We turn to 1 Peter chapter 4 to give our attention to that holy word. 1 Peter chapter 4, let's stand for the reading and hearing of the word. Two verses, verses 12 and 13. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. And then to Daniel chapter 3. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold whose height was 60 cubits and its width 6 cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then a herald cried aloud, to you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace." So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn flute, harp and lyre, and symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshipped the gold image with which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Therefore at that time, Certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O King, live forever. You, O King, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, lute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image. And whoever does not fall down and worship will be cast into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O God, have not paid due regard to you, they do not serve your gods, or worship the gold image which you have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar, in a rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? Now, if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, and symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you from my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this manner. If that is the case, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to the king, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed towards Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the burning, fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because of the king's command, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished. And he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king, true, O king. Look, he answered, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came from the midst of the fire, and the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together. And they saw these men, unto whose bodies the fire had no power. The hair of their head was not singed, nor were their garments affected. The smell of fire was not on them. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. When they have frustrated the king's word and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve or worship any God except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made an ash heap. Because there is no other God who can deliver like this. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God endures forever. Let us turn to Daniel's prophecy chapter three for the preaching of God's holy word. Let us pray together and ask for God's help in the preaching and the hearing of His Word. Gracious God and everlasting heavenly Father, how thankful we are to you for your word. Lord, we ask that today you would send out your word in power, that it would run freely and be glorified, that all glory would be brought to your name, Lord Jesus, that particularly we would be enabled by your word and spirit to confess your name before men. Help us to hold fast. are a confession of hope without wavering, because you who promised are faithful. Hear us, we pray, for Jesus' sake. Amen. Turning to Daniel 3 and the preaching of God's Word this morning, this passage that is no doubt familiar to so many of you, this showdown, as it were, between three young Hebrew men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and all the power of a foreign empire, King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian empire. We read a few moments ago. those words of the Apostle Peter. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. And perhaps in the back of the Apostle Peter's mind as he's seeking to write to the first century church and encourage them in their harrowing persecutions, perhaps in his mind and heart is this fiery ordeal. the fiery trial that befell Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these three Hebrew young men long ago. And fitting it is for us here today in the 21st century to think about this confession, the confession that these three young men made. As we've heard vows, solemn and joyful vows made by nine of our own young people this morning, And as you and I think about our own vows, again, all of you who have made the same before Christ and before His church, we need to think about the fiery cost of following Jesus Christ. We need to grapple with this. I hope that you have grappled with this question, and I call you to grapple with it again today. as we consider these three young Hebrew men and their steadfast resolve by grace to remain constant to the end. May you and I hold fast our profession. Even more, may we recognize the faithfulness of our triune God to hold us fast, to undergird our profession. We're going to learn several things from the narrative that unfolds before us as we seek to meditate on it together. We're first going to see that in our profession, and let me speak directly along the way to each of you nine young people who have made these vows, and as well as to all of us, you first need to expect intense opposition to the profession you've made. you first need to expect intense opposition to this profession. You secondly need to recognize the urgency and necessity of true faith in maintaining that same profession. And then lastly, and most importantly, you need to rest in the gracious promise of our Lord Jesus Christ and his presence with us as the very author and the finisher of our profession. So expect intense opposition, recognize the necessity of true faith, and then rest in the gracious promise of Christ's presence. First, intense opposition to our profession and don't we see this immediately and the narrative that is so familiar to us a Foreign king perhaps the most powerful ruler and the world at that time King Nebuchadnezzar the king who has swept through Judea and carried these young men along with their friend Daniel away into captivity far away from their homeland far away from all that's familiar and far away even from their families, from the temple, from all that they held dear in a foreign land. And so the stakes are high, and the pressure is great. