I invite you to turn in the Bible this morning to the Gospel of Mark, to the Gospel of Mark, New Testament, the Gospel of Mark, as we're, if you're a visitor, we're working through this book, and this morning we come to chapter 9, that's on page 1074 in those Bibles that are in front of you, 1074, and I will read the first 13 verses of Mark chapter 9. This is God's word. Again, Mark 9, beginning at verse 1. And he said to them, Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, This is my beloved son, listen to him. And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come? And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things. and how it is written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt. But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him. May the Lord this morning bless the hearing of his word. It is absolutely true that discouragement in this life produces in us a feeling of hopelessness, And it is a known fact that discouragement zaps us of our energy and purpose in life. If you look at people with depression, there was a road of serious discouragement that worked its way out to a place and feeling of giving up. That's just a known fact. And when you give up, there is no reason to get up. Think about that. I raised this issue this morning, and I think a little bit of the importance this morning of discouragement on the road to depression, because I believe this is where the disciples have come in the gospel of Mark. It really is sort of a great watershed moment in Mark's gospel. We've climaxed to something really good here, really great, when we look at everything that's happened and what has happened with the confession of Peter. Last time we looked at, Peter made a glorious and grand confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah. And Jesus stopped and put a big spotlight right on that moment in the Gospels. But it seems that from there, everything went south. It's really remarkable when you look at this. Everything seemed to have gone real bad all of the sudden for peter and the disciples and what we have this morning in front of us are a series of very discouraged disciples who are followers of jesus right so what a disciple is now i plan in this sermon to show you the way that jesus answers discouragement and helps us out of discouragement and in this way then it's intended to be of great help to you too especially because i think we are living in the most discouraging of times. This is meant, this particular passage, to lift you up in the valley of discouragement. But it's also meant to tell you and to show you that much of the discouragement that we face in this life is because we head into hardship and we head into difficulty without any real perspective. And that is a result of not listening carefully to what the Lord has said to us. This is what essentially has brought it on. I can make it through a lot in life if I know that what I am facing, if I know what the outcome is going to be and why I'm facing it, right? I can deal with that. I can understand that. I can move forward in that. But it's quite a different thing to go through hardship and to hit a valley with no perspective and no hope and sink into the valley of despair and discouragement right on into depression that gives me no motivation to get up and that's what this is ultimately about today the lord is giving his disciples i believe in the gospels a real gift a real gift a real moment of encouragement he is going to for a moment think of all that we've studied about jesus he is going to pull back the veil for a moment and he is going to show them his glory and he wanted them to start living much more in care of what he was saying in his word that this would be a great moment to encourage them but also to teach them it is time that we listen carefully to the word of christ because he's saying to us that is your light in this darkness that is your answer and all the sorrows that you're facing that is your answer and all of the discouragements and everything that you turn every time you flip on that stupid news and it's stupid by the way that you can be encouraged that jesus has given you an answer and that's what this is all about this morning we come to this glorious moment in the Gospels. It was a mountaintop experience, if you will, for the disciples. Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus, of course, remember, and Matthew captures this, that immediately Jesus responded by saying, Simon Bar-Jonah, blessed are you. Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you. You did not do this yourself. The Father gave it to you that you have a mind open that you're able to see in this present darkness that you're able to see who i am in this present darkness when so many do not is a gift from god to you what an encouragement but in the next breath no sooner had he said that that then satan came and assaulted him it's remarkable isn't it after the temptation of jesus he had left jesus with the same temptation to abort his mission, and now it says in Luke, remember, it said he left until an opportune time. Satan comes right on the heels of his profession of faith, right on the heels of him saying that Jesus is the Christ. Here comes Satan. Here's the opportune time. And Jesus says something that seemed to drop Peter right into the valley of discouragement. You have to appreciate this from Peter's