Thank you too, Ms. Snow, for fighting through that and being here. Boy, I tell you, we'd have had a hard time with those songs without you here. My heart about fell through the floor when somebody told me Ms. Snow was sick. I thought, oh no. I appreciate you, sister. God bless you. Open your Bible, if you would, please, to the book of 1 Peter, and we'll continue on the book of 1 Peter. I'm gonna continue on here and try to just praying about what the Lord may go to Romans and run for Romans and first Peter together, maybe on Sunday nights and then Wednesday nights do the other. But anyway, just pray for me that I'd get direction. We got a lot to be thankful for. I was just thinking about all the goodness today about how God's been so good to us. I appreciate these, Ms. Stephanie, that song you sang If I've not told you young kids enough, I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you. It's hard to keep yourself clean and to try to do all that's expected as a young person. It's very difficult. There's a lot that's, you know, a lot that we expect out of our children, just as God expects a lot out of us. And I just want these young people to know I'm proud of them. I love them. It doesn't mean you've arrived. I believe you'll get Brother Reed's age and realize you've not arrived. Who's got seniority on you, brother? Brother Montgomery? Get Brother Montgomery's age and realize you haven't arrived. There'll be one day when Jesus comes to step out the voice, the archangel, the trump of God, will come up hither, and the dead in Christ shall rise, and we that are alive and remain, we'll not prevent them that are asleep, but we'll be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. And this corruption will put on incorruption, mortality will put on immortality, and then it'll come to pass, the saying. And so, then at that time, we only know in part, right? And so we will, in that day, we'll be able to say we've arrived then, right? But now we're declared perfect in heaven, but we're down here as sojourners and pilgrims and living in a dead body with a spirit that's alive unto God, but a flesh that's just as rotten as it's ever been. Not a save, not one piece of your flesh is saved. It's just as wicked as it's always been. And so we're in a great, like Paul said, who shall deliver me from the body of this dead? When I would do good, evil's present with me. And I find then a law and my members warring against the other. And so with my mind, I serve one and with the other, you know, and he's in this great battle even when he would do good, you know. He do the things He doesn't want to do that He does, the things He should do that He doesn't do. He's in this place, oh, who shall deliver me? I thank God through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen. And so He's our only hope. And that's what Peter's trying to address to these sojourners, these pilgrims, these strangers such as you and I that are living in these last days. when the sin and iniquity is abounding and people are running to and fro as it was in the days of Noah, as it was in many of those days just like it was. And as the Bible teaches us how that the love of many will wax gold. And we know all that's going on dispensationally speaking. We know where we are as far as the wickedness of the world is concerned. but it's certainly no excuse for me and you. God doesn't drop the standard because the times got a little rough, right? So God's grace is just as sufficient now as in the Laodicean church age, in a lukewarm age, it's just as sufficient now as it was during the acts of the apostles. It's just a sufficient grace in any time period. It transcends time and people and nations and colors and kindreds and tongues and God's grace is sufficient. so that we have no excuse not to live up to what our great heavenly calling is, which is holy, right? And so it's what Peter's gonna try to teach us and help us to see when he deals with these very first verses. We took a look at the man, we got our way down to their making, their maker. We've looked at the metals that'll be coming, how he's maintaining us. You are in verse five in 1 Peter 1, kept by the power of God. And boy, that's something that will keep you through some dark nights, won't it? You're kept by the power of God. When you doubt and fear yourself, one thing you can rest in peace of, knowing that He knows them that are His, and no man will pluck you out. You're safe and secure in Jesus, right? Not by your own power. You didn't get in by your own power, and you're not staying by your own power, right? Many has received Him. To them gave He to become the sons of God. There was an issue in the matter of salvation and it had to do with perfection and power. We didn't have the power nor the perfection to be sons of God. And so He answered both problems in the person of Jesus. When He came, God with us, Sacrifices thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. God prepared Jesus a body, and in the likeness of sinful flesh, he condemned sin in the flesh. And God came and took on the form of a human, humbled himself, made a little lower than the angels, and became a man, humbled himself, came obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, for you and