Good morning church. Good morning and welcome. We're glad you're here today. We're glad you've chosen to participate with us in worship and the worship of our holy God. It's our prayer that God would be magnified this morning through every aspect of all that we do in our worship service. And we're gonna begin this morning by reading from the perfect and authoritative word of God. As you find your way to your seats, I want to read to you from 1 Chronicles 29, verses 10 through 13. It says, therefore, David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said, blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel, our father forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. yours is the kingdom oh lord and you are exalted as head above all both riches and honor come from you and you rule over all in your hand our power and might and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all and now we thank you our god and praise your glorious name let's pray this morning father in heaven may your name be exalted in this place as we offer up our songs of praise may our hearts be directed toward you and may we be reminded of your greatness your majesty of your sovereignty as you rule over everything guide us in our worship that you might receive all the glory Lord, we ask that you would remove any distraction from our minds and from our hearts that we might hear from you this day. And may our sacrifice of praise be pleasing to you. It's in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, that we pray. Amen. I'm gonna invite you to stand this morning as we sing, come people of the risen King. People of the risen King, who delight to bring Him praise. Come all and turn your hearts to sing to the morning star of grace. From the shifting shadows of the earth, He will lift our eyes to Him. With steady arms of mercy we'll take you by the children's hand. Rejoice! Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice! One heart, one voice in a church of Christ. Come those whose joy is morning's sound, and those weeping through the night. Come those who tell of battles won, and those struggling in the fight. For His perfect love will never change, His mercies never cease. Follow us through all our days with a certain hope of peace. Rejoice, rejoice, let every tongue rejoice. One heart, one voice, the Church of Christ rejoices. Come young and old from every land, men and women of the faith. Come those with full or empty hands, find the riches of these lands. Over all the world His people sing, shore to shore we hear them call. The truth that cries through every age, for God is all in all. Rejoice! Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice! One heart, one voice, O Church of Christ, rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice! One heart, one voice, O Church of Christ, rejoice! One heart, one voice, O Church of Christ, rejoice! Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me. There is a name I love to hear. I love to sing its word. It sounds like music in my ear. The sweetest name on earth. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. It tells me of a Savior's love who died to set me free. It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner's perfect plea. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Because He first loved me. He tells me what my Father hath in store for every day. And though I tread a darksome path, He'll sunshine all the way. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. It tells of one whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe, who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Take some time to greet one another and tell someone around you how much you love Jesus. All I have is Christ. Hallelujah. Jesus is my life. I once was lost in darkest night, yet thought I knew the way. Listen, that promise, joy and love, had led me to the grave. I had no hope that you would own a rebel to your will. And if you had not loved me first, I would refuse you still. But as I ran my hell-bound race, indifferent to the cost, You looked upon my helpless state and led me to the cross. And I beheld God's love displayed, You suffered in You poured a wrath reserved for me Now all I know is grace Alleluia All I have is Christ Alleluia Jesus saves my life Now, Lord, I would be yours to love, and live so all might see. The strength to follow your command can never come from none. Father, use my ransomed life in any way you choose. And as long as you'll ever be my only boast, it's true. Hallelujah. All I have is Christ. Jesus saves my life. Hallelujah. All I have is Christ. Hallelujah. Jesus saves my life. Hallelujah. Welcome. What a blessing to gather together in the house of the Lord. And I really enjoy our worship and fellowship here. And Pastor Brian, I want to give a special thanks for your leadership and the song selection. Very tight theme and really moving, touching. And thank you for the worship team and the sound room team. Again, coming to the people of the Risen King was really touching, and then I'm just reflecting on how I love Jesus because He first loved me. Something to really reflect on in that refrain. Well, again, a special welcome to new visitors and friends. I see Rex Holland over there. Greetings, Rex. It's great to have you and God's blessing. And I hope you're blessed with our church's God-centered worship, its teaching of the whole counsel of God and its fellowship. In our online family, I want to extend a special greetings of you, the loving Christ. And I want to wish a happy birthday to Megan. And then we have the attendance form that we have here. It's on the end of your row. If you just take a moment to fill that out and sign it. Also, if you have any type of prayer request or need, or you'd like to have the church contact you, just please on the back, just turn it on the back and just give us a note. Maybe you have a note of praise too. And then you can just leave it there and the ushers will pick it up. and then it'll go to the church office. Okay, to the announcements. Again, if you could look in the back of your bulletin here, and as you can see, again, it's a time for the women to prioritize prayer in the church life. The Women's Ministry will have their weekly prayer meeting. This week is on Thursday. It's from 9 to 10 a.m. at the church library. Please see Carol or Peggy if you have any questions. Connection groups are a great way to grow in your faith and relationships with other believers. This is a huge blessing. Currently we have two. I want to thank so much for the Rodneys and the Walborns leading for the Monday group and the Sundahl family for leading the Wednesday group. What's really exciting is the church will be starting new groups soon. If you're interested in joining a group, Please sign up today on the clipboards available in the foyer. They're in the back. Please indicate the days of the week you are available and more information will be coming soon. As you can see, the upcoming women's ministry, there's also a couple Bible studies starting this month. Please prayerfully consider that and try to be involved with that. Also, there's been a men's Bible study group meeting for about a month at Joe's house, and it's an inductive Bible study of the book of Colossians. We're in chapter one. It's a beautiful book focusing on the preeminence or supremacy of Christ. We'd like to have the men, any who are interested, to come please and join us. If you're interested, please give Joe or myself a call. It's a time of meal and Bible study and fellowship. The Men's Ministry or King's Men's Large Group Gathering will be starting a fall series this September and October. The theme will be the culture in the church. The next large group meeting is September the 21st from 6 to 8 p.m. It's in the foyer. Dinner will be provided again. Again, please contact Joe or myself if you would like to assist us in any way, or if you're