210508 - Elijah and Us 3 - Hart

The speaker starts off talking about a change in plans and wanting to talk about mothers instead of the original topic. They discuss the challenges and sacrifices that mothers make and share some funny stories about kids. They then focus on the story of Jochebed, the mother of Moses and Aaron, and highlight her faith and bravery in protecting her son. The speaker also mentions the emotional pain that mothers often carry and mentions Eve as an example. The importance of appreciating and honoring mothers is emphasized throughout. It's on wheels, I think I can just pull it over. It's not on wheels, I can still pull it over. I mean, it looks like it's on wheels. So I don't usually do this, but our Part 3 Elijah is going to have to wait, because I really felt impressed to talk about mothers. Yeah, today we were going to, and it says in your bulletin, that we were going to do Elijah Part 3, the world stage, and we're going to do that the next Sabbath that we're here, 23rd, I believe that is, 22nd. And, is there an echo? But I really felt impressed to talk about mothers, because mothers, as I just said a moment ago, are so very dear. And it's good, I feel, to acknowledge, take some time to acknowledge mothers and the sacrifices they make and have made for all of us. And believe it or not, there is a little Elijah in the message today. But before we do anything, let's go ahead and have a word of prayer. Father, thank you once again for this beautiful Sabbath day that you've given us. We want to ask that your spirit would be present in our hearts, that you would soften our hearts, speak to us, draw us with those cords of love, and also help us to appreciate the motherhood that was spent on raising us, and the mothers that are in this room right now raising little ones. So, bless us, we do pray, for we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. As I said, I don't normally switch things up last minute, but, you know, if the Lord puts a burden on my heart, I listen to that. So, Elijah can wait. He's not going anywhere. Dealing with kids is no easy task. Would anybody agree with that? Any mothers in here agree with that? No easy task, right? There's a saying that, it's actually quite a lengthy one, that I wanted to put on the screen, but I couldn't find it. I stuck it in a file somewhere. It basically talks about parenting, that it's the hardest school in the world, the school of parenting. And teachers are just right along with that. But, think about kids. Think about the wonderful things kids can do when we're raising them. They can write on walls with permanent marker. Permanent marker, unwashable. They can grab onto mommy's white dress with spaghetti all over their hands. You know, I never want to come across as a mean father, but so often my precious kids in potluck would have stuff on their hands, and they'd come up and they'd grab my white shirt. And so I got the part where I'm like, hang on, hang on, come around this side. You know, because you can only buy so many white shirts. And I stopped wearing white shirts. That was one of the reasons. I do still have one, but I don't wear it very often. But now that my kids are getting older, I probably can start wearing it again. My wife showed me a post recently of two little girls giving themselves a haircut with clippers. I think the girls were about five years old. And what a nice haircut they made. You can only imagine, right? When I was three or four, apparently my mom tells me that my friend Ian and I, who I grew up with, we were like best friends. My mother and his mother knew each other. They lived right across the street. Apparently when we were three or four, we got out of the living room, went into the garage, and got into my dad's oil that he had stored after he drained the oil from the car and changed the oils from the car. And so by the time they found us, we were covered. And they could barely hold on to us because we were so full of 10W-40 or whatever it was. Kids can do some really fun stuff. But then there's little Leo. And one day his parents noticed that the envelope containing $1,100 was missing. And they had been saving this money forever to pay off a debt. And after about searching, after about an hour of searching the house, they actually found the envelope and all of its contents, praise the Lord, at the bottom of the shredder. Praise the Lord. Dear Lord, help. Right? $1,100 at the bottom of the paper shredder. Kids can do some really great things. But mothers really are special because of the love that they show, the untiring dedication in hugs and kisses and gifts, but also because of the silent pain that they carry. You know, mothers carry a lot of silent pain that they don't express to husbands, to their kids, to friends and coworkers as they endure the challenge of raising children. And so let's take a moment today and think about the beauties of motherhood and what they go through. Anybody feel mothers are underappreciated? Any mothers feel they are underappreciated? Yeah, indeed. Mothers have made many great decisions in life. And then there are some mothers who have not made the best decisions in life. Some mothers who have made decisions that have had tremendous impact. Let's think of one mother. These, and this comes from Numbers chapter 26, verse 58 to 59. These are the families of the Levites, the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Nolites, the