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream back in chapter two. We read of this. And Daniel had been of some help as the God of heaven had revealed the secrets of that dream and its interpretation. Remember that Nebuchadnezzar had had a dream of this image with a head of gold and chest and arms of silver, then all the way down to feet of clay. And through Daniel, The God of heaven, the one true and living God, revealed the secret of that dream in its interpretation. Notably, King Nebuchadnezzar likes the idea of a statue. He likes the idea of an image, but he wants one of pure gold all the way down. And that's what he has made, a monstrosity, an idol, some 90 feet tall and nine feet wide, a hideous monstrosity on the plain outside Babylon. And now he's summoning everyone to come and bow down. Everyone's there. You saw the list in verse 2 and in verse 3, all those who gather for this spectacle of idolatry. That list repeated. All the important people. Imagine if all the members of Congress, our Supreme Court justices, our governors, all of who's who in society, our thought leaders and influencers, they're all there. And they're all ready to hit the ground in the worship of this false god, in the worship of this golden image. In fact, as the Herald of the King proclaims and calls the people to worship, we should hear echoes of another tower, of another image, if you will, constructed long ago, perhaps nearby on a similar plain. Remember the Tower of Babel long ago in Genesis 11. This construction project that appealed to all of man's natural sensibilities, his pride, his hubris, his fame and desire for glory. Remember back in Genesis 11, the people shortly after the flood seek this construction project, a tower that will reach to heaven. They're making a name for themselves, and it's a Babel project that Nebuchadnezzar is continuing as he calls all the important people to worship in to hit the ground and praise. And he's thought through the details. There's a band, there's music here, everything's choreographed, everything's moving along as the despot wishes, as Nebuchadnezzar wishes. All the instruments, the orchestra, the band playing his tune and calling all to bow immediately to fall down and worship the gold image that he had set up. And if this isn't enough, this social pressure, all the important people there, the band blaring in the background. There's now, as every good totalitarian leader will do, there's a penalty for non-conformance, for non-compliance. Verse six, whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. So you fall down and worship when the band plays, you cue the music, you hit the ground, no questions asked, and if you don't, you'll be cast into that burning, fiery furnace, the smoke of which is just billowing out, perhaps the stench of flame even in the nostrils of all those gathered. The intensity, the intensity of opposition to any true profession of faith. There's tremendous invisible coercion that comes from being among a whole mob of flattened worshipers here. Imagine this, three young men far away from home, you young people, think of that reality, swept away from all that's dear, from your home and your families, from the public worship of God back in Jerusalem, and now called upon to bow the knee to this golden image. The pressure is great. All the important people, thought leaders are there, and the music has cued. Nebuchadnezzar has thought this through. There's really no room for opposition. There's no room for noncompliance. You either get on, as it were, get on the bus, get with the construction project and the Babel project of King Nebuchadnezzar, or you will be steamrolled by it. And what you and I need to remember, brothers and sisters, those nine young people who have professed faith this morning, what all of us need to remember, though, is the intense opposition to our profession of faith. The reality that we ought not to think it strange when the fiery trial comes against our faith. You might say, well, we live in peace and comfort here in America. We give the Lord thanks for that. There's no pressure to bow to a monstrous 90 foot tall golden image today. But perhaps the most obvious thrust of the text should not be lost on us. We do not know what the future holds. All things are in our God's good hands and His gracious hands. But we do not know what the future may hold. If we read the Scriptures and we read church history, it may very well be that perhaps even for some of you, you might stand before a pagan ruler, and you must be willing to seal your own testimony in your own blood. Perhaps for others of us, things may not be that dramatic per se, but there will be a steady drumbeat of pressure, pressure from the world, pressure from the devil who no doubt stood back of this project of false worship in Daniel 3, and who stands behind every idol of our hearts. and even we know something of the weakness of our own flesh, of our own hearts. There's pressure, the long, steady exposure to the thinking of the world and its entertainments and even its social media posts and on the list goes, the constant pull to draw us away from our first