I, so that we could go free. And now, now the perfection answer that God expects has been answered. God, you can't produce perfection, neither can I. We have to get in the one to produce it for us. And so it took Jesus. God demanded perfection. You couldn't produce it. Jesus could. So He came and fulfilled the law down to every jot and tittle. Not one part failed. It behooves us now to fulfill all righteousness. Remember what He said? So He came, fulfilled the law on your behalf. and was treated as the transgressor, as one that had broken the law and fulfilled it on your behalf, went to the cross, died, buried, rose again for your justification. And now in Him, you can be made one just as Him in God. He said, remember in John 17, John 17, we ended there last Sunday or Wednesday night, I believe it was, the glory which now gave us me, I have given them. Now that's a mouthful if you think about the fullness of God, the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus bodily, right? He is the expressed image of the person of God. God is a spirit. No man at any times ever seen God. No nine-year-old fell asleep and traveled up there and thought he saw God and explained Him in three manifestations of different people and wrote a book about it. Heaven's not real because a nine-year-old fell asleep and had a dream on a bunch of medicine, right? He didn't see God. I don't know who he saw, but he didn't see God. And he certainly wouldn't have saw three different manifestations of it because you can't see a spirit, right? Spirit's a real mode of being, but it's different than physical, right? Spirit and material are two realistic modes of being, but they're different. Materialistic things can't occupy the same space. That's why you go over here and try to walk through that wall and you're gonna smack right into it, right? But in the spirit, you can walk right through it. There's different laws that govern the spirit world. But one law is, is you don't see them, right? No man at any time has seen God. But Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. So everything that God is and shall be and will be and has been, dwelt in the body of Jesus Christ when he was upon this earth and is now in the heavenly seated where you ever live it to make intercessions for you and I. And so if anybody's ever seen God, they've seen Jesus, right? And he is the manifestation of who God is. And so all the glory that the father gave us to the son, the son has given to you and me. And boy, that ought to put a big old fat ugly smile on some of your faces. Not all of you are ugly, I said some, okay? Some aren't like me, they got blessed a little better. Some of us just work with what we got, okay? But it ought to put a big old smile on our faces to know that the glory that God gave to the son, the Bible says the son has given unto us. That just blesses me all over. I hope that helped you. But that's where we ended last time and that was a good place to end. And so we're gonna move on. We were looking at them receiving the trials, excuse me, during his molding. And let's start in verse number seven. The trial of your faith is much more precious than the gold that perisheth. 1 Peter 1, verse 7, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Verse number eight, whom having not seen, ye love. And that is part of what we as parents are trying to do. He's gonna talk about obedient children. But children that will not obey authority they can see, never will obey authority they cannot see. And so we are doing all that we can in nurturing our children, raising them in the fear of God, because if you don't fear and respect authorities you see, no way will you have it in you to respect the governing authority of God Almighty. And so you need that great importance, but who having not seen, you do love. Do you love him tonight? Jesus told and said, remember, let me touch, let me feel. And he said, you know, a wicked adult's generation always seeking after a sign. That was a curse really on the Jews. They were always seeking a sign. They wanted to see. I would believe Jesus if he would just, if he would part the heavens and let me see some great vision. And the reality is you're deceiving yourself because no, you wouldn't believe it. If you won't believe Bible preaching you would not believe a miracle if I was to raise somebody from the dead. What the Bible said, remember? Abraham's will, remember? If they had Moses and the prophets let them hear them. If people will not by faith believe Bible preaching, see God chose the foolishness of preaching. And so preaching is foolishness to you, it's a good sign you're not saved. right? Because us that are saved it is the power of God. We know that God chose the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. And He's going to talk about that. He's going to talk about these prophets that prophesied of the grace that was to come unto you. They searched diligently to try to figure out what all was being talked about concerning Jesus and His sufferings. And they were saying things they didn't even know what they were saying Brother Reed. They were testifying of things that they had no understanding biblically because it wasn't for them. It was for a generation to come. But whom having