I invite you to turn to Hebrews chapter 12. As you turn there, I'd like to thank Daniel for filling in for me last week. It is nice to know that when I'm unable to preach that you are faithfully and wonderfully fed the Word of God. What I'd like to do to begin, I'd like to begin the message this morning by praying. But what I want to do is I want to prepare our hearts a little bit more by reading to you a prayer from the Valley of Vision, which is a collection of Puritan prayers. And I'd like to read this. This is the one that is called Sins. And I'll read this and then pray quickly and then get into the message. Merciful Lord, pardon all my sins of this day, week, year. All the sins of my life, sins of early, middle and advanced years, of omission and commission, of morose, of peevish and angry tempers, of lip, life, and walk, of hard-heartedness, unbelief, presumption, pride, of unfaithfulness to the souls of men, of want, of bold decision in the cause of Christ, of deficiency and outspoken zeal for His glory, of bringing dishonor upon Thy great name. of deception, injustice, untruthfulness in my dealings with others, of impurity in thought, word and deed, of covetousness, which is idolatry, of substance unduly hoarded, improvidently squandered, not consecrated to the glory of Thee, the Great Giver. Sins in private and in the family, in study and recreation, in the busy haunts of men, in the study of Thy Word and in the neglect of it, in prayer irreverently offered and coldly withheld, in time misspent, in yielding to Satan's wiles, in opening my heart to his temptations, in being unwatchful when I know him nigh, in quenching the Holy Spirit. sins against light and knowledge, against conscience and the restraints of thy spirit, against the law of eternal love. Pardon all my sins, known and unknown, felt and unfelt, confessed and not confessed, remembered or forgotten. Good Lord, hear and hearing forgive. Our gracious Father, we are so thankful to be reminded that the war has been won. Father, even those who are not enslaved to sins, God, our life falls so short. And so we're thankful that we can have a day where we're reminded that Jesus Christ paid the price, paid the penalty for my sins. And Lord, this is important. Because unconfessed sin hinders our communion with You. It makes us unable to hear Your Word rightly. And God, we have come today to hear from You. God, we ask that this day, even this very second, as Your Spirit brings to mind sins, that we'd be quick to ask for forgiveness. And it would be quick to trust You that You are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. God, we ask You this day to speak to us through Your Word. Lord, we ask that You would draw us closer in communion with You, transform us more into the image of Jesus Christ, Equip us more fully to go out into the world to be salt and light for your glory and for the good of civilization. We ask this in Jesus' name and for your glory. Amen. I'd like to read Hebrews 12, verses 18 through 29. For you have not come to what may be touched, blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given. If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned. Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble with fear. But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all. and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook on the earth, but now he has promised, yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens. This phrase, yet once more, indicates the removal of things that are shaken, that is, things that have been made, in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Many of you have come to me in our study on Sinai and Zion and have expressed great interest in me not hurrying through this text. Oftentimes we get so distracted with what we might call earthly practicalities of the Christian life that we often neglect the heavenly preoccupation that our mind should have. And when we do that, when we forget what we've been given in heaven, we often realize that the practical Christian life loses its power, it loses its savoring. And so out of those of you who have come to me, we will not hurry through this. There is no reason to go quickly through a treasure chest that has been given to us, that has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. This morning is very simple what we plan to do. First thing I would like to do is give you a brief review of that which we have looked at thus far. And then I want to look at verses 22 and part of verse 23. I want to look at the description of the innumerable angels and festal gathering and then spend the bulk of our time looking at the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. Let's begin by reviewing. In our study on Mount Sinai and Mount Zion, we have already noticed the stark difference in how they are described. The writer of Hebrews is highlighting for us the presence of God and then the reaction of mankind. At Sinai, man fled the very presence of God. In Zion, man is welcomed into the very glorious presence of God. Man cannot enter the presence of God on his own merits. We cannot even come close to God at the foot of the mountain without being completely terrified in fear. What Sinai does for us is it shows us our need for Zion. And in our study over the past two weeks, we have emphasized that man cannot mediate man before God. We are in need of the God-man, Jesus Christ, who can do that for us. And He is who Zion provides. Now, in