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The Bible reads, Woe to Ariel, to Ariel the city where David dwelt. Add ye year to year, let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, there shall be heaviness and sorrow, and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp against thee round about, and I will lay siege against thee with the mount, and I will raise forts against thee, and thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall be whisper out of the dust. Moreover, the multitude of thy stranger shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible one shall be as chaff that passeth away. Yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. Thou shalt be visited with the Lord of hosts, with thunder, and with earthquake, great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all the fight against her and her munition, and that distress her shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and behold he eateth, but he awaketh, and his soul is empty, or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold he drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite. So shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion. Stay yourselves and wonder, cry ye out and cry. They are drunken, but not with wine. They stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes. The prophets and your rulers, the seers, hath he covered. And the vision of all has become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which man delivered to one that is learned, saying, read this, I pray thee, and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, read this, I pray thee, and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord saith, for as much as the people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Go unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, who seeth us, and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as a potter's clay, for shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not, or shall the thing framed say to him that framed it, he had no understanding? Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and a fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest, and in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel, for the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorners consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off, that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale, but when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. Let's pray. We thank you, Heavenly Father, for the King James Bible, dear God. We thank you for this wonderful church you've given us, dear Lord. We thank you for the pastor you have given us, dear God. Please bless him as he preaches to run unto us in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen. Okay, we're in Isaiah chapter 29. Tonight we're continuing our Bible study on the book of Isaiah, and tonight there's gonna be some preaching against Marcus' wife, apparently. You know, you see there, woe to Ariel to Ariel, right? So, sorry, you know, I'm not a respecter of people, so I gotta do it. No, I'm just kidding. Now, let me mention a couple things here. Of course, in chapter 28, if you remember from last week, the majority of the chapter is dealing with spiritual leaders who are literally involved in drinking alcohol, being inebriated, and we see that in chapter 28. And the reason we know it's not necessarily referring to a spiritual drunkenness, it's because it's talking about the vomit on the tables, and essentially kind of giving us those visuals that this is something that they're actually participating in whereas here in chapter 29, it's referring to a spiritual drunkenness, and we're gonna see how that affects the leaders of Judah in this particular chapter. Now, look at verse number one here. We're gonna look at the judgment and deliverance of Jerusalem here. It says in verse one, "'Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt. "'Add ye year to year, let them kill sacrifices.'" Now, Ariel is referring to Jerusalem, and obviously the reason we know that is because of the fact that it says, "'The city where David dwelt.'" That's obviously referring to Jerusalem. And it's pretty interesting because that name Ariel isn't mentioned very often in the Bible. It's only a handful of times, three of which are here in the book of Isaiah in chapter 29, and one when it's referring to someone in Ezra chapter eight. And so it's not used very frequently in the Bible, but we know it's referring to Jerusalem. And according to this verse, it's essentially telling us that Jerusalem is conducting business as usual year by year, doing the yearly animal sacrifices. And what I believe this is talking about here is the fact that Jerusalem, though it's not right with God, the people aren't really necessarily worshiping the God of the Bible, they are going through the motions. So they're doing the sacrifices, they're assembling together, they're probably observing the Sabbath and the new moons and things of that nature, but they're essentially just going through the motions. And as we'll see later on in the chapter, their heart's not really in it, okay? So that's why he says, "'Add ye year to year, let them kill sacrifices.'" And if you remember back from chapter one, this is kind of like a common thing that we see with Israel and Judah, that they will participate in religious activities, but not necessarily believe on God, right? And you think of chapter one, where it tells us, "'To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? I am full of burnt offerings of rams and fat, of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks and of lambs and of he goats.'" He says, "'When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations. Incense is an abomination unto me, the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies that cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.'" What does this tell us? It's telling us that Jerusalem is doing all these things, but quite frankly, they're essentially lying about this because they're not really worshiping God. They're worshiping false gods, they're not really adhering to the word of God. And in fact, they don't really know the Lord, right? Whether by salvation or through just his word, as we'll see later on in this particular chapter. And so what he's telling them in this first verse, he's saying, look, year by year, they're doing the same things, they're providing the animal sacrifices. And the best way to illustrate this for 2024, there's a lot of people that go to church on Sundays, right? There's a lot of people that attend church, they attend Christian churches, but many of them just kind of do it out of just discipline or religious activity. But if you were to visit a lot of these churches that have a lot of members, have a lot of people assembling to them, you realize that some of them are not even saved, right? Not only that, but some of them even have atheistic opinions, some of them are very liberal in their thinking, they question the word of God, they don't believe the Bible, they don't believe a lot of the core doctrines of the Christian faith, but yet they assemble together. They sing the hymns, they participate in fellowship. So this is essentially what we see here in the book of Isaiah with the children of Judah. Look at verse two. He says, yet, in other words, in spite of the fact that you're assembling together and doing these sacrifices year by year, yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow, and it shall be unto me as Ariel. That's a pretty interesting phrase there. It's kind of cryptic what this means. And because it's saying there, I'm