All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn back to Romans 13. Romans chapter 13. The Apostle
Paul wrote these scriptures under the inspiration of God. We know
that. And the exact circumstances for
his writing, though we are not told the depth
of all the reasons. We do know that in the former
chapter, chapter 12, it dealt with the believers' responsibilities
toward each other, not avenging themselves, but to wait on God,
who would repay. Some in Rome may have been thought
to be not good citizens, and They may have thought themselves
being made free in Christ from the law. They were therefore
freed from their civil authorities that were in place. But whatever
was God's purpose in having the Apostle Paul write this, The
Spirit of God moved upon Paul to set forth instruction to God's
people. This is what this book is all
about. This gives us instruction on what God says is so. I think about the simplicity
of when my children were being raised, and I would have good
reason for me telling them I don't want you doing that. Why? And
my answer would be because I said so. Sometimes I might give a
reason, but sometimes maybe not. I don't want y'all playing in
the road. Why? Well, I don't want to go
into the depth of it, but you might get killed and I'd rather
you not. But whatever the reason, we realize
these scriptures were given by inspiration of God. And so therefore,
I need to hear, we all need to hear. So here, verses 1 to 7
deals with the believers, everybody truly, but especially a believer. The responsibility to be in subjection
to authority. And I'm going to clarify. Where
does that submission and subjection end? And if it doesn't end in
some places, it's covered in all places. But let's see what
God has to say. Let every soul be subject. That is voluntarily cooperative. That's what it means. Let every
soul be subject under the higher powers. unto the authorities
that are in place. For there is no power but of
God. The powers that be are ordained
of God. So, here's what I know. Civil authority, all authority,
is by divine institution. Now, it has been the good pleasure
of Almighty God to set up positions of authority. Whether it's the
president, whether it's congressmen, policemen, teachers, building
superintendents, whether it's husbands, parents, whatever,
Almighty God has set forth that authority is going to be in place. Now, this has a much greater
message in it. What does it say? God rules. There is an authority over all
men. Now, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what place
of authority someone is. It might be just a child that's
got a cat. And that cat belongs to that
little child. And that little child has got
some authority over it. But over that child is a parent. and over that parent is somebody
else. And you might come right on up to the President of the
United States, but he's got an authority over him too. Where
is your God, David? He said, our God's in the heavens.
And he's done whatsoever he pleases. So there is authority that's
set up, but all authority from Almighty God who is the supreme
authority. There is no authority over Him.
It ends there. And that's our message today.
As Brother Scott says, who's running this show anyway? Who's
in control? All authority is ordained of
God. The powers that be are ordained. They're appointed. And they're
to be obeyed. in subjection to lawful authority. Now, here again, I'll deal with
this. Whenever Abraham was told by
God, now listen to this. Abraham, I want you to take your
son, your only son, Isaac, and I want you to sacrifice him unto
me for a burnt offering. Now let me tell you what carnal
reasoning would say. I just don't think that's the
right thing to do. I just don't think that, I mean
that to me, that sounds like murder to me. That sounds like
a complete insensitivity that, what did Abraham do? Abraham
believed God. Scripture says he knew that God
was able to raise up that boy because God had told Abraham
in Isaac in Isaac, the Messiah was gonna come. Through the loins
of Isaac. And God told Abraham to take
that boy. You take that boy and you sacrifice
him unto me. Abraham saddled up his donkeys,
got his servants, got his boy. He took off. Gonna wait on God. Three days
later, God showed him where it was. Go right up here. And Abraham
said to the servants, he said, y'all stay here. Stay here with
the ass. He said, the lad and I are going
to go up there and worship God. What was he going to do? He was
going to sacrifice. He was going to obey God. Obedience. Listen, listen to me. Obedience
to the powers that be, for Christ's sake, is worship. Because we
believe that Almighty God is ordering all these things, all
things, all things. He worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will. Who is He going to put in positions
of authority? Who is He going to put in the
White House? I'll tell you who it is. Whoever He pleases and
whoever it is. You know what the responsibility
of a believer is? Lord, You've done all things
well. You've done that which is right. Lord, you do good. You do good. Verse two, whosoever
therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God. Now that's pretty plain in it.
