It's Too Early to Quit | Doug Sauder | Jude 1

And yet this happens to us in life. And Jesus so gently goes after them and draws them out of their shell, tears down their defense mechanisms, and reminds them that God is a God of mercy. And listen, I know there's people here right now, and you've got hurts and doubts and disappointments and all these things, and you don't even know why, but here's the beautiful thing. God knows you're here, and he's patient and kind and merciful, and he's waiting to tear down that defense mechanism so he can reveal to you his great love. And we are called, Jude says, to be those people, to go after those who doubt. And so one of the things I love. Good morning, church. We're so glad you're here. We wanna invite you to stand if you're able. I wanna read Hebrews 11, one for us. It says this. Now, faith is being confident of what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see. This morning, we are gonna worship the one who fills us with faith, and let's sing together with confidence in who he is and what he's done. Join with me as we sing together. ♪ You've been good, good for all of my life ♪ Let's put our hands together. ♪ Said nothing could ever change my mind ♪

♪ But you never break your promise ♪ ♪ You're constant in all you do ♪ ♪ Yours is the way, the truth, the life that I will choose ♪ ♪ Oh, I know that I know you will never let me go ♪ ♪ Every low, every high, you are faithful all the time ♪ ♪ I've tasted and I've seen, you've been so, so good to me ♪ ♪ God, I know that I know you're faithful all the time ♪ ♪ You're faithful all the time, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ All the time, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ I won't look to the left or right ♪ Let's ask Him for a heavenly perspective. ♪ I will keep heaven in my sight ♪ ♪ And though I will not be shaken, nothing is moving me ♪ ♪ I've got a faith that's sure of things I cannot see ♪ ♪ Oh, I know that I know you will never let me go ♪ ♪ Every low, every high, you are faithful all the time ♪ ♪ I've tasted and I've seen, you've been so, so good to me ♪ ♪ God, I know that I know you're faithful all the time, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Faithful all the time, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Do you see Him? ♪ All the time, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Go,elys II! ♪ I won't stand on words of a man, god, I'll stand on yours instead, all of my heart, all of my faith — all of it's in your name. ♪ And the world cannot deny all that you've done in my life, all of my days and all of my praise, all to live Jesus' name. ♪ I won't stand on words of a man, god, I'll stand on yours instead, all of my heart, all of my faith — all of it's in your name. ♪ And the world cannot deny all that you've done in my life, all of my days and all of my praise, all to live Jesus' name. ♪ All of my days and all of my praise, all to live Jesus' name. ♪ Oh, I know that I know you won't ever let me go. Every bone, every heart, you are faithful all the time. ♪ Oh, I know that I know you won't ever let me go. Every bone, every heart, you are faithful all the time. ♪ I've tasted and I've seen, you've been so good.

♪ Oh, succor to me, for I know, that I know. ♪ ♪ It's faithful all the time. ♪ ♪ It's faithful all the time that you are. ♪ ♪ It's faithful all the time. ♪ ♪ Oh, I've seen and I've seen. It's faithful all the time. ♪ ♪ Oh, I know you will provide. It's faithful all the time. ♪ ♪ And you're always on my side. It's faithful all the time. ♪ ♪ It's faithful all the time. ♪ Yes, thank you. ♪ Oh, we worship you, Jesus. There is no one more worthy of you. ♪ ♪ I am an instrument of exaltation. ♪ ♪ And I was born to lift your name above all names. ♪ ♪ You hear the melody of all creation. ♪ ♪ But there's a song of praise that only I can sing. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only you, Jesus. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? There is no one. Who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only you, Jesus. ♪ ♪ You are the infinite God of the ages. ♪ ♪ Yet you chose to make my heart your dwelling place. ♪ ♪ You healed my brokenness, showed me your glory. ♪ ♪ So I have songs of thanks, not even angels sing. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only you, Jesus. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one. ♪ ♪ There is no one, only you, Jesus. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you, Jesus. ♪ ♪ There is no one, only you, Jesus. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one. ♪

♪ There is no one, only you, Jesus. ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, it's only you, Jesus. Be the center of our worship. The center of our attention. Oh, oh, oh. ♪ ♪ Lamb of God, anointed one, who was and is and is to come. Seated on the throne above. ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, righteous one, who shed his blood. You prove to us the Father. Sing it out, Jesus Christ. Holy, holy, holy. ♪ ♪ Lamb of God, anointed one, who was and is and is to come. Seated on the throne above. Holy, holy, righteous one, who shed his blood. You prove to us the Father. Jesus Christ, be lifted up. Holy, holy, holy. ♪ ♪ Lamb of God, anointed one, who was and is and is to come. Seated on the throne above. Holy, holy, righteous one, who shed his blood. You prove to us the Father. Jesus Christ, be lifted up. Holy, holy, holy. ♪ ♪ Come to us, the fathers of Jesus Christ be lifted up ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? ♪ Tell Him. ♪ There is no one, yeah, yeah, yeah. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Only you Jesus. ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Only you Jesus. ♪ ♪ Only you Jesus. Oh, only you Jesus. ♪ ♪ You deserve the glory, the honor, the praise is yours. ♪ ♪ Oh, I just want to speak the name of Jesus. ♪ ♪ And over every heart and every mind. ♪ ♪ Cause I know there is peace within your presence. ♪ ♪ Our sweet Jesus. ♪ Anybody grateful for Jesus this morning? Come on. ♪ I just want to speak the name of Jesus. ♪ Declare this. ♪ Till every dark addiction starts to break. ♪ Yeah. ♪ Declaring there is hope and there is freedom. ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus. Yes. ♪

