Well, we'll be in a few places this morning. Pretty tragic week this week in our country, you know, you know, the killing of Charlie Kirk, and I'm not gonna make this into a big political anything or not or whatever. But just the The sheer fact of what happened is a horrible thing. No matter what viewpoint you have of anything, to see somebody killed for their thoughts and beliefs like that is a horrible thing. But not only that, we've also heard that there was a shooting at a football game in Little Rock the other night, a high school game. They were shooting up Kansas City at a game. There was a couple other places that we've heard about. shootings and everything. It's just horrible whenever you hear these things. But as far as the thing with Charlie Kirk this week, you know, you hear a lot about that just because of the fame and notoriety that it has him being on TV and all across social media and everything. You hear a lot more about those kind of things than you do, you know, regular everyday people doesn't make it any worse or any less, you know, for those who are not in the limelight. It just shows the sheer wickedness of men's hearts. You know, that's one of the things that I really kind of pondered a lot about this week is we watched that because I went through several different kinds of emotion whenever watching that. Now, I'll just, I'll just say it out front. Now, I really respected Charlie Kirk. I like how he approached things. He was always calm in his debates. He didn't seem like he was an agitator, trying to get people just whipped up, but that he actually engaged in thoughtful debate and did it in a kind and gentle way and everything. And he always put out what he believed, you know, about Jesus and everything. Now, I'll say I don't believe that Charlie Kirk preached the gospel. I'm not gonna jump on the bandwagon with all the world that's getting behind him saying that he was a preacher of the gospel. I can't say that because of the scriptures. Now, do I believe, humanly speaking, he was a moral man and a not good father and a good example to young people and a kind man and compassionate? Man, absolutely, I think he was all those things, humanly speaking. But as far as the gospel ministry is concerned, and one of the things that was really pushed is, you know, him always witnessing and speaking about Jesus. The Jesus he spoke about, the gospel that he spoke about, is not the gospel of the scriptures or the Jesus of the scriptures. So I can't get on board with that, but I did really respect the man and don't think anyone, you know, I'd hate to see anybody have to go through what his family's going through and what he went through and those things. So when all this happened, of course, a lot of things go through my mind. You know, I'm, I'm bent towards one direction of looking at things in a, in a political way. Uh, you know, I believe that, uh, people should be responsible for themselves. I believe that, uh, uh, that, uh, uh, that, uh, the principles mostly of conservatism that they preach and everything. and talk about, I kind of agree with. Now, some I don't, but I'm in no way trying to push Republican or Democrat or anything like that. However, I did agree with a lot of things that Charlie Kirk stood for on his political side. And with that said, whenever you see something that happens like that, especially with the crazies that always are approaching him and approaching most people, that hold to these views. You know, they're the ones that are screaming the tolerance and the compassion and the love, but yet are the ones that become so violent whenever things don't go the way they like it to go or want it to go, or they're the ones who take things into their own hands. And as we've seen in the past, however many shootings, 10, 15 shootings, they've all been from people that believe differently, that hold to transgenderism, that holds to liberal views and things like that, that's where all these things have come. And so as a person that believes things differently, you know, whenever I see that, that angers me. Not in a vitriol that I'm going to get back at you kind of vengeance type thing, but it angers me in a more righteous and holy anger, in that when truth is being talked about, that that which is evil comes against it and it seems like it's always winning. It's always the side that everybody takes. It's always the side that everybody sides with. It's the side that everybody always comes and promotes, and it's always those who try to hold to the truth that are the ones who are ridiculed castigated and punished and all that kind of stuff. And so there was this anger that came within me about how people could come and be like that. There was a lot of thought about the whole gospel part of it and everything. I'm kind of like that deal in the Bible. There was a guy that was ministering, I don't know what all he was saying, the Bible doesn't really go on about it, but the apostle said, hey, we need to tell that guy to stop doing what he's doing, and Jesus said, no, leave him alone. So, you know, Charlie Kirk may have not been talking the truth about the true gospel and not talking about the true Jesus, but what he was saying at least was something that was trying to bring peace and true love, in his estimation, among people. and everything. So he's a peaceful man in those