Well, this evening we are starting a new series, a new book of the Bible. So please turn in your Bibles to the book of 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel, you'll find that on page 254 of the Pew Bible, 2 Samuel. Now, really, we're not actually starting a new book. We are really continuing an old book. A year and a half ago, we finished our study of 1 Samuel, and then we went on and we studied some other books. We looked at 1 Timothy. We looked at Micah. But you really could make a strong argument that we actually, when we left off 1 Samuel, that we actually left off midpoint in the book of Samuel. And the reason I say that is because Originally, there was no division between the book of 1 Samuel and the book of 2 Samuel. It was originally just one large book called the book of Samuel. However, when Greek translators came along and they were translating that book from Hebrew into Greek, it's what we call the Septuagint, They, at that point, broke the book of Samuel into two parts. It was actually probably because they couldn't fit all of it on one scroll. And so they put it on two separate scrolls. And we ended up with 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. And so what that means is that we were actually mid-story. We were kind of left hanging when we broke off at the end of 1 Samuel. Now, the Greek translators did a pretty decent job, all things considered. They did find a natural breaking point in the text. If all of Samuel were divided into major sections, and I would argue you have five of them, if you broke all of Samuel into major sections, they did find a spot that was between two of those sections. But, of course, it was still in the middle of the story. So let's kind of rehearse where we've been. And first Samuel. Chapters 1 through 8 were basically what we might call the story of Samuel. The story of Samuel. Samuel, he was the central character. We saw his birth, his calling, his ministry. In fact, he is so important that these books were named after him. Even though he dies halfway through, well actually far before halfway through, they nevertheless named these books after him. Which, by the way, just a reminder, is very strong evidence, the fact that he dies partway through, very strong evidence that he was not the author of 1 and 2 Samuel, right? There are probably, as best as we can tell, several different authors, and we think that these different writings were all compiled probably shortly after the death of David. Well, the next section of the story, chapters 9 through 15, is what we might call the story of Saul. We had the story of Samuel. Next comes the story of Saul. And here we see him raised up as the first king of Israel. But then we see a significant failure that causes God to reject him as king. And so, chapter 16, David is anointed as king. And so chapters 16 through 31, still 1 Samuel, chapters 16 through 31 really give us the story of what we might call the story of Saul and David. Saul and David, and we remember that tension between the two as Saul grows increasingly bitter and jealous of David and rabidly seeks to kill him. This third section ended with the death of Saul. And that was actually the end of the book of 1 Samuel. And so 2 Samuel, which is in front of us this evening, begins really the next chapter of the story. We might call this section the story of, you guessed it, David. This is the story of David. And this is a story that's going to run all the way to chapter 20. And then, once you get to chapter 20, there's only four chapters left. And those last four chapters, I'm going to call various stories of epilogue. That's the best I could do. Various stories of epilogue. So that's where we're at, our focus for the next at least 20 chapters, but we really will still be talking about David in 21, 22, 23, 24. Our focus is going to be on King David. We might actually think of this story here in 2 Samuel as the rise and fall of King David. the rise and fall of King David. We're gonna see him established as king and God will use David to bring blessing to the nations. God will establish an eternal covenant with David until we'll get to chapter 11 in which he sins grievously and most of you know what sin we're talking about and really the rest of his reign is going to be flawed and tainted. And guess what we're gonna realize? will realize that we need a better king. That as great as David is, he's not the best king. And so right now, let's just make sure we understand that as much as we'll be talking about David, he is not really the central character of this story. This isn't really about David, or Samuel, or Saul, or Absalom, or Joab, or Abner, or whoever you want to name. The central character of this story is God. I mean, He is the one who is establishing kings. He is the one who is guiding this nation. He is the one who's making a covenant with David. David doesn't come to him and say, let's make a covenant. God comes to David and he's the one making a covenant. He is the one who is ultimately going to fulfill the Davidic kingship. It's really the story of God. Let's go ahead and look at this evening's passage. We're going to look at 2 Samuel chapter 1 verses 1 through 