perspective for a minute, and I think you'll understand in light of your own experience. he went from the highest mountaintop to the lowest valley in a short time. To the lowest ocean floor, if you will. And hasn't that somewhat perplexed us about Christianity? It really is a series of ups and downs, and oftentimes it makes no sense. I mean, we wonder how it could even be possible that it's this up and down. Just when I think I'm doing well, and just when I think I have made some kind of progress, or I have some kind of mountaintop high. I mean, this is how we think in our piety, and this is how we think in American Christianity too. But just when I think I'm there, the next moment is lower than my last low. We've always said it when one makes a profession or one stands up for Christ and says, I'm going to be a follower of Jesus. Doesn't it seem that soon after they're going through periods of massive discouragement? Think of what happened last week. Deborah stands up and professes her faith, finds herself again in that hospital, sick. When you've had some up moment, some down is about to come that is worse before. It's tough to take, isn't it? It's really hard. Peter just made a public profession of faith and now stumbles. And think of the doubt and discouragement and frustration with Jesus himself to some degree. Let me capture what I believe, and I know it's somewhat conjecture, but let me capture what I believe he's feeling and experiencing. None of this seems to be working out like we thought. We've been following you for years, Jesus, now. We make some progress. We still have no idea really how to relate to you. This is really difficult. It's confusing for us. You really do. We can't understand you. They even say that much in John's Gospel. At one point, they say, finally, you're speaking clearly to us. Finally, you speak, we don't get it. You're perplexing to everyone. You run around speaking in parables and then you have to come and explain to us and we still don't get it, it seems. You're speaking all the time with spiritual language and then you say to us in this very sort of, for them, unclear way, even though it was clear, it says, you're going to die? Listen, you're the Messiah. That makes no sense. Now at the height, when you say something great has just been given to me by the Father, in the next moment you say, get behind me, Satan. How am I supposed to take that? Do you feel it a little bit? I'm confused. Now you're saying that we have to walk the same path. That you're going to die at the hands of sinners, and now we've got to take up our cross and follow you. This is really hard. We're not getting it. Common? You ever experienced it? You rip away everything we've ever understood about the Messiah. The rabbis have never taught what you're saying about the Messiah. Now, I made the case that that's not what the Old Testament said. The rabbis weren't teaching them. And now, you rebuke me as being influenced by Satan, saying that what I'm doing is not mindful of the things of God, but of men. And the next breath, you tell us we're going to go through all of this. I believe what you have in the Gospel of Mark here is a moment of massive discouragement. And if you're not there, one day you will be. You're going to have the same kind of perplexing struggle. Jesus knows this, and it's all a result of one thing. The discouragement is a result of them not understanding why he came to this earth and what that means for them. They haven't yet figured this out. and i explained last time christians today still struggle to figure this out that's why worship often becomes a sort of denial of the sufferings we come to worship and we want to put on a mask that everything is great and it's a lie we all know it's a lie we all know we're struggling with sin we all know what's going on and yet we sing the praise songs like nothing is wrong in the world The Psalms don't do that. The Psalms that God inspired have a lot of perspective about suffering in them, don't they? Well, here we are, they're discouraged. And you know what happens when this happens. You see this, I think, when he takes them up on the mountain. You know what Luke says they were doing when he goes up on the mountain? Here in a moment, we'll look at. He says they are heavy in sleep. In fact, the only other time that happens that they are heavy in sleep was at the cross. And you know what it says in Luke? They were heavy in sleep for sorrow, for sorrow. When you're discouraged, as I said, your energy and your purpose gets lost, and you guys all know what you want to do, sleep. Everyone here can relate to that, can't you? You don't want to get up. It's an easy way to not have to think about the things that we're facing. And that was picked up later at the cross event. but am I wrong to observe that maybe some are right here today in this particular passage? You've come to realize Christianity is not some easy sign-on-the-line kind of dotted contract thing that you've been told. It comes with a glorious news of a Savior and nothing of your life looks like much has been saved, right? I struggle with that. Pastor struggles with that. The ups and downs cast huge doubt in the mind as to where you really are and maybe you feel that this Jesus whom you've confessed is distant and abstract and somebody who nobody really can understand. And every day we turn on this news and nothing of what we