family of the Mushites, and the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram. The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi who was born to Levi in Egypt. And to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. Jochebed, mother of Moses and Aaron. And what did this mother do? We read in Exodus, and a man of the house of Levi went and took as a wife a daughter of Levi. Oops. Yeah, here we are, sorry. So the woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank. What did Jochebed do? And who did she hide in the river bank? Moses, right? This woman hid her son. And it's interesting because the word for basket is the similar Hebrew word used for ark, talking about Noah's ark. So both Noah was put into an ark, and Moses was also put into an ark, and both were at the mercy of God, right? Amidst the elements. And they both were spared because of God's mercy. Moses, in a little basket floating in the Nile, infested with crocodiles. Can you imagine? But this mother had faith, didn't she? Because I don't think any mother would do that if she didn't have faith that God could look out for her child. And that's exactly what she did. She put the ark there, and then, and she was wise, too, by the way. She was a wise woman of faith because what happens when Moses is discovered? Who's sitting there on the river bank next to Pharaoh's daughter? The sister, right? And Pharaoh's daughter sees the basket, sees the child, and immediately Moses's sister says, I know somebody who can raise that child. And, of course, Moses ends up back in the care of the mother and gets paid for watching her own son. Amen? Didn't see that one coming. But because Jochebed was a woman of faith and a mother who loved her child dearly and did not fear the king, right, did not fear Pharaoh, she was greatly blessed for doing so. In fact, the Bible tells us about Moses's mother. By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the king's command. Amen? How many mothers in this world stand in the line of fire, in the line of danger, for their child? Amen? You know, that's something us guys can be brave. We can be brave fathers. But there's something about a mother. You know, you mess with a grizzly bear's babies and we know what happens, right? Stay away from bears and their cubs. Because it's inherent in a mother's nature to be so protective, even to the point of sacrifice. And that's an important thing, especially when we live in a dangerous world. So Jochebed stands out because she was a woman of faith. She was a mother of faith who trusted that God would bless her decision when she chose not to be afraid of the king, but rather to fear the Lord Almighty. Amen? Amen. I want to read you this excerpt from this guy named Jamie Williams. He is reflecting on his childhood and he says this. He says, When I was a child, my mother was making my lunch one day when a fire erupted on the stove. My brave mom ran into the kitchen, grabbed the flaming pot, and ran outside with it. As if that wasn't heroic enough, after the flames were gone, my mom sat in a chair on our porch and told me to stay inside and not to worry. I later found out that she suffered third-degree burns from her elbows to her fingertips on her right arm. She used every bit of strength and willpower she had to hold back tears and screams so that I wouldn't get scared or worried. What an amazing story, but yet that's repeated so often, isn't it? A mother, not just trying to protect her kid from physical harm, but also trying to shield her child emotionally from that extra pain and intensity of the situation had her mother freaked out in panic. The truth is, one can heal from physical injuries, right? But it's the emotional scars which certainly take longer, the emotional, emotional pain. And when we think of emotional pain, mothers do carry emotional pain, don't they? They often do. Think of one woman who probably carried the worst emotional pain of all, Eve, the mother of all living. Think about the emotional pain Eve must have had as her first two sons were involved in a homicide. No Xbox to blame. No rude or aggressive behavior on the part of her or Adam that was somehow witnessed by the child and could be blamed for that. No bad kid on the block to blame, right, for Kane's actions. No finger pointing here and no horror movies that were previously watched. Only the horror of knowing her own decision of disobeying God had something to do with what transpired in the heart of Kane. What an emotional pain Eve must have borne from that. Can you only imagine? The Bible tells us once again, Now Kane talked with Abel, his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field that Kane rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. No rhyme or reason, just sin, right? Just the reason of sin. One cannot even imagine the emotional pain that Eve must have borne after witnessing that. I mean, who could comprehend the weight of sadness and heartbreak that she must have experienced after that situation? And the truth is, mothers often carry a silent, terrible burden. The burden of watching their children make bad decisions. Any parents in here ever had to witness your child make bad decisions? Had to worry, right? Before I was converted, my mom worried about me a lot. Disappear, come home three o'clock in the morning. And I told you before, many times I'd come home at night and I'd look through my mother's door and I'd see