interested in doing a testimony, a short testimony. We also need funny activities, so please think through that. SDG or soliloquy. Al Maurer is also organizing another men's breakfast on September 11th. This is the third time that Al has been the leader on this. It's at 8 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. It tends to be the second Sunday of the month and it's an opportunity for our church and other community churches to gather together with the men. Al is very busy with a lot of ministry activities to celebrate recovery and if you could please contact him if you'd like to help. Awana is ready to start for a new year. This is a program that trains children in biblical truth and builds their character in the Lord. Please parents, sign up your kids and invite their friends to join them. Contact Tim Giordano for more information. Pastor Greg's class is continuing, it's a journey through the Bible, discovering the New Testament. It's during the discipleship hour in the music room. Pastor does just a fantastic job, a tremendous gifted teacher. I highly recommend you join us. It will inspire you to read God's word and grow in your faith. The offering box is available at the back of the room. Please leave your offerings in the box. If you want to designate to a particular church ministry, please indicate on the blue offering envelopes. Again, thank you for your faithful and generous giving to EFC. Today's invocation passage is Psalm 24. Is this 25, 26? I believe it's 24. So, the location of Psalm 24 is right after the famous 23rd Psalm by David, starting with, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. It has a wonderful imagery in biblical truths. So, do you know the 24th Psalm's starting verse and theme? Probably not. It's not as well known, but it also has beautiful imagery and biblical truth. The psalm was also written by David, and its theme is King of Glory, which followed what Pastor chose here. God is sovereign. He's the creator and sustainer of all things. The psalmist David asked a good question. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? The only way we can ascend to the holy hill of the Lord is if we have the righteousness of Christ. This is a free gift from God by grace alone. This grace of faith by the supernatural birth from God the Holy Spirit allows us to seek him and to seek the face of God. Quorum Deo. Without God first loving us, 1 John 4, 119, we would never seek after God, Romans 3, 10 to 12. I encourage you to meditate on this psalm later today, maybe in the evening or during the week. Also, I would recommend the same thing with pastor's sermons to review and look at them. Now, if you would please stand with me for the reading of this king of glory, this risen king in God's holy word. Psalm 24.1.6. The earth is the Lord's in the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully, he will receive blessing from the Lord. in the righteousness from the God of his salvation, such as the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of God, of Jacob. Salaam. Please bow with me as we go to the Lord in prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. You are the King of glory, majestic and triumphant. The only true God. You are immortal, invisible, God only wise. Our God and our King. You are the victorious, loving, sovereign King of all creation who rules with justice and truth. To you alone be all the glory. We confess our sins to you, Lord. We have not loved you as we should, not served others as we should, and we have held back from trusting you completely. We confess that we are far too often afraid, angry, and selfish. May the blood of your Lord Jesus cleanse us and may your grace empower us to live for you and your kingdom above all. Help us, O Lord, to know you more and grow in the image of your Son. Thank you for so great a salvation in Christ your Son. We are grateful for your steadfast love and mercy. Thank you for your daily provision in our church. in our lives, our work, and our families. Thank you for your love, comfort, and joy. Thank you for the many ministries for our youth, women, and men. May the Holy Spirit encourage us to share the gospel of grace with all around us here in Oroville and our missionaries abroad. Father, we ask you to grow our capacity to love, to grow new connection groups and closer bonds within our fellowship. We pray for continued growth of small group Bible studies. Bless the new start of this month's women's and men's Bible study groups. Thank you for the Sunday school classes in your youth ministries. May your spirit guide and direct each one so that all is done according to your word and for the building up of the saints here at EFC. Dear Father, we pray for revival in our church and spiritual awakening in our land. May you, Lord, stir our hearts to confess our sins, Turn from our wicked ways and idols and seek your face more and more. May our church grow in holiness, unity, joy, and sacrificial service for one another. Empower us through the Holy Spirit to have a special love of the brethren. Lord, we pray for Joel and Virginia Cook, our ministry partners of the month. May the Lord give wisdom and strength to them as they seek to recruit and coach leaders in Awana and encourage those partnering churches to minister to children and their families. We pray for the persecuted church in Afghanistan. Calm our hearts, Lord, you are in control. May you, Lord, encourage, protect, and strengthen your children in the underground church to stand firm in the face of great hostility and persecution. Dear Heavenly Father, watch over your children and tear down evil designs of the enemies. Lord, we pray for the leaders of our city, state, and country. Our country and our state are facing many dangers and challenges. May our leaders humble themselves before the Lord and recognize that they will stand before him one day, giving an account for how they have governed. Lord, grant them the wisdom they need to govern well those under their charge. We pray for the deacons and the deaconesses of EFC and the elders of our church. God, may you give them wisdom as they serve us in meetings and the needs of our saints. Give them unity in the purpose and mind as they work together for the common good. Pray for renewed vision and leadership on their respective boards. Dear Father God, we pray for those who cannot be with us this morning because they are ill, hospitalized, or homebound. Lord, touch them with your mercy and comfort and grace. May each person feel connected to the body of Christ through the online services. Encourage the saints here to reach out to one another in hospitality, love, and grace. We pray for those on the front lines and fighting the fires in our area. May they be upheld by the strength of the Lord. May the Lord please send the rain soon to refresh our land. May the Lord bless the offering this morning. Bless those who give and grant wisdom to our leaders as they steward these funds. May all the resources of this church be used for your glory and kingdom and for the blessing of people. Lord, I lift up to you Igmar Jacobson's family. Wanda Rubic has shared with me that he is with you, Lord. He's passed into your kingdom a few weeks ago. Us who have longer history here remember Igmar Jacobson and his work here and then in Canada, and then he came back to paradise to help plant the church there. Lord, we again just thank you. for a great servant of the Lord. Please, Father, comfort their family and their children and give them peace and love. Dear Father God, we pray for the sermon from your servant, Pastor Greg. Continue to embolden Greg with your truth and joy in the pulpit preaching and teaching ministry. We are truly blessed as a congregation to hear your divine word. Your word is the bread of life. We are beggars in great need of spiritual food. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to your holy words so we can walk in your truth to your glory. Amen. At this time, our children can be dismissed to their classes. I invite you to remain standing. We're going to sing, continue singing. Thank you, Michael, for that prayer. And you may have, if you picked up on him as Michael was praying, praying for the persecuted church in Afghanistan, for those Christians that are there. I read something this week that said that one particular underground church network grew from 320 people to over 1,600 this past week. And I was reminded of Christ talking to Peter when he said, the gates of hell will not prevail against his church. And we might not understand, we might not ever experience what Christians across the world are going through. It's one of the reasons why I chose this song this morning, though. It's called Though You Slay Me, and the song was born out of the story of Job. and it should be a reminder for us that our worship of God is not dependent upon our circumstances. In Job 1, we have Job's cry, the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And then later in Job 15, verse 13, Job, he says, though he slay me, I will hope in him. And we may not pray for suffering, but we know that suffering in this life is unavoidable. So we should pray that we would have that same mind of Job, that no matter what our circumstances, we're gonna say, we're gonna praise and hope in the name of the Lord. I come, God, I come. Turn to the Lord, the one who's broken, the one who's torn me apart. You struck down to bind me up. You say you do it all in love, that I might know you when you're suffering. Though you slay me, Yet I will praise you, though you take from me. I will bless your name, though you ruin me. Still I will worship, sing a song to the one who's all I need. My heart and flesh may fail. The earth below give way With my eyes, with my eyes I'll see the Lord Lifted high upon that day Behold the Lamb that was slain And I'll know that every tear was worth it all Though you slay me Yet I will praise you Though you take from me I will bless your name, though you ruin me. Still I will worship, sing a song to the one who's all I need. Though tonight I'm crying out, let this cup pass from me now. You're enough for me. You're enough for me. Though you slay me, yet I will praise you. Though you take from me, I will bless your name. Though you ruin me, still I will worship. Sing a song to the one who's all I need. Sing a song to the one who's all I need. Good morning. It's good for us to sing a song of faith once in a while that cuts to the quick. Truly it is under the strength of God the Holy Spirit that we can sing even in the midst of sadness. And I've often remarked or noticed that it's in the midst of sorrow that it is truly God's people who can have a full heart that's broken. There's a paradox there, but not in the Lord. And truly it is faith for us to be able to say during those times, though you slay me, I'll still worship you, because where else can we go? After all, every breath that we have, he gives as a gift to us. What a great reminder to hear already the gospel preached to us through song this morning. As you go out this morning, you'll have a last opportunity to sign some cards that we're going to send to a church here in town that lost their senior pastor last week. Pursue Christian Church, Pastor Fred Wood died suddenly after a short illness. And all we're doing is expressing compassion to a community that is now suffering. And so those cards will be sent tomorrow. And so they're available in the foyer at the welcome desk if you'd like to just sign a word saying that you're praying, you're in support, you're encouraging this community of believers that is suffering right now. Just a way of saying we understand, we want to share the grief with you and go to the one who can actually do something about it and shepherd his people. You know, we've all heard the expression, insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Now, commonly attributed to Albert Einstein, and it might well fit with what the great scientist said, the fact remains that the earliest records of this saying only go back to the early 1980s. It is first found, at least according to the research I was able to do this week, in a newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1981. where it was attributed to a group of Al-Anon, a drug counseling and rehabilitation support group, where one of the members of this group, in the context of helping loved ones overcome drug addiction, said that one cannot keep doing the same thing and expect things to change. A second reference to this famous quote on insanity comes from the same period and is found in a 1983 book by Rita Mae Brown entitled Sudden Death. In this book, there is a fictional character named Susan who has made a number of bad decisions in her relationships with men. And the author refers to a certain Fulton, Jane Fulton, and saying the following. Unfortunately, Susan didn't remember what Jane Fulton once said. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Well, whether this statement came from the lips of a great scientist, a meeting of those who want to help others in drug addiction, or as a reflection of a fictional character, the meaning is still clear. You can't keep doing what you've been doing that has given bad results and expect something better to come forth. You know, if there is a summary for the people of Israel in the book of Judges, it would be the same. If there's one thing that they should have learned, that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. For time and again, as we have seen the people of Israel in the book of Judges, they have done things contrary to God, contrary to His ways, contrary to His words, following again and again their own passions, their own desires, their own earthly wisdom, instead of the holy precepts of God. But God, we see, keeps stepping in. He keeps showing himself faithful. And so we have seen that he sends again and again a series of judges, or as we said in our first week together, perhaps we should say deliverers, because they were ones who were sent to set the people free from oppression that they had brought upon themselves because of their insanity that manifested itself in disobedience and lack of desire for the things of God. We saw it right away in the first few chapters where they failed to drive out the inhabitants from the land, the land that had been given to them, and one tribe after another failed to do what they were supposed to do. And so from chapter three onward, we have seen this series of judges that have been sent, often bringing a time of reprieve, often bringing a time of relief from the effects of sin and disobedience. And there's always been the hope, at least, that they would learn their lesson. Alas, they do not. Well, that's been taking us up to the end of chapter 12. And as we enter chapter 13 today, the focus will begin to change just a little bit. Over the next few chapters, from chapters 13 to 16, the focus will be less and less on the battles of the different tribes of Israel or the fighting that has taken place among themselves. and moving more towards focusing on the life of one particular person, Samson. Now, those of us who have spent any time at all in our lives in Sunday school have heard stories about Samson. He's probably the most colorful and certainly the most interesting judge in this book. In fact, four chapters are given to this one judge or deliverer. He is the most prominent in that sense in the book of Judges. And so with chapter 13, the focus is more and more on just this one man and no longer on what is happening with the people of God or the armies of God. Well, with that, knowing that we're going to spend the next few weeks with Samson, let's go ahead and read the first portion of chapter 13 of the book of Judges that we will consider today. Out of respect for God and his word, I invite you to stand as I