not seen your love, I hope you love him tonight. And you know, if you were to see him, Jesus said, excuse me, God told him and said that no man can see me and live, right? If we were to see all that God was, it'd kill us, I believe. So we just gonna have to see him by the eye of faith, right? And then God will confirm to you now after you're saved, I've had some things happen, some miraculous things happen in my life that nothing you could do to explain it away. I know it was God, right? But God's not gonna do things to prove himself to you, he don't have to, he's God. And he's gonna just say this, he's given you the word of God, if you don't believe that, then you'll go to hell when you die, right? It's that simple. Bible preaching will do it. If that won't do it, then you won't get in, right? You're going to have to believe the preaching of the Word of God. And he's going to go on to say that. Let me move forward. Verse number eight, you may be not seeing your love in whom though now you see him not yet believing. You rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. And boy, I wish that were true more often. It is true, but it's often not manifested true in our lives and it should be. Nobody's to blame for that but me and you. It's sad we let so many circumstances keep us from rejoicing like we should be. Jesus deserves more praise and adoration than we give Him. We go around poor-mouthing more often than we should. We murmur and complain and these things should not be so. And many of us will end up drying up and dying in the wilderness, never entering in to any type of a victorious life because we're too busy complaining about things we think we should have and murmuring about what God has given us instead of being like Job and saying, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. His presence is enough. And it's not many times in our life. And so don't do that. Don't miss the great blessing of your life now looking for things that you don't have. Why don't you thank God for what you do have? And maybe that one thing, if God were to give it to you, it might be exactly what destroys you. You ever thought about that? What if God answered every one of your prayers? I'm glad God, Brother Crabtree, ain't answered some of my prayers. Amen. God's gonna, as a faithful Father, He knows what's best for us. We don't see things like He does, right? We're looking not like He's able to see. We're limited in our vision. God sees all things from beginning to end. He's declared them all, right? He sees everything instantaneously. He has all knowledge. There's nothing God doesn't know. And so I believe I'd rather trust His decision on what's best for me than to try to do it myself, wouldn't you? But often we're mad because God didn't do what we thought was best for us, aren't we? You can shake your head at least. You don't want to admit it out loud. And really, we ought to just, you know what, thank God I didn't get that job. That job may have been where you might run into somebody that you know, where you might have messed up, said something, done something. I mean, God's looking out for us. I think about that often. I got behind somebody and I gotta be careful. Now I'm living in such a small town now, people are gonna know who I'm talking about. So I won't tell you what kind of car he was driving, but I was running a little bit behind and that man could have got out and walked faster than he was driving that car. Now, he was driving a Chrysler product, so it may have just had been a struggle getting up them hills. But, no, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But, you know, I thought about, Brother Reed, maybe God, they might have been a deer run out here, and I swerved off the road and killed somebody. I mean, God, you never know. God is omniscient. He knows everything. So, best if we just relax and thank God for everything that we've got and quit being so mad about things we think we should have and just, you know, just trust God. God's doing, I'm telling you, there's nobody in here that's been shorted by God. God's done exceedingly and abundantly above anything you could even think to ask Him to do. He's exceeded your every expectation. He's given you more than you ever deserved. He's loved you more than you ever deserved to be loved. He's put you in His family, give you all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. He's given you good health tonight. He's given you food in your belly. He's given you a family, people that love you, given you a church family that'll pray for you. I'm telling you, God's been good. God's given us some things, man, we never deserved them. God's been good to this country, he's been good to this church, he's been good to you individually, and it's about high time we start saying so. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, right? Say something about it. God bless you, say something about it, right? Let the redeemed of the Lord. God's been good to you, ain't he? Huh? Now, ain't's not a word, but I'm gonna say it anyway, because I'm grown, I can say it if I want to. My nana kept me from saying ain't all my life, she hated that. She was an English teacher and every time I'd say it, Brother Phil, she'd say, ain't's not a word, you shouldn't say that. If you're gonna talk in front of people, you need to talk right. Well, I'm a grown man, I'm gonna say ain't tonight, that be okay? God's been good to you, ain't he? Hey, he's being good. Boy, Brother Hicks, it's wonderful, brother, to think the heritage, I don't know much about your daddy, but he was the first, Brother Hicks is here tonight, his daddy was the first pastor of this church, the old church builder. It started off right. You ought to be blessed. You ought to bless the Lord for what he's done. He started this church, he started it right. Churches are birthed, I believe that. God starts them, births them. started this church. Wonderful. We're blessed. I'm not trying to brag on the church. I'm bragging on God. I'm blessed to be a pastor here. I'm blessed to be a pastor here. God's blessed me with good kids, a loving wife. We've been, hey, God has took care of us. I'm going to tell you something though, if things turn south for the Crabtree tomorrow, I still ought to be able to stand up here and say, God's been good to me. God's been good. If I wasn't dignified, I'd shout a little bit. It's not dignified. I'm worried about it. It's breaking something these days now. Hey, God's been good. Hey, if you come in here tonight sad, would you cheer up a little bit? You could be in hell. Try it. God's been good to you. He allowed you to get here, allowed you to sing the songs of Zion in a strange land and sing praises unto our God, put a new song in your heart. He's put some joy in you, some peace, some understanding of the word of God. God's been good to you. I don't know anybody in here don't have a roof over their head. Anybody living on the street tonight? I've never seen the righteous forsaken or exceed begging bread. I don't see anybody in here starving tonight. I see some people God's put some good clothes on. He's given you a good sound mind, give you some peace, some joy, some love. I'm telling you, God, the Holy Ghost has been good to you. He shows you Jesus. He wakes you up every morning. He renews his mercies every day. I'm telling you, God's been good to you. You quit your murmuring, your complaining, being upset all the time, fault finding and backbiting. And why don't you just use your mouth for once in your life to praise God and quit running it about everybody else? Amen. Hallelujah, preacher. Boy, that do our churches some good. We used our mouths to praise God. God's been good. Amen. Now, somebody remind me of that tomorrow morning, would you? Somebody, Brother Hicks, gonna have to call me in the morning and remind me of that after I get done with this message. Now, let's move on here. God's been good, and I appreciate the goodness of the Lord, but along with that goodness comes some responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required. God requires some things at our hand. He's given us a lot, folks. He's given us money, good paying jobs, Most of us wouldn't think twice if we're sick tonight to go to the emergency room. These people in countries they don't even have a doctor to go to, let alone health insurance to cover it. They sit at home and suffer. And man, I don't think twice about going to the doctor. I'm telling you, we've got it good, bro. God's been precious and he's been faithful. Well, let's move forward here a little bit. We got a lot to answer for. We're gonna meet God at the judgment seat of Christ to answer for the deeds done in our bodies. And I know some people, I've heard them preach and say, I can't wait to get there. Well, they're a better man than I am. We need to be redeeming the time. The days are evil. We've wasted more time. There's been more people drop off and go to hell in the amount of hours we've spent watching the television. than any of us would care to stand up here and admit tonight. We've wasted more of God's time. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves. Now, here's the good news. I'm not going to leave you down there that low. Here's the good news. God's mercies, remember, are renewed every morning. So just get up in the morning, keep the TV turned off, and praise God, and thank God, and go out and do a little different tomorrow, would you? That's what I tell myself. I had one of my children tell me that one time. He said, I'm ashamed I didn't do such and such. I said, you know what you're just going to have to do? You're just going to have to get up, repent, get up, and get up and go at it again tomorrow. Let's do better tomorrow. You can't dwell on the past and fail. Just get up and keep going on for God. Onward, Christian soldiers. Just keep going on. You ain't going to look back to the failures. Just keep on going. Try to do different for the Lord. Amen. Now, we got to move on. So, whom having not seen your love, and no, you don't see them now, believing, that's where most of us see that believing is before rejoicing. And most of our rejoicing, the lack thereof, is because we don't believe God. If we had more faith and we believed God, we'd rejoice more. Did you notice that little piece in there? Yeah, believing. You take believing now, not much to rejoice over. Because what we have is hope, both sure and steadfast, an anchor to the soul. Our hope is entered within the veil. Hope, it's