Yes. ♪ Your name is power. Your name is healing. ♪ ♪ Your name is life. Yes it is. ♪ ♪ Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. ♪ ♪ Burn the haze of fire. ♪ ♪ I just want to speak the name of Jesus. ♪ ♪ Over fear and all anxiety. ♪ ♪ To every sore held captive by depression. ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus. Yes. ♪ ♪ Your name is power. Your name is healing. ♪ ♪ Your name is life. Yes it is. ♪ ♪ Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. ♪ ♪ Burn the haze of fire. ♪ ♪ Your name is power. Your name is healing. ♪ ♪ Your name is life. Yes it is. ♪ ♪ Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. ♪ ♪ Burn the haze of fire. ♪ ♪ So shout Jesus from the mountains. Jesus in the streets. ♪ ♪ Jesus in... Yes, come on. ♪ ♪ Jesus from my family. I speak the holy name. ♪ ♪ Come on. Jesus. Oh yeah. ♪ ♪ Shout Jesus from the mountains. Jesus in the streets. ♪ ♪ Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. ♪ ♪ Jesus from my family. I speak the holy name. ♪ ♪ Jesus. Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name. ♪ ♪ This life, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Make every storm, oh, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Burn like a fire, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Your name is power, your name is healing, your name is power ♪ ♪ Your name is healing, your name is life, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Make every storm, oh, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Burn like a fire, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ I just want to speak the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Over fear and all anxiety, yes, God ♪ ♪ To every soul held captive by depression ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus, oh, I speak Jesus ♪ Calvary Chapel, would you just begin to fill the room with worship to Jesus today? Remember what he did for you on the cross? Just say, thank you, Lord. God, you have saved me from my sin. You have saved me, whatever he has rescued you from. Remember the love of God that has the power to save. The name of Jesus has the power to redeem. The name of Jesus has the power to restore. The name of Jesus brings the dead to life. We do not serve a dead God. We serve a risen Savior who is seated at the right hand of the Father. His name is Jesus. Every anxiety bows at the name of Jesus. Every depression bows at the name of Jesus. Every fear bows at the name of Jesus. He alone has the authority. So God, we magnify you. We give you glory because you are King of kings. You are Lord of lords. There is no one like you. We love you, King Jesus. And we say with confidence.

♪ Sound Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the darkness over every enemy, yeah ♪ ♪ Jesus for my salvation, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ ♪ Sound Jesus, sound Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ Jesus in the darkness over every enemy, yeah ♪ ♪ Jesus for my salvation, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ ♪ Sound Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ Jesus in the darkness over every enemy, yeah ♪ ♪ Jesus for my salvation, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. We bless your name, King Jesus. We are here to glorify the King of Kings, the one who took our sin and left it in the grave. You rose from the grave to give us new life. And because of what you have done, Jesus, we have new life. We have been given a new name. We have been rescued and brought into the kingdom of the beloved Son, Jesus. And we thank you, God. Would you just take a moment and just thank your King? Thank your Jesus today. Thank you, God. You rescued us. And sometimes our minds and our hearts are prone to forget how much we have been delivered from. But God, would you remind us this morning that salvation is no small thing.

It changed everything about us. It changed everything about us. Thank you, God. We were stuck. We were dead. We had no life. We were miserable, and you rescued us. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. There is no one like you. You are the center of our attention this morning. It is your breath in our lungs. All of us this morning, we woke up to new mercies. And it's you who are the sustainer. You are the giver of life and you sustain us. And so we look to you, King Jesus. For anyone in the room today that is discouraged or tired, God, by the power of your spirit, would you fill them afresh this morning? Would they know the nearness of our God? You are not far, you are not out of reach, you are not too distant, you are so close, so close that you would put your very spirit inside of those who are in Christ. Thank you, the spirit of God is closer than the very breath that we breathe. How incredible, what a privilege it is. We thank you, Lord. I pray that as we hear the preaching of your word, that your spirit would soften our hearts,

open our eyes and our ears to know exactly what you are saying. So we would leave this place different, transformed, because we had an encounter with the King of Kings, with the Lord of Lords, the one who changed everything. That's why a relationship with you is worth everything, because you are everything. Remind us of that again this morning. We love you. We lift your name, King Jesus, you alone, and it's in your name, Jesus. We pray and ask all these things. Calvary Chapel, we said, would you just give Jesus praise in this place? Yes! So if you weren't with us last week, we started this very small book of the Bible, a letter written by Jude, the half-brother of Jesus. And Jude starts out his letter by saying, I hope to write to these new Christians, these Jewish believers in Jesus, about the salvation that has come in Messiah. But then he says, but I need to warn you, there are people that have come in among you. There are false teachers, they're creating division, they're creating confusion. So I wanted to have this beautiful letter about all these beautiful things that God is doing, but I needed to stop and warn you. And so Jude is direct.

He's this fiery Old Testament prophet. Jude is intense, and you get it from almost the very beginning. And it's this warning. 12 different examples of people back in the day, angels who rebelled from heaven, who did not finish, even though they started well. People who came out of slavery in Egypt, into the promised land. They started well, but they didn't finish well. Along the way, they quit. Along the way, they didn't just quit, but they caused others to quit. And Jude is gonna have this prophetic voice, this intense voice, like it's too early to quit. It's this voice of a parent. When you think of intensity, think of a parent who says to their kids, don't run into the street, don't take candy from strangers. Why? Because they're trying to control? No, because they're trying to protect. They know that children are easily trusting and gullible and naive and can be manipulated. And so a wise parent will offer this intense warning to their kids in certain moments to protect them. This is Jude. And so Jude is reminding these early Christians that life is hard and the following Jesus is hard

and not everyone who starts finishes. Have you ever known a Christian, someone who came to know Jesus, who started following Jesus and then they sort of just drifted away? They got involved in this really odd Bible study. They had unanswered prayers and disappointments because they thought maybe following Jesus would be easier or different than it was. They have all these different questions. And when that happens to us, we're like, wait, what happened? I mean, I know people at this church, you were invited to this church, you were invited to know Jesus through this person and now they have wandered completely away and said, I'm not a Christian anymore. And you sort of scratch your head like, how does that happen? And Jude said, that's been happening. It'll happen today and it'll continue to happen, but we don't wanna be the people who are deceived. We don't wanna be the people who quit. And so there's this strong and prophetic push that Jude has. And so today this letter's gonna have relevance for us. But I wanna answer a question that maybe some of you are thinking. Jude is the half brother of Jesus. First of all, what? Jesus had brothers and sisters?