Whoever resists the one in authority, as long as he is doing that which
is lawfully consistent with the scriptures. Again, I'm coming
to it. I want to get to it so badly, but I'm getting there.
Whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God,
they that resist shall receive to themselves chastisement. Not if a believer, the Lord gives
his people eternal life and they shall never perish. Now there's
an old man in all of us. Every believer's got an old man
and I, we're gonna raise up, you know, our ugly head of resistance
and I do it and you do it, we all do it. But it's not right
to do it. And we need to be reminded of
it. And that's what I felt impressed
for us to hear. We need to hear this. Whosoever
opposes the appointed powers, they're resisting God. That's
what he said. Whosoever resists the power,
resists the ordinance of God. What am I saying? I'm going against
what God did. I'm saying that's not the right thing. I can't
see where that's going to be for our good. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. I believe
it's the right thing to ask the Lord, to pray, to vote. I think that's the right thing
to do. But the scripture says the lot is laid into the lap.
But the whole disposing of that is of the Lord. And whatever
God does is right. And whoever resists the power
resists the will of God. Because that person is placed
there as a type and a picture of God's authority. So to fight
against or to overthrow fair authority in any capacity is
to resist the Lord. Children, listen. Obey your parents
in the Lord. If a parent though tells a child,
I want you to do something. You go over there and steal that.
Go get that right there and just put it under your coat right
there. Steal that right there and bring it over. Now there's
a point in which that parent has overstepped their bounds.
Because now they're going against God's authority. When the Lord
said, Thou shalt not steal. whenever a husband, a wife, submits
yourselves to your own husband as unto the Lord, as we obey
what God has said. Same thing. Whenever somebody
oversteps their bounds that is in authority, where do we have
the right to resist the authority? Whenever Peter and some of the
apostles in Acts 5 We're preaching. You turn there. Hold your place.
Turn to Acts. Acts chapter 5 verse 27. These men had been preaching
the gospel. And the Jews had told them, he
said, okay, that's enough. We're throwing you in jail. Well,
God delivered them. God delivered them. God sent
an angel and delivered them out of it. And then they went right
back to doing what they were doing. They were preaching the
gospel. Acts 5 verse 27. And it says,
and when they, they went and got them. Somebody told them,
said, those guys you threw in jail, they're out there preaching,
they're doing the same thing. And when they brought them, they
sent them, verse 27, Acts 5, 27, sent them before the council,
the high priest asked them, saying, did we not, did not we straightly
command you that you should not teach in his name? And behold,
you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. and intend to
bring this man's blood upon us, then Peter and the other apostles
answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men. Now
let me ask you something. What did the Lord tell them to
do? The Lord told them, He said, you go into all the world and
you preach the gospel to every creature. Now when somebody comes
up and says, I don't want to hear y'all preaching the gospel
anymore. Now, they've overstepped their bounds concerning our obedience. Whenever Nebuchadnezzar, he made
this, you know where I'm going with it. He raised up that idol
and said, OK, when the music starts, everybody bow down. Shig,
Jack, Meshach, and Abednego, they didn't do it. And he brought
them to him and he said, what are you doing? Evidently, you
misunderstood what I said. I said, when the music starts,
you bow down to my idol. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
said, our God, He may not deliver us. He's going to deliver us
from you. He may not deliver us concerning our lives, but
I'm going to tell you this, we ain't bowing down. I can tell
you that right now. Why? Because they had overstepped
their bounds. Whenever the Lord told Moses,
you go tell Pharaoh. He said, you go tell Pharaoh
to let my people go. I want them to come out here
in the wilderness and worship me. Pharaoh tried to put some
restrictions on them. Well, you can go, but don't take
your kids. Or you can go, but don't take
your animals. They said, no. No, we're going, all of us going.
