be turning to Ezekiel chapter
34. Now I do have a little bit of bronchial scratchiness, so
if I take a coughing fit and have to stop, you just have to
forget me. Does everybody want to try to
get out of here about 12 o'clock? I was going to say that's too
bad if you do, because I don't know that we'll do that. Now
I'm just kidding. I don't think we'll get out of
here right at 12. I thought you might like that. I thought it
might brighten up your soul for a moment, then to dash your hopes
into pieces. I guess I'm known for that. Ezekiel
chapter 34, I will read just a couple of verses for the sake
of time. I would encourage you to go sometime and read this
chapter. And I may speak on it more, I don't really know. Ezekiel
chapter 34. Let me read the two verses particularly
from which I will The two verses from which the bulk of my message
I think comes is verses 18 and 19 of Ezekiel 34 Ezekiel Is prophesying
against the shepherds of Israel Now it doesn't call them false
shepherds But that's what they were in effect. That's what they
were in effect. False shepherds. They were self-centered,
self-absorbed men who led the people of Israel. But they did
so according to the flesh and not according to the gospel of
Christ. And in writing against them, in prophesying against
them, Ezekiel's moved to write these words, Seemeth it a small
thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture But ye must
tread, notice that words, those words. But ye must tread down
with your feet the residue of your pastures. And to have drunk,
and the must is still continued. In other words, for you it's
like a necessity's laid on you. And to have drunk of the deep
waters. But ye must foul the residue
with your feet. And as for my flock, now think
about this now. And as for my flock, they eat
that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that
which ye have fouled with your feet. When I read that the other
day, it just hit me. Read this chapter. other chapters
as well, the surrounding chapters, and read in other places. God's
truth is likened by God through Ezekiel as good mountain pasture. He talks about sheep and shepherds
and that kind of thing. I can see it. I've seen pictures.
I've never been there, but I've seen some of the places in say
like the Netherlands or Switzerland and Mason, these beautiful white
snow top mountain. And then down below are these
just lush green pastures. And you see these animals grazing.
That's what God's truth is likened to by Ezekiel. Good mountain
pasture. and cool streams of water to
God's sheep. In other words, it's our sustenance. God's truth is our sustenance. It's what we feed on. It's what we feast on. It's something to come to the
table to eat just to keep going. It's another thing to come to
the table to eat because it's just so enjoyable to eat. That's
what I'm talking about, complacency. Oftentimes, because of God's
grace, and only because of God's grace, we eat because we have
to. Can't help it, we eat. Oh, but
God, he'll revive us so that we eat because we want to. Good mountain pasture, cool streams
of water to God's sheep. God's truth is said to feed.
Right here, even in this chapter, to feed. to give rest, he said,
my sheep will lay down. He said, they'll lay down. God's
truth feeds, gives rest, it binds up and strengthens God's people.
If it doesn't, you got no right to claim you're one of God's
people. And that's not being mean. That's caring for your
soul. Now granted, there are some lost
sheep. Mason, they're not in the good
pasture and around the cool mountain waters yet, but they shall be.
And when God brings them there, they go eat that grass, they
go drink that water. Why? Because that's what sheepies
do. They're going to eat and drink. But, but there are some. And according, if you look at
the preponderant testimony of scripture, those some are said
to be many. Sad. Well, let me put it. It's sad,
truly, from a human perspective. But there are some. There are
some who trod underfoot these good mountain pastures. There are those who fell with
their feet these good cool streams. And while they may trample Because
God said you do. Peter comes along and says there
was many false prophets back yonder, there's going to be many
false teachers. And that hasn't stopped. That's still so today.