If you grew up in a Catholic church or an Orthodox church, you won't receive that teaching. They'll say like, well, when it says brothers and sisters, it means cousins or stepbrothers from a previous marriage of Joseph, but the language is pretty clear. These are the brothers and sisters of Jesus. So what does that mean? And how do we know Jude is one of them? Well, the reason we know Jude is one of them is because the brothers and sisters of Jesus are named in the Bible. We see this in several places, Mark chapter six, verse three, when Jesus, 30 years old, and he begins his public ministry, the people are like, wait, that's the guy from Nazareth, the carpenter, he grew up with us, and then here's what it says. Isn't this Mary's son? The brother of James, and Joseph, and Judas, and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us? So we know here Jesus had at least six siblings, at least two sisters, and four named brothers. And where is Jude in this? I mean, I see Judas, oh. You know, Judas used to be a good name. Tell you, you ruined it for everybody. But Jude, or Judas, or Judah, are all derivatives of the same name, like John, or Johnny, or Jonathan. Jude is listed as the third, and in one place,

the fourth brother of Jesus. And all four of the brothers of Jesus became leaders in the church. James became the leader in the church in Jerusalem. Jude became this itinerant preacher, teacher, this kind of prophet in the church, but it wasn't always this way. So when you look at the early writings about Jesus' brothers in Matthew, and Mark, and Luke, and John, every time you see his brothers, they're mocking Jesus. In John 7, hey, Jesus, you're gonna go public? Go big, sure you're the Messiah. At one point, they come to take charge of him because they think he's lost his mind. He's embarrassing their family, saying he's the Messiah, the Son of God. They're scoffers, they are mockers. And so when we see Jude with this intensity, sometimes we can read the Bible when he talks about those scoffers, those deceivers, we sort of have this tone of this prophet with his finger pointed. But know that Jude knows he was once a scoffer. He was once a mocker. How did his brothers go from mockers and scoffers to leaders in the church? Well, they weren't there for the miracles, they weren't there for the feeding of the 5,000, they weren't there following him.

But after Jesus' death, they also went into crucifixion. So between his death and Pentecost, Jesus appears to his brothers and reveals himself that he is risen, and they become his followers. In Acts 1.14, they are in the upper room praying. It is the risen Jesus that convinces them that he is Messiah. And listen, this is one, to me, of the greatest apologetics of the Bible, one of the greatest proofs that Jesus is Messiah. Because I grew up with a brother, and I can promise you, I never thought he was the Messiah. You know everything about your brothers and sisters, you know every fault. So when Jesus says, I am without sin, the brothers would know if that was true or not. And his appearance to them caused them not just to worship him, but follow him and give their lives in his service. And that is Jude. And so as we read this, I don't want you to hear a tone of, what's wrong with you people? Because sometimes we can read the Bible like that. You know, if you point a finger at someone, you have three fingers pointed back at yourself. Ah, yeah, the longer you follow Jesus, hopefully, the less self-righteous you become, the less critical and condemning you become, and the more you realize you are in need of mercy, just like everyone else is in need of mercy.

And so the letter of Jude is a prophetic word, spoken with a heart of mercy, a humility and a conviction that is protective over people. And so let's read it with that heart. Jude opens up and says, you are loved by God and called by God and kept by God, but there are all these people who are trying to mess with you. And in verse 17, we'll pick up where we left off. But dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you in the last times, there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the spirit. Jude begins by warning about angels who rebelled in heaven and the people of God who rebelled and prophets who didn't finish well like Balaam. But then he says, even the New Testament apostles have warned you that in your churches will come wolves dressed in sheep's clothing. That was the warning of Jesus. These people are not easy to spot. Even after three years, the disciples didn't know Judas was one of those people. And he says, Peter has warned us. Second Peter chapter two, an entire chapter, warning people about people who are not

who they appear to be, bringing division and controversy. John, the other disciple of Jesus, offers many warnings about false teachers And Paul, one of the apostles, does the same. Over and over, as the gospel is presented, there is a warning. There are false teachers and people who will introduce all kinds of things to bring division. Why is there so much division in the church today? The same reason why there was division in the church back then. Because the church often listens to the wrong voices. Now, Jude doesn't just explain what the false doctrines are in other places other leaders do. He just says this, you can know the false doctrine by watching the person's life. Interesting, right? And you notice people who say like, hey, so all the churches say this, but I can tell you, I figured out this really cool thing that no one else knows, follow me. And that can get really weird, really fast. But if you just watch that person's life, that cult leader, that person who makes it all about them, you can watch their desire, their greed, their lust, their desire for praise, sort of become self-evident. It's not about God at all, it's a lot more about them. And Jude says, be careful, because these people are gonna creep in, and they're gonna follow ungodly desires

and natural instincts, because they don't have the spirit of God. They're not Christians. They sound like Christians. Maybe they look like Christians. And if we're not discerning, if we don't ask the right questions, well, then we're gonna be tricked by them, and maybe we'll find ourselves over here going, I don't think I wanna follow Jesus anymore, because we followed this voice that we shouldn't have followed, now, how does that happen? Well, there isn't a week that doesn't go by that someone doesn't go, hey, hey, Doug, I want you to watch this podcast. I want you to watch this new thought, this new idea, this is so good. So many people are following this guy, this girl. And so I'll just sort of watch, and what you see is a person who maybe is sharing sort of an ideology or some kind of theology, and they use Bible verses here and there, but what they're saying and how they're living is clearly not of God. And you realize that just because a celebrity thanks God at the Oscars or the Grammys doesn't mean he's a Christian, he's a Christian. Just because you put a line in a song, just because you say something, if you don't, if your life doesn't reflect

