First reading of Scripture from 2 Kings 6, reading verses 8-13. Now the king of Aram, or Syria, was warring against Israel, and he counseled with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And take the man of God, sent word to the king of Israel, saying, Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.' And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there more than once or twice. Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, no, my lord, O king, but Eliza, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom. So he said, go and see where he is that I may send and take him. And it was told him saying, behold, he is in Dothan. Then going to Jeremiah 19, verses 14 and 15. Then Jeremiah, came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy. And he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns, the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to heed my words. In other words, their hearts were deceitful above all things and desperately corrupt and wicked. Then 1 Peter 1, 23 to 25, you have been born not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable. That is through the living and abiding word of God. For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord abides forever. And this is the word which was preached to you. And then finally, as we get to our study in the book of Mark, We're now in Mark chapter four. And we'll be reading verses one through 20. Mark four, one through 20. And Jesus began to teach again by the sea. And such a very great multitude gathered to him that he got into a boat in the sea and sat down. And the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. He was in the boat and they were on the land, but was beside the sea. He was teaching them many things and parables and was saying to them in his teaching, something of course that you've heard many times, listen to this. Behold, the sower went out to sow. And it came about that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road and the birds came and ate it up. An other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had arisen, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away. And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. And other seed fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. And he was saying, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. In other words, listen. And as soon as he was alone, his followers, along with the twelve, began asking him about the parables. And he was saying to them, To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, yet everything in parables. In order that while seeing they may see and not perceive, and while hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they return and be forgiven. And he said to them, do you understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word, and these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown. And when they hear immediately, Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. and in a similar way, these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary, that when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they will fall away. That favored word, of course, notice immediately or straightway. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns. These are the ones who have heard the word, and the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. and those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil, and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit 30, 60, and 100 fold. Let us pray. O Holy Spirit, again open up our eyes to behold wondrous things out of your holy word. Enable us to hide it deep in our hearts that will not sin against you. Cause us to focus upon the Lord Jesus, and learn the things that will help us in doing things that are acceptable and pleasing in your sight. We need your assistance and your help. Hear us, we pray, in the name of our living Savior, amen. The one word, listen. Great crowds followed the Lord Jesus. What he said and what he did attracted all sorts of people. Sometimes the crowd was so great that Jesus was concerned that he would be crushed because they were getting so close and there were so many. He would order a boat to be brought and he would teach and preach from the boat. In our passage today, he faced another very large crowd. As a result, he sat in a boat while he taught and preached. The crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he taught in parables, the parabolic method of teaching, using stories, familiar stories from everyday life. The parabolic method was meant to provoke thought. and get people to think more deeply concerning the kingdom that Jesus was teaching and preaching about. And he wanted them to learn. Some have defined it as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. And that's partly true, but not the whole story. It was more than that. We'll talk more about that as we consider the purpose of parables. Jesus gives a command, listen. How many people really listen? One time I was very frustrated. My wife and her mother were talking and talking and I just wanted to get a little word in edgewise, you know. which sometimes is hard with women, because they do like to talk, I think a little bit more than men as a whole, except a few exceptions. Anyway, I finally was so frustrated, I looked to the wall, and I said, wall, nobody pays attention, nobody listens to me, I might as well talk to you, maybe I can get through. Hey, there was silence. I got in what I wanted. It didn't take long, but I got in. Well, that's a story I hadn't forgotten. My wife probably doesn't want me to tell you about it, but that's where it is. You got the idea about listening. The voice of Jesus is powerful, revealing, authoritative, and judicial. It judges. In John 5, 24, he teaches, verily, verily, but actually the word there is amen, amen, amen. I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but is passed from death to life. Listen carefully. Christ's words mean life. Christ is a judge. who judges according to his words. Those who listen and heed are pardoned, freed, liberated. Jesus is in heaven now, but he's on his way back to earth. His powerful voice is going to be heard again. His voice is so powerful that it will awaken the dead from all over the earth, and all people