regards. And whenever we look at that, and I heard it on, I don't know how many programs, I don't know how many people that I heard talk about it and stuff, talk about that he was, this man was pure evil, that did this, was pure evil. And I got to thinking about that. But to be honest, brethren, that man is no different than every one of us sitting in here tonight, or this morning. Not one person in here is any different than the man that shot Charlie Kirk. Every one of us, the Bible says by our nature, are quick to shed blood. There are haters and back biters and wrathful against God. All of us are greedy. All of us are lustful. That's what we are by our nature. And the only thing that keeps us from being somebody who shoots somebody in the neck like that is the grace of God constraining us. Whether you're a child of grace or whether you're not a child of grace, all of our sin is constrained by the Lord Jesus. And the other thought that I had, and I posted something on it late last night before I went to bed, is I've seen a lot of Christians since this, professing Christians, since all this has taken place, talking about how we need to start rising up and start becoming militant and start taking over. I've seen, you know, different clippets of different people that's saying, you know, the church is not going to take over from where he was and do all these things. Brethren, I don't find that anywhere in the scriptures. The Bible never talks about the church becoming militant. I hear phrases all the time about the remnant is rising. Nowhere in the scripture does it talk about the children of God are to rise up and to take arms and to take vengeance. As a matter of fact, the Bible is very clear that God has set up government. Whether we like it or not, or whether they're good or not, God has set up government to be the ones who wield the sword to punish those who are evildoers. I know that doesn't all the time take place. I know that that doesn't all the time take place fairly sometimes. And at that point, maybe there's some times that we can step in as people, as citizens of the country, not as grouped up Christians going on a crusade. But still the fact remains, in all of that, nothing is out of the control of God. All this chaos that's going on in this country this week God is still in control of every bit of it. Every bit of it is serving His purposes, as bad as it seems. We don't know why, but we know that it's serving God's purpose, and that if Charlie Kirk truly was a child of grace, that all things work together for good to them who are the called, to them who love Him. What I thought I might speak about a little bit this morning just to comfort our hearts is, number one, we need to realize and know that the depth of our depravity can go as far as that man did. We are no different. See, to hear what message that supposedly Charlie Kirk was preaching and what all gospel preachers are preaching, to really know the extent of where we've been delivered to or delivered from, we need to know exactly where we was. In the book of Ephesians, we see there's a, in the gospels, we see it talked about as the Jews. In the epistles, we see it talked about as the Gentiles. So whether you're a Jew or whether you're a Gentile, every one of us that has ever come from Adam, Whether Jew or Gentile, it doesn't matter. We all came from one man, and out of that one lump, we are all sinners by nature. But in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 17, Paul writing to the Ephesians, who the Ephesians' emphasis was a Gentile state, Gentile country. and writing to the church in Ephesus, there was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles within this church, I'm sure. And he says, this I say, verse 17, this I say therefore, testifying the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles in the vanity of your mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. So here we see a picture into our nature. Our nature, apart from God, is being alienated from the life of God in ignorance, being blind of the heart, given over to ourselves unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. We see in chapter two of Ephesians. Ephesians 2.2, he says, where in times past you walked according to the courts of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all have our conversation in times past in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, not of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as others. We see in Matthew chapter 13, verse 14, and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people's heart is wax gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and eyes should heal them. So brethren, this is the state of every person that comes from Adam. We are in a state of darkness. We're in a state of death. We are dead in trespasses and sins. We are dead in understanding and knowledge. Our understanding has darkened. Our mind has darkened. Our heart is calloused. It does not see and understand and feel and relate to the things of God. And it cannot be changed by us. Nothing in us can change that very thing. We are completely and totally dependent upon the sovereign grace of God, the irresistible grace of God, to call us out of darkness and into light, to call us out of death and into life. Without that, No man will ever perceive and understand and see