read the first seven verses of this chapter. And the inspired and holy word of God says, and the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for 40 years. There was a certain man of Zohar of the tribe of the Danites whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold, you are barren and have not born children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore, be careful and drink no wine or strong drink and eat nothing unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. Then the woman came and told her husband, a man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God. Very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from and he did not tell me his name. But he said to me, behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. Thus ends the reading of God's word. May he give understanding as his spirit teaches us this morning. Please be seated. By all accounts, Samson is a complicated figure. He's both complex and curious. He is physically strong, but weak emotionally and even weaker spiritually. He does have the spirit of God, but very often acts according to the flesh. He is both a riddle and an enigma. He is a would-be deliverer of men who is often taken down by women. And though a man, it is the role of these women that play a major role in his life and story. He's given the most attention of any of the deliverers in the book of Judges. four chapters to cover the major events of his life. And so over the next three weeks, we're going to spend time with this interesting figure. Now I have to tell you ahead of time, there is so much in these chapters that at times we're going to take just the 32,000 foot view and just look over the whole unfolding story. And then at times we'll drop down and look at the details as God leads us. Professor and Dr. Daniel Block offers a very helpful list that shows how Samson has become the symbol of Israel in the book of Judges. Though he is only one man, he has come to embody all that Israel has become as a people and a nation in this book. And here's some of the things that Dr. Block offers as proof. Like Israel, Samson was called into being with a divine promise. Like Israel, Samson is prone to immature and rash actions and is very impulsive in his behavior. Like Israel, Samson is drawn to foreign women who can only lead him astray. Like Israel, Samson is blinded to his real spiritual state before the Lord. Like Israel, Samson has been abandoned by God and yet does not yet realize it. Like Israel, Samson has given great potential and great blessing, which he then proceeds to squander again and again through selfishness and idolatry. Now, there is much we can learn from the life of Samson, both by looking at what he has done and saying, well, we can do the same thing, though refined, or other things that he has done and say we should absolutely not be involved in those kind of things. Samson forgot that he was before a covenant God who keeps covenant with his people, and who would bless obedience and punish disobedience, and we will see both in his life. And so as you follow along in your sermon outline with your copy of God's Word open, let's begin as we look at chapter 13. And it begins with a bad beginning. And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Now, how many times have we heard this sad refrain as we began a story here in the book of Judges. Sad story of Israel's disobedience to the Lord, again involving in sinning against Him and doing what is in plain sight before Him. Notice it says evil in the sight of the Lord. But ultimately, my friends, we need to realize that all sin is committed in plain sight before the Lord. For the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. And so we need to remind ourselves that whenever we sin, we are doing it in plain sight of the Lord. And even if the world does not recognize a biblical standard of sin, even if we want to rebel against a biblical standard of sin, if the Bible calls it sin, it is sin. And the greatest commandment that we are under is that first and foremost, our hearts are to be fully devoted to Him. heart, soul, mind, and strength. And any deviation from that is sin. And so we all recognize in a moment how sinful we are and how great a Savior we have in Christ. Now, the specific evil that is mentioned here, it's not actually mentioned here, but given the context of judges, we have a pretty good guess. It's idolatry. It's spiritual adultery before the Lord. Oftentimes even involving actual adultery as they fell into the pagan practices of the Canaanites. The Israelites seem to find again and again, the ways of the Canaanites is to be a little more attractive than the ways of Yahweh. That is why we sin. We decide that in the moment, the ways of the flesh, the ways of the world just appeal to us more than the ways of God. But in His holiness, God cannot leave sin unpunished. or unnoticed. And even for his people, he brings discipline for sin. And so our text starts out by saying that he again sells them. The word is gave them, but behind it is sell them. He has sold them again and again throughout the book of Judges over to their enemies and saying, if this is what you want, this is what you'll get. And this time the punishment lasts for 40 years, which is twice the length of any of the other periods of punishment. How bad had it gotten? that there's now 40 years of punishment for their sin. In this time of oppression, at the hand of this time the Philistines, other times it's the Canaanites or the Ammonites, the Moabites, but here it is the Philistines, this oppression will actually outlast the lifetime of Samson, who will only begin to liberate the Israelites from their hand. Now, they're sold into the hand of the Philistines, as I've said, who are first mentioned in chapter 3, where Shamgar gave a temporary deliverance for the people of Israel against the Philistines. But we've noticed all throughout, and I've mentioned it again and again, the book of Judges occupies that period of time between the life of Joshua and the life of Samuel. And if we actually run each of the episodes in Judges one after the other, we go far beyond that period of time. And so some of these incidences are taking place at the same time. Well, you notice where certain tribes are bothered by the Ammonites, certain tribes are bothered by the Philistines, certain tribes are bothered by the Canaanites. They're getting hit from all sides. In this case, it's the Philistines. They're also mentioned again in chapter 10. where we saw that God is rebuking, chastising the people of God because they have run after the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. And now here, in the life of Samson, we find the Philistines again. In fact, the Philistines will become the problem and a thorn in the side for Israel all the way through the time of King David. They controlled five major cities. in southwestern Canaan, an area larger than what we know as the Gaza Strip today, for those of you that know your geography of the Middle East, and they were called the People of the Sea. They would have come from the areas around the Aegean Sea and from the islands of Crete and Cyprus, and they're not to be confused with the Palestinians today. They share the same name in the Hebrew Bible and in Arabic, But in fact, the Palestinians of today are of Arab origin, whereas the Philistines of old were of Aegean origin from the Mediterranean. Well, after the announcement that the Israelites were sold into oppression, what's missing? Remember the cycles that we have seen so far where Israel falls into sin, grieves the Lord, he gives them over into oppression for a period of time. What usually comes next? And the people cry out to the Lord. That's missing here. There's no cry mentioned of them for mercy or pleading from the Lord. And they've been in bondage for 40 years. It's as if they've given up at seeking God for help, just as they've