16. And just to remind us of what preceded this, because don't forget it was all one book and we should be running right into this from the previous chapter. Just to remind us of what's been going on, let me give you the last several chapters of 1 Samuel. David has been on the run from Saul, who wants to kill David. And he had eventually, he's here, there, going everywhere, but he eventually has found refuge among the Philistines, who are, of course, enemies to Israel. He's found refuge among the Philistines by pretending to be on their side. And so he hangs out with the Philistines for a while, but eventually there's a big battle forming between the Philistines and the Israelites. But before that big battle occurs, God providentially intercedes so that David is dismissed from having to fight with the Philistines. That's good. So he doesn't have to fight against the Israelites. And so David and his men leave that field of battle on really the eve of the battle, and they return to their temporary home at Ziklag. When they get back to Ziklag, they find that in their absence, the Amalekites have attacked, and the Amalekites have taken their wives and their children. And so David and his men raid the Amalekites. They actually annihilate the Amalekites. They destroy the Amalekites. They're able to rescue their wives and their children. Meanwhile, in the very last chapter of 1 Samuel, back with Saul and the Israelites, Saul and his Israelite army are fighting the Philistines. They are losing horribly. The battle has turned against them. is injured, it's a mortal wound, and so he asks his armor-bearer if his armor-bearer would kill him, would finish him off, his armor-bearer refuses, and so Saul then kills himself by falling on his own sword. The end. That's where we left off. And so as we pick up in 2 Samuel, You want to realize that we know what David does not yet know. Saul is dead, and Israel is scattered. So here we are, 2 Samuel chapter 1, verse 1. After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. David said to him, where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped from the camp of Israel. And David said to him, how did it go? Tell me. And he answered, the people fled from the battle. And also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead. Then David said to the young man who told him, how do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead? And the young man who told him said, by chance, I happen to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and he called to me. And I answered, here I am. And he said to me, who are you? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. And he said to me, stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers. So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my Lord. Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. David said to the young man who told him, where do you come from? And he answered, I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite. David said to him, How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? Then David called one of the young men and said, go execute him. He struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, your blood be on your head for your own mouth has testified against you saying, I have killed the Lord's anointed. And that's where we'll end. Let's pray. Our Lord, we ask for your help. Sometimes as we look at texts like this, we wonder what it is that you would have us to see here. And so we pray that you would send your spirit to help us to see. Guide us into all truth. Lord, anything that I speak this evening that is in error, would you cause it to fall by the side and be forgotten? Lord, bless now the preaching of your word. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. In 1 Samuel, you may remember, we watched the struggle between two very passionate men. Saul, who had a passion for power, for maintaining his throne at any cost, for flexing the muscles of his position, and David, a man after God's own heart, who had a passion for God's name and a passion for God's people. In fact, you'll remember in the David and Goliath story, remember that one? How David is upset that this Philistine giant, he goes to the battlefield and he sees what's going on and he's upset that this Philistine giant is, he says, defying the armies of the living God. How could this be happening? Why is this happening? It's an affront not only to God's people, it's an affront to God's prestige to let this guy do this. And so he goes out and he says he wants to fight against Goliath. And when he's out on the battlefield with Goliath, here's what he says. He says, The Lord will deliver you, Goliath, into my hand, that all the earth may know, what? That there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves. His desire is that God would be known, that God's people would be preserved. He's not passionate for his own power. In fact, he goes out there with only a sling and five smooth stones. He doesn't even wear armor. He's not passionate for his own power or position. He's passionate for the name of God and for the people of God. Well, that same tension, A tension between a man driven by a passion for power