Okay let's turn to Isaiah 56. Isaiah 56. This 56th chapter of Isaiah is a prophecy of the salvation of God gathering his elect from among the gentiles into the church and kingdom of God. It's talking about the gathering together of God's elect scattered to the four corners of the earth after the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as a result of him having come to establish righteousness in the earth by his obedience to God as our substitute and by his death as our substitute at Mount Calvary. Now in this passage, in these 12 verses, Isaiah declares to us the righteousness, the mercy, and the judgment of God.

And that's my subject this evening. I want to show you the righteousness of God's grace The universality of God's mercy and the cause of God's judgment. First thing, in verses one and two, we have this fact clearly revealed. Now I want you to get it. It's so very, very important. The grace of God that is revealed in the gospel of Christ promotes righteousness. It never hinders it. Now please be sure you get that. Read with me, beginning at verse one. Thus saith the Lord, keep ye judgment. The word is equity, equity. Fairness or brightness. And do justice. For my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

Blessed is the man that doeth this, that is, that keeps equity and judgment, and the son of man that layeth hold on it, that layeth hold on righteousness, God's righteousness and God's salvation in Jesus Christ the Lord, that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Now when our Lord Jesus preached absolute salvation by the free sovereign grace of God through his shed blood, and by his blood and God's grace alone, the people of his day, the religious people of his day said, there, he's promoting licentiousness. This man has a devil. He's a friend of publicans and sinners. You can't listen to him. His doctrine will lead you to do evil.

When the Apostle Paul preached salvation by God's absolute free grace, when he declared the absolute universal forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ alone, by grace alone, folks looked at him and they said everywhere, they said this man, he's saying let us see in the grace lay about.

And they knew he didn't say that. They knew he didn't imply that. But because they could not resist his doctrine, that is, they could not overturn the doctrine, it is clearly stated in the scriptures, we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And folks couldn't have turned that over. They couldn't, they couldn't go out and say that's not so.

What they do is they try to put an ugly picture on it. They're sitting there if you believe that. If you preach that like Paul does, if you say that like Paul does, you say let sin that grace may abound. And the same thing is true today. It is absolutely impossible for any man to preach free, unconditional, immutable salvation to sinners by Jesus Christ alone. I mean free salvation. I mean absolute forgiveness. I mean total, total forgiveness of all sin, past, present, and future through the blood of Christ and by the grace of God.

Any man who preaches it will say he's an antinomian. The attorney will say, now that man, he's promoting my sinciousness. He's promoting evil. He's suggesting that it's all right for folks to go out and break the law. He's suggesting it's all right for folks to commit sin and there's no consequences to it.

Now in these first two verses of Isaiah 56, God simply says, that's not so. That's just not so. That's just not so. The grace of God revealed in the gospel, the grace of God that is established and revealed by Jesus Christ the Lord promotes righteousness. It does not hinder it. It never promotes licentiousness.

In these verses, God commands his people to do these things. Do justice and equity, equity in judgment. and our equity and justice rather. He commands them to keep his Sabbath day. He commands them to keep themselves from doing any evil. Now that's what he commands. He commands us to do matters of obedience, to choose that which pleases him. Now what's the basis of this command? What's he talking about?

For my salvation is near to come and my righteousness to be revealed. the basis of his command, the basis of his exhortation, because he's talking about this gospel age in which we live, is not legality, it is not judgment, it is not the threat of punishment, but rather salvation and righteousness and grace in Jesus Christ the Lord. God's in teachings of grace in the gospel typified in all the ceremonies of the law and in all the deliverances of Israel were announced as being now at hand. He says my salvation is near to come. Now this text is talking about the coming of Christ to pardon sin and to save sinners.

It was several hundred years away. When Isaiah wrote these words, it was, oh, Oaks Bay, and their estimates between 700 and 800, 900 years before Christ came. And yet the Lord God says concerning his salvation, my salvation is near to come. Now, how on earth can you reconcile that with the fact that it was several hundred years off?

