Our Father in heaven, what is better than serving you and worshiping you and singing unto you? For you have called us, O God, by your grace, and it is your grace that will take us home. Lord, you have orchestrated everything to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to him be the glory forever and ever. And the crown of life is from him, and unto him is the authority to give. Lord, we praise you. And this morning, O God, we pray, give us boldness, give us comfort, give us courage in the grace of God to walk without fear and to live for him until he returns. In Christ's name, I pray and believe. Amen. Dear friends, it's a pleasure for me to be here. It's been a while since I was here. And it feels amazing to be back home to see some of the faces that I already know and some of you that I've not met before. You're all looking amazing. And the campus is amazing. First of all, I want to extend my word of thanks Dr. Pitt for leading the team here. I've heard many people say he's a good leader, and I want to say thank you so much. And also those that have been working alongside him, the one who know every corner of this campus, and you who have stayed here for a long time, serving here, maybe away from your family members, from your relatives, I want to say thank you so much. It's the grace of God that we are all here, and it's really a proof that God loves you to give you such a great mission. Amen? Then to the students, and to you also, I want to say thank you, because we feel encouraged as we have gone before you especially to hear that there's somebody behind, and somebody who is doing the same thing that you did, that is greatly encouraging. Now I know sometimes life doesn't move exactly the same way that you would love it to move, and sometimes challenges here and there, but one thing is clear to me that God is able to keep us, and it's him who is able to sustain us, amen? And if we made it, you can as well make it. No matter the circumstances, God is still good. Amen? My name is Paul Magala. I am married with a son, Grayson. He's five years old. When I left here, I wasn't married. Everybody thought you're crazy. This is the right place to find a wife. And I said to myself, maybe I am crazy. So when I went out, I got married by the grace of God, and we have a beautiful son. I've been serving as a pastor of a small church. It's not a mega church, but it's a church that is loving Christ and enjoying to be together to worship him. I've been teaching at Knox, and I'm still teaching at Knox School of Theology. It's not as big as this school is. But it's sufficient for now. And so I am the registrar there. And I teach a few courses there. So I know what administration is. And that's why my word of thanks goes to those that are really behind ABU and the greatness of the school. Amen? This place for you is a launching place. A little bit about my testimony, even before I get into the text. When I came here, everything looked a little bit strange. I knew I wanted to be somewhere like this. But when I got here, the academics and the hard work, then I actually started questioning myself. Is this where I want to be? So I almost ran away in my first year. But thanks to God, and I say thank you for persisting, nothing gets to us easily. Even salvation is a walk, and it's tough. It is sacrifice. It's going to take your time. It's going to make you sweat. But at the end of it all, there's something good. My uncle, I remember, told me when I was in my senior six, said, if you don't go to that Bible institution, and you go maybe to Macquarie and do a course like business, I'll pay for your tuition. Even if you want me to pay the whole semester, or even four semesters ahead, I will do that. And I didn't have where to get the money. So while I was still praying, somebody came up and said, where do you want to go? Why are you seated at home? I said, I want to go to ABU. When I came here, I've never regretted. Everything I learned here and everything that I encountered in the world, I was able to relate it here. The hard work, because when you get out of here and you go out, it's going to be hard work. So if you can't finish your work here, trust me, you'll have challenges finishing your work out. Yeah? I'm telling you. I'm telling you the fact. So this is a training ground, and I've never regretted. I've seen my friends who went to Makerere. Not to talk bad about Makerere, but there's something different. It's what I have that is valuable that they don't. Amen? And besides, they said, where are you going to get jobs? You're going to be a pastor. I said, yeah, I'm going to be a pastor, but God is going to feed me. And I've never lacked. So that's the goodness of God. And that's why I want to talk about spiritual watchfulness. Spiritual watchfulness. The theme of my sermon is watching until Christ returns. Watching until Christ returns. Watching until Christ returns. And we are going to see, really, what's this watchfulness? And why should we watch? And how should we watch? And if you're just wondering what text it's going to come from, it's Matthew 24, verses 36 to verse 51. Matthew 24, verse 36 to 51. Now it was indicated in the brochure, I mean in the handout, that I'll be preaching from Ephesians. But this text is so rich, and I thought I'll speak about Ephesians 6 in passing. because it has the same idea of watchfulness. In some of your Bibles, it is staying awake. In other versions, it's being alert. So why don't we read the Word of God together? But concerning the day and the hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the