will hear his voice who are presently alive on the earth, those who have done good will have a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil will have a resurrection of judgment. From Psalm 1, you know that the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. But the Lord knows the way of the righteous. They'll never perish, but the way of the wicked will perish. Right now, Christ's voice is heard in the Bible. You don't usually hear it coming out out of heavens today, but it's in the Bible. But a day is coming when he will descend from heaven with a cry of command. It will be loud and clear and worldwide. Those in heaven and on earth and under the earth will hear. Now in our passage today, Jesus will tell the parable of what has been called the sower, or the parable of the seeds, or the parable of the soils, and it involves all three. All three are involved. A sower goes out to sow some seeds, and the seeds fall on different kinds of soil, hard soil. rocky soil, weedy soil, and good healthy soil. But there is a problem with some soils, birds, rocks, thorns, that hinder proper hearing and proper development. Now Jesus knew there were many people listening to him. That did not mean all were true listeners. There were four ways of listening. Three ways were not enduring or profitable. Only one way of listening was profitable, and in that proper way, there were also degrees of profit, 30, 60, and 100. So in the lives of believers, that is it. Some have 30, 60, and 100. Not all are as profitable. Not all have 100 or 60 or 30. God's word brings division amongst everybody who hears it. Three of the types of hearers do not listen properly, obediently or submissively. They don't receive Christ's word or search the word or believe it or seek the face of the Lord. They are unlike the Bereans. Now you remember the Bereans in Acts 17. They received Christ's words with eagerness and they examined and searched the scriptures on a daily basis. And then they believed in Christ and obeyed that word. We want to be like the Bereans. I want to be like the Bereans. I hope that you want to be like the Bereans. Jeremiah 19, 14, and 15, Jeremiah warned of all of God's people. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Behold, I'm bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have promised against it. because they have stiffened their neck. Sickened it too as well. Sickened their neck. They had neck problems. Do you have a neck problem? Refusing to hear the words of the Lord. Not listening to the Lord or his words or his preachers, they're not serious business. Where does that leave the USA today? Have God's words been listened to? Have they been forgotten? Have they been rejected? Have they been ignored? And of course you know, today, we're quite well aware of the date that we have today. You remember it? Do you remember where you were? You know it, right? What was it? 9-1-1. Tragic. Say it. Many people killed. And even one of my cousin's children were there in that tower, and she was warned to get out by her father when they said, stay here in the building. She decided she listened to her father rather than some of the higher-ups who didn't know what they were talking about. And she got out and was saved. My brother-in-law was to be there that day, was on his way to be there. And he had a problem with his foot and had to stop to the drugstore. And by the time he got there, they wouldn't let him go any farther. Otherwise he'd have been there. But this is what happens to a nation that's gotten away from the Lord. But of course, there's another reason why I know this day. I like this other reason an awful lot better. It's my sister's birthday today, so that's more important in ways to me. She's a Christian, she loves the Lord, and those things are more important. And yet, through it all, the Lord's in control of the United States, in control of each of us, and how long we're gonna live. We're not young people. My sister's very close to 80. I'm big on that. But the Lord's in control and he gives us for his glory and honor the gifts that we have and what we can do and say and think. Now in Jeremiah 7, we find some warnings given to God's covenant people who had ear problems, neck problems, and heart problems. That's the worst one, heart problems. Listen to some of the pertinent words. God declares that His people did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. Backward. Falling. God continues to say, I have persistently sent my servants, all my servants, the prophets to them, day after day, on a daily basis. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, stiffen their neck, and they did not, in fact, they were worse than their forefathers. And then there's something that's even worse yet. They got to be so bad in the time of Manasseh that they were worse than the evil nations around them. What about our country? Now I bring our country up because I'm very concerned about where things are going. Has our country become as bad or worse than Sodom and Gomorrah? Sodom and Gomorrah did not have all the privileges that we have and all the word of God from Genesis to Revelation and all the preachers that have come throughout the ages. They didn't have all those privileges. We do. And have we come worse than Sodom and Gomorrah? First, let us consider the issue of the soil where the seed that was sown did not penetrate the ground, but birds came and got all the seed. I would get frustrated sometimes in wanting to put some grass on the lawn. My wife said, that lawn's awfully brown there, you want to put some grass on it. Put grass on it, and they came and took it. I said, that's not right, talk to the neighbor. I got to do something, those dirty birds are getting on all my grass, or seed. So I said, well, put some straw on it. Well, that seemed to work a little bit, put a lot of, and I got good grass this time, real good grass. I said, put it on, sowed it, you know, put all of the necessary, what I needed to make it grow. That was good and that was helpful. Those of you who have wanted a nice green lawn, then you'll do what I have done to keep the birds away. Jesus listened. Now Jesus likened this to hearers who hear his precious word, which is the living seed that's imperishable, never passes away. But Satan immediately comes and