Turn with me to Acts chapter number three. Now this chapter contains the incredible story of the man who was born lame. The one that asked Peter and John for alms as he lay there at the temple at the gate that is called beautiful. where Peter made that famous proclamation in verse six when he said, silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. That mighty miracle caused quite a stir. And Peter then used the occasion to preach his second sermon, a very fitting follow-up to his sermon there at Pentecost. And in this sermon, we find very familiar tones. Peter said, listen, fellas, me and John, we didn't do this miracle. Jesus, the Son of God did. You know, the one you delivered to Pilate with craftiness, and the one you denied before Pilate in callousness, the one you destroyed by Pilate with crucifixion, that Jesus did the miracle. You killed the Prince of Life. You desired the murderer Barabbas, and you denied the Messiah Jesus. You need to repent. What a sermon it was. What a climactic conclusion to this chapter it was. And Peter ends this chapter and his sermon by answering one of the most sought after questions of the last 2,000 years. Why did Jesus come? To what purpose did he visit the earth? Church, the answer is actually going to be found in our title today, which is this, Sent to Be a Blessing. If you found your place there in Acts chapter three and verse 26, and you're physically able, I'm gonna ask that you go ahead and stand with me this morning. And we're gonna read through verse 26 together. The ending of Peter's sermon after that notable miracle. And as the crowd is gathered around him, he preaches his sermon. And his last words were these in verse 26. Everybody ready? The Bible says, unto you first God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, and turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Let's read that one more time. unto you first God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. And all God's people said. Thank you and you may be seated. Sent to be a blessing. Now the word blessing is not a very exciting word today. The general feeling from people is this, it's unreal, it's vague, it's just some religious jargon that doesn't seem to have any wallop to it. It's been overplayed and outplayed by overuse. And so as we begin this Christmas season 2024, what I wanna do this morning is I wanna shine a big bright light right before your mind's eye about how God has sent Jesus Christ to be a blessing to you. In our text today, it reveals six aspects of the blessing God sent Jesus Christ to be for you. Number one, I want you to notice the privilege of the blessing. Notice those first three words with me. Unto you first. Now, Peter's speaking to Jews. He's speaking to Israel here. In fact, some to whom he spoke that day were involved in the crucifixion. And so the context unto you was Israel. In Matthew chapter 15 and verse 24, Jesus said this. He said, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The Hebrew people are God's chosen people according to the flesh. Way back in Deuteronomy chapter 14 and verse 12, the Bible tells us this about the Hebrew people. It says, for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Watch this now. And the Lord had chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the nations that are upon the earth. I mean, Israel had unheard of privileges. You think about all the stories that God did, the law, the prophets, the deliverances, the promise of Christ, the Messiah. In fact, the very oracles of God were committed to the Jewish people. In Romans chapter three, in verse number one, Paul said, What advantage then hath the Jew? Or what profit is there of circumcision? And that's what the Jews were known by. What advantage then hath the Jew? And Paul said, much every way, chiefly, because unto them, listen, were committed the oracles of God. If it were not for the Jewish people, we would not have this book today. privilege in the blessing but wait there's more to it because I want you to notice that word first look at it unto you First, that implies more than just Israel. See, something happened. In John chapter one, in verse 11, the Bible says this, he, Jesus, he came into his own, the Jewish nation, he came into his own and his own received him not. Jesus came to bless Israel. All the signs, all the miracles he did were given to them. All the sermons he preached, brother Lord, were mostly to Jewish people. But Israel rejected her promised Messiah. Israel rejected Jesus Christ and they crucified him. Listen to this verse in Matthew chapter 27 and verse 25. Then answered all the people and said, They're standing out there. The rabble has been raised. The hounds of hell have been set loose. They're standing out there. Jesus stands between them and Pilate. He's asking, whom shall he set free? Then answered all the people and said, his blood, talking about Jesus, his blood be on us and our children. What a chilling verse. But in that evil, God made provision for good to come of it. Israel's rejection