Well, eventually they did. Because Almighty God delivered
them. But the scriptures set forth
concerning the responsibility back in Romans 13, as long as
it is not a God-ordained law, rule, concerning the preaching
of the gospel, the lawful assembling of ourselves together. If it doesn't violate God's law,
then we are commanded to obey. It's because God has raised up,
to set forth restrictions. concerning things, and it's not
a violation. The scripture says, verse 3,
for rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.
Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is
good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. If I'm driving down the road,
and the speed limit's 45 miles an hour, and I pass a police
officer on the side of the road with a radar gun, I don't have
anything to be afraid of. But now if I'm doing 75, I've
got good reason to be. Because I'm in violation of a
law. So if I don't want to be afraid
of the penalty that has been set forth, and if it's not a
law that violates God's law, then do it. Just do it. As I said a moment
ago, it doesn't matter what my thoughts are. What do you think
about that? I got a lot of thoughts, but it doesn't matter. The Lord
didn't command me as long as it makes sense to you. It didn't
make sense to Abraham. But that wasn't the issue. The
issue was obedience. And so compliance is the believer's
responsibility for Christ's sake. According, that's what Peter
said, we fished all night. Nevertheless, Lord, it's your
word. It's your word. So it's right that we be honest,
civil members of society for the sake of the Lord. And this
truth of obedience God has set forth to be a mark of those.
Verse 4, he's the minister of God to thee for good. Someone might say, I don't see
it again. The Lord said he was. But if thou do that which is
evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain. He's the
minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth
I'm so thankful that God has set up authority. Brother Henry
one time said this, he said, I'd rather have, he said, an
evil authority in place than no authority at all. If there
were no policemen, if there were no governmental authorities,
think of the chaos that we would have in our society. Think of the chaos. I mean, you
know, God has set up authority, ministers, ministers, servants. They're the Lord's servants. They're ordained. But somebody
said, well, what if they're, what if they're evil? What if they're, you know, hold
your place right there. Turn with me to Exodus 9. Exodus
chapter 9. What if they are ungodly, evil
men that have been put in authority? If they're there, God put them
there. Exodus chapter 9, look at verse
13. God told Moses to go and tell
Pharaoh, let my people go. Look at Exodus 9, verse 13. And
the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning and stand
before Pharaoh and saying to him, thus saith the Lord God
of the Hebrews, let my people go that they may serve me for
I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart,
upon thy servants, upon thy people that thou mayest know that there
is none like me in the earth. For now, I will stretch out my
hand that I may smite thee. and thy people with pestilence,
and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. For in very deed for
this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power,
and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. Now
let me ask you something. Who raised up Pharaoh? God did. Why did he raise him
up? God said, I'm gonna show my power.
in you. He raised him up and God dealt
with him. Was it the place of the Israelites
to deal with Pharaoh? No. Vengeance was the Lord's. He was going to deal with it.
But I tell you this, what did the Lord teach His people through
Pharaoh? Well, He taught them to wait
on Him. He taught them of His power, of His mercy, to take
them out. God Almighty knows what He's
doing. And we don't. So to resist, even
if it's somebody that I think, oh wow, the Lord raised up a
Pharaoh for His glory and for the good of His people. And the
Lord has set forth back in Romans 13 verse 4, He's the minister
of God to thee for good, and if thou do that which is evil,
what is it? Resist him. If it's something
that, you know, if you resist him, you do that which is evil,
be afraid. For he beareth not the sword
in vain, he's the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath
upon him that doeth evil. He's not a toothless lion. God
said, I'm going to keep order. I may bring my judgment upon
him to prove my power, but I put him there for your good. And
so you waited, so it's right. It's right for ministers. Evil,
not evil, it's right for them to measure out justice to offenders. God is a just God. And when we
see, even if they're a Pharaoh, They are a picture of God's authority
and God's rule. And this demand for obedience
is a setting forth of our obedience unto the Lord. It's for our good. So wherefore concerning these
things, look at verse 5. Wherefore you must needs be subject,
not only for wrath, But also for conscience sake, don't obey
just because you're afraid of the law. I just, again, I go
