I'm going to be looking at Psalm
1 but I'd just like to read a few verses from the Gospel as we
have it recorded by Luke and chapter 6 the Sermon on the Plain
as I understand it Luke chapter 6 verses 20 to 24 and he lifted up that is the
Lord Jesus Christ lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said
blessed be ye poor for yours is the kingdom of God blessed
are ye that hunger now for ye shall be filled blessed are ye
that weep now for ye shall laugh blessed are ye when men shall
hate you and when they shall separate you from their company
and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the
son of man's sake rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy
for behold your reward is great in heaven for in the like manner
did their fathers unto the prophets bewoven to you that are rich
for ye have received your consolation. I shall end there. As we come
to Psalm 1 then, I shall read the whole of that psalm and then
as the Lord grants, we shall look at the first two verses
this morning and then verses three to six this evening. Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful. But his delight is in the law
of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And
he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not
so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore,
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor simmers in
the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. as we look at this psalm do pray
that we may be very mindful that the man or the woman or the youngster
who is spoken of in these verses is one who knows the work of
the holy spirit in his soul he is one who is spoken of in 2
Corinthians 5 and I shall turn to that so I don't get it wrong
2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7 We walk by faith, not by sight. No, sorry, I've got the wrong
verse. But it speaks of a man being
a new creature. A new creature, the work of the
Holy Spirit in his soul. One who is indeed born again. that man is truly blessed but
it's highly interesting as we start blessed is the man but
then we immediately go into the negative that he walks not in
the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful but i i often find as
we read in the word of God but also in many aspects of our life
you might think of the highway code there are many things that
we are not permitted to do in the highway code we're dealing
with road traffic law and common sense it's all for our good that
we drive in a certain way we obey certain signs so that we don't have collisions
all over the place but especially when we come to the word of God
we might consider for a moment of those places where the man
of God should not be found and the first one that we read of
is the the councils of the ungodly What does it mean the counsels?
Well, it's in the advice or the directions which are opposite
to God and to the Lord's ways. We might think of those who took
counsel against the Lord himself in John chapter 11 verse 33. against the Lord I've got this one again because
when the Pharisees took counsel against the Lord Jesus Christ
they took counsel together to against him and I'm hoping I've
got this last passage right in Acts chapter
5 verses 27 and when they had brought them that is the apostles
they set them before the council and the high priest asked them
saying did not we straightly command 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 Peter faithful
to the Lord this case it said then Peter and the other apostles
answered and said we ought to obey God rather than man and
in verse 33 when they heard that they were cut to the heart and
took counsel to slay them when they heard the things concerning
Christ they were cut to their heart and took counsel against
them. They conspired together against
the Lord and they counseled together against the Lord's people. And this is the history of man
against God. We see it in the Old Testament
and we see it again in the New Testament. communions of people or councils
of people that are particularly against the Lord. Communism is
one but it's not the only one. I know that from my own history
against the Russian Baptists back in the 70s and 80s. How
the Soviet regime not just there but in China also and in many
places that they could not have a what they considered opposition
to their ideas even though that the fact is we know the fact
that the the word of God is a blessed word it leads us in truth it
leads in an understanding it leads us to be merciful and kind
to one another and especially as the Lord's people to those
who are unbelievers and there are things that I remember from
those days books that I read which spoke of the opposition
of men towards the Lord's people who were faithful I particularly
speak of the Russian Baptists because that's what I know and
how evil and how badly they were treated but it's not just communism we
can find it even in what we call libertarian circles where anything
goes but there's one thing that doesn't go and that's God's word it's strange to me that people
say oh you do what you want be what you want do this do that
do the other well there's certain things that we don't want you
to do but everybody is united in opposition every man is in
opposition to God and we know that from God's word but isn't
it strange the hypocrisy of men considering their liberty and
freedoms and yet there's one freedom that is often taken away
and that is the freedom to preach Christ or to believe in Christ
how they all unite against the Lord's people And to turn to
Psalm 56, just a couple of verses, and 58. Be merciful unto me, O God, for
man would swallow me up. He fighteth daily, oppresseth
me. Mine enemies would daily swallow
me up, for they be many that fight against me, O thou most
high. than in Psalm 58, Psalm of David. Do you indeed speak righteousness,
O congregation? This is to the people of Israel. Do you judge uprightly, O ye
sons of men? Yea, in heart you work wickedness.