and a man driven by a passion for God and for his people that reappears in this passage. Here again, we see two worldviews, and those two worldviews, those two passions, they collide. So let's look at them. Let's first look at this one who is driven by a passion for power. And so first, driven by a passion for power. Driven by a passion for power. So verse 1 tells us that David had returned home to Ziklag from striking down the Amalekites. You remember he had to go and rescue their wives and their children. And he had returned to Ziklag from that enterprise. And it says that on the third day, which, by the way, I'll just point this out since it's Easter. It says, on the third day, that phrase, on the third day, is often used in the Old Testament for a day of great significance. Which is interesting, because it's almost as if God is pointing forward to another third day, Christ's resurrection. Okay, but anyways, on the third day, We're told that this young man, this young soldier, shows up. We learn later that he's an Amalekite. He's an Amalekite who had been living among the Israelites for at least two generations. Right now the gears are turning and you're kind of thinking, wait, hold on. Wasn't it the Amalekites that David had just gone and fought against? Wasn't it the Amalekites that had stolen his wives and his children and he'd gone and he'd slaughtered them? Wasn't that the Amalekites? You're right. That was the Amalekites. And yes, this man is an Amalekite. Now obviously he wasn't there. He's been living with Israelites for two generations. But yes, this man is an Amalekite and we're going to talk about that. But as Amalekite shows up, and he's just come from Saul's camp back at Mount Gilboa. Now please understand, this is not nearby. This is not a short distance. This man has traveled, I've read different numbers, but he's traveled at least 80 miles. It has taken him several days of hiking, walking, running, journeying for him to get where he's at. Several days, two days, three days. In fact, some have observed that the math might be such that the day on which Saul is dying among the Philistines is the very same day that David was victorious among the Amalekites. And there's even more to that than you might even be thinking, but it's pretty impressive. Anyways, now the man appears and he looks like he's grieving. He's got the classic signs of mourning. His clothes are torn, there's dirt on his head, but his words will indicate that he's not really that upset about what unfolded. Now I want you to notice that he bows before David. He pays homage, it says, to David. Now that could be because he wants to pay proper respects to David, but it could also be because he knows where the chips have fallen, and he wants to cozy up to the guy who potentially will soon be holding the reins of power. This guy is headed to the top, and so, very appropriately, he bows to him. And sure enough, this play at power is going to be verified as the conversation continues. So they start talking. David asks three questions. Three questions. First, he says, where do you come from? And the Amalekite says that he comes from the camp of Israel during this battle. Second, David says, how did it go? Tell me. How did it go? The Amalekite says, not well. Not well at all. The people fled from the battle. Many have fallen and are dead. And here it comes, Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead. In other words, here's what he's just said. He's just said, there is now a power vacuum. There is, at this point, no king in Israel. And notice he mentions Jonathan, right? You get what he's saying there. He's saying, not only is the king dead, the heir to the throne is also dead. Saul and Jonathan dead. And we all know what he's thinking. He's thinking that David has a passion for power, right? And that when David hears about this vacuum, that he's going to run right into it. So why not curry a little favor with the future king? Why not kiss up to the future king? And so when David asks his third question, how do you know that Saul and Jonathan are dead? The Amalekite tells a story that is sure to win the favor of this future king. Here's the story he tells. Verse six, let me read it to you again. And the young man who told him said, By chance, I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and he called to me. And I answered, here I am. And he said to me, who are you? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. And he said to me, stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers. So I stood beside him. And I killed him because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my Lord." Now, if you've been paying careful attention, you'll notice there's a contradiction between this story and the story at the end of 1 Samuel. At the end of 1 Samuel, we're told that Saul is mortally wounded, that he asks his armor-bearer to finish him off, that the armor-bearer refuses, and so Saul falls on his own sword. So which is it? Did Saul kill himself, or did the Amalekites kill him? Did Saul ask his armor-bearer to finish him off, or did Saul ask this Amalekite to finish him off? Which story is the correct story? Well listen, when there's a