gonna distress Ariel, and after he's done with them, they're gonna be unto him as Ariel. So what does that mean? Well, as I mentioned, Ariel is obviously referring to Jerusalem, but the name Ariel literally means lion of God, okay? And what this could possibly be referring to is the fact that they're as a lion in the sense that they're very proud, they're very arrogant. And once he humbles them, then they will become unto him as Ariel. And what I believe this is actually referring to is just a symbolic representation of Jesus. And I'll show you later on in the next few verses why I think that. But look at verse three. We're gonna see the Lord abasing Jerusalem. He says, I will camp against thee roundabout, and I will lay siege against thee with the mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shall be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low as the dust, and thy voice shall be as of one that hath the familiar spirit out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. What is this referring to? Well, he's obviously talking about the fact that he's gonna bring a foreign army against them. They're gonna be destroyed. They're gonna be humbled. They're gonna be a base. And he's basically saying, you're so proud, but you're actually gonna be brought down to the ground, to the very dust. And he even gives this little illustration here. It says that thy voice shall be as one that hath the familiar spirit. What does that mean? Well, the best way I can describe this is like, if you're talking to someone who has a familiar spirit, you know, they're demonically possessed or something, you know, the picture you get in your mind, they're just like kinda talking like this, you know? Yeah, they're just kinda like a low voice. They're just very demonic in their speech. And I think what this is saying is that you're gonna be brought down so low that that's how you're gonna sound, even trying to talk, because no one can hear you. You know, you're gonna be as one that has a familiar spirit speaking out of the ground. You're not gonna speak proudly anymore in volume or in loud bass because you have been a bass. Now, this was literally fulfilled in 70 AD when Jerusalem was compassed about and was destroyed by the Roman army, but it's also gonna be fulfilled a second time in the end times, okay? And in fact, when you read Luke chapter 21, the Bible talks about Jerusalem being compassed about with armies and referring to the abomination of desolation. We see in Revelation chapter 11 that Jerusalem shall be compassed about with the Gentiles and should be trotted underfoot for 40 and two months, and of course, that's referring to the last three and a half years of Daniel's 70th week. So this is something that happened in their immediate future but it's gonna happen again, okay? And obviously, there's dual fulfillment there. So he's talking about the fact that he's gonna destroy them, he's gonna besiege them, he's gonna humble them. They're gonna speak as one that hath a familiar spirit out of the ground. It's like a whisper out of the dust. They will no longer speak proudly against the Lord or about themselves. Look at verse number five. So after he's done with them, then now he's gonna talk about the punishment of their oppressors. So keep in mind, a common thing that we see throughout the book of Isaiah is that God will use a foreign army to destroy Jerusalem, but then he will go ahead and just destroy that foreign army as well, okay? So he'll use them as an instrument to discipline his people but they're not without excuse either. They're gonna get it as well. And obviously, when I say that he uses a foreign army, it's not like they're in cahoots or anything or they're believers in God. He's just using the wicked devices of their heart and allowing them to manifest that to destroy Jerusalem, to fulfill his purpose and then they're gonna get theirs afterwards. Look at verse five. Moreover, the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaffed at the pass of the way, yea, it shall be as an instant suddenly. Thou shall be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, with earthquake, with great noise, with storm, tempest and the flame of devouring fire. So what this is referring to is the fact he's telling the oppressors, hey, don't think you're gonna get away with this though. Yeah, you know, I exalted you to destroy Jerusalem, but that doesn't mean that you're not gonna get yours as well. And in fact, he says that they're gonna be like the chaff. Very reminiscent to Psalm 1 that tells us the ungodly are not so, but are as the chaff which the wind driveth away. And what that's referring to is the fact that, you know, these multitudes of strangers, these terrible ones, yeah, they're gonna make a big impact in destroying Jerusalem, but then it's just gonna disappear after that, okay? That's how mighty the destruction of the Lord will be upon them. And so they'll be like the chaff, which the wind driveth away, they're gonna pass away, they're gonna be gone, not gonna be remembered anymore. Not only that, but we also see in verse seven that their hope is removed. And I'm referring to the hope of the oppressors. Look what it says in verse seven, and the multitude of all nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, munition is referring to their armor, their weapons, you think of ammunition, and that distress her shall be as a dream of a night vision. Now, you say, why is their hope being removed? Because we're gonna look at that in verse eight in just a bit. Well, you think about the fact that this foreign army is just being used to just desolate Jerusalem. And so what does that do? That emboldens them, you know? If they just mop the floor of Jerusalem, this nation who has the God of the Bible, they're the light unto the Gentiles, they talk a big talk, they're like the lion of God, but then they come and just whoop them, well, that could obviously embolden them, give them confidence, and make them think that they're gonna really succeed and prosper in their conquests, okay? And so what does God do? He removes that confidence from them. He removes that hope, and he doesn't allow them to continue any further, okay? Look what it says in verse eight. It shall be, excuse me, it shall even be as when a hungry man dreameth, and behold, he eateth, but he awaketh, and his soul is empty, or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite, so shall the multitude of all nations be that fight against Mount Zion. What does it say? He's saying, you know, these four nations that are destroying Jerusalem, they're creating all these dreams, all these imaginations of their conquests and what they're gonna do, but God is like, you know, it's only a dream, though. You know, they're gonna be dreaming about, they're hungry, they're thirsty for bloodshed and power, but it's gonna be like someone who is hungry in their dream, and they're eating, but then when they wake up, they're like, oh, man, that was all fake, you know? Or, you know, a man who's thirsty, and he's drinking all kinds of water in his dream, and he's like, why isn't my thirst being quenched? And when he wakes up, he's still thirsty. He's basically saying, like, you know, keep on dreaming. Okay? And this is an important principle for us to learn that the Lord will always discomfit the intentions of the enemy, okay? And here's the thing, he may use them for a season, right? He may use them for a time. He may use them to fulfill a particular purpose, but, you know, they're not gonna proceed any further than that, and they can come up with all types of machinations and devices, but the devices will always come to naught. They will be as