Well, God speaks like he does, because God views things from the perspective of eternity, and he would teach us to. Oh, Wiles is the man. who has learned to look upon things in some measure from the perspective of eternity as God looks upon them. He wants his people to live in the immediate anticipation of his promises being fulfilled. so that we live day by day immediately looking for God to fulfill his word. And that's the reason he speaks as he does here in Isaiah 56.

The salvation that is revealed in the gospel, he describes as his salvation, my salvation. It belongs to him. He devised it, he planned it, he accomplished it, he applies it, he preserves it, he gives it to whom he will, it's his salvation. It's his salvation. Then he tells us that salvation as it's proclaimed in the gospel is the revelation of God's righteousness. He speaks of salvation being near to come and he uses this phrase to talk about the same thing.

My righteousness to be revealed. So that the salvation that God accomplished for sinners in Christ is God's righteousness. The gospel of God's grace is the revelation more than anything else of God's righteousness. Hold your hands here and turn to Romans chapter three. Romans chapter three. I want us to just look at many verses outside our chapter this evening, because we won't get through those 12 verses, but I want you to look at this.

The principle thing revealed in the gospel is not the love of God, though that clearly is revealed. The principle thing revealed in the gospel is not the grace of God, though clearly that is revealed. The principle thing revealed in the gospel is not the goodness of God, though certainly that's revealed. The principle thing revealed in the gospel is the righteousness of God.

Look here in Romans 3 verse 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. whom God hath sent forth to be of repitiation through faith in his blood, to declare what is the same, his righteousness. My salvation is near to come, my righteousness to be revealed. You see, in order for God to save sinners, righteousness must be established. He must do so in a manner that is consistent with his righteousness, so that justice is satisfied, his law is honored. God doesn't just sweep sin into the world. God established righteousness in the earth by Christ's obedience and put away sin by Christ's satisfaction.

In other words, all that the law requires Christ fully satisfied on our behalf in saving our souls. Everything. See, it now becomes a righteous thing with God to forgive ourselves. Imagine that. It is as right for God. It is as legally just for God. The justice of God just as much demands the forgiveness of those for whom Christ died as the law of God demands the punishment of sin. just as much so. Because Christ has satisfied justice, righteousness has been established and now the gospel is a proclamation of God's righteousness reigning or grace reigning in righteousness through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sheba was studying and preparing for her lesson for the kids this morning and she was telling me she read some of the literature that you get It's all children's Sunday school literature is atrocious. You ladies who've got to teach your children, you want to teach them something from the scriptures, forget going down to the religion bookstore. All of it's atrocious. Everything I've ever read is horrible. I haven't read anything good. The best of it's horrible.

She was teaching with Cain and Abel this morning, and she said the literature she read said that The person who wrote the literature made this statement, said no, we don't really know why God wasn't pleased with Cain's sacrifice. But he was pleased they will sacrifice. The reason they don't know why is because they don't understand the righteousness of God. You can't come to God without blood atonement.

Righteousness must be established. And this is what the Holy Old Testament's all about. It is a proclamation of a day coming when righteousness will be established and righteousness revealed in Jesus Christ the Lord. So the Lord God speaks of his salvation as being the revelation of righteousness. Here's righteousness. God's salvation. His righteousness. His name is the Lord. Righteousness is not a system of doctrine. Salvation is not a doctrine or creed. Salvation is not a system of theology. Righteousness and salvation is Jesus Christ the Lord our Lord Almighty.

Now, the saints of God warned us today to be in anticipation of this coming salvation, this salvation that was to be revealed. And in a sense, we do too. That's what our text said this morning in Romans 13, 11. Now is our salvation era that we live in. We're living, we're looking for the accomplishment. perfect righteousness in us when we shall be transformed into the glorious liberty of the sons of God in the resurrection day. Now, in essence, our God here demands three things of all who come to him and worship him.

He says, keep ye judgment and do justice. Now, let me give you the sense of that. It means live honestly. Live honestly. Children of God, live honestly in this world. Just be honest. In all your dealings and all your affairs with men, be honest. Don't be deceptive. Don't be hypocritical. Don't be pretentious and don't be dishonest. In all things, live honestly.

