Our scripture reading for this morning is taken from 1st John chapter 5 verses 1 through 21. And it is no coincidence, no strange coincidence that this scripture that God put on my heart to read goes right along with the song that Kathy chose to sing. Faith is the victory. 1st John chapter 5. Whosoever believe it that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous for whosoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. And there are three that beareth witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. And these three agree in one. And we receive the witness of men. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God that he hath testified of his son.

He that believeth on the son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave his son. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life. and this life is in his son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, Whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of him.

If any man see his brother sin, a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not. But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God. The whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God has come and hath given us understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, keep yourself from idols.

May the Holy Spirit grant us understanding. Our gracious, dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much, Lord, for this time you've given us to worship you. Thank you for bringing everyone here safely, and we pray child mercies this whole weekend and for everybody. And especially for bringing us a norm down, and it's just such a wonderful blessing that our pastor will get preached to. We're all looking forward to the Lord. Bless Norm with boldness and utterance, and bless us with ears to hear, Lord, and eyes to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, who receives all the glory all the time for everything. And we thank you and praise you in Jesus' name. Amen.

When the Lord put me in this position here of preaching and teaching and leading this congregation in the ways of the Lord through the Bible, I reached out to a brother that had always been very special in my heart. And I'm going to take a little moment to introduce him this morning because the first time I did it, I was reminded that, you know, I've got to preach right after you do that. And then there's another preacher right after me.

I reached out to this dear brother and asked him if he would come preach to us, and he agreed. And it was like there was never any time spent apart. We just clicked again. And we've been, not every day, but usually a couple of times a month, kept in very close contact over the years. Thankful to call you my brother. Norm, please come. And God bless you as you come up here and brag on our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, it indeed is a privilege to be here. And good to see each and every one of you. I was reminded just a few minutes ago out there that when I first came down here I had darker hair than I do now. And I said, well, you did too.

Now, we've been in the Dalles about 38 years now. And one year before we went to the Dalles was our first time to visit down here at the conference. and we're just so thankful. I listen to those, I wish I could play a violin. I wish I could play a guitar or a piano. I wish I could play any musical instrument. Now I've got some musical instruments in my study, but nobody gets to hear them. I play them to myself.

I was telling Brother John last night, I was invited to a church in Montana one time, in view of a call, They had one of those phone calls where everybody could hear you. And one of the questions they asked me was, do you play any musical instruments? And I said, yes, I do. And they said, really? What do you play? And I said, radio, the phonograph, the cassette player. And they weren't impressed at all. They didn't laugh at all. Thank you for laughing. That's in my canon.

Well, as a result of that, we didn't go to Montana. And we got to go to the Dalles. And we've just been at home there. I'm towards the maybe, maybe not December, but September or October of my ministry in the Dalles. I'm 75, and if I last another 10 years there, but I've told the folks, I feel that I'm in the best part of my ministry. And there's not a thought in my bones about retiring. I just want to stay here as long as I can.

Well, join me. I had a message last night about four o'clock when I got up. It was taken from me. I don't know if you've ever had that happen to you. I was going over it in my mind and I said, oh. So this morning, the Lord Let me go back to a message here, and if you join me in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 1 and verse 3.

We just want to read one verse of scripture in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 1. It has to do with a man and his two wives and his first wife's family as they travel to a place to worship. 1 Samuel, chapter 1, verse 3, it says, and this man, went up out of the city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there." Now, there was two thoughts in that verse of scripture that caught my attention, and I hope to spend just a few minutes on those two thoughts this morning. First of all, in that verse of scripture, we have the first time this name of God is left to us to contemplate. And it tells us there, in that verse of scripture, to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts. The Lord of hosts. This is the first time. Now, we're going to find that that name is used many, many times after this, but this is the first time that it is in the Bible. This is a powerful biblical title And I want to spend a little time on what that name means to the church, and what a blessing it is to God's people to know Him as the Lord of Hosts.