Scripture, Zion is both historical and prophetical. It is both earthly and heavenly. Zion, if you remember, was David's city. It was a city where the king dwelt. who would lead the people of God. Zion in the Old Testament also represented the very dwelling place of the Messiah. Psalm 2 verse 6, the Father says, As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. Not only is Zion the place of the Messiah, but Zion is also the dwelling place of God and where the people of God met with God through blood. Yeah. At Sinai, or excuse me, in the earthly Zion, it was through the blood of bulls and goats. But in the heavenly Zion, it is through the blood of Christ. Now, the last time we looked at this text, we looked at the city that we have come to in verse 22. We have come to the city of the living God. This is to say that we have come where God dwells. It is here in the city of the living God that we dwell now and that we will dwell forever. It is here that God ultimately fulfills the Abrahamic covenant where we will be His people and He will be our God. The city of the living God is also described as the heavenly Jerusalem. If you remember in Revelation 21, the heavenly Jerusalem is identified, now please catch this, it is identified as the bride of who? The Bride of the Lamb, which is a church. Heavenly Jerusalem exists now as our eternal dwelling place, but there is also a sense that the heavenly Jerusalem is being built as God builds His church. In the heavenly Jerusalem, we will have the complete reversal of the curse. In the heavenly Jerusalem, we will fully experience what Christ, the second Adam, reversed that the first Adam plunged the world into. And in this text, as we finish last sermon, is what we have is the already not yet. We have come to this city, but we are still awaiting that city. If you remember the already, not yet, is reality now with consummation in the future. We are experiencing these realities today as believers, but the full consummation and experience of them is still yet future. We have a heavenly destination with present earthly realities. The already not yet of Scripture is the present presence of the future for the believer in the life of the believer while still on earth. When we look at heavenly realities, beloved, we are not simply having our minds in the celestial city where it does not affect our feet on earth. The writer of Hebrews is telling us these truths so that It will affect, it will impact, it will change our very practice on earth. For beloved, we are citizens in heaven now, and we are to live accordingly. We are not to live lives characteristic of the earth, but we are to live lives characteristic of the King who has saved us in His incarnation. This description is given of what we have come to so that it would transform the entirety of our earthly existence. So with that in mind, I want us to look at verse 22 here, the last part, the last description, that says that we have come to innumerable angels in festal gathering. Now, angels are created spiritual beings who serve God unceasingly. Most often you see angels where? You see angels in the very presence of God in heaven. But you will also see angels ministering to man on earth to do exactly as God had sent them to do. I want you to listen to the obedience of angels from Psalm 103 verse 20. That verse says, Bless the Lord, O you His angels, you mighty ones who do His word. Obeying the voice of His word. What we see with angels is they hear what God says to do, for them to do, and then they do it. I want you to listen to the service of angels as given to us in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 14. The writer says, "...are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" And so we see that angels are given in some sense, in some manner, to us who will inherit salvation. And so we should be very excited about the study of looking at angels. And one of the things I would like to just say up front about angels is that most thoughts about angels today have no bearing on what Scripture teaches about angels. Let me just give a little reason why. See, angels were present both at Sinai and at Zion. Now, both Acts 7.53 and Galatians 3.19 make it very clear that when God gave the Mosaic Law at Sinai, He did so through who? Through angels. Now, I want you to think about those nice little angel dolls that people put on their mantles. And I want you to consider those, which is most of the time the idea that people have about angels. And I want you to have that in your mind as we walk through angels here for a bit. See, angels were the instruments of the giving of the Law. And this is why Hebrews chapter 2 verses 1 through 3 is so important. I want to read that to you again. Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? If the message that angels gave came with retribution for disobedience, how much more will that be if we do not pay closer attention to the message of Jesus Christ? The law came with promises and warnings. You obey, you are blessed. If you disobey, you are And the Old Testament is a clear record of the Law's accuracy of what it speaks and warns of. Now, how much more when God speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the very final revelation of God? The Law has consequences. How much more does either the acceptance or the rejection of the Gospel have in our lives? Now, The angels, or the presence of the angels at Sinai, according to scripture, was limited to the delivery of the law, and listen to this, and their accompanying the terrifying presence of God. In other words, their actions at Sinai corresponded to the terrifying and awesome presence of God. You did not have this view of God that brought fear to man and then angels came along and comforted them in this nice angelic look. No, the angels came and was an accurate reflection of the very character of God at Sinai. I could not imagine what that would look on your mantle. When we come to Zion, on the other hand, we see that angels have a very different ministry. In Zion, angels appear in festal gathering. Now, depending on your translation here, it will say that there are myriads of angels or innumerable angels. The idea is that there are so many angels in the very presence of God that they cannot be counted. Now, some of you might rightly be scratching your head as you look at your Bible in vain to look for this term, festal gathering. How many of you are missing festal gathering in your Bible? I want to tell you that this word, this phrase, festal gathering, is in the Greek text. And as to why it's not in your translation, I offer you my best shot. I have no idea why. But it is there. And so we're going to talk about this very briefly here. Festal gathering has the idea of worship and joy. What we see here is that these innumerable angels are in the very presence of God, worshiping, and they are joyful in the very presence of God. Angels live in ceaseless praise of their Creator. I want to read to you Revelation chapter 5, verses 11 and 12. John says, then I looked. And I heard around the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands. And what did He hear? So saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessings. This is what we have come to. We have come to countless angels singing of God, of what He has done in redemption. And so we can see that angels at Sinai were given to warn people to not come to the very presence of God. But in Zion, They are present to praise. What was dark and gloom and a tempest at Sinai is now light. It is joy. It is worship in Zion. We have come to the very presence of God where His citizens worship Him and His person without end. I've got a question for you this morning. Have you ever been brought into a moment of worship where you thought that at any moment your soul would be enraptured into heaven and then it was gone? Don't you wish you could live in that? That's what we will be doing forever. There is an eternal, joyous celebration of the person and work of God in Zion. Now I want you to look at this for a moment and understand. If angels, who are not redeemed, live with such joyous and endless worship of God for His redemptive work? How much more will we worship God for personal and global redemption without ceasing and without the interruption of joy when we enter the very presence of God? But I want to say to you this morning that this is what we've come to. And sometimes as a pastor, I feel like we're waiting for heaven to start worshiping God in song. Let us not wait till we get there, because we're already there. God deserves this type of worship from His redeemed now on earth. And I want to undergird this by spending the rest of our time by looking at this next description. And I hope this lifts your heart. I hope it elevates your souls. Cast your gaze upon what God has done for us. Look at verse 23. "...and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven." Literally, this is the firstborns. It's plural. It's not singular. It's plural. It's literally that we have come to the assembly of the firstborns, or the church of the firstborns. It is referring to a corporate body. It is referring to us, the church, the very people of God. It is saying that we have come to the great assembly of God's people. Now these descriptions, highlight both the similarity and dissimilarity of how God related to His people in general in the Old Covenant and how He relates to His people specifically in the New Covenant. Now, as many of you know, the Greek word for church or assembly in the New Testament is ekklesia. And this is the word that is used here in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 23, the Ekklesia or the assembly or the church of the firstborn. But I want to bring to your attention that the word Ekklesia is also used of Israel. at the foot of Sinai by Stephen in Acts chapter 7 verse 38. He says it was the Ekklesia of God at the foot of the mountain. But also, the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy refers to the people of God at Sinai as the Ekklesia, or as the Church of God. Both Israel at Sinai and the redeemed by the blood of Christ in the New Covenant are considered the church or the ecclesia of God. Now, the assembly or the church of the firstborn which would be in the assembly or the Church of the Forsborn, we see a contrast between the Ekklesia at Sinai and the Ekklesia at Zion. At Sinai, God calls them the assembly of Him. It's God's assembly. But in that assembly, there are both believer and unbeliever. At Zion, at this assembly, there is no mixture. There is no unbeliever at the assembly of the firstborn in heaven. Citizens of Zion are purely of God in Christ through the power of His Spirit. But this contrast between Sinai and Zion continues when you see that Israel as a nation was identified as God's firstborn in Exodus. And what we see is that there is a similarity in terminology, but there is dissimilarity in who garners such an