And then he says, keep the Sabbath day. Now, when you read the scriptures, have you ever observed how strict God was in his law about the Sabbath day? Have you ever observed that? How absolutely strict he was concerning the Sabbath day. In fact, concerning all things regarding worship and law and justice in the Old Testament. In Numbers 15, We read about some men who were found picking up sticks on the Sabbath day. They were just picking up sticks. Not cutting down timber. Picking up sticks. They weren't gathering in firewood. They were just picking up sticks. And God said, kill them. What? Kill them? Kill them? When Moses went up into the mountain to receive the law of God, there when God revealed his holy law, God said, if so much as the hand of a beast or man touched the mountain, you'd be killed. You mean, just go put your hand on a beast?

The scriptures tell us, maybe you read it back there in the office a little bit ago, if you build an altar to worship God, You built it out of hewn stone. Our duke, he built it out of hewn stone. He built it out of dirt, he said. Why? Because put your hand to it, you polluted it. He polluted it. When Solomon gave commandment concerning the building of the temple, he said there not be the sound of an axe, or a hammer, or a saw, or any tool of man in the house of God. If you bring it in, you've defied the whole thing.

Now, what's all that telling us? When God gives His law, He's telling us that you can only approach God, you can only come to God, you can only be accepted of God through the merits of another. You've got to come to Him without any whims of your own. You've got to come to Him through the man and wife who is totally worthy of God's acceptance through Jesus Christ the Lord. And what did I get in this minute? That Christ is our Savior. So what He's saying here is that if you come to God, You must, real honestly, and you got to come to God in his appointed way. You can't come any other way. For I'll come any way I want to. You'll go to hell. I'll come this way, you'll go to hell. I'll go that way, you'll go to hell. How can you go?

Christ is the way. He's the Lord, our Savior. And then he says, keep your hand from doing evil. Now just in case that's real hard to understand, that means to avoid evil. That's just what it means. Avoid doing evil. You know to do right, do it. You know not to do wrong, avoid it. That's what he says. If you're going to come to God, you've got to come in God's appointed way. Now then, coming to God by faith in Christ Jesus, live honestly. Keep your hands from doing evil. That's what the gospel teaches.

John Gill said, all works of righteousness required by the Lord, though not to be depended upon for justification in his sight, are regarded as the fruits and evidences of faith and repentance. Now the surest way to promote righteousness is to preach up grace.

Read Titus chapter three. The apostle Paul says two times in Titus chapter three, that you can maintain good works. Be careful to maintain good works. And how does he say do that? He says, Titus, preach of grace. Tell these folks about the grace of God. Tell these folks that we're freely saved by free grace in Jesus Christ alone. Preach the free grace of God so that men may be careful to maintain good works. The grace of God teaches us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. But more than that, the grace of God produces righteousness.

Free grace is not a mask for sin. Legality is a mask for sin. There are many women pretending, pretending to keep the law, pretending to honor the law, pretending to merely righteousness are well pictured in the Pharisees who crucified the Son of God. The meanest people on this earth. Legality becomes a mask for evil. Grace is the promotion of evil. Now secondly, Our text demonstrates the fact that God's mercy never was to be limited to one race or one nation, but is universal in its scope. Read verse three.

Neither let the son of the stranger that hath joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, the Lord hath utterly separated me from his people. Neither let the eunuch say, behold, I'm a dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant.

Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. also the sons of the stranger that join themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, everyone that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my covenant. Even them will I bring to my holy mountain and place them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar, for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people. The Lord God which gathereth the outcast of Israel said, yet will I gather others to him beside those that are gathered to him. Now what does all of this teach us?

The Israel of God is not made up of folks who are of the physical descent of Abraham. The Israel of God is God's elect. The Israel of God is all who worship God in the spirit. The Israel of God is the whole church and kingdom of God made up of many women out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue. The apostle Paul tells us that we are the children of Abraham who believe in Christ. He tells us that we are the Israel of God who live by the rule of the cross.