The Lord of Hosts means that He is the Lord of armies, or heavenly hosts, angels, and creation. signifying his supreme sovereignty and power as a divine warrior and protector of his people. This is the Lord of Hosts that this man went down to Shiloh to worship, was the Lord of Hosts. He recognized that the God of heaven was a sovereign God, a protector God, a God that was dealing with his people in great peril and trouble in Israel at this time.

was in a sunken state at this time of 1st Samuel chapter 1 and for quite a ways down here. We find that they had given themselves over to the worship of idols, all sorts of idols. They had lost their interest in God and you know what that means? John and I were talking about this yesterday. It means that Christ is not sufficient. all sorts of things about your life that you want to do better, you want to get better with God. You know what? That's telling me, that's telling God that God is insufficient for you if you have to add something to Him. And this is what's happening in Israel at this time, but we have a family going down to Shiloh to worship the Lord of hosts. They recognized the fact, this man recognized the fact, his wife Hannah at least recognized the fact, that this God is sovereign over all things, even when Israel was in the most corrupt state, He was sovereign over Israel, and He was sovereign over His people there in Israel. And we find that so true today, and so comforting today.

You know, we have a massive storm coming there on the East Coast, and it's the worst storm ever. I'm telling you what, that's not true. That's not true. God's in charge of it. It's not some being out there trying to get after us, it's God Almighty that's in that storm. And He's the one that withholds storms, He's the one that gives storms, He's the one that sends tornadoes, He's the one that sends the great dirts that happen in the Bible.

So we're looking here at this man, it's a powerful biblical title of God, that this title emphasizes God's rule over all spiritual and earthly forces. That's who they went down to worship. This God is powerful, supreme, sovereign over every spiritual being as well as every earthly being. He is in control of everything earthly and everything heavenly. And that's who they went down to worship. This was the God that they loved. This is the God that they worshiped. This is the God they bowed to. This is the God they went down to Shiloh for.

This is one that can as Abraham you know Joshua said don't you get too proud of Abraham there in the book of Joshua as he comes to the conclusion he says Abraham our father was a worshipper of idols on down in Ur of the Chaldeans don't you think he's any great person it's only by the grace of God that he's ever been called out of that place and Stephen brings up the subject he says the God of glory appeared unto him all, and the God we get to worship. He's not a peanut God. He's a God that rules in all things in our life. And he rules over the number of hair that's on our head. He rules over whether a sparrow touches the ground. He rules over all things. He even ruled over that airplane losing its front tire today.

This title emphasizes God's rule. As bad as it was in Israel, there was the commander of armies in charge, the Lord of Hosts, the Lord of Sabaoth. It refers to the vast assemblies of armies, including celestial beings, angels, elect and fallen, and earthly forces, God's command over all

Now, there was a king, and I don't know how many times I've read this passage of scripture here, because I read it all the time up in the Dalles too, but it's Daniel chapter 4. Daniel chapter 4, that King Nebuchadnezzar gives us an inside track on this Lord of Hosts, this great commander of heaven and earth that rules over all things and has nothing go through his fingers he is in control of everything

turn with me if you would for just a short reading over here in the book of Daniel chapter 4 Daniel chapter 4 and we read here about this This man, his wives, and their children went down to Shiloh to worship the Lord of hosts. In the book of Daniel, chapter 4, would you turn there to chapter 4, verse 34, we read these great truths that God had left.

Now, these words are brought to the mouth of a terrible king. He's got a lot of notoriety about him, but not for good things. Now whether the Lord saved him and gave him this message, or whether the Lord just brought him out from being out in the field and said, you're going to give this message, I don't know for sure. But I know this, he delivered a message that's been a comfort for the church since he said those words. Just as we read with regard to this man coming up out of his place of Rama and going down to Shiloh to worship the Lord of hosts.

Daniel chapter 4 verse 34 says, At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes unto heaven, and my understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing.

You know, the Bible says, without Christ, we're absolutely nothing. There is nothing about us that would cause God to look in our direction, except for Christ, his son. Then we have all favor when we are in Christ Jesus. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth his will according to his will in the army of heaven. What's that Lord of hosts means? Lord of armies. King of armies. Ruler of armies. He is his will in the army of heaven among the inhabitants of the earth.

What part of God's creation does God not rule over? He is ruler over all. Nothing. He is ruler over my fingernails. He's ruler over disease. You know, if I get cancer, it's God's cancer. It's just not something evil out there. He's the director. And He's going to get glory out of it. And His people will praise Him over it. Amen. Sometimes it chafes us. But we'll come to the point, Lord be praised. It might be the means He's going to use to promote me.

He does this according to His will in the army of heaven. and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Now I read that verse of scripture to a young Southern Baptist Convention preacher just recently, and he said, that's not true. And I says, you know the reason you say that's not true? Because you don't believe it. You don't believe it. And you know what? If you don't believe it, that makes you an unbeliever.

Now I cannot share enough about what happens to an unbeliever. God is going to teach His people to believe His Word. And when His Word says He rules over all things, that's exactly what He does. It says there, and among the inhabitants of the earth that none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?

