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So Ms. Stipple's in California? Like the whole Ortega family? Or is it Ms. Stipple's? Oh, so I guess they went to California. They're broke today. There's some station up here now. Yeah, I think so. Music Music Music Music Music Are you guys feeling better? Yeah, you guys feeling better? No, no, no. Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Yeah, yeah, I woke it up and I said, what the heck? And they just worked on the studio, put a fan on it, so I opened it up and they go, yeah, okay, we'll try to put some in here and fix it, so. All right, let's do it. All righty. All right, welcome everybody to Sherriff Foundation Baptist Church Seattle. If you please grab a hymnal and turn to page number 349. We'll sing our first hymn this evening, The Comforter Has Come. So, 349 hymnals please, The Comforter Has Come. ["The Comforter Has Come"] On the first. Oh, spread the tidings round, wherever man is found, wherever human hearts and human woes abound, let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound, the Comforter has come. The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come, the Holy Ghost from heaven, the Father's promised game. Oh, spread the tidings round, wherever man is found, the Comforter has come. The long, long night has passed, the morning breaks at last, and haunts the dreadful wail and fury of the blast. As o'er the golden hills, the day invents a fast, the Comforter has come. The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come, the Holy Ghost from heaven, the Father's promised game. So, spread the tidings round, wherever man is found, the Comforter has come. Oh, the great King of Kings, with healing in his wings, to every captain's soul, a full deliverance brings, and through the making sells, the song and triumph rings, the Comforter has come, the Comforter has come, the Comforter has come, the Holy Ghost from heaven, the Father's promised game. So, spread the tidings round, wherever man is found, the Comforter has come. This love divine, how shall this tongue of mine, to one immortal's tale, the mass is praised divine, the Son of God, the Son of God. That I, a child of hell, should in his name and shine, the Comforter has come. The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come, the Holy Ghost from heaven, the Father's promised game. So, spread the tidings round, wherever man is found, the Comforter has come. The Comforter has come. Amen, wonderful scene. Brother Victor, will you please open us a word of prayer? I'm Paul, I pray that you help us tonight, and help us send a message that they don't know how to talk to our Lord, I pray that you help, if anyone's still willing to come, Lord, we help you get here in time, and spend time, with that traffic, Lord, and I pray that you help all the ladies today as we travel the state. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen, number 140, we have an anchor. And I promise I know how to sing this time. Number 140, we have an anchor. On the first. Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, when the clouds unfold their wings of strife, when the song ties lift and the cables strain, will your anchor drift or firm remain? We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure, while the pillows roll, fastened to the rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love, it is safely forged will the storm withstand, forged is well secured by the Savior's hand, though the tempest rage and the wild winds blow, not an angry wave shall our bark or flow. We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure, while the pillows roll, fastened to the rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love, when our eyes behold through the gathering night, the city of gold our harbor bright. We shall anchor fast by the heavenly shore when the storms all pass forever more. We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure, while the billows roll, fastened to the rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love. Amen. Wonderful singing. Welcome to Shore Foundation Baptist Church. Let's go ahead and take a look at our bulletins as we go through our announcements. Does anyone need a bulletin? We might still have some extra ones, or I think you're going to have your honor. So let's take a look at the front cover and look at the verse of the week, which is Psalm 61 2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. That is Psalm 61 verse 2. Take a look at the inside of our bulletins on the left-hand side in the middle. This is our church schedule. On Sunday mornings, we have church service at 11 AM and our evening service at 4 PM. We are currently in the 6 30 PM Wednesday Bible study. Thank you very much for being here this evening. Also, our soul winning times are listed here as well. On Sundays, we have soul winning at 1 30 PM. We had soul winning this evening at 5 PM. And on Saturdays, we have soul winning at 11 AM. And we didn't have any souls saved today, but we still are sitting at 162. Praise God for the work that we're all doing out there. I can take a look at the preaching schedule. Of note, we have Pastor Thompson preaching for us this evening. And Pastor human said, when he comes, pizza follows. So if you'd like to stay, stay for some fellowship and some tasty pizza after the service, that'd be awesome. We'd love to have you hang out. It's always a good time. He will not be here for the 18th, right Pastor? Yeah, he's gonna take some rest too. He's just a man like all of us. He's got to take a little bit of a break. He's gonna have someone else come preach for us, but he will be here at the end of the month of the 29th to preach the evening service. Yeah, Sunday evening. Yes, sir. And you take a look at the salvations for the year, the cool little graph there, as well as the attendance and then the times and offerings. And then the upcoming events, September 13th and 15th, which is this coming weekend, the Shirk Foundation Baptist Church North's sixth anniversary weekend. October 5th and 6th is the family and friends weekend in Vancouver. It's a little bit of a typo in there. It is the 5th and 6th. Does anybody plan on going to that by the way? Yes. I would like to go back. When we have the signups, then I just need people to let me know like how many people are coming and what time you want to go to. Okay. Okay, sweet deal. Yeah. And then, so stay tuned for signup information for that. That Saturday will be the Saturday at 11 a.m. of the annual pumpkin patch. And then Pastor Roger Jimenez will be preaching that Sunday evening. November 6th to the 10th is Faithful Word Baptist Church missions conference put out by Pastor Anderson over at Faithful Word Baptist Church in Arizona. December 15th, Dr. Phil Stringer will be preaching at the Vancouver location for both services and will have a question and answer in between there at some time. And it'd be a good time to ask him questions about preservation of the King James Bible. If nothing else, definitely check out the preaching. Real quick word about the building, which I'm sure you all know. Please keep the lights off, the doors open, and the fans going, and the bathrooms as a courtesy for the next folks going in. Please, if you need to, make use of the mother baby room back there around the corner past the bathrooms. You can also use the kitchen as a timeout place if you need to. Go back there and then come back in. We have a large trash can in the kitchen so we can throw away things that we're not going to take out with us when we keep our area clean. We also have a lot of cold bottles of water back there. So if you're thirsty, please feel free to get a cold bottle of water. Please no running in the building. Please set out your cell phones at this time. We are family integrated children and infants are always welcome to the service. But if they are getting a little bit fussy, go ahead and take them to the mother baby room where you can take them back to the kitchen, but bring them back in so they can hear the preaching of the word of God. With that, that will take care of our announcements. We're going to sing another song and then we will receive the offering. So if you would please open your Bibles through Psalm 11, our