way, for even though they knew God, there's the presumption they know God, even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks. But they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." That's why we should pray for our leaders. 1 Timothy 2 commands us, pray for kings and those who are in authority over you. The psalmist writes, when the wicked rule, the people mourn. We need the godly to rule over us. We need those who have wisdom because it's the fool who has said there is no God. And those who deny him, well, their foolish hearts are dark and professing themselves to be wise. They are fools. They can't think clearly. They are not in their right mind. And sometimes these are the very ones that Foolish, darkened people elect to rule over them. They defend it loudly. This is who we want. This is what we want to serve. These are the people that are good and we want to be like them. We want them to rule over us. You wonder why in the world would someone elect some of the people that are elected? Because we elect people who look just like us. We do. And sadly, we end up with the fruit of our culture and of the people around us. We need to pray for our culture, and our citizens, and our leaders, and those around us. Because the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Well, the lost man knows the certainty that God exists. And yes, they suppress it. If he was truly convinced that God was watching every move, taking note of every thought, every action, every motive, they would tremble and it would have a profound effect upon their life. But instead, they deny the truth. Well, life is about God. Let me say it again. That's such a simple, yet absolute statement. Life is about God. You know, Paul tells the Athenian philosophers, in him we live and move. and have our beings, or the most definite, simply the first commandment, thou shalt have no other gods before me. I am supreme. I am God. I am one. I will share my glory with none other. God and God alone. Well, if life is about God, then we must understand we live our life before him. Every day, you cannot escape Him. David marveled at this. If I went to the bottom of the ocean, God's there. And we know the vastness of the universe. If you went to the outer edge of the universe, God is there. God is everywhere. We live before this Almighty God in His presence, in His sight, under His authority, for His glory. We live in the audience of God, of the One who rules over all things, and our lives should be that which seeks to glorify Him in everything we do. Under the ever watchful gaze of God, we should live with integrity, with faithfulness, with single-mindedness, as we live our life before the King, in which we are never outside of His watchful gaze. Well, all of that's introductory, and there's only going to be two points this morning in the sermon. Point one, well, point one is this is a convicting truth. It really is, especially for the unbeliever. It is convicting. And second of all, though, it's a comforting truth. And both are there and both are true. It's convicting. But oh, how it's comforting. If you're a believer, it is the greatest of all comforts. And if you're an unbeliever, you'll desire to hide behind the rocks. May the rocks fall on me, lest I'll be consumed by the gaze of the king as he comes in the clouds of glory. Yet they will not be able to hide, nor have they ever been able to hide. They have always been under his watchful gaze. So it's a convicting truth. God's ever watching eye sees all. It's terrifying. It really is. You know, they rise up and say, we don't have prayer in schools. We cannot do that. God is removed. It's a separation of the state and God. And they actually think they get away with that. But God's ever watching eye is absolute. It takes into account both his omniscience and his omnipresence. Because nothing escapes his knowledge. In fact, you've never had a thought that God has not known from all of eternity. In fact, that God has not decreed from all eternity, yet not the author of sin. Nothing escapes his knowledge. Nothing escapes his presence. Psalm 139 that I alluded to just a moment ago, verses two through eight. The psalmist writes, you know, when I sit down and when I rise up, You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Is that not terrifying if you do not know him? Even before there is a word on my tongue. Behold, O Lord, you know it. He knows it before we speak it. You have enclosed me behind and before and you laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It's too high. I cannot attain it. Where can I go from your spirit or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you're there. If I make my bed in Sheol, that is in the grave, you are there. The knowledge of the ever-present, all-knowing God should have a profound effect upon how we live. That when we rise from our bed in the morning, God is there. His ever-watching eye is upon us. When we close our eyes for the final time at night, God is there. His gaze is always upon us. And does this knowledge not have a profound effect upon our life? I love Psalm 115, verse 1, and it should be the guiding force of our life because we tend to go through life saying, it's me, O Lord, it's me. It's me, O Lord, it's me. And we pray, O God, help me. And do this for me. And may others serve me. But yet, the psalmist writes, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory." Or the simple expression that John the Baptist made before Christ. Now, John the Baptist has disciples coming after him. He is preaching. He's a force, a charismatic figure, and disciples are following John. And John, as he sees the Savior, his words ultimately become, I must decrease and he