see happening corresponds to what we believe about a powerful Jesus who we say is ruler over all. I mean, does this look like Jesus is ruling over much of anything? I don't see it. that's the real that's reality isn't it that's the struggle isn't it how in the world are we going to solve these problems that we're seeing play out in our nation is jesus going to solve these problems really and many people look at their lives and they look at the hardship of it all and the crosses they bear and they sink right into this they sink right into sleep spiritual sleep and physical sleep here are your disciples this morning here they are so what does Jesus do? Well, in verse 1, knowing very well what they're facing, he begins to encourage them. And I believe that's why verse 1 is so important. Listen to what he says here in verse 1 of 9. And he said to them, truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. Now, much has been made of that verse, and there have been more arguments over that verse, and more Bible studies talking about that verse than there ever should have been i'm going to explain what i believe is the answer but think about the context of this think of everything i've just said about everything that they have faced imagine the depressed disciples and now listen to it in this in this vein in this thought i've got something to tell you in absolute assurance and dependence dear disciples some of you standing here are not going to know this sorrow until I give you another gift I am going to let you see my kingdom come with power I'm going to show you the glory of what is to come I'm going to do that for you I'm going to show you what all is going to happen and it's not what you belong to is not some weak powerless thing as you're feeling that what you belong to is not some paper palace i'm going to teach you about this i'm going to show you something i'm going to let you see the glory and power of my kingdom coming i'm sure they shook their heads at this point and said oh boy here we go again here we go again well the next breath mark says that he grabbed some of them. Just what he had said, he grabbed some of them. He took Peter, James, and John, and he takes them up on a high mountain by themselves. Now, when Matthew and Luke record this, we know that Jesus went there to pray, but the disciples now are heavy in sleep. So here's what happened, and this happens as they're sleeping, by the way. We read that he was transfigured before them. And this is how Luke records it. As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they came fully awake, they saw his glory. What a moment. Mark even says the consequence of this was so great that his clothes were shining absolutely white. They must have had an issue in that day of getting laundry clean because he says that no launderer could have ever done this. This was no mistake. This was no guy dumping Clorox on it. Blinding were even his clothes. His clothes. What the disciples woke up to essentially was Jesus on fire. His whole appearance changed so that they saw the radiance for a moment and purity of His glory. And even that was only to the capacity that they could handle it because if it had been full glory, it would have utterly consumed them. But in His humanity, it was given to their capacity. And you remember that when the Old Testament described the glory of God, think of Isaiah, when Isaiah speaks of the glory of God, he is there. Speaking of that, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled his temple. Remember what all the angels were running around saying? Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. And he described that the angels were standing around that glory. It was glory, radiation, if you will. Wings were up, wings were down, shielding that glory from escaping lest it consumed anyone. And Isaiah, of course, cries out, Woe is me, I'm undone, I'm a man of unclean lips. For a moment here, the radiance is shining, and I think it's helpful to remember what the Bible says about Jesus at this point. Think of these verses that tell us who Jesus is. That he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. That's what they're struggling with. Not seeing the glory and seeing no power. He is the image of the invisible God. He is the brightness of His glory. John, remember in John 1, says we beheld His glory. We saw who He was. We saw, we beheld, we gazed upon that glory. we know what he's talking about. In fact, Paul would later write, we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That is why when Philip asked that question, show us the Father, he could say, what do you mean? Look at me, Philip. You'll see the Father. I am in the Father and the Father in me. Now imagine walking to this site, waking, excuse me, to this site. They're at the height of discouragement. They've not been listening. And they've been unable to hear and listen. And all of a sudden, the Lord gives them this gift. Think for a minute that they were able now to have an understanding, a visual, to see him for who he is. What had been so hard for them? He was so ordinary. You know, when he walked on the earth, nobody looked at him and said, there he is. He was a little Jewish man with no outward glory. Isaiah said he didn't even look attractive. There was nothing to him that stood out. And it was so hard for them because whatever they saw him doing didn't seem to bring in the