You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked
are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they
be born, speaking lies. And this is the opposition of
man. even those who were the Lord's Church in the Old Testament
unregenerate men but still they had many privileges this is man and these are the
councils that stand and these are the councils which the Holy
Spirit through the Psalmist says we are to avoid where men get
together in committees against God then the second one is he
standeth in the way of sinners blessed is the man that standeth
not in the way of sinners standeth what does standeth mean it means
looking at the background to the word it's to dwell or to
endure or to be employed in And really what it means is a life
lived under the principle of the old man, of the principle
of the works of the flesh, the principle of the life of the
old man, the natural man, his opposition towards the Lord. The natural man cannot understand
the things of God because they're spiritually disturbed. He's blind,
he's deaf, he's dead to God's holy word. they dwell doing the works of
the flesh we see in Genesis chapter 5 verse 6 that every man did
what was right in his own eyes and then we turn to Galatians
chapter 5 to consider not the fruit of the spirit but to the
works of the flesh which is the how the flesh works that's it's
breathing it's living verse 19 and 20 to 21 now the works of
the flesh are manifest shown we can see them which are these
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
ambience, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like of the
which I tell you before as I have also told you in times past that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God
now notice there it is the works of the flesh that those that
do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God this is their
daily living it's not the odd occasion I mean we sin as the
Lord's people we still still sin thanks to the Lord there
is forgiveness but it should not be our daily life it should
not be our daily ways as we read from Psalm 119 I shall refer
to it again Oh how I love thy Lord is my meditation all the
day but while we consider this let us think about the ways of
the world and are we going to join in? I'm very proud to say
not in a wrong way that I was a soldier for six years of the
colours and I was a para paratrooper there was seven of us who seven
paras in my battalion who professed Christ I didn't know a great
deal I was very ignorant up to well up to about 1987 anyway
but the Lord was merciful to me And we joined together. And we were noted as people who
didn't join in. It's not that we suffered any
persecution. Strangely enough, I say it now,
strangely enough, we didn't. But we didn't go out and, as
it were, plant a flag. We're not Christians, we're not
coming to your booze-ups or anything like that. We just politely declined.
There is a way of doing things. but we didn't join in with the
partying drunkenness and my regiment was pretty notorious for it in
those days but it wasn't our desire to get caught up with
it now it was a time when I was in Berlin when I was backslidden
as well but thanks be to the Lord for those others who kept
an eye on me and it happened to one or two of us and we ended
up in an American congregation lovely people who faithfully
sought the Lord there wasn't anything in our area we had to
go across to the other side of Berlin but it's what the Lord
gave us it wasn't that I was brought up in an Anglican church
background and then I went to a Baptist church without that
it was because the Lord had his hand upon me I thought I was
safe I really don't know at that time but there was that within
me that did not want to go the way of the flesh did I understand
everything? No but the word was still precious
even in the time of my backsliding and being with the Lord's people
and especially those in Berlin at that time was a real blessing
as it is to be with you today and with the congregation in
Hegend but that's the difference between a way of life what do
we want to do? where do we want to be? and then
we deal with the sitting in the seat of the scornful we might think of the Jewish
councils of which I tried to read earlier we might think of
the many places where the scornful
do meet We might think of scientific
conferences where the scornful gather. They should not be. Science
is something wonderful. It teaches, as far as I'm concerned,
it teaches many things about the wonderful creation and the
different aspects of creation that the Lord shows to us through
a proper scientific approach. we might think of the humanist
societies well what do we expect but scorn from them but I also
think of Bible colleges Bible societies churches it may be
difficult to comprehend but We took to interject again and
we went to North Devon for a few days last weekend and we were
looking for somewhere to go. So there was Barnstaple and there
was Bideford. We did a bit of homework. being
a bit wiser in these last 40 years, 30 years. So we looked
at something that was on the website of a chapel in Barnstaple
and we decided that is not where we were going to go. Why? Well I won't go into all of it
but the consideration was that if you did not believe that God
loves everybody every person on this planet basically you believe something
that is wicked that was the statement now okay I am known for sometimes
getting things wrong but I went through it's a half an hour production on their website it's
called Hyper-Calvinism if you want to look it up and check
me up and my wife and I were quite appalled that I should
be we should represent something that is and his word is wicked what about Esau? what does the
word of God say? what is the counsel of the Lord?