While they may trample the good grass, and they may pollute the
cool stream of God's truth, nevertheless, that's where we still feed and
drink. You hear what I say? That's where we still feed and
drink. God's truth, God's truth, is sustenance to my soul. And when sheep feed, God has
ordained it. Now here's the reason. I'm not
talking about nature. When God's sheep feed, God's
ordained it, they feed together. That's just the way it is. He
said there's gonna be one foal and one shepherd. Therefore, you
can't help but bump into one another on occasion. Right? God didn't call you out of darkness
into light. God didn't go out into the wilderness
and rescue a sheep so they could send that sheep Joe back out
into the wilderness to live by itself. That is not the way God
saves people. And I find myself saying that
over and over more and more. You know why? Because I see men
and women who profess the truth of the grace of God in Christ
that could care nothing about gathering together with God's
people. And it saddens me to my core. And yet they think they're
bound for glory. One of you the other day mentioned
to me along this line, if you don't want to be with God's people
now, How in the world do you think you're going to want to
spend eternity with them in glory? You know? Well, I'll be different
then. You ain't different now? Maybe
that's your problem. That was the rabbit track. That
wasn't even where I was going. But here's why we know, even
where they trod underfoot, the green pastures, and they fell
with their feet in the cool mountain streams, yet that's where we
feed. Why? Because God's seeing to it. Therefore,
verse 20. You see it? Therefore, thus saith
the Lord God unto them. Unto them who? Unto both groups. But look at what he says. Behold,
I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the
lean cattle. You see, most people want to
think, now just think about this for a moment. Most people want
to think, well God really, God is after good people, and he's
gonna damn bad people. And that's really the opposite
way of which it is. Those who think they're good
people are the ones that's gonna perish. Those who know they're
ungodly is those the kind God saves. Now I'm saying that for
a reason, because we'll see something here in a moment. God said, I
judge between fat cattle and between lean cattle, and that's
his business. Now here's the point, if God wants one fat one
here and a lean one over there, that's his business. If God wants
a big gob of fat ones over here, Neil, or a big gob of lean ones
over here, that's his business. I judge between the cattle. Fat
and lean, I do it. Isn't that what God said? because
you have thrust with side and with shoulder and pushed all
the disease with your horns till you've scattered them abroad.
And you can see this really large beast here amongst the other
beasts. And he's got these big horns and big shoulders and he's
pushing everything else to the side. It's all about me, me,
me, me, me. You see that? That's what he's
talking about. Therefore will I save my flock. You know why? Because a flock
can't save itself. That's why God's got to do it. I mean, one
sheep by himself or herself, or all the sheep together, we
can't save each other. Therefore will I save my flock.
They shall no more be a prey, and I will judge. Now that looked
between cattle and cattle. See the difference here now?
And I will, I will, thank God he said I will. This ain't talking
about the regathering into Babylon. That was mentioned just before
in this chapter. This is talking about the coming
of Jesus Christ, the son of God. And he says, I will set up one
shepherd over them and he shall feed them, even my servant David,
he shall feed them and he shall be their shepherd. See all the
wills and shalls? And I, the Lord, will be their
God. And my servant David, a prince among them. Is he talking about
David the king who was in his tomb and buried? No, he's talking
about David's greater son. That's who he's talking about.
I, the Lord, have what, Joe? Spoken it. And I will make with
them a covenant of peace. And I will cause the evil beasts
to cease out of the land. And they shall dwell safely in
the woods and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places
round about my heel a blessing and I will cause the shower to
come down his season There shall be showers of blessing. How many
people do you know that sings the song? There should be shower
of blessing and knows where that even come from And then they
turn around talk about men's free will right after they sing
there should be showers of blessing But listen to me. I have a question. What is this
truth, though, that men trample and foul? And what does that
mean? It means they malk at it. That's
what it means. They jeer at it. Or maybe they
deny it. Or maybe they avoid it. Whatever
it is. But in some way or another, they seek to escape the truth.