Now it is promised in these verses that strangers and units being called by the grace of God shall be brought into the house of God. His house, his temple in these days of spiritual worship. was to be a spiritual house, a spiritual temple. Not a house of sacrifice, but a house of prayer, a house of prayer for all people. Well, I wonder who he's talking about. Turn over to Hebrews chapter three, Hebrews the third chapter. Let's see if we find out who he's talking about. Hebrews three and verse six.

But Christ has a son over his own house. Whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of hope firm unto the end? Look in chapter 9, chapter 9 verse 8. the Holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was standing which is a figure for the time being present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him perfect that did him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience. But now we come to God, a spiritual house, through faith in Jesus Christ.

We're his tabernacle. We're his house. You're the temple of the moving God, Paul says. The temple of God. Now here the Lord God promises all who come to him all the blessedness of everlasting salvation. He promises that he will give us a place in his house.

He gives us a name better than the names of sons and daughters. Now, I can't imagine anything other than this. He said, I'll give you a name that is infinitely above the name of being the son or daughter of the greatest potentate upon the earth. I'll give you the name of the sons of God. We're the sons of God. He says, I will give you an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.

And he speaks this to strangers and to Eunuchs. The strangers, he's talking about Gentiles. He's talking about you and me. He's talking about folks who were not Jews. Strangers to whom no promise was made. Strangers who had no claim on God. And he promises it to Eunuchs. Eunuchs were castrated men who were slaves to others Sometimes they were willingly castrated and became servants in the temples of their various gods. Sometimes they were castrated by their masters to keep them from being unruly and so forth. But eunuchs were men who could produce no offspring, who could give no fruit.

And the Lord God says, I'll give my grace in all its fullness, even to folks who think they're ruthless. to strangers who have no name on me, and to eunuchs who can give no fruit for this. I'll give them everything. There's no need for any sinner topside of God's earth to say with regard to himself there's no hope. Listen to what he says to us. Paul picks up on this very thing in Ephesians 2. You don't need to turn there, but listen. Ephesians 2.

Wherefore remember, that you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who were called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands that at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus You who sometime were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. God has given strangers and mutants a place in his kingdom, a name, an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. We're the sons of God, the sons of God. And then he gives us a description, a sevenfold description of all true believers. Let me give you this just briefly. I'll just hurry through this. First he says they keep the Sabbath. As I showed you earlier, that simply means they trust Christ.

They cease from their own works. They don't even pick up a stick of Bible reading, of church attendance, or even a stick of a good thought produced by their own, by their own flesh, by their own righteousness. to add one thing to Christ, who rests in him.

Do you? Jesus Christ alone is my hope before God. I have no righteousness of my own. All that which I formerly ought to be good and righteous in me, I count to be good, Paul said, that I may win Christ and be found in him. How about you? I rest in Christ alone. He's my Sabbath. Paul describes him as such in Hebrews chapter four.

Secondly, They choose those things that please the Lord. Faith, holiness, love, mercy. They choose that which pleases God. You see, the aim, the desire, the intent of the believer's heart is to please God. Is to please Him. And they take hold of God's covenant.

They see a transaction performed between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit on their behalf for their everlasting salvation before the world began. And they say with David, although my house be not so with God, yet the Lord hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordering all things and sure. This is all my salvation, all my desire. I trust him. They take hold of God's covenant, they say that's perfect. They believe it, they trust it. More than that, they join themselves to the Lord God, forsaking all other gods.

This is what the apostle Paul tells us in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6, in verse 14. Verse 17 rather, he says, come out from among them and be you separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I'll receive you. He's not talking about coming out of the bars and hokey talks and the brothels and all that stuff. That's a different. He's talking about coming out of false religion. He's talking about coming out of the house of idolatry. He's talking about coming out of the house of belial and touch not the unclean thing. Don't go there. Don't go there. A young man called me up.