Now that's a definition of Lord of hosts. A pagan king was given those words and Daniel was inspired to write them down for us several thousand years after they were given by that king so that they would be a continuous comfort to us just like the name Lord of Hosts is a comfort to his people.

The Lord of Hosts seems to appear in the Old Testament over 250 times. Why? Because He's a comfort to the people of God. He's a comfort to Israel, but He was also a comfort to Ruth, a Moabitess woman. He was a comfort to that lady there in Jericho that let that that Crimson wrote down. He was a comfort to everybody throughout the scriptures that had been saved by his grace. He was a comfort to Peter when he said, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. He was a comfort to Peter when Peter looked up and went out and wept bitterly upon the denial of his very Savior. He was a comfort to him.

What was the first words that Jesus Christ said to Peter after that? Peace be unto you. You know, I had the terrible thing of raking that back over my children's. I was historical. I kept bringing up the past. You know, that's one thing about God. He didn't bring up the past. Saves us by His grace.

the Lord of hosts for the church. One other verse along this line over the book of Revelation, if you would. The book of Revelation, here in the book of Revelation chapter 19. Revelation chapter 19. Oh, what a joy it is to read the book of Revelation. It is such good counsel. Every time there's a problem, the answer is Christ. Isn't that the way it is in our life? Every time there's a problem, the answer is Christ.

And here we read, in the book of Revelation chapter 19, beginning with verse 11, and I saw heaven open, and behold a white horse. And he that sat upon him was called, who is this? Who is called faithful and true? And in righteousness he doth judge and make war. This is the Lord of hosts. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood. And his name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Lord of armies. The armies which were in heaven followed him. And verse 15, and out of his mouth goeth a sharp two-edged sword, sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he should rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his festure and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Lord of hosts. That's who Elkina and Hannah went down to Shiloh to worship was the Lord of hosts. They got good comfort and great comfort. You know, they were going to have traveling mercies because they had the Lord of hosts. They were going to travel a distance there in Israel down to Shiloh where the tabernacle was, but they had comfort in knowing that the Lord of hosts would lead them down there. And if he didn't, it was still the Lord of hosts, the King of glory that was in charge. So here we have, they go down.

Now travel with me back, if you would, to the book of Joshua. In the book of Joshua, again, there's another thought in that verse of scripture that I want to take a look at, not Joshua, excuse me, in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter one, verse three. And there it says that this man, 1 Samuel chapter 1 verse 3, and this man went up out of his city yearly. Now you can read in verse 1 and 2 what city that was. And he came yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts.

Now where did they go? Shiloh. Now there are several reasons for that, but there's a spiritual reason and every one of God's children are in Shiloh. Do you know what Shiloh means? Peace. Let's look at this, if you would. In Joshua chapter 18, as we travel to Shiloh, Joshua chapter 18, we read these words, Joshua chapter 18 and verse 1. It says here, as the children of Israel settled in the Promised Land, they had been taking a tabernacle, traveling with a tabernacle, with them for 38 years through the wilderness there. They had it built early on.

And then those 10 lying thieves that came back with an evil report who knew nothing of the gospel. They knew nothing about God. They knew nothing about Christ. They knew nothing about the blood of Christ. They came back with an evil report that God was not able to do what he promised them that he would do and take the children of Israel into the promised land. Christ was not sufficient. That's all they're saying. Christ is not sufficient. There's insufficiency in Him, and we are not going to be able to take this land.

Well, they came back, and lion, lion, lion, lion. Well, instantly, God consumed them, and there were two men that were left, Joshua and Caleb. Now the reason that they didn't come back with that report, the Bible tells us they had another spirit. You know what that was? They had the new birth. God had saved them by His grace and they were not going to come back with that report. They knew if God could save them, He could do anything. And He was. And they came back with that report that, no, don't believe them. Don't believe them. Let's go. Let's go. And oh, anyway, we know what turned out.

You know, the amazing thing about it that I find with regard to Joshua and Caleb, for 38 years, they wandered with everybody else and didn't say an evil word about it. Why? Because the Lord hoaxed His people. 38 years. They could have been in the land. And for 38 years, more years, they travel in the wilderness until that whole generation dies off. Why are they not complaining? Because they got the Lord of Hosts, Lord of Armies.