the values of the kingdom, well, the bad theology will be revealed in your life. So don't be so quick to assume, I know Christians, we so want other people to know Jesus that often we can be sort of easily sucked in. Oh, they became a Christian. Oh, the celebrity became a Christian. Oh, this is great for Christianity. Listen, God doesn't need a celebrity for his kingdom, okay? All right, he's already king, right? So we need to practice discernment, Judas challenging the church to not be divided by people who don't have the spirit of God. Politicians do this all the time. If you vote for me, I will keep you safe and you will be free and you will experience prosperity. Every politician offers the same promise and many of them tag on, oh, and yes, I'm with you because this Bible verse or God bless America or whatever they say. And these men and women who are in pursuit of power divide the church, we're watching it happen. They don't have the spirit of God. They know a Bible verse, they might know how to pray a prayer. It doesn't mean they know Jesus. Or how about this? Jude talks about preachers, uh-oh. Preachers who preach God's word for profit. You want God's blessing?

Then you give to me. And I get rich and you stay poor and I manipulate you because of my spiritual authority. Is that happening today? Look around, now I drive a Mazda just for the record. Okay, just saying, just saying, all right. Listen, it happens all around us. It happens with celebrities, it happens with politicians, it happens with pastors who are using their spiritual or legal or social authority for devious purposes and they divide Christians. And Jesus says, don't let someone who doesn't have the spirit of God bring division into the church. So how do you get the spirit of God? That's a good question. Well, you get the spirit of God when you bow your knee to Jesus, when you realize you're a sinner and you realize you need a savior. And the Bible says in Ephesians 1, the moment that you call out to him, he offers you forgiveness and redemption and he gives you his spirit as a seal. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit as a promise, guaranteeing your redemption, which means the spirit of God doesn't come and go and come and go in and out of your life. The spirit of God stays in your life because when God makes a promise, he keeps it.

So if you are in Christ, you have received the spirit of God and you should rejoice. every single day, because this is the beautiful gift that God gives to his people. Now, verse 20, Jude continues, but you, now he's going to get personal, but you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life and be merciful to those who doubt, save others by snatching them from the fire, to others show mercy mixed with fear, hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude's going to turn personal. He's offered all the warnings from history and nature and creation, even offered warnings from his own peers like Peter and John and Paul, but now says, now, dear friends, I have something for you, and here's the line, keep yourselves in the love of God. What a powerful sentence, what a powerful idea. In the beginning, he says you are called and loved and kept by God, that God is keeping you, but here he says, no, but you also need to keep yourselves in the love of God. So what does that mean? To me, there's a picture that helps me understand what it means to be kept in the love of God, and it's the invitation of Jesus. The invitation of Jesus is I am in the Father and the Father is in me. This beautiful circle in the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, where we are invited into this fellowship of love, into this fellowship of unity, this deep inseparable unity, unconditional love, shared glory, mutual submission, no competition between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and Jesus is like, come on in and share the life we have together, and then keep yourself in that love. And so two things are true all the time, that you are kept by God, you're in his hand, but you have a role to play and to keep yourself in the love of God. Jesus would use phrases like this, abide in my love, remain in my love, and there's a promise for that. Now, there's some human examples that help us understand, how are these things both true? Wait, is God keeping me, or am I keeping myself? And I'll give you one example. Any parents in the room ever teach their kids how to swim? If you're brave. Some of you just said, I'm gonna pay someone else to do that, that sounds traumatic, and it is. So I remember teaching my kids how to swim, and you're like, hey, son, I got you, I got you, and we're gonna go in the water, you're gonna go under the water, and you know, you're not gonna be able to breathe, and you're probably pretty freaked out, but I got you.

And when you teach your, you know, kids to swim, maybe they're two years old, or three years old, they're pretty young, and here's how my sons held on to me. They're holding on to me, because they don't want to die. But here's what I know, even as I take them underwater, and they lose their grip, I still have them, because I'm strong enough to hold them, even when they let go. And this is who God is in your life. You keep your grip on Jesus, you stay in his love, but even if you let go, he's strong enough to hold you. We have this example, not just that God is a father to us, and we're like his kids, we have this example of the picture of Christ's love for the church. It's like a marriage, that when we make a vow in holy matrimony, two things are true at the same time. I just got to do two weddings in the last week, and you know, you do the vows, and there's this moment where you're like, wait, matrimony, marriage is God's idea. There's a design that God has for marriage, there's a blessing that God has for marriage, and God is strong enough to keep your marriage. And you still have to keep your vows. Remember those vows? My commitment is for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to serve you as Christ commands, as long as we both shall live. Sounds so beautiful at a wedding. When you're rich, it's easy. When you're healthy, it's easy. When times are good, it's easy. But when you're sick, or sick of him or her, or you're poor, or things are worse, I mean, maybe it's like, oh, do I just go find someone else? Do I keep in my vows, or do I start looking for someone else that might make me happy? Well, that's a decision everyone has to make. Jews are like, keep yourself in the love of God, and God will also keep you. He is strong enough to hold you. And so the question is, what are some practical... ways that we can do this. And he gives two. Well, you see this in verse 20, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. So he gives two practices. And if I'm going to give you like a phrase to help you, how do I not quit on my faith? It's, don't quit on your spiritual growth. Jude is going to give you two very simple ways to keep yourself in the love of God, build yourself up and pray in the spirit. Now that word building and that we're praying