What is this truth that men trample and foul And yet, we feast and
drink upon those very things. What is it? Now you may wonder why I start
here, but I hope it will become evident. I'm not trying to say,
oh, this is some special thing I've discovered. That's not what
I'm talking about. But let me give you one thing. Let me start
with this one point, this one truth. It's a truth that we feast
upon, that we drink from. It's that good, plush mountain
pasture. It's that cool, not some rushing
stream that you're afraid to get up close to, but that good,
cool mountain water that's flowing gently down. You stick your head
right in it and just suck up the water. And yet there are
those who trample those green plush pastures under their feet. They'll get in that water and
just put their old nasty feet right in the middle of it. There's
one thing about drinking in these streams, you gotta bow down your
head to get to it. One thing about eating the grass
on the field, what you gotta do? You gotta bow down when you
do it. Here's the first truth, that
they trample underfoot. They fell with their foot. It's
the very truth that we feast upon and drink from, that God
Almighty was made flesh. Amen. Yeah. That's right. In other words, that Jesus Christ,
the man, is God. Amen. Amen. Now, I hope it will
become evident why I start there. But let me give you something
here. while all who trample and fail do not deny that Jesus is
God by word. Now some do. Some people say
Jesus is just a very special man, right? A man with just some
special power from God. Had maybe a good chunk of God
in him, you know? But most who profess to be Christians
say Jesus is God, don't they? Right? I mean, most every church
that I was born in and the churches that they associated with, with
Mason, they all said Jesus Christ is God with vehemence. With conviction,
right? Jesus Christ is God. The problem
was they didn't know that God is God. They don't even know who God
is to start with. Therefore, when they say Jesus
is God, they don't know what they're talking about. It's that
simple. And Joe, yet that profound. It's
easy to say Jesus is God, but Jesus is God in fact, and in
deed, and in will, and in purpose, as well as in name. Joe, you already read it. You trampled on it in a good
way. You was in their feet, I was in their eyes feeding right with
you, Joe. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with
God, yeah? And the word was God. And there wasn't nothing that
was ever created, nothing was ever made in this universe that
he didn't create. And then what is it? Verse 14,
John is ultimately brought to say, and that word was made flesh. Now think about the enormity
of that. The word didn't just take on
him a body. The word was made flesh. That is, that God was made flesh. Jesus Christ the man is God. Here is how they trample underfoot.
Here is how they foul this glorious stream. And this is my title.
We partake what they trample. We partake what they trample.
In other words, the very thing they trample under their feet,
that's the grass that we feed on. There are streams that they'll
trot right in. Don't worry about it, you know.
mock it, deny it, whatever, avoid it, whatever it is. That's the
very stream, muddy the waters. That's the very streams that
we drink from. How is it that they don't really know who God
is? That's the problem. Everybody
that professes, other than a few, way out there on the fringes,
everybody who professes to be a Christian says Jesus is God. When we begin to consider God,
the first thing about God is here's what they trample underfoot. Here's what they fell the stream
of. God is absolutely holy. I start
there because you remember when Isaiah seen the Lord high lifted
up, what did he first thing he began to hear? Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty. God is absolutely holy. And according
to that, in light even and especially of the fall, the psalmist said
this, God saying this rather through the psalmist in Psalms
50 verses 21, 22 and 23, he said, you thought that I was altogether
such as one as yourself. We read that God said, let us
make man in our own image, but fallen man wants to forget that
he fell. And we don't manifest that image
anymore God said now you think I'm all together just like you
are you're taking this thing and twisting it all around You're
trodden down the green pastures. You're fouling the cool waters
But yeah, that's where we feed at That's where we drink at God
is absolutely holy. We know God's not like us and
And then they turn around and say, we ought to be like God.
Well, which is it? We ought to let people see Jesus
in you. Now, I know we say, well, they
didn't even see Jesus in Jesus, but I thought we was creating
God's image. What happened? We fail in Adam. We have not only ceased to show
forth that image, Mason, we foul it and defile that image now. God said you thought I was altogether
one like one unto yourself. The matter in Job, Job is all
over my passages. Turn to Isaiah chapter 55. You
know this one. Look, seek ye the Lord while
ye may be found. That's good counsel. Is it not? But think about it, it says,
while he may be found. What does that indicate to me? There's
a time when he will not be found. Right? We're not even dealing
with that this morning. Seek ye the Lord while he may
be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked man
believe in the five points of Calvinism. Is that what it says? No, let the wicked man forsake
his ways. His way, why? Because we all
think our way is right. Let the wicked man forsake his
way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto
the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he
will abundantly pardon. And that's a promise that if
anybody turns, Mason, they'll find blessing. But look, here's
why, four. My thoughts are not your thoughts. Here we're getting to the essence
of holiness. Holiness is certainly sinlessness. God is sinless,
but his holiness is not just, God is not holy because he don't
smoke cigarettes and go to the movies. God's not holy because
he don't drink Budweiser. Or maybe a good 12 year old scotch.