Psalm of the month. Psalm 11. From the top. In the lordhood of my trust, I'll say to my soul, flee as a bird to your mountain, for lo, the wicked bend their bow. They may ready their arrow upon the stream that they may criminally shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord from his head, his eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men. The Lord tried the righteous, but the wicked and him that love and violence his soul, his soul upon the wicked. He shall raise their fire and brimstone ad and horrible tempest. This shall be the portion of their cup for the righteous Lord. Love is righteousness, his countenance. Doth behold the upright in the lordhood I might trust. Amen. Wonderful singing. At this time, we'll go ahead and receive the offering. And brother Ned, will you please bless the offering, sir? All right, dear Heavenly Father, thank you for gathering here today, Lord, and I pray that you feel kind of confident with your spirit that I'm also going to preach a wonderful sermon as always. Pray that you bless the gift of the Heavenly Father and pray that you watch over those that were enabled to make today more idealistic, and pray that you put a head of attention around all of us that are here and those that can make it and keep us safe, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, Heavenly Father. Amen. Amen. Amen. Open your Bibles to John chapter 14. John chapter 14. As is our custom, we'll read the whole chapter. John chapter 14, beginning at verse 1. The Bible reads, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And whither I go you know, and the way you know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. If you had known me, you should have known my Father also. And from henceforth you know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you? And yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou then, show us the Father. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do, he shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but you know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you, yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, but ye see me, because I live, ye shall live also. At that day, ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou will manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loveth me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings, and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you, but the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, you might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me, but that the world may know that I love the Father, as the Father gave me, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. Brother Jamison, will you pray for us? Lord God, thank you for this church, and for this chapter in the Bible. Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit, and that your pastor was able to come up and preach for us tonight. Lord, I ask that you become pastor with the Holy Spirit, and give him unboldness and clarity of God, and help us to receive your word, and I give you this thank you. Amen. Amen. It is great to be here tonight, and happy to see all your smiling faces, and if you remember last time, we were, of course, in John 13, and we're kind of counting down the final days of Jesus's life, and what's really interesting is we get a lot of Jesus's words in the last few days before he dies, and it's actually, I think, with the last day that we're into, the last night that we're into here, and he's imparting to them a bunch of wisdom, and we don't get all this dialogue in the other gospels, but we get a lot of dialogue that you're not going to get in the other gospels, a lot of teaching that you're not going to get in the other gospels, but one of the things also that you're not going to get in the book of John is a lot of prophetic statements in the book of John, because the other three gospels you're going to get, the Matthew 24, the Luke 21, and the Mark 13, where he explains the end time scenario, but in the book of John you don't really get that, but of course he writes a whole book called Revelation, where he kind of breaks all the whole end time scenario down. But here we kind of have in the first three verses where Jesus does kind of explain that he is going to go away, and that he is going to come back, and so this is kind of like the closest thing you're going to get to like a rapture type passage here in John chapter 14. Let's look down at verse number one. The Bible says, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me, and my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And of course, he is talking about when he comes back for us. He is going to go away, but that first statement, so my first point is that we shouldn't have, our heart should not be troubled because Jesus is going to come back for us, and we see a lot of things happening in this world, and a lot of hatred starting to be formed against Christianity. There's a real sentiment of hatred towards Christians nowadays, and it's just getting worse. There's a real distaste for Christianity right now, and it's just there's a spirit that is moving amongst the world, and of course, it's not the first time in the history of the world that there's been that, but of course, we're not getting killed in this country or anything like that. People aren't trying to murder us at the door when we go knock on the doors or anything like that, but it's something that's being said. The things are being talked about, like that we're the ones that are evil. We're the ones that are scum, but those things are going to get worse. Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, and we are going to be hated of all men, the Bible says. But look at that first phrase though. It says, let not your heart be troubled, and he says this twice in this passage, and I'll talk more about that later, but just check that out. It says, let not your heart be troubled, and so he's trying to comfort them because up until, if you think about it, and I was just thinking about this last night as I was kind of finishing up the message, is that you don't see the apostles and Jesus' disciples being attacked in any of the gospels. They're not being, nobody's going after them. No one's trying to kill them. Jesus is like the gazing stock. Jesus is the one that all the focus is on. They don't really care about the disciples, you know, and maybe they did say stuff to him. We don't really, but you don't see that recorded in the gospels, do you? You see them constantly trying to kill Jesus because he's the face of the movement. He's the face. He's the one they hate. He's the one that they want to kill, and so they're really going after him hard, but what he's trying to prepare them for in these last chapters leading up to his crucifixion is that there is going to come a time when they're going to hate you just like they hate me. In fact, maybe even more in some instances. So he says, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions, and so obviously God has this, you know, in God's house, you know, God lives in heaven, and it says there's many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. There's many, you know, what do we consider a mansion? A giant house that is like where rich people live, and I really like these verses, and I know like Pastor Mendez, this might possibly be our glorified bodies that it's talking about, and I don't want to go against Pastor Mendez, but I've always really just hoped it really is some kind of a mansion, right? So it's like, yeah, I mean, okay, but it says, I go to prepare a place for you. So heaven is going to be a place that's prepared for us. He thinks about us like, you know, the God of heaven and earth, the King of kings and Lord of lords, it's like I'm preparing a place for you, and right now, nobody really, you know, we're the off scouring of the earth, we're scum to a lot of people, and here we're nothing. We're not kings, you know, not to God we are, to God we're kings and priests, to Jesus we are, but the rest of the world we're nothing. I mean, there's these royal families, there's these upper elite echelon people that are the richest people in the world, the Elon Musks and the Jeff Bezos