Congregation, the scripture reading this afternoon is from the book of Hosea. The prophecies of Hosea, we read chapter 1, and we read through chapter 2, verse 1. Hosea chapter 1, and we read through chapter 2, verse 1. The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms, and children of whoredoms, For the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, which conceived and bare him a son. And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jisrael, for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jisrael upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. and it shall come to pass at that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jisrael.' And she conceived again and bear a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruchana, for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.' Now when she had weaned Lo-Rucham as she conceived and bare a son, and then said, God, call his name Lo-Ammi, for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi, and to your sisters, Ruhamah." So far the reading of God's holy word. Congregation, we wish to continue with the Heidelberg Catechism. It has been a few weeks ago since we last meditated on it. And then we studied Lord's Day 3, and now then we will turn to Lord's Day 4. Lord's Day 4 of the Heidelberg Catechism. And there we confess with the Church, doth not God then do injustice to man by requiring from him in his law that which he cannot perform? Not at all. for God made man capable of performing it, but man, by the instigation of the devil and his own willful disobedience, deprived himself and all his posterity of those divine gifts. Will God suffer such disobedience and rebellion to go unpunished? By no means, but he is terribly displeased with our original as well as actual sins, and will punish them in his just judgment, temporally and eternally, as he hath declared, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Is not God then also merciful? God is indeed merciful, but also just. and therefore his justice requires that sin which is committed against the Most High Majesty of God be also punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment of body and soul. So far. Congregation, we come to Lord's Day 4 of the Heidelberg Catechism. And in the previous Lord's days, we have seen the only comfort in life and death, and we have seen what is needed to receive that only comfort in life and death. We need three things to have an experiential knowledge of our misery, that we realize that we stand guilty before God, And besides that, there must be a knowledge of salvation in Christ, a personal bond of faith and resignation to the Lord Jesus. And finally, there needs to be a life of devotion to the Lord out of gratitude. And in Lord's Day, too, we saw that how we must learn to know our misery from the law of God. And the law of God is a law of love. And we do not do that. And then in Lord's Day 3 we saw where that misery comes from, how it comes that we do not love God. God did not make us this way, but that's because of our fall in paradise. And now we come to Lord's Day 4. And the Heidelberg Catechism is very well aware of the human heart. Because, you know, man is always excusing himself. maybe boys and girls when you've done something wrong and there's a little kerfuffle going on in your family of course that will hardly ever happen but sometimes it may happen and then you say he started, no she started and so you accuse each other that's how it is that's how the human heart is can at times be very shocking it happened in 1985 in the state of Alabama, that a man, Anthony Ray Hinton, was sentenced to death. But he was totally innocent. There was no real proof given that he would have committed this crime. And so he was put on death row. And after battling in court through various lawyers, it took 30 years And then finally the court dropped the charges, after the Supreme Court of the United States had finally called them to the order, to order. 30 years stolen from a man on invalid grounds, who was considered to be guilty of a crime he never committed. And those responsible never offered an apology, They never said they were wrong. They never asked forgiveness. Because man does not want to admit his guilt. Man doesn't want to say he was wrong. And that's what the catechism is referring to here. Because we find here in Lord's Day 4 various excuses that we bring up. And they live also in our hearts. They have been in our hearts and maybe still they are there. About punishment, God punishes. Why does God have to punish? Because isn't it unfair that God demands of us to do something that we cannot do anymore? We're no longer able to obey God. We lost that ability in paradise, but still God demands man to be fully obedient to his law. Is that really fair? That's an excuse. And then there's another excuse, and that is to criticize God's punishment. God does not have to punish evil and sin. He does not have to be so strict and stern. that he has to punish with such an extreme punishment as outer darkness. And then finally man also objects against God's righteousness, because God is also merciful. He doesn't have to punish sin. He can bypass sin. There's nothing impossible for God. And so man, puny little man, has