of Christ opened up the floodgates of the Abrahamic promise for the Gentile people to be blessed. Genesis chapter 22 and verse 18, God speaking to Abraham, he said, in thy seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. And my friend, that has happened because Jesus came through the genealogy of Abraham, and now God has blessed all nations through Jesus Christ and his gospel. On to you first. Back in John 1 verse 12, he came into his own, and his own received him not, but the next verse says this, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name. Do you see that, church? Now Jesus Christ is accessible to all who would simply believe upon him. That privilege, Brother Danny, now includes a Gentile like me to be brought into the family of God. Read Romans chapter 11. That's exactly what happened. We're being grafted in, how? By faith in Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 11 and verse 26 says, but blindness in part has happened to Israel. And I believe that blindness in part happened because they said his blood be on us and our children. And Romans 11, 25 says that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles become in. Friend, do you realize that the church is primarily a Gentile bride? Do you know how blessed we are to be living in this age, to be living in this time of human history? God has specifically, God has specially blessed you and me, my dear Gentile friends. Hebrews chapter one and verse number one says this, God, who at sundries times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, watch this, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. God sent Jesus to be a blessing to you. Hear his voice. Turn to him. Believe him. Follow Him. Submit to Him. Not doing so results in tragic loss for you. Eternal life can be yours. because God sent his son to bless you. It's Christmas time, folks. Receive God's gift of blessing in Jesus Christ. Romans 1 verse 16 says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God, watch this, to everyone that believeth. unto the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Unto you first, the privilege in the blessing. Number two, I want you to see the person of the blessing. God, unto you first, God. God brought Jesus on the scene of history, brother Brian, to bless you, to bless people. Yes, he came to be a blessing, but don't miss the fact, he did it for you. Here's how men tend to think about God. A cosmic killjoy in the sky. He's in heaven waiting to punish me. A thou shalt not, unapproachable God that makes my life hard. Feast your eyes on this text and never doubt it again. The reason the Father dispatched the Son from heaven to earth was he was sent to bless you. I'm gonna say that again. He, God, he was, look at it, sent to bless you. God sent him, Jesus, to bless you. 2 Corinthians 5, 21 says, He, God, hath made Him, Jesus, to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. There's no love like this. John 3.16 says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever, that blessing to you, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God did that for you to bless you. He's not some cosmic killjoy. Friend, you're thinking about it all wrong. The next verse says, for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. John 3 and verse number 17, my friend. God is not your enemy. Morgan, he wants to bless you. He sent Jesus to bless you. Our God is good. Psalm 73 and verse number one, truly God is good. He is good and he is good to you. He means good to you. Speaking of God, Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 11 says this. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord. Watch this. You wanna know how God's thinking about you? He's disappointed in me. I'm a failure to him. I'm not what I should be. No, no. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end. I wanna tell you that God gave you and God gave me the greatest good and the most assured expected end when he sent Jesus to bless us. No one can ever charge God justly for never doing anything for them. God's done everything for us. He's emptied heaven's treasure vault and his blood was spilt for you. God did that. And for a man to go to hell today, he must first trip right over the cross of Calvary that God has laid right in front of him. The person in the blessing, God. Number three. Now I want you to notice the power of the blessing. Unto you, having raised up his son Jesus, God sent him. The power of the blessing, all the power of the Godhead church is wrapped up in this blessing. First Corinthians chapter two and verse number five references the power of God. Over in 1 Corinthians chapter five and verse number four, it talks about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then in Romans chapter 15 and verse 13, it says, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Do you see that? The Father, He has power. The Son, He has power. The Holy Spirit, He has power. Let's think about this power. Firstly, the power to send the Son. unto you God sent him. Now these words