not seen, right? And so, if it's something that's seen, why is the man yet hope for it? So, the whole Christian, the Bible even says we're saved by hope. So if you take faith out and you take our hope out and believing out, there's nothing to rejoice over. I see why most religions are miserable, because they don't know where they're going. They have no security in their salvation. They don't know that just when they die, they're just gonna find out and maybe they go to purgatory and somebody prays them out. There's all kinds of crazy beliefs out there. It's you and me, if we just believe God, we got a lot to rejoice over. He's gonna tell us some things. Just believe God. Believe this much about him. You believe God really loves you. I'm gonna tell you now, the enemy will come to you trying to convince you every way in the world, Brother Ruby, he's abandoned you. God ain't doing you right. You ever had that thought come? I know I have. Feel sorry for yourself and he'll try to convince you about every bit of that warning. That's the enemy. You better believe God loves you. God ain't against you. If you're a Christian in here tonight, God is not against you. He's for you. God loves you. You better believe that. And that's enough rejoice over. So yet believe it, rejoice, rejoice. You can't even put it into words. You ever have that moment? I bet I could have one right now. And it's 472 degrees in here. I could have one right now. It's one of those moments you couldn't even put it into words where God just does something in your heart. Yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Verse 9, we look at our receiving, the end of our faith. So, even the salvation of your souls, and that's what we are doing, repenting, believing, and receiving. Isn't that wonderful? where the future yet to receive. Verse number 10, we're gonna see his mystery. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. Grace and glory, right? Where we ended last time. Diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. Searching what or what manner of time? The spirit of Christ, which was in them to signify when it testified beforehand, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, Now notice what verse 12 says, so we're going to see His method now of revealing truth. "'Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister.'" So here's what God did reveal to them. They did know that it was a future generation to come. God didn't leave them just squandering. He did reveal unto them that that was not for them at the time, that it was for a future time. Abraham received Isaac off the altar in a figure. The Bible said he had the gospel preached to him, right? But that gospel was not completed until the death, burial, and resurrection of our precious Lord. And so it was revealed unto them that not at that time, but a future generation to come. So it revealed unto them, not unto themselves, but unto us. Now here's one thing I wanna say, and I'm not saying this because I R1. Now I know that ain't right, but I like saying it anyway. unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you. Well, we're moving slow. Hey, it's not that late. So, you know, I got to think about, Brother Currier, do you remember who was preaching or when you got led to the Lord, do you remember? I know when I got saved, the night I got saved, because of the way that it happened, I got saved in somebody's back porch. And man, immediately, God put something in my heart for that man that preached the gospel to me. I just immediately just fell in love with that man. God put something in my heart. I'm telling you, if I'd have found out somebody had said something about him, I'd have slapped him. God would have probably let me buy with it at the time. I didn't know anything. Now, he wouldn't let me buy. No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I loved him. I loved that man. That man preached the gospel to me. How many of you know what I'm talking about? You remember who was preaching when you got saved? Boy, you can think right now and just think how much you loved that man for preaching the gospel to you. And if you don't watch it, the devil will turn you from him. See, he don't want you to like preachers, kids especially. But here's what he said, God used men. If you wanted to hear from God and John's day, you'd hear from John, right? God used men. They prophesied. They didn't have the understanding, it was for a future generation. And now, the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven, God used men again to preach the Gospel unto you, right? And so there again, we ought to love God's preachers. Can I make a statement here? And I mean this with all my heart. I'd rather our young people turn their nose up at President Trump than the least of the preachers that enter this pulpit. I believe they ought to be honored. I believe they ought to be respected. I'm talking about God's men. I'm not talking about that mama called crowd that's just looking for a paycheck and eating fried chicken and don't do nothing for a living. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about God's men. The least of them, they deserve, I think they should be respected. I think they should be, see, I don't know, I've seen so much disrespect for God's preachers in these days. Our young people, when they come here, I want to tell you something, you young people, listen good. I hope I don't ever see you disrespecting one of God's preachers. Now, I don't want to see you disrespecting nobody. No, your parents don't either. But boy, preachers ought to be esteemed highly in this place. They ought to know these missionaries and these men of God, when they come here, they're going to be treated with dignity and respect. They're going to study and give their time to study and feed you the Word of God. They ought to be listened to. They ought to be respected. They ought not be standing outside and people, a man up here, he studied and given himself to try to feed your family. You ought to have enough decency and respect to come in here and sit down and listen to what a man's got to say for 30 or 75 minutes. depending on who's preaching, right? They ought to be respected and listened to and given. I believe that. See, you know when Israel really got itself in trouble? When they refused God's prophets. When they began to misuse God's men, God said, you've crossed over a line now to where there is no remedy. wouldn't dare meet God talking to a man of God the way some people have talked to a man of God. You wouldn't catch me dead talking to my pastor the way some people talk to a preacher. I fear God. There's no way I'd do it. I'd be careful. Wouldn't you? We've got to move on. I'm not going to stay there. We've got to go home and it's hot. Now, unto whom it was revealed, not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Which things the angels desire to look into and You know, if you, I don't want to go there much, but I am still studying it out. I am intrigued by the cherubims. I know, you know, the Bible has so much to say about how God rides upon the wings of the cherub. They only fly in a straight line. And there's a lot about, I don't quite understand, but I do believe they protect the holy presence of God. I believe that. You look at the tabernacle, you look at the veils, you look at the tents, the coverings, you look at all the places that they are, God put cherubims in the east of the garden with a sword that turned every way when he, he used to protect the tree, unless they should eat of it and live forever, and the condition that they were in when he drove out Adam and Eve. And then God used the cherubim, God used those angels, and there's a lot, they don't understand, see, they don't have a redeemer. And so it's hard for them to grasp how a holy God would allow such unholy people into his presence. And I have to wonder when the smoke filled that tabernacle and the mercy seat, when he sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat and they went through all that process and the cleanings and all those things happened and the smoke filled, I have to wonder, what was the smoke covering? It didn't have to cover the presence of God, God's a spirit. God didn't show up in a body on the Ark of the Covenant upon the mercy seat and the wings were outstretched and they almost touched it. God didn't come down in a body and stand there. I don't believe that. I believe the smoke filled to cover the eyes of the cherubs that were turned facing the mercy seat because they did not understand how a holy God would allow such an unclean people into his presence because all they have known is they didn't keep their first estate, and for them, they fell. So he doesn't understand a people for whom God has redeemed. They don't understand redemption. That's the song that you and I get to sing. There'll be no cherubim singing redemption. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. They're not gonna sing that. You and me are gonna be singing redemption song. There was no savior sent down for them. God came down and so that he might be a faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God, it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren. And so he could be tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. God became a man. They don't understand that. And their eyes are looking upon the holy of holies, and their eyes are fastened upon the place in which the presence of God is, and they cannot understand. They can't figure it out how in the world God, and now you and me are able to enter into the holy presence of God without a high priest, because our priest has already entered within the veil. And we're securing him. Where he goes, I go. And you know where he is? Within the veil. Whether our forerunner, even Jesus, has entered into the very presence of God for us. See, everybody's gotta have a high priest. We're a priest, but we still have a high priest, right? The high priest of our profession. He ain't in a port-a-potty for you to tell all your secrets to either. Our high priest is in the heavens. Hallelujah. Wouldn't that be a miserable life? Have to walk into a port-a-potty with a man with a collar, turn around backwards and tell him all your secrets? Lord in heaven, I'd rather just get down on my knees and tell Jesus. Amen. Tell a man that's more messed up than I ever thought about being anything. Amen. Just tell Jesus. Tell the one who's able to do something about it, Joshua. You know what? I can't