identification. Now in Exodus chapter 4 verse 22, God says to Moses, then you shall say to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son. So God has a title to his people Israel. that they are His firstborn son. But in Israel, who were called the firstborn, many or most of them were without Christ. They were not saved. Most of them God was not pleased with. So in that sense, we need to understand that Israel belonged to God for purposes that included the safe arrival of Jesus Christ as the promised seed of the woman. God safely brought Israel out. He protected Israel for the purpose of uniting all things in His Son Jesus Christ, which includes your salvation. But now, but now, The terminology of assembly or church and the term firstborn is exclusively used of those who are in Christ under the new covenant. Beloved, when this talks about we have come to the firstborn, we are not coming to those who do not know Christ. See, there is a consistent thread throughout Scripture where God identifies His people as His firstborn, who have been given the rights of the family inheritance. And He brings them together in one body, as one people, and puts them together in Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Now, why is this important? Because we have come to be citizens of this great city with Moses, with Abraham, with Elijah, with Sarah, with Martin Luther. We have come to this great gathering of God's people in heaven, who are identified as God's firstborn. Now, I want you to remember from our study of Esau, that the firstborn was the one who received the double portion of the family inheritance. The firstborn would be the one who would carry on the family's name. The firstborn had the rights of the family. And this is true of the natural or earthly firstborn. But here's the question that we must answer. How is it that we become the firstborn of God? How do we become part of this assembly who has the rights of God's family because we are in Jesus Christ? For me, personally, it makes it a little bit difficult because I was the secondborn in my family. How do we become the firstborn? It is only when we have been rebirthed or regenerated. It is when God has rebirthed us by giving us a new heart. Listen to John chapter 1 verses 12 and 13. He says, But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave them right to become children of God. who were not born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." It is God's will that He would rebirth us, so that we'd become His children. And as His children, He gives us the rights of being the firstborn of His family. The Old Covenant is obsolete. If you desire to be part of God's church, then you must abandon temple sacrifice, you must abandon national identity and personal works righteousness, and you must cling exclusively to the person and work of Jesus Christ. And beloved, this is the undeniable message of Hebrews. Quit looking earthly. Quit looking horizontally and look to where Jesus Christ is at. He is seated at the very right hand of the Father. And so here, when this says that we have come to the assembly or to the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, we see that the firstborn here is speaking strictly of those who are in Christ, those who have been born again, those who have confessed with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. Firstborn as used here is speaking of those who have found their refuge in the perfect person and work of Jesus Christ, for their salvation to protect them for the very wrath of God. Are you grateful that you're part of the firstborn of God in Zion and not part of the firstborn of Israel at Sinai? Because you could be part of them and not be part of Him. But in Zion, if you're His firstborn, you belong to Him. While we strive on earth against the world, the flesh, and the devil, there are those who are in heaven who have passed the test. They have finished their pilgrimage. They are experiencing the fullness of joy that is the very presence of God. And so this verse, this phrase, speaks both of the church triumphant and the church militant. It speaks both of those who are in heaven and those who are on earth who belong to Christ, and we are all united in one body, the church of Jesus Christ. But let us not forget, this firstborn privilege is exactly what Esau despised. It is exactly what he rejected. This is why F.F. Bruce wrote, All the people of Christ are the firstborn children of God, through their union with Christ, who is the firstborn par excellence. Their birthright is not to be bartered away as was Esau's. Oh, may we understand the privileges of grace and cherish them as the gifts that come from the pearl of great price. Understand that all these blessings are not the pearl. Christ is the pearl. Look what this says. We have come to the assembly, to the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. That phrase, who are enrolled in heaven, will take up the rest of our time this morning. Unlike our relationship to angels, where we have only come in their present with the firstborn, we are part of them. We are members with one another in heaven. And many have rightly quipped that this is the ultimate church membership role. Now, some of you are still struggling with church membership. And as we walk through what this means to be enrolled in heaven, I want you to consider what the problem would be with your participation in registering your name in a local body since your name is