Act Like Men, Part 5

We have taken a brief hiatus from the study of the book of Hebrews. Having spent 11 weeks in Hebrews 1, verses 1 to 3, we've taken a brief break. It's been a little bit longer than I anticipated, and much to the disappointment of some of you, it's been a little bit longer than I anticipated. And yet, it's imperative that we understand this, because we are looking at what the Bible says in a small phrase in 1 Corinthians 16, 13, act like men.

A phrase given to the church of Corinth, dealing with the maturity of the church. Dealing in the Old Testament as it's translated, be confident, be courageous, be strong. The only time the phrase is used in the New Testament is 1 Corinthians 16, 13. And it's translated, act like men. And so, although it was directed to the church, we have directed ours to the men of our church, because we as men are to lead the way when it comes to spiritual maturity. We are the ones who are to lead the way when it comes to being strong and courageous.

We are the ones who are to lead the way when it comes to acting like men. And so we're looking at that phrase, trying to decipher exactly what it means for us, that we might truly be the mature individuals God wants us to be, that we might in turn lead our families, our children, our grandchildren, our great-great-grandchildren into the ways of God. And so we began by helping you understand that it means you live purposefully. There's a purpose, and that is to honor God. 1 Samuel 2, verse number 30, we talked about that.

We live proactively. Daniel 11, verse number 32, those who know their God display strength. They take action. So you live proactively. You live purposefully. You live prayerfully. Luke 18, verse number 1, men are always to pray and not to faint. You are to live powerfully. 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse number 7, because God's given us a spirit of power, not one of timidity, but of power. So we are to live powerful lives. We are to live productively. John 15, verse number 8, and this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, not just a little bit of fruit, but much fruit.

So we are to live productive lives. We talked about that. And then we talked to you about the fact that we are to live purely. We are to live pure and holy lives, because we are to be as holy as God himself is holy. And so we seek to honor him by living a life as he has designed us to live. And then a few weeks ago, we looked at our next point, which was to live prophetically. That is, you are to be a proclaimer of the truth. You are to be the individual as an ambassador for Christ to proclaim the truth of God's holy word.

And all throughout the scriptures, Deuteronomy 6 in particular, Psalm 78, Ephesians chapter 6, fathers are to teach their children, instruct their children, lead their children in the ways of God. And we are the ones who are to live prophetic lives. That is, we foretell the truth. We give forth the truth of God's word. Listen, all great men are prophets. They are. They proclaim the truth. They don't compromise the truth. John the Baptist, greatest man who ever lived, was a prophet of God. All the prophets of the Old Testament were proclaimers of God.

And we are to be those kinds of individuals. So let me take you to a verse that helps you understand this a little bit more.

It's tucked away in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 23. I had the unique and blessed privilege of speaking to our young people on Wednesday night. I very rarely get a chance to do that. And I would introduce my time with them with this verse in Proverbs 23. It's the only book written to young people, book of Proverbs. Told them they needed to master this book because it was written specifically for young people. To sons, to daughters. And so therefore, I would break them off into groups, give them an assignment, and they would come back with the answer.

And you know what? I was impressed with their ability to come up with some answers from the scripture. I was pleasantly impressed. We had one group that even alliterated their answer. And then we had a completely different group who used an acrostic to give their answer. I'm thinking, these kids must be in big church throughout the year to understand how to do those things. But I thought, wow, but they all had one thing in common. It was all about living a pure life. And the one thing they all had in common was there had to be a steady diet of the Word of God.

Well, I began our time with them with this verse, Proverbs 23, verse number 23. Buy truth and do not sell. Wisdom, instruction, and understanding. Buy truth, sell it not. That is just a powerful testimony to how it is you live prophetically. Buy truth and never sell it. In today's economy or in any economy, men are enriched through the buying and selling of goods. The Christian is enriched only through the buying of truth and never the selling of truth. But why is that used? Because truth is to be obtained at any cost.

Because truth is so valuable. Because truth is so incomparable. Because truth is the only thing that really matters. You ought to get rid of everything else. Sell all that you have to obtain that truth. Isn't that what is said in the book of Matthew, the 13th chapter in the parable of the hidden treasure? When Christ said, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field. Which a man found and hid again. And from joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. Why? Because the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure.

It's so valuable. You're willing to sell everything you have to obtain the treasure. And then the parable of the costly pearl, Matthew 13, verse 45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. And upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. In other words, you are willing to give up everything that you have. To obtain the kingdom, to obtain the gospel, to obtain the truth. Because that's all that matters. Buy truth. Obtain it at all costs.

