but He arose on that first resurrection today. Today our focus should not be primarily on chocolate bunny rabbits and the like. If you got one and you don't want it I'll be glad to eat it for you, don't get me wrong. But our focus should be on Jesus Christ. Let me turn to John chapter 20. I want to rehearse just a couple of things in your hearing while you're turning there. The promise given of the Redeemer was first given in Genesis 3.15. You don't have to turn there, I'm just going to rehearse a couple of things in your hearing. Adam and Eve had just sinned and were going to be cast out of the Garden of Eden, but God was not going to leave them with no hope. Genesis 3.15. will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The day will come when Christ will have all enemies under His feet." He will indeed have all enemies under His feet. When that happens He will then relinquish judgment to the Father. It was first foretold in Genesis 3.15 sometimes called the Proto-Evangel. But that first hope was given that someday the seed of the woman would conquer the serpent. And what happened. This seed of the one would be born, if I can find Isaiah, Isaiah 7.14 this is a critical verse too, Isaiah 7.14 when we are told the following, Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This is the only time it's happened in all of human history that a virgin conceived. When the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, wife of Joseph, and she became pregnant of a virgin. The seed came from the Holy Spirit. If it had come from Joseph, it would have carried the sin curse. would not have been able to die for our sins. For He who knew no sin became sin for us. And while we are here I want to take a quick detour through Isaiah 9, 6, and 7. This is kind of on target. We see this so much on Christmas cards at Christmastime and then we all forget about it for another year. But listen, the resurrection of Christ will make this glorious day possible. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. increase of His government and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." I think this pretty much speaks for itself. So, we go on to Isaiah 53, Isaiah 53. prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ. 700 years before Christ was crucified Isaiah was moved by the Holy Spirit to write the following, Isaiah 53, verse 1, Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground, he hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. that is, he which appears a regular person, an average guy. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. Somebody's aptly said He came to pay a debt He didn't owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. The very end of this verse, with His stripes we are healed, that is sometimes interpreted to mean physical healing, but that's not really the main focus here. You see after all you don't have a soul, you are a soul. Can I get an amen on that? So what did Christ come to heal when He died on the cross? Heal your soul of its diseases. If you die and go to Hell who cares about physical healing? But no, He came to save your soul. Now being a saved soul you'll some days get a redeemed body. It won't have all the physical ailments. No pain, no cancer, no heart attacks, no zits on prom night, that will all be past. physical healing will be taken care of as a part of this. But the real healing, the real focus of this is the healing of the soul, not the body. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Sounds like the days of the judges when every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Maybe the days of Noah when the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually. 21st Century America where everybody seemingly has lost their minds. We haven't lost our minds we've lost our way because we don't focus on Him. Somebody once remarked inaccurately, may I warn you, that if you do right He'll be your guiding light. No. If He's your guiding light you'll do right. That's what's important. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Me. Verse 7, he was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. Pilate would marvel at this whenever Christ was brought before him, that he would basically take the harassment and the beatings and not say anything back. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shears his dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of My people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death. Because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit found in His mouth." Jesus Christ never did anything wrong. Even in Matthew chapter 4 Satan took Him up into a high place, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, Rome, Greece, China, Japan, India, Persia, showed him all these kingdoms, said, they are all yours if you fall down and worship me. Now that was true. You know how we know that Satan was speaking the truth? He could not tell God a lie. So, we know Satan really had those things to offer, for this world lieth in the lap of the wicked one, yet Christ turned it down. Now He will come someday and take possession of all the kingdoms of the world anyway. Revelation 19 and 20 goes into great detail about that. splits the eastern skies, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If you're saved, you'll come with Him. You'll be dressed in fine linen, white and clean, because He does all the fighting that day. With that two-edged sword that comes out of His mouth He will slay the armies of the Antichrist, cast the beast and false prophet alive into the lake of fire. That's how we know they are people, they are not computers or political systems. The beast and false prophet are people who will burn in the lake of fire for eternity. Christ will cast them there. indeed 1,000 years later it means that the beast and the false prophet are still there in