snatches it away. They become backsliders. Satan doesn't want God's word to penetrate anybody's heart. He doesn't want God's word to penetrate your heart or mine. And if he can get in the way and hinder us, he'll do it. We don't like that about him, but he does it. Considering God's word and hiding it and storing it in your heart helps with the sin problem. It enhances growth. Satan wants no growth that glorifies the Lord. He would snatch away anything that he could. This ground illustrates a hard-hearted person where the seed of God's word never sinks below the surface. They hear, but it goes in one ear and out the other. The seed is safe only when it is buried far below the surface. The seed never takes root. And here's the saying you might as well know, no root, no what? Fruit. No root, no fruit. Illustration of this is from the Old Testament, Solomon's son Rehoboam. He did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. Second Chronicles 12, 14. He would not listen to the older men who knew how things were going in Israel. Instead, he would listen to the younger crowd, the new lifestyle. And as a result, the king was divided. He didn't listen very well, he didn't hear very well, he didn't act very well. To some hard-hearted Jews in the New Testament era, Jesus declared they were not of God, they were of the devil. Why? Jesus said, whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not of God. That would be hard for some of them to take, but if you don't receive God's word and hide it deep in your heart and seek him on a daily basis, then basically you're not of the Lord. The greatest hard-hearted hearer is none other, of course, Judas Iscariot. the betrayer, the one that Jesus called a devil. Now notice, he called Judas a devil. And of whom he said, it would have been better for that man if he'd never been born. So he was a devil, a servant of the devil, and gave in to the devil. I always find Judas a very tragic, sad person. who had wished that he had just gone to the Lord and asked for forgiveness like Peter finally did. But he didn't. Money became his idol. He would pocket it. And he got so far away from the Lord and backslid so much, he got to the point where he could not respond in a positive, favorable way. Hard-hearted. I would not want to be where he was, where he is. Sad to say, left to ourselves, we only grow harder, fruitless, and rebellious. Judas's case is a calamity, a calamity of calamities. And I'm afraid a lot of the leaders in our nation are heading in that direction. When you don't follow what they think should be followed, and when they will hurt other people and not consider them? And many people die because of the bad decisions that are made? Judas had heard Christ's word, seen His miracles, was acquainted with Him personally, even preached the gospel, but his heart was not right. Lost, condemned, and sent to the place of darkness, tears, and of eternal punishment. That's sad, that's bad, and that's miserable. Miserable. Next, we observe an impulsive, shallow, and emotional heart. The seed fell on the rocky ground where there was some soil that would receive the seed, and although A plant immediately sprang up. It did not last. No depth, no root, no fruit. It was scorched by the sun and withered away. Jesus said that these people hear the word and the word immediately is received with joy. But it immediately come, immediately go. They endure for a while, but not long. When trials and testings and tribulations arise with respect to God's word, they immediately fall away. They backslide. They don't endure. They give up. Jesus said in Luke 18, one man ought always to pray and not faint, not give up. They are like pliable in Bunyan Pilgrim's progress. who was easily persuaded about things, but he never persevered and carried through. John chapter six, Jesus spoke of the many disciples who at first followed him, but they went away and turned back and no longer walked with him. Why? Why did they no longer walk with him? They wouldn't accept all that Jesus was teaching about, being the bread of life. and all that that meant. And involved in this was the doctrine of election, which has been the fall of many. The doctrine of election. They couldn't understand it. Hey, no problem. Do you understand it fully? Do I understand it? No. I've told you before, and I've told my other congregations before, my main purpose is not election. I teach it, I believe it, and I search and try to learn more and more about it. I continue to do that. I think it's a comforting doctrine in many ways. But who is saved and who is not saved, or who is elected and who is not elected, primarily that's not my business. That's God's business. He's the one that does the electing. I don't. You don't. He does it. And I'll leave that in His hands. What's my responsibility? I am to testify about God's word. I am to be a witness of the God's word. I am to give the warning and hope that the Holy Spirit will take those words and convict and convince people of sin and bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus. But it's sad that so many fell away because they didn't understand the doctrine of election that nobody does really understand thoroughly here on this earth. Good doctrine and good to study, We'll learn more about it when we get to heaven. And even then, I don't think we're gonna know all about it. We're gonna continue to learn about it and how wonderful God is. Because then in heaven, we won't have the taint of sin that we have here. They really didn't believe who Jesus really was and what he came to do. This would have been a disappointment to Jesus. and a disappointment to his real followers. Isn't that true with you? When people get astray because they can't accept certain doctrines, predestination, election. They can't understand some of those things. Or why God would allow such things as 9-11. He did allow it. There was a plan in it. Do I know why? Do you know why? I don't. That's in his hands. Someday we will probably learn more about it. But aren't you disappointed when somebody you have witnessed to and you've prayed about and hope would come to know the Lord and they don't? They seem to continue on in their rebellious backslide, or not even just backsliding, their atheistic ways even in some cases. There are people like that