take us back to one of the greatest Old Testament prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus Christ. It's found in Isaiah chapter nine and verse number six. And the Bible says this, for unto us a child is born and unto us a son is given. and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. My friend, do you realize that the child born in Bethlehem was God himself? When Jesus was born, he was just as old as his father, and he was even older than his mother. He had no beginning, and he has no end. That's why the child was born and the son was given. The son cannot be born. The son had to be given. Why? Because he's always been. He's from old, he's from eternity past. He's the eternal son of God. He has no beginning. He has no ending. He's the ancient of days. He's the everlasting father. He has always been. He's the son and the son had to be given. But thank God a child was born. Jesus came by way of the virgin birth. In Isaiah chapter seven, verse 14, 750 years before Jesus Christ was born, the Bible says this, therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a son. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. Go over to Matthew chapter one, and that means God with us. Jesus was sent from heaven by the power of God. Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, if Jesus was not born of a virgin, he couldn't be the Son of God. But understand, Jesus is not the Son of God because he was born of a virgin. Rather, Jesus was born of a virgin because he is the Son of God. It's the cause, not the effect. And I'll tell you this morning, that if we could take all the truths of Christmas, and we could just condense them right down into three words, it would be these three words, God with Christ. Infinite and yet an infant. Eternal and yet born. Almighty and yet laying in a manger. Controlling the universe and yet needing the care of a mother. Adored by angels and yet despised and rejected of men. Heir of all things and yet a lowly carpenter's son. Friends, his poverty was so great that he was born in another man's home and he was buried in another man's tomb. The power to send the Son. Jesus walked out of the gates of glory, he stepped across the stars, and he humbled himself to be fashioned as a man. He was born in an old wild animal stable, walked the dusty shores of Galilee, lived a life of no reputation, while showing the way to eternal life. And at the last, this great God in human flesh, he took his life, he laid it down on the cross of Calvary. Three days later, he got up from the dead, he got up from the grave, he was seen over 40 days by over 500 witnesses at one time, and he went back to heaven from whence he came. And for God to bless us, It took the power of the Godhead. For God sent Jesus to us to bless us so you could learn of him and place your faith in him. Brother Brian, not only the power to send the Son, number two, what about the power to raise the Son? One of the greatest evidences of the power of God and of the sonship of Jesus Christ was death did not have any claim over Jesus Christ. You realize he would have never died. Jesus died willingly. He died voluntarily, vicariously, and victoriously. He chose to die. Let me give you a couple of verses, John chapter 10 and verse number 11, Jesus said this. He said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Watch this, down in verse 18, Jesus said, no man taketh it from me. but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father. You know what that means? Jesus is Lord of life and death. religious leaders have died and they are still dead Confucius died and he's still dead Buddha died and he is still dead Mohammed died and he is still dead Jesus is the living Lord the only man that chose to die You said, but preacher, people who commit suicide or save another's life at their own expense, aren't they choosing to die as well? No, they just died a little sooner than they otherwise would have. Jesus is unique, he would have never died. The death due was not upon his brow because he had no sin. the power to raise the Son. Romans 1 verse 4 says this, speaking of Jesus, and declared to be the Son of God with power. What's that power connected to? It's connected to holiness and His resurrection, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. You get over to Philippians chapter 3 and verse number 10, and Paul speaks of the power of His resurrection. That's what made the difference in the apostles' lives. And I'm here to tell you this morning, my friend, that's what'll make the difference in your life as well. That's what caused them to go from slinking cowards to sacrificial Christians. They gave their life for Christ. I'm telling you, friends, to know the power of the resurrection is to know the power of a changed life. Jesus Christ, listen, is the answer to man's death. The power of God brought him out of that grave, why? To bless you so you could have life. So let me ask you this morning, church. Do you have life or are you just living? You say, I don't understand you, preacher. Well, the