and God will not be constraining or not be giving us over to see and understand the things of the Spirit of God if He does not come in and do that for us. And He doesn't ask your permission, would you let me into your heart? He doesn't ask you, hey, I'm offering this, would you accept it? It's something that God sovereignly does. He comes and He gives you this. of his own volition, not upon yours, he comes and gives it to you because he is determined to save you in Christ Jesus. And he is determined to save you from ignorance by the preaching of the gospel. And he is determined to save you from a life filled with doing all these things that Gentiles did by disconstraining power. That doesn't mean that our old flesh is rid of all this sinfulness, it's still there. But brethren, God has given us where we are not all the time given to sin. That we are not under the condemnation of sin. And that our hearts has been given God's love shed abroad in that so that we love the brethren, that we love our fellow brothers. You know why there is a difference in those who profess to be Christians and why their retaliation is not like the retaliation of those of the world whenever things happen? I mean, did you notice that up in Utah, whenever this happened, there was no buildings burnt down, there was no cars destroyed, there was no businesses looted, there was no other mass, you know, riots and things like that. But what you've seen was everybody everywhere gathering around together peacefully, praying for people. Now how much of that was true and genuine? I don't know. I'm just looking at it from the outside and looking and seeing. I know one thing that that is different than what we've seen up in Detroit and all these other places whenever something, up in St. Louis, whenever something happens and the world goes crazy and takes things into their own hands. The child of grace is given to know that God is in control of all things. and given to know the depravity of the heart and given to know that there but for the grace of God go I. That could have been me up on top of that building. That could have been me in front of that tent yelling and screaming cursings at him and his God. That could have been me had it not been for God's grace restraining us and all of us seem to think that we have some sort of moral superiority and yet we don't have any moral superiority. We are still in the flesh just like they are. But for the fact that God has given us His Spirit, we are no different and could very easily do exactly what they do. Look if you would with me at Ephesians again. Back to Ephesians chapter 4. Again, he says, "...having understanding, darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart." As a matter of fact, there's another verse. I didn't write anything down here, but I think it's in 1 John. In 1 John chapter 5 and verse 19, It says, and we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. See, that which is of the world lies in wickedness. And I'm not talking about lies like telling a lie, meaning it abides in, it lives in, its home is in wickedness. The Bible tells us that God looked down upon upon the earth and he looked and seen that the hearts of men were continually evil. There's none righteous, no not one. That's all of us, brethren. There is no moral superiority that we have over anybody else. All we can claim and all we can boast and all we can hope in is grace. Grace is our only hope. But whenever we see this, how we are contrasted from the world. Where is this hope coming from? Where do we receive this? How did hope begin? Where did hope come from? What is our hope? What causes us to differ from others? Well, look with me, if you would, in Ephesians chapter 1. I'll start there. Paul, again writing to the Ephesians, writes a desire that he has for all the children of God. And let me just say a side note here, brethren. Paul isn't preaching or teaching a doctrine of universal love, universal grace, okay? When Paul talks about these things, that he's writing about here, he is always talking about those in the context of the children of grace. One doctrine is not going to contradict another doctrine. His doctrine of election and eternal union is not going to contradict his doctrine of the gospel and the spread of that gospel and the desire of those people for whom that salvation is given for them to come to the knowledge of that. Remember that. Whenever the preaching of the gospel is going on, whether it's now or whether it was back then, the preaching of the gospel was to declare the good news of the already finished salvation to those who were already given to Christ, to those who were already justified in Christ, to those who were already secure in Christ, to those who have not yet heard the good news of Jesus Christ. And that news is going out to be broadcast to them, to tell them of that. And the Holy Spirit is the one who rings the bell in the mind, who opens the eyes and opens the ears and opens the heart to say, hey, that is for me. And for the Holy Spirit to grant them repentance where they quit trying to seek righteousness for themselves and to look and say, all my righteousness was in Christ. that I can't do anything for righteousness, so I look for Christ. And so that's the preaching of the gospel, the going out of the gospel, the having your understanding and your