That ain't why God's holy. God is holy because his thoughts
are not our thoughts. Holiness means sanctity, separation,
distinctness. For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, saith the Lord. For
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. And fallen
humanity trods this right under their feet. Don't they? They say, well, I think God does
this, or believes this, or wants this. It ain't about what we
think. Because God says it's not your
thoughts. Your thoughts and mine are not
the same. So when I say I think, Mason,
I need to step back a moment. I think God's like this. I think
God would do this. Step back a moment. and see if
what you're thinking is coming from who this book says God is,
or whether it's coming from in here and something you expect
God to be based on you. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down and
the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but what watereth
the earth, and maketh it the bringing forth and bud, that
it may give what? We're still talking about eating
again, ain't we? You see it? Seed to the sower
and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goeth
forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please. And it shall
prosper in the thing whereinto I send it. You go out with joy.
Amen. You see, even though some may
trample it under their feet, even though they may foul the
waters with their feet, we will still feast on these things.
Yes, sir. Amen. That's right. We'll still feast on these things.
God is distinct and separate and above us, period. Amen. And we must always hold our thoughts
and our ways in check. Exactly. Always second guess
your thoughts and your ways. Oh, yeah. That's it. You know? They say, well, where is it in
the Bible that tell me to do this? Well, just wait. Don't do it until
you find out. Well, I believe God will have
me do this. Why? Bruce Crabtree said he, he didn't
put exactly these words, but he kind of chuckled one time
when he heard a couple say, well, we're going to, we want to get
a house pet, a dog, and we'll go pray about it. But you know
what? You best ask God about everything
in your life. No, that too, Neil, that too,
everything. Because there's nothing you got
in this world that God Almighty don't give you for your blessing,
or he'll give it for your condemnation. Whatever it is. Whatever it is. You see, the problem is, we wanna
pick and choose what we think God ought to be consulted about. You see, God is holy. And men
say God is holy, but they don't conduct themselves as though
God is holy. They would be, in other words,
if today there was a leper, and that leper was instructed by
modern day free will Christianity, that leper would come to Jesus
Christ and say, Jesus, you've got to heal me. That's what they're taught to
do. But that leper, in Christ they come up and worshiped him
and said, Lord, if you will, Yeah, you can make me clean. The question is never his ability.
No, that's right. The question is always his will. Amen. And yet religion turns
it around and says he has no ability unless you will. Right.
Oh yeah. You're right. You got to let
him. Yeah. You got to let him. Yeah.
See God's ways, God's thoughts, God's actions accomplish his
purpose. always. And that brings me to
the second thing. In other words, we partake what
they trample. What do they trample? And what
is it that we actually partake? That God is absolutely sovereign. God's absolutely sovereign. Somebody
says that that word's not even in the Bible. Yeah, it is. You
just ain't seen it yet. It may not be spelled the way
you say, but you know, the word, what is it? Omnipresence is not
in the Bible either, but if you don't see that God's omnipresent
taught in this word, all over this word, you just don't get
it. And I said, God is absolutely sovereign. You know why? Here's
how they trample. Here's how most of them trample.