contradiction, and this is probably a good rule to follow in biblical interpretation, when there is a contradiction between the narrator of the biblical text and a character within the story of a biblical text, if there's a contradiction, go with the narrator. He's got the omniscient inspired point of view. He's the one who is telling the truth. The Amalekite is clearly lying. Besides, actually, there's a huge hole in his story. If you begin to think about it, you think, did that really unfold the way you're saying it unfolded? Because he says that Saul was just standing there alone, all by himself, in the middle of the battlefield, which seems very unlikely. I guess it's possible, but it seems very unlikely. We say, OK, where are his courtesans? Where are his bodyguards? Where are his soldiers? Where are his armor bearers? If the enemy is far off enough that he and the Amalekite can have this little bit of a conversation, that means they're not right there. If the enemy is that far away, how is it that all of his men have disappeared? How is it that all of his men are, what, they're dead? What's going on? Why is Saul alone by himself? You see, this guy, this Amalekite, is telling a bold-faced lie, and he's thinking that it's going to win him favor with David. He seems to think that at this moment in time, a strategic lie is appropriate to get him what he wants. Do you ever think that way? Do you ever think that a strategic lie might be just the thing? I mean, yeah, you may not be a compulsive liar, you know, lying all the time because you just can't help it. How'd you do in the basketball game? Oh, I scored like 10 three-pointers and you just compulsively lie. Hey, what'd you get on the paper, the assignment? Oh, I got an A plus. You just can't help but compulsively lie. Maybe you're not a compulsive liar, but you sometimes think that, well, a strategic lie is okay. If I just tweak these numbers, if I just kind of imply that that's what happened, if I just kind of give this little white lie to my wife, if I just polish up the story, in the long run, it'll be better. It's a strategic lie. It's a helpful lie. It's a good lie. Well, it doesn't end up any better in the long run for this guy. By the way, did you catch the irony of this story? Do you remember, and we have to think back here into the middle of 1 Samuel, but do you remember why Saul had the kingdom taken away from him? So he's anointed as king, and then all of a sudden things change and God says, you're no longer king. Do you remember what was the event that precipitated his being removed as king? It was because, and this is in 1 Samuel 15, it was because of his failure to eradicate the Amalekites. Yes, I said Amalekites. his failure to eradicate the Amalekites. He was told to slaughter the Amalekites completely. Samuel shows up and says, what are these guys and what are these sheep still doing here? And he tries to make up some lame excuse. And Samuel tells him, because of this, the kingdom is torn from you this day. And so it would be really ironic if this story were true. Now, it's not a true story. But it'd be really ironic if it was true that the Amalekites, the ones that Saul was supposed to eliminate in 1 Samuel 15, that the Amalekite is the one who killed him. Now, that doesn't seem to be the case, but nevertheless, at the very least, there's irony in the fact that Saul's crown and Saul's armlet, which are the insignia of his kingship, end up in the hands of an Amalekite. One of those Amalekites carrying the king's crown. In many ways, it's a perfect pairing. For the Amalekites, he's really not too far different than Saul. The two are kind of like two peas in a pod. They both were consumed. They both were driven by a passion for power. Well, secondly, we see one who is driven by a passion for God's prestige and God's people. Driven by a passion for God's prestige and God's people. In verses 11 and 12, we see David's response to this news. And lo and behold, rather than rejoicing, rather than cranking up the music and throwing a dance party with the rest of his men, David tears his clothes. David begins to weep. David and his men, which shows that David really seems to have had a profound impact on the character of these men who were once castaways. They were guys that were embittered and angry, and now they are weeping with David over the situation in Israel. David and his men, they weep, they mourn. It says they fast. You know, it's interesting. These two verses, 11 and 12, are actually the center of this story. There's a chiasm. Remember what a chiasm is? A chiasm is a symmetrical sandwich, right, where at each end of the story are similar elements. Then we go in and there's similar elements. We go in and there's similar elements. It's meant to usually focus us right on what's at the center. And we see that right here. We see that on the edge of this sandwich are this presentation of the Amalekite, either his entering or his exiting. As we move in on each side of the sandwich, we see two conversations, a conversation on this side and a conversation on this side, both featuring a Q&A between David and the Amalekite. And then as we move right to the middle, to the center, verses 