knowledge enlightened by God, all that is for the purpose of you coming by experience to know what was done for you. Okay? It's not a universal offer that he's doing. Look with me there, Ephesians 1 verse 16. He said, I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. See, always, whenever God opens up the heart and the mind, whenever God opens up the heart and the mind, which is basically the same thing, but whenever God opens up our understanding, gives us wisdom of spiritual things, it's always to give us the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It's always to enlighten us about who Christ is and how he relates to God and how he relates to man. It is always to give us the vision, the understanding, and the comfort of our mediator who is God incarnate, working on behalf as God in man, and also working as man to God on our behalf. He is the mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ. He is fully God, therefore he mediates all things of God towards his people, and he is fully man, therefore mediating all things of his people to God. And so it's always to give the knowledge of Him. So whenever someone truly is given understanding and wisdom and knowledge, it's to be given the knowledge of Jesus Christ and who He is, what He done, and for whom He did it. That's why I say the gospel isn't a universal thing. It isn't a universal love. It isn't a universal thing. So all these gospels that are being preached, matter of fact, I mentioned this to a brother this week. Every one of these people that are out there holding up these Christian signs and following them, talking about Charlie Kirk and his Christianity and things like that, if we would sit and stand and preach the true gospel to every one of those, if we could gather all those hordes of people together in one place and stand up and preach them the true gospel, those people would turn on us. They would hate what we say. unless there be true believers among them, unless there be people that are yet to hear that good news that God gives them to understand. But the majority of those people will turn on us for preaching the true gospel. So it isn't the same gospel. We're not an ecumenical movement. That was the other thing that I disagreed with Charlie Kirk about, is that this isn't an ecumenical movement. We're not calling all faiths together to just have faith because basically what he's saying is it's faith in faith. My faith is doing the job. My faith is getting me out here in front of these people, changing their minds. My faith is what makes me a better husband. My faith is what does this. My faith is what attributes to all my success. See, it's Christ. See, the knowledge that has opened up to us is the knowledge of Christ. And whenever we are opened up to that knowledge, brethren, We are opened up to the fact that we didn't have it and only have it because of Him and that our state of nature is as bad as everyone else had He not come and brought us into life, had not come into our heart and changed our understanding of things so that we would have a love that is not an earthly love. I love my wife, but my love for my wife has its limits. I know men all the time say that I love my wife unconditionally. That's a lie. That's a lie. I can honestly say there are times that I don't love my wife, and I can bet you she can say the same thing about me. There are times she doesn't love me. That doesn't mean that we cease in our commitment to each other. Remember, there's a difference in loves. There's a love that is a commitment Then there is this ooey-gooey feeling that comes on when I look at her. I get that ooey-gooey feeling. I want to go over and kiss her. I want to hug her. Okay? That love can cease for a time. You know what? I don't want to see you. Go out and get in my truck and go fishing or something, you know? We can have arguments. We can have fuss and fighting. We can do whatever. That is not Unconditional. If it's unconditional, that means it will never cease. Because sometimes it ceases. I love Brother Larry as a friend. But that can cease as well. Me and Larry can have a disagreement about something, part ways, and say, don't talk to me ever again. I've got some friends that have been, it's been like that. We've disagreed about stuff, OK, don't talk to me no more. I've had preachers, same thing. Me and them used to be good buddies, good friends, and all of a sudden, I don't want to see you, talk to you anymore. If love is unconditional, then where did it go? Why did it stop? But yet, whenever Christ comes into our heart and gives us the shed-abroad love that comes only from God, that is an unconditional love. Whenever the Spirit gives us to experience that love, it is unconditional. That love covers a multitude of sins. I remember my grandpa used to talk about that Greek word for love there, that agape love. And I don't know whether this was true or not. I've never looked it up to see whether what he was saying was true. But he was talking about that in the original language, that word agape, had a connotation to it of elasticity. That it's a love that stretches or encompasses. So that love that is shed abroad in our hearts that covers a multitude of sins, meaning as many sins as comes out, that love can stretch and cover all of them and everything. Well, whenever the Spirit gives us to experience