love, to tear us away, to rip away that profession that we have made, perhaps even deeper, a friend or a family member who falls away from their profession that they've made and the pressure exerted upon us to do the same. And perhaps even deeper still, the intensity of pressure that comes upon us and the loss of of a family member that we loved, or battling sickness and disease, or great disappointments in our lives, or the battle against secret sin that no one else knows about. There's intense pressure against our profession, and brothers and sisters, particularly you nine young people who have now professed your faith this morning, I don't say this to discourage you, but rather to sober you. rather to ground you in the truth of God's word, to call you to hold fast your confession without wavering, not to be discouraged, but not to be surprised either by the intense opposition of the world, the flesh, and the devil. What is the victory that overcomes the world? How might you overcome and how did How did these three young Hebrews overcome as the rest of the world, as the rest of the empire hit their knees in worship of this pagan idol? Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. What is the crying need in your heart and mind? It's for faith, for clinging to our profession of faith in Jesus Christ and not to let go. So recognize, secondly, the necessity of true faith in maintaining your good profession, the good profession that nine of you have made this morning and that we would all seek to continue in. And the example of these three young men is heartening for us. Again, everyone bowing, the herald calling out, the band playing its music, everyone bowing and giving this pagan idol worship. But three young men, there were three young men whose feet were planted in the ground, whose heads did not bow, whose backs remained straight. Most of all, three young men whose holy hearts and minds remembered those words, those blessed words, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. And there, literally with the smoke billowing out of the furnace, and all the pressure of a pagan empire, three young men, by grace and reliance on the grace of God, did not bow. They refused. to do mental gymnastics, isn't it? Isn't it so insightful? Their confession, we'll get to in a few moments, verses 16 through 18. Their confession is so clear. We do not serve your gods, Nebuchadnezzar. We will not worship the gold image which you have set up. They saw through this so clearly. There's no mental gymnastics here. There's no thinking of, well, perhaps we can bow with our bodies and hit the ground, yet we won't really be worshiping with our hearts. We'll just go through the motions. Or can we just do this as our civil duty? Let's honor the king. And maybe this one, our people back in Jerusalem and the other Jews who've been swept away and the scattering, they need our influence. Or perhaps this one, perhaps for the sake of witnessing to the Chaldeans later, let's go ahead and bow. No, there was none of this thinking for these three young men. There was no compromise. No giving in to the very clear call to idolatry. They recognize, don't they, and we see this in that accusation in verse 12 by the Chaldeans, they recognize that to bow to the idol is to worship the false gods. The accusation is true, made in verse 12, against these three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as the Chaldeans come with their accusation. These men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up. They understood that to bow to the image, the physical image, and all that it represented, was to serve the false gods. And they, by grace, refused to have other gods. before the one and true living God. Even more, they recognize that this was a clear attack on the honor and glory of Jehovah, that as they're now bound and summoned and brought before Nebuchadnezzar, an angry despot who will not tolerate noncompliance to his edict. Now as they're brought before him, they recognize this is a direct assault on the glory, the honor, and the kingdom of Jehovah. Nebuchadnezzar himself says as he makes his offer in verse 15 one more offer. Oh I'll fire up the band just for you. I'll give you another opportunity You hear the music you hear the band play you bow. Good. We'll move on. Everything's good We'll forget that this happened But the three young men saw through this, didn't they? They recognized the direct assault on the glory of God. Who is the God? The end of verse 15, Nebuchadnezzar, who is the God who will deliver you from my hands? And it is their desire, the desire of these three young men, that Nebuchadnezzar would be brought up close and personal with the kind of God who delivers his people out of every snare. And so they stand fast. We learn much about True faith, the kind of spirit given, spirit wrought faith. these three young men. Not in themselves, a faith that doesn't flow from themselves, but from the eternal decree of God, worked in their hearts by His Word and Spirit, and a faith that would look ahead to the man of faith, par excellence, our Lord Jesus Christ. We see this in their answer to the king in verses 16-18, this clear, undeniable profession of faith. They will not bow. They We see here faith that knows the power, the true power of God. Verse 16, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. As a word, don't waste your time. Orchestra fee, don't waste your time. Oh, we're not going to change. We're not going to conform or bow. In faith, they knew the power of God. Verse 17, if that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from your hand, O king. This is faith and the sovereign power of God. Our God is the one true and living