that lake of fire. Verse 10, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Come on now to John chapter 20, John chapter 20. now to the resurrection of Christ. Without the resurrection we are for all men most miserable. The Apostle Paul wrote this I believe in 1 Corinthians 15, if Christ did not rise again on the third day we just have another religion, another set of beliefs. He might as well stay home and sleep till noon on Sunday because it doesn't mean anything. So, why are we here? Because He did rise, amen. The first day of the week, John 20, verse 1, the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved. And this is generally believed to be John the Beloved, the writer of this epistle. He was the one disciple, by the way, who did come back to the cross when Jesus was being crucified. No, they all fled at once, but he did come back. them, they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid Him." And this is a story that was told that the disciples got the body somehow. Well no the disciples didn't get the body, the Romans didn't get the body, nor the Jews. Christ resurrected. Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple and came to the sepulcher. ran both together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in." He saw the linen clothes, didn't see Christ, Christ wasn't there anymore. But he saw the linen clothes. Then cometh Simon Peter. Simon Peter was bold and impulsive. So, when he showed up he following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie." They both saw the linen clothes lying there. The Lord was resurrected. And the napkin was about His head, not lined with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Does the phrase, everything done decently and in good order, mean anything? When our Lord arose again on the third day, He didn't just tear those linen clothes off, He came out of them and folded them up nice and neat. everything was done decently and in good order with our Lord. It always is done decently and in good order. Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulcher and he saw and believed. We have a saying, seeing is believing. Well really we shouldn't operate that way. What you see can be easily manipulated in the world we live in today especially. Indeed it said of the Antichrist, he shall create an image and make it speak, and thereby deceive billions of people into taking his mark. For as yet, verse 9, they knew not the Scripture that he must rise again from the dead. This was mentioned in Psalm 16.10, that he would rise again from the dead. Here we go. Then the disciples went away unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulcher, weeping. And as she wept, she stooped and looked down into the sepulcher. She thought the Lord was just gone. It was just too bad. It was all for naught. You know, the disciples thought this. They went back to fishing there for a day or two, that sort of thing, until the Lord came to them. And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She said unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And of course she didn't know where they had laid him because no one had laid him, he was up. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus. It was still early, perhaps it was still dark that hour of the morning. And she did not recognize Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. I love this. She turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. Then she understood. He was indeed risen, as he said would happen. He talks about the sign of Jonas, three days and three nights in the belly of the whale. By the same token He said, three days and three nights I'll be in the belly of the earth. Well this was the third morning He arose on that third day. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not. if you're unexpectedly reunited with a friend or a loved one you haven't seen in a while, watch your first impulse, run up there and give them a big bear hug, right? Good to see you, haven't seen you in so long. They told me you've been killed over in a far country or something. No, it's always a happy time. Mary no doubt wanted to embrace Jesus, yet He said, touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto your Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her. Our Lord did not leave us with no hope. When Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, they had a hope that someday one of their descendants would arise victorious over sin, death, and the grave. That prophecy was fulfilled here. Verse 19, Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, were the disciples assembled for fear of the Jews. something to be fearful of if you weren't saved, if you didn't know Christ as Lord and Savior. After all they had seen their leader put to death, and they fled in fear. Then came Jesus and stood in the mist and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. I saw a little thing on Facebook, we all do Facebook, right? Showed a picture of a church marquee and on it it said, N-O Jesus, N-O Peace. And below it said, K-N-O-W, Jesus, K-N-O-W, peace. This world wants peace. All the days of my life since I was a little kid people have wanted peace. Peaceman and all that business. One of the Beatles after they broke up released a song called, Give Me Joy, Give Me Peace of Mind. Yet they won't go to the only person who actually gives them that, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And there will not be peace on this earth until the Prince of Peace comes to take over this world. forward and head to Revelation 19. He splits the eastern sky, comes as King of Kings, and comes as Lord of Lords. He'll come to vanquish the Antichrist and his armies. He'll come to vanquish all those who have taken the mark of the beast. And then there finally will be global peace from pole to pole when the Lord personally, visibly takes over