One thing my mentors, Pastor Dave, Pastor Paul, of course, Pastor Don Theobald, of course, Pastor Fred, these are the guys who taught me how to do this. They're my seminary, they're my schooling, they're my goal to how to be preachers and leaders like they are. One thing they've taught me is teaching the word of God is a high calling. It's also a great privilege. It's such a great honor and a privilege to have the responsibility of taking God's word and just trying to expound it, just trying to make it clear so people understand it. Our job isn't to try to read into this book what I think it says or try to change anything. Our goal is just to take what it says and try to make it plain so everybody can understand it. So to that end, let's bow for prayer and ask God if he'd help us do that. Our Father in heaven, our gracious and wonderful God, we thank you again for this opportunity and for this kind day. Lord, we ask that as we study your word and as we study the words of Jesus our Savior, Lord, please, as you've so often done here, Lord, make it plain. Give us the hearing ear. Give us the believing heart. Help us, Lord, to understand why Jesus said these things. and why we need to know and understand and believe. Please, Lord, bless your people here. Open up your word to us that we may understand. And most of all, Lord, lift high your son who said these things. We might have a clearer view of him and our need of him and how gracious and kind he is. We ask all of this for His glory. In His name we pray. Amen. All the verses you'll need I put on your handout sheet to make this easy. If you'd like to, you can turn to Mark chapter 8 if you have your Bibles. But all these verses are on your sheet. I'll try to make this simple. I'll try to make this short. This would have been a great surprise. I've known about it for a month and a half. So I had plenty of time to prepare for this and think about this and pray about this. In Mark chapter 8, verse 36-37, it's on your handout sheet, Jesus said these two simple sentences. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? Now, these are the words of Jesus. So it's important to understand, what's he talking about? Why would he say this? What does he mean? This is one of those Bible sayings, by the way, that even people who don't know their Bible often say things. You hear it often in writings and stuff, gain the world and lose your soul. It's one of those phrases that people speak, they don't even know. Like, for example, the phrase good Samaritan, or the phrase prodigal son, or reap what you sow. My mom, whenever I'd do something stupid, she'd find out about it. I'd say, how do you know that? She'd say, a little birdie told me. Well, she probably doesn't realize that's actually out of the Bible. That's an old, old phrase from the book of Ecclesiastes. There's many, many phrases in the Bible that we use all the time. Well, this is one of them. To gain the whole world and lose your soul. In fact, even the Beatles quoted this on one of their albums. By the way, that's Sgt. Pepper's side two, track one. Anyway, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Now, think about it. It's a phrase. Jesus said, what do you mean by it? Why did he say this? Understand that. We have to look at the larger conversation. We're not going to spend a lot of time on the context. But what Jesus is talking about here, back in verse 34, it says he summoned the crowds. Every place Jesus went, there were huge crowds of people. I call it Jesus mania. Huge crowds. In fact, Luke 12.1 says there were so many thousands following him, they were trampling on another. You can imagine this would get out of hand pretty quick. And they were all following him, most of them, because he could heal. He could do amazing miracle working power. He could feed thousands. So many of them were following him for what they could get. That's not wrong. Those are legitimate needs. But Jesus didn't want to be followed for what they could get out of it, for their own selfish needs. So what he does here is he stops. It says that he summoned the crowds, these huge crowds. He turns around. I can picture him turning around these crowds. and saying, listen, all of you want to follow me. But notice verse 34. It's on your sheet. And calling the crowd to him and his disciples, he said to them, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Here's thousands of people trying to follow him. He turns around and says, listen, if you're going to follow me, let me tell you a few things. What you need to do is take up a cross. Start denying yourself. If you're going to follow me, that's just what it costs. Now think about it. I was thinking this this last week or so, if you could bring someone from the first century Roman Empire, where Jesus was, into this room, where a modern church service, and he'd see some of you wearing these little silver crosses or little silver cross earrings, he'd be shocked. He'd be confused. Why are you wearing that? Because in the first century, when Jesus here mentions a cross, to them, the cross was something despicable, something horrifying. You didn't say the word cross in polite company. Because it was a torture, killing, degrading thing that was horrifying. When he says, take up your cross and follow me, a modern equivalent would be if you ladies would wear little