criticism against God and wants to excuse his conduct. Man does not want to be held accountable for his own deeds. We don't want to give an account. And that's why people imagine there is no God. And if there is no God, I'm accountable to nobody. then I, my own master, and I determine what my identity is, I determine what I shall do or I shall not do, I am God. And I have nothing to do with the God of the Bible. Man does not want to give an account, but the fact is that God is there. And if they would open their eyes, they would see it everywhere. His greatness and power are exhibited in nature. His power is exhibited in the human body, in history, in man's conscience. So man does not want to be held accountable for his own deeds. And we see that not only in the life of unbelievers, but also in church. People say, well, can I help it that I'm not converted? I've always been in church, and I always prayed, but God didn't hear me, so man has excuses. And other people say, well, it's my upbringing, that's the cause of why things didn't go well with me, or I had bad friends, or bad examples in school, or bad teachers, excuse after excuse. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7 verse 29, man has sought out many inventions. And it doesn't mean that man invents all kinds of things, machines and no, man finds out many excuses. That's what he means. Excuses to go against God's will. But when God's Spirit instructs you, then you see that you are corrupt and vile, and you are a sinner before God. And then you say yes to the fact that Adam's rebellion is my rebellion. And now the Catechism wants to make it very clear to us that we are responsible for all our actions. But how can that be? Man is unable to serve God, and why does God still demand that God must be perfectly served and worshipped with perfect love? Who can do that? Who can love God fully? No one. Who can love his neighbor always? God demands perfect obedience to His law of love, but we can't do that. Why is God now going to punish us for something that we cannot do anymore? If you tell a little guy, you can just walk a toddler to carry a 50-pound bag of potatoes, and you hand it to him, the little guy can't do that. He rolls over and collapses under that load. Are you going to punish him for that? And so people say God is not fair to demand of us things we can no longer do. But you see these people are making a big mistake. God is not telling us to reach out and pluck the stars from heaven. God is not telling us to fly through the air. We can't do that on our own. God is not telling us to do things we cannot do. God created us perfect with the ability to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. And God still sees us the way he created us. And that we may now have perverted ourselves, that is basically our problem. God did nothing wrong. Man had this ability, but he ruined it And still God treats man the way as he was created. We have deliberately fallen away from God, we have chosen the side of the devil, but God remains faithful to his initial command laid upon man, that God wants us to love him without any spot or stain of sin. We see this in question answer nine. Does not God then do injustice to man by requiring from him in his law that which he cannot perform? And the answer is, not at all. For God made man capable of performing it. But man, by the instigation of the devil and his own willful disobedience, deprived himself and all his posterity of those divine gifts. and now we have a sinful nature but that's our fault and that's why we also do actual sins we have a corrupt nature that makes us already guilty before God and we do all kinds of actual sins makes us again guilty and we don't do that that we should be doing those are the sins of omission that makes us also guilty And there's nobody who listens and obeys God as he should. Psalm 53 tells us that God looked down from heaven. We just could sing that psalm. God looked down from heaven to see if there was anyone righteous. And he looked. Nobody. All have gone astray. He found none. And God is just. He will punish sin. For cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Galatians 3 verse 10. God must do this, because otherwise God is no longer God. God is holy and perfectly just. He cannot take any infraction against His holy law. That would be injustice. It's unjust if we do not love God. And that unjust deed cannot just be forgotten. Justice must be maintained. If we see criminals who are not punished as they should be, we say justice falls in the streets. Well, God will not let justice fall. He will judge with a perfect judgment. Sin is so awful, He is grieved because of this. And sin must be punished. But modern man doesn't like this. People in the world don't want to think about punishment. And how often do we in church think about punishment? Do we ever tremble before the holy face of God? The idea is not that we should be scared of God. But we should tremble before his majesty, before his holiness, because he is God. Man asks, cannot God let such disobedience and rebellion go unpunished? Question answer 10. But the catechism summarizes God's Word and says, by no means, but God is terribly displeased with our original as well as actual sins and will punish