must increase. And that should be our heart. O God, may you be all the more glorious and great, and may I be small. It's the essence of worship. As we worship God, we're bowing before Him, seeking to humble ourselves before Him and saying, O God, You're glorious and worthy of all praise. We bow before You. You know, in Genesis 5.24, We read of a man, one of the few, one of the two that didn't die. We all died. I mean, we go the way of men is the way it's described. When Adam fell, we fell with him. And the wages of sin is death. And every human being dies. But two didn't. One was Elijah that we read and who was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind. The other one was Enoch. And it's very profound the way it's described. It simply says this, Genesis 5, 24, Enoch walked with God and was not for the Lord took him." And can you imagine walking so close with God that you're just walking along in your life and all of a sudden you're not because God took you? It doesn't say he died. It doesn't say he was buried. It just says, and he was not. He was no longer here. For God took him. Well, the great testimony to Enoch in Hebrews 11, the chapter of faith, what we call the hall of faith, is simply this. He obtained the witness before his being was taken up that he was pleasing to God. He was a God pleaser. That's how he lived his life. He always lived his life before God, in the presence of God, to the glory of God. And the scripture gives testimony to Enoch. He was pleasing to God. His focus was more upon God than it was upon men. He was a God-pleaser. Scripture says so. He was a God-pleaser more than a man-pleaser. How much do we do what we do because we want the recognition of men? I have to guard my heart. And it's different for everyone. I know, I mean, I can fall into pride so easily. There are times, we all know the group text messages. I got one this morning. I told Pat, I'm not going to respond because I've got to guard my heart. You know, someone gives an expression of, you know, today must be lived in the glory of God. And it's sent to 10 people. And all of a sudden, the 10 people start responding. And some of it is just so-and-so liked it. And when you like it, it's repeated again. And I'm saying, I can respond, but I know my heart. What is my purpose for responding? We do everything with purpose. Everything is with purpose. Nothing is done just absentmindedly without purpose or design. I begin to ponder. And am I responding to this so that these other brothers might see that I'm responding to it and they might say, oh, this is a holy man that is responding to this text. Or, I mean, is it more about You know, I want them to think, well of me. Or is it just simply a desire to honor and glorify God? And knowing my own heart, I usually, which is the approach I did this morning, I just didn't reply. It's not necessary to reply every time. We just feel like we have to reply every time. And it's okay. I'm not, that's not a condemnation. It's okay to reply every time. But why are we replying every time? Well, I know my heart and the propensity of my heart. I can only judge for my own heart. And I find myself wanting to be a man pleaser. And in doing so, I'm robbing God of His glory. I want people to think well of me. The most difficult thing that a preacher can do is preach and then someone come up and say, Pastor, that was a good sermon. How do you reply to that? If I say, thank you. What have I done? Thank you. I'm receiving the praise. Thank you. If I say, well, to God be the glory. Well, that could be a self-righteous kind of, you know, there are times I don't say anything. And I've learned that at times just say, thank you, but knowing in my heart, it's not about me, not unto me, oh Lord, not unto me. You know, Spurgeon was in the back of his church one day and a lady came up. She said, Mr. Spurgeon, That was the most wonderful sermon I've ever heard in my whole life. You are so gifted as a preacher. And Spurgeon, in his customary wit, says, good madam, Satan whispered the very same words in my ear just a moment ago. We've got to guard our hearts and always be aware. It's God and God's presence and God alone. And our life is lived for his glory and his glory alone. Paul made it his effort, not only Enoch, and Paul did die by the way, but Paul made it his effort to live his life as to the Lord. Acts 24, 16, I also do my best, he says, to maintain always a blameless conscience before God and before men. Before God and before men. Before God for his glory, before men, lest I come under their condemnation. and bring a reproach unto my God. His continued teaching was that of the pursuit of holiness, seeking to live a life set apart for God. He exhorted Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, pursue righteousness, godliness, love, perseverance, gentleness, live your life before God, to the glory of God. And that's one of those words we toss around a lot, right? You know, we toss a lot of words around, grace and mercy and atonement and the cross and faith. And we'll use the word, do you believe? And all of these words. Another one of these words that we toss around is the word glory. And people use it all the time. You do everything to the glory of God. And sometimes we'll use it as almost a slang. Well, glory. Well, glory to God. What in the world does that mean? Well, God's glory can be described in two aspects. One is the inherent or the intrinsic glory of God. And the other is the ascribed glory of God. And the two are different and distinct. Intrinsic glory is that which belongs to God by virtue of who He is, by virtue of the essence of His divine being. So when we say God does all things for His glory, what we mean