silver guillotines around your neck, little silver gas chambers. It's a death instrument. It's something you die on. It's something that speaks of pain. The cross was something horrifying. Jesus is telling this fickle crowd, if you're going to follow me, it's going to cost you something. It's going to hurt. You've got to give some things up. Some verses are in your sheet. Jesus said in Matthew 24 to his disciples, you'll be hated by all nations for my namesake. The world's not going to welcome you because you're a believer in Jesus Christ. They're going to hate you. John 15, Jesus said, if the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you're not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. That's what he means by taking up your cross. If you're going to follow me, he says, you're going to walk into some serious trouble. Carrying your cross may mean that because of Jesus, you might just lose your family. Jesus said in Matthew 10, do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Now Jesus isn't saying he wants fighting. He's just saying, because of me, you take me serious. You take this book serious, you're going to find even your own family, they're not going to like it. Some of you here know exactly what that means. You've been there. Your family's given you a whole lot of grief because you've chosen to follow Christ, because you've taken this seriously. Carrying your cross may mean that. It's a serious thing. It happens all the time. In Jewish cultures, if you become a Christian, they have a funeral in your honor. You're dead to them. In Muslim lands, you convert to Christ. Many of them want to kill you. In communist countries, many other places, even in Europe, and now even more and more here in the West. If you proclaim yourself as a serious Bible-believing Christian, a lot of people aren't going to like that. Carrying your cross may mean because of Jesus you might have to lose everything. Again, it's on your sheet, Matthew 19, 29. He speaks of everyone who's left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my namesake. Many lose out on a whole lot of what they have. And of course, following Jesus may even cost you your life. John 16, Jesus said, they will put you out of the synagogues. Modern translation, they'll throw you out of their churches. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he's offering service to God. And they will do these things because they've not known the Father. Normally, Jesus' biggest enemies were the church of his day. That's been true ever since. Now, of course, here in this pampered America, this may sound far-fetched. The truth is, right now, around the world, there are millions of Christians who are in danger, who are breathing in secret, who have to hide in caves and basements. Many Christians have been arrested and tortured and killed for no other reason than they believe the Bible and they follow Jesus Christ. Someone has said there have been more Christians killed in the 20th century than in all the previous 1900 years combined. And so far, the 21st century isn't looking much better. And that's because Jesus Christ intimidates people. Jesus Christ is not culturally correct. Many people don't like the claims of Christ. He's not just one religious leader among others. Jesus Christ claims exclusivity. He is the only way to heaven. He is the only way to God the Father. On your sheet, Jesus makes these claims, John 14, 6. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Note this word. No one comes to the Father except through me. That's not popular. No one is ever going to get to heaven. No one is ever going to be right before God unless you come through Jesus Christ. Those are his words. Of course, a verse you could probably all quote, John 3.16, God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God himself has said, this is my son. You believe in him, you have eternal life. But flip that. If you refuse to believe and accept my son, you will never have eternal life. That's not popular today. John 3, 36, end of that chapter. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. And I could quote you many, many, many more verses that say that. This is the context to our verse back in verse 36. Jesus is saying, faith and allegiance to him. is the only way anyone is ever going to be right with God the Father. The only way you're ever going to be washed clean of your sins and made right before God is through Christ. That was his message every place he went. That's the message of the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament. The only way you're ever going to be right with God is through God's appointed substitute, Jesus Christ. But as we said, giving your life to Christ might cost you. it'll make demands of you. Now understand, the blessings of being a Christian, I've been a Christian now for over 40 years, I gotta tell you, this is wonderful. The blessings that come from knowing Christ, the joy, the joy of knowing your sins are forgiven, peace with God, eternal life, walking with the Spirit, belonging to a wonderful church family like this, it's awesome, awesome benefits, it's awesome. Jesus basically promised three things. I got this off the internet a while ago. I like this. Jesus said basically three things. First of all, if you're in Christ, if you're trusting Christ to be your Savior, you