back to the speed limit. It's the quickest thing I can
think of. I know that there's speed signs
placed. And we all know what the speed
limits are. What he's saying is don't obey
the speed limit sign because I'm just afraid of getting caught,
which I don't want to get caught either, but do it for conscience
sake. It's the right thing to do because
I know this, that whether it's a speed trap Or a speed sign,
that wasn't a nice way to put it. But anyway, whether it's
a speed sign or whether it's wearing a mask or whatever it
is, do it because of your love for God's authority. Because
the Lord said, do it for conscience sake. Say, I've been told to
do this because God raised it up. There's no other explanation
for it. So be subject to the higher power
because God's appointed them and it's necessary for the maintenance
of order and peace because you realize that despising it is
to despise God. And then look at verse 7. Now
he's going to set forth A difference here in the responsibility also
of a believer concerning his civil duty, concerning taxes
is what he's going to deal with. He said, you know, verse 6 and
7. For also this cause pay you tribute also, for they are God's
ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render
therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tributes due, custom
to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. When
it comes to the responsibility of our civic duty of paying tribute,
taxes, you know, don't pay them just to avoid the consequences,
but again for conscience sake, whatever is rightly due. The Lord has set forth even those
in authority to receive the tribute for the maintenance. If my house catches on fire,
I'd appreciate calling Sean. I hope he's there. I mean, if
I need a police officer, same thing. Whatever I need. This
is God's ordained means of doing. Now the Lord dealt with this
very thing. Hold your place and turn to Matthew
17. Matthew 17. Matthew 17, verses 24 to 27. Matthew 17, 24, when they were
come to Capernaum, they that received tribute, tribute money,
came to Peter and said, doth not your master pay tribute?
He said, yes. And when he was come into the
house, Jesus prevented him, saying, what thinkest thou, Simon? Of
whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their
own children or of strangers? Peter saith unto him of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, they then
are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should
offend them, go thou to the sea, cast a hook, take up the fish
that first cometh up. When thou hast opened his mouth,
thou shalt find a piece of money that that take, give unto them
for me and thee. Now, what did he say? Peter was
asked by somebody in authority, the tribute money, I can tell
you this, this was not the money that was collected by the tax
collectors for the Roman government. That, you know, that was a different,
that was a different, this tribute money right here, this was money
that was to be given by the people for the maintenance of the temple.
That's what it was for. And one of the ministers, somebody
came up and asked Peter, Does your Lord pay tribute?" And Peter
said, yeah, yes he does. And he went his way and the Lord
saw Peter and he asked him. He said, Peter, concerning what
you were saying, the paying of tribute and the maintenance of
the temple. Now truly, the Lord He was the
Lord of the temple. He asked Peter, I want to show
you something there. It was an amazing thing. He asked
him, Matthew 17, he asked Peter, he said, whenever somebody that got some kids,
say, man, when he asked him, he said, Verse 25, what thinkest thou? Of whom do the kings of the earth
take custom or tribute? Of their own children or strangers?
What he was asking this, he said if a king has a child, he's got
some kids in his family, does he charge them the same taxes
that he charges people that's not in his family? Who does he
charge taxes to? Everybody else out there or his
own kids? Peter said, Well, he does it
of everybody else in the kingdom. That's what he said when he said
strangers. Not strangers outside of their kingdom. No. In their
own kingdom. Right there. Who does he charge
to? His children. His children has got some freedom. They're the heirs. And they don't
get treated the same. That's what he's saying. He said,
notwithstanding, he said, you're free and you know you're free.
They're free in Him. He was the Lord of the temple.
And they were talking about some money to keep up the building. But here was the Lord of what
that building represented. And His people, His people, Peter
and the other apostles, the believers, they were His children by covenant
grace, by electing grace. They were His. They were free.
They were free. And truly, their obligation had
been paid in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had not
yet died, but God had seen him slain from the foundation of
the Lord. They were free in Christ. But the Lord was going to teach
them something. You are children. That's what he said. He said,
Jesus saith unto them, then are the children free. He said, truly,
there is no moral, spiritual obligation that need to be paid.