this world. He will reign and rule with the rod of iron because the people born during the Millennium will still have a sin nature. And sadly enough some will have to be put down because of that. then there will be peace. Peace on earth, good will toward men. It is just as the angels told the shepherds back on that first we'll call it Christmas Day 2,000 years ago. And I see these quotation marks, you know someday we won't celebrate Christmas we'll be with Christ. But we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is all through your Bible from Genesis chapter 8 Noah got off the ark and he sacrificed one of every clean animal. Don't think that wasn't a Thanksgiving service. After all he had come through will be thankful in the eons of eternity future for Christ's salvation. You see there will be one man-made thing in Heaven. Can anybody tell me what it is? One man-made thing in Heaven. There will be the nail prints in His hands. He'll bear those for eternity, bear them for us. And that's why we are not burning like a fire when that happens. 20 of John 20, and when he had so said, he showed unto him his hands and his side. You know where the Roman soldier had driven the sword in and forth came blood and water out of his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Won't you be glad when you see the Lord someday? When this life is over, we're taken out of this life, won't you be glad to see Him? I should hope so. said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you, as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." This kind of previews Acts 2 when the Holy Ghost would come and indwell the believers. Up to this point the Holy Ghost had dwelt on people, such as Noah for example, such as Daniel, men like this. The Holy Ghost dwelt on them, but not in them. Verse 23, whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained. Again I'll get something straight here. It's not an earthly thing to forgive sins, it's a heavenly thing. If you forgive somebody it's because Christ has moved you to forgive them. If you ever read or watched the story of The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom, at one point she was taking sent off to a concentration camp during World War II by the Nazis. After that war was over, one of her former guards came to her. One of the Nazi guards who hooted and jeered, made fun of him, all this stuff, and said he had been saved, and he was her brother in Christ. She said she could not forgive the man. She did not have it in her to forgive him. For one thing, her sister had perished at the hands of him and his compatriots. then she set up, she didn't use this term, kind of set up a spiritual SOS, and the Lord forgave him through her. Then they could have fellowship. So, this earthly remittance of sin is not an earthly thing, it is of the Holy Spirit. Thomas, one of the twelve called Didymus was not with them when Jesus came. That's what you get for missing prayer meetings. other disciples said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe." Elvis Thomas said, you have to show me. Some people say this is the first Missourian in the Bible, right here. after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the mist, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, this is lovely, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." Thomas no longer doubted. We use that phrase on occasion even today, so and so is doubting Thomas. Thomas doubted no more at this point. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas because thou hast seen me thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet believed. And there are many today who have not seen and yet believed. Even today there are many who, there are many today who trust in Him. They have not physically seen Him of course, but yet they believe through the preaching of the Word. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book. written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ. Now think about it, all the healings, all the resurrection from the dead like Lazarus for example, or how about the 12 year old maid that was dead and he said she's just asleep, all this business. All the people he fed, feeding the 5,000. What were all those miracles for? For high ratings on TV? No. one thing to verify, to confirm that Jesus Christ was indeed the Messiah that had been promised for thousands of years. The Messiah had finally come. The Messiah had come to save mankind from a Christless eternity in the Lake of Fire. That's what all the miracles were about. Same thing with the Apostles. The came to the man that was lame sitting at the gate begging alms. And Peter said, silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give unto thee arise in the name of the Lord and walk." I realized I didn't put that exactly right. But even those signs were given to point people to Christ. The current events today are pointing to Christ. We see the disastrous tailspin our nation is in. We see the way anti-Semitism is on the rise even here in America. told of Israel at the end of the age that the armies of the north will come against her, and will take divine intervention to save Israel from being destroyed at that point. Israel's trials and tribulations will not be over. Two-thirds of the Jews will be slain by the Antichrist. But that one-third that remains will receive Christ as their Messiah as those scales have fallen from their eyes. They'll receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. Messiah. And then the Messiah will come split the eastern skies and save that remnant of the nation Israel from utter destruction at the hands of the Antichrist and at the hands of His followers. All signs point to Jesus Christ and this is what everything we are to do is to do is to glorify Jesus Christ. For it is Christ in you the hope of glory. 