have complete and total forgiveness of sin resulting in full acceptance for God. You are saved, as Hebrews says, to the uttermost. if you're in Christ. Secondly, you'll have a never-ending source of strength and comfort through the Spirit of Christ within you. You'll never be alone. You'll never face anything alone. You'll never face anything you don't have the spiritual resources to handle, ever. And thirdly, Jesus promised you'll have continuous opposition and trouble from the world. The moment you decide to follow Christ, the world's not going to like you. You're going to have opposition. You're going to have trouble. And so he's telling this crowd of probably hundreds, about thousands of people, to count the cost. Is Jesus really worth this? He says, if you're going to follow me, grab a cross, because you're going to need it. Now think about it. To truly follow him then puts you at odds with the world around you. Like him, you'll face opposition. So what Jesus is doing here, I believe, is trying to put this whole thing in perspective. He asked the question, our text there in verse 36, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? He throws it out to them. Jesus is telling them to look at the big picture. Take the long view. Of course, he's using financial terms, profit, gain, loss, stuff we all understand. How wise of an investment is it, he's asking the crowd, if you could gain the whole world and yet lose your soul? How wise of an investment was that? It is possible, as you know, through the right kind of investments, the right kind of moves in this world, to gain large portions. You can get rich. You can have possessions. You can have status. Now, of course, he's using hyperbole. No one's really going to gain the whole world. But one day, one guy will. But he's saying, let's just follow his analogy. Think of it. Who wouldn't want to be rich? Now, come on. Be honest. Really. Who wouldn't want to have Donald Trump's money? Think about it. Wouldn't it be great to have so much money you never had to work again? You never had to be concerned about bills. You could buy anything you want, go anywhere you want, do anything you want. Wouldn't that be cool? Wouldn't it be cool to be famous, to be a superstar? Wouldn't it be cool? You're too churchy to agree with me. Do you know how that would be cool? That would be cool. And none of that is inherently wrong. It's not. It's not wrong to be rich. It's not wrong to be successful. It's not wrong to be famous. As long as you get it honestly, if you're thankful for it, none of those things are wrong. Ecclesiastes tells us to be thankful for the fruit of our labors that God allows us to have. If you get rich, that's God's great blessing. Enjoy it. But note here, Jesus is making a contrast. He's not decrying riches. He's making a comparison. What if you were to gain the whole world? and then lose your soul. Would it be worth it? He's trying to point out, by contrast, what is most important. Years ago, I heard Billy Graham tell a story. He was talking to a young man who just graduated high school. And he said, what are you going to do now? What are your plans? And he said, well, I'm going to go to college, learn to be a lawyer. He said, what then? Well, I'll get out of college. I'll start my law practice. Hopefully, I'll be successful. What then? He said, well, I'll get married. I'll settle down. I'll have a wife and kids, hopefully. raise a family and what then? Well, eventually I hope to retire and retire comfortably and be able to travel the world and do nice things and have, you know, like people want. He goes, what then? Well, I guess I'll get old and die. And what then? What then? What next? It's a very powerful question, isn't it? This is the exact point Jesus is making here. What good is it if you could gain this entire world at your feet? but lose your soul. On your handout sheet there, Jesus illustrated this by a short parable in Luke 12. Put it on your sheet. Luke 12, verse 15. And he, that's Jesus, said to them, take care and be on your guard against covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And there he's telling us your life is not the things you own. There's much more important things than what you own. And he was only illustrated that by this little short story. And he told him a parable saying, The land of a rich man produced plentifully. And he thought to himself, what shall I do? For I have nowhere to store my crops. And he said, I will do this. I'll tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I'll store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to my soul, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God." Now note here, it's not wrong to be a successful farmer. It's not wrong to make huge profits. It's not wrong to build bigger barns. It's not wrong to retire comfortably. But this guy never gave one thought to his eternal soul. That's what Jesus is pointing out here. This guy never gave a thought that one day he would stand before God, and Jesus here calls him fool. He never planned to meet God, yet that very night he did. Who wouldn't envy this farmer? This is the American dream. He has crops so abundant he has to build bigger barns, enough money to retire on. This guy just won the lottery. He's on Easy Street. But for all of his well-executed plans, this guy's a great