Seek it at all costs. Let nothing hinder your approach. You need to get wisdom, get understanding, get instruction at all costs. Is that the way you are? If you want to live prophetically, that's the way it's got to be. I am astonished at the number of people in churches that are willing to sell the truth. They'll sell it for the sake of their kids. They'll sell it for the sake of their kids. Because their kids want to go to a certain kind of church with a certain kind of environment. They'll sacrifice truth for the sake of their children.

That blows my mind. It blows my mind. I'll never understand that. Truth is all that matters. Jesus is the truth. And you must obtain it at all costs. You must do everything possible to be where the truth is. You must do everything possible to get into the truth. You must do everything possible to obtain all that God has to say. But there are many people in churches today that are willing to forego the truth. For the sake of their children, or for the sake of their husband, or for their wife, or for the sake of their family.

Or for the sake of some other convenience or hobby. How quickly we sell the truth. Solomon said, listen to your father's instruction. Do not disdain your mother's teaching. Buy the truth. Do whatever you have to, to obtain that which is the most valuable commodity for all eternity. The truth. Never sell it. Never turn your back on it. Never get away from it. That's the essence of living prophetically. So we began a couple of weeks ago telling you that if you're going to live prophetically, you must tremble at the truth.

Isaiah 66 verse number 2. You must tremble at that truth. To this man will I look, to him who is broken and of a contrite heart, who trembles at my word. And what did we tell you about Saul and how he compromised the truth when Samuel came to him and told him exactly what to do. But Saul was willing to compromise for the sake of the people. And what we learned was that partial obedience on the part of Saul was total rejection on the part of God towards Saul. Partial obedience on your part only is total rejection from God's point.

We talk about delayed obedience is disobedience and it is. We forget. Buy the truth. Obtain the truth. Get the truth at all costs. Even if it costs you your popularity. Even if it costs you your friendships. Even if it costs you your family. Obtain the truth. Paul said these words. Philippians chapter 3. He says more than that. I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things. And count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.

I am willing to suffer the loss of everything else that I have. That I may obtain the knowledge of Christ. There's a man who bought truth. Would never sell it. Because he knew that that's all that mattered. How about you? Is that the way you are? We as the men of our homes. Provide an example for our children. That they see every day. They know how valuable the truth is to you. They know. And so we told you to live prophetically. You must tremble at the truth. Tremble at it. Shake uncontrollably under the authority of God's holy word.

You are to fear the Lord your God always. That's as far as we got in this part of our outline. So let me continue with you.

Not only you tremble at the truth. But those who live prophetically. Taste the truth. They taste the truth. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34 verse number 8. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Over in Psalm 19. Psalm 19 verse number 10. After the psalmist talks about the law of the Lord. And the testimony of the Lord. The precepts, the commandments of the Lord. The judgments of the Lord, he says. They are more desirable than gold. Yes, and much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey.

And the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned. In keeping them there is great reward. It is so sweet to the taste. And the question comes, why is the truth so sweet? Because it's a description of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ himself. They are his words. And they declare to us, they reveal to us, they unmask for us. The beauty and glory of our Lord. That's why they are so sweet to the taste. And that's why Peter says. Over in 1 Peter chapter 1. Sorry, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse number 1.

He says these words. Therefore put aside all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander. Like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word. So that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. If, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Since you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. You as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word. You are to drink it in because it is so sweet to the taste. Those who tremble at the truth. Truly want to taste the truth. In all of its sweetness. In all of its splendor.

In all of its beauty. One thing about the truth, it never sours. Just never sours. We do. But the truth never sours. The truth is always sweet. Because it's a description of our blessed Lord. And the beauty of who he is and what he's done. So, if you were to live prophetically. You are to tremble at the truth. You are to taste the truth. Number three, you simply are to treasure the truth.

Treasure the truth. Thy word I have treasured in my heart. That I might not sin against thee. Thy word I have treasured in my heart. That I might not sin against thee. One of the unique things about Wednesday night. Was that all four discipleship groups. That the students were broken into. All gave the same response about hiding. Treasuring God's word in your heart. That you might live a pure and holy life. All four groups came up with the same conclusion. Because they know. They've been raised by parents in the church who know.

So, they understand it. And my job as their pastor was to show them. Okay, how do you do this every single day of your life? How do you just not talk about it in a small group? How do you just not talk about it on Sunday morning or Wednesday nights? How do you actually implement this every day of their lives? So, I gave them an example of how they could do this. Every single day of their lives. So, that God's word was truly treasured in their hearts. It was the most valuable thing. Listen, if you buy truth.

You buy it because it's a treasure. There's no greater treasure than all the world of truth. That's all that matters. And so, if you treasure it. You are going to treat it as if it's the most prized possession you have. You treasure the truth of God's word. What did Job say? When he was going through heartache and pain, misery and loss. I have treasured your words more than my necessary food. Wow. Could it be, and yes it is, that when you go through hardship and suffering and difficulty. What's going to allow you to maintain your commitment?