I know personally and I've had to deal with. And I'm sad. There are times when I really cry about it. I don't do it ordinarily in public, although it has happened. A lot of people that I, even family members, I want to see in heaven, and I tell them. It's always a disappointment to witness then to those at first also who may have followed Jesus, but they don't endure. In the third soil, the seed fell among the thorns, and weeds choked the plant so it yielded no grain. These, Jesus said, are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things enter in and choke the word, it proves unfruitful. No fruit, no root. And that was Judas' problem there. The deceitfulness of riches. We're applying to an elderly citizen's home now in Lancaster, Quarryville. It used to be the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. What have I had to fight? Well, by the time they want to know all your assets and all your debts, and by the time I've got to decide to do with the big library that I have, which is as big as your pastors, or bigger actually, what's that mean? There are things you've got to get rid of. My wife tells me I've got to get rid of more than what I think I've got to get rid of. True in some respects, but I'm getting there. I'm getting there. Because as the Lord said, most important thing is that we have food, clothing, and shelter. That's most of what we need. In this case, of course, my sisters there would like to have us there and my other sister who lives with us. Now, that's not gonna happen right away, so don't get worried, but I'll be able to continue my series here and throughout the rest of this year, but it'll go into the new year sometime. But you never know about those things, because they have a three-year waiting list. But an indication from what they said to us, it looks like it might not be that long. but you think about it. What about some of you other ones? Not you younger people right now, but even so with younger people, be careful how much you amass. We've been in the house we're in now, what, 43 years now, and of course my wife grew up in that house. Her mother left it to us because we took care of her mother and her mother's sister, my mother, and a Christian worker from Afghanistan. Now we have all of those things. And after that amount of time, you accumulate a lot. So some of you older people that are closer to what my age is, and I'm next week going to be over, no, two weeks, right? Over the 80 mark, I've had to do it. So if you're getting close to that, or in your 70s, later 70s, you better start thinking about the future somewhat. Start training others and giving away some things, and I've done it somewhat, not always been as successful as I should. I'll admit that. I want you to think about it. Maybe you'll come where we are, and I'll see you again, and we'll have good fellowship there for a number of years. Be glad to have you come and visit us and see it, and maybe you'll want to be there. Of course, if it doesn't work there, then we, of course, have our own seminary, and I would prefer that in ways, but you also like to be where your family are, No fruit, no root. And it's sad. Worries, wealth, and health are the weeds that produce no lasting crop. Jesus was clear to say, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. That's from Mark too, Mark 13, 13. He warned that many would be led astray by false prophets. Lawlessness would increase. Did you look on the television even there? That teacher, and she's killed, husband left, and young children in the class that she taught by a man who would have been let out of jail, except this time it's going to be a little different because killing is involved. Violence, lawlessness. I kid you not, this is bad news. The love of many grows cold, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. When everything seems to be falling apart, when the saints are being persecuted, and when the devil seems to be getting the upper hand, Scripture declares, here is a call for the endurance and the faith of the saints. We look to Jesus. He's in charge. The church in Smyrna was promised the crown of life if they were faithful unto death. If you're faithful unto death, relying upon God's Holy Spirit, trusting God's word, you'll get the crown of life. Not that you deserve it, but because God willingly will give it to those who put their trust in his son, trust in his righteousness, his shed blood, and rely upon his spirit. We now come to the fourth soil, which I like a lot better. I like dealing with this a little more. It was good soil. The seed is deeply hidden and it's buried. Jesus likened this to a hearing heart that receives the seed, bears fruit, some 30 fold, some 60 fold, some 100. And this heart is like the Beryans who received God's word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures on a daily basis, and they believed, they trusted. Now, why is it that some hear effectively and others do not? Mark 4.9 tells us, as Jesus says, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. Who are those who have ears to hear? We find this in Jesus's words in Revelation, when Jesus reveals to the churches, he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. It is the Holy Spirit who enables one to hear God's word effectively. It is he who enables one to see and enter the kingdom, opens up blind eyes so we can see, unplugs deaf ears so we can hear. It is the one who takes the seed which is imperishable and living and enduring and gives the new birth to those chosen and adopted by the Father. Those are the ones. We should not get discouraged when we sow the seed of God's word and find that it falls on deaf ears. Remember, the greatest of all sowers was not paid attention to. Many didn't listen carefully. And he was the best preacher and teacher that there ever was. And they did not listen. It's an a comfort to a pastor who sometimes does find each one of these types of hearers in his congregation. The same sun that melts the butter hardens the clay. The religious Pharisees tried to discredit Jesus and to get others to reject him. They didn't deny Jesus's miracles, they couldn't, but taught that he accomplished them by the prince of the demons. Jesus was angry, and he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts. So there's a sense in which you