difference is found in what you've done with Jesus. Don't get it backwards. Live, L-I-V-E. Spell it backwards and what do you have? E-V-I-L, evil. See, if you haven't lived for Jesus, or you've been living for some other reason, when your life is over, just take that word lived and spell it backwards. And you have D-E-V-I-L, devil. You say, what are you telling me? Living without Jesus is evil. That's what the devil wants you to do. Don't get it backwards. This life is not yours. That's living. It's the same lie that Satan told Eve when he told her that she could have the power to be her own God. Listen, this life's not yours. This life is his. That's not living, that's life. And we give it to glorify Jesus Christ. It's said so beautifully over in 2 Corinthians chapter five and verse 15, where the Bible says, and that he, Jesus, and that he died for all, that they which live, watch this, he died so that we which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Jesus said, I've come that they might have life. John chapter 10 and verse number 10. In Jesus Christ is found the power for endless life. Hebrews chapter seven and verse 16, speaking of Jesus, who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, watch, but after the power of an endless life. Church, God sent Jesus to bless you by ending the power that death has on you. Sent to be a blessing, the privilege, the person, the power. Number four, the purpose of the blessing. Quite simply, to bless you. Look at our text. Unto you first God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you. Christ was born back in the first century, yet he belongs to all centuries. He came as a Jew, yet he belongs to all people. He was born in obscure Bethlehem, yet he is known all the world over. And God sent Jesus to bless you. The purpose of the blessing. How did God send Jesus to bless you? How? Would you allow me to count the ways with you? First of all, I wanna tell you that God sent Jesus to bless you with his revelation. In John chapter 17 and verse 14, Jesus speaking to his father, he said, I have given them, the disciples, the people of God, I have given them thy word. Jesus blessed us with the very words of God. I'll tell you another way that Jesus has blessed you, not only with his revelation, but with his redemption. Redemption, brother Brian, means to be bought back. In Colossians chapter one and verse 14, speaking of Jesus, it says, in whom we have redemption through his blood. Jesus blessed us by paying the price. He bought us back from the slave market of sin, brother Lord. He paid that price in his very own blood. The Lord Jesus blessed us by paying the price for us at Calvary. He's blessed us with his revelation. He's blessed us with his redemption. I'll tell you a third way he's blessed us, he's blessed us with his reconciliation. in 2 Corinthians 5, in verse number 18, and it says, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ. That's how you're made right with God. That's how the gulf is mended. It is through Jesus. He's blessed us. How? He's blessed us with his riches. Can I share some of those riches with you? One of those riches, my friend, is eternal security. Once saved, always saved. That's not a Baptist thing. Friend, that's a Bible thing. Jesus said, I've given unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, John chapter 10 and verse 28. What riches, eternal security. Another rich gift that Jesus has came to give us is the comforter. the blessed Holy Spirit. In John chapter 15 and verse 26, Jesus said, but when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded forth from the Father, he will testify of me. Thank God Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and he keeps revealing Christ to us. Another rich gift he has given us is he is our advocate. First John chapter two and verse one, my little children, these things write unto you that you sin not, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Jesus is our great defense attorney that stands before us on our behalf at the high court of heaven, sent to be a blessing. He came to bless you. How? I'll tell you how, my friend, he came and he blessed us with his revelation and with his redemption and with his reconciliation. He came with his riches to bless us. I'll give you a few more reasons. Jesus came to bless you with a resurrection. The Bible tells us in John chapter 14 and verse 19, Jesus said, because I live, ye shall live. You know what that's talking about? That's talking about after you die. Jesus said, because I live, you shall live. These bodies are not gonna be food for worms forever. These bodies are valuable to God. He's not only gonna take your soul, he's gonna resurrect your body one day. He blessed us with a resurrection. He's blessed us with a reunion in glory with our loved ones in Christ that have gone on before us. In First Thessalonians chapter four and verse 17, the Bible says, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. He's blessed us with a resurrection. He's blessed us with a reunion. I'll