But, he said, notwithstanding, He said, lest we should offend
them. Now, he was saying, Peter, you're free. But he said, to
not be offensive to somebody. He said, I want you to go and
go catch this fish. And the Lord ordained that there
was going to be a fish that somehow got a piece of money in his mouth.
He said, you go get it, and you go pay the tribute. The Lord
Jesus Christ being the head and husband of his people, he submitted
himself in obedience to the law, to the oracle of God concerning
the tribute money. He did it. And I'm thinking,
if the Lord Himself submitted Himself to these ordinances,
shouldn't we? Attending continually upon everything
that was due, He did that which was right and honorable. Back
in Romans 13. So He said concerning, He said,
you render, in verse 7, you render therefore to all their dues,
tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to
whom fear, honor to whom honor. You pay what is due. Pay that which is right. Fear,
respect, you give it. Honor, obedience for the honor
that Christ has paid upon him. You do it. Servants to your masters. You've got somebody at work and
he's over you. He may be a jerk, but he's still
over you. And what do you do? Submit. Don't fight against him. God
put him there. Whatever your mom and dad says,
if it's not contrary to God's Word, you do it. You do it. Children, obey your parents in
the Lord. This is right. It's right. Students, teachers, I think they're
just, you know, God put them there. Husbands to wives, to
each other. 1 Peter 2.17 says, Honor all
men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. and honor the king, honor the
king. Let me read this for you, Revelation
chapter 19 and verse one, the scripture says, after these things,
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, hallelujah,
salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. We owe a debt unto him. And everybody that's been placed
in authority is a picture. And it's a type of that. Now,
the debt of love. That's all. I'll try to hurry.
Look, Scripture, verse 8. Oh, no man anything but to love
him, love one another. For he that loveth another hath
fulfilled the law. Oh, no man anything. I've heard
people say, well, I tell you what, we're not supposed to,
don't borrow. Don't borrow on credit. You borrow
on credit. You know, we're not to owe any
man to pay cash. If you can't pay cash, we'd be
hard-pressed to buy a house, unless some of you's got the
cash to do it. Most of us don't, or a car, or
anything. But if you go down and you make
an agreement with somebody, and you're going to put some money
down, and you're going to finance it for 60 months, and your bill
is due on the 15th of the month, on the 15th of the month, whatever
that bill is, pay it. If you don't pay it, you didn't
pay that which you owed. You owed what was due. Your taxes, your bills, do that
which is right. If you can't pay it, call them. Don't ignore them. But there's
one debt that we can never pay. And it's that debt of love. Love
to each other, love to our spouses, love to our children. Love, you
never pay the debt of love. You'll never be done with it.
Pay it. Verse 9, for this, not commit
adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt
not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet. And if there
is any other commandment that is briefly comprehended in this
saying, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. I'm
telling you, a man that loves his neighbor, that loves God,
that loves the authority. Look at verse 10. Love worketh
no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the
law. A man that loves his neighbor, he don't want to be offensive
to her. He don't want to take that which
is his. He don't want to covet his wife. He don't want to defraud
him of his substance. Love. Love is the setting forth,
the scripture says, of the fulfilling of the law, which will never
fulfill it perfectly, and we all know that. But we're to love
one another. Pay what is due. If a man is
in authority, he's due respect. If he doesn't transgress God's
law and say something, he's due obedience. He's due it. The Lord
said that. Verse 11. And that knowing the
time that now, it is high time to awake out of sleep, and now
is our salvation nearer than when we believe. Knowing that
the time, this is a serious time. A time that the gospel is being
preached. Listen, we're hearing the gospel
right now. There's people that's left this world that didn't know
Christ. And they have no more time. It's
over. It's done. They have no hope. They have
no hope. Paul, the apostle, saying, knowing
the time, it's high time to wake out of sleep. Hear these things. Now is our salvation nearer than
when we believe. This is the accepted time. This
is it. Right here, the day of grace.