them. He will punish them in His just judgment, temporally and eternally. as he has declared, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." God punishes according to retribution. Justice must be done to God's holy law. You know, our judicial system is more focused upon re-education than retribution. There are proven killers who after 10 years are out on the streets again, while those whom they killed are dead and buried. You see, there's no punishment according to retribution, but is to re-educate people. Our judicial system is not focused on meeting out punishment, and so justice falls. We live in days in which people consider punishment of evil as great injustice. In our society, if we speak out for the justice of God, and the necessity to obey God more than people, and to honor God and His laws more than we honor people, in our society, you can get into great problems, because man wants to determine what is good and bad, and man doesn't want to have sin punished. But the reality is that God will punish sin. God's justice will never fail. God will punish with an everlasting punishment. And why must there be everlasting? Because we are everlasting beings. That's not correctly stated to state it this way. Because God only is everlasting. He is from everlasting to everlasting. We are created in the course of time in this world, but we will exist forever. and that makes life so solemn. We will be forever with the Lord, walking in the light, or we will be forever in outer darkness. Some theologians dream that hell is simply a way of purification, and that after some time, everyone will be saved. But these are simply human imaginations. It has no scriptural foundation whatsoever. God did not create hell to re-educate people. God made hell as a just punishment, because God punishes evil. If God would not punish, then he would let injustice remain. And if it would be that man, I think we said it last Wednesday evening in catechism, that if it would be possible that people could be, let's say, a thousand years in hell and then be purged and be purified and then still enter heaven, the Lord Jesus would have never come. And God would have never allowed his son to be crucified. Because there was only one way how sinful man could yet be saved. that through the sacrifice of his own son. And that's what God did. The miracle. Abram did not have to slaughter his son. At the very last moment, he was stopped. But God the Father slaughtered his own son on Calvary. to save wicked people as you and I are. Hell is a punishment, and because of the severity of hell, God gave His Son so that you and I could be saved. You know, we find many excuses against God's punishment in God's Word. In Psalm 50, verse 21, "...these things hast thou done, and I kept silence." So you've committed all kinds of sin and immorality, and God did nothing. Nothing happened. So you did it again, and again nothing happened. So you think, I can do it and God does not punish. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself, but I will reprove thee. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver." Consider, or else you will be punished. The people of this world don't even think about punishment. They make jokes about Judgment Day. I think there are some computer games about that. I don't know. I don't play computer games. Probably there are movies made about Judgment Day and Armageddon, all those things. Man thinks it's interesting, amusing. But Revelation 6 gives us a different picture that when the Lord Jesus will return in glory with the clouds of heaven and all the nations will see Him, then the rich men and the mighty men and the generals and the presidents and the peasants and the simple men and the slaves and the bondmen, they will all cry out to the mountains and the rocks to fall upon them, for who can bear the wrath of the Lamb? Have you ever seen the wrath of a lamb? But then there will be a lamb who will be very angry, and they will all feel it. They will cry and crouch away. Whoever thinks now of evil and punishing iniquity, if you speak about hell and everlasting punishment, They look at you as if you're a weirdo. They look at you as if you live in the Middle Ages, that you're some kind of a bigot, some fanatic. But answer 10 tells us that God is terribly displeased. with our original as well as actual sins, and will punish them in His just judgment, temporally and eternally. He is terribly displeased, but the Lord does not display that He is terribly displeased. And so they tell each other, Peace, peace, and there is no danger. And the false prophet said, Peace, peace, peace, there will be no No Babylonian exile. God will redeem his temple. This is our temple. This is where God dwells. We are his people. It's safe. False prophets. And this is one of the most terrifying things when people imagine, oh, it will work out well. When I leave this life, I'm going to a better place. And what people then all imagine what their better place will be, you don't want to mention off a pulpit. A better place. But they do not know, or they do not want to know, what the reality is. That God will surely punish sin. But is then God, question answer 11, then also not merciful? The answer is God is indeed merciful, but He is also just. And