businessman, he never thought even once about eternity. Never thought of his eternal soul. For that reason, Christ calls him a fool. Note verse 21 where he says, so is the one who is not rich towards God. He spent all of his time and energy on this world. He was good at it. He made money. He got rich. His business grew. He was on the cover of Money magazine. But the moment his heart stopped beating, he stood before God naked and penniless. And Jesus says, that man was a fool because he never thought about it. Imagine the horror. On earth, he's this celebrated millionaire rich man. And the moment his heart stopped beating, he stand before God. Imagine the horror of having nothing. He was unprepared to meet God. He never gave it a word. Or as Jesus says here, he lost his soul. I heard someone once say, a while back, when Michael Jackson died, do you realize how much money he left behind? All of it. Every penny. To quote Pastor Dave, you won't see a U-Haul behind a hearse, because you don't take it with you. Everything you have here, you leave here. But you will meet God. You will stand before God. So do you see Jesus' point here in this very simple text? If you invest your entire life for this world only, living only for yourself and your own selfish interests, and then die and lose your soul. Was any of that worth it? No. Was that a good investment? Was that a good deal? Or were you really the fool? Do you realize how many are doing this very thing? Is all the wealth and pleasure of this world worth giving your life to if you're going to lose your soul? So what does Jesus mean here, lose your soul? What does he mean to forfeit your soul? What does that mean? Well, God's word is clear. Not everyone goes to heaven. There is a heaven and there is a hell. Jesus is teaching, he's telling you here, to lose your soul means to find, like this rich farmer did, at the end of your life, to your horror, that you must stand before a holy God, and you're not ready. You haven't thought about this. You haven't done anything about this. You're not prepared to meet God. Hebrews 9.27 says, it's appointed for man once to die. And after that comes judgment. You have an appointment. So do I. You are scheduled to meet God. And you will. Every one of us will. It's an appointment we're all going to keep. And most never give that a thought, even many who call themselves Christians. Don't ever think about this. Live as if it weren't true. But the reality is, as Pastor Dave Graciously said in the opening words there, we all are fallen, broken creatures. We have all broken God's laws. I have. So have you. We've all done things we should never have done. We've all lied and cheated and stolen and hated and lusted. We're all selfishness, self-centered, et cetera, et cetera. All of us have not done. the things we should do. Not a one of us loves God like we should. Not a one of us loves our neighbor as we should. Not a one of us is as thankful as we ought to be, as content as we ought to be. And the list goes on and on and on. We're all guilty of breaking all of God's 10 commandments and all of his laws. I am, and so are you. And every one of us is going to stand one day before the holy, righteous, pure God of the universe and be examined. And if you go to God in that condition, To use Jesus' words here, you will lose your soul. Friends, that's serious. That is serious. This is not something to joke about. And Jesus pushes this point. Jesus, who loves our souls, he came here to save us from this. No one ever loved man more than Jesus did. He pushes this. Again, note in your sheet there. The very next verse, he's already said, what will a prophet of man if he gains a whole world and loses his soul? Then he says it again this way, verse 37. For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? What is worth more than your soul is, he's asking the question. And these are very pointed questions. What could you possibly be more important than your soul? Your career? Careers are good. You're supposed to work hard. Your family? Your family? Families are wonderful. You should love your family. What? What could possibly be so precious that you neglect your soul for it? Of course, to Jesus, this is a no-brainer. The question he's asking has an obvious answer. Nothing is worth more than your eternal soul. Nothing. Of course, the world spends billions of dollars to tell you the opposite. Everything else is worth more than your soul. Everything else is more important than spending time getting right with God. Everything else is more important than the Bible. But Jesus said nothing. Nothing is worth your soul. Now think. What is the value of your soul? Jesus asked this question. I said, what's the answer? What is the value of your soul? Now here Jesus, I believe, is reminding us of what is truly important. He's raising these big issues. This raises the whole issue of what you and I really are. Think about this. Now, today we're taught that man is only a highly evolved animal. All you are is an intelligent ape. You have no intrinsic value. Your life is an accident. You came from nothing. You're going to nothing. Or again, to quote my dear pastor, you're only slime plus time. That's nonsense. And every one of you knows that. Every one of us knows that. Every one of us knows deep in our soul that there is more to life than that. You all