does he love everybody? well Psalm 5 tells you that he hates the workers of iniquity
who were the workers of iniquity I don't think they're anybody
special because all our iniquities on him were laid Isaiah 53 the
iniquity of his people was laid upon him we're all iniquitous
we're all trespassers against God's holy word you may feel
that I'm a bit over the top but when we consider that the word of God says that he
hates the workers of iniquity how can we say that he loves
everybody I shall leave it there but my
concern is that this is somewhere which has for one reason or another not looked at the Word of God
closely with attention. Does God love sinners? Yes. But why? Why does God love sinners? Because they're in Christ. We are inheritors of all heavenly
blessings in Christ. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 13 and I did
have a bit of a problem finding that at home. I used Google because
I got the wrong words but Google actually did produce it for me
thankfully. I couldn't find it in my concordance. Let's find Habakkuk chapter 1
verse 13. Thou art of purer eyes than to
behold evil. And this is Habakkuk's prayer
to the Lord. Thou art purer eyes than to behold
evil and canst not look on iniquity. Now, I don't want to take that
verse out of context, but that is the characteristic of our
Lord. He has purer eyes than to behold evil. There's many other things that
we must look at as we build things up. The understanding of God,
the understanding of his love to sinners, and the understanding
of his hatred towards those that work iniquity. I do understand
that. but we cannot pass over these
verses and then say that to believe that God doesn't love everybody
because if we believe that then it's going to hinder evangelism
well it never hindered William Gadsby, David Brainerd or all
those people it's not right for him to say I could say other
things I'm quite angry about it as well as deeply saddened
that we couldn't commit and I dare say they're the Lord's people
as well. I don't want to take them taking too much time on
it but it's a warning to us that just because they're congregations
who call themselves evangelical and believers that you're going
to hear the pure word of God from them. We did pray for them
we thankfully we could go to Bidiford but it brings a problem
for us because my son and his wife and his family went to Barnstaple
I don't know what they know totally about the place but it grieves
me also but he does bring us to our second verse his delight
is in the law of the Lord and in his law does he meditate day
and night now I've got to hold my hands up and say do I confess
that I do not meditate upon god's word day and night continually
probably you could all say the same but i'm the one in here
in this pulpit but but i like to meditate upon god's word there
are times when i do it less than others we do live in a different
day to when this was penned but i'm fairly sure that the psalmist
was just as busy as we are in different way and the one thing
i do enjoy is when i'm going down the river any time of the
day to be able to think carefully about the lord and upon his word
it's a great blessing to be away from what's going on round about
but i do get sidetracked I get sidetracked by seeing Peregrine
Falcon or things like that. I have to bring myself back.
Sometimes I manage it and sometimes I don't. But is it my delight
in the law of the Lord? Yes, it is my delight. Sometimes
it's difficult to find time. But as we read in Psalm 119 verse 97 oh how love I thy law it is my
meditation all the day maybe we've got law there's eight words
for God's word in here law, commandments, precepts, testimonies, statutes
and I consider that what the psalmist is saying what the Holy
Spirit is saying is it's the whole Word of God not just the
moral law, the ceremonial law but the whole Word of God the
Law of God revealed to us because the Word of God is Christ it's
Christ Jesus it's the Word made flesh in print if I might use
that term John chapter 1 tells us that Jesus the Lord Jesus
Christ God Almighty came to earth and was made flesh and dwelt
amongst us full of grace and truth in the beginning was the
Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God the same
was in the beginning with God what a great blessing to us that
Christ came God the Son and verse 14 and the word was
made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and
truth to timothy 3 16 god manifest in the flesh great mystery but
a mystery revealed to us mystery to men because it's not been
revealed to them they can't take it in they're blind to it deaf
to it dead to it they don't want to know but what a great wonder
that the lord has revealed this His Son unto us and in His Word
and as we read God's Word we must see Christ Christ from beginning
to end I know there's historical sections in it too but it's how
the Lord dwelt amongst us and how we dealt with men in the
Old Testament as in the New Testament as well His delight then It's his pleasure. He likes very much. He sees God's
word as valuable. It's precious to him. He doesn't
want it to be taken away. It's not just good. It's a way
of life. And it's not just to be read.