2 Corinthians 6.2, For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted,
in the day of salvation have I succored thee. Behold, now
is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of the
Lord. Hosea 10.12 says, Time to seek the Lord. 1 Corinthians
7.29, The time is short. It's high time to awake out of
sleep, out of sleep, the drowsy dozing of our slothfulness. Lord,
wake me up. Lord, let me see things as you
say they are. And Lord, please keep me from
this lukewarm attitude that I have and thinking that I know the
best thing. I don't know the best thing. Thank God for God's
word. Lord, keep me, help me. and deliver
me from my spirit and my attitude to disobey. I don't want to.
I don't want to. Joshua said to the people, he
said, you choose this day whom you'll serve. Fear the Lord,
serve Him in sincerity and truth and put away the gods, the idols
which our fathers served on the other side of the flood, you
know, for now. Now, today is the day of salvation. Oh, the blessing of leaving this
world. Scripture says in Hebrews 11,
they died in the faith. They died in the faith. Let me
ask you something. When we leave this world, we
take our last breath, what difference is all this going to make? What
difference is it going to make? Not a bit. Not a bit. It's not
going to make one bit of difference. Verse 12, the night is far spent,
the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the
works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light. Right now, we're in the night
season. This life, that's what he's talking
about right now. This is the time of night, but the day, the
day of salvation, final deliverance, the day of
the Lord, the day of His second coming, that day in which we'll
all stand before God. It's, you know, it's coming.
It's quick. The time of sin and sorrow in
this life is nearly over. I don't have a whole lot of time
left. I know I don't. You may say, well, sure you do. No, I don't. I know better than
that. I mean, it's time. Therefore,
Paul says, cast off I pray, ask the Lord. Lord, help me. Lord,
help me. Lord, deliver me from succumbing
to the things of the night. By Your grace, Lord, teach me
of what You've done for me, putting on that armor of light, those
things that are honoring to You. Let us walk honestly. Decently is what it is. Let us
walk decently. as in the day, not rioting, drunkenness,
chambering, wantonness, not in strife and infamy. What is that? Walk in this day of grace. Lord, I want to adorn the doctrine
of Christ. I want to. I'm just like you. I've got the sorriest attitude. Lord, deliver me from that. Lord, help me to be faithful.
Let me comfort your people. Let me honor the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me walk in a way that I honor
the one that has loved me and gave himself for me. He said
not in rioting and drunkenness. What is it? Raunchiness. That's
what it is. Raunchiness. Just trash. carousing living, not just debauchery
and filthiness, just in disobedience. Lord help me, forgive me, you
know, chambering and wantonness. What is that? Fornication, adultery,
sodomy, and any other defilements of this life. That Lord, deliver
me from myself. Verse 14, put ye on the Lord
Jesus Christ. and make not provision for the
flesh to fulfill the lust thereof." Put you on Christ. What is that? Believe the Lord. Let me just
sum it up like that. Me being able to somehow put
Him on, believe Him. What must I do to be safe? Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. By the grace of God, cast yourself
upon Him. And clothe yourself again by
faith. It is the Lord that clothes His
people in the robe of His righteousness. Believe Him. Trust Him. Wait on Him. Feed on Him in His
Word. Look to Him by faith to direct our steps. Hope in Him. Don't lean to your own understanding.
In all thy ways, acknowledge Him. Again, I want to walk in
this world humanly speaking, with respect. As I was pinning
out these words here, this message truly came to my heart yesterday. And I got to thinking about walking
in this world in honor. And my mind immediately went
to Glenda. I wouldn't embarrass her for
anything, but I thought, you know what? I want to walk before
men. and women. I want to walk before
them in such a way that they know that I love and respect
my wife. I don't want to be disrespectful
to her. I don't want to give anybody the idea that I thought
he was married. I think that thought would break
my heart. Give somebody that idea that
I had an attitude that was disrespectful toward her. That's the way a
believer wants to walk before Christ. I don't want to walk
as one that is disrespectful. I want to walk according to the
scriptures. I want to. And I see the frailty
in myself. I see my fallings. I see it.
And I cry, Lord, help me. Lord, forgive me for these things.
But I want to. I want to. I pray that this has
been a help to us. I pray that it's been honoring
to the Lord and a comfort and a blessing to his people. I pray
God bless it to our hearts for his glory and our good. Amen.