sun, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field, one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake." There is our word. Watch, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming, but know this, that if the master of the house had known in the part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have left his house to be broken into. Therefore, You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has set over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, my master is delayed and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. and he will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites in that place where there will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. As we have already prayed, congregation, friends, this text speaks the issue of life. Whatever this text says pertains every Christian. I mean pertains, it's beneficial for every Christian. It is speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is coming. And he uses the great word, we have to stay awake. We know the reason why we have security, the reason why we have police, and the defense forces is because the idea of watchfulness is embedded in defense. What security does is to watch. And we are in the army of the Lord. We have been given the duty to watch. Maybe you may look at yourself and you think, there's no way I'm in the army. But I want to let you know and to awaken you this morning this afternoon, that you are in the army of the Lord, and the Lord calls you, he has given you a duty to watch. But then we are questioning, what is watching? What is watching? This word watching has many synonyms. Like I already said, it's being awake. It's being attentive. It's being keen. It's being aware. and being careful. That's what this word means. We are called, as Christians, to do that. To watch for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also to watch and know that there is a tempter, the devil. He's not on your side. He's not on my side. He's against God. But one thing is great and one thing is worthy to be known and for us to give thanks for is that God is powerful. God is mighty. No matter what Satan does, one thing is true. For those he has called, victory will be theirs. And so as we look at this text, I want you to be greatly encouraged and to look at the urgence of this. Why does God say, through his son, we should watch? I thought life was easy. I thought we have security here. Maybe you take this word to Korea, I mean to Somalia, or maybe you take it to Sudan, where people are afraid. Maybe that's what you're questioning. Maybe that's what you're asking yourself. Is this really necessary for Uganda? I can walk up to midnight. I can do whatever I want up to late. Is there real urges that we should watch? And I want to propose to you today that yeah, and God knows why. And Satan, what he does is keep you blind. While God sounds the loudest trumpet to you to wake up through his word, Satan shouts or even gives you the breath, the cold, the cool breath, so that you can go to bed and never watch. He orchestrates everything so that your life is a busy life. You don't have opportunity to read, you don't have opportunity to pray, so that you can let your guards down. You go about your life, even when you think you're serving God, when you truly don't have life in you, you've lost it all. Your eyes blinded, you are really in sleep. Now as we, As I talk about watchfulness, I want you to be asking yourself a question. Where am I? What kind of soldier am I? Am I truly the awakened soldier of Christ, or am I just following the crowd of other soldiers who are truly committed? Why am I here? Why do I even study theology? Why am I a professor? Why am I playing the piano? Why am I here? Am I awakened, really? And I think the previous preacher was speaking about grace. Ultimately, the platform for all this is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, reasons why we should really watch. Why should we watch? We've seen that watching is, I'll give you an illustration, if you still have a problem understanding what this is, which I don't think, because it's plain, one time I went to a beautiful place, it's a resort, it's a hotel, And I was just standing on top of the bridge, and I looked down, and there's this bird that passed me. It went and stood on the next tree next to me. I kept looking at it, and it came back. It landed just below the bridge, and looked at me, and looked down, and moved a little bit closer towards the prey, and kept eating and looking at me. and eating and looking at me, and looking at me. So this is a classical example. This is a perfect example of what Christian life should look like. The life of watching every day. So you are not just watching for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, but you're also watching for what is surrounding me. What danger am I in if I don't keep my head up and down? The entire life of a Christian is that life. There is no time in life where you will not watch. And you should not watch. Every day of your life is watchfulness. This is what God has called us to. And so my call to you all this day, and I hope that when you move out, you truly see the need of watching, and know that you are insecure in every way, because our master says so, and he has never been a liar. Maybe you are a liar, and you have lied to your heart, but he is true, and he will be true to his word forever. So as he calls us, and as he's called us in his word, I pray that you be awake, I be awake. Why should we then watch? One, there's so many afflictions. One, why should we watch? I've finished, what is watchfulness? Two, why