know that there is more to life than the things you see and touch, isn't it? When's the last time you were at a funeral out of you? I hate going to funerals. You know when you see that loved one, that friend laying there in that coffin, you know deep in your soul they're not gone, don't you? That may be their body, but you know they're still alive. Their soul has left their body and gone someplace else. We know that. In our hearts of hearts, we know that. That's true. Everyone knows that. Whether we deny it or not, we know that. Their body may be dead, but they still live on. Their soul went somewhere, and you and I have a soul. We came from God. We're made for God, and he made us body and soul. That means every man, woman, and child has a sense of God-created dignity. You're more than an animal. You're more than an accident. You're created by God, body and soul. In fact, you're made in his image. Genesis 1 tells us that you're made in the very image of God. You have a soul. Man, when God breathed life into Adam's body, he became a living soul. We're created for him. In fact, you'll never find true happiness or peace in life until you're right with your creator. Augustine said many centuries ago, thou hast made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee. But Jesus is telling us here in this text that even if you gained the whole world, your soul is that valuable, that if you lose that soul, all of that is worthless. All of that meant nothing. It would be the worst investment ever made, and yet millions are making it right now. So many foolishly think this. Of course, then this gets to the very heart of the gospel, doesn't it? what Jesus is talking about. This is the reason why Jesus came to this earth. This is the reason why he died on that awful bloody cross. Again, this is all on your sheet. You and I are sinners. Our sins separate us from our holy creator. That's our fault, not his. There's nothing you can do about it. You can't undo the things you've done. You can't undo what you are. None of us are good enough, even if you try. Most of us don't try all that hard. We cannot earn our way back into the perfection of God's favor. It's not possible. This is a truth that the Bible repeats over and over again. These are all on your sheet. Let the Bible speak instead of me, Romans 3.20. For by the works of the law, no man shall be justified. The word works here means nothing you can do, not a thing you and I can do. that will save my soul, that will justify me before a holy God. Romans 3.10, there are none righteous, not even one. Not even me. There's none righteous. Galatians 2.16, nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, since by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified. It can't be any plainer. There is no possible work or thing I can do that's going to justify my soul. That comes only through, as that text says, through faith in Jesus Christ. That's what Jesus means about losing your soul. It's very clear. This is the message of the Bible over and over and over again. If God were to examine us, if God were to examine me and give me what I deserve, I would lose my soul. And so would you. That's just obvious. All of us would. Thankfully, praise God, he is gracious and kind. He is love. He is a forgiving, kind God. He's not willing to see all of his created ones perish. So for this reason, God became a man. That's what Christmas is all about. Jesus, the son of God, came to earth as a man, a perfect man, a righteous man, a holy man. And he gave that perfect life in sacrifice for people like you and me. Now here's how that works. On the cross, Jesus became my substitute. If God were to punish me, I'd lose my soul. So instead, God graciously chose to punish his son in my place. He died, so I go free. That's the gospel. God punished him as if he were me. As a result, to use Jesus' words here in Mark, my soul has been saved. My soul, which was once lost, is now redeemed. The Bible speaks as a great transaction. It's on your sheet, 2 Corinthians 5.21. It says, God, he made him, that's Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteous of God in him. The righteous holy son of God. God took my sin and put it on him and punished him. So me, I who am the sinner, now go free because I have his righteousness. We trade off. He takes my sin, I take his forgiveness. And of course, that same salvation is offered to everyone. It's offered to all. The preacher's job is to tell everybody. Or as John 3.16, whosoever believes in him, whosoever shall have eternal life. John 5.24, it's on your sheet, truly, truly I say to you, Jesus talking, he who hears my word, believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, he is passed out of death to life. You hear the gospel of Christ, you hear what Jesus has to say, and you believe that, you trust in that. So you've crossed over now from death to life. Your soul now becomes saved. And you will not enter condemnation. This is the investment that Jesus is talking about. You can foolishly follow the crowds. You can invest your life and everything you have in this world, this pathetic circus of this earth. And you'll find when it's all said and done, you stand before God and you've lost your soul. Or you can recognize right now the purpose of the scriptures. Grace reminds us that Jesus was sent to save our souls. How? By dying in our place. Christianity, Jesus says, is hard. You're going to follow me, he says. You're going to lose a few things. You're going to suffer some things. But he points out, isn't it worth it? There are many Christians today who are sitting in jail, who are about to be tortured and killed. Many Christians throughout the centuries have lost tremendously, have suffered horribly. But everyone will tell you. It's worth it because it saves your soul. So in closing, how does this happen? How does a sinner become saved through Jesus Christ? I've been thinking for about a month over this lesson. I'm trying to make this as simple as I know how. How does a lost soul become a redeemed soul? Well, again, let the scriptures speak instead of me. Isaiah 53, 60, they're all on your sheet. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned every one to his own way. That describes every one of us. But the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. We sinned, we departed, but God took his son, took our sin, laid it on him, punished him instead of us. Next verse, Romans 5.8. God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We must recognize that we've gone astray. We must recognize that I can't save myself. I can't be righteous enough, but God has provided one who was righteous enough, one who could take away my sin, and that's Christ. He's a substitute. John 1.12 on your sheet, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even those who believe in his name. And of course, Romans 6.23, a verse I love, for the wages of sin is death, But the free gift of God is eternal life. Salvation is a gift. Understand that. You don't earn it. You will never be saved by going to church, by being baptized. Your pastor, your priest can't save you. Nothing you do can save you. Salvation is a gift. How do you get a gift? You receive it. You ask for it. Lord, save me. And it comes to you as a gift. You cannot save yourself. Salvation was purchased by Christ on the cross. He paid for our sins. We receive it as a gift. So again, stop and think about our text. One day, your soul will be required of you. Are you ready for that? And you're thinking, I'm not ready for that, or I never thought about that. Then pardon me, but Jesus says, and you're a fool. Your soul is the most important part of you. It's the most important possession you have. And you will have it for eternity. You are an eternal being, body and soul. Are you ready to stand before God? Because you know you will. I'm going to. You will too. Every one of us will stand before our Creator and be examined. Are you ready for that? Jesus said, what good would it be if you have all of Donald Trump's money, but you lose your soul? What good is it? This world, at best, lasts 80, 90 years. Eternity lasts forever. You see what Jesus is saying here? You have an appointment, and you will keep it. So ask yourself, is your soul secure in Christ? Have you come to Christ? Have you recognized, I can't save myself. I need to be saved. I need to be forgiven. God provided that forgiveness in Jesus Christ. And I've asked him to be my savior. I've given my life to him. If you've done that, your soul is saved. Your soul is safe. Jesus saves to the uttermost. When he saves you, he saves you all the way. You can rejoice in that. Or are you one of those many millions who right now are rushing towards eternity, and you never even gave it a serious thought? Let's close in prayer. Our Father in heaven, these are hard words. But Lord, they are good words, because they come from you, Lord. You love us. You were sent here to be the Savior of the world. And so you say these things, Lord, to wake us up. Lord, I ask that you would wake us up, Lord. Wake me up. Help us, Lord, to see the seriousness of this, the gravity of this situation. Lord, you have given each of us an eternal soul. Lord, we know long after our body has died, Lord, that soul will be alive. And we must face you one day. And Lord, we're not ready, Lord. We are sinful. We are fallen. We are broken. We are selfish. Lord, we need to be forgiven. We need to be redeemed. I do. All of us do. Lord, help us to hear this. Help us, Lord, to understand this. Lord, help us, Lord, to know, to call out to you, to look to you for salvation. There's only salvation found in one place, and that's through faith in Jesus Christ. Lord, deliver us from the delusion that there's any other way we can work ourselves to heaven or somehow going into a church or anything else, we'll do it, Lord, only through faith in you, only through trusting in you to be our Savior. So, Lord, glorify yourself. Lord, for those here who are saved, Lord, we ask that you would help us to realize how good it is, how wonderful it is to know that our soul has been saved by the work of Jesus Christ. Lord, we're secure. Our future is secure. We are right now your sons and daughters. Oh, Lord, how beautiful and wonderful that is. And Lord, please, if there's anyone who's not sure, Lord, please help them. Lord, help them to call to you, to turn to you, to turn away from this world. Lord, we long for the day, and we'll see you face to face. Lord, may that be a day of joy. So again, Lord, for all that we do here today, Lord, glorify yourself. Give us the hearing ear and the believing heart. We ask this all in Jesus' great and wonderful name.