her kneeling on the side of her bed with the moonlight coming through the window, praying for me. I knew she was praying for me. I knew it. Didn't care at the time, but that was my mother praying for me. Terrible burdens mothers bear, knowing sometimes that even their own imperfections have contributed to the decisions of their child. And I think that's one of the reasons why God asks us to honor our mothers. Both parents, but mothers, certainly. And think about the burden of knowing that sometimes our kids make decisions with eternal consequences. Think about the pain mothers must bear knowing that children, their child, who once was a little baby held in their arms, one day grows up and becomes older and makes bigger decisions with bigger consequences, farther reaching consequences, and ultimately has the capacity, because God honors freedom of choice, to make decisions that have eternal consequences. Think about the emotional pain of Rebecca. Now, therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise. Flee to my brother Laban and Haran. You know who this is. This is Rebecca, right? Telling Jacob to take off, because Rebecca thought it would be a great idea to have Jacob trick her husband, Isaac, right, into thinking that he was Esau. So the father blesses Jacob. Esau comes back, finds out what happened. Esau's furious and mad. And Rebecca says, take off and go to my brother Laban and stay with him a few days until your brother's fury turns away, until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day? And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are of the, who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life to be, be to me? Rebecca, love for her son, right? She says, take off just for a couple of days. Well, how many? How many was those couple of days? Was it just three days? A few days? At least 14 years. It was about 20 years, wasn't it? So Rebecca's mind, we can fix the situation, right? Because of a decision she made in a few days, but ultimately it turns out to be 20 years. 20 years. It's important for us to remember that there has never been a perfect mother who hasn't made mistakes. It's really important to remember that. We might forget that unseen and often unspoken about hangs terrible burdens of guilt, where if given the chance, they might have done things very differently. I'm sure if Rebecca could do it over again, was able to do it over again, she wouldn't make the same decision. Amen. And if mothers, many mothers in this room, if they could do it over again, as is normal for any parent would not always make the same decisions. You know, I've been meeting with someone for over a month now and trying to help guide them and steer them because they're facing a very terrible thing with their own mother. They were, they were essentially disowned by their mother and never given a reason, never given a reason, not a clue. And a lot of other stuff in the past, just no, no light shed on anything. And this has been a terrible burden for this, this child to bear their whole, their life. And it's a very sad thing. How is one supposed to feel toward a mother like that? Angry. That's understandable, right? Anger, bitterness. I mean, no reason. You've cut me off. No reason. All those things are very normal. And I don't know the real reason yet either, because we just don't know. We're trying to get there, but it is possible. I want to suggest that behind that silent wall, it's possible that there is a mother who's carrying a terrible weight of guilt. And somehow that guilt has caused paralysis where they can't even mend that broken bridge because of what they carry emotionally. It happens, doesn't it? And it's important to know that because while we can't change people, while sometimes we can't change what a parent has done, what a mother has done, even if it's inexcusable, it's still forgivable. Because God has forgiven us, right? And so sometimes the relationship between mothers and children are strained so bad, but there is always something that can be done on the part of the one who wants to make the first move, and that is to forgive. That is to forgive. And then there's some mothers who think they're perfect. I won't tell you where, but many years before we came here, my wife and I knew this lady who would brag about what a great mother she was. Oh, my son doesn't do this because I told him. My son is this way because I showed him. Oh, my son would never do that because I've taught him. And go on and on and on. This mother would talk all day long, toot her own horn, and love hearing her voice tell herself about it, right? Because everybody else tuned her out. Some people are like that. I can't really understand that mentality, but some people really like to brag about how good they are. And this person bragged constantly about how great a mother she was and how perfect her child was because of it. Until that child went to college. The same college where our daughter goes. And within two weeks, our daughter was telling us what this child, perfect child was because of a perfect mother, was doing. And this mother would have been horrified. And we didn't feel the burden to tell her. We just decided to let her remain in her bubble, and it would give birth at some point. But some mothers really think they're perfect. But there are no perfect mothers, right? And because of that, because we're named perfect people, we need to honor our