should we then watch? There's so many afflictions. If you read the book of Psalms, you will see King David. He demonstrates to us the life of devotion. He demonstrates to us the life of service unto Christ, unto God. But many times he complains about the circumstances around him. Much as he was rich, he had all the army, but still he had challenges in his life. He was afflicted at one point in life. He felt the temptations in his life. But the Bible says that David was a man against God his own heart. And we learn from him, why does God say that? This is a man who fell. But because even amidst his afflictions and his challenges, he was able to look at God and trust him. Even in his afflictions. Look at a passage like this. This is King David says, this is what he says. My voice, this is Psalm 50, Psalm 5 verse 3. Psalm 5 verse 3. He says, my voice shall thou hear in the morning. O Lord, in the morning I'll direct my prayer unto thee. and I will look up." What is he talking about? He's talking about, where does my help come from? And as I watch my eyes to you, oh God, to you, amidst all the affliction, amidst all the hate, where do I look unto? I look to you. And that's what spiritual watchfulness is, looking for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ and looking to God for help amidst all affliction. In Micah 7.7, the Bible says, Right? That's what watchfulness is. Always being alive to what God is doing in your life and what God is doing around you. I want to let you know that life, as you heard, where I come from in Mbali, there was a flood. And people seemed to fear. People were afraid. People died. A team from Kampala was coming for an introduction. They saw the flood. They saw the water crossing the bridge. And they had a super custom, the powerful car. So they thought, maybe we can cross. And they went through the flood, and the car rolled. And they looked for them. They never saw them. After three days, the water sank. And many of them were in that car, all in different positions, showing that they were truly fighting for their lives. They had lost their lives. So in amidst of all of those afflictions, it's not just the flood. It's not just another bushfire. It's just, to us, it's just politics. It's just the life. Life swings by. It's just Uganda. It's just Africa. It's just the USA. It's politics and all these things. But it's not. It's the devil trying to fight so that he can get agents to his side, so that he can get those that, at the end of the day, you'll feel deceived and he will laugh because he already knows his destiny. You don't. If you are not believing in Christ, your destiny is, this is what the Bible says, those that do not believe in Christ, they are already condemned. But something can be different, okay? So we watch because of afflictions and to see the goodness of God and the graces of God operating in our lives. Two, why should we watch again? Two, we should watch because in our text, It says that at the time of Noah, men were given to what? You know, marrying, eating, small issues of life. And yet it's those small issues of life that Satan is able to use and to destroy your life. Remember, he's not on your side and he will never be on your side. What he does is to color up all his deceptions. They look beautiful, but they are not. If you want to see a perfect example of the operation of Satan in somebody's life, is you read that story of the demon-possessed man. If Satan had good things for us, he would have made the life of that man better. But when Christ showed up, this man was in his graves. His life was miserable. He was cutting himself. And that's what is behind the beautiful temptations that look beautiful to our eyes, and yet there is a real hook behind it. So as you look amidst affliction, you'll be looking up and watching and being alert, like him who walks on glass. If by one morning you came here and you found all these glasses shattered and you needed to get to this pulpit, and you don't have good shoes, you would be careful how you move, right? And that's what the Bible says. We have to walk carefully. We have to every day watch where every step, every day you wake up in the morning, you must be looking. First of all, when is Christ returning? And I think some of you sleep on your back. I love to sleep on my back, and this is the position you sleep in, right? And in that position, God has given us that position for you to really look and say, okay, my Lord, when is this day? When is it truly coming? And probably you look out of the windows and you say, Lord, when are you coming? a heart that truly loves God, that is not polluted by the desires of Satan, a pure heart that is seeking God, a pure mind that doesn't want to be polluted by the lies of Satan, a mind that is truly thinking of the truth of God and what he has promised, a will that is not led by a polluted heart, a corrupt heart, a stinking heart, a pure will, that when you fall on your knees, you're constantly asking God, I have messed up. But because of the grace, like our preacher preached, because of the grace, here I am, and I need you to watch over me and teach me how to watch, to be careful about every day. Is that you? Is this your life? It's very easy to deceive yourself. You become an empty professor. It's very easy, very, very easy. You become an empty pastor who just has the form, but he doesn't have the essence, doesn't have the substance, the love for the ministry and the love for Christ. It's very easy to be like that. And in this circumstance, you feel secure, because everywhere you turn to, everybody's speaking scripture, and