one who dreams of drinking water when they're thirsty, but when they wake up, they're like, man, I'm still parched. And maybe you've experienced something like that, where you had this just realistic dream. How many of you have ever had, like, just a real realistic dream, and you wake up, and you're like, oh, man, that was just, you know, oh, this just wasn't real. Maybe some of you singles have been dreaming about getting married and having a perfect wife and all this stuff, and then you wake up, and you're like, it was only a dream, you know? And then you're just sad the rest of the day, you know, just like, man, that wasn't real. Well, that's how these guys feel. They're like, oh, man, we're gonna plot against the enemy, we're gonna plot against Jerusalem, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do that, and then reality strikes, they wake up, and they realize that the hand of God is against them. They wake up, and they're still parched, they're still hungry, and they need to keep dreaming. You know, they will dream up their satiation to destroy Jerusalem, but it won't actually take place. And this is what's also referred to as a strong delusion, right, this dream that they're conjuring up, that they're gonna succeed in their terrorizing God's people and persecuting the Lord's people, and you know, God may allow it for a time, but they will not proceed any further. The Bible tells us in Psalm 33, verse 10, the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to success and prosperity, no, to not. Not means to nothing. He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. So it's God who keeps back the hand of the oppressor and the enemy, no matter how crafty they are, no matter how cunning or prosperous they look in the short term, in the long term, they actually do not succeed, they do not prosper, because at the end of the day, God is still with his people, okay? And so that's an important principle for us to learn, because even in the day and age in which we live, you and I might have enemies who are trying to succeed and oppress us, and you know, to a certain degree, it may look like they're succeeding. They may succeed for a short season, but just keep in mind, like, God is allowing that, and he allows that for a short term, but they will not proceed any further. No matter how successful they may seem to be getting, it's just not gonna last very long. Look at verse nine. It says here, stay yourselves and wonder, in other words, hold still and think about this, cry ye out and cry, they are drunken, but not with wine, they stagger, but not with strong drink, for the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, the prophets and your rulers, the seers, hath he covered. What is this referring to? Well, just as alcohol has somewhat of a sleeping effect on the person who consumes it, the Bible's telling us here that God is pouring out somewhat of a mixture, right, of deep sleep upon the spiritual leaders of Jerusalem, to the point where they've closed their eyes, not literally, but spiritually, okay, so that they can't view and perceive spiritual things. They are blinded spiritually to the need of Jerusalem, they're blinded to the needs of the people, they're blinded to the own deceptions that they're buying into, okay? So the spiritual leaders of Jerusalem are spiritually inebriated, they're spiritually drunk, they're not sober, the Lord has sent them essentially drowsiness and drunkenness, they are incapable of seeing the truth and understanding it. And make no mistake about it, that is a curse from God, okay, upon his people. You know, when you have churches that claim to be a Christian church, they claim to believe the Bible, they claim to believe in salvation, but they don't read the Bible, they don't understand the Bible, that's a curse. When the pastor gets up and just takes verses out of context, and just doesn't understand the most clearest passages of scripture, either number one, that guy's not saved, because the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned, or two, he has a spirit of deep sleep upon him, meaning he doesn't have the spiritual eye to understand the word of God, that's a curse, why? Because the Bible tells us that we have the unction from God, the Holy One, and he leads us to all truths, the Spirit of God that dwells within us, teaches us all things, and brings all things into our remembrance, we need not that any man teach us, because of the Holy Spirit's ministering power to enable us to open our eyes, to behold wondrous things out of his law. And so obviously we're not gonna understand all the Bible, but we can understand large chunks of it, and specifically the most fundamental teachings of the Bible, okay? But when you have spiritual leaders that don't even understand the fundamentals of the Bible, then there's an issue, that's a curse upon that church, okay? And he likens it unto being drunk, I mean, give a Bible to a drunk man and tell him to explain it to you, good luck with that. Well, the same thing goes spiritually, you give one to his spiritually drunk, has the spirit of drowsiness and deep sleep upon him, he's not gonna be able to interpret the word of God for you. And this is a major curse upon Jerusalem, because thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. In order for people to know God's will, we have to go to the Bible, we don't dream up God's will, we don't conjure up what we think is God's will, we get God's will from the Bible, right? The word of God is what shows us what the will of the Lord is, and someone who's a spiritual babe in Christ, who doesn't have the spiritual maturity to discern the word of God, needs to come to someone who is, they need to go to the house of God. But here's the problem, if you go to the house of God, to the pastor, to the preacher, to the prophet, and they're in the same boat as you are, they can't interpret the word of God for you. Now you're in trouble. And so it's important for us to realize that, you know, we need to be spiritually sober, and in fact, this is a term that's constantly used throughout the New Testament, to be sober-minded, to be vigilant, to be aware, to be spiritually accurate in our thinking, that we make sure that we are aware of our spiritual surroundings. We talked about this on Sunday morning, of spiritual warfare, understand who the enemy is, understand the steps you're taking, reading the word of God, praying always, with all fervency and supplication, making requests to God, being in the Spirit is what I mean by being vigilant, right? So the person who's in deep sleep is the person who's in the flesh. This is a person who's not being mindful of spiritual things, okay? They're not prioritizing spiritual matters, they're not prioritizing Bible reading, and prayer, and church, and soul-winning, and things of that nature, they're prioritizing worldly things, which is why they're spiritually asleep, okay? And now's not the time to be falling asleep at the wheel, amen? You know, there's so many things going on in this world, there's so many things going on in churches, we need to be able to think clearly, and not have our judgment rested, and perverted, and influenced by outside sources that are not influenced by the Bible, okay? This is why the Bible tells us that the Word of God is like meat, right? And meat belonging to them, who have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. It's important for us to be spiritually mature, to read the Word of God, to pray unto the Lord, to have fellowship with God, so we can be led and not deceived, okay? And so he's telling them here, you need to think about this, these leaders are drunken, but not with wine. They're