I visited another state a few weeks ago on Sunday morning and said his mother is putting a lot of pressure on him to come see his little cousins baptized at one of these free will churches. And he said, what would you do? I said, I wouldn't do it with my life if you think you don't. I wouldn't do it with my life if you think you don't. I would give absolutely no credibility to false religion. Touch not the unclean thing. Touch not the unclean thing. and I'll be a father unto you. I'll receive you and be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

So the apostle of the prophet is here telling us that those who are converted by God's grace join themselves to the Lord. That's what the believer does at baptism. Baptism always has been and is now the mark of distinction. It's the line drawn in the sand.

When the gospel was preached, And the Jews began to hear it. Nobody paid any attention. As long as you come sit and listen to Paul preach, and listen to Peter preach, and just listen to those fellas, and you still remember down at synagogue. You still accept it down at synagogue.

But just as soon as you get in the waters of baptism, you said, oh, my form of religion was idolatry. It was darkness. It was filthiness. And after you said goodbye, you were cut off. He would put on. When the gospel went to the Gentile worlds, many of the Gentile religion practiced night of service and baptism.

And the Gentiles could come and they could sit down and listen to Paul, Peter, James, John, any of them, preach. Listen to them preach all the time. As long as they didn't say anything with regard to utterly abandoning Diana or utterly abandoning this religion or that religion. But as soon as they got in the water and were baptized in the name of Christ, They said this is the way.

I've been walking in darkness to now. Now I've turned to the living God. More than that, they serve him. They've joined themselves to the Lord to serve him. I've joined myself to you, my God, publicly. come here at my ear, no two of them are, and I declare to you and the world, I'm my master's friend, to serve you." Serve him. That's their object in life. Vile slaves.

And they love him. To love his name, the name of the Lord. Oh, they love him. Oh, if you know anything, you know God loves you. Believers know. They love him. They love the name of the Lord and they love to be his servants. To love his name and to be his servants. That's the character of God's love.

Now in verse 7, God promises three more things to all who trust him. First he says, even them will I bring to my holy mountain. He promises there the assistance of his grace. And when God assists, it's not the idea you do your part and he'll do his, he says I'll bring you to my holy mountain. I'll bring you.

And then he promises the assurance of his grace. And I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Exactly in proportion As we believe Christ, we rejoice in Christ, being assured of God's free grace in Christ. And look at this next thing. He promises the acceptance of grace. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar.

We have an altar. His name is Jesus Christ the Lord. We are they who worship at the temple, have no right to eat. We worship God in the spirit. And we bring our offerings, our burnt offerings of praise and our sacrifices, we bring them to Him. And the scripture says they're acceptable to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Accepted in the beloved. What we're doing here right now, Imagine this, God so cleans it up, washes it in the blood of his son, that he accepts it on the man of his son who accepted it in him, accepted it in him.

Now in verse eight, the Lord assures us that all the elect shall be saved. The Lord God which gathereth the outcast of Israel sayeth, yet will I gather others to him. beside those that are gathered unto him. The gospel will be preached in all the world, till the fullness of the Gentiles be brought in, and so all Israel shall be saved.

For the sheep I have, I would say, which are not understood, they must ride muster. There shall be one colt and one shepherd. You see, God's election can't fail. Christ's redemption can't fail. God's purpose of grace can't fail. And he says, I will gather to Christ other people besides those that are gathered to him. And he's going to, he's going to. God's gonna save somebody. He's gonna save somebody.

This message goes out, and I literally don't have any idea where all it goes. Had no idea. Don't have any idea if he's gonna hear it or not. It goes all over the world. And God's gonna save somebody. I don't have any question of that stuff. He's going to save somebody. Maybe some of you. If you're obstinate, rebelling, and unbelieving, Well, I'm sorry for you, but I'm not discouraged. God's still gonna save somebody. He's got some folks out there who must be saved, because he chose them, his son redeemed them, and his spirit will call them.

He'll gather them. How do you know they haven't all been saved? Because we're still standing here on this earth. When God's got them all gathered in, he'll send his son. That'll be the end. When the last of God's elect have been saved, but until then, he says, I will yet gather. I will yet gather now. I'll yet gather those whom I've scattered. Amen. Amen. Who are not yet gathered to me. He's our Savior and he'll do it.