Now, they're out there, they're traveling around, and they have a tabernacle. And God gave them exactly how to build it, and I dare you, you cannot build a model of that tabernacle by the instructions in the Bible, and I don't care who you are. It's just like trying to reenact the Noah's Ark. My goodness, there's not enough instructions, and anybody that tries to do that is a fool. I don't care if they've done it or not. They're still fools.

Why do you need that? Why do people need a literal replica, quote unquote, of the Ark? Oh, it increases my faith. And you don't have faith in the Lord Host. That's right. You just don't have any faith at all. If you have to have that, now the Lord of hosts gives us faith that is beyond anything anybody can explain. Why are you going to that church? Because I believe it. How do you know that? Well, God gave me faith to believe it.

Well, here we are. We have a tabernacle traveling along, can't be replicated, but it's there. place where God met with the children of Israel. Well, after they entered into the promised land, it tells us here, the whole congregation, Joshua 18.1, the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there, and the land was subdued before them. So everything that God had promised Israel, they had been given. not one piece of property was not given to them all the enemies that they had Joshua is going to be quite clear not one promise that God promised that he not fulfill for Israel don't fall into the trap that's out there right now that God didn't give him all the territory he did and he says two or three times in Scripture how many times do we need it gave it all to him, and now they're setting up the tabernacle again in Shiloh.

And this is where we find Alkinah and Hannah are going down to worship the Lord of Hosts at Shiloh. Chapter 19 of the book of Joshua, if you'd turn there with me for just a moment, Joshua chapter 19, verse 51. We read this, and these are the inheritance Inheritances, Joshua chapter 19, verse 51. These are the inheritance which Eliezer the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel divided for an inheritance by law in Shiloh before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end to dividing the country.

Now, this term Shiloh has great significance. It is no wonder that God directed Joshua to set up the tabernacle at this particular place. Join me, if you would, over in the book of Genesis chapter 29. And we have this name mentioned again. And there's a great prophet that uses this term. It happens to be Israel. And in the book of Genesis chapter 49, we read these words about Shiloh. Genesis chapter 49 and verse 10. Genesis chapter 49 verse 10. Here's the time we find Shiloh mentioned now. This is not a place This is a person and that place Represents the person what that place means is peace Now you're not going to find peace in a place. You're going to find peace in a person now when that person gives you peace you might find peace in a place and But you're not going to find peace outside of Christ. It's just temporary. I remember in religion how temporary peace was. You went forward and you made a confession, you did this, you did what the preacher said, you had a little peace, but it was only temporary. It didn't last. Because before you knew it, you had to do it again.

Well, this place, that God gives us peace in Jesus Christ, it is not temporary, but it's eternal. He gives eternal peace. Now, even times of trouble, He gives eternal peace. We may come to Him, Lord, I don't understand what's going on, I'm troubled about this, but you know what? He has given us peace because He's given us Christ. Christ is our peace. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have peace and it is a settlement of our soul that we never had in this world. It is what God does as a gift to us. He is the author of our peace. Now here it says in Genesis chapter 49 and verse 10, the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come. Now who is that? Now we have some keys in there. Judah, number one, the tribe of Judah. You know, we go over to the book of Revelation again and we find out that Jesus Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. It was not through Levi that he was made a priest. It was through Judah, which had no ordinances for priesthood. But he would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. He would be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And so we have between his feet until Shiloh come, until him shall the gathering of the people be.

Now let's travel for just a short distance again over to the book of Hebrews. And in the book of Hebrews, much is said about Shiloh when we speak of rest and we get to that place, it means rest. They were going down to a place of rest. That was temporary. It was a place that they were going to. That's where the tabernacle was. That's where the sacrifices took place. That's where it was set up before the temple was built many years later. And here we find that Elkina and Hannah come down there to worship the Lord of Hosts at Shiloh, a place of peace.

In the book of Hebrews, chapter 4, You know, there's much said in the Old Testament about a Sabbath. And you know, we got people that just have to interpret that, that I've got to take a day off. You know what that means? Christ is our rest. He's our Sabbath. It's a significant statement about where real rest is. It's in Christ. And that man who went out and gathered sticks on the Sabbath is telling us in symbol form that if you don't have Christ as your Sabbath, you will pay the price. And that will happen in that day.