staggering, it says, but it's not because of strong drink. You know, what does it mean to stagger spiritually? Well, think about what it says of Abraham in Romans chapter four, that he staggered not of the promises of God, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, you know, being fully persuaded that what he hath promised he is able also to perform. So someone who's not staggering, and someone who's strong in the Bible, strong in the Lord and the power of his might, they can walk circumspectly, not as fools, understanding what the will of the Lord is. You understand what I'm saying? This is why we often talk about reading the Bible as what? Walking with God. Because when you walk with the Lord, you're walking circumspectly, you know the steps that you're taking forward, whereas some people, they're just kind of like, the will of God for them is just all over the place. They don't know, they can't really discern, they're like a drunken person. And so this is what he's referring to here, is their state of being inebriated, not being able to discern. Look at verse 11, it says, And the vision of all is becoming to you as the words of a book that is sealed, which has been delivered to one that has learned, saying, read this, I pray thee, and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that has not learned, saying, read this, I pray thee, and he saith, I am not learned. So it's basically like, here's the Bible, can you interpret this for me? And it's just like, I can't even open it, it's sealed. Now, why is it sealed? Well, it seems to imply that they're just not saved, okay? Because in order to understand the Bible, first and foremost, you gotta be saved. And it says here that he goes to one that has not learned, you know, second choice here, says, read this, and he's like, I can't, I'm kinda dumb, I'm uneducated, like, I can't even read this. This is not a good condition for Jerusalem to be in. So they have the possession of the truth, but they're incapable of understanding it, and they can't even go to someone who can interpret it for them, because the ones who are responsible for it can't even open it, they can't even break off the seal, so to speak. Let me read to you from Isaiah chapter 56 and verse 10. It says, his watchmen are blind. They're all ignorant. They're all dumb dogs. They cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough. They are shepherds that cannot understand. They all look their own way. Everyone for his gain, from his quarter, come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. So it seems to imply that one of the reasons these people are spiritually drunk is because they're so greedy and covetous. And you know what, covetousness is a horrible sin. And it can often blind Christians to spiritual matters. That's why the Bible's constantly telling us to be content with such things as we have, to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and these things shall be added unto you. Why, because covetousness can often choke the word and cause us to become unfruitful. You know, the love of money, the Bible says, is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after have erred from the faith, the Bible says, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. You know, money and possessions and things aren't necessarily bad because God blesses us with them, but here's the thing, is when possessions possess you, and you no longer prioritize spiritual things. Prioritize the Bible, prioritize spiritual disciplines, prioritize church, prioritize lost souls, prioritize leading your family, things that God has called us to do, right? Covetousness can destroy you, and it seems to imply here that the leaders are covetous, which is why they're blind. They're like dumb dogs, they're greedy. They can't have enough, they can't understand. And this is your quintessential explanation of these mega churches. The Joel Osteen type churches, they're all about making money, greedy of filthy lucre, and it's no surprise why they can't understand or explain the Bible. You know, this is why the majority of the time when you visit churches like this, all they're doing is encouraging you. Because, you know, you can't go wrong with encouraging someone. You're not gonna offend them, and their number one thing is to not offend you because they wanna keep you, because they want your wallet. But the Bible tells us to priest the word to be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. And the Bible tells us that the truth hurts sometimes, and yeah, we gotta speak the truth in love, but I just want you to notice it says we gotta speak the truth, though. And so there's certain truths of the Bible that we can speak lovingly, but it's not a loving truth. So what are you gonna do then? Well, some people just stay away from speaking it, so as to not to offend. But you know, the Bible commands us to preach the entire counsel of God, and a lot of times, there are pastors and preachers that will abstain from certain portions of scripture in the Bible because of the fact that they're greedy dogs, and like it says, that they cannot bark. They love lying down, loving to slumber, they can't understand, they all look to their own way, whereas the Bible tells us to esteem one another better than themselves, okay? The shepherd is obviously to oversee the sheep and not necessarily just be a hireling that flees when the wolf cometh, because he has some ulterior motive of greedy game. And so this is what he's saying here. You know, you go to someone and say, hey, can you show me the vision? And they're like, well, I can, it's locked, it's sealed. And they're like, well, find some other guy, the common person, can you interpret this? And they're like, I don't even know how to read, dude. I mean, I can't even open it, but aside from that, I can't even read. And this is very similar to what we see in Mark chapter eight and in Matthew as well. When Jesus is preaching, he tells them, having ears, excuse me, having eyes, see ye not, having ears, hear ye not. Basically, it's just like you have eyes and ears, but you can't even listen to what I'm telling you. There's a disconnect there. You can't understand for a particular reason. And the main reason is because they're not saved, okay? Now, go with me if you went to Revelation chapter five. We're just gonna go to Revelation five real quick. Revelation chapter five. Now, keep in mind that if you remember at the beginning of the chapter, he calls them Ariel, and then he says that Ariel will be like Ariel once he humbles them, right? And Ariel means the lion of God. And this is what I potentially believe this is referring to, because what we just read in Isaiah is that the leaders can't understand the Bible. They, you know, it's like sealed unto them. They're like unlearned. They're spiritually drunk. Look what it says in Revelation five, verse five. It says, and one of the elders said unto me, weep not, behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. Now, obviously this is referring to the six seals of Revelation, but this is also referring to the fact that the only person who can really give us access to understanding the Bible is Jesus. And if you compare this to what we see in Isaiah chapter 29, basically the reason people can't understand the word of God in these days is because they're not saved, because they've rejected the Lord. And so it is sealed unto them. Now, what does the New Testament teach about this? It teaches us that if these same Jews, Israelites, whatever, if they turn to the Lord, the veil shall be removed from them, right? At this point, they're blinded to the word of God. They can't understand the reading of the Old Testament. They can't understand the word of God. Jews can't understand the Bible. They can't interpret it for you. They can't give you the deep truths of God. Why? Because of the fact that they're not saved. But the moment they decide to believe on the Lord, the moment they decide to trust in Jesus Christ exclusively for salvation, that veil will be removed, right? Why? Because the Lion of Judah is the only one capable of removing the seal that is causing people not to be able to open the book and understand it. So when it says that Ariel will be, he's gonna humble Ariel, Jerusalem, and he says, and they shall be as unto Ariel, it's basically saying, now you will be like the Lion of Judah, the Lion of Jerusalem, the Lion of God, that you can understand the word of God. And this is all centered around just understanding the Bible, okay? Go back to Isaiah, if you would. 