It's to be meditated on as well. In Psalm 119, again, he speaks
or the psalmist acknowledges that from God's word we get wisdom. Verse 99 I have more understanding
than all my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients
because I keep thy precepts. I know for young ones, I was
a young one myself Sometimes we find it irksome, or we might
find it irksome. Why? Because there's the calls
of the world. What I call it, it's a bit like
a Christmas tree. It's the baubles and that. They're
fascinating. When we had our children, when
they were very young, bright things used to fascinate them. um whatever it was and the world
has its allurements as well but the lord's precepts speak against
some of them playing football on the lord's day is one of them
now football is a big thing for many people i know it's uh one
might say it's a religion almost a cult but youngsters they want
to be with their friends but you know when the parents go
to chapel on the Lord's day and the parents are believers it's
probably a problem for you it may be, it may be not I'm not
going to speak for you I'll speak to you but you see you're only
here for a bit I'm 70 years old just turned 70 this year how
many years have I got left? I do not know if I make it to
a hundred what about eternity? see I understand more than the
ancients because I keep thy precepts. Keep the Word of God. The Word
of God is precious to me. It's what guides me. Now keeping
the law is not going to save me. But as one of the Lord's
people, the Word of God directs my thoughts, my eyes and my feet. Sin starts in the head, doesn't
it? then it works its way down to the eyes and then to the feet
so we either look at something and go and then our feet follow
after it or we can turn to God's word so we look away from what
is round about us verse 105 of psalm 119 thy word is a lamp
unto my feet and a light unto my path I once said when I was
asked to speak at a chapel that I said the word of God is like
a hedge it keeps us in the straight way stops us wandering and I
was queried on it because the query was well do you think by
walking by the law you can get salvation I said no but as a
believer as a believer the word is a lamp to my feet it shows
me where to go In the country where I live, we go down the
field at night, sometimes we do. Gwen and I go for a walk.
We need a lamp because there's things to trip over. Now when
we were in Holland, we went along the roads there and we'd get
a lot of fog in the area that we were in. And a couple of years
later, their children, some of their kids came over to stay
with us. And as we were driving, funnily enough, we were taken
to the ferry and it was fog. And we have cat's eyes, don't
we? Probably take them for granted. And we have marker posts with
red and white on them. And so in the fog, You know,
we can see where we should be on the road. Strangely enough,
they have marker posts in Holland, but they're well away from the
sides of the road. But our cat's eyes, they literally
are lifesavers. And they were amazed, like the
Dutch children. Why haven't we got these things
in Holland? Well, I don't know. But this
is exactly the same thing, like the highway code. The Word of
God tells us where we should be and where we shouldn't be.
Solomon was the wisest man upon the face of the earth he asked
the Lord for wisdom but he married strange women strange wives doesn't
mean that women are strange it means they were not believers
they weren't of Israel and they led him astray and that is one
of the precepts that we should follow when we marry a believer
should marry a believer that is the word of God how can two
men walk together if they're unequally yoked it's unbalanced
but that's just one of the precepts that there's plenty of others
but I'm speaking as it were in generalities but the generalities
are from God's holy word we go back to verse 63 I am a companion of all them
that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts. He's delighted in the law of
the Lord. Coming back to verse 2. I am
a companion of all them that fear thee and them that keep
thy precepts. He's with the Lord's people.