parents because they are born in sin, shapen in iniquity, just as we are. Amen? And so there has to be, even when parents are not perfect, when mothers are not perfect, there has to be a level of mercy and grace that is extended to them. But, you know, our culture doesn't help because mainstream psychology teaches kids to be angry toward the parents. Modern psychology tells the kids to blame the parents for their decisions. That's what psychology teaches them. You know, it's your parents' fault. You are how you are because you're parents. You know, and so the division gets wider, it gets greater, and nobody really grows. That's what popular psychology does when the Bible tells us that we ought to forgive and we ought to extend grace. Isn't that true? We cannot accuse our mothers for the idiosyncrasies we have forever, forever, because we grow up, right? We grow up and we make our own decisions. At some point, the child has to own their own decisions. At some point, the child has to say, I am who I am because of the decisions I've made, or I am who I am because I have not made decisions to correct some of the errors that may at one point in the past have been attributed to the fault of my motherly parenting. Right? At some point, the child has to grow up and has to take responsibility for those things, and I think that's one of the reasons also the Bible tells us to honor our fathers and mothers in the fifth commandment. Even when circumstances say that there's very little to honor, we can still honor our mothers by forgiving. Amen? We can do that because we have been forgiven as well. And this is an important point because Ephesians chapter 4, verse 30 and 32 tell us that do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. If God values motherhood so much, how much more should this verse apply as well, right? Where there is bitterness, where there is anger and separation between a child and a parent, a child and a mother, how important it is that we put those things away and forgive. Just as Christ forgave us. Amen? And this can be no more true of anyone else than children to mothers. Think about it. We've all been birthed in the pain of nine months. How many months long are you? Four. Are you starting to feel uneasy yet? Right. So at some point, your child is going to owe you a great debt, right? Because unlike us men, we just have no clue. Unless for those of us who have had kidney stones, right? That's right. I got my first one last year. Horrible. My wife says it's worse than birth, although I'm not sure. I don't know if I agree with it, but she's a woman, so I'll take her word for it. At any rate, nine months, right? Thank you. And we'll take your word for it. Nine months. Think about it. No matter how far a mother has missed the mark, she still carried us for nine months. She still dealt with all the sickness and the pain and then the postpartum depression that many women deal with, right? Think about it. Motherhood, at the very basic, should be honored for the fact that we are living and breathing in this world, right? Amen. So mothers deserve honor. And then there's a beautiful truth about the faults of motherhood that God can even correct. Think about David and Bathsheba. What a mess of a situation. Now, we often point to David as the one who made all the mistakes, but if you really study the story, Bathsheba knew he wasn't in battle. She knew where he was. She knew that he could see the top of her roof, where her bath was, right? She's not totally innocent in the story, if you look at it. I think David carries the greater guilt, for sure, but Bathsheba was not totally innocent. And we know the story. They have an intimate moment. She gets pregnant, right? David is not cursed, but God pronounces a judgment on David, says the child will die, and that child did. But think about how God can still turn around a situation, a very bad, bad situation. At some point in the near future, Bathsheba's looking across the table at the little child in the high chair, and she doesn't know how much wisdom is in the mind of that little child, Solomon. So even God can redeem big mistakes that are made on the parts of parents and mothers. That was a mess of a situation, but ultimately Solomon comes from that union of those two people, right? So never despair, because the wisest person on earth may be crying in the high chair. And then let's not forget another beautiful prophecy that has to do with the end of time. Think about the words of Luke regarding Elijah. He will also go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to do what? To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and to make ready a people prepared for the land. Now, of course, it mentions fathers, but we know that this was written in that particular society. Of course it includes mothers, right? What a beautiful prophecy that one of the greatest works just before Christ's return is that there will be a major turning of the hearts from the children back to the parents, of sons and daughters back to the mothers. Isn't that good news? It's beautiful news for those who are carrying pain, silent pain, as they see their children out in the world making very bad decisions. Now, we also know that there will be division among families, right, because of the truth. But we don't need to focus on that. Let's focus on the beautiful prophecies that God has given us, that there will be major healing among families just