already given up seeking God for guidance in life. Maybe they've become so accustomed to their sin, so beaten down or so comfortable for their sin, that they don't even call out to the Lord to give deliverance. Maybe they've just been given over because they're pursuing those sins so assertively. My friends, if God ever gives you over to your sin, you will be the most miserable of all. So we start this story with a tragedy. For 40 years, they have been in bondage, and they don't cry out to the Lord. It's as if the Lord is more interested in delivering them than they are of seeking him for deliverance. And so once again, we see that it is the mercy of God that shows up and mercy can never be demanded. It just flows from God's merciful heart. But as I was going over this text this week, reflecting on what has happened to the people of Israel that they can be in such bondage to sin that they don't even bother to cry out to God anymore. But then I, rather than spending my time judging them, I had to turn it back and say, well, Greg, where's your heart? Have I allowed my heart at times become so cold to the things of God that I'm no longer bothered by my sin? Or I'm no longer bothered by bad behavior? Have I become a little too comfortable with compromise in my life? What about you? Is your heart staying warm to the things of God, broken over the sin that you still commit, that you still need to bring to the cross to receive the redemption and forgiveness that is there? Sin is so deceptive. And our hearts are so prone to build idols that we need constant stirring of God the Holy Spirit in our lives. It's why for the past year and a half I've been praying for God to visit us in revival. And I've invited you to join me in praying for revival and I handed out cards even a couple weeks ago for four things that I'd like us to unite for in praying because our hearts can become cold as well. And so I continue to join me in praying that we'd have a hunger for the Word, for the Word. Do you come on Sunday morning hungry for the Word of God and hoping that the meal will be laid out so that your soul can eat? Do you find yourself waking up in the morning and saying, I must spend time with God? And after you've had your physical breakfast, you realize your soul needs a spiritual breakfast. Let's pray for God to give us hunger for His Word. that would lead to a hatred for sin in all its forms, so that we might become more like God and desire holiness, so that as a result, we will see not only our own sin, but our eyes will be open to see the plight of sinners around us and have compassion for the lost. How is your heart today? Thankfully, we have one who can continually perform heart surgery and ask him to warm your heart and root out the stuff that is still there. So we start out with a bad beginning. Israel's not even crying out for deliverance. But we get to a joyful promise. In verse 2, we learn about this man from the tribe of Dan, from the city of Zorah. Now, the tribe of Dan has not been mentioned much in this book, and when it has been, it's not been in a positive sense. And the Danites themselves are going to perform poorly later in the book. But here we have a man that God is going to use, living in the city of Zorah. Now, this city at one time belonged to the tribe of Judah, but now it's in the tribe of Dan. And there's a creative genius in how this book was put together because the city of Zorah will form a bookend for the life of Samson, mentioned both at the beginning of his life and at the end. And the man's name is Manoah, which means at rest or at peace. And I find that to be irony. 40 years through an oppression, is anyone truly at peace? Surely Manoah is not, as the details tell us in what is to come, that he has no children and his wife is barren. And that's mentioned twice to show that this is a serious thing, something we need to pay attention to. Because in ancient Israel, there was shame and disgrace associated with childlessness. As God prepared the people to go into the land of promise, he said, if you follow my commands, there will be blessings, and it included blessings on the womb. But he said, if you do not follow my promises, there will be curses, and it included curses on the womb. And so this couple, Manoah and his wife, they become another symbol of all that's wrong with Israel at this time. They're barren, with little sense of hope. But God. But God is merciful. And so God sends an angel to appear to her. And this is the third time now, at least in Judges, that we have seen this mysterious angel of the Lord. And with each appearance, it becomes clear that we're dealing with a divine being. In chapter 2, the angel appears. He has divine authority. He gives the commands of God, and the response is, the people hear the word and offer a sacrifice. But there's still a little bit, who is this figure? In Judges 6, the angel appears to Gideon, who is expressing doubt. But when Gideon offers a sacrifice, the angel himself consumes the sacrifice with fire. And now it becomes clear, this is an interesting and powerful being that we're dealing with. And by the time we get to chapter 13, it becomes very clear, he is a divine being. And we'll talk more about that in just a moment. But think of the theme of going on here in Judges 13, the theme of a barren woman who receives news that she will bear a child. And for those of us that know the storyline of the Bible, we've realized that this is a common story, or at least it's not all that uncommon, because we have a list of women in the biblical history who at one time or another struggled with having children. But God, in one way or another, appeared to them and gave them a promise that they would have children. As God responds with mercy and favor. And of course, there's echoes of this chapter even in the Christmas story of the angel appearing to Mary. Now, of course, Mary's situation is different because she does not yet know if she's barren or not. She has been chosen by God, and she will give birth while she is still a virgin. For these other women that receive the promise of God, it will happen now because God is going to open the womb so that they will be able to bear children. But we have a reminder here, in very clear terms, that it is God who opens the womb. And think of what is happening here. Think of the promise. You will bear a child who will be a type of savior for the people of Israel. Chloe says he will begin to save Israel. Why was barrenness so such a source of shame, it's because every Israelite woman would have known since Eve of the promise that would be given, that a child would be born of a woman who would defeat the seed of the serpent. And the women who live in hope that maybe they would be the one. And so childlessness would bring pain and a loss of hope. But in the story that we have, we're just told about Manoah and his wife. And I find that disappointing that we don't even know her name. And so rather than just referring to Manoah's wife, all throughout this story, we're just gonna give her a name. I'm gonna call her Mrs. Manoah, okay? So at least know who we're referring to here. We have Manoah and the Mrs. You know, we talk that way sometimes. Mrs. Manoah is given a promise that she'll bear a son who will be a type of savior to her people. And then she gets the warning, or at least the exhortation, to make sure she takes care of this child. Because this child will be a special child, who is to be a Nazirite. Think of that. Even before the child has come into being, even before the child is conceived, God says, this one will be set apart for my service. A Nazirite, which comes from the word to separate or to abstain. And according to the Nazarite vow, which was taken by some men for periods of time, there were three conditions. Do not drink wine or fermented drink, do not cut your hair, and do not come into contact with a dead body. And we hear some of that