31 goes on to say that Jesus Christ, that Jesus is the Christ, no, no not a Christ, He is the Christ. He is also a person not a force or something like that. The Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name. For there is no other name given among men whereby ye must be saved. comes an altar and cries out for Buddha for salvation, or for Muhammad for salvation, or any other person you can think of for salvation. It is Jesus Christ, and Christ alone by the way. It is not Jesus Christ and Buddha, or Jesus Christ and anyone else. It is always Jesus Christ. John 21, 1, After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And of this wise showed He Himself, together Simon Peter, and Thomas Calditimus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? And they answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it up for the multitude of the fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Why yes, who else could have orchestrated that? couldn't be found anywhere until the crack of dawn, and suddenly they were all there in that one place. Boy, yeah, that was the Lord. Now, when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, for he was naked. He wanted to be decent when he met the Lord. And he cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship, for they were not far from land, but as it were 200 cubits, dragging the net with the fishes. As soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon and bred. Jesus saith unto them, Bringeth the fish which ye have caught. Simon Peter went up, drew the net to the land, full of great fishes, not just minnows, great fishes, big fishes, a hundred and fifty and three. And for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. come and dine, the Master calleth, come and dine." We've all sung that song a hundred times, sung it once, come and dine, the Master calleth. You know people today are trying to fill the God-shaped void in their soul with anything and everything but Christ. Riches, fame, fortune, political power, this sort of thing. as people get ever more desperate to fill that void become ever more depraved and demented in their desires to fill the God ship void with anything but God. Become ever more dangerous so to speak. They resort to drugs. They resort to all kinds of sexual immorality. All in all we could go. And these people will someday stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment and find out that if they just said, God be merciful to me a sinner it could have all been alright. Their name could have been written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I don't want to just beat this point too much but there are no illegal immigrants in Heaven. John, Revelation, let's turn it right quick. Revelation chapter 20 verse 11. We may or may not get back to this in time. Revelation 20, 11, why did Christ die on the cross to rise the third day? To save us from this. Revelation 20. 20 and verse 10, This is why Christ came, died on the cross, rose victorious over sin, death and the grave on the third day, to save us from this. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever, tormented without end. Verse 11, And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them, i.e., you can run, but you cannot hide. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God." They have all the great tyrants of history, people like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot. All these people will stand before God someday, and they will give an account of the deeds done in their flesh. want to go burn with Him in the lake of fire for eternity? I didn't think so. That's why Christ died on the cross so we don't have to join Him in that awful place, in that fire prepared for the devil and his angels as Matthew wrote. And the books were opened. And another book was opened which is the book of life. God keeps books on all of us, keeps records on all of us. This is a database that nobody is going to hack. Nobody is going to suppress or anything else. And excruciatingly accurate record of everything that these people did that was wrong. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works." The dead will be judged according to their works. They'll get a payday someday. And we know what the wages of sin are, death. Romans 6.23 tells us that. The wages of sin is death. Here is where they get their payday. the sea gave up the dead which were in it." All those multitudes that died in the flood of Noah. All the many more since then who have died at sea and they always you know push the body overboard. Maybe you've seen that in a movie or something. Somebody dies they wrap them in a flag and everything have a solemn service and they tip the, because they can't have a dead rotting corpse on a ship for obvious reasons so they are buried at sea. Well guess what they are all going to be resurrected. Something you may hear on occasion a famous person dies and they have their body cremated and the ashes scattered over the ocean so God can't find them. something like that God can too find them and God will resurrect their body. And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death. old saying, born once, die twice. What does that mean? If you are born one time you will die physically someday, but if you are only born one time and not born again in Christ you will die spiritually. This is the second death. The reverse of that is born twice, die once. If you are born once physically then you are born once spiritually. There came a time in your life when you cried out, God be merciful to me a sinner. If you say that and if you mean it Christ will save your soul. then on you the second death has no power. Verse 15, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Nobody is going to get into Heaven on the basis of their own good works, on somebody else's coattails. Four years back a say an infamous politician said that he was such a good person that if there was a Heaven he'd just walk right in and not check with God. He's in for the rudest of awakenings one of these days. Feed eyes to sins. Verse 20, chapter 21 we're going to stay here and finish up in Revelation. Christ saved you from a Christless eternity in the Lake of Fire to go to this place. Revelation 21.1, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. The sea represents separation, but not anymore, not in that new earth, no separation there. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The city will be unlike any earthly city. This will be a great place to live, no crime, no violence. The New Jerusalem will have no hospitals, no drugstores, no veterinary clinics even. death and hell are cast in the lake of fire. Contrast this with Cain. What do I bring up Cain? He was the first murderer. You know what else Cain did? He founded the first city. Read that back here in Genesis 4. And what is the number one crime statistic we worry about even to this hour? The murder of eight in a given city. Had a young man murdered down here at Aurora Friday night. Got in a fight with another boy and the other boy pulled a gun on him, shot him, killed him. That will not be an issue in the New Jerusalem. John went on to say, And I heard a great voice out of heaven, verse 3, Revelation 21, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. It will be Jesus Christ. It won't be Jesus and Buddha or anything like that. It will be Jesus Christ who will be our God for all eternity. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. I think this happens after the Great White Throne Judgment when those we warned died in their sins and went to hell. Those we should have warned but didn't. Died in their sins and went to hell. There will be a lot of tears there. But the grand and glorious day finally comes when God will wipe away all tears. there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away." I think even ultimately the memory of these things will pass away. We will not be sitting on a table 2,000 years from today wondering who stole the last election or who is going to win the next one. That will be behind us. In fact that ends at Revelation 20, Revelation 19 when Christ splits the eastern sky. And the government should be upon His shoulder and when the government is up on the shoulder of Christ there will be no elections. I can name in on that one. No more mudslinging commercials. No more cries of foul or fraud at the polls or anything like that. That will all be past. Curse all past, only what lasts ever to rejoice. 5, And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, that means watch, look, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. The words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are true and faithful. Men cannot come up with true and faithful words, only the Lord can. give you a good illustration of that. Remember what George Washington said, it's impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. We can't do it. We've tried and it's not working. And he said unto me, it is done, I am Alpha and Omega. He first came to John on the Isle of Patmos back in Revelation 1. Presented himself as Alpha and Omega, the first and last. We might say the A to Z today in our alphabet. beginning and the end. I will give unto Him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Salvation is free. When I call on Christ my Lord and Savior I don't have to pay anybody $20 to get saved. You don't have to pay money to get saved. It's God's free love gift. What an ironic thing when Christmas rolls around we call it the Lord's birthday we give each other gifts. give Him gifts. But then again what could He give the man who created everything? But He gives us a gift, the gift of eternal life. He that overcometh shall inherit all things." And you don't overcome by yourself, you overcome in the power of the Lord. Just you don't hold on by yourself, you ever hear that sort of thing? Hills out here just full of this, hold on out faithful to the end. No, He holds on to you, John 10.28, and no man shall pluck them out of My hand. John 10.30, the Father holds on to them, no one shall pluck them out of His hand. Furthermore, we are admonished to grieve not the Holy Spirit, whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption. You can't get out. No one can get you out. And if you could get yourself out why would you want out? No, you're in. You're in for all time and eternity. So we've got to contrast this with the fearful and the unbelieving. We'll close here. Verse 8, but the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." That will be an eternal torment for them. The state of the saved person is contrasted with that of the lost person. Ultimately in the eyes of the Lord there are two people, those who are saved and those who aren't. Or how did J. Vernon McGee put it that one time? Either you are a saint or you ain't. So there are saints and ain'ts, one of the two. Actually the ain'ts would be on his left hand, the saints on his right hand. today that you are saved. If you are not saved I trust you will call on Christ as your Lord and Savior. Well, today is your get call today, for no man is promised tomorrow. Thank you very much. I just have a word of prayer and we will be dismissed. We thank Thee O Lord for this day, for the many blessings in life. Thank Thee for Thy gift of salvation so free. We are thankful we don't have to pay money or anything of that sort, but we can simply cry out, God be merciful to me a sinner. be saved and know you as Lord and Savior. We pray that you guide and bless the 11 AM hour. We pray today will be more than just a day of Easter egg hunts and chocolate bunny rabbits. But today we truly reflect on that awesome and amazing day when the Son of God rules victorious over sin, death, and the grave forevermore. In Jesus' name, amen.