everything seems good. And you think, ah, for me, I must be doing well. When your heart is real dry, it's withered, your heart is rotten. So you'll be thinking about your life, comparing it to the man that desired God, the man that God called. We all have sin. I have sin. And if you move out of this beautiful gate, sin is waiting for you out. Whatever you are going to do in ministry, sin is waiting for you out. Once you step out of this gate, I thought I was secure until I reached out and I said, OK, man, You have finished school, now is the time for you to be ordained. I said, okay, let it come. And I was ordained, and I was put in the ministry. Of course, I loved what I was about to do. Up to now, by the way, if I speak to people, some of my classmates, they say, you turned out to be a pastor? This is a shock. But I'm telling you, I've been seasoned out there by all the challenges of life. and all the demands that I have, the duty, I wouldn't call them demands or commandments, what God has commanded me. But what I learned from here is actually to watch. I got a biblical worldview. that is different from what I would have gotten from another place. And I hope that's what you are yearning for here. So that when you move out, you don't use your own eyes. Your heart is deceptive. Your eyes are deceptive. Your ears are deceptive. But what lies in the word of God and the word of God that you have kept in your heart and the word of God that guards you, that will lead you home. And you will see things different I've struggled with Satan in the ministry, some witchcraft. I know some of you don't even believe in it. I'm telling you, things are out there that you must be prepared. You must be prepared, because my church is next to a mosque. It's just face to face with a mosque. And I'm telling you, it's not easy. Even people come to me and say, you know what? We got this information. People are trying to fight you. And I can feel it. People going to the people and asking them, don't go to that church, this is what we have for you, that church is terrible, the pastor is a devil worshiper, and all those things. Those stories are foolish and silly. But they pollute people. And if you find people like the people I minister to, not very academically sound like you are, those become temptations and eventually they get to the heart of the minister. And those are the challenges of life. And I hope that you are prepared for those challenges. But one thing is true. The word of God promises us great things. God will be on our side. And you, your duty is to watch. Don't just go to bed. If you found a soldier like that, even yesterday as I was coming, I found your Askari, we call him, back home. I don't know what you call him here. He was watching. But many times where I come from, we hire Askaris for a lot of money. And sometimes you wake up at night at around 12 and you're walking around and you find him asleep. One time my dad picked a gun and hid it. The man woke up, the gun was not there. He was too afraid, he thought he was going to be fired. He cried. He was running around looking for the gun. He thought there's a thief hiding somewhere, he was taking the gun. He was afraid. I use that type of soldier that I can easily take the word away from. A small situation and you are done. A small sickness and you are already weak. Something small and you're already trembling. Ask for God to give you strength. And I'm not saying that this is something you are able to do by your own strength. This is something you are going to rely on Christ to do for you and to teach you how to do it. Look into the cross and say, God, you remain faithful. You gave us your only son. Even on the last night when he was to be taken, his apostles were sleeping. His disciples were sleeping. He was watching. He came back to them and said, hey, guys, watch with me. I am coming back. And he went to pray, asking God the same thing. Let this cup pass from me. When he returned, he found his disciples asleep. So the body is weak, much as the soul desires. You may need to fall on your knees sometimes, even when you don't need to fall, when you don't want to fall on your knees, and say, God, here I am. I don't want to pray. I don't know what has happened. I was excited with these things. Maybe I was excited when I came to ABU, not anymore. And you say, God, you need to restore my heart. You need to restore my heart, oh God, here I am. Help me, help me. Because of Christ and the cross and the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Point number two, I will summarize. Point number three, right? See, I'm also losing count by myself. you must be getting tired. So point number three, why should we watch the return of our Lord Jesus Christ? And his certainty is coming. Two, because of the afflictions. Three, because you need to guard what comes to your heart. The purpose of that security is who comes in and who gets out, right? That's the purpose of that security. If somebody's taking Mr. Kensella's car out, the security should be able to say, where are you going with this car? I'm not a driver, right? So the purpose of you watching, so that you guard your heart. What comes to your heart? Because the eyes are beautiful, but the eyes are able to let evil into your heart. The ears are so good, you need them, that the ears are able to get. So do you have gets for these things? Do you have gets? What do you listen to? What are you seeing? There's that song, it's just, maybe sometimes it's considered a children's song. Or be careful little eyes what you see. Yeah? Sometimes we sing that, it's just, you know, we