tell you what, my friend, he's blessed us with a reward. Jesus said, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give unto every man according to as his work shall be. Revelation chapter 22 and verse number 12. Crowns for our service, living our life to him, not for ourselves. And you know why I want that crown, brother Brian? Not so I can go around and say, look at what I did, look at my crown. No, so that I have something to give back to him on that day and not to stand there empty He's came and he's blessed us with rewards. He's came and he's blessed us with a reunion. He's came and he's blessed us with a resurrection. He's blessed us with his relationship, a relationship with us through prayer. In Hebrews chapter seven and verse 26, it says, he ever liveth to make intercession for us. We commune with God in prayer. He takes our prayers and he cleans them up. before God. Not only did he came to bless us with his relationship with us through prayer, but his relationship with others through the church. Matthew 16 and verse 18, Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And God brings us here together to encourage one another and to fight for him and to keep on keeping on for the Lord. He's blessed us with his relationship. He's blessed us with his reciprocation. Jesus blessed us so that we could bless others, like Paul did to Philemon, like Paul did to Onesimus, as he said in a jail cell, like John the Beloved did while he was exiled on the Isle of Patmos. It's called over in Philippians chapter three and verse number 10, the fellowship of his sufferings. Friend, I tell ya, how has God sent Jesus to bless us? Count the ways with me this morning, with his revelation, with his redemption and his reconciliation, with all of his riches. He's blessed us with resurrection and a reunion and a reward with a relationship and reciprocation. He's blessed us with his responsibility. the Great Commission. Jesus told us in John chapter 4 and verse 35 to lift up your eyes and look unto the fields for they are white all ready to harvest. He's blessed us with the privilege to go out and be involved in his great work of sharing the gospel so that folks could be saved. We're talking about the purpose of the blessing. God sent Jesus to bless you. How? Well, we counted the ways. Why? Well, this one's very easy. Because of the love of God. The Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse number 10, herein is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to bless us. to be the propitiation for our sins. Now, don't let that word scare you. Propitiation. It's a big word, it's a Bible word, it simply means this. It is a covering satisfaction. That's what Jesus was for us. He covers the law of God. He took his blood, he sprinkled it on the mercy seat, and it covers the law of God and us from God, the law which condemns us, and God is satisfied with the blood of Jesus. Hearing his love, not that we love God, but he loved us, and he sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Why? Well, God loves us, Jesus loves us. John 15 and verse number nine, Jesus said, as the father had loved me, how much do you think God loves his son? Can you answer that in words? But notice how the verse ends. Jesus said, as the father had loved me, so have I loved you. God's love, it's the only explanation, folks. Listen, Jesus came to this earth so that we might go to heaven. Jesus became the Son of Man so that we might become the sons of God. 1 John chapter three and verse number one says this, behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Sent to be a blessing, Jesus Christ, how? Number five, the pardon and the blessing. Look at our text again. In turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Unto you, first God, having raised up his son Jesus, send him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. And that's what we needed the most. Friend, because iniquities are a universal problem. Romans chapter three and verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the message of Christmas is man can't save himself. Christmas is telling you, you could never get to God on your own, God had to come to you. And you must receive Jesus. by believing Him, the Son of God expressing the love of God to save us from the wrath of God so that we might one day enjoy the presence of God. Blessing, born to die, that's the message of Christmas. God blessed us with what we needed, folks. not education, not a better environment, not more enlightenment, you know, philosophical enlightenment, not more encouragement, not more example. We needed a Savior. And the Bible says in 1 John 4, 14, the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. We needed to be turned from our iniquities. That's why Jesus came, listen, not just to escape hell, but to give us a changed heart. Did you know that's the real work of Jesus Christ? Transformation inside of here. And I tell you, my friend, you can say with your lips all day long, I'm a believer. I believe in Jesus Christ. He's the son of God. I