or whatever these types of people, but you know, I was just in England, and royalty is like a big thing there, but you know what, the minute that Jesus applied the blood to our lives, we became part of the royal family, so we are royalty. He made us royal, and so really in the world to come, we are the royal family. Isn't that cool? And a lot of those people are going to be roasted in hell, you know, I'm sad to say it's just true, but it says, I go to prepare a place for you, so when Jesus left this world, you know, he rose again, and then 40 days later, he rose up to heaven, right? And where's he going? Well, he went to the right hand of the father, but he also says, I'm preparing a place for you, and so he's been gone for a while, so there's a lot of preparations being made for us, isn't there? And it says, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. He doesn't, you know, he's not like the Chinese builders over there, they're just building, you know, billions of houses that nobody can move into. He's building, you know, if he's going to go build some stuff for us, he's going to build all these mansions or whatever, he's building it for people to move into in the future, and maybe he's speccing those houses out to be like what our heart's desire is, who knows, or based upon the rewards that we're going to get someday, who knows? I mean, I don't know exactly how all this stuff works, but I just know it's going to be a lot better than the places that we're living in now, and it says mansions, doesn't say shacks, doesn't say huts, it says mansions, and so, you know, the type of mansion that I want, you know, and I'm not trying to be like, you know, I'm not trying to be irreverent here, but you know, like some kind of a tropical paradise that you can change into like a snowy landscape, because the only time I'm going to try skiing is if I can do it in heaven, because I'm definitely not going to do it here. I don't want to pull the sunny bono land into the tree type of thing, right? Because if I hit a tree, it's going to be at mach speed if I'm skiing, right? If I'm out of control on a snowboard, I'm going to die if I hit something, for sure, right? So I just have never been interested in skiing or snowboarding, but in heaven, I'm hoping that there are some opportunities for me to do things that I just couldn't do on the earth. Anyhow, I'm getting off into the weeds here. So now it says, if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, which he's in heaven, there you may be also. So he's talking about receiving us to himself. This is talking about the rapture. This is talking about the resurrection. Now we're going to go look at some resurrection passages. Let's go ahead and turn over to Matthew chapter 24. Of course, I believe that this is a very clear scripture about when Jesus is going to return. And it's very important that we teach when Jesus is going to return, because a lot of people have this wrong. There's a doctrine that says that he could come back at any moment. Heck, he could even come back before this sermon's over. That's what a lot of people teach. It's garbage, folks, because Jesus said when he was going to come back, and he didn't teach the exact day or hour, because no man can know the day or the hour. But I'll tell you, when it isn't, it's not before the tribulation. It's after the tribulation. Look at Matthew 24 verse 29. It says, immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. So what's the Bible say? What's Jesus say in his own words? Look, the disciples asked in the beginning of this chapter, what shall be the sign of thy coming and the end of the world? That's what they asked him. So if they ask that question, he's going to answer the question correctly. He doesn't say, guess what, there's going to be a secret rapture, and all your clothes are going to fall to the ground, and airplane pilots are going to, if one's saved and the other one isn't, if one's going to disappear, then the plane's going to crash or something. That's trash, folks. That is just not going to happen. He tells them. Jesus tells the truth. And he said it's after the tribulation of those days. There is a great tribulation coming. It's the worst time on earth for Christians of all time. Daniel talked about it. Jesus talked about it earlier in this chapter. But he says after that tribulation, he's telling us the signs that are going to happen. The sun and moon are going to be darkened, and the stars are going to fall from heaven. The heavens are going to be shaken. And it says, and then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect. That's the Jews, though, right? No, his elect are saved people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another. Now let's move on for some more clarity. So when does he say he's coming back? It's going to be after the tribulation, after the time of the worst persecution of Christians ever happened on the face of the earth and that ever will. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 14. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 14. Now there was some kind of heresy going around that Jesus has already come. And so Paul is setting these people straight in 1 Thessalonians. He's saying, No, no, that's not true. That hasn't happened. And he's going to break it down for him right here in verse 14. It says, For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. So he's talking about people that have died. And why he's saying sleep is because their body is sleeping in the ground. And when their soul and spirit are in heaven, because if they're truly dead, they're in hell and they're not coming back. So he says those which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. So Jesus is bringing them back with them. And it says, For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. So the people that are already asleep or died in Christ, those people rise first and he brings them back with him, their soul and spirit and their bodies rise. And then those bodies, souls and spirits get put back right and they get a new body that lasts forever. But they rise first and it says, let's see, And we which are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. So who rises first? The dead in Christ. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. So the teaching is, is that Christ is going to come back. He's going to raise those people that have already died. Anybody that's left alive to the to the coming of the Lord, which is, you know, when the great tribulation is happening, Christ is going to come at the time when they need him to come the most. And when all hope is lost, seemingly he's going to come. And then people, you know, it's going to be a great day for us. But for those God hating freaks that are running around, killing and murdering Christians and chopping their heads off and who knows what else they're doing. All kinds of wickedness. Those people are going to be hiding and running for their lives because of the day of terror. It's the day of the Lord begins for them. So it's a great day for us. Bad day for bad guys, right? And then it says, wherefore comfort one another with these words. Take comfort in the fact that, hey, you're going to be resurrected. Your loved ones that died in Christ are going to be resurrected. Now turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. We're going to get another timeline about when these things are going to happen. So what's the other timeline? Well, the other timeline is that certain things do have to happen first. We already said the tribulation has to happen. And what sparks the tribulation? What sparks the great tribulation in the Bible? Well, we're about to be told by the apostle Paul right here in 2 Thessalonians 2, 1. It says, now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him. So what's this talking about? It's talking about the rapture again, right? That ye be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled. Remember the verse in John 14, let not your heart be troubled. Okay. Or be troubled neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us. Even if we write a letter to you and say, hey, be troubled. Don't be troubled as that the day of Christ is at hand. This is the doctrine of immanency right