here. Now, normally these Nazarite vows were entered into in a voluntary manner for a limited period of time. We're not even fully sure of what they did, but there were conditions of these Nazarites to set themselves apart for a period of time in service to God. But that was voluntary. It was limited. But here we have one where it is divinely chosen and it is unlimited. This is one who has been set apart from even before he will be in the womb of his mother, but certainly from the womb of his mother. And it will be unlimited. I'm not sure Mrs. Manoa really knew what was happening at that time, but that was the promise that was given by the angel of the Lord. But think about today, who we are in Christ, that at the moment we believe we are set apart for service to the Lord, and it is unlimited. And I believe that in the governance of God, it is also divinely chosen. And because it is divinely chosen, and he is in charge, and it is unlimited, guess whose we are forever. And the service then that we're to perform as living sacrifices for him. But this promise that was given to Mrs. Minoa that she would have a child who will begin. Did you see the word begin? shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. This is a type of salvation, but it would not be completed in his life. That salvation would be limited and temporary, and we'll see that as we go through the story of Samson. And so there would be left a sense of frustration, because the salvation would be limited, and it would be temporary. But the hearts of those who belong to God long for a salvation that is complete. and finished for all time. Now, we don't yet know the name of this son. We just know that Mrs. Manoa has received a promise that this son will be consecrated to the Lord from birth, and in a sense, there's a double consecration, because for the tribes of Israel, it was always the firstborn son who was consecrated to the Lord, had to be redeemed. Well, this is the firstborn son. But then in a double consecration, as it were, From the womb, he is consecrated to the service of the Lord. If you're reading the book of Judges for the first time, if you're part of the original audience, you're hearing this and saying, finally! We've been in such bondage. We've been in such terrible difficulty. Finally, there's a message of hope that springs into the context. What will become of this son? There's drama here. But we're reminded that the people of Israel were in a situation where they needed to be saved because the conditions of the Nazarite vow were already clearly stated in the law of Moses. But they have to be repeated again and again, perhaps because the people weren't paying attention and didn't know enough about the law, and Manoah and his wife need to be reminded. So it's a reminder then of what is required in the service of God. On the other hand, I'm going to give them a little credit, because they did hear the two conditions about no strong drink and no touching of dead bodies, but the cutting of the hair was not mentioned, and yet that becomes an important part of the story of this child. The cutting of his hair becomes a very important point in the story, and so maybe they knew more than what is revealed here. But what do we see so far? That this child will be a chosen servant of God. And this sets us up for the rest of the story that will reveal in full color a couple of things. One, it will reveal in full color the folly and vanity of sinful man. And it'll play up the glory and majesty of the grace of God. But this is one who is sent who will begin to save the people of Israel. And imagine Mrs. Minoa's excitement, the heartache that she has felt, of being barren, and she hears this good news, and so the story tells us she rushes off to tell her husband, and she says, it was a man of God who looked like an angel of God, and he was awesome in appearance, and it seems like he was so awesome she didn't dare ask him any questions, even her name. It's a good start. Mrs. Manoa is showing understanding, as we're going to see, she's a better example in this story than her husband. She has some divine understanding, certainly has divine fear of this one who has appeared to her, and she gives the details to her husband. And this is what she said, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. But if you remember, if you look at what the angel originally said, just said from the womb. So she's adding here from the womb to the day of his death. From the womb to the tomb, as it were, he will be set apart. for the service of God. It means his vow will never be over until his life is over. And this is Manoah hasn't yet recognized that this is the angel of the Lord. Yahweh revealing himself in visible form. And that's why I gladly join with many scholars and theologians over the years who believe that we see here a pre incarnate revelation of the second person of the Trinity, who would later be known as the Lord Jesus Christ. That God intervenes with the promise of the Savior, and isn't it interesting that it seems that it was the one who would become the ultimate Savior who brings this good news. That this will be a son who will belong to God his whole life. So there would be great expectation going on in this story. And yet, my friends, if we think about it, if we have been blessed to have children, is it not the case with all children that ultimately they belong to the Lord? Is it not the case that God gives us children to raise in his ways, to teach his word, to equip them, to launch them into his service wherever it might be in the world? It's the case, isn't it? That's why we emphasize the importance of dedicating our families, dedicating our children to the Lord, because ultimately they do not belong to us. They belong to the Father who gave them to us and can use them for His glory. So we have a joyful promise followed by a doubtful response. Let's continue reading in our text. Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, oh Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born. And God listened to the voice of Manoah and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah, her husband, was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me. And Manoah rose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, are you the man who spoke to this woman? And he said, I am. And Manoah said, now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life and what is his mission? And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, of all that I said to the woman, let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink or eat anything unclean. All that I have commanded her, let her observe. So the angel has appeared and we see as we continue to work throughout this story that Mrs. Manoa shows more faith than her husband does. Because behind the scenes, it's clear that he does not believe her. He wants to be the man of the house. He wants to be the leader. Well, if God's going to appear, he needs to appear to me. And so he prays again and says, Let this man of God appear to me and notice the mercy of God." He shows up. He condescends. He answers the man's prayer, but on his terms. Because he appears to his wife. He's trying to teach him a lesson, I think. But I like the fact that Manoah prayed. Because the best prayer is still offered prayer. Well, the worst prayer is unoffered prayer. Yes, we pray according to the will of God, but let's at least pray about everything presented into the Father's hands and let him work his will in our lives. You know, God listened to his prayer. He answered his prayer, but not in the way that he might have expected. He just appeared for a second time to his wife. Perhaps there's a lesson there that God is in control. Isaiah 45 says that God is a God who hides himself, and we can't manipulate him. He will appear on his conditions for his glory. And the way we come to him today is through the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. And