registered in heaven. After all, why not mirror on earth what is a reality in heaven? Let us not forget that under the old covenant, Moses was instructed to register Israel. In Numbers chapter 3 verse 40, and the Lord said to Moses, Write down, record all the firstborn males of the people of Israel from a month old and upward taking the number of their names. You know what Moses did? He took a list and he wrote it down and then after these verses you'll actually see numbers recorded. there was an accurate recording of who belonged to Israel as the firstborn. And the same is true of us in heaven if we are in Christ. If we are in Christ, there is a heavenly scroll, a heavenly book that has our name written on it. Beloved, today you are the church militant. Today, you are fighting the good fight on this earth. Today, you are experiencing trials and tribulations. You are experiencing difficulties and hardships. You are experiencing your soul going through darkness and your body being ravaged by the effects of sin. Do not grow weary. Your name is registered in Zion as its citizen. You do not belong here. You belong in heaven. Do not grow weary. There is nothing on this earth that can take away that your name is written in heaven. We are not simply meandering through the celestial city as the wandering redeemed. We are registered or we are documented citizens showing to whom we belong. Now, in our first look at Sinai and Zion, I read to you Psalm 87. I've been waiting to get back to that. I want to re-read that to you, but as I read this to you, I want you to read it now with the idea of us being enrolled or registered in heaven as God's citizens. Psalm 87 reads thus, On the holy mountain stands the city he founded. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Among those who know me, I mention Rahab, that's Egypt and Babylon. Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Cush. This one was born there. May I just stop? How can the nations be born in Zion? What is that talking about? It's not talking about their physical birth. It's talking about their regeneration. It says, this one And that one was born in her. For the Most High Himself will establish her. The Lord records as He registers the peoples. This one was born there. I've got to just stop for a moment and just say what an amazing thought this is. That when you are regenerated, to use this term, the Lord records your name. He registers your name. But beloved, He doesn't have an eraser. He doesn't have a whiteout. Okay? I want you to understand that you have come to Zion, to the place where the God's assembling of all of His people are registered. You belong there. Now look what this says at the end of Psalm 87. Singer and dancers alike say, all my springs are in you. Lord, we see in this Psalm that nations have been admitted into, they have been registered in Zion, and joy exists in unceasing song. Who wants to go there? You're already there. You're already there. This is to impact us today. I want you to turn with me to Luke chapter 10. Now I know sometimes we go through scripture and we think a little phrase is pretty easy to understand. But it's rich, so we're going to keep looking at this. Luke chapter 10. Earlier in Luke chapter 10, Christ sends out 72 disciples, go place to place preaching that the kingdom of God has come near to them. I want you to look at verse 17. Luke 10 verse 17. The 72 returned with joy. I want you to see that. They were joyful. And they said, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. Now that's big. That's big stuff. Christ goes out and tells them, what I want you to do is go this, and they come back and they're all excited. They have ministry success. And they said, the demons listen to us in your name. And Jesus says to them in verse 18, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Now that's big. Through your ministry, of casting out demons and preaching the Word of God, I literally saw Satan falling out of heaven. Look what it says in verse 19. Behold, I have given you authority, given you power, the ability to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. That's really big. You can go out in the midst of all of this and nothing's going to hurt you. Came back with joy? Wouldn't you be joyful? Look what Jesus says here in verse 20. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this. Huh? Let's be honest. If God gave us the power to go clean out the hospitals with the ability to heal, Wouldn't we just be joyful? We rejoice. But look what Christ says here. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you. But rejoice that your names are written in heaven. He tells us that there is a qualitative difference between salvation and ministry success. This is great stuff that just happened through your ministry, but do not get excited about that. That is not where your true joy needs to be. Your true joy needs to be in the fact that you are saved and that you are registered in heaven. What Christ is doing is bringing to our attention that all earthly blessings are important, yes, but our joy needs to be centered in the fact that our names are recorded in heaven. You want perseverance in your Christian walk? Then we need to get a hold of what God has done for us in Christ and we need to realize that heaven awaits us and it can not be taken away from us. Salvation is much more important than having spiritual power over demonic powers. Christ turns our head from gazing at really neat stuff that is