2 Corinthians 3, 14 says, but their minds were blinded. For unto this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now, don't get this misconception that you think to yourself, whoa, well, there's a lot that I don't understand about the Bible, so does that mean I'm not saved? Obviously, that's not true, right? Because of the fact that Christians, once they get saved, don't automatically just know the Bible right off the bat, okay? Which is why it's important for Christians, once they get saved, to start reading the Bible, developing the discipline, because they're more susceptible to deception, they're more susceptible to false doctrines, and so they need to get grounded in the word of God so as to not be deceived. But here's the thing, is that just because you're saved doesn't mean you're gonna understand everything. Why is that? Well, it's because of the fact that the Bible's a very deep book, and it requires years and years and years of study, and obviously, you can listen to sermons to accelerate your understanding of the Bible, but quite frankly, let me just be real honest with you, most people who accelerate their understanding of the Bible, not through experience, but just through a lot of preaching, often just become prideful. Why, it's because knowledge puffeth up, right? So there's a plus to being able to intake all of this Bible knowledge in a short term because of technology, but the downside to that is that they just become very prideful, arrogant, they don't have to labor to find those truths, they don't have to spend time in prayer and study and years of just studying the word of God and rightly dividing the word of truth to understand these truths, they just kinda get a spoon fed, and then what does that do? That makes them proud and arrogant, and that's obviously detrimental to a Christian because God doesn't want you to be prideful, and so you say, well, what should I do then? Well, what you should do is just humble yourself before the Lord and say, Lord, continue to help me to understand the Bible, and thank God that you have knowledge accessible to you, but don't stop there, don't stop your growth, right? Don't think, well, I know everything already, just know the Bible, know everything the Bible has to teach me, have no more growing to do, I know more than some pastors do, I know more than some churches do, that might be true, but you know what, you still haven't reached the end of your studying, and so keep reading the word of God because here's the thing, yeah, you know a lot, but here's the thing, to whomsoever much is given, though, of him shall be much required, so if you've been given this great springboard to understand a lot of the Bible, well, you better take advantage of it and understand that God holds you accountable for that, and therefore, you should be studying the Bible even more, getting other deep truths of the word of God. Look at verse 13, he says, wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. So obviously, we recognize this verse from the gospels, and what this is saying here is that these people are claiming to worship God, they're honoring God with their lips, but it's not really what they believe, and I don't wanna keep picking on denominational churches, non-denominational churches, but this is like a perfect example, though, because you go to these non-denominational churches, and they spend like an hour worshiping God, vainly, right, just like, I don't know, any liberal songs, I don't wanna call on Cody again, but he's the most reliable source in that area, but it's just like they repeat something like, someone give me a line. Our God is greater. Our God is greater, wow, that was out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Our God is a awesome God. I don't know if that's a song, but you know, they repeat that like seven times. Oh, we've got another former liberal over there, he knows what I'm talking about, right? They just repeat something like seven times, and then let's just say you go talk to them after the service, and bring a Bible in hand just to talk doctrine, you probably offend them. You'd be, they would be greatly offended over the fact that, let's just say you just ask them about salvation, you'd know for a fact many of them would be offended, right? If you ever talk to like some member of a non-denam church, and you say, hey, are you 100% sure that if you die today, you go to heaven, they would be appalled. They'd be like, excuse me, how would you, didn't you see me singing up here, like, right? And in fact, we're out sowning this last week, and I was with my kids, and we knocked on his door, this guy answered the door, and I give him the invite, and I give him the 100% question, and he's like, yeah, I'm 100% sure. I'm like, oh, wonderful, you know, what would you say you have to do to be saved? And he's just like, you know, trust Jesus, and I'm like, oh, I hope he stops, right there. Please stop. And then he's just like, and do good, and then the list just went on from there, right? And you know, I don't like to blow people out of the water when they say stuff like that, and you shouldn't either, by the way. Like, well, that's stupid, you know, well, let me show you, all right, let me show you what the Bible actually says, because apparently you don't know, you know? I just say, you know what, I used to believe the same, to a certain degree, but you know, the Bible does say something a little different, you know, can I show you, and I started quoting some verses, and he was like in full agreement, you know? He was just like, he's all, that's true, that's true. He's like, I guess, you know, because I'm a worship leader at Saddleback, you know, I just thought maybe these are some things you should be doing, and you know, when you talk to people like that, you're just kind of like, are they saved or are they not? And you're like, well, you know, let's say I say I believe in Jesus, but, and I never do these things, would you say that I'm not saved? And he's like, yeah, you're saved, you know? It kind of leaves you with a question mark, you know, like, man, I don't know, what are you, you know? But this is what these non-denom churches do to you. You know, they kind of just destroy the gospel in such a way that the worship leader is just, can't fully express what the salvation message is. It's not hard, right? It's not hard if you actually read the Bible though. You say, well, what was the problem with that guy? Well, here's the problem, is that he's drawing nigh into God with his lips, but his heart is far from him. Because the word of God, it should be in his heart, especially in regards to salvation. And, you know, I'm quoting all these verses and he's just like, that's true, you know? He's just like, I'm like, you're a spiritual leader. I'm like, man, does this