that, brethren, we do. Listen, I don't always love. I can't keep the commandment to love my brethren and to love God. I can't keep that commandment because in my nature I have an inability for that. But however the Spirit of God that is in me, He can. And whenever He exerts that love and sheds it abroad in my heart, I will love my brethren to the furthest depths and to the greatest degree. But yet that love is not an ecumenical love. It's not a love that will reach out and say, you know what? Talk all you want about Jesus. I don't care if you're telling lies about him. That's not God's love shed abroad. That's not the love of the brethren. They think that is a unifying ecumenical love is the good love that we should have. But brethren, that is not the good love that we should have. God's love is always going to be a divisionary love. What's going to divide? The doctrine of Christ. The doctrine of Christ is always going to divide those who are His true believers and those who are not His true believers. The true believers in Jesus Christ are going to believe the Word of God despite the theologies and the creeds and the confessions and the traditions of man and the ooey-gooey religiosity of this world. It's going to look to God's Word and it's going to stand on that. And whenever you have someone who claims to be a brother and sister in Christ, who preaches opposite of that or teaches and preaches a Jesus that is opposite of the Jesus in this scripture and the gospel that is opposite of this, then someone like Paul is going to come in like he did to the Galatian church and say, if anyone preaches another gospel besides the one that was delivered down from the Most High, let them be anathema, let them be cursed. And you say, well, wait a minute, these people are wonderful people, good people. They're loving people. Look at all the good and charity and hope that they're giving other people. Brethren, listen, that is the Word, the world's definition of those things. We derive our understanding from the Word of God when the Spirit enlightens us to know it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ isn't what is being preached out there all over the world. of a God who just wants everyone to be saved and he loves everyone and Jesus has died for everyone and therefore everyone can come if they want to and so many of the people that he died for, the majority of the people he died for is going to be found in hell. That is not the gospel, that is not our Lord. And so the love that should have brought in our heart whenever God comes in to love God and love the brethren is going to draw us to love those who revolve around this. Why do we have just small numbers in all of our little churches wherever they're found? It's because brought is the way that leads to destruction. And many there be that find it. Few there be that walk and find the truth of Jesus Christ. Brethren, we're not a major number. And I looked on TV the other day, and they were having walkings in the UK and in New Zealand and in North Korea, South Korea, all over the world for this man. And they were in the thousands and hundreds of thousands. And even in one place, they said even over a million people showed up to walk supporting this man and his gospel. Now, brethren, whenever I look at the hordes of people that are following after that, I kind of get a little skeptical. I'm already skeptical. I've listened to a lot of what Charlie Kirk taught, so I know what he teaches. But again, not to take away from all the good, kind things he did to humanity. But brother, when it comes to spiritual things, he missed it. It wasn't there. It wasn't there. We shouldn't be deceived by that. We shouldn't be sucked in because of the guilt we feel about saying something bad about somebody who did such good. I mean, you hear people all the time go on and on about Mother Teresa. She believed a false gospel. She was in a false religious organization. Billy Graham, he was a false preacher. Preached a false gospel. just because people do good things in the eyes of humanity doesn't mean that they are good people according to the Word of God, and it doesn't mean that the message that they are preaching is in accordance with the Word of God. So let's not get these things mixed up. But he says, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of the Lord, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, you see, to who it's focused to? Who is the riches of His glory in the inheritance of His saints? Who is that pointed to, to usward? according to the working of His mighty power. Who are the ones who believe? Those who are believing according to the working of His mighty power. Why? Because you can't believe. You can't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. No man can come to me unless it be given to him of my Father. No man comes unto me except he be drawn. See, there's an inability that we have, brother. All of us are just like everybody else that is out there, but here he speaks of a hope. That ye may know what is the hope of his calling. Well, what is that hope? Or should I say, who is that hope? The hope of our calling is the Lord Jesus Christ. See, we can look at hope in three different ways. We have a hope of eternal life. one of these days that we're going to be with Jesus, we have a hope that is Christ Himself, right? And even