God. These young men, perhaps they remember their own catechism class back in Jerusalem long ago. They remember the truth of the Word. That their God is Jehovah, the God who sits on His throne, who made all things in six days. The God who sent the flood in Noah's day and drowned an unbelieving world, yet delivered Noah and his household alive. He is the God who divided the Red Sea and brought the people, brought their ancestors through on dry ground. Their God sits on his throne in the heavens. He does what he pleases. All the gods of the nations are idols. And by faith, they said, our God is able to deliver us. True faith. acknowledges this, bows to the sovereignty of the one true and living God. But there's more, truth faith also submits to the mysterious will of God. Those three words at the beginning of verse 18, not only are they acknowledging God's sovereign power to deliver them, but they're also submitting to his mysterious will. But if not, our God is able to deliver us from the burning fire and furnace. He's able to deliver us from your hand, O King. But if not, and there's so much in those three little words, but if not, a submission to the mysterious will of a God who sits on his throne, that he's able to save them from the fire. but he's also in wisdom and in power, able to be with them in the midst of the fire. They submitted to the sovereign will of God. But if not, and we need to, let me press this in on our minds and consciences. We need to grasp this. True faith not only recognizes and bows to the sovereign majesty of God, but it also submits to his will, whatever the cost. There's a movement today, no doubt you've seen it. Many in my own generation speak of this word deconstruction. The biblical word is apostasy, of turning away from the faith that they once professed. of turning away from the God of the scriptures and the blessed gospel of Jesus Christ. And so much of the time, what motivates that is an inability to understand profound personal suffering. There was no, but if not, in their profession. What if the Lord does not take away the cancer and heal it? What if the Lord does not give me children or deal with my difficult spouse? You see, saving faith, true faith, embraces God's will, submits to it, come what may. Though he slay me, with Job we cry, though he slay me, yet I will trust in him. True faith acknowledges the power of God. It submits to His will despite the cost. And finally, it obeys the Word of God. Just clear obedience. And this is a clear profession in the clearest possible terms, something we ought to strive for in our days of trying to soft-pedal the truth or be as winsome as possible. The reality for the young Hebrew men was a clear statement of obedience to God and a disobedience to this idolatrous decree. Verse 18, but if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. We will not comply. We will not bow, even if it costs our lives. By the grace of Jehovah, we'll be obedient unto death. And for some of you, Hearing this this morning, you wonder, how possibly could I make a confession like this? in the face of such severe trial, in the face even of losing my own life, how possibly can I do this? Can I cling to the profession that I've made in true faith? Perhaps even some of you non-young people, as you've heard this sobering admonition to expect opposition and to cling fast to Christ, you wonder how possibly can I do this? Well, remember the words of Hebrews chapter 10. There's the writer of the Hebrews calls us, admonishes us not to lay our faith aside, but to cling to the profession that we've made. The writer there commands us in chapter 10, verse 24, hold fast, let us hold fast our confession of hope without wavering. Why? Not a bare command. Not a bare imperative just to do better, to cling hard enough on your own. Why? Why are we to hold fast this confession of hope without wavering? Because He who promised is faithful. Because there's a God who keeps covenant. Who is faithful and is with His people. And so we find this lastly Let us rest in the promises and the presence of God. Most importantly, this passage ultimately is not even about the steadfastness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as much as it is about the faithfulness of the God of the covenant. the God who would display His glory in the earth, the God who would indeed show Nebuchadnezzar that He is the God who delivers His people in the midst of their suffering and in the midst of their trial. And you know the story well, the narrative of Scripture here, that the men are bound, these three young Hebrew men, bound up, taken by strong men into the fire, thrown in. seemingly to be destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar and the crowd continue with their idolatrous worship until the king is startled. He looks into the furnace, and he says in haste to his counselors, in verse 24, did we not cast three men bound to the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king, true, O king. Look, he answered, I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Nebuchadnezzar is beginning to see the power of the God who delivers his people. of the God who keeps covenant and keeps His promises. It's instructive for us here, isn't it, that the particular way in which God delivered His people, delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, He didn't deliver them from the fire, from being cast into the burning, fiery furnace. He didn't send, as it were, an army of angels or another empire to save them at the 11th hour, to keep them from being thrown into the fire and their apparent destruction. No, what we learn here, what we see is the particular provision of God's presence with us. A graphic portrayal