in the Greek are present tense. That means continuous action. So what, what he's saying to the Greek is build your life and keep on building, pray in the spirit and keep on praying this continuous action of practicing your faith. And Jesus would describe this this way. He said, you know, a wise person who builds his life on a rock is like a person who hears my words and puts them into practice. Christianity, when, when the Bible says you are saved by grace through faith, it's the gift of God. It's true. In a moment, as you pray, you receive the mercy of God and you're forgiven. But that's not all that happens. Now you get to walk out this grace, walk out what it means to be forgiven. So Jesus has put it into practice. Paul says to Timothy, it's like you're training, like an athlete who's training, train yourself to be godly. The same way you work out the same way you jog and do pushups is the same way you should study your Bible and build yourself up the same way you should pray and live in community and learn to be generous. These things will help you keep yourself in the love of God. So how do you practice praying? Well, I would suggest if you want to learn how to pray, hang out with people who've been praying longer than you. This last Wednesday, we had a prayer time, like every Wednesday, like we'll have this Wednesday. A bunch of people gather together and there are these, these moments where you sat before this sheet of paper and you spend a moment in silence. And you walk to another sheet of paper and you spend some time repenting, evaluating your life in light of who God is and how you need to ask forgiveness and confess your sin. And then another page where you began to intercede and pray for people you knew who were sick, people you knew who needed a touch in their marriage, in a

relationship, prayed for a prodigal, prayed for so many different things in the world. And it was such a beautiful sound to listen to a room of people just walking around and praying. And one of our leaders, she shared this verse at that meeting, Ephesians 6.18, and pray in the spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Praying in the spirit, I mean, the spirit of God in you puts something on your heart, a burden. Pray for those people in Cali, Columbia. Puts a burden on your heart that those co-workers I know, that person who just got let go. He puts a burden on your heart for someone in your own family. He puts a burden on your heart for something that just comes out of nowhere. Well, take a moment and begin to pray and hang out with people who pray so you can learn to pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. And sometimes we learn how to pray and keep on praying by reading God's word and being in community. But sometimes we're all by ourselves and we don't know what to pray. Have you ever had a moment in your Christian life where you were either so sad or so angry or so anxious or so numb or so tired, you just didn't know what to pray at all? And I go, I don't know what to pray right now. I'm just, I'm so done. And I feel like quitting, maybe not quitting on God, but quitting on that person or the circumstance or quitting on myself. Yet in that moment, the spirit of God will pray for you when you can't pray for yourself. Romans 8 says this, in the same way the spirit helps us in our weakness, we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. If you ever experienced this, it's one of those things that

you realize God's nearness to you that he can, he can work beyond your words. He can work beyond your ability to understand the situation to pray his spirit in you connects with your spirit. And there's this beautiful connection about the things that you need that you don't even know you need. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 2, Paul says, some people even have this gift of a prayer language where they pray words that are not discernible to other people, but it's the language of heaven connecting with God, even beyond transcending the words of language that we use. So when Paul says, if you want to keep yourselves in the love of God, then you need to be in this process of building yourself up and continuing to pray so that you can grow closer to God and stay in his love. Now, most often when we think about growing as disciples of Jesus or reading our Bible or praying, we do think about this in isolation. We live in a very Western, you know, 21st century materialistic individualist society where almost all that we read, we filter through, it's about me. So when I pray and ask Jesus to come into my life, it's between me and him. When I read the Bible, it's what I get out of it. It's when I give, I give, and it's my act of worship between me and God. But the Bible isn't just an individualistic relationship between you and me, it's also a corporate relationship with everyone else around you.

So I'm gonna show you the picture I started with, this picture of this invitation to be in Christ. Over 200 times in the Bible, the invitation to come into the life of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit is described in the Bible as being in Christ, where you find forgiveness and redemption and joy. But no, you're not the only person invited into that circle. The person next to you is also invited to the circle, which means they're in Christ as well. So check this out. You are as connected to the person sitting next to you who's a Christian as you are to Jesus. Hmm. You're like, that doesn't sound right. I'm gonna say it again. If you're in Christ and they're in Christ, you're as connected to them as you are to Jesus. Now, again, in a very individualistic theological framework, that doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm gonna read to you one of the many passages in the Bible that talk about how God doesn't just fill us individually with His Spirit, but fills us as a community with His Spirit, and that's in the book of Ephesians chapter two, verse 19. Paul says, consequently, when you come to Christ, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets,

with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him, the whole building is joined together and arises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. There's a reality with which my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That's something individual and personal, but there's also this theological idea that we are the temple of God in which He dwells by His Spirit, which means I'm connected to you and Jesus and the whole community of the church together. And that's why the church is so important. This church is not just a corporation or a building or an organization. This church is the family of God. This church is the body of Christ. Whatever local church you're a part of, there is an intimate connection with one another that often we don't recognize. And so part of the reason why we're doing a five-week series on relationship is to remind ourselves that this isn't just a social club where we meet friends. This is a family where we remind ourselves what Jesus has done for our life and we walk together on mission with Him. So I'm looking forward to the series as we dig deeper into this,

because when we receive the mercy of God, it allows us to extend mercy to others. And that's what Jude's gonna do next. In the next three verses, you're gonna see the word mercy three times. And so just like he says, don't quit on your own spiritual growth, he's gonna say this, don't quit on people. Don't quit on other people. Because God didn't quit on you. I mean, Jude could have easily given up and said, you know, I can't believe that I did this to my half-brother Jesus. Remember half-brother because all these brothers of Jesus had the same mother, but Jesus had a different father. Because when Messiah would come, the prophet Isaiah said he'd be born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit. And so that's why we say that these were the half-brothers of Jesus. But Jude probably thought after a while, I've gone too far, I've mocked my brother too many times. I've spent 30 years or somewhere in that timeframe treating my brother poorly. Will he ever forgive me? And the answer is, if Jesus didn't quit on Jude, then Jesus won't quit on you. And that's a good, good thing to know. And yeah. And so here's a, here's a powerful indicator