going on in ministry and in life, so that we can refocus on what is most important. Your name is written in heaven. You know, it doesn't matter what happens in our life. It doesn't. It doesn't matter physically. It doesn't matter financially. None of that ultimately matters. God can bless us and He can take it all away. Where is your hope? Where is your joy? Where is your faith? Is it that your name is written in heaven? This is what Jesus Christ is calling our attention to this morning. And I want you to think too of the songs that are recorded for us in Revelation. All of those songs are in the context of redemption. Our anthem in heaven will be singing of the praise of God's redemption, and if that is what it's gonna be in the future, what should we be doing today? This is not for us to say, okay, I know what my song's gonna be in heaven, now let me make my own songs up today. Our songs are to mirror the songs in heaven. Once enemies, now turn into citizens of the city of the living God. Revelation 20 verse 15, And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 21 verse 27, But nothing unclean will ever enter it, speaking of the heavenly Jerusalem, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those will enter who are written in the Lamb's book of life. Philippians chapter 4 verse 3, Paul says, Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Is your name in the book of life? Is your name this morning in the book of life? Are you confident that God has saved you and that you are registered in Zion? Are you confident that you have fully, 100% embraced Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father? Have you abandoned all self-righteousness? What is your answer? Is it Christ or is it your obedience? If our answer to redemption is anything else but Christ alone, then we cannot be confident that our names are written in heaven. Beloved, this is given to us this morning for our perseverance of joy. Too many of us live defeated, deflated, unhappy Christian lives. And I want to say to us this morning, look up! Your future is brighter than you could ever imagine or could ever think. God is calling us to quit looking downward and horizontally and to look vertically. You ought to have courage, you ought to have peace, you ought to have hope, you ought to have joy, that one day when you take your last breath, the consummation of this truth will be a reality for you that can never, ever be taken away. Listen, there is an indelible permanence of your name written in the book of life. Cannot be taken away. There is nothing. There is no one that can snatch you out of your Father's hand. There is nothing or no one that can separate you from the love of God and the provision of God's salvation to you. But again, this description is not what is just yet future. It is what He has given us already. So this morning, Are you living like you are citizens of heaven? And I want to take this a step further this morning. I have a homework assignment for you. I would like for you to go home and I'd like you to ask your spouse, am I living like a citizen of heaven? Do I live in righteousness like its king? Do I express the joy of its citizens? And if you want to take this a step further, moms and dads, ask your children. How am I doing? Am I faithful to my heavenly citizenship? And child, young person, who professes to be in Christ, it is important for you to ask your parents how you are doing. Would you listen to the words of Athanasius? Who would not wish to enjoy the high companionship of these? Who would not desire to be enrolled with these? That He may hear with them, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world. Our gracious Father, it is only by grace that we have come into Zion. And God, we want to never lose sight that grace is what keeps us. Grace is what sustains us. Grace is what motivates us. God, we would not be in your presence and we would not be sustained in your presence with confidence that it will never come to an end if it were not from your grace. God, it is a gift that we are undeserving to have. But Father, we are told that we have come We have come to you. We have come to your very presence. We have come to the city where our names are registered. God, I ask you, please make this change the way we live. May it move us. to greater reflect the triune God who saved us and who is saving us and who will save us. God, I ask you that as we live in light of what you've done for us and given to us, that you would use us Use us to show those on earth what a great privilege and what a great joy it is to be citizens of heaven. God, may they see a difference in our actions, in our attitudes, in our countenances, in our joy, so that they may ask us, why is it that you have so much hope? God, this gives us hope. And hope from you never disappoints. God, we ask you that if there is anybody in this room this morning who does not know you, that you would open their hearts to see Christ, their need for Him, that they would confess their sins and repent of them, finding refuge in your Son, who alone can give eternal life. I ask you, Father, of those men in our church who will be traveling this week, that you would use them to spread the gospel across this land. It's amazing to think that from here this week we'll have men in Florida, California, Texas, maybe Oregon. God, we just ask you that we'd be faithful to your name wherever you put us this week. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.