therefore His justice requires that sin which is committed against the Most High Majesty of God be also punished with extreme, that is with everlasting punishment of body and soul. and here we look into the heart of God God is merciful and that word merciful is showing compassion and come is with and passion you have shown love with embracing to those in need that is how God is showing kindness to someone God is merciful but he is merciful in the way of his justice. God's justice must be satisfied. Sin has to be paid for, and we can never do that. And now God comes to sinful man, and in his compassion he embraces sinful man, he embraces the prodigal sons, and he sacrifices his son. so that he can embrace filthy sinners. Christ satisfied. Christ satisfied. God's justice. But if we have no payment to offer for our sin, and when God's justice is not satisfied, then we are living outside of Christ. and then it will be terrible to fall into the hands of the living God. The catechism refers here to temporary and eternal punishments. The temporary punishments are adversities in life. It's difficult for us to show what those temporary punishments are. What are those punishments? Is war a punishment? Yes. The Civil War in the United States, after much injustice had been done to the slaves in the southern parts of the United States, a terrible war erupted and more men were killed in the Civil War than in all the other American wars added up together. Was it a punishment, the Civil War in the U.S.? ? Who shall say? I'm inclined to think so. But what punishment do we deserve? We shouldn't say we are better. How come we have not had a Third World War? When I went to high school, we expected there to be a Third World War, that Russia would run over Western Europe. We expected that. But it didn't happen. We deserve that. But what we do see is that love is waxing cold, and people are being given up to their own sinful and rude and bestial desires, lewdness, that God gives them up to what they want and they end up in miserable lives, in lives of regret, that's also punishment, temporary punishments. We deserve much more of that. There's also eternal punishment. The Lord Jesus, He is the one in Scripture. who warned as none other for hell. John preaches much about love. Peter preaches much about hope. And the prophets had their calling to portray Messiah, to portray the judgments of God, but also God's salvation. But the Lord Jesus, He portrayed as none other what hell is. The Lord Jesus spoke more about hell than about heaven. He warned from the bottom of his heart for the reality of hell. If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, cast it from thee, For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and that not thy whole body should be cast into hell." Hell is a punishment without compassion. It is misery without mercy. It is sorrow without comfort. It is pain without relief. It is the place where God is no longer present. Man wants to live without God, and then God will give what he wants. He will be in the place where he wanted to be, where there was no God. But that implies also there will be no light, no comfort, no blessing, because every blessing and every ray of light comes from God, the Father of all lights. In hell, the conscience will continually accuse because of all the sins one has committed. His sins are continually placed before him. There's no view upon redemption, because this punishment is everlasting. The Lord Jesus speaks about hellfire, suffering pain in this fire, and there will not be a drop of cold water to cool the tongue. Psalm 116 speaks of the terrors of hell. Matthew 10 says where soul and body are tormented. Matthew 5.22 speaks of hellfire. Scripture calls hell a prison, Matthew 5, 25. In Revelation 9, verse 11, it's called a bottomless pit, to be cast into a pit with no bottom. Hell is called a fiery oven, where there will be weeping, and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13, verse 42. It's the pool burning with fire and sulfur. And the devil knows that that's where he will end up. And he knows that he has little time. And that's why he is rallying as much as He can now in our days to rise up against Christ, against the Anointed One, and against the eternal Word of God. The devil is now in great wrath, trying to subvert and overthrow our society, and all that is good, and all those who love and confess the Lord Jesus Christ. Hell is being called Outer Darkness, and although flames are there, flames will not give light, but only the heat of the anger of God. And who will be there? All the ungodly, all the wicked, all those who dare to persecute God's children, who have tortured God's children, who have harassed them, and who thought that they could do whatever they wanted, who will be in hell, those who preached a false gospel, who did not preach truth. Ministers will be held accountable for what they have preached and said to the people. all liars and immoral people will be there. But also those who were lukewarm, the Lord will spoo them from his mouth. Who were not cold, who were not hot, the Lord spoos them from his lips. The fearful, That means the cowards who never dared to make a stand. They just laughed along with the people and went along with the