before Jesus comes. I like what one author says about mothers. Moms in the Bible reveal to us that mother love is fierce and stubborn to a fault, even wrongheaded sometimes. We do right things for wrong reasons and wrong things because we think everyone needs our help. When you look at the moms in the Bible, say a silent prayer of thanks that these women are included. Amen? There's hope for mothers because God can turn around any situation, and it sheds a little more light on why we ought to honor our mother. And you know that Jesus cared for mothers tremendously? Tremendously. I found this quote from one of my favorite authors. There's so many quotes about mothers, but listen to this. The Savior went from house to house healing the sick, comforting the mourners, soothing the afflicted, speaking peace to the disconsolate. He took the little children in his arms and blessed them, and listen to the last words, and spoke words of hope and comfort to weary mothers. What a beautiful image of our Savior, isn't that? You know, we just kind of picture him with the kids, but he spoke words of comfort and hope to weary mothers. These mothers were exhausted, especially in that society. And I can just imagine Jesus, you know, when he gets a moment, a little quiet moment, you know, it's going to be okay. Your child's going to be okay. Keep praying for them. Keep leading them on the right path. And if they're growing up and making mistakes, keep praying for them because your Father in heaven hears your prayers. Amen? He spoke words of comfort to weary mothers. Great care should be exercised to have the surroundings of the mother pleasant and happy. Kids, what a great, great saying that is for you to remember. Make your mother's home as pleasant as possible, correct? Because mothers need to be honored. Now, this is talking about children who are kind of off doing other stuff than what they should be doing. Your first duty is to help your mother, who has done so much for you. Lift her burdens. Give her pleasant days of rest. For she has had few holidays and very little variety in her life. You have claimed all the pleasure and amusement as your right, but the time has come for you to shed sunshine in the home. Take up your duty. Go right to work. Through your self-denying devotion, give her rest and pleasure. What beautiful words for grown-up kids in the home, right? Any mothers been weary and exhausted in the past? Am I preaching to the choir? I don't know. I'm not a mother. I want to finish by reading this poem. It's a poem by Ann Taylor, 18th century poet. Who sat and watched my infant head when sleeping on my cradle bed and tears of sweet affliction shed? My mother. When pain and sickness made me cry, who gazed upon my heavy eye and wept for fear that I should die? My mother. Who taught my infant lips to pray and love God's holy book and day and walk in wisdom's pleasant way? My mother. And can I ever cease to be affectionate and kind to thee who was so very kind to me? My mother. Ah, no, the thought I cannot bear. And if God please my life to spare, I hope I shall reward thy care. My mother. When thou art feeble, old and gray, my healthy arm shall be thy stay and I will soothe thy pains away. My mother. Isn't that beautiful? So call your mother, hug your mother, love your mother, forgive your mother, help your mother, bless your mother, never forget your mother, and do all that God would have you to do for your mother because he has put her in your life. Amen? I'm going to call my mom today. Even before Mother's Day. Happy pre-Mother's Day. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for our mothers. Many of us wouldn't be where we are without them. And, Lord, I want to pray for the relationships that are strained between a child and a mother, a grown-up child and a mother, because I know there are many. Lord, many mothers have made bad decisions. Many mothers have not made good decisions. And it's difficult, Lord, because so often bitterness just crowds and weeds out our hearts, fills it with terrible thoughts, and we can only ask that by your grace that somehow these relationships might be mended. And so we're not just praying for ourselves, but we're also praying for the hearts of mothers that are hard, that by your grace and goodness you would soften them, you would open up an opportunity to speak with them so that honoring our parents will not be a duty but ultimately a joy. And then, of course, Lord, we do pray that one day when the kingdom of God has come and we are walking in that eternal bliss, that we all will be walking alongside our mothers, praising your name. So we thank you for these things today, Lord, and we also thank you for the Sabbath day. As we think of creation, we can not only think of our earthly creation, but ultimately you, our creator. So bless us and keep us, we do ask, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Hope you have a nice Sabbath. Enjoy the Sabbath peace and rest. Look for an email about our potluck. Unfortunately, we had to postpone that, but hopefully we can have that two Sabbaths from now. Right, Dan? So bring a dish and we'll have it outside. Pray that we have nice weather. Sound good? God bless every one of you. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. 109, they're closing in. Now may the God of peace be with you all unto his return, may we all be looking toward that day with expectant joy in Jesus name, amen.