here, the hope of His calling. If He doesn't call us out of darkness into light, we're not going to come. We can't come because we don't desire that. The darkness hates the light and will not come to the light so that its deeds might be exposed as the evil deeds that they truly are. Why? Because we think our deeds are good. We think that our deeds are righteous before God and that God will accept our goodness. And so no, we're not going to go to that light because we know that if I go to that light, it's really going to expose me for who I truly am. Unworthy. Unacceptable. Unable. unholy unrighteousness That's what the light is going to expose me as so now I'm going to stay over here in the darkness and continue in the religious facade That what I am doing is Acceptable for God and furthering his kingdom building his kingdom. I Don't know anywhere in Scripture where the Bible says that any one of the servants in the kingdom are the ones building the kingdom In fact, Jesus said, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not open. So there ain't nobody going out furthering, championing, taking up for and defending the kingdom of God. That's Christ's business, brethren. That's Christ's business. He is the great avenger. He is the great doer. In Romans, we learn that Christ, not only has he set up the government to be See, is that in Romans? I don't remember where it's at off the top of my head. I was reading my scriptures last night and now I forgot where I was reading that. Christ has set up the kingdom, or excuse me, the government to be the sword wielder. But brother, he's called us to trust in him. He's called us to be subservient to those who are in power, to those who are given by God to rule, and that we are to trust in Him. But again, what is our hope? Who is our hope? Well, look with me, if you would, at John chapter 1. So the whole world lies in wickedness. All of us are in darkness, in ignorance, without light. That's our nature. That's who we are. Right? I think we all can agree that's what the Bible teaches. There's none righteous, no not one. There's none who seek after God. They've all become vain in their speaking. We speak lies. sweat, shed blood, all that kind of stuff, right? Well, John chapter 1, look with me if you would, in verse 4. It says, speaking of Christ Jesus, in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Now, brethren, here's where our hope is. You say, preacher, if everybody is in darkness, if everybody is in misunderstanding, is in ignorance, they can't see, they can't hear, they can't feel and believe, they can't do all this, then where is the hope? Where is it that we will be saved from this very thing? Well, brethren, it's in Christ. It isn't in a religious system. It isn't in a denomination. It isn't in a doctrinal thesis that you read from some theologian. It isn't from your mom or your daddy or your grandparents. It isn't from a preacher or anybody else. It comes from Christ. In Him was life and the life was the light of men. If we are to have the light of God's shine, we have to have the life of God. The only way that the light comes and opens up the understanding, comes in and exposes who we are and exposes what Christ has done for us, is for the life to come in first. If the life don't come in first, there is no life. There is no truth. There is no wisdom. There is no knowledge. There is no repentance. There is no trust. There is no belief. There is no dependency. There is no hope. All of that comes through the man who in him is life. And that life brings the light of your salvation to you. The hope of deliverance from all that you are. the hope of restraint from all that you could be. In Hema's life, in Matthew, if you would, chapter 4, we see everything that was foreshadowed about Christ And everything that this New Testament is talking about, Him being alive, we see exactly where this began in His earthly ministry. Now, just a little background of where we're at in the story here, Jesus has come forth out of seclusion, so to speak, but He's come forth and has sought out John. In fact, the Bible says it came from He came from Galilee. He came all the way down to where John was. It was a long walk, several days walk, to be baptized of John. After he was baptized of John, because it was to fulfill all righteousness, he went into the desert. And then he went into the wilderness to be tempted. And he was tempted for 40 days into the wilderness. After he got done being tempted in the wilderness for 40 days by the devil, He went back up into Galilee, into Nazareth, and here's where we're at now. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephilim, that it might be fulfilled which is spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, the land of Zabulon and the land of Nephilim by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which sat in the region and the shadow of death, light is sprung up." Now, brethren, this was prophesied back in Isaiah chapter 9. in Isaiah chapter 9 and the first couple of verses. This was a prophecy concerning the Lord. Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Napoli, and afterwards did more grievously afflict her by the sea beyond Jordan and Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Now that's amazing for one, that Jesus, even this little detail, was being fulfilled. That's why I say, all the prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, brethren. Every little jot and every little tittle, he fulfilled. even to the very fact that he would go into this region and be a light under these people. But here we see it actually taking place. He goes into the land of Zed. Now, this is a region up by Galilee, and it's on the coast of the Sea of Galilee, two places, and they boarded the Sea of Galilee, and this is where the Jews and the Gentiles commingled together. and the influence of paganism was very, very prominent in this area. A lot of the Greeks had already infiltrated this area and already had been influencing the Jews that were living in this area. Matter of fact, it was so, it was so, now the Jews hated Samaria, But whenever you got up to Galilee and you seen all that, they even was, I can't necessarily say more, but there was just as much wrath with what was going on up in Galilee as there was down there. Matter of fact, keep your hand there and Matthew, look with me if you would at John chapter one again. I'll show you exactly what they thought of Galilee. In John chapter one, down in verse 45, this is where Jesus, where he went up here into Galilee and around Zebulon and Naphthalim, this is where he began to go around the Sea of Galilee and started gathering up all of his apostles, his disciples. And so here's where it's actually recorded when he starts doing that. Verse 45, Now, there's some stuff before that, but Philip finds Nathaniel. Nathaniel's who we want to look at. And saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses and the Law and the Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth. Now, Nazareth was also a city up in Galilee. Nazareth was right there in that region where he was. Nazareth was in Galilee. That's where Jesus came from. That wasn't where he was born. He was born in Bethlehem. But if you remember, they had to escape into Egypt for a while. And then when they came out of Egypt, they came and landed into Galilee and was in Nazareth. And that's where he grew up. He grew up in Nazareth, which also, by the way, fulfilled the prophecy of the Old Testament, which said that the Messiah would be a Nazarene. Not that he came from as being born in, but that he grew up as a Nazarene. He grew up in Nazareth. But look what it says here. Verse 46, and Nathanael said unto him, whenever they said, hey, we found the Messiah, the one that's been testified in all the Old Testament, we finally found him. He's Jesus of Nazareth, and Nathanael says, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? I mean, even Nathanael, who was from Galilee, said, can anything good come from this area? That's how darkened the people were up in that area. Look, if you would, over at chapter 7. John chapter 7. Verse 40. This is after Jesus preached to the people. He said, Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth, this is THE Prophet. Capital P. the prophet, meaning Christ. This is the one who was prophesied to come. This is the prophet. Others said this is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one. But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? See, nobody expected anything to come good out of Galilee because Galilee was a cesspool, low level. It's like the trailer park of the Middle East, okay? No offense to people living in trailers. I grew up in trailers myself. We have brothers and sisters that live in trailers. You know what I mean? It was the Jew trash of the time. It was those who mixed and mingled with the idolaters of the time. And for Jesus to have come from there, where Jew and Gentile mixed together, where It was a byword to many people, was an astounding thing. But in that, Jesus came forth and his earthly ministry didn't begin at the tabernacle with the religious leaders. His earthly ministry began with the lowliest of low. And what does it say here? The people would sat in darkness, saw great light, and to them would sat in the region and shadow of death, Light is sprung up. And from that time, Jesus began to preach and say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It's here. The kingdom of heaven is here. It's here. Repent. What does he tell them to repent of? Well, the Jews were steeped in works religion. The Jews were steeped in idolizing Moses and the commandments. He said, you search the Scripture, for in them you think you have eternal life, but they are which speak of me. He began to preach repentance. John had just baptized him, and in baptizing him, John who was preaching repentance, turned from your way of thinking about righteousness, because right here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Not in your law keeping, right here is where the sin of the world is taken care of. Repent and turn to Christ. Repent and turn to Christ. Repent and turn to Christ. Look upon Him. Look upon Him. Look upon Him and what He has done. That's the message of the Gospel. That's the message of Jesus. That's the message of John the Baptist. That's the message of the Apostles. That's the message of every true church that is ever out there is that our only hope is in Christ Jesus. The hope of our calling is Jesus Christ. How do we get out of darkness into light? How do we get out of death and into life? Our hope, Jesus Christ. Our hope is Jesus Christ. Brethren, the only hope that all