kingdom like they thought it would. And notice that, that here the glory is and the glory of the radiance of his person was hidden for a time under the veil of that human nature. And now in the moment of their greatest discouragement in the Gospels, he pulls it back for them, if you will. And they see, they were given a preview of coming attraction. They saw him in the glory of his father. And he had just said that. Look at the last verse of verse chapter eight. For whoever's ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the son of man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father. Here he is being shown in the glory of his father. So you see what he just did for them? He made a claim that he one day would return and now for a moment they get to see him in the glory of his father. Matthew says that when this happened, they fell down, Mark says it too, they fell down on their faces, absolutely scared to death. Remember John said that in Revelation what Jesus looks like when he was given that vision and John described him that his hair was as white as wool, his white as snow, his eyes a flame of fire and his feet like fine brass as if refermed in a fire. He was on fire. All of a sudden they see. Now they're scared to death. And I think that's the first thing we have to say this morning, how he lifted them out of discouragement what did he do for them in light of failure and now seeing him for who he is they're scared think about what had just happened peter had just rebuked jesus and now he sees him for who he is think about that what an awful scary moment isn't it then he got told right after that that when I come back, if you're embarrassed of me, the Father's going to be embarrassed of you. Talk about scared. You ever done something in your life directly against Jesus? You know what it is. It creates a lingering wonder and you wonder, is he against me? What a powerful message here this morning that the Lord is giving. He speaks peace to them. The one who is the radiance of the glory of God and what did he just everything Peter had just done and and the Lord comes now and says do not be afraid I'm not against you Peter but here's what I love about this this morning it's been rightly said that the path out of the valley appears when you begin to see things differently the path out of the valley begins to appear when you see things differently and everything changes when you know what the outcome is going to be. Jesus had just said what? I'm going to die. That was massively discouraging for them, leading them to discouragement, confusing leading to discouragement. And now for a minute, they see future glory. Do you know what he did for them? This is Jesus doing a Paul Harvey. And now the rest of the story, dear disciples. Let me give it to you for a minute. In other words, he just showed them the end. He just showed than the finality. Mark says that Jesus explained this in connection with the resurrection, didn't he? Don't talk about this till after the resurrection. This was resurrection glory that he was giving them a glimpse of. They needed that. They needed that to strengthen their faith because there was a stumbling block that had absolutely crushed them and it was the cross. When you know the outcome and you know you're going to win, that's going to give you every encouragement to live, isn't it? I mean, think about that. Isn't that going to pull you right up? How many things do you know the outcome to in this life? You don't know how you're going to die. You don't know when you're going to die. You don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. He just gave you the outcome of the most important thing you ever need to know. This is the end. You're going to win. That's what he said. That's what he's showing them. Here's the glory. This is who I am. I'm not against you, number one. And don't fear, I'm showing you the future. I need that. And he confirms it with two of the greatest witnesses in the Old Testament. All of a sudden, as they're standing there, Moses and Elijah appear. They're talking with Jesus. that's a remarkable thing isn't it all of a sudden you look up and all these characters that we've studied in the old testament here they are here's two of the most prominent standing right in front of them can you imagine the conversation you know wouldn't you like to know what they were talking about well i'm going to tell you but before that notice what happens here moses elijah and jesus are talking and here comes peter um jesus moses and elijah you ever interrupted something you shouldn't this is a bad interruption this is this is one that you're probably going to look back in life and say how stupid was that and all of a sudden when you interrupted everyone looks at you what do you want it's exactly what happened verse 6 tells us he didn't even know what to say and it was the worst kind of interruption rabbi is it is good for us to be here isn't it let us make three tabernacles for you and one for moses one for you one for moses and one for elijah we'll build you a house uh it's been rightly noted that in israel at this moment they were celebrating the feast of tabernacles it's that month and the feast of booths or the feast of tabernacles celebrated everyone would leave their homes and stay in these booths to celebrate and commemorate all those years of wondering peter says here it is we can get