don't even really think about it. But know that the pollution that you have in your heart is because of these openings. Beautiful, but able to cause you to sin. Listen to what King David says again. He says, this is Psalms 141 verse three. He says, Psalms 141 verse three, he says, set, beg your pardon, He says, set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips. Why would a pious man be thinking about lips? They're just for talking, for talking. Why would he be thinking about them, okay? Or set a guard on my eyes. So continuing, what comes in and what goes out? That's point four. What comes in and what goes out? Yeah? Why do I think that is important? Let me just take this as an example. Most of the conflict that we have with others is what comes out. Have you seen? Maybe somebody just moved your bed a little bit, and you came from class, and you are tired, you have a lot of assignments, and you say, you are foolish. Why do you do this to me? Because what comes out, ultimately affected by the heart. If Christ is not sitting in the heart, what comes out will be destructive more than building up. So congregation, I submit to you that there is a real need to guard your hearts. There's a real need to watch for the return and the devil. Amen? How? How? I have listened to that someone. Okay, thank you so much. Where do I begin from? How? Right? How? Number one, by heeding the word of God. You look at our texts. I spoke about Noah's people and what happened to them, given to the last of the flesh. And now I'm looking at the promise of the thief. The thief, if he is to come, one, he will not ask you, can I please come and steal your laptop? I think I like it, it's a Mac. Is it brand new? I'm coming tonight. He will not. He will not ask your permission. He will just come, and Christ doesn't have to ask for permission. So if you are going to watch, you are going to watch His way, how He has said, and that's where you begin from. Have you truly given your life to Christ? That's the first way to watch. Because ultimately, you know it's Christ who watches us. While you are asleep, it is Him who watches. And you are going to follow in his footsteps because he is watching you and he has taught you how to watch. Is Christ the captain of your heart? Is Christ your teacher? Is Christ your savior? Are you relying on the righteousness of Christ, the garment that Christ alone can dress us on, the garment of righteousness and the garment of holiness? In Ephesians, we see that passage is talking about what? It's talking about the whole armor of God. And he says, that armor of God, one, the belt of truth, the breastplace of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, All these things is what Satan wants to take away from you. So how do you watch ultimately? It's to him who is able to give you that armor. How I pray for you brothers and sisters, girls and boys, papas, lecturers, pastors, wives, that you truly depend on Christ for everything. depend on Christ for your life. Even when your marriage is not going well, depend on Christ. You as a husband faithfully lead your wife into worshiping God as the head without being tired. And that's how you help your wife, your family to watch. That's how you help your children to watch. Every day without getting tired, leading them in family worship. And being keen to see that where God's people are is where you are. Never getting tired. The grace of God will be with you as you seek those purest things. Amen? So first of all, believe and trust in Christ. I don't want to say all of you are saved. Don't even say that I am saved. Only when I have put my faith in Christ and you are able to see it with your own eyes. Right? That what comes to my head, and I think this is what your professors are teaching you here, that what comes to your head should not be disconnected to what comes to your heart. Once you disconnect the head from the heart, you have the most dangerous man. The man who just has the knowledge. He can quote every scripture, but he has no heart. And that's the most dangerous man. And if you give him a heart without a head, you have another twin brother. The most dangerous man. The heart without the substance. And that's dangerous. It's dangerous territory to trade in. It's dangerous business. Now you have a man who has the head, all full of knowledge. the love, but he doesn't go out. He has no will to go out. Don't just gather these things. It's okay, I finished the book of John, now I know it. I have a Master of Theology, Smart Theology, Ecclesiology, that one I know, Cathology, I know all the things. What do you have to say to me? But you are not out there living as Christ has called you to live. You are getting defeated even in smallest temptations. You're receiving punches from all angles. Then fall on your knees. Fall on your knees and ask God, I want to live for you. I want to love you with all my heart. I want to give you everything of mine, that you master it. Okay? Listen to this, what we sang, Blessed Assurance. That last verse says, filled with his goodness, lost in his love. lost in Christ's love and hope. Amen? Now, as I finish, so by serving Christ, by believing in Him, you're watching. Two, again, I'll go very fast. Because I come from a village congregation, sometimes when I go along, I find people dozing. And I'm really thinking, am I saying something? So two, how do you watch? You need the truth of God. You need the word of God. So there is Christ, and there is his truth, and you need both. Have you seen? You need his truth. And as I said, the inspired, inerrant word of God is everything to you. It may