That's the psalmist. That's his delight and his desire. Can we be with the Lord's people
everywhere? No. It was a great blessing when
I was in the army. Where we live, there's very few
who profess the name of Christ. Probably a greater proportion
than in Portsmouth among you people here. Portsmouth is a
big city. I don't know. But it's always
been our desire to be with the Lord's people. It's difficult
when they're hold to strange doctrine but that needs much
prayer and much guidance. But is it our desire to walk
in the way of God with the Lord's people? It certainly is a help
because we can talk to one another, minister to one another, correct
one another. Sometimes the Lord uses his own
people to correct us. We don't like correction, do
we? Not naturally. but it's a great
blessing I can certainly testify to that in my own life when people
have took me inside and said John what do you believe on that?
and I say well hang on a minute let's go back to the word of
God not to a statement of faith not to a book written by a famous
man but to God's word this is what the psalmist is saying his
delight is in the law of the Lord show me from God's word
and in his law doth he meditate day and night how important to
observe God's holy word Leviticus 19
I won't turn to it Leviticus 19 verses 35 to 37 it's about
observing the statutes of God the law of God but it doesn't
just say observe it says observe and do them It's important to
observe and to do them. Well, I thought in honesty that
to observe was to do them. But the Word of God says no.
It's to observe. What does observe mean? It's
take note carefully. It also turns up with what I
mentioned from Habakkuk. Eyes are too pure to behold evil. Behold means to look upon, to
look closely. to look into and not just to look carefully
but to do them to walk in the ways of truth when we look at
the Ten Commandments not to covet thou shalt not covet probably
the easiest one to break and the easiest one to hide from
anybody it doesn't just say don't covet Yeah, okay, I won't cover
it. But then how hard it is not to cover it. We're talking about
the spiritual gifts, eagerly cover it. The best gifts, okay,
I'll go with that. But covetousness, wanting something
that should not be yours or that is not yours. I believe and I can be corrected,
but we can have things and we can cover them in that we don't
want to get rid of them. whatever it might be it might
be that we call to get rid of them for one reason or another
but we want to hold on to it we might say we've been given
that and we might justify it but it
may not be right we need to examine ourselves carefully but where
do we get direction from? God's holy word it tells us where
to go what to think upon what to look upon meditate upon Christ the doctrine
of Christ He is the Lord remember the Annunciation to the Shepherds
the Saviour who is Christ the Lord which means Sovereign Lord
He is the Lord He has the authority the position to require your
obedience as the lord's people call yourself a christian you
are to obey him it's not easy and the lord knows that i'm not
going to make the lord jesus christ seem like a very very soft saviour he's a compassionate
saviour he knows our infirmities and he's ever merciful to forgive
us our sins if we confess our sins he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses
us from all sins and many other passages we can put together
his burden is light his burden is like considering the burden
that we carry as sinners as unregenerate sinners what a merciful God he is do we believe in him as Lord
do we believe the incarnate word Do we believe that He is God
the Son? Meditate upon it. Meditate upon
the Scriptures, upon God's Word and they will see that He is
the Son of God and a Son given. We will see that He is the Eternal
Son by some very very simple thinking. You speak of the Eternal Father
of course He is God from Eternity. Well if He is an Eternal Father
God have a offspring, I use the term advisedly but if I'm a father
it means I've got children God the son is the eternal son
as well as the eternal father being the eternal father we don't
have to go any further it's simple and it is laid out there are
other passages but I want to keep it simple otherwise I'm
going to digress unto us a child is born isaiah
53 unto us a son is given two totally different concepts there
child is born brought christ born as a child but the son i
i'm adding the word but the son is given come down from heaven
incarnate the word made incarnate flesh it's important So when we come
to God's Word and meditate upon it and we get things straight,
we turn to God's Holy Word. Thankfully in these days we've
got commentaries and that to help us. But don't rely on the
commentaries, they get it wrong. They're men. But it is a great
blessing that we have got commentaries. It's important then to meditate.
Meditate upon God's Word. Cults, certain martial arts,
meditate. There was one martial art I wanted
to do, but I couldn't do it because I didn't think it was right to
do the meditation. It was an integral part of the
martial art, but I couldn't do it because they said meditate.