of the mercy that we've received. Jude says it this way. He says, be merciful to those who doubt, verse 22. So how do you treat people who walk away from their faith? How do you treat people who mock your faith? But how do you treat people who isolate and ridicule you because you're a Christian? Well, the answer to that question is, if you realize that you have received mercy, then you will be able to extend to them mercy. To the degree you understand what you've been forgiven for and how God has shown you mercy, you'll extend mercy to others. And so let's just stop and think about it for a second. I want you to think about your life and just sort of soak in like, how have you received or experienced the mercy of God in your life? Now, if you just think about it for a minute, you're like, yeah, I was forgiven for my sins. And it's like, yeah. But the more you think about it, the things you said, the things you did, how dark the hole was that you were in, how many times you rejected the truth of God and how kind and patient and gentle he was in calling you back, the more you lose your sense of self-righteousness. And the more you're not gonna reject people who walk away,

but you're gonna be gentle to them. You see, Judah's calling the church to be discerning. There are people who are wolves in sheep's clothing, but he doesn't call us to be suspicious. Which one of you? No. But to be merciful for those who doubt. So what does that look like? Well, as Paul reflected on the things he was forgiven of, as you look at his letters, there's a progression from, hey, I was a sinner before I met Jesus, to I was the chief of sinners, to in his last letter, he said, I was the worst sinner in the entire history of the world. I was a blasphemer. I was a murder. I was the worst human being who ever lived. And yet I was shown mercy. What happened? The longer he walked with Jesus, the more he realized how much mercy he actually needed. I tell the story all the time. When I first became a Christian, I talked to the pastor. The pastor's like, so tell me about your life before Jesus. And I'm like, I didn't really sin that much. And he didn't laugh. And I was serious. I just had no idea all the ways I had sinned against God

and other people. I had no idea how selfish I was. I had no idea how broken I was. I just, I mean, I didn't kill anybody. So it can't be that bad. And the longer you walk with Jesus, the more that self-righteous, critical spirit is shed. And the more you're gonna show mercy to people who doubt. It said of Jesus that he went after these people in Matthew chapter 12, a bruised reed he would not break and a smoldering wick he would not snuff out. Jesus was gentle with people who struggled with doubts. So maybe that person you knew who walked away from Jesus, who deconstructed their faith, you can either cancel them. You're stupid. Nah, nah, nah, nah. Hey, goodbye. Whatever. Or you could pray, God, give me an avenue to speak into their life. Now, how did Jesus do this for people who doubted? Well, he didn't point his finger at them for the most part. His most common method of reaching people who doubted was asking questions. Jesus asked 307 questions in the Gospels. As people came to him, he didn't say, well, you know what your problem is. He would ask them a question

to draw what was really going on because Jesus knew something that most of us don't realize. Behind every intellectual theological block of believing the Bible, there's some sense of emotional pain or disappointment. My parents got divorced. I went through abuse. That spiritual leader manipulated me. That person in the church hurt me. And because of that hurt and that confusion, I don't want anything to do with that Bible or those people because that must represent God. None of that's intellectual. All of it's the way our mind processes all the things we take in. And Jesus knew this. And that's why he'd go after prostitutes because no little girl grows up and says, I wanna be a prostitute when I grow up. Something happened to that girl. He goes after tax collectors who betray their own people for money. No little boy grows up and says, I wanna betray my entire family. And yet this happens to us in life. And Jesus so gently goes after them and draws them out of their shell, tears down their defense mechanisms and reminds them that God is a God of mercy. And listen, I know there's people here right now

and you've got hurts and doubts and disappointments and all these things. And you don't even know why, but here's the beautiful thing. God knows you're here and he's patient and kind. and he's waiting to tear down that defense mechanism so he can reveal to you his great love. And we are called, Jude says, to be those people, to go after those who doubt. And so one of the things I love about this place is just the way that people are welcome to come in any condition they are. If you're a Muslim or you're a Hindu, you're an atheist, you've known nothing about church, organized religion, you're welcome to come and sit and worship with us, you're welcome to come to our care group. So we have care groups like Grief Share, someone died in your family, you're welcome to come and process that grief. You've gone through cancer, we have a ministry called Cancer Care, come and process that journey you're walking through, talk with other people who've gone through that. You've been through a divorce, there's a ministry called Divorce Care. You've been through addiction, you're trying to find recovery and sobriety, something called Celebrate Recovery. You don't have to be a Christian to show up in these venues, you show up and you can belong to this community before you believe that Jesus is Messiah.

And this is the beautiful thing about the church. We show mercy as people doubt, and we continue to share and show the love of Jesus. Now, Jude says we need to be merciful to those who doubt, but then he says something, sounds a little more radical, and save others by snatching them from the fire. Mercy, mixed with fear, hating even the clothing, stained by corrupted flesh. This sounds a lot like aggressive Christianity. This is not a person waiting for someone to come to them, this is a person going after someone. And again, I love the people of this church, because there's some of you that are like aggressive Christians, but in the right way. When he says contend for the faith, he doesn't mean contentious, argue, be a jerk. No, he means go after people. Like Jesus said, I go after the one, the one who is far away. So I'll sign to people who are like, hey, my friend, he keeps going back to the clubs, he keeps getting back in that life, and so I drove to the club, and I grabbed my friend and said, get in the car, we're going. That's not snatching your friend from the fire, but not getting the stains on your clothes. This is a powerful thing, it's like the fear of God and the love for people put together in this place. What does it mean to snatch someone you know from the very gates of hell?