them here and kick start and get all this glory coming now man let's do it can you believe this light bulb goes on everything we've been waiting for elijah has come moses has come jesus is here we'll build the tabernacles let's get you down here let's get the throne up you see their confusion because they still don't understand that elijah had come in john the baptist and they had killed him let's get it started i'll make booze and you guys you guys can come and and we could reclaim israel and have the glory now and we could set it all up and be done with all this jesus we could be done with all this don't you see what's causing the roller coaster of ups and downs in their lives this is where i'm going with this this morning and this is what i'm hoping you'll take with you this morning they're missing something he had been tabernacling among them but for what reason. What had Peter interrupted? Well, Luke tells us, and behold, two men talked with him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory, and spoke of his decease, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. The decease is the word for exodus. They spoke of his exodus at Jerusalem. Moses, Elijah, and Jesus are talking about his death, which is the exodus at Jerusalem. This is really remarkable. Think of all you've learned about what happened. And when they were brought out of the land of Egypt, the exodus, the future glory the disciples are seeing with Moses and Elijah hinges on that death. Oh, that's so important this morning. But it stays concealed in the veil of his humanity until the cross is accomplished. It stays concealed. This is why Jesus, for the first time, wanted to publicly proclaim that he was the Messiah on the cross. That's what he told the man who asked him, are you the Messiah? First time, yes. Now do you see why they're discouraged? It's precisely because they haven't accepted that about Jesus' life and they haven't accepted that about their life and it's at this moment that something happens they'll never forget about they never did as peter is rambling not knowing what to say all of a sudden the shekinah glory shows up the spirit is there the spirit of glory overshadows envelops them and a voice comes out of the cloud and they heard for the first time in this kind of way in this kind of moment the voice of god the father what do you think he said this is really awesome stuff they heard the voice of the father peter's jabbing peter's talking and all of a sudden the voice this is my beloved son listen to him listen to him i'm calling you guys to listen carefully to what my son is saying to you they're all in discouragement because they weren't listening now go back after this to verse 31 what weren't they listening to if you look at chapter 8 verse 31 and he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after the three days, he will rise again. He spoke that word, it says, clearly. They wouldn't listen to it. People who are under distress, I've learned this, people who are under distress, when they hear something that they don't want to hear, they won't hear it. They won't. That's what's playing out in your society. It doesn't matter how much reason we use in all these discussions, nobody will listen. The whole time, they haven't understood that the cross is the pathway to glory so that when the father said listen to my son they were being told my son is telling you that without death there is no glory it's suffering then glory he has to die then we'll rise again so that the discouragement you're feeling in the world the hatred from the world the hatred from world leaders church leaders all the conflict it's all in the plan of God. They will kill the Christ. But in that place where it seems to be the greatest defeat will be the greatest victory the world has ever known. For when he says it is finished, he perches from every tribe and tongue and people and nation a multitude no man can number. You have to understand what you're a part of right now. Too many Christians have not bought into the program what do i mean by that all who desire to live godly in this present age will what suffer through much tribulation we enter the kingdom but do you see how uplifting the transfiguration is for them future certain for you you have a glory coming for you i has not seen nor man heard nor entered in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. Do you know what He's prepared for you? Oh, it's just wonderful. And He's already gone ahead of you. And that was the basis by which He said, I'm leaving my children here in the world, but I pray that they would not be consumed and assaulted and taken, not would be overcome by the evil one, maybe assaulted, but what did He say? Do not be troubled. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. But I'm leaving to go prepare a place for you. I'm taking you there. I'm coming back. This is not it. Aren't you glad this is not it? Aren't you glad that this sad mess that we're in is not it? The disciples were so moved by this that they even used this to encourage you. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths. This transfiguration thing was not a myth, you guys, he says. We made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus. We were eyewitnesses of his majesty for when he received honor and glory from God the Father, the voice was born to him by the majestic glory. This is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased. We ourselves heard this voice born from heaven and we were with him on the holy mountain and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed. You got something better now. It's all confirmed to which you will do well to pay attention to as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts in other words if you want the single the positive truth if you want the way out of this mess mess he says hold tight to that word this is this is why we have this this is this is this is what our existence how we understand everything in this life this is the light it's confirmed it's all happened it's all true that's what they're telling us we saw it this wasn't some fancy story this is your lamp and you think is that my lamp in life in other words if i look at my values and what i'm after in this life is the word really my lamp or am i seeking all sorts of other lands it's easy to look at all the crap going on in the world and lose heart all the problems that we're seeing play out but the lord has told us it's tribulation these things have to happen it's tribulation that is the path to glory and then you have to deal with that if you're standing with jesus in the bible if you're standing with jesus you have said i'm willing to be hated, Jesus, as you were, for your truth. He told you that. If we're going to be stable Christians in this life, we have to listen carefully. Listen, that is such an important statement. And I don't think it's brilliant on my part. I just think it's a really important statement. If we're going to be stable Christians in this life, we have to listen carefully. Because the valleys are getting deeper every week. I read an article this past week, and I'll close with this, of the coming Christian collapse. I didn't quite know how to take it. I thought it was a really interesting piece. And the point of the article was, as social conditions change, we are going to see what has been shallow in Christianity come tumbling right down. In other words, the main point is, Christians just aren't grounded today in the truth. He says, we're shockingly illiterate as to what the Bible says. And we're not grounded in Christianity and what it teaches. And it's all about feeling good. It's all about emotions. It's not about the truth as it is in Jesus. It's a facade that can't stand up to what's happening. Don't you see it? It can't. It can't stand up to it. That's what led to Peter's discouragement when it came to the garden that he slept with sorrow because he had a hard time understanding and listening to the truth. And that's why the church is so important. That's why I care about all of you to be grounded in the truth. to love the truth, to grow in the truth. This is your light. That is God's word to you shining every week in the darkness. That's why we do this every week. That's why it's so important to give yourself in your minds to the truth. That's how he holds you. That's how he keeps you. That's how he protects you. That's how he pulls you out of valleys. This is my son in whom I'm well pleased. Here's what the father is saying to you today. Listen to him. Listen to him. And I hope that he's encouraged your hearts. I don't know what you're going through. I know some of you are going through. My guess is that some of you are hiding what you're going through. Some of you are very discouraged. And I hope that this minister has helped to you today. That Jesus is going to win. That Jesus is not against you. That Jesus loves you. That he died for you. That he gave himself for you. And he gave you a glimpse in his word today of that glory that is to come. I know that seems so far off, but it's a heartbeat away. Death. And then to be absent from the body is to be present with him. Jesus says, I've said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart. I've overcome the world. Isn't that great news? Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we need your encouragement in this dark world. For every week it seems to get worse and worse and we don't even know how to process it all. Just because of the level of hatred against you and against everything that you stand for and how this brings such clarity to us that you do answer our discouragement. I mean, if we could only see and have that veil pulled aside today, we would probably think, well then, it would encourage us and lift us up, if we could only have a transfiguration today, and we were just told that the Word is confirmed even more to us, that that Word is so powerful in our lives that when we believe it and hold fast to it and listen to it, it lights our path and pulls us out of discouragement and gives us help in all this darkness. Well, if that's the case, then we have to confess we've been really too shallow in our lives with your word and we've pursued everything other than the word so help us this week lord as we go out whatever is going to be shown on the news whatever discouragement comes our way whatever failure we have in our own struggle against sin that we would remember this word this morning that you've answered our discouragement you've helped us by telling us that you love us, you're not against us, and that the glory of all who believe in Jesus is certain. Thank you for giving us that today and bless all these people here with that encouragement. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.