11 and 12, the meat of the sandwich, the keystone of the arch, we see the response of David and his men. It's what's at the center. It's what's at the heart of this passage. And what are they doing? Are they rejoicing that Saul's team is out of the bracket and their team is still in the bracket? No. They are weeping and mourning and fasting. Why? It's because they have a passion for God's prestige and a passion for God's people. Look at verse 12. It says, And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. Notice, this defeat is a defeat of God's people. This is a defeat of those marked with the name Yahweh. Yahweh is connected with these people. And David is grieved to think that the Lord's name has been dragged into this defeat. Back against Goliath, David had sought to exalt the name of the Lord. But now here, the name of the Lord is connected with downfall and routing and utter humiliation. David has a passion for God's prestige. But he also has a passion for God's people. And he grieves to see Israel, God's people, scattered, dead, fallen. He grieves even to see the fall of Saul, which will inevitably affect the stability of the entire nation. He's grieved. It's really such a beautiful thing to have such a tender heart for the people of God. I wonder, do we grieve that deeply when we see God's people today falling, scattered? Do we grieve over unbelief or error when it creeps into our churches? When we see Christian denominations or Christian individuals shift toward unbiblical doctrines and towards unbiblical practices, do we grieve? Or do we just keep our distance and kind of analyze and critique and vociferate? Maybe I'll do a podcast on it, or maybe I'll write a scathing Twitter tweet, tweet. That's not what David does. David has such a passion for God's people that when they were broken, he was broken. When he saw them scattered, he was grieved by it. Do you have that passion for God's people? Do you have that kind of passion for God's name? So we've seen these two passions, a passion for power and a passion for God's prestige and God's people. And so let's look thirdly at where these passions drive us, where these passions drive us. Where do these passions drive us? I bet you guys could actually preach this part of the sermon. Where do these passions drive us? It's pretty clear from the text. Notice what two people are dead by the end of this passage. In this passage, we see two deaths recounted. Whose are they? Well, it's Saul, who was driven by a passion for power, and the Amalekite, who came sniveling up to David, hoping to get in tight with him. In verses 13 and 14, David has two more questions for the Amalekite. The first question is actually, did you see this? The first question he asks in this section is the same question he's already asked, right? Look at verse three, he says, where do you come from? And then look at verse 13, where do you come from? Now, why does he ask the very same question again? Why does he ask the same question a second time? Well, if you look at it, the first question was kind of a, where are you traveling from? Hey, you look like you've traveled a long distance. You look like you've been on the road for a while. Where are you coming from? The second question, however, is a little bit more, tell me your story. Your accent betrays you. And did you just say something about being an Amalekite? Tell me about that. The Amalekite. answers and he says, oh, well, I'm the son of a sojourner and a Malachite. Here's why that's significant. David is trying to determine how long this man has been among the Israelites. How much does he know of the Israelite ways? Is he new to Israel? Are Israel's ways new to him? In particular, does he know that we view the king as the Lord's anointed? Does he know that the king, we believe, has been placed there by God? And when this man says that he is the son of a sojourner, he doesn't know it, but he has just doomed himself in the mind of David. You see, a sojourner was a foreigner who was allowed to live among the Israelites, but who was also, therefore, subject to the laws of Israel. Yes, you're a Gentile. Yes, you're living amongst us. Now you are an Israelite like we are, but you must follow our laws. You must follow our ways. And so if this man is a second generation sojourner, he should know the laws of the land. He should know how Israel operates. He should know that it is treasonous, in fact, it's even sacrilegious to take the life of the king. Saul's armor bearer, he knew that. David himself, of course, he knew that. You remember several times in 1 Samuel, he had the opportunity, once was in a cave where Saul went to relieve himself, another was on a battlefield in the middle of the night when Saul and his army were asleep, and David had the opportunity to take the life of Saul, but he didn't, and you remember what he said, he said, how could I lift my hand against the Lord's anointed? How could I? But this Amalekite, who should know better, he told a story that implicated himself as a king murderer. And so verse 14, David said to him, how is it you are not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? Then David called one of the young men and