And listen, it's hot by the gates of hell. Some of us are so comfortable in our Christian environment, like we're at church all the time, we don't even know anyone who's not a Christian. And we sort of think, isn't that how it's supposed to be? No, no, you're supposed to know people who are lost and broken. The closer you are to the flames, the more you can snatch someone who's there. And so I know someone who had a friend who was stuck in a domestic violence situation. We did an intervention, we came, showed up, got that woman and her kids out and got them to safety. That's called going right into the danger, toward the mess, toward the brokenness and saying, come with me. I know every week there are women here who go into the women's jail right down the street. These women whose lives have been devastated by their actions and other people's actions. They go right in that mess every week. Listen, if you wanna be one of those people, then go out into our lobby and say, I wanna be one of those people who go into the fire and snatch people out because I have a great fear for God. I don't wanna get corrupted by that, but I also have a love for people because I was once someone like that. We just met with a bunch of leaders from college campuses on college, doing college ministry,

helping students at FAU and FIU and Nova and Broward College and these places where so many kids are getting lost in so many ways, but there's groups of people who say we wanna go there and love them in Jesus' name and invite them to come out. This is what it means to be a person who has received mercy, who goes after those who are far from him. And then verse 24, Jude's gonna get back to what was his original intention in the letter. Remember he said, he opens the letter saying, you are the ones who are called by God and loved by God and kept by God and I wanted to write a letter about our salvation, but I had to warn you about all the people who were gonna try to get you to quit or get you off track, but now he's given his warning and he's given his challenge and now he's gonna remind us, not just of the past or the present, but he's gonna point us to the future. And you might see in your Bible this word doxology to describe this section. This means an offering of praise. And so he points us to the power of Jesus to save. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God, our savior, be glory and majesty and power and authority through Jesus Christ, our Lord before all ages now and forever more. Someone said, amen.

And Jude is reminding us of this future moment. I mean, and it's so interesting to me that he uses the word keep again. God is able to keep you. He is strong enough to hold you. And notice he doesn't say, Jesus, my half brother, or Jesus, my big brother. He calls Jesus his Lord. He says, Jesus, our only God and Savior. He doesn't say the only God and Savior. He says our God and Savior. He is my Savior. He is your Savior. And he's reminding himself of this beautiful future moment where we stand before God. And so here's the big idea. Jesus won't quit on you. Jesus won't quit on you. Even if you stumble. Every breath you take is an opportunity to come back to him, to repent, to come back to his arms. And Jude knows this from personal experience. And so the last couple of weekends, we talked about this moment in our future. It's the most important moment in our future that we don't often think about. And it's the day we stand before God on judgment day. And most human beings put this out of their mind. They don't wanna think about it. I don't wanna think about death.

I don't wanna think about judgment. But Paul reminds us and Jude reminds us of this moment. So I'm gonna put up a verse on the screen and I'm just gonna have you sit and think about it. This describes judgment day. And it's sort of scary when you read this verse. Here's what Paul says about that judgment day. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while on the body, whether good or bad. Everything you've done in your body, you're gonna be judged and evaluated on and you're gonna receive what is due to you, what you deserve. Now that just scared the literal hell out of all of us. Everything you've ever done or said in your body, whether good or bad is going to be evaluated. On that day, you stand before Christ in the judgment. Here's the thing too. I mean, even if you're like 99% good and 1% bad, even that 1% bad is enough to keep you out of heaven. The only person who gets in heaven is a perfect, person who has a perfect record, a sinless person. And so this is bad news. But then Paul goes on to say, but God is not giving us what we deserve. He's showing us mercy. He's the God of mercy. And how is God gonna be just in his judgment

and show us mercy? Well, in verse 21, Paul reveals it. He says, God made him, that is Jesus, who had no sin to be sin for us, our substitute, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. Come on, somebody. This is the great exchange where as you stand before God, or as Jude said, you're presented before God, all the sin that's in your life, everything you've done in your body, good or bad, every idle word, every thought is going to be judged, but it's gonna be judged on Jesus. Jesus says, I'll take all your sin on me at the cross, and I'll give you my perfect righteousness, this robe where you stand before God, faultless. I know too many Christians who are like afraid to die and afraid to be judged because you're like, man, I have so many faults. I still haven't arrived. And I sort of get nervous, like, if I do that one more time, I'm not gonna make it. And Jude is reminding us, and Paul's reminding us, it's not what you do or don't do that's gonna get you into heaven. It's what Jesus did for you, and you're trusting him because he is your substitute. And again, we wanna thank God for that reality. So there's a picture of this moment in the book of Revelation, actually,

in Revelation chapter six. If you wanna read something late at night in the Bible that will freak you out, read Revelation chapter six, because all these seals are opened and judgment is poured out on the evil of the earth. And when you read Revelation chapter six, it could freak you out. I mean, horses and swords and scales of judgment and famine and earthquakes and plagues, even the strongest, most powerful princes and generals and rulers are hiding under the rocks, under the mountains, asking the rocks and mountains to follow them because the wrath of God is being poured out as a final judgment on the earth. And Revelation six ends with a haunting question. On this day of wrath, who can stand? And it's just the reality, this is a broken world. And God's judgment is to turn it right. And part of that we love for everything else, but not for us. So what happens? You read on in Revelation chapter seven, you get to this moment. Such a powerful, who can stand on the day of judgment, on the day of God's wrath? John writes this, after this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

And they were wearing white robes, and they were holding palm branches in their hands, and they were singing their song. All glory and power and honor and majesty and praise belongs to the one, the Lamb who was slain. And if you're a Christian, this is a moment in your future that you should not fear. This is a moment in your future that you should look forward to. And so we're gonna just sit in that moment for a second, so I'm gonna ask you to stand, because the people of God stand at the judgment, so let's stand together. And I'm gonna read this over you, this final doxology of Jude, who knows he has received mercy. Just close your eyes for a moment, imagine the moment, you're standing before the throne of God, and you're about to be presented to the Father, to Jesus, to all the angels. What does that presentation look like? Now, to him who is able, he is strong enough to hold you and keep you for that day. To him who is able to keep you from stumbling, even if you stumble and fall, the Psalmist says, if you delight in God and he delights in you, you will not be utterly cast out, but he will raise you up with his mighty right hand. He is strong enough to keep you and hold you and to restore you.