of course, that is true for salvation, but that is true for sanctification. That is true for guidance, that is true for everything in our lives. We go to the Father through the Son, but we can go. So the angel appears and if we had a dramatic reading where you have Manoah and Mrs. Manoah and the angel, you could see some of the comedy that's coming through because there is humor here in the text. God, He appears to the woman, and then He says, well, God, appear to us again, that we might know what we should do. And the angel appears and just appears to the woman, and so she has to run and bring Minoa to come back, and then He comes and says, are you the man who spoke to this woman? Well, just let that go. But the angel is in charge. And the angel just answers very quickly, I am. And now Manoah, we give him a slap on the back and say, attaboy, because he says, well, when this happens, how will I raise this son? So he's showing faith, he's showing promise, and this is a good thing. But the angel doesn't answer his question. He just says, well, I gave my commands to Mrs. Manoah. She needs to follow it. More than that makes it very clear it's the vine of the grape that is referred to, because there are many vines there, the vine of the cucumbers and other things in Israel. But here the word that is used is clearly the vine of the grapes, is to be avoided. Follow these conditions, and your son will follow these conditions all throughout his life, because God is the one. He's teaching Manoah. God is the one who will set the conditions of the one he calls. Not even his earthly father. And so, Manoah needs to defer to the guidance of this angel. So, after we have a doubtful response, we begin to see signs of hope and we have a fiery offering. Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, well, please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you. And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, if you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord. For Manoah, this is key, Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, what is your name? So that when your words come true, we may honor you. And the angel of the Lord said to him, why do you ask me my name? Seeing it is wonderful. And the angel of the Lord, where did that? Perhaps if you have been following along with us as we've gone through the book of Judges, you notice certain parallels between this encounter and the encounter with Gideon. And God is just going, as it were, extra lengths to let it be clear that it is he who is appearing and giving the instruction. But it seems as if Manoah is trying to play part of the story. He wants to somehow be included. And so after he is asked, the angel appears to his wife, what should we do? Just follow what I told her. He says, well, at least stay and have dinner with us. This would be a normal Middle Eastern custom, where you would invite people to stay with you for a meal. But the angel says no. He's trying to get Manoah's attention on who he really is. He says, no, you're not, I'm not gonna stay and have dinner with you, so offer a sacrifice. And he continues on in his dialogue. But if we understand and look at the background of Canaanite culture, the Philistine culture, of the cultures around, there may be some insight into what's going on here. In pagan culture, in their temples, they would offer sacrifices of food to their deities, with the idea of manipulating them into some type of decision. Also, they believed that if they could discover the name of something or of someone, they would have control over that thing. So what is Manoah doing? Hey, let's have dinner. Tell me your name. Is he trying to be more Canaanite, more Philistine than Israel? Or he's trying to manipulate God and be in control by saying, I want to know your name so I can control you, I want to have dinner with you so I can manipulate you and do a decision? But the angel is not, he's not biting. And so he says, why do you ask me my name seeing that it is wonderful? And here we see something important, because this is the exact same word that is used in Psalm 139, verse 6, where the psalmist recognizes that he is wonderfully made. It's a marvelous thing. There's mystery here. So it's appropriate that that word would be used, right, in this context, because God giving a barren woman a child is truly a marvelous thing. There's awe here, there's wonder. But 13 times this word is used in the Old Testament. And every time it refers to God in connection with salvation and judgment. Why are you asking my name? It's wonderful. It's marvelous. I'm the Savior. I'm the judge. I need to be revered. So offer me a sacrifice. So Manoah, to his credit, does. He's already prepared a goat. And now he prepares the rest of the grain offering and he places them on the rock to the one who works wonders. Do we do that? Do we wake up in the morning, we take out our calendars, might be on our phone, and we say, Lord, it's yours. You're the God who works wonders. The time that I have today, the talent I have today, the treasures I have today, it's yours. I'm a living sacrifice for your service today. So Manoah and Mrs. Manoah, they offer the sacrifice, they place it on the rock, and they watch, and they are amazed in wonder at this wonder-working God consumes the sacrifice with holy fire. And the text says, and when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. It's like the angel who says, give an offering. The offering is made, steps into the offering, and it all goes up. The angel goes up, the flame goes up, the fire goes up, the glory goes up, and Manoah and Mrs. Manoah go down. And that's how it should be. We can never become so cozy with the Lord. that we forget that He is high and exalted, and we approach Him on His grace and on His terms, and when we see His glory, we fall down in reverence and awe. Now Manoah was able to see who this was. And it's the same thing for us today. Until God opens our eyes to see who He is, we do not render a proper response. But now Manoah will render a proper response because he knows who he has seen and he falls down on his face before God. And there we see the merciful outcome. The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. And then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to his wife, we shall surely die for we have seen God. But his wife said to him, If the Lord had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these. And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him, and Mahanadan, doing Zorah and Eshtol. Now Manoah recognizes who he has been dealing with, and now he's afraid and trembling because he recognizes now how he had been acting in the presence of the Holy One. But Mrs. Manoah, who has been an example of faith all throughout, once again shows us what faith looks like. She now gently takes her husband aside and teaches him and proclaims the truth of the matter and says, if God had wanted to kill us, he could have. But he accepted our burnt offering. He showed us His glory. He announced to us that we would have a son. If He wanted to kill us, why did He appear twice to announce these things? I'm thankful for this great confession of faith on her part, and understanding of who the true God is. But what I find interesting is, after this, both of the parents recede into the background. while their son moves to the fore. It's not that they disappear, they're just no longer the prominent characters. The son becomes the prominent character because God has said, I'm going to give you a son. But their response was right. It is right to respond to the Lord with holy fear and faith because he's worthy. But the joy that we have in Christ, if we are in Christ this morning, and we will celebrate it next week when we gather around this table for communion, is that if we are in Christ, it is no longer a fear of judgment that we have as we enter into His presence. It's