here. This is what independent fundamental Baptists are teaching right now in their churches. He could come any minute. No, the day of Christ is not at hand. That's false doctrine. And look, I'm not trying to say that. Look, I just think it's garbage that they teach that because all you have to do is just read the Bible for what it says. And you're not going to come up with that. You have to find that in some chart, some dispensational chart. And you have to just say, that's not the coming of the Lord. This is. And you have to say, this is when he returns to the mountain evolves and touches his feet down and all this other stuff. They have to do a bunch of mental gymnastics to come up with that. Look, the Bible just says what it says, right? Just believe what the Bible says. It's not at hand. And so it says, don't let somebody tell you by word. Don't let somebody write a letter and tell you that. And don't let any spirit tell you that because it says, let no man deceive you by any means. No charts, no preaching. Listen to what he's saying for that day shall not come. What day? The gathering together, right? Except there come a falling away first. Now, I mean, you could argue that we're pretty close to that now. And that man of sin be revealed. That has not happened. The son of perdition, which that's what Judas Iscariot is called, right? Why is he called that? Because Satan entered into him and he was possessed by Satan. So this antichrist, the antichrist, is going to be possessed by Satan also. So the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, so that when the antichrist reveals who he is at the temple that's going to be rebuilt, then that's what kicks off the actual great tribulation. And that's why it says run for your lives if you're in Judea, because that's where it's going to be built, right? Says who so or who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things? So Paul already taught them these things and someone is trying to teach them something different. So he's just saying, hey, don't let people teach you other stuff. That's not true. This is not true. Listen to what I'm telling you. Now let's look at one more thing here in 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3 verse 3. And in the last days, people are going to say, where's Jesus at? Where's he at? I thought he was coming back. Where's he at? Knowing this first that there shall come in the last day scoffers walking after their own lust. And saying, where's the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. Now skip down to verse 5. Look at verse 5, I'm sorry. It says for this they willingly are ignorant of that by the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished. So they're ignorant of the flood. And it says, but the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness. He's God's not a slacker. He's just not like, oh, I just don't feel like coming back. That's not the problem. It says, but his long suffering to us, word, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. What is he waiting for? He's waiting for people to get saved. And we have the opportunity to cash in on that and to help bring forth that precious fruit. Look at James chapter 5, James chapter number 5. He's given us time. We should take advantage of that time, time to reap the great harvest. And we need to be patient and wait and endure this life of afflictions and hardness and look forward to the blessed hope that awaits us. Hey, it's off in the distance. Yeah, it is. And the temple isn't getting built. So we know we're at least three and a half years away as of right now. We just don't know when it's going to happen, but we do know for sure that we got some time. Look at James 5, 7. It says, be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waited for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it until he received the early and latter rain. So the early stuff is the people that got saved at first, and he's still waiting for the latter rain. You know, he's waiting till the last. Be also patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Establish your heart, like establish the fact that we need to be patient. We need to wait because really when hard times hit, sometimes we just feel like, hey, man, I would just rather just be with Jesus, you know? This life is just hard, you know? And sometimes it just is like, it feels like it's just too much. Like, I'd just rather be, you know, Paul even said, he's like, it'd be nice to just go to heaven. And all the stuff that he went through, he probably felt like, you know, and he was about to go to heaven in a lot of cases. He was like, but then he just like gets up and goes to the next town. But it says, grudge not against another brethren, lest he be condemned. Behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering, affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. In the end, you know, after Job goes through all that affliction, in the end, he gets everything back. And he gets more than what he lost, except for his children. He lost 10 children, but he got 10 children back. He got 10 new children. And, you know, it seems like he got his wife, his wife was still there. So even though she said some stupid stuff, they all was forgiven, apparently. It was a hard thing. You lose 10 children, it's rough. But God is pitiful. He's of a tender mercy. And he was very good to Job. And Job was blessed in the end. He came forth as gold. And again, we're not going through what major persecution. But look, we don't know what it's going to be like next month, next week. We don't know what it's going to be like next year. I mean, who thought of the things that were going to be like, what things were going to be like in COVID was just so weird of a time. It was just weird. It was a weird time to live in. Experimental things being done on our minds and, you know, just huge church splits, or huge movement split of the new IFB happened over medical practices. I mean, just weird stuff, right? But, you know, those are the types of things that can just happen overnight. And the next thing you know, you're being told to put a muzzle on your face all the time, wherever you go. And, you know, it's just, it gets weird. So, but one day, everything that we have gone through, everything we've given up, and all of our toil will be rewarded. All the hardship will be like a distant, faded memory that we've gone through. And in fact, we're not going to remember it. At some point, God's just going to make us forget about all that stuff, and we're going to move on into eternity, into life everlasting, and everything will be great. Look at verse number four back in our text, John chapter 14, verse four. It says, so I think, yeah, we're just on verse four. But it says in whether, but I really want, I really wanted to go through that. It's been a long time since I preached anything about the rapture. So I just thought, Jesus only touched on it. So I just thought, well, it's good to refresh on stuff like that, right? When I was in an old IFB church, it was like, I really wanted to talk about it all the time. But now that I'm a pastor, and I'm in a new IFB church, I'm like, I've talked about it a lot. So everybody believed it. So it was just like, anyway, John 14, four says, and whither I go, you know, and the way you know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest. And how can we know the way? Foot, insert, foot and mouth. So it's evident that Jesus, of course, is talking about going to heaven. This is what, we know this because we have, you know, the hindsight knowledge here. But Thomas just doesn't understand. And some things, you know, the disciples just didn't understand until after the resurrection. It's very clear. But Thomas is just, you know, kind of one of those seeing is believing type people as, you know, evidenced in, you know, I'm not going to believe until I can do this. And so, but Thomas, it's not like Thomas wasn't a good guy. I'm sure he was. But he was kind of like Peter in the way he would say some dumb stuff sometimes. But then he was still a good guy. So number two, there's only one way to be saved. Look at verse six. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father, but by me. One of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. I like to quote this out soul winning. And when people think that there's all these different ways to heaven, I like to say this verse, because it's a powerful verse. And, you know, Jesus isn't just mincing words here. You know, I'm going to break this down. So when he says I am, of course, that's one of the famous I am verses that he says one of the, you know, when he says I am, that's like, you know, he's calling himself God here. I am the way. So the, you know, people, we use that word a lot, right? But it means the definite article, meaning it refers to a specific noun that's about to follow it, right? So when it's saying the way, it's saying that it's the definite article, right? So it's clearly stated, decided, true or real. So when he's saying I'm the way, he's saying the way, the only way. So Genesis chapter, go ahead and turn to, let's see, Exodus chapter 32, verse 8. I'm going to read Genesis 18, 19, Genesis 18. Actually, no, turn to Genesis 18, 19. I'll read Exodus 32, verse 8. Exodus 32, verse 8 says they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. So when Moses goes up to the mount with Joshua, they started immediately just disobeying the clear covenant that God had made with them. And he says they turned quickly out of the way. So the way is also talking about like the way that God wants us to live, right? So there's one way, there's one path and God's way is the way, right? So I had to turn to Genesis 18, look at verse 19 that says for I know him that he will command his children in his household after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring up upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. So the way of the Lord, he knows that Abraham is going to keep the way. And so, you know, when you start to get off the path, then you're getting off the path of the way. So God wants us to walk in a certain way. He wants us to live our life in a certain way. And that path and that way we're walking is supposed to be according to the path that he's laid out for us in the Bible, right? And so, of course, salvation, there's only one way of salvation and that's through Christ. But there's a lot of times in the Bible where it talks about the way. There's other terms in the Bible that are used like the way of truth, the way of the commandments, the way of righteousness, the way that way. In the New Testament, there's some verses in Acts where it says, but spake evil of that way or there's no small stir about that way or that Felix heard those things having more perfect knowledge of that way. So it's talking about that way. When it's talking about that, it's talking about Christianity. But when Jesus says, I am the way, he's talking about the only way to get to heaven, right? There's only one way. So there's not multiple ways to get to heaven. And this is the lie that's being perpetuated in this world today, that there's all these different ways and whatever it is that you were brought up in, whatever culture you were from, that's one way to get to heaven. He didn't say there's one way. There's some ways I'm a way to get to heaven. He didn't say that, did he? He didn't say I'm one of the ways I'm a way. He says, I am the way. And the second one, he says, I am the way, the truth. And what does that mean? Well, definite article again, I'm the truth. And so when he's saying that there's only one real truth. So there's not bunches of truth out there when it comes to salvation, there's only one truth. There's only like, people are like, all the different religions with their holy books. There's only one holy book. There's only one true message. That's the Christian message. There's only one holy book. That's the holy Bible. The Quran is a piece of garbage that needs to be burned every single copy, thrown in a dumpster. It's garbage, it's trash. All right, it is not haram or whatever. But it's all dung is what it is. Piss me upon it. And the Bhagavad Gita or whatever you call it, trash. When a book tells you to wipe cow dung on your face, you should just throw that in the trash. Because look, it doesn't have healing properties in it. It's dung. God says to keep that stuff away from you. It's filthy. It's an abomination. So turn to John chapter eight, verse 31. John chapter eight, verse 31. He said he's the truth. He is the truth. John chapter eight, verse 31 says, Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed? And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. So he says if you continue in my word, then you shall know the truth. So what's his word? The truth that he's teaching to them, he is the word of God, isn't he? That's what the Bible teaches. And he says the truth shall make you free. John 17, 17. Turn to John 17, 17. A little fast forward into future chapters here, but John 17, 17, when he's preaching or when he's praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, he's praying for his disciples that they would be sanctified or set apart and says sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. What is truth? His word is truth. Jesus is the word of God. So when he says I am the way, the truth, he's the word of God. That's what's true. Now look at John 18, 37. He's faced with Pilate here. And Pilate has the power to free him. That's what he thinks. And the power to crucify him if he wants, which he also thinks. But really, Jesus gave up his life and no man could take it. He could call 12 legions of angels to come and smoke all of them at any time he wanted. But look at John 18, 37. It says, Pilate therefore said unto him, art thou a king then? Jesus answered, thou sayest I am a king, to this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. So look, if they won't hear the truth, they don't want to hear Jesus' voice, they're not of the truth. You should just know that. Anybody that you talk to and they don't want to hear the truth of Jesus Christ, then they're not of the truth. Look at verse 38. Pilate saith unto him, what is truth? What a dumb question when it's staring you right in the face. I am the truth. I am the way, the truth. And it's like staring right at him. What is the truth? What is truth? And he's just like looking at it right there. And you know what? Pilate never did get saved. He became friends with Herod later on. And Herod was a reprobate. Now at a certain point, Jesus stopped talking to Pilate here too. I mean, maybe he thought Pilate had a chance, or at least he was trying to give him a chance, but then he just shut up and stopped talking to him. He shut up and stopped talking to Herod too. So it says that when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and saith unto him, I find no fault in him at all. You know, but he could have just said, I'm not going to do it, but he didn't do that. He was too afraid of them. He was afraid of what the Jews were going to do. But anyway, that's beside the point. What is truth? It's funny. It was standing right there. So, and then the life. So Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life. Now, what does he mean by that? Well, look, life is what God says it is. And we were given life when we were born. We never asked for it. You know, some people say, I never asked to be born. And they say it in like a negative, a negative. Yeah. But you know what? That's true. We didn't ask to be born, but I'm glad I was. I'm glad I was. But when he's talking about life, he's talking about a life that never ends, which is what we were supposed to have at the beginning. You know, that's, he came to restore something that was lost. You know, paradise was lost to us. And, you know, he came back to give that to us. Romans chapter 6 23. You don't have to turn there if you don't want to, but it says for the wage of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. We don't have, you know, we don't, well, all we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ to get that. And salvation is a free gift and it's eternal life. When he says, I am the life. He actually made it possible to even have that life. He's the one that has that life right now. He's the only one that has that. He has something that we're going to have later, but he is our life and it's a gift. It's a precious gift just like the life that we