not be so valuable because you have so many Bibles everywhere. Everywhere you turn, which version is that? Mine is ASV, this one is NIV. Ah, I'm crazy about this. And you forget, what is this book for? Why do I ultimately need this book? He who walks by the book has light, because the book is light to your feet. Amen? The other thing is you need the family of God. You need the family of God. Don't think you're too wise in your own eyes. One is better, two is better than what? One. Now that other one that you have, that is your companion. Another saying that, show me the character of your friend, show me your friend and I will know exactly who you are. I see some of you seated together with some friends, and I'm sure that maybe in the dormitory somewhere you sleep near each other. Are you constantly rebuking each other and correcting each other and helping each other to seek Christ? So that when your friend leaves here, he will say, I had a friend who helped me. And are you listening to what they are telling you? Some of you have your own character. Maybe you came from home, no one ever said anything to you. Somebody says, man, you need to dress well. And you quickly become angry. Who are you to tell me? Are you my father? We should be quick to listen and slow to speak. And learning from other people, that's why you're here. If you cannot learn from your professors, learn from your friends, you have a problem ahead of you. A big problem. Very many problems. You may not like Tim Hawk personally, because he's so straightforward, but if he's saying and he's coming to you with a message of God, and an advice that you think, I think that is true. Because deep in you, you know it's true. Much as you get defensive, you know that it's ultimately true. Then you receive him and think about it and say, OK, God, he is a man I don't like so much, but a message I love. Help me. Help me, oh God. Amen? So those are some of the ways we watch. And then don't remember, I mean, don't forget, Practically, how does that look like? Sometimes it looks like you picking up your word, locking yourself somewhere, reading and praying, and crying out to God. Because, look at these words. Fast and pray. Fasting and prayer. Fasting has to do with what? Depriving yourself of food. Watching has to do with depriving yourself of sleep. And that's what Jesus did. Sometimes Jesus will just go early in the morning to just give his life. He knows the Father, he knows everything about the Father, but here we see a commitment to just be away and serve God. Sometimes I don't like overnights so much and we don't talk so much about them in our denomination. We normally think, ah, those are pentecostals, they shout a lot and I need to sleep, these guys are crazy. And what they're actually doing, maybe not perfectly, but they're trying to do some watching. Yeah? They're trying to do some watching. And so they're better than you who is actually sleeping as it's too loud. I don't like the noise either. But have you been able to stay up night and watch and just pray like Jesus did? Maybe you think I'm lying. Let us see these verses as I conclude. I don't want to be that preacher as I finish, as I conclude another point. Right? Okay. Listen to this. Listen to this. Listen to this. Talking about Jesus Christ. This is Mark 1, 35. Mark 1, 35. It says, and in the morning, raising up a great while before day, he went out. and departed into a solitary place, and there he prayed. Are we getting something from there? Yeah? And then we listen to King David here. King David says, King David in Psalm 119, Psalm 119, 62 he says, at midnight, what? King, you must be sleeping, what are you doing up at midnight? Do you want to be a night dancer or what? Those are the people we know in our cultures, that they do work at night while Christians are sleeping. It says, at midnight, I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgment. Okay? So, I rest my case here, and I say, don't move away thinking, ah, now, today, I need to try to watch, and it goes back to what our lecturer said, our first speaker. It's the grace of God. If you are not relying on the grace of God, you are going to fail and fail until Christ comes back. Okay? So the platform of everything And I hope the doctrine that they teach you here, the doctrine of grace, many times I listen to our speakers, even when they go out, I've noticed something. I said, I have to do a survey. They're always talking about the doctrine of grace somehow. And that's what we need. That's what we need. It's the grace that you did not deserve that brought you and will take you home. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this day and the practice of spiritual emphasis. I thank you that your people have not lost this idea, because we all need to be encouraged to pause and watch and meditate on the goodness of God amidst our busy schedule. And I pray for your students and your professors, Lord, as they prepare to do the exam, But may they never forget that amidst all the things, you are still supreme and preeminent. Keep them, O God, and shine your face upon them. Don't take away your countenance upon them, O God. Continue, O God, to bless them, because you know what's right for us, more than we know what's right for ourselves. So while we sing these songs, oh God, awaken us every day. The truth that's drenching out of these hymns and the truth that you have given us, your word, oh God, may it be the reason why we do the things that we do and the love of Christ. May it be the reason, oh God, and the center of our lives. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.