multitude. They didn't want to be the odd one out. But if you love the Lord Jesus Christ, you should be prepared to be the odd one out. It will happen. And don't be afraid. Stay calm. And state what you believe. The Bible. not some strange views or ideas, no, the Bible. You know, the most spread, most distributed book in the Bible, and in the world, and the Bible 2,000 years old. That's what I believe. But you may stand alone. Don't be a coward, because the fearful, the cowards, and the unbelieving, who don't believe God's Word, They say, that's wrong and that can never happen and don't believe that. There are theologians who are saying that. The unbelieving and the abominable, the murderers who hate their neighbor, who are backbiting their neighbor behind his back, the whoremongers, all those addicted to all kinds of sexual sins with other people, sorcerers, idolaters. Witchcraft is increasing in our society, but it's hidden, you see, but it's there. And all liars who don't speak the truth who deceive their neighbor, they shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone," which is the second death. The first death is that a person dies on earth, and the second death is that he then goes to hell. All those who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ will be anathema, Anathema means cursed. That means they will not be able to enter heaven, because they have no wedding garment. They do not love the Lord Jesus. Oh, they may want to go to heaven, but they do not love the Lord. They never learned to resign their lives to Him. They never, out of love to Him, lay their life down before the Lord. 1 Corinthians 16, verse 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. And answer 11 from the Catechism tells us that the pain of hell will be suffering according to body and soul, just as man is corrupt from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. The eye that was focused on earth to look at violence to enjoy it, and to look at sin, and to look at lewdness, and to look at filthy things, to look at evil and at vanity, that I will then see nothing but misery. And the ear that delighted to listen to slander and deceit they shall hear the cries and the groans of those weeping in hell. Their smell they enjoyed, the sweet scent of good food, but they never thanked God who created all this good food. They lived for themselves. They will then only smell the bitter sulfur of death and the feeling They like to touch soft things. They will only touch hard things and suffer pain. The memory will all come back to them, the many times they heard the overtures of grace. But every time the devil was successful to tell to them, don't pay attention. What are you wasting your time about? Tomorrow is another day. Come on, get your act together. Move on with life. Don't be so exaggerated. Don't become a bigot. Come on, enjoy life. And every time again they listened. But there they will come back to them, all the overtures of grace. or the offerings of grace, the times they were warned that parents told them with tears in their eyes, but they rejected them, like the Lord God had to say, I've raised up children, but they rebelled against me. They will remember the loving invitations, but it will be a pain to them. the conscience will be a gnawing worm. And Revelation 14 verse 11 tells us it will be pain day and night. I try to preach on hell, but I'm not doing a good job. Yesterday I read from Robert Murray McShane, he asked a fellow minister, you preach on hell, did you do it with wet eyes? If you haven't done it that way, you haven't preached it well. So I did not preach it well, congregation. I'm not going to try to force tears, but let us tremble. for this reality. And that's why we are to feel sorry for those around us who do not know the way of life, the people you work with, the people who are with you at school, at university, the neighbors, how we need to be more concerned how we need to be living witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. The early church was known for their clear testimony. They lived in wicked days. We're starting to live in those days again. We shall be known for our concern, for our love with the people around us. And if they ask, why are you so concerned? and to tell them about our misery, and that there's salvation in one who came from heaven to bear the punishment of man, and who calls man to repent. Do we need more to be awakened? Do we see how serious life is? And young people, there's a battle going on now raging for your soul, And that's why you need to be armored. You need to be hiding in the armor of the Word of God. That's why you need to study the Word of God for yourself. Study it and beg the Lord for His Spirit to work in your hearts. He will hear you and He will save you. And He will protect you in these evil days, because He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. He will hear you. He takes your prayers more serious than you do. That's the only way you can stand in this society, with a living faith, having experienced sin and grace in your own life. and having learned day by day for the rest of your life to walk according to God's will. That's what's needed. But here the Catechism speaks us about sin and about hell. And God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will wet his sword. He hath bent his bow, and made it ready." But they don't see it, and they carry on. Psalm 7, verse 12, you find this. And in Psalm 90 verse 11, Moses, the man of God, says, You knoweth the power of thine anger. Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. And we think, isn't that a bit exaggerated from Moses? No, it's not at all exaggerated. We have a bad comprehension of what Moses is saying. He saw how the people of Israel were slain because of their sins in the desert, in the wilderness. He knew the wrath of God, and he trembled for it. Who trembles for God in our day? For this God who had to declare it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart because of his sins. And look at God's Word. What happened to Adam and Eve? They were cast out of paradise because of the wrath of God. Also mercy was shown to them. But they left paradise. Cain, the first murderer, he was cursed. Nadab and Abihu, they took some other fire and took it along into the holy section and put it upon the the incense altar and then they were killed and Aaron you may not grieve because what they did was an abomination Ananias and Sapphira they lied against the Holy Spirit they gave some of the money they had for their property and they said yeah it's all it's all we got they were killed church members You think of the worldwide flood. Everyone was killed. They all drowned. Why? Because God is a God of wrath. Noah was spared with his family. And you think of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lord, Lord, one last time, if there'd be ten righteous, if there'd be ten righteous, I will spare the city." And the city was consumed and lot was taken out. The angels who sinned against the Lord, the Lord keeps them in chains of everlasting darkness. And then God did not even spare his own son. who was loaded with the sins of his people, and was deemed guilty in the sight of God. And then God's wrath was poured out upon his son, and his son was cast into the bottomless pit. Do you see how seriously God considers sin? If God did not spare his son, but punished him. What shall God do with a sinner who despised the offer of God's Son and continues on in sin and in a self-centered life, transgressing all of God's commandments? We sin against the highest majesty. Therefore, the most severe punishment must be meted out. And in heaven, all God's people will rejoice when God punishes those who did evil. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and righteous are thy judgments. We praise God, because that shows the purity of God. and therefore congregation. Are you living with Christ? Or are you still outside of Christ? You can be in church. That's a good thing. But if you're outside of Christ, you are still lost. And this will be your future. And that may not happen. to any one of us here and it doesn't have to happen because God sent his son and his son asks everything not just some outward things he asks everything he asks your heart then he will take that heart and mold it change it, renew it, and lead you in a life with Christ. And that, I assure you, from experience, the little I have is the best life on earth, when you are no longer in control, but when He is in control of your life. that you are most blessed. And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin. He is able and willing to save to the uttermost. That's why he came into this world, to shed his blood, to deliver from sin. And you know, that's what actually Hosea 1 was about. lo ruchamah, lo is not in Hebrew, ruchamah is being, showing mercy to you. lo ruchamah, no mercy, and lo ami, lo is not, ami, am is people, mi is mine, lo ami, not my people. Israel, you're no longer my people, no longer to be embraced in compassion, and then the judgments came, and they were torn away, led into exile, His own covenant people, because of the wrath of God. And nevertheless, the seed of Israel shall be an innumerable multitude, because God is still going to carry on with His plan of salvation. And the gospel went to all the Gentiles, and God is now gathering in a people from all tribes and nations. And so say to them, Ruhamah, again taken up in compassion, embraced, and say to them, Ami, my people, that is what God shall do to those who bend the knee, who look unto Him, For He delights not in punishment, but He delights in mercy. Amen. Shall we pray? Lord God, we come before Thee at the end of this sermon, and we acknowledge our limitations in understanding, and we pray, Lord, if Thou wilt Accompany the proclamation of Thy Word with Thy Holy Spirit, that we may see reality as it is, that we may realize how serious life is, and what a blessing it is to know Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, and that our lives would be Christ's so that our death would be gain. Lord, wilt Thou teach us to tremble before Thee with reverence and humility, and teach us to cleave to Thee, and to love Thee, and to hope upon Thee, the living God. We thank Thee for Thine immeasurable love in giving Thine only begotten Son. O Lord, have mercy upon us, go with us, also this day further Bless the Sunday school instruction and Sunday catechism, and remember us in grace. For Jesus' sake, amen.