have right now, our human life that we were given, but we're going to have immortal eternal life. And like I said, life is on God's terms. It's not nirvana when we die. We don't die to feed the worms no matter what people want. It doesn't matter what they want. They might want, they don't want God. They don't want life on his terms. When they die, they're going to get life on God's terms, whether they want it or not. It's not going to be life. It's going to be death. It's going to be hell. And yeah, you're going to be feeding the worms, but not the worms that you thought you're going to be feeding. It's going to be on God's terms. You think it's going to be nirvana. It's not going to be nirvana. Maybe you have to listen to it every day or something for the rest of your life, but it's not going to be the nirvana you think it is. That's Kurt Cobain whining for all eternity. Anyway, and it says, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. So by proxy, the previous statements is in heaven. We just sang that Psalm 11, it says, where does it say that God's throne is? In heaven. So God's throne is in heaven. So when people say, well, I'm going to go to heaven someday, but they don't believe in the God of the Bible. Well, look, that's not something that you get to decide. If you want heaven, God the Father's home is in heaven. That's where he lives. His throne is in heaven. Paradise is in heaven. It's not in Abraham's bosom. It never was. Abraham's bosom is his chest, first of all. And you know, it's a body part. It's his chest. There's no like cavity down there called Abraham's bosom. There never was. He was giving a guy a hug, giving him some comfort. Anyway, that's a whole other subject. But my point is though, is that when it says, no man cometh to the Father, but by me, he's saying nobody's going to get to heaven except by me. And so if you don't have the son, you don't have the father. So all these Jews that think that they're going to go to heaven, if they even believe in heaven, I don't think that they do anymore. But you're not going to get the father without the son. Just plain and simple. Nobody's going to heaven. Like all these people are like, oh, you know, when they're like somebody dies in their family, like they're an angel now in heaven. No, they're not. They don't turn into angels. Where do they get this from? Now they're a little angel with wings. It's like, no, they're not. They're in heaven. Why don't you try to join them and get saved? The Lord's throne is in heaven and to get access, you have to go through the son or you don't go. Just plain and simple. You have to go the way the Bible says, the way Jesus says, or you're not going, period. And it says, but by me. Romans 6 23 says once again, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Jesus Christ. But by me, you're not getting in unless it's through Jesus. Plain and simple period. End of story. So when he says, but by me, it's like, no, through me. That's how you're getting there. There's only one way to heaven. Only one truth, only one life. And the only way to get to God, the only way to get to heaven is through Jesus. And what's waiting for you there. God, the father is waiting, is waiting there. And whatever your imagination of heaven is like, if it doesn't include the father and the son, it's not really heaven because your version of heaven doesn't exist. And so it doesn't matter whether you like the John Lennon song. Imagine there's no heaven. Imagine all the people, whatever, that's hell. If you want to imagine there's no heaven, that's hell. And that's where you're going to go. You're not going to feed the worms and cycle off and be some raccoon later on. You're going to die and go to hell and burn for all eternity. So you better just get saved and do it the way Jesus said. He said he's exclusive. He doesn't say it's me and Muhammad. He doesn't say it's me and Buddha, skinny Buddha or fat Buddha. If you serve, if you're a Buddhist, you're a worshiper of idols. Because every Chinese food restaurant I go into with a Buddha has some kind of offering rotting there. So tell me you're not an idolater. I saw two Buddha statues out today. They're the Hindu ones, right? Isn't that what they are? Well, they're skinny Buddha, right? They're skinny Buddha and fat Buddha. I'm not sure which one is the one. So anyway, let's get back to our verses here. Verse 7 back in John chapter 14 says, If you had known me, you should have known my father also. And from henceforth you know him and have seen him. So now Jesus is saying, if you've known me, you've seen the father. And it says, and then Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the father and it sufficeth us. He's like, just show us, show us the father. Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you and yet has thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the father and how sayest thou, then show us the father. Believest thou not that I am in the father and the father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, but the father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. So what is he saying? That the father, that this father is in him. And then he says, believe me that I am in the father and the father in me, or else believe me for the very works sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my father. Now, I mean, this might seem confusing. Of course, we believe the Trinity at this church. But the Bible says that Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. So he looks like the father. If you look at Jesus, you want to know what the father looks like. He says, if you want to know what the father looks like, he looks like me. Right? Yeah. So, but we can't look at the father because if we actually looked at the father, we would die. So Philip doesn't know what he's asking for. He's like, this is the closest you're going to get to looking at the father. This is God manifest in the flesh to look and appear like a human being, because he is a human being at this point. He's God manifest in the flesh. He's saying the father is in me. Look, he is born of the Virgin Mary, but he was formed in the womb of the Holy Spirit. And when Jesus was baptized, he was filled with the Holy Spirit without measure. The only human being to ever be filled with the spirit without measure. So at that point, he could do anything. He was filled with the spirit. He didn't have to keep asking to be filled with the spirit. He just was without measure. So now when it says, talking about how do we do, you know, when it says that we'll do greater works because I go to my father. Well, that's, you know, he wasn't here doing those great mighty works for only a few years. And if you serve God your whole life and you just and then you get people saved and then maybe you're in a big church or a church just doing lots of great things over time, you're going to get more people saved than Jesus did when he was on this earth. And so exponential growth is what it's talking about. And that's, you know, obviously nobody's going to do things as great as Jesus. Jesus actually is the one that saves people. He's the one that did all the things necessary to purchase salvation. So, you know, he's saying that like as far as doing more works, getting all these people saved as far as earthly works. Right. But and also we all have the Holy Spirit. So which is about to explain to us about that here in just a minute. But it says, And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son, if you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. So we have, you know, he's leaving us that power. When he leaves, he's empowering those people that are saved in the church to do those great works. Now, number three, in the New Testament, we are still to keep the commandments of Jesus Christ. That's right. Now, look, we're not under the old covenant. But we still are supposed to keep the moral laws. And it says, you know, of course, the things that Jesus commanded us to do. Now, not for salvation. Of course, salvation has never been by works. But the old covenant did have certain things that you were supposed to do, like, you know, those, you know, the carnal ordinances and things like that. But they were never to save. Never have they