They don't deny that God is sovereign. They just say he's mostly sovereign. He's sovereign in most things. That's like saying that water
is mostly wet. And somebody said, well, when
it's frozen, it ain't mostly wet. When it's frozen, it ain't
water, it's ice. Water's all wet. That's its whole
makeup. It's wet. You know, we have dry
ice still, but we don't have dry water. We ain't talking about
dry wine now, we're talking about water. In other words, God is not mostly
sovereign. That's stupid talk. I mean, I'm serious. I'm not trying to be mean. That's
stupid talk. That's the talk from absolute spiritual ignorance. And especially in the salvation
of the soul, that's the one thing we ought to rejoice the most
over that God's sovereign in. Look at Ezekiel. Therefore, because
these false shepherds, the very thing that's meant to feed you,
the very thing that's meant to give you a good cold drink when
you're thirsty, that's what they trot under their feet. That's
what they foul with their feet. But I'm gonna make sure you get
it. Why? Because I'm gonna set up David
as your shepherd. He will feed you. I'm gonna be
your God. And they say that John Calvin
came up with this. Jesus Christ, even in his condescension
to this earth, didn't come up with this. He was declaring this
through Ezekiel here. Was it not? And even further
back than that. Here is where they trample and
foul. But here's nevertheless where we eat and drink. Listen to what Paul said. Romans
chapter nine, and just this one, this one verse, Romans chapter
nine, verse 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will? And it says have mercy, and that's
okay, it doesn't destroy nothing. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy? And whom he will, he hardeneth. And then what we just read back
here in Ezekiel, I'll judge between fat cattle and lean cattle. Then
I'll judge between just the cattle. That's his business. Folks, I
look out at some other places, other people, and I thought,
boy, why don't we have that? Because Jesus Christ makes those
judgments. Right? Why don't I have that? Because God said you don't have
that. That's why. If he meant for you to have that,
blessed God, you'd have it. And thank God you don't have
it. If you ain't, because you don't need it. Huh? And yet, what do we do? Now get
into murmuring, Penny. Nobody will preach on murmuring. God says, I'll have mercy on
whom I will and whom I harden. Somebody said, well, he only
hardens bad people. We're all bad people. Someone told Penny the other
day, someone that we care greatly about. Well, yeah, God hates
some people, but he hates blasphemers. And I'm like scratching my head. They've listened to the lie of
religion. Saul of Tarsus said I was a blasphemer. But he said Jesus Christ loved
me and gave himself for me. So I know that's a lie of the
devil. God hates whom he will. Because here's the point. Here's
where they trample. Here's where they fail. And here's
the very thing that we eat on and drink from. They don't deny
God's right to save. They deny his right as to whom
to save. You see what I'm saying? They
don't deny that God has the right to save. They just don't think
God has the right to save who he wants to. And God said, I
love Jacob and I hate Esau, that's the way it is. And it was even
told his mother this, their mother this rather, before they were
even born, before they'd ever even done any good or evil, that
the purpose of God according to what? Election might stand. Oh, they don't deny that there
is an election. They just think God looked into
the future and seen who would do the right thing. You ain't
gonna do the right thing unless God Almighty chose you to do
the right thing to start with. That's that king, remember that
king Abraham, that little dry time, that was in Egypt where
he went for, one of them. That man was gonna have Abraham's
wife. And would have, had God Almighty not kept him from sinning.
Right? Now if God didn't do that for
the next guy coming along, Joe, then that's God's business. Right? And let me tell you, the guys
who did it, whether it was right or wrong, Joe, they're still
guilty. They were either right or wrong,
and whatever they did, whether it was right or right, because
wrong is wrong. But God Almighty's still sovereign
in all of it. They don't deny God's right to
save, they deny that God has the right to save who He wants
to. But God said, right here in Romans 9, and it's clear,
there is no place for playing around here in Romans 9. I'll
have mercy on whom I will. Whom I harden, I'll harden them.
They don't deny God's right to redeem. They just deny that he
did redeem. Right? Well, what did Paul say? Look at Galatians chapter 3. I do want to read this one to
you. And this is like, there is nothing new. Galatians chapter
3 verse 13 Christ hath Redeemed us from the curse of the law
if you believe and repent Now would that not have been the
perfect place to write that down if that were what the truth was?
Would it not? Is that not what so-called Christian
religion teaches today? Christ redeemed you from the
curse of the law if you'll do this or that. If you'll repent,
if you'll believe, if you'll do both, you'll repent, believe,
be baptized, repent, believe, be baptized, join the church,
do good works, right? What does he say? Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us. So whoever was redeemed, they
were redeemed when Christ was made the curse. Isn't that what
that actually says? And then look, for it is written,
cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree that the blessing of
Abraham might come. Do you see it? Redemption guaranteed
the blessing to come. You don't get blessed or seek
God's blessing or try to gain God's blessing by anything you
do, and then what Christ did on Calvary will be of some good
for you. That's a lie straight from the
mouth of Antichrist himself. So they don't deny his right
to redeem, they just deny the fact that he did redeem. Here's
another thing. They do not deny his right in
spiritual life. They just deny his right to give
spiritual life to whom he wants to. Read what Christ said in John
5, 25 and 26. He said, the father has life
in himself. He's given it to the son. Just likewise. But right
before he said that, he said, the hour is coming. And now is
when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God. And
they that hear what shall live. Now, how much does a dead man
cooperate at all? He don't. And like one preacher
said, a guy asked him, well, we gotta figure out how dead
man really is. He did that. This is not some Hollywood movie
where the one guy was, what, mostly dead? And he had to do
all that stuff to him. Some kind of silly movie, The
Prince's Bride or something. He's mostly dead. No, dad's dead.