said, go execute him. And he struck him down so that he died. At this point, someone might object. Hold on. Hold on. That means that he was executed for a crime he didn't commit, right? He didn't actually kill the king. He just said he had killed the king. We know he didn't actually kill the king. What do we do with that? Well, first of all, we got to recognize that David had no way of knowing. As far as he knew, don't forget the battle is 80 miles away. As far as he knew, this man was guilty of regicide. But secondly, the Amalekite, we could argue, was righteously executed by the king, no less, was righteously executed for his intent, if not his deed. He was righteously executed for his intent, if not his deed. Even if he didn't do the deed, he wanted to. He was thrilled to see the king dead. He rushed in to grab the crown and to grab that armlet before the Philistines could get to it. He saw the death of the king as advantageous to his own advance in power. In fact, he's willing to walk 80 miles to make it happen. In his heart, he wanted the king dead. It's a reminder that God wants truth in our innermost parts. Psalm 51. He's not just concerned with our outward actions, but He's concerned with what happens in our hearts. I mean, didn't Jesus talk about this on the Sermon on the Mount? Didn't He even talk about this in connection with the sin of murder? Didn't He say that you're guilty of murder even if it's just in your heart? Even if you just despise them? Even if you just hate them in your heart, you're guilty of murder. You see, God wants pure hearts, not just pure actions. In this matter, it's interesting, David's heart seems to be absolutely pure. His instantaneous reaction to the news of Saul's death was grief, was tears. But the Amalekites' heart was guilty of murder. Somehow, we sometimes seem to think that we can avoid God. hide what's happening inside, fool God. Maybe we can spin a story good enough that God won't know what's really going on in my heart. But we can't. Luke 12, verses two and three, these are the words of Jesus Christ. He says, nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be made known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light. What you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. You know, maybe there's actually here a little preview of what's to come in the book of 2 Samuel. This idea that no one can hide their sin. Not even David. Not even the king. can hide his sin. His sin with Bathsheba, it will be found out. Our sin, even our passion for unwarranted power, it will be found out. They say, hold on, I don't struggle with a desire for unwarranted power. Are you sure? You see, when you want to control and manipulate others, When you try to manipulate them and get them to do the thing you want them to do and try to control them in that way, that's really a drive for unwarranted power. When you want to rise to some office of position, perhaps it's in the church, perhaps it's at work, perhaps it's in some sort of club that you're involved in, but when you want to rise to some office of position, not because you want to serve others, but because you want to flex some muscle, that's a desire for unwarranted power. When you want to destroy the person who's in your way, just to see them get out of your way so that you can be where they are, that is a desire for unwarranted power. And listen, it will one day be brought to justice. God doesn't like it when you pretend to be a little God. He somehow seems to think that he should be the one who gets to be God. And just like the Amalekite, in verse 16, your blood will be on your own head. Unless. And here's a strange irony. Unless the Lord's anointed, And now I'm talking about Jesus Christ. Unless the Lord's anointed takes your guilty blood upon himself. And I say it's ironic because it's your sin that put him there. You killed the Lord's anointed, right? You are the Amalekite who killed the Lord's anointed. You are responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, the Lord's anointed. But listen, if you trust in him, and it's so ironic because it's your fault that he's there, but if you trust in him that his blood can be put in the place of your blood. His blood can atone for the sins that you have committed. And if you do that, you will be saved. And Jesus, when He saves you, He gives you a new heart. And He gives you a new passion. You know, our greatest passion Our greatest passion as we walk into Monday and Tuesday and onward through the week, our greatest passion should be a passion for God's name and for God's people. And that's what God gives you when he makes you a new creation. May it be. Let's pray. Lord, would you do that? We pray, would you give us a passion for your name? Lord, would you give us a passion for your people? We've talked this evening about one other alternate passion, this passion for power that some are pursuing. But Lord, we know there are many passions that we pursue that are not in alignment with your name, with your glory. Lord, we pray that you would then change us so that we would have a greater passion for you, a greater passion for your church. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.