Alright, here in the book of Hebrews chapter 4, let me get there. Now if Jesus, for if Jesus had given them rest, now that place should have been translated, that name should have been translated Joshua. Joshua is the Hebrew, Jesus is the Greek. They both mean exactly the same thing, Savior. Joshua was a type, Jesus is reality. They shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. Now Joshua being a man could not give them rest. He could give it in type, pictured type. He could take them in. It's no wonder that Moses was not permitted to take the children of Israel into the promised land, even though he wished to. You know why he couldn't? Because he represented the law. And God is never going to have the law as our entrance into glory. He's never going to use the law as our entrance into Christ. We're going to have a law written on our hearts, yes, but it's not the law that people fall down to in the world today. You cannot keep it. It's an impossibility and that's the reason for it. It shows us the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. And if you're a sinner, you're not going to approach God on keeping the law. The law is going to condemn us. And it does. And Christ Jesus is the one that lifts us out of that pit.

So, for if Joshua had given them rest, if he'd have been their Shiloh, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day? He would have not spoken of another rest. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Now why did the Lord God Almighty give us his rest on the sixth day, seventh day? Why did he do that? He's demonstrating a great point for the church. He said, as I rested, you're going to rest when you're in Christ from your works, just as God rested from his. Now God wasn't tired. He's giving us a wonderful type and a shadow and a picture. He said, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God, for he that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works.

My friend, if you've been saved by grace, you've ceased from works. Now we will be his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus on two good works, but our works do not raise our status with God one centillion. I've had people tell me, well, I do this because I want to be in better favor with God. You can't be any better favored with God than a saved person. That's right. There is no better favor. And when you say that I have to have something to add to this, you're telling God that Jesus Christ is insufficient. I need to add to it. There's terrible implications to what people do with God and the law.

Well, it says here, verse 11, let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Isn't that the truth? The word of God is what reveals to us, are you in rest? Are you trying to accomplish rest? If you're in rest, thank God he's given you the new birth. If you're trying to accomplish rest, pray God be merciful to you. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works.

All right, let's go back several thousand years. And here we have a man, his two wives, his first wife's children. Because Hannah doesn't have any children yet. And they get on the road. And they're going to go somewhere. Why? Because they're going to worship the Lord of hosts. They're going to worship the one that is all in all to them. Their everlasting one. Their one that is overruling all things. The one that is even keeping them in a time when things are just falling apart. All their family has gone off to worship idols, and you know what? Every Sunday, they're invited, come and go with us. We want you to come over to our church. We're worshiping idols. And you know what they said? No, we can't do that. We cannot desecrate God like that. We can't go somewhere else. We can only stay here. And so they go down to Shiloh.

Now there's a reason they go down to Shiloh. The tabernacle is there, yes. But it's symbolic that they are at rest. They are at rest in their soul. They are at rest and at peace with God over sin. They are at rest in His blood. They are at rest in His purpose. They are at rest in all and all. They are not rattled. They are not charged. All the things that are going on in Israel, all the politics, and all the stuff that's going on has not rattled them. We're going down to Shiloh. They're going to share with us that the most important place they could go is the place of peace.

You know, and we get down there, there's going to be sacrifices taking place. I'm thankful that they had those sacrifices and God gave them to them, but aren't you thankful that we're not involved in that today? All those animal sacrifices. God had a purpose in them at that time. He had a picture But when you have reality, when you have reality, I've got a picture of John on my phone. Every once in a while, I pull it out and look at it. But you know what? It is nothing compared to getting a hug from that man. And people will be satisfied with a picture. And reality, no thank you. Well, with Christ, we have reality. We have His peace extended to us through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God was merciful to allow us to hear something. And God was merciful to send someone who knew something so that we could hear something. It just goes, you know, there's one thing about the gospel. It's always going to be on the lips of someone else. They're not the cause of it, but they're the limbs of it. They're the deliverer of it. They're the ones that are going to bring it. And we're thankful that God would do that.

You know, we're looking at the account of Philip over there in the book of Acts, chapter 8. I can go back and I can say, God sent me a Philip. Sent me a Philip from way over there in Kentucky to the backside of the desert over here in Oregon. Never knew the man, never heard of him much. Came out there and preached the gospel. You know he didn't preach religion. Now I can handle that. But he preached Christ. And you know what I said about him the first time? I hate that man. And I did. I hated his message. Just like being angry with the postman when he delivers the bill.

And you know, God was gracious to me. I kept hearing that message. Brother Henry went back to Kentucky, and I had the privilege one day of realizing God has saved my soul. And I called him up, and I said, Brother Henry, I know what you're talking about. And he says, what was that? And I says, you told me Christ is the issue, and now I know it. Christ is the issue. It isn't religion. It isn't baptism. It isn't works. It isn't church membership. It isn't works. It's nothing. Christ is the issue.

And so, may we all have the Lord of hosts at a place of peace.