not only can grieve and be sad, but angry too, because they've rejected the only hope that there is. God hardens those who harden themselves. Consider the Pharaoh in the time of Moses. He didn't know the Lord, but he didn't want to know him. That's not an easy case to deal with. You have some people, I've had some where I've gone to try to read the word or something. Get out of here. Don't want you here. One time I went to the hospital because a man's wife wanted me to go because he was dying. She thought he was not going to make it. He wanted me to go and read and pray to the scriptures. I went in to do that. He says, get out of here. I didn't try to stay there and persuade him or do anything like that. I just left because I didn't want to lose the opportunity because they let me go in to do this, to lose the opportunity in the hospital to teach people. And if they don't want you, you don't stay around and try to say more than what you should say. Evidently, she got through to him and said, I want you to try it again. And I believe she went with me this time because I was not about ready to go alone. because I didn't want to go through the same thing, and I didn't want him to yell out so that they would hear it and think that something was wrong. This time he listened. Whether he became a believer or not, I don't really know. Finally, the Lord sent miracles of judgment on Pharaoh. He was glorified, God's people were freed, and the hardened sinners paid a heavy price. Finally, Jesus explains the purpose of the parabolic method of teaching. He quotes from Isaiah 6, 9, and 10. To his followers, he declared, to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for the outside, everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see, but not perceive, may indeed hear, but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. The mystery or secret of the parables is God's revealing what was previously unknown. It's a divinely disclosed secret. The parables were used to conceal the truth from outsiders who were hard-hearted, rebellious, and non-repentant, and would just reject it and cause you all sorts of problems. Jesus progressively would make clear the meaning of the parables to his true followers. But even they would not always understand because one of the greatest mysteries was that the gospel was going to be opened up, not just to the Jews, but to the Gentiles as well, most of which of us are here. Gentiles, not all. Jesus did spend a lot of time explaining the parable of the sower to those who listen and is found in all the gospels. To those who listen, life. To those who refuse to listen, death. Paul puts it this way. For we believers are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are perishing and among those who are being saved. To one, a fragrance of death to death. And to the other, a fragrance of life to life. Conclusion. The prophet Isaiah records God's words when God himself declares that his ways and his thoughts are higher than our ways and our thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways. My thoughts higher than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth, make it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower, bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out of my mouth. It shall not return to me empty. It shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. So you never know that when you witness for Christ, when you give a warning, You never know when the Lord is going to change people. I've seen that happen. People that I never expected would be changed were changed. Those who refuse to listen do so, of course, at their own peril. For the word of God is living, active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Now, are you a good soil hearer or a bad soil hearer? Now, I must admit, you are a well-trained congregation. I have found that you really love the Lord. Me, seems like most of you are good soil hearers, but I don't know your hearts. And the gospel is not just to non-believers or backsliders or hard hearters. The gospel is also for Christians as well. because by giving it, you also give some encouragement and some hope. As you've heard some of the illustrations that I've had to face as a pastor, I would think that even on a local level, a common layman's level, you've had some of the same things happen, but it gives you some hope as you study the word and as you are blessed by my own study of the word. Is your heart hard or soft? To both Old Testament hearers and New Testament hearers, the Holy Spirit says, today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. All are warned, take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the Lord. Now he's talking to the brethren. that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3. He's concerned, and my concern for you, even my own self, is that I'll not be deceived and be hardened. Ecclesiastes 5.1, we were told, as we go into the presence of the Lord, to draw near to, what? Ecclesiastes. Draw near to, listen. Be always listening, be always believing, be always obeying. There's no other way. Let's pray. Your word is so wonderful and helpful and revealing. What great hope that you give to us and the promises that are given there. We know that we're still sinners. Saved sinners, but far from perfect and still having that taint of sin, still having original sin that we have to deal with that's been passed down to us. Still having to deal with the remnants of the old man, the old nature that's still there. Still having to deal with the forces of the evil one, the devil and his forces and non-believers in heaven and earth that we have to deal with. And yet we know that you've given us the hope that you're in control, that all of the evil will come to an end. We're going to have life forevermore, and the others are not going to be able to tempt us or test us or cause us problems as we look forward to your son's return. And that's what we do. We look forward to the return of the Lord Jesus. Until then, keep us true and faithful to yourself and your word. In this next upcoming week, help us to be faithful servants like Jesus was a faithful servant who did not come to be served, but to serve and to bring us to himself. So let us listen and listen carefully. Praying in our Savior's name then, amen.