said the sinner's prayer. You can say that with your lips all day long, but if no transformation has happened in here, Jesus has done nothing in your heart. You're not saved and you're gonna split hell wide open one day. The real work of Jesus Christ, he brings transformation in here to turn us from our iniquities. By nature we cleave to sin, by grace we turn from sin. Not only to forsake it, but we begin to hate it. Our nature is changed. Adam, following Satan in the Garden of Eden, said, not thy will, but mine. and he ruined the race. Jesus, in another garden, as the last Adam, said, not my will, but thine, and he redeemed the race. His gospel turns men from their iniquities. My friend, it is to pardon in the blessing. Jesus was sent to be the blessing, to pardon in the blessing. And number six, we'll close with this thought. the preciousness of the blessing, every one of you. God sent Jesus to bless you, every one of you. 1 Peter 2, verse seven, unto you therefore which believe he is precious. Is Jesus precious to you? You know, that's one of the marks of being a Christian. Is Jesus precious to you or do you use His name as a curse word to show disgust, frustration? Is Jesus precious to you? Somebody that's precious isn't at the end of the list of things in your life to do and to be a part of. Somebody that's precious to you is somebody that you think of often. Somebody that's precious to you is somebody that you speak to regularly. Somebody that's precious to you is somebody that you read his letter to you. Is Jesus precious to you? Unto you therefore which believe he is precious. every one of you the preciousness of the blessing. The Christmas message. God sent Jesus, there's hope. There's hope. And I tell you, you can never truly enjoy Christmas, my friend. until you can look up into heaven and the Father's face and say, I have received your Christmas gift to me, sent to be a blessing to you. The Old Testament said Jesus will come. The New Testament said Jesus did come. Christmas means God can be trusted. God sent Jesus. God sent Jesus to bless you. Let's wrap up our thoughts this morning. Peter said, unto you first God, having raised up his son Jesus, send him to bless you. and turning away every one of you from his iniquities." Now, friends, as Peter's standing there saying these words, there on that porch with John and this lame man, there's a crowd before him that he's preaching to. And Peter says to that crowd, rightly, indicting the death of Jesus Christ onto them, and he says to them, God sent Jesus to bless you, you that murdered him with wicked hands. God sent Jesus to bless you. Do you know what that tells me, my friend? That tells me there's no man so bad that Jesus won't save. That tells me there's no man so bad Jesus can't save. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. That's the heartbeat of Jesus at the cross of Calvary to those who are committing violent acts against him. Father, forgive them. My friend, listen, the heartbeat of Jesus towards you is for salvation. He's sending to bless you. And if God could stand up here and speak to you today, here's what he would tell you. And these words come straight out of Hebrews. Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation. Harden not your heart. Jesus is the truth teller. He is the way shower and he is the life giver. And God sent him to bless you. Sent to be a blessing. And so my friends, what I've done today is I've taken the flashlight of God's word and I've shined a big bright light before your mind's eye about how God sent Jesus to bless you. And as we get ready to begin our time of invitation, what's left to do? I think the only thing left to do, Brother Hicks, is to thank him. And so church, to each one of you, I'm gonna invite you to come to this altar and thank God for the privilege of the blessing, that unto you, Jesus was sent. I'm also gonna invite you to come down and thank God for the person of the blessing, that God loved you so much that he gave his only begotten son. I'm gonna also invite you down this morning to thank God for the power of the blessing, the power that God had to send the Son and to raise the Son. He solved your problem of death for you. I'm gonna invite you this morning to come down and thank God for the purpose of the blessing, that He came, to bless you, and we went through the treasure trove of blessings that Jesus brought with him just for you. You should thank him for that. And I'm also gonna invite you, my friend, to thank God for the pardon and the blessing. Brother Dalen, he turned you away from your iniquities. I think you ought to bless him for that. I think you ought to thank him for that. And I want you to come down and thank God for the preciousness of the blessing, that He did this for every one of you, and every one of you, starting with me, ought to thank Him, because He was sent to be a blessing. God is not our enemy. He wants to bless you through Jesus Christ, and He has. Turn to Him, receive Him, follow Him, submit to Him. Our gracious Heavenly Father,