I mean, dad. And Christ said, the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God. And those that hear will
watch over, they will live. But the very things that they
are trampling under their feet and fouling with their feet,
Neil, that's the things we feast on. Here's the last one here. They do not deny his gospel is
good news. They don't deny his gospel is
good news, they just deny the good news of his gospel. That
sounds silly, don't it? But that's the way it works.
That's how bad we are by nature. We'll say the gospel's good news,
but I don't believe the good news that the gospel is. Go back
and read again. I'm not gonna read it. Go back
and read Ezekiel chapter 34, verses 20 through 26, and you
will read the gospel. Yes, sir, won't you but now let
me read it to you from the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 5 And
you're not even gonna find the word or the phrase gospel here,
but listen to me. I know what I'm talking about
I'm gonna read to you the gospel Romans chapter 5 verse 6 for
when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the
ungodly Now here's two things that mark every person for whom
the gospel is preached. One, they have no strength. We're not weak. We have no strength. And we're what? Also what? Ungodly. Have you ever found yourself
there? That's what I ask you. That's
one. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure,
for a good man some would even dare to die. And this is men
amongst men. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. So Jesus Christ died
only for who? Sinners. If you're not a sinner,
you got no right to believe he died for you. Right? Much more than So Paul's saying
there's something now that builds on top of that. He's not throwing
this to the side, Mac, but he says, much more than being now
justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
But so that none of us misunderstand what he's talking about, he explains
for if. When we were enemies, We were
reconciled to God by the death of his son. Much more being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life. That lets me know if Jesus Christ
died for you, he's gonna save you. And that's the gospel. So when
those people trample, they say, well, the guy, we know, we know
that his gospel's good news, and then they turn around and
deny the very good news that is the gospel? What they trample
underfoot, what they deny, what they malk, what they scoff at,
that's the very thing that we feast upon. My conclusion is this, trampled
pastures and fouled waters, yeah, all around us. it would seem that at least in
our day and age that almost all of the fields of God's truth
have been trampled to some degree. And almost all of the streams
of God's truth have been fouled to some degree. but we still
feast on that truth. We don't feast simply on their
lies. No, we're not feasting on their
lies. We're feasting on God's truth. They just trampled it
under their feet. We still take it like it is.
We take it like it is. Yeah, trampled pastures and fouled
waters. Yeah, all around us. There was
a day and a time in this country when the gospel we preached was
known to be the gospel. Nowadays, we're like a bunch
of a group of weirdos. That's how much trampling these
good pastures have been trampled. That's how much these good cool
streams have been fouled with the feet of wicked and ungodly
men. But they are global. Remember,
remember, they are glorious. These truth. This truth is glorious,
nonetheless, though men market though they jeer it, though they
deny it, though they avoid it, or whatever, it is glorious nonetheless. And you know what? That's what
God has ordained we feed on. And if you're one of the sheep,
you'll never be satisfied. You'll never be satisfied at
any other time other than when you're feeding. In those pastures
and in those streams. Mason, you may turn away from
them for a little bit, but Neil, you gotta get back to them after
all. You know what I mean? Somebody may take a horn and
push you out of the way, right? Come in with a wide shoulder,
push you out of the stream, Joe, but bless God, he'll bring you
back. Why? Because he's ordained it to be
so. And they can't stop it. Because if they kill us, trying
to keep us from it, they've done us a favor. If they kill us, trying to keep
us from it, they've done us a favor. They won't horn me not one more
time if they kill me. They won't have a shoulder against
me not one more time if they kill me. I'll be done with it.
Right? And that's just the way it is,
is it not? Just the way it is. Thank you, Lord, for these promises,
things we often become so complacent in, so easily forget. But oh, God, remind us of them.
Strengthen us by them. Encourage us in them. And Lord,
help us to encourage one another. Help us to support one another,
to love one another, not just in word, but in deed and in truth. I ask it in Christ's name. Amen.
Almost 12 o'clock folks. That's about a hawk.