do nothing about it. I pray for you. Just go to him who's able to do exceedingly abundantly above. He'll do it for you, right? If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Hallelujah. And so they desire diligently to look in on these things. I don't understand all that that is, but there's a whole lot to be said there. He that dwelleth in the secret place shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I believe it's secret from the cherubim. I believe it's a secret place. You don't belong in the presence of God. You're too unholy, right? We don't belong there. All they know is God, here's what the Bible says, and this much they know about God. He's too holy to look upon sin. Now, why are you saying all this? Because I think we need to understand when we're talking about all these blessings, and we won't get there tonight, I'm done. But when we talk about all these blessings that He's done for us, there's going to come great responsibility. Now He's going to say, you better be holy. I want to rejoice and I want to thank God for all He's done for me. He is the end of the law for righteousness to them that believe. to get there, but because you are there, be ye holy." That's where He's going. That's where we'll be going. But let me just read this last verse. We looked at His mystery. He's going to reveal truth. We know that we've been not just restored back to the Garden, what Adam lost. We have gone far. Adam, God's going to burn up what Adam lost. The curse will be lifted. The 1,000 year reign of Christ, and He saw heaven open. He saw somebody on a white horse who had a vesture dipped in blood, whose name is the Word of God. And He's coming. He's going to establish His Kingdom upon them for a thousand years, and I thank God for that. But then He's going to burn this one up and make a new one where it dwells righteousness. That's the continuing city I'm looking for. Hallelujah. So, He's not restoring us back to the Garden. He has taken us far exceeded us beyond what Adam had. I'm convinced of that. Now, verse 12, now we've got to go home. I get too excited about this stuff and we forget we've got to Verse number 12, let's see we just read verse number 12, unto whom it was revealed, not unto themselves, but unto us, they ministered the things. Now as preached to you by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, things angels are looking. Verse number 13, we'll begin here, pick up Wednesday night, we're going to begin our mode of operation and what we should be doing. Now look, verse number 13, wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober. So last week we ended on whose glory? The glory that thou gavest me have I given them. And I think this week, it would do us good to be thinking upon verse number 13, wherefore, and so we always know what that's there for, right? We go back seeing all that God, this faithful father has done for you, kept by the power of God, he shed his blood to redeem you, all that he's done, gird up the loins of your mind and be sober. the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." We know what girt up the loins of your mind. We heard a lot about these soldiers that were honored, these men that fought and died. And I forget what the Averaged and I forget the company and I forget the year but there was a year during the Vietnam War. I believe the average Lifespan for a marine was like seven minutes. It was something just atrocious It was awful when they would get dropped off and I mean they were just being killed one right after the other and And when they put those men through training, it's a time to sober those young men up. And I don't preach much about it because I wasn't in there and I don't have the right to, but I do know something spiritually speaking. They would train those men to prepare you from being a silly kid to say, look, on the other end of this field in them bushes is an enemy with a gun and he aims to kill you. You better straighten up and get serious about it, and you better kill him before he kills you, right? And what all did they give you to do it with? You had a rifle and some ammunition, right? They gave you some weapons. And you know what God's telling us? All these things are wonderful. There's gonna be grace brought to you in the end. Jesus is coming and all the enemies, the sharp swords going forth from his mouth, all those wonderful things and hallelujah. But until then. We better be serious about what's going on. Gird up the loins of your mind, that's battle preparation language. We know that long garment on a man, when they got ready for battle, when there was an enemy across the field that was coming to kill them, they had better pull that thing up and get ready to run, somebody's gonna die. Playtime's over. And can I say, if you've been saved, playtime's over. Adults, we need to grow up, playtime's over. Spiritually speaking, it's high time some of us grow up and get ready, it's a warfare. It's a battle, it's a race. The souls of men are being weighed in the balances and the devil's dragging them off to a devil's hell as quick as you and me can turn around and me and you have wasted our time. We have entertained ourselves to death and people are burning in a devil's hell. We better get