Well, OK, I'll meditate on God's Word. No, no, no. You've got
to empty your mind. Well, I know what that is. That's cultic.
You don't empty your mind. Here it says, his delight is
in the law of the Lord and in his law does he meditate day
and night there's an object not just God's Word but upon Christ
upon God to meditate fix your mind upon the Lord Jesus Christ we can meditate on God's Word
wrongly if you're sloppy lazy or ignorant
of many things we can go into God's word as some do and come
out with the wrong ideas did it myself I speak with authority on that
matter I did it myself it took somebody to show me and thanks
be to the Lord I believe it's the Holy Spirit who used that
man to show me but it was into God's word and not just one bit
here it goes a bit here passages here and there i i like to use
the term it may horrify you but the bible is like a jigsaw it's
not a systematic theology like you might read uh some people
and you go to like john gill or there's others too it gives
you they lay things out and go bring the verses together but
it's just like a jigsaw If we want to know about the love of
God, we could go to John 3.16, we can go to 2 Peter 3, we can
go to 2 Corinthians. But if you look at them individually,
you're going to come across that. You're going to get it wrong.
But bring them all together. Bring them all to God's counsel,
into his decrees. Remembering election, remembering
reprobation, remembering all these things. The Lord will guide
you. It needs prayer. It needs a bit of dedication
as well to get into God's Word. Don't trust men. Use men. Like I use a tool, an electrical
electrician. I have tools to use. Some of
them are power tools. I'd never be complacent around
power tools. The danger that surrounds them,
the damage they can do. So you take precautions. And
just like I take precautions, I take precautions when I come
to God's Word. Preparing for this service, for the one tonight
as well. Do I get everything right? No.
I will say that. I try to. But I try to by prayer
and study of God's Holy Word. And that's the same for our lives.
Do you care about your life? Do you care about your soul?
Do you care about eternity? because I've got far more to
say I'm going to leave it there but we need to come to God's
word we need to hear God's word and we need to pray maybe it
bores you maybe it doesn't I don't know I don't know what's going
on behind your faces what's going on between your ears People have often said that of
me as well. I don't want to be light hearted but I think of
the things that people said to me about what I was many years
ago. I'm a bit shame faced about it
but I understand why they said it. But when we come to God's
word, I'll know. I'll use the expression, I'll
take no prisoners. those who stand against what the Bible
says and what I understand the Bible says if they can prove
to me I'm wrong, fair that is fair but if they can't, watch
out because I get... they are their own problem but
when I consider my grandchildren and other people's children too
what are they bringing? what are they setting forth before
them? I pray that my meditation, I pray your meditation shall
be upon God's word and that we meditate if we can day and night
before we go to sleep if we can't sleep to think about God's word
something that you might have read that day or a sermon that
you've heard was he right? Was he wrong? Can I prove it?
Doesn't mean you've got to get up in the middle of the night,
you may feel you have to, on occasion I have done. I did it, not last
night, the night before. I felt I needed to go to that presentation that I mentioned
earlier and really take some notes upon it. It was good. It
was good for me. Because it brought me back to
God's Word. It was so obviously wrong, it brought me back to
God's Word, where my trust is, my feet being upon Christ and
upon the Holy Scriptures. May the Lord speak to each one
of us in these things that we might be built up in the most
holy faith. It's not to make me famous or well known so I
can get other preacher engagements. I'd sooner not have them in a
sense, but that's beside the by. Each preacher probably feels
that as well. directed to God's Word. and may
we meditate upon it. It's worth reading Psalm 119.
It may seem a bit repetitive but when you look at it carefully
it becomes very unrepetitive too and it is indeed a great
blessing. I know it's the Old Testament
but we think that it's Christ's words to us in these days down
through the ages from the very beginning until the very end. May the Lord bless us there with
understanding sight and light for our feet that we walk in
this world to his glory and if not if not being brought to faith
to seek the Lord in this day of grace to pray most earnestly
that he will reveal to you first of all himself and secondly your
sin. May he do so for his great glory
but for the sake of your never-dying souls. Amen.