And to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Imagine standing before God in a white throne, and when he sees you and evaluate your life, he sees the sinless, faultless glory of the Son. And he says, come on in, and you are filled with great joy, and you are filled with great joy because you have received mercy. To the only God, our Savior, be glory and majesty and power and authority through Jesus Christ, our Lord, before all ages now and forevermore. Amen. We just wanna sit in this moment just for a few moments. We're gonna sing a song, and I'd like you to join with me. It's a song called Revelation Song. It describes this moment where we will join this chorus. Worthy is the Lamb who is slain. He is holy, holy, holy. And so, if you want a glimpse of heaven, a rehearsal of heaven, a taste of heaven, then let's sit in this moment with holy imagination, knowing this day is coming for us, and we will be filled with such great joy. Let's worship together. Let's worship together. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Holy, holy is He. Sing a new song to Him. Worthy is the Lamb who sits on heaven's mercy seat.

Sing holy. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come. Oh, with all creation I sing praise to the King of kings. You are my everything, and I will adore you. Oh, I will adore you, Lord. Filled with wonder. ♪ Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder ♪ ♪ At the mention of your name ♪ ♪ Blessed name is power, breath and living water ♪ ♪ Such a marvelous mystery ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come, oh ♪ ♪ With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings ♪ ♪ You are my everything and I will adore you, oh ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come, yes ♪ ♪ With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings ♪ ♪ You are my everything and I will adore you, oh ♪ ♪ With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings ♪ ♪ You are my everything and I will adore you, oh ♪ ♪ With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings ♪ ♪ You are my everything and I will adore you, oh ♪ ♪ With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings ♪ ♪ You are my everything and I will adore you, oh ♪ ♪ With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings ♪ ♪ You are my everything and I will adore you, oh ♪ And the reason why you're in this moment and singing a joyful song is because you've trusted Christ to be your substitute.

You've invited him in. Listen, he doesn't force people to do that. He invites them to. And most of my growing up years, I did this to Jesus. I could do it myself. I can figure it out myself. But there comes a point in everyone's life, in my life, in Jude's life, in your life, where you have to make a decision. Will I bow my knee? Will I ask for forgiveness? Will I ask for help? And Jesus describes this young man who's got it all and he decides, I want to do my own thing. He's called the prodigal. He leaves the house of his father. He walks away from his father's love and his life slowly erodes until there's a place of brokenness. And then one day, it clicks. I don't have to live in shame and isolation. I don't have to pretend anymore because if I go back that way, there's mercy waiting for me back here. There's love waiting for me back here. And he comes back to the father. And some of you, you've been gone a long time away from God. Maybe you're here just checking things out again because you've deconstructed your faith and you're trying to figure out what is real and what is right. Maybe some of you have never given your life to Jesus,

never made a decision to follow him and to invite him to forgive your sins. Well, today is that moment. We do this publicly because Jesus called his disciples publicly. We're going to play a song and we're going to just invite you, if you want to know Jesus, if you want to follow him with your life, if you want forgiveness, he is a prayer away, a decision away. And so if you want to step into the aisle and walk this way and pray a prayer with me, listen, we want you to leave here knowing that you know that you have eternal life where you don't have to fear death or the future or what's going to happen on judgment day, but you can have this beautiful peace and joy that you will stand before him faultless and with great joy that you can receive his mercy. So one of those powerful prayers you can pray in your whole life is God have mercy on me, a sinner. That's a prayer he'll answer. And so that's you right now, wherever you are, slip into the aisle, walk forward this way, and we will celebrate with all of heaven as you come. We want to pray with you. Come on this way, he's waiting for you.

He's waiting for you. ♪ For me ♪ ♪ Lord, in honor to dine with the King ♪ ♪ Here in your presence surrounded by glory ♪ ♪ I can't believe there's a seat at the table for me ♪ ♪ This is my family and this is my home ♪ ♪ Always belonging and never alone ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm so excited that we're all invited to come ♪ ♪ So come, come and taste and see ♪ ♪ The spirit and the bride say come, come, taste and see ♪ ♪ The spirit and the bride say come ♪ It is an unbelievable invitation. Come as you are. Bring your sin and your shame and your brokenness. Bring it all and he will wash you clean. He will forgive your sins. He will welcome you home now as a son or daughter of God. So we are grateful to be sharing this holy moment with you. And that glimpse of the future, standing before the throne of God, flawless and with great joy, that's gonna be your future moment. Listen, if you're still out there, a few people are walking forward, it's not too late. There's another moment for you. We're not gonna sing another song, but we don't want you to miss this moment. This moment is for you. God's calling your life, his love over you. He loves you so much.

He's coming after you. His mercy, his love, his forgiveness, his grace. Welcome. Really glad you're here. And now for all of you who've come in faith, for all of you who are part of our online or VR community, for all of you watching on the Pando app, I'm just gonna give you some words to say to God. He's listening. This is your profession of faith. He will answer this prayer as you pray it. So say this out loud to God. He's listening. Lord God, I open my heart and I invite you inside. Forgive my sin. Today I repent. Now fill me with your spirit and I will walk with you all the days of my life. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen, amen, amen. Oh guys, we are so excited and honored to be part of this special moment. So I wanna ask you just for five more minutes to follow me and our crew over to that open door right there where we're gonna give you a Bible, meet you personally, you'll be back with your friends in five minutes. Church, can we give them a hand as they go this way? In church, if you need prayer for any reason at all, we'll have prayer counselors here at this altar. And I pray as you leave that you say hi to someone

you're gonna spend eternity with, get to know them, and hopefully we'll see you on Wednesday. And for our women, we'll see you on Friday night at the gathering. God bless you. Have a great weekend.