just a fear of reverence and awe because His Son took on the fiery sacrifice required for our sins. And it was accepted by the Lord. And the Son has revealed to us the Father and the message of eternal life and the sacrifice in Judges 13 is a foreshadowing of a greater sacrifice that was to come that would be complete for all of God's people for all time. This was a dark time in the book of Judges, but God was gracious and good even in the details. He gave her son's name to be Samson, which means little son, or little sonny boy, if you want. But there's bad and good in that. There's bad because, first of all, this was not an Israelite name. It was closer to one of the Canaanite gods, Shemash, and his name was Shamshon. There's still need for more maturity and growth to take place among the people there. But on the other hand, this was a barren woman who was given the promise of a son, and it's a reminder that Yahweh is the holder of life and death, that He is powerful enough to cause a barren woman to give birth. Moreover, He brought this son from the tribe of Dan, which until now in the book of Judges has not had a good testimony, as if to say, I'm not done working with this tribe. And in this darkest of moments, there is one who's born whose name is Little Son, as a reminder that even in the darkest of times, the light of God can shine. So the Lord is still gracious. So He blessed this wife, this father, with a son, said, He will be my servant. And then you notice it just jumps over a whole period of time. We don't have anything about the pregnancy, we don't have anything about his childhood, we don't have anything about, as he's growing up, it just said in verse 25, and the young, verse 24, and the young man grew and the Lord blessed him. I guess we'll find out the other details when we gather around the Father's throne and it's story time. But then we get to verse 25, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him. In Mahane Dan, the word for stirring here, can mean to disturb or to trouble and we're gonna see that as we go over the next few chapters looking at Samson we're gonna see a man who is stirred by the spirit but all too often led by his own flesh that he's erratic on one hand yet does accomplish some things for God on the other there will be lots of drama and intrigue as we look at the life of Samson We'll also look at the unfortunate fact that he was very much a man of his time and a man of his age. He was not so interested in defeating the Philistines per se as he was in hanging out with their women. The temptations that can bring down a man of God are the same in every generation, power and women. He was a man full of potential and strength but did very little with it in comparison. Now if we were among the first listeners of this story, and certainly if we had been listening to the story of the Bible for the first time, from beginning to end, we'd begin to see a pattern of God appearing to barren women with the promise of a child. And we could trace the women after the other all throughout, even down into New Testament times where Elizabeth was promised a child in her old age. And then the ultimate promise of a child, behold, the virgin shall conceive and be with child. And that one who came at the end would be the fulfillment, completing everything that was lacking in the other sons that had come through those women who had been promised a son. But each one was good news in its own time, showing the bigger picture of the ultimate good news to come. and how wonderful it is to have God showing that to us and how we put the Bible together and seeing how Christ is the fulfillment of the promises that he has given to his people. Well, what are some lessons that we can draw from this chapter this morning as we prepare to go out and serve the Lord this week? The first one is that life and death are in the Lord's hands. Did we not just sing that? And this includes barrenness, this includes fertility, though He slay me, yet I will praise Him. Second thing that's a message of hope for us is that God desires deliverance for His people more often than we do. And so friends, don't give up on praying for God to act. Don't give up on asking for deliverance. Don't give up on pounding the door of heaven and saying, my loved one doesn't know Christ. I have a financial need. I have a spiritual need. Whatever it might be to keep praying to God who is merciful and able and desires to bring deliverance to his people. But we need to be submissive to his will and humble before him. We need to be a people in the word. because we need to hear the voice of God regularly. We need to hear his promises, hear his truths, so that we don't allow our hearts to grow cold, our minds to get cynical, our emotions to lead us in ways that we should not go. So much of what happened in the book of Judges would not have happened if they had been people of the word. But we need to be people of the word. in the Word and the Word in us. And if you are privileged and blessed to have a copy of God's Word in your hands, don't let it collect dust. Because saints down through the ages would have longed to have a copy in their hands, but had to go to church where there was one copy and it was locked. And it had to be unlocked so you could read it for a time, then it'd be locked again. Don't lock God's Word. Set it free in your life. Fourthly, no matter the darkness around you, the light of God can still break through. So look to Him. Trust Him. Depend upon Him. And then whatever God has given you, whether little or much, use it all for His glory. It might be that in the grand scheme of things, you've just been given just a little sun. Let it shine. Use it all for God's glory. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that in your goodness, you sometimes cause us to be undone in your presence, where it seems as if all is falling apart. And it's at that moment, Lord, would you remind us that it is you, you alone, who is in the business of putting us back together. Father, thank you for condescending, as it were, to common people like Manoah and his wife, and in a moment of darkness, giving a great light of hope. Father, I know this morning that many of us are walking in a time of difficulty. But we know that Christ is still the light of the world, and so would you lead us to continue to run to Him? and to shed our burdens at his feet and to walk in his ways. And Father, would we be a people right down to the last man, woman, boy and girl within the sound of my voice that we would have a hunger for the word of God that is insatiable until we open and read and hear your voice. So Father, as we prepare to go out and serve you this week, we commit ourselves to you because we belong to you. Help us to serve you well this week in your power, for your glory, in Jesus' name, amen. As we desire to give God the glory no matter the circumstances, let's stand and sing, come thou fount of every blessing. In the founts of every blessing, to my heart you send our praise. Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me someday, oh yes, someday Some are flaming tongues above Praise them now, time takes the plunder Now to God we give our praise Give our praise now, never means it Neither by God nor by man ♪ Sing it to our right hand. ♪ ♪ Jesus, so brave and steady here, ♪ ♪ Wand'ring from death on high. ♪ ♪ When He was born, He conquered, ♪ ♪ Interposed His precious blood. ♪ ♪ Oh, to grace how great a debt, ♪ Don't you wonder Lord, I feel it Don't you leave the God I love Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above. It's been good to be with you this morning in the house of the Lord. I'm gonna stay down front. Perhaps someone here would like to come and pray so we can go to the Lord together with the burden. I'd like to be able to do that with you. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Let us go in peace and have a wonderful Lord's day.