Then in verses 9 through 12, it looks like Isaiah just turns around and he goes in the exact opposite direction. He seems to take up another subject altogether, but actually he doesn't take up another subject at all. He simply gives us a very sober third word of instruction and it's this. He tells us that mercy and grace despised and abused will bring the judgment of God upon any people.

Read with me. All ye beasts to the field come to devour. Wait a minute. Who's speaking? God's speaking. He says, to the beast of the field, come, devour. Yea, all ye beast of the forest. And then he describes them. His watchmen are blind. That is those who profess to be his watchmen. They are all ignorant. They are dumb dogs. They cannot bark. sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they're greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand.

They all look to their own way, every one for his gain from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. Mercy and grace despised and abused will bring the judgment of God upon any people.

He said he's free of his joined to his idols. Therefore, he said, Hosea, you leave them alone. God spoke concerning Israel and he said to Jeremiah, don't pray for them, I'm not going to hear you. Don't pay for it. God spoke in 2 Thessalonians and said for those men who receive not the love of the truth God will send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie.

These beasts in verse 9 were called by God into his professed church and they are described here as dogs. Cursed dogs. Paul said beware of dogs. Dogs are male prostitutes. They're described in the Old Testament as those whose offerings were not to be brought into the temple of God.

And this is the word God Almighty uses to describe vicious intruders, preachers, whom he sends to destroy those who would not hear his word and would not bow to his mercy. Those who would not receive his truth would destroy with a lie. And Isaiah here tells us that these beasts who are supposed to be the watchmen of Zion, they're blind. Blind because they're willfully ignorant. Blind because God blinded them. They're ignorant.

Ignorant of this book. Now listen carefully. Please listen to me. A man may be able to recite the book chapter and verse forward and backward in its entirety and be totally ignorant of it. A person may have all accurate knowledge of the historic facts revealed in this book, recorded in this book, and be ignorant of the message revealed in this book. The knowledge of this book comes by divine revelation. And God says here concerning these whom he sends in judgment upon his professed church, they're ignorant. Ignorant of his grace, his glory, his gospel, his salvation, his son, his righteousness.

Ignorant of all these things we've been talking about. And they're useless. They're dumb dogs that cannot bark. Somebody told me years ago about some breed of dog that doesn't bark. I thought, well, that's the most useless thing I know of. A dog that doesn't bark and the preachers that God sends in judgment are useless. They have no word from God to speak to you. No word. More than that, they're lazy.

Sleeping. The word there, translated sleeping, means they talk in their sleep. I've heard them, y'all. Yeah, I've heard lots of them Greeks talking in their sleep. Just jabbering about nothing. And they're greedy. Greedy dogs, which can never have enough. For the mayhem.

I made a statement once years ago about North Carolina. He was preaching for a group of Ryder and Barton, folks sitting around in the house. He said, I'll tell you what I've learned. These are two kinds of preachers in this world. Two kinds. Folks who take and folks who give. That's only two kinds. God's servants give themselves in the service of his kingdom. These greedy dogs fleece the sheep and move on and find other sheep to fleece. They're takers. Takers. These dogs are self-serving. They can't understand anything. They look to their own way. Everyone for his gain from his quarter.

Getting close to retirement age. What's going to happen to Shelby and Don if you get older? How you going to live then? Got no retirement. Well, Folks down the road, if I just kind of whittled away the message a little bit, shaved my pages off, they should have got a good retirement program for their purchase in that denomination.

I believe I will join up. They'll look out for his own way. Look for his own way. More than that, the devouring beast. Everyone for his gain from his quarter, come ye, say they. I'll fetch wine and we'll fill ourselves with strong drink and tomorrow shall be as this day and much better. We're gonna get even more tomorrow, hang on. That's God's description of his righteousness, his mercy, and his judgment. Now I beseech you, Receive not the grace of God in vain. Hear his word and hearken to it, for Christ's sake. Amen.