ever been for salvation. But to say that there's no commandments that we have to keep anymore, that's insane. It's not like Jesus died so people could be drag queens or something. It's like, oh, you're free now. Go be a homo. Go lie with beasts. I mean, that's insane. That's not what the Bible teaches. Look at verse 15. It says, if you love me, keep my suggestions. Is that what it says? No, it says come my commandments. Yeah. And turn to 1 John chapter five, verse two. This is a real short point, but it's real simple. If you love Jesus, you're going to try your best to keep his commandments. Are we going to fail? Yeah, we're going to fail sometimes. But, you know, that's what 1 John 1.9 is for. You know, when we fail, we confess our sins to God. And he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's not getting saved over again. That's just getting right with God. Now 1 John chapter five, verse two says, by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not grievous. So when people are like, eh, I got to get my hair cut. What are you talking about? And they'll leave church because someone told them that you're supposed to have your hair cut because you look like a queer with your hair long and you're a man. Get a haircut, dude. You look like a queer. Sorry. Not sorry. Don't look like a cannibal and paint tattoos all over your body. It's common sense. You know, it's like, don't get offended about that. I mean, it's common sense, man. Keep God's commandments. So number four, the promise of the Holy Spirit. So look at verse 16. It says, I will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter. This is not talking about a blanket. Okay. This is talking about the Holy Spirit. Okay. And says that he may abide with you forever, but aren't blankets like comforters? You know, everybody loves a great, nice, warm comforter in the middle of winter. I mean, if you give somebody the gift of a comforter, that's a great gift. But the Holy Spirit is the true comforter, right? So, but it says that he might abide with you forever. So once you get the Holy Spirit, he abides with you forever. That's a forever thing. It says, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive. Can unsaved people receive the Holy Spirit? No. The Bible says no. Because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. So you'll know that you'll have the spirit. If you're saved, he dwells within you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. Now this is Jesus talking. So it's like, it's kind of like, well, what does this mean? Well, we have, you know, when people say, do you have Jesus in your heart? Is that like a real saying? Yeah, because we do have Jesus in our heart, right? So because look, God, in this passage, it'll also say that the Father and I will make our abode with you. Yeah. So we're, you know, we're made in the image of God. So when Jesus was the fullness of the Godhead bodily, it was him, his flesh, his spirit, the spirit of his, you know, he was a man, but he also had the spirit of God, the Father and the Holy Spirit. But anyway, so you kind of have some, but when it says I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. But he's talking about the Holy Spirit being sent, right? It says, yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but ye see me because I live, ye shall live also. At that day, you shall know that I am in my Father and ye in me and I in you. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou will manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. I mean, there you have it right there. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. So Jesus promised that when he goes, he's going to give them the Comforter. The Comforter is the Holy Spirit, and it's about to tell us that right here, but that's what he's talking about. So the Holy Spirit is something that we get in the New Testament that we get forever, that the Old Testament saints did not get promised to them. Now, they will have it now, but they didn't have it in the Old Testament. Permanently. The Holy Spirit could leave them, and that's why David would be like, Take not thy Holy Spirit from me, and that's why it was removed from Saul. But now that can't happen. So look at verse 26, and this will be my last point. The Holy Ghost is God, not a force. Not a force. When I was in England, one of the last stores I ran into, it's kind of almost like today when I ran into this weird Church of Christ guy, who said, Show me in the Bible where there's a Baptist. I was like, How about John the Baptist? But anyway, this Jehovah's Witness is like, The Holy Spirit is a force. He's not God. No, he is God. But look at what the Bible says. We'll get into that in just a second. But it says, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, so it's defining us what the Comforter is, right? He is the Holy Ghost. Whom the Father will send in my name. Look what it says there. He. He is not a force. He is a person. And it looks like he has male pronouns, right? Doesn't say she. It's not the kind of glory of God. He shall teach you all things. So the Spirit of God is the one that teaches us when we read the Bible. He's helping us understand it and bring all things to your remembrance. So when we're out there, we're struggling sometimes. Have you ever been preaching the gospel and a verse that you don't even know by heart necessarily comes to your memory? And you just you've read it before. But I'm just saying you might not have it memorized, but it still comes to your memory. This happens. And, you know, he'll bring all things to your remembrance. It doesn't say the things you have memorized. It'll bring all things to your remembrance. Whatsoever I have said unto you. So if you've read the Bible cover to cover, and it's something he said to you, and the Holy Spirit's working through you, they can bring those things to remembrance. But the Jehovah's false witnesses do say that the Holy Spirit is some kind of force, whatever that means. I don't know if they watch Star Wars many times or they're Hindus in secret or what's going on, but the Hindus believe in some kind of force or whatever too. And there's all kinds of religions around the world that teach that there's some kind of force in this world. And it's this spiritual thing or whatever. Well, and they try to make God out to be some kind of thing like this. They try to make the Holy Spirit. They say he's not God. He's some kind of force out there. Well, look, this ain't Star Wars. This is the Bible. And the Bible says, He shall teach you all things. So what does that tell you? It tells you that it's He, Him. It's not it. It's the Holy Spirit. He is God. So the Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead, also known as the Trinity. 1 John 5 says, For there are three that bear record in heaven. Three, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. Doesn't say the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is a force, does it? But of course the Jehovah's Witnesses tamper with their Bible and just completely take that one out. Of course. And other religions or just all the modern versions tamper with this verse and say it doesn't belong in the Bible. You know why they do that? Because they're not saved. That's why. Turn to Acts 5. Acts 5. Acts 5 says, But Peter said, so this is when Ananias and Sapphira die. It says, But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Who did he say in the first verse that they lied to? The Holy Ghost? Who is he? He's God. Ananias didn't lie to a force. He lied to God. And let me tell you this, forces don't have bodily shapes. Look at Luke chapter 3. See, when we get saved, God is in us. God is in us. And that is the Holy Ghost. Luke chapter 3 verse 21, it says, Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, like a dove upon him. Now, he didn't look like a dove. That's not what it's saying. It says that the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape. But the way that he came down was like a dove would come down. Yeah, so a bodily shape means that there was some form to him. Okay, so and it says that a voice came down from heaven, which said thou art my beloved son, and thee I am well pleased. So forces don't have shapes. And there's also a picture of