by that is He's putting the divine essence on display. So when we say that creation displays the glory of God, we're simply saying that God displays Himself in His created acts. So that we know that God is all, you know, creation is a manifestation of God. It is a revelation of God. We refer to that as natural revelation. And what we mean by that is by the very nature of creation, we see the power of God. We see the beauty of God. We see the the creativity of God, and all of this describes God. It's been said that, you know, if I serve you up a luscious feast, doesn't that imply, and are you not convinced that behind that feast is a chef, a cook, that brought it into being? Of course you do. Even if it's me giving it to you, you know that there is a chef behind the scenes. And you cannot look upon creation without a knowledge that there is a creator behind the scene. So that's God's intrinsic glory. The other is what we refer to as ascribed glory. And what we mean by that is human beings, men and women, recognizing and proclaiming the glory of God. We are giving God glory. We're not adding to Him. We're not increasing that which is intrinsic to Him. We're not giving something that He does not already possess. When we say, oh, we are glorifying God today. We are giving God glory today. We're not giving God something that He does not already possess. What we are doing is giving a recognition and describing glory to God, recognizing His grandeur, His majesty, His greatness, and giving Him the glory that He deserves. We want our worship to be glorifying to God. What do we mean by that? We want our worship to reflect the excellence, the majesty, the holiness of God. That's what we mean. So as Christians, we have a responsibility to recognize and proclaim the glory that God possesses. So that in everything we do, we are declaring the glory of God, the infinite majesty of God. Then we can say with Psalm 29, give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Our purpose for existence is to glorify God. The children's catechism goes, who made you? God made me. What else did God make? God made all things. Why did God make you and all things? For his own glory. Or the Westminster Shorter catechism, what is the chief end of man? What's your purpose? What's your design? Why are you here? Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. To glorify God. To manifest the excellent character of God. And it must be our goal in every action to comprehend the excellence and majesty and presence and glory of God and display it by our lives. When we fall into sin, what a blasphemy against the glory of God who is present with us as His dear people. when we're breaking covenant, if you will, which is what Israel did. Well, our God is glorious and we must live our life in such a way. And if you do not know Him, what a terrifying thing that you cannot escape His ever watchful eye. From the time you wake up, from the time you go to sleep, every thought, every word, every action, every moment that you say with Psalm 2, we will not have the Son, we will reject the Anointed One, He will not rule over us, you shall not escape the righteous judgment of God." Well, that's convicting, right? But it's a comforting truth, and it is. As we live our life quorum Deo, we are continually reminded of God's abiding presence. God tells us, Hebrews 13, 5, I will never leave you nor forsake you. All others may forsake us. All others may depart. There may be times when there is no one there. Everyone is left. But God will always be present. And it's particularly comforting during times of adversity. Deuteronomy 31, verse 6. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at them. For the Lord, your God, is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. In our greatest trial, He is there. During the time of our greatest need, He is there. When Paul was in prison and felt all alone, in fact, he was alone, everyone forsook him. In fact, he says in 2 Timothy 4.16, At my first defense, when he stood before the council, he said, no one supported me, but R deserted me. Can you imagine desertion all alone? No one came to his defense. No one stood by him. And he adds, may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. That's our comfort. He stood with me and strengthened me. We know the 23rd Psalm and getting towards the end of it where we read, and yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." That's the comfort. The Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, the Almighty Shepherd, as we go through the deepest, darkest valleys of life, He is always with us. He will never leave us. Matthew Henry writes, those who make the glory of God their end, and the word of God their rule, and the spirit of God the guide of their affections, and the providence of God the guide of their affairs, they may be confident that the Lord goes before them. As truly as he went before Israel in the wilderness, though not so sensibly, we must live by faith. We don't see him going before us in any visible recognition, but we are the children of faith. And we have the full testimony of the Word of God. And God promises us, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And it's true as we conduct our work. Matthew 28, the Great Commission, and the Lord Jesus Christ is before his apostles. And he simply says, all authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you. And here it is. And lo, I am with thee always, even to the end of the age. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. And at the very heart of our gospel ministry is the understanding that he's the king, and he possesses all authority. And the king charges us to go. And then he says, oh, by the way, I'll go with you. What comfort is that? Can you imagine being charged by King to go out into a dangerous area? And to go by yourself, you'd be trembling. You know, he says, oh, and by the way, I'm going to go with you. And we'd go, OK, let's go. Well, that's what he promises. I'll go with you. In the face of our weakness, God is there. This was God's word to the resistance of Moses. God's people have always been weak. You're weak. I'm weak. His people have always been weak. Exodus 3.11, but Moses said to God, who am I? That I should go before Pharaoh? That I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, certainly I will be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you when you have brought the people out of Egypt, and you shall worship the God at this mountain." Well, Moses learned, and we have to learn, God is always teaching us. Moses learned that God's presence was there and absolutely essential. In fact, he learned to pray for the presence of God and he learned, I cannot go without the presence of God. Here's Moses' prayer, Exodus 33. If your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we, I, your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth? God, go with us. We are your people. You are our God. Go with us, O God." It was God's word to Joshua. Joshua, the heir to Moses, if you will, the servant of Moses, the commander, the leader after the death of Moses. And Joshua's but a man leading so great a people, and he's fearful. And we read in Joshua 1.5, this is God assuring Joshua, No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you. I can imagine as Joshua hears these words, he says, OK, let's go. And later on, at the end of his life, he says, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I have learned that God can be trusted. Gideon? Remember Gideon? He too, God says, you've been chosen. Oh, great, mighty man of valor. Can you imagine God coming to one of you? Coming to me? And saying, rise up, you great man, you great woman of valor. We'd be looking around saying, no, not me. Great man of valor? I know my failures. I know how many times I have sinned against you, oh God. Judges 6.15, Oh Lord, this is Gideon, Oh Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house. But the Lord said to him, surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man. In essence, God says, as we cry out in our weakness, of course you are weak, but I am almighty, and you need me, and I am with you. There you go. He is with us. Jesus says, I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. And then the point, and apart from me you can do nothing. We are united to Christ. Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ and nothing shall ever remove him from our presence or us from his presence. So what are you going through? Do you feel overwhelmed? Is it because you're trying to do it alone? Is it because you are resting upon and relying upon your own strength or your own imagination or your own intelligence or your own ideas? Or are you resting upon God? Our great confidence is always nothing shall separate us from God. Nothing shall remove his favor from us. We're his children. Nothing shall remove his favor from us. Because as Christians, we continually bring ourselves back under the law. When God says in his word, there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ has satisfied the law and he has given his righteousness unto us. Yet we continually bring ourselves back under the condemnation of the law and say, oh God, I am condemned, O wretched man that I am." When the apostle says, yes, I go through all these struggles, that the things I know I ought to do, I don't do. The things I know that I shouldn't do are the very things that I do. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God. through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Well, Moses' final sermon to Israel is this. Deuteronomy 31 verse 6, Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Or Solomon, as he dedicates the temple, this is the temple dedication, and very short, very brief. Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people, Israel. According to all that he has promised, not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he promised through Moses his servant. May the Lord our God be with us. And that's it. That's the prayer for our church. May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us. If he leaves us, we are done. Oh, God, lead us, guide us. And God, help me to follow you. Take my life. It is yours. And lead me, oh God. and lead me not unto temptation. O God, may you direct every step that I take. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, oh, what a comfort that the Lord Jesus Christ is with us, never leaving us or forsaking us. Even this morning as we come to the Lord's table, He's present with us. He is here. What a blessed thought. What a comfort. At the same time, Father, all of us remember the time when we were under your condemnation and lost. And it was terrifying to know that we have offended the holy God of glory under your just condemnation, the wrath of God revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. But then, Father, you showed us the Savior, who is gracious. He says, Come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. We found the Savior most glorious, and we rested in Him, and the promise of the gospel. Father, thank you that now we are the children of the Most High. who promises us, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. So Father, help us to remember this as we live our lives and live continually, quorum Deo, under the face, before the face of God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.