serious, gird up the wounds of our mind. Hey, dads, The enemy's coming after our families, we better get serious about what we're doing. Right? We better, hey, I'm telling you, better, here's where he's coming, you young people, and I'm done. He'll start, here's where the battle preparation is. So when you tell a group of men, get ready, they wouldn't have told Brother Curry or that because that's not the way they dress, but I'm sure there was some way they told you men that battled, you better get ready, the Viet Cong or whatever the situation that you were in, they're coming, you better ready yourself. Right? This is what he's saying here. Gird up your loins. You better get ready for battle. And this is what God's saying. You've got it made, Christian, yes. But God's expecting some things out of you, and you better get prepared in your mind and ready for battle. Be sober. Gird up the loins of your mind. He's going to come to you and say, look, that preacher don't even care about you. He don't even like you. You give your money and he don't... I know how he does it because he's done it to me. You know, they didn't hug your neck today. Look, it won't be that big a deal for you to take a little wine and drink a little wine with your meal tonight. He's going to tell you all kinds of things. You better guard up the loins of your mind. Because that's where it's going to start, right here. And start thinking soberly. Well, I don't think it's that serious. You'll be one of the first ones to die. Brother, I wish some of you men, I don't like to bring it up because I don't know how much of you make, but, so I won't ask one of you. But you ask a man in battle, I can about guarantee you the last man he wants to be standing beside is somebody that's silly. Somebody that's gonna be cut up and make jokes. People are dying here. I don't wanna be next to some cut up, right? Put me in a foxhole with somebody that's dead serious and who's ready to kill somebody. I wanna be with him, right? I don't want to be with no coward and I don't want to be with no man that's just going to be silly. I want somebody who's going to take it serious and get ready and serve God. That's how I want to be spiritually. That's why the Bible says to be with those that call on God out of a pure heart. I don't want to be around those that are cutting up and laughing their way through. I want to be with people that are serious about seeing things done for God. Right? Gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. We got to go home. Stand to your feet. We're not going to give no invitation tonight, Brother Reed. We'll just not do an invitation tonight. Stand to your feet. pray, you bow your head and close your eyes. Now, we'll try to pick back up there Wednesday because here's what He's going to say, even in the middle of that, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and then He's going to say, hope to the end. And that little statement has just blessed me all over today. Not hope for the end. See, some of us are sitting there going, boy, I wish this thing would be over. Now, I'm not talking about the message tonight. I've been in some messages I wish would just end, you know. I'm talking about in life. Some people just think, boy, I wish this was just over. That's a terrible way to live. Don't live that way. We're not to be hoping for the end. That's not what it's saying. Hope all the way to the end. The end is God's business. in His time, not even the Son knoweth, only the Father knoweth. And there is coming an end, it will come don't you worry about it. What me and you have got to do is be faithful all the way through it until He that is in charge of the end brings it. And you know we've got hope to the end all the way through it. You ought to have hope down in your soul. Because you know what else is coming when all this is over? More grace. We have got it made. Lord, we love you. Thank you for the good services you give us today. Thank you so much again for these men. Lord, this country wasn't built on a bunch of just weak, effeminate cowards. Lord, you put some grit and guts in some men, and I thank you for them. I'm honored to be in the midst of some of your real men that you, Lord, have kept been an encouragement to some of us in our day. We've known nothing but mainly peacetime. Lord, it's an honor to be in the presence of some of these that have seen some of these things and have been through some things in life, some wars and battles. And thank you for what you've done in their life. Thank you for blessing our church with so many. Thank you for each and every one of them. I pray, Lord, that you'd help all of us now to concern ourselves with the most important battle. Gird up the loins of our mind and be ready to fight spiritual battles and be sober about what we're doing. We love you. Thank you for every person that's come this way. Bless every person this week on the job and those that are sick, couldn't be here tonight, help them. Brother Poland and many others, Lord, that are not feeling well, I pray for them as well tonight. We love you because you loved us first. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. All right, make sure you let our visitors know you love them. You're dismissed. God bless you.