of those words of Isaiah in chapter 43 of his prophecy. But now thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." And this is the blessed provision that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego enjoyed, God's presence with them. This is so clearly a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The fourth is like the Son of God, the eternal second person of the Trinity now taking on this form in the shadows of the old covenant to be with him. The larger point is the presence of God with us as the author and the finisher of our faith. that we've not been left to our own devices, that come what may, even in the midst of the fire, even in the midst of that fiery trial that is to try us that Peter spoke of, that the Lord promises His holy presence to be with us even to the end of the age. Not necessarily to deliver us from the fiery trial. We will be tried. All those who seek to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, will be assaulted. Your faith will be tested. And again, let me speak to the nine young people who profess their faith, each of you. Your faith will be tested. Hard things will come. You will be put in a crucible of faith. And what you need to remember is it's not so much the absence of that crucible, the absence of pain and hardship, but it's the blessed presence of the Son of God with you, the one who himself came into a sinful and cursed world, the one who takes on our frail humanity, who lived among us a life of suffering, a Christ who lived for us perfectly and then went not merely through the burning fiery furnace of an earthly ruler, but who endured all the judgment fires of the condemnation that you and I deserved, who died in our place, who took our sins in his own body on the tree, who rose again, conquering over all of our enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil, who conquered them in our place, Who more is ascended to the right hand of the Father and promises his very presence with us to the end of the age I am with you always even to the end of the age I'll give you my Holy Spirit from the day of Pentecost onward that we have the in fact it the Lord Jesus said it's better for you that I go away and If I go away, I'll send you another comforter, my Holy Spirit, who will be with you to the end. We have His Word. We have the Spirit. The Spirit and the gifts are ours. Come persecution, come distress or hardship or any such thing. Let us remember. that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. This is the great encouragement that you all need to remember this morning. As you remember your own profession, as you seek to hold fast without wavering, not to fall away, not to be tempted by the siren song of the world, not to forget your profession that you've made, not to deny it, not to soften it in any way. Remember the presence. of the Son of God, the fourth man in the fire, the one who is with us in the end. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You remember the blessed promise of Christ in the gospel, his promise to be with you to the end, and more, who promises you that just as much as you suffer with him and suffer for him in union with him, that he will raise you to his place of glory, that there's suffering now, indeed, fiery cost and fiery trials now, but there's glory to be revealed hereafter, the glory of which we cannot begin to comprehend. So we began with Peter. Peter writing in his letter, to think it not strange when fiery trials overtake us. We go back to Peter once again and to his word of encouragement to all of you, young people who have professed faith today and all of us as we seek to hold fast our confession, let us remember these words that even in the midst of tribulation, of distress, of the cost of following Christ, resisting even our own sinful desires and deeds. that as we continue to fight the good fight in reliance upon word, God's word and upon his Holy Spirit, let us remember the joy that will be revealed hereafter. Peter writing to the early church, don't think it strange when fiery trials come upon you, but rejoice to the extent that you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. This is the glad confession, despite the fiery cost, the glad confession of all those who by grace hold fast that confession to the end. May God be praised. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, how thankful we are for your holy word. for the way in which it sobers and challenges us not to be surprised by the fiery trials which are to come upon us, knowing that all those who you have called to yourself, chosen in Christ, redeemed by His blood, will suffer persecution, hardship, and distress. Lord, help us to cling to you in true faith, not to be those who merely draw near to you with their lips, but whose hearts are far from you. Lord, we ask for any today who are yet outside of Christ that you would work this true faith in their hearts. And above all, Lord, we pray that we would rest in your holy presence with us, that we would delight in your promises, that we would not be weary in well-doing, that we would not become discouraged and turn aside from our good profession, but that by your grace, we would stand in Christ by his Holy Spirit to the end. And Lord, we pray that you would hasten that great day when we stand with you in glory. when all hardship and tribulation and distress are taken away. And at the day of resurrection, we stand with you in glory. How thankful we are to your promises, work faith in our hearts, to your glory, world without end. And so we pray in Jesus' name, amen. And now lift up your heads and receive the blessing of our triune God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, amen.