guy even know John 3.16? Does he know Ephesians 2, verse 8 through 9? Does he know Titus 3.5? Does he know Romans chapter 10, verses 9 through 13? Just the most common passages of salvation. John 3.36, does he know it? But here's the result of drawing nigh into God with your lips, but your heart is far from him. And that's literally what this is referring to as this matter of salvation. Because this is quoted in the New Testament about the Pharisees who claim to be of God, but the vast majority of them are not saved. So they claim to give praise and honor to God, and they're preaching the law of Moses, but they don't really believe this stuff in their heart. Churches are filled with people like this. And in fact, I ended up witnessing to a lady that same day, and she was just like, yeah, I'm a former Catholic, current Lutheran, and I'm just like, whoa. But she's just like, yeah, you have to believe, but you also have to repent of your sins and all these things. And luckily she was far more humble and she ended up getting saved. But think about this, she was attending the Lutheran church and I'm sure she was praising God. I'm sure she was worshiping God and she thought she was worshiping God in spirit and in truth, but the reality is this, is that she wasn't even saved though. Now, what is the main interpretation of this verse? The main interpretation is that he's telling those of Jerusalem. You're in vain, you're worshiping me, you're drawing nigh unto me with your lips, but your heart is far from me because you can't even understand the Bible. It's sealed unto you, which indicates that you have not believed on the Lord because once you believe on the Lord, these things are revealed, okay? And he's saying, you know, your fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. So he's saying like, you have this idea that you know God and that you fear God, but all those are just teachings of men. You're not necessarily getting it from the Bible. Look at verse 15. He says, woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord and their works are in the dark. And they say, this is powerful by the way, who seeth us and who knoweth us? Man, surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's claim, for shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not, or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he hath no understanding. So he's speaking to these leaders, about these leaders, and he's describing the strong delusion they're under. And think about how delusional this is, okay? Because they're doing all these evil things in the dark, and this is what they say, who's gonna see it? Who's gonna know about it? It's just like, God? But that's a strong delusion. I mean, I literally talked to someone within the last couple of weeks, and I told him, I said, aren't you afraid that God's gonna punish you for this? It's like, aren't you just afraid that everything you're doing, God's gonna pour his wrath on you, and he's gonna punish you severely for what you're doing? And this is his answer, he's like, I don't think he's gonna do anything. He hasn't done anything yet. I think I'm good. You know what it's called? Strong delusion. And some people can fall under this strong delusion where they just do some of the most wicked things, participate in the most wicked actions, get involved in sin, iniquity, and just think, you know, who seeth us? Who knoweth us? Like, who's gonna know? They're gonna know. They're gonna know. They're not gonna know. That's what they literally think. It's a strong delusion. It's a delusion that you can outwit God. The delusion that you can sin and get away with it. Now go to Ezekiel chapter eight, if you would, because I think the most powerful example of this particular delusion is in the book of Ezekiel. We don't have time to read through the whole chapter, but this is the greater abomination chapter, okay? Where God just shows Ezekiel just progressively worse abominations. Like, you think that's bad. Here's a greater abomination. It's a powerful chapter. Look at verse 12. He says, then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark? Who are the ancients? Referring to the elders, the leaders. Every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say, the Lord seeth us not. The Lord hath forsaken the earth. What a strong delusion these people are under. So he's like, you know, and obviously he's like poking through holes and they're seeing all these, you know, false gods that they're worshiping and they're doing this in the dark. But here it's talking about the chambers of their imagery. Like things that they're imagining. And in their minds they're like, God can't see what I'm thinking about. You know, the Lord seeth us not. The Lord has forsaken the earth. He said unto me, turn thee again and thou shall see greater abominations that they do. This is a strong delusion because any Bible-believing Christian, any person who just, and not even just Christians, just unsafe people, just have this common understanding that God sees everything. He sees the chambers of the imagery. He sees your innermost, the innermost recesses of your thoughts. He sees your motives, your intentions. I mean, the Bible literally says that the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces, even through the dividing of sunder of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discernment of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. I mean, there's nothing in this world that can separate soul and spirit other than death, I guess you could say. But even then it's just like, it separates the soul from the body. But the word of God, which is essentially the Lord, is able to divide the soul and the spirit. You know, the Bible tells us hell and destruction are before the Lord. How much more are the hearts of men? In other words, God is just saying, like, I see it all. I see everything. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 15, verse three, the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. And you say, why is it important to understand that God sees everything? You know, to help us fear Him. And I'm not talking about fear as in reverence. That's a precept that has been taught by man to cause me to be like, whoa, when the Bible says, fear God, it doesn't really mean like, be afraid of God. It just means to have a respect towards God, a reverence towards God. No, thank you. I think I'll just stick with what the Bible teaches, where it just says that we should be afraid of God. Why? Because through the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. When you fear God, it keeps you from doing stupid things. When you understand that God sees everything, even the chambers of the imagery that you have, you know, you clean up your thought life. You confess more often. You don't participate in wicked activities. You don't hang out with bad people. You try to be a holy person. Why? Because you know that God is always watching. You know, my father-in-law used to say, it's good to just practice the presence of the Lord. And that's true, is it not? You know, every once in a while, we just need to know like, God is watching me right now. You know, I need to practice understanding that God is present. Because sometimes we forget that. And when we practice the presence of God, you know what that does? It causes us to fear the consequences of our actions. It causes us to fear that God may punish us for our actions and our deeds. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 5 21, For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. Job 26 six says, hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering. There was only one person outside of everyone who's in hell that is able to see hell, and that's God. It's naked before him. So in other words, he's like, he sees it all. And this is why the Bible tells us of Jesus, that he doesn't need anyone to testify of man, for he knows what is in man. You know, throughout his ministry, he's like, I don't need you to tell me how bad man is. I know how bad men are. You know, human beings. He doesn't need a testification of that because he is omnipresent, he is omniscient, he knows it all. Go to Psalm 139, if you would. I love this passage when dealing with the omniscience of God. In other words, that God sees and knows everything. A great description of this is found in Psalm 139. Now this is a pretty bold prayer by who I believe wrote this, David. It's a very bold prayer, or at least the first verse. Oh Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knows my down sitting and my uprising. Thou understandest my thoughts afar off. Thou compasses my path, my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. So obviously he understands this in other portions in, I think it's Psalm 16, 15, he says, like, search me. At the end of this, he actually says, search me. That's powerful. He's like, just look for anything. See if there be any wicked way in me. I mean, isn't that a powerful prayer? How many of us would be willing to just say, Lord, search me, see if there be any wicked way in me. That's a lot of confidence, right? That's a good practice. He says in verse four, for there is not a word in my tongue but lo, oh Lord, thou knowest it altogether. He knows what you're about to say before you say it. He knows every smart thing you're gonna say. He knows every stupid thing you're gonna say. He knows every bad judgment you make. He knows all the syllables you're gonna use. He knows every hair on your head. He says in verse number five, thou hast beset me behind and before and laid thy hand upon me. He's in the past, but he's also in our future. He sees where we came from, but he's also before us. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I cannot attain into it. And I like what he says in verse seven, whether shall I go from thy spear, whether shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. Obviously, right? If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take wings of the morning and dwell in the outermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely, listen to this, the darkness shall cover me. Oh, maybe God won't see when I sin because of the darkness. Even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day, the darkness and the light are both alike to thee, the Bible says. So this is similar to what we see in Isaiah, where it's just like they go deep in order to do these works in the dark, but God's like, you can go into the deepest portion of the ocean if you wanted to, or all those ugly creatures dwell, I'll see you clear as day. You can do anything you want and the deepest recesses of this world and I will still see what you're doing. It's powerful. What is that? That is the omniscience of God, an omnipresence of God. He sees it all, knows it all. You say, why bring this up? Well, because of the fact that I'm kind of showing you that this is a very strong delusion if you think He can't see you. He's like, what is He gonna do? Nothing's gonna happen. The Lord has left the earth. He doesn't see us, He doesn't know us, He doesn't care. Folks, He sees everything and it should cause us to fear before Him. Go back to Isaiah 29, if you would. So obviously, the spiritual condition of Judah is pretty bad when you have a leader saying this. He says, verse 15, woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord and their works are in the dark and they say, who seeth us and who knoweth us? Now, another way to interpret this would be that a lot of these spiritual leaders, they try to give these deep, dark sayings because what is a dark saying? It's referring to an obscure saying. They try to give these deep, dark sayings in order to hide their counsel and a good way to apply this is today, you have Calvinists, for example, reformers that will speak very eloquently in order to hide their counsel. They'll try to take it to the Greek or the Hebrew and they'll say, well, I know it says this here but in the originals, this is what it says and they just teach some false doctrine. Why? Because they're hiding their counsel. Whereas the Bible tells us that we've renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, listen to this, nor handling the word of God deceitfully. So it's important for us that when we teach the Bible, we're very clear about what we're saying, right? Not obscure, not leaving people with a question mark and in doubt, not being like, well, you know, this is what I saw but you just kind of imagine for yourselves what I might mean by that. That's a wicked thing to do. Because as a pastor, as a man of God, our job is to make things clear. Say this is what the Bible says, you know? And not just be like, well, I'll let you figure that out. That's what Satan does. Satan will give you information and be like, do what you want with that, question mark. Whereas what our job is to do is to actually say plainly, you know, speak plainly what we mean when we talk, when we're interpreting the Bible, when we make judgments. You know, our job is to dissolve doubts, not to create more doubts, right? And so it's my job as a pastor to be as clear as possible when I'm teaching the Bible, you know, and obviously there's times when Jesus left people in obscurity but if you actually read the context, who is he leaving in obscurity? People who actually don't want the truth. The Pharisees, right? He would speak to them in parables because he didn't want them to understand it. And then he'd take his disciples later on and he'd give them the interpretation thereof, okay? And so we see this strong delusion that they're under and, you know, it's just part of God's punishment on the nation. Let's finish up here. Look at verse 17. This finishes off with what many of the chapters finish off with, which is the restoration of Jerusalem, of Israel, of Judah. Verse 17 says, is it not yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field and a fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest. It's kind of funny that says yet a very little while because it is going to be a very little while, right? Obviously it's a very little while in the eyes of God because to God a thousand years is as a day, a day is a thousand years. But this is obviously referring to that restoration in the millennial reign and new heaven, new earth. Verse 18 says, and in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. So we see in verse 17, the transformation of the earth. In verse 18, we see that the blind and the deaf shall be given permanent sight and hearing. This is a restoration of the body. Verse 19 says the meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. So this is obviously referring to the meek inheriting the earth. So he's restoring all things to their former condition when it was first established. Verse 20 says, for the terrible one is brought to naught and the scorn is consumed and all that watch for iniquity are cut off. So what do we see here? We see that there's punishment for those who wait on sin. Not only that, but we see the punishment for false accusers. Verse 21, that make a man an offender for a word. So he's like, I'm gonna punish those who wait on sin, watch for iniquity, but I'm also gonna punish those who make a man an offender, basically a criminal, for a word. That's pretty powerful, right? What is that? It's called justice is being served. And I think of the fact