these people have that is out there is Jesus Christ, and we can't preach Jesus Christ into your heart. We can't preach Jesus in there. That's why our hope is completely in Him. Our hope is not in Him to make us better preachers so that people out there. .. See, Charlie Kirk did a great job of expounding a lot of things and pointing out hypocrisy, pointing out lies, pointing to the truth of things and their factualness. But, brethren, listen, no matter what Charlie Kirk did, he could not speak belief, truth, dependence. He could not preach repentance into the heart of anybody. None of us can. Unless God first does the work of grace in you, you will remain in darkness and remain in death. Our only hope is Christ Jesus. And so as I look out upon this world and I see all of what's going on and everything like that, all I can say is our only hope is Jesus. Our hope is in Donald Trump taking over and making everything better. Our hope isn't in our state legislator. None of them are any good either. Our hope isn't in the Peace Corps. It isn't in the denominations of this world flooding the world with missionaries. That's not our hope. Our hope is the sovereign work of God in the hearts of men and women. not ever forgetting this, brethren, that everyone whom God has elected before the foundation of the world will not be lost. And everything that is happening from the beginning of the world and to the end of the world has been declared of a sovereign God in His most holy and wise purpose, and that all things that are being brought about by His omnipotent providence is being brought about exactly the way He has determined for it to be brought about, and it will not be thwarted. Men cannot thwart God, and God cannot lose control. God is in control of all these things. And listen, if it is God's purpose to bring judgment upon our country and to bring it down to the lowest, stinkinest cesspool of all time, that is His prerogative to bring that judgment upon us. If it is God's desire to bring this country up and out of the cesspool that it's in and bring it to a place where people look unto Christ Jesus, it's His prerogative to do so, and it won't happen unless His power does it. It isn't Him waiting to do this. Everybody goes to that verse as if it's a conditional verse. If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray, then will I hear from heaven and heal their land. Is God waiting for you to do that? Oh, I want to do that, but they didn't do it this century. Guess we'll have to wait for the next generation to come around and see if they'll do it. Oh, I want them to do it. Oh, I want them to do it. Oh, they didn't do it this century. Maybe the 19th century. Maybe the 20th century. Maybe the 21st century will do it. Is that what God's doing? It's my people who are called by my name. That's a statement of fact. We'll humble themselves and pray. If we pray, we pray in accordance to God's will. Why don't we pray? Not thy will be done. Not my will be done, but thy will be done. Then he'll hear from heaven. All right, does anybody got anything that you'd like to add to that? Questions, comments, corrections? Lord, once again, we thank you for all that you are and all that you've done in Christ Jesus, and we thank you for the hope of the gospel that's in Christ. We thank you, Father, that despite what goes on in this world and is evil and wicked, As it appears around us, we know that you are in control and that you will bring all things according to your purpose. Father, we know that evil will not be victorious. We know that Satan and all of his demons and all of his children will be thrown in the lake of fire. They will be judged. for all their wickedness. But Father, how much that drives us to our knees in thankfulness, gratitude, and humility to know that we are just like them and are deserved of the very same thing. But yet only because of your grace are we saved. Lord, it's only because of your faithfulness that we have been made righteousness. That's not of ourselves, it's a gift of God. You've imputed it to us and you've given it to us. So we're thankful for that. Lord, may we never beat our chest in pride thinking that we are better than others. May we never try to take things into our own hands, take up a cause thinking that we can be victorious over the evils of this world. But Father, that you are controlling those things by your sovereign power. And Lord, that you will, in your ways, bring forth the very means and the very ends that you have determined. So Lord, I just thank you again for the truthfulness that you've given us in the scripture, for the Holy Spirit that you've given us to guide us into that truth, and Lord, for the constrained power that the Holy Spirit brings us. May you help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the things of this word that we might be more knowledgeable of those things and not stand in ignorance when it comes to the political and the social and the public worldly things that are going on around us. May we ever be mindful of what your word says. Father, again, we thank you for all these things. Be with these brethren as they leave today. May you keep them safe. May you grant them mercy and grace this week. And Father, may you gather us together again as we meet Lord willing next week. For it's in Christ's name that we ask these things. Amen.