the Trinity right there, where you have Jesus, the father, saying thou art my beloved son, and then you have Jesus being baptized. Forces also don't talk. Turn to Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13. Forces don't talk. Because what they mean by forces is just like this some kind of force of nature or something, right, that maybe God controls or something, but it's not a person, not God, right? Blasphemous. I mean, wouldn't you say that's blaspheming the Holy Ghost? I mean, you wonder why you run into these Mormons and these Jehovah's Witnesses, and they're just completely reprobate. I mean, the Mormons teach that they're three separate gods. And I think that they teach something similar about the Holy Ghost, but I'm not 100% sure. But anyway, look at Acts 13, too. It says as they ministered to the Lord, they fasted. Talk about Paul and Barnabas. It says the Holy Ghost said. Who's talking here? The Holy Ghost. Separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them. Who called them? The Holy Ghost. Who said that? The Holy Ghost. Forces don't talk, people. God does, though. And the Holy Spirit is God. And He's given to every believer the moment that they believe He seals them. Look at Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13. The Bible says, in whom you also trusted after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Who promised it? Jesus in this chapter. I will send you the comforter, right? Which is the earnest of the inheritance until the redemption of the purchased price unto the praise of His glory. Ephesians 4.30 says, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Sealed unto the day of redemption, but we don't lose the Holy Spirit after that seal is broken. We just get the Holy Spirit forever. Doesn't it say forever in John chapter 14? It did, right? Now back to John 14 verse 27. It says, Peace I leave you, with my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. And it's like, you know, this is kind of a peaceful chapter here, isn't it? So why is he saying this? Because trouble is going to be coming to them. And he tells them this stuff so that they'll remember it. And this stuff is written down for people down through the ages so that we will read these things and feel that peace that passeth all understanding. And that we'll know that, you know, we have the comforter. And when we're going through hard times, when we're feeling trouble, and that we know that he's going to prepare a place for us, and that he will come again, and that we are going to go through hard times, but in the end, we win. Regardless of what anybody can ever do to us, nothing can separate us from God. Nothing can stop Christianity from going forward. Nothing can stop us. And nothing can take away the Holy Spirit from us, because it was with us forever. So that word troubled, it says let not your heart be troubled, it means showing distress or anxiety. And I talked about this in my sermon on Sunday where I said, when you're going through major persecution, it feels like an anxiety attack. And when I first started getting some major persecution, it felt like I was just like having a permanent anxiety attack. Who's ever had like an anxiety attack before? Yeah. Well, if you've never had one, I don't recommend it. And I've never had one. Like when I was 38 years old, I worked for this tyrant boss. And it was a woman. And she was just really nasty. And she just, she was a psycho. Like I'd never worked for anybody. There was like three dudes that had worked there that were on medication because of her. Like seriously, taking medication. And like human resources wouldn't do anything to stop her. She was the only boss I had. She would like write me emails and stuff. And then I would do the things in the email and she goes, that's not what I told you to do. Stuff like that. And like I was stressed out because it was at the end of like the major layoffs and all that stuff in like 2010. And it was really hard to find a job. And I was stressed because I wanted to be able to support my family. And I couldn't just quit the job and leave. And I was looking for a job like literally for like nine months when I worked there. Like every day and could not find a job. When I finally found one, I was out of there. It was rough. But I like didn't know what it was, but I started to have anxiety attacks when I worked for that place. I was like, what's wrong with me? I'm letting this woman like give me anxiety attacks. But it's just because of the pressure. It's the pressure to keep my job. And then like this lady just trying to play with my mind. And like I just, yeah. So an anxiety attack is what heavy persecution feels like. And so it can be something that makes you afraid for your flesh. But it also could be just something that makes you afraid for your job or, you know, public attacks or your family attacking you. It's pressure. And look, we're going to go through this life. And that's why Jesus, he doesn't say it twice in this chapter for no reason. He says it because there's going to be times when our heart is troubled and we do want to quit and we do want to hide. And we do want to just say, I'm done, but don't quit. He said, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Because, you know, we're worth so much to him that he went to prepare a place for us. We're worth more than all these animals, these sparrows and all these other, more than every cat and dog in all these small towns that Trump's trying to protect. We're worth all the, you know, he's taken the geese and everything. He's running with them. But, you know, it is and maybe it will be like right now, maybe you don't have that anxiety, but like when people actually are starting to get killed or, you know, when things get way worse than they are right now, that will be a time to, you know, maybe get those anxieties. But just remember what Jesus said, that be not, you know, to not be afraid, you know, let not your heart be troubled because, you know, he is on our side. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for this great chapter in the Bible. We thank you for the comforter. We thank you that he is just that, he comforts us. And we thank you for the Holy Spirit, Lord. Thank you for the power of God. Pray that you just bless us all as we go on our separate ways tonight. Bless the food that we're about to receive. And Lord, give us a great night of just fellowship. And Lord, continue to do great works in this church up here in Seattle. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Oh, sorry. Thank you. All right. Praise the Lord for that sermon. Let's go ahead and turn to number 55. We'll sing our last hymn for the evening. Number 55, please. In your hymnal. Number 55. When the roll is called up yonder. On the first. When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more. And the morning breaks eternal bright and fair. When the state of earth shall gather over on the other shore. And the roll is called up yonder I'll be there. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there. On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise. And the glory of his resurrection share. When his chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies. And the roll is called up yonder I'll be there. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there. Let us labor for the master from the dawn till setting sun. Let us talk of all his wondrous love and care. When the fall of life is over and our work on earth is done. And the roll is called up yonder I'll be there. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder. When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there. Amen. Wonderful singing. Thank you so much for coming out to Sherrif Foundation Baptist Church Seattle on this Wednesday evening. Hope to see you on Saturday at 11 for soul winning if you can make it. If not for another wonderful full Sunday of worship and fellowship in the house of God. Brother Eugene will you please close in a word of prayer sir. I'll thank you so much for your word. I thank you so much for the concert. Thank you for being so easy for us to be at the end of this time. That's going to be soon. Please bless the fellowship and do this kind of prayer. Amen. Amen. Amen.