that a couple months ago, they're trying to pass this law that you can't say that the Jews killed Jesus. And they're trying to make it seem as though we're the offenders if we say something like that, even though the Bible literally teaches that. Well, the Bible says that he's gonna make a man an offender, he's gonna punish those who make a man an offender for a word, okay? And make no mistake about it, you know, we are offenders to this world because of the word that we preach, right? He's also gonna punish those who despise governments. It goes on to say, that make a man an offender for a word and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gates. Who is the person that reproves in the gate? It's a magistrate. It's someone who is distributing punishments for crimes, you know, whether corporal crimes or capital crimes. But it says that there's people who are laying a snare for him that reproveth in the gate. In other words, someone who despises magistrates and governments and authorities, God's gonna punish that person. Why? Because God is for authority. God is for parental authority, he's for pastoral authority, he's for church authority, he is authority. So it's like if someone's laying a snare for an authority, God's like, I'm coming after you. And amen to that. He says, lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate and turn aside the just for a thing of not, man. So punishment for those who wait on sin, verse 20, punishment for false accusers, verse 21, punishment for those who despise governments, verse 21 again, verse 21, punishment for those who punish the just for nothing. He says those who turn aside the just for a thing of not, those who are willing to just punish just and righteous people for nothing. And you know, in its most simplest way, like a simple application to this, would be these stupid pranksters online who just embarrass people, just regular people walking down the street just so they can make content or something, right? That's ridiculous. You know, and God forbid a Christian should ever participate in something like that, right? You know, these idiots out there who are just mocking the name of Christ, mocking Christianity, giving Christianity a black eye, doing some of the most vile, disgusting things out there, just so we can make, why don't you get a real job, right? Instead of making money at the expense of innocent people just walking down the street or whatever, it's nonsense. But you know, there's also people who just turn aside the just for a thing of not, just even aside from that, people who punish righteous people, innocent people, just because they're wicked people. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17, verse 15, he that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are an abomination to the Lord. I'm not against you guys pranking each other in church. But you know, there should be no pranking of and violating innocent people outside these walls, especially for filthy lucre's sake, right? Dressing up as a woman, dressing up as a liberal, you know, it's nonsense, it's childish, it's disgusting. Well, people like it, of course they like it. Of course they do, because people are just wicked. I mean, folks, people like a lot of wicked stuff online. They like to see people be violated and punished and be hit, I mean, people enjoy seeing people die on social media, in car accidents, in shootings. They'll make light of it, they'll joke about it. It's disgusting, it's abominable. You know, it's desensitizing is what it is. And so, you know, I'm all for laughing and having fun and all that stuff, but not if you're gonna dress like a woman and you're a dude, that's an abomination, a little transvestite. You're an abomination. So what's the point? Well, the point is that God's gonna punish people like that. Look at verse 22, he says, therefore, thus saith the Lord who redeemed Abraham concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale, but when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. Another fulfillment of what we see in Hebrew chapter eight, where he says, you know, people are not gonna have to say, know the Lord for all shall know me. And he's essentially saying, you know, one day Jerusalem and Judah, though godless at this point, there will be a future generation that will know the Lord. Right? They're erring now, but one day they shall come to understanding. Why? Because in the millennial reign, only saved Israelites will be there. Only saved Jews will be there of Judah. Therefore, they shall come to understanding. So when God talks about Israel and Judah in the Old Testament, it's a mixed group there, right? So those who are saved, those who are not saved. So when he says that, you know, they shall come to understanding, he's not referring to these evil people who are rejecting the Lord, a generation which died out. He's referring to those who have believed in the Lord, the 7,000 have not bowed the knee to Baal, who are currently dead, but are in heaven. They're gonna inherit that millennial reign. And you know what? They, the erring spirit shall come to understanding. And they, that murmured referring to Judah and Jerusalem, shall learn doctrine. Okay? And so what is this chapter teaching us? Well, it's teaching us that we need to beware of drunken prophets and priests, not just from chapter 28, the literal drunkenness, but just spiritual drunkenness. And you know what? We need to make sure you don't become intoxicated with all the filth and the junk that's being promoted out there, the political nonsense, especially over these next two months. I hope you participate in No Media November, and we'll know who doesn't. So how? We'll just know about what you talk about. Right? You come to church and start talking about all of it, and it's just like, oh, I don't know anything about that. That's funny. You know, it looks like you've been on some sort of social media there, you know? We'll know, right? Because that which goes into a man defiles a man is that which comes out of him that defiles him. Okay? You're like, well, a friend of a friend of a friend told me about all this, you know? But you know, it's important for us, and that stuff can make you drunken. It'll put you in deep sleep to spiritual truths. It's important for us to stay away from that, stay away from the intoxicating effect of politics, the intoxicating effect of just random doom scrolling that'll get your mind off of the word of God, imaginations and conspiracies, and things that'll just drain you spiritually from that which is most important, okay? Don't be under the deep sleep of just these delusions that the world is constantly promoting for you to believe. Amen? Let's be vigilant. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word. Thank you for Isaiah 29. I pray that you'd help us, Lord, to avoid ever going down that route. Help us, Lord, to draw nigh unto you with our lips and to honor you in our hearts and to know you in our hearts by, number one, obviously, salvation, but most of us in here are saved, and so we need to know you through your word. I pray that you'd help us to prioritize spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, and memorization of the scriptures, or even just meditation of the scriptures, just spending time pondering on the word of God and asking you for understanding, soul winning, Lord, church attendance. These things are important for us to be awake and vigilant and sober, and I pray you bless this as we go on our way. Give us a great weekend, a great men's fellowship on Saturday and a great service on Sunday. We love you. We thank you. Pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. We love you.