What's going to allow you to maintain a joyful spirit? Is the fact that you have treasured the word of God. Here was Job who had lost everything that he had except for his wife. He lost his health. He lost his children. He lost his farm. He lost his lifestyle. He lost everything. But because he treasured God's word in his heart. More than even his daily food. Oh, he was able to be sustained from day to day. How about you? Do you treasure the truth? Do you treat it with such value that you are willing to obtain it at all costs?

So important to understand. And those who live prophetically. They tremble at the truth. And therefore they then taste the truth. And that which they taste, they don't ever want to get rid of. So they treasure the truth. And if you treasure the truth. Number four. You're going to tend to the truth. You're going to protect it. Guard it at any cost. You're going to tend to the truth. You're going to make sure you do all you can to protect it from error. People's erroneous views. You will protect it.

Listen to what Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse number 20. Oh, Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Guard it, protect it. 2 Timothy 1 verse number 14. Guard the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. The treasure which has been entrusted to you. So there the gospel, the ministry put together is a treasure. It's to be guarded. It's to be protected. Timothy, you are the shepherd of the flock. You are to tend to it. We as a church are the pillar and foundation of the truth. Paul says in 1 Timothy 3, we are to protect the truth.

And Jude says in Jude 3, we are to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. We're to be contenders. That's what it means to live prophetically. As a prophet of God, not only do you tremble at the truth because you know who spoke the truth, but you can't wait to taste the truth because you'll buy it at all costs. There you'll treasure it. And because it's so valuable, you won't let anybody destroy it. You won't let anybody speak against it. You won't let anybody defame it.

You won't let anybody disdain it. Because you're a protector of it. That is just so important. You know what? My parents named me years ago. They had no idea the meaning of my name. They weren't saved when I was born. They found my name in a newspaper. And so my mom said, that sounds like a good name. Let's name him Lance. So they did. So it wasn't something they prayed about. They weren't saved. It wasn't something they sought the Lord after. They just came up with a name out of the newspaper. That's how I got my name.

Little did they know that the name Lance means God's warrior. They had no idea. Until one day they got saved and they put me in Bible Memory Association for all of my junior high years and high school years, memorizing 15 verses a week for 15 weeks for six years. And then I got this plaque. It said, Lance, God's warrior. And then they began to realize that that's what my name means. Well, you want to live your name. Right? In Bible times, names were important to people. They named them based on who they were and what they would do and what they aspired for their children.

And so when we name our children today, there is a purpose behind the name we give them for the most part. For my parents, they had no idea. But little did they know. And come to find out that that has been the history of my life. When I became the college pastor at a Christian liberal arts school on the east coast of New York City, Rostock, New York City, I went there with great anticipation, looking to see exactly how God was going to use me as the college pastor, organizing 150 chapels a year, speaking every Friday in chapel, speaking in college church, making sure that things were on the right path, meeting with college RAs and college chaplains, and meeting with them on a regular basis, thinking that I'm going to this great historic Christian liberal arts school started by the great Percy Crawford, and to be able to be there and to invest into the lives of students, only to find out that once I got there, that nobody wanted me to be there.

The president said to me, I'm hiring you, Dr. David C. Cook, who is now home with the Lord, I'm hiring you opposed to every one of my faculty members. I said, really? I said, wow, I'm so glad I'm here. He says, you got to know that nobody wanted you except me. And because this is my last year at the school, I hired who I wanted. I said, okay. Little did I know all that was happening that needed to be contended for. The truth of God had to be protected. In this historic institution, birthed by the late great Percy Crawford on the truth of God's holy word, over the years, it had begun to wane from the truth.

And little did I know that within my first couple of months, I was battling the Bible professor of all people over the inerrancy of Scripture.

I was battling the Bible professor over the fact that, yes, there really was a global flood. It was not a local flood. Yes, Jonah really was swallowed by a great fish. And yes, creation was in six literal days, not six periods of ages. But there was this constant battle. As I would speak, and the students would go to their Bible class, and hear something completely different about the inerrancy of Scripture, and how truthful is the things that you read in Scripture. And it wasn't too long after that, I began to battle the psychology department.

Because they didn't believe you needed to go to church. They just believed that they were a church in and of themselves, that they never went to church. And encouraged other students to do the same. So I began to sit down with them and battle with them about, how do you do Hebrews 10, 24, and 25, and how do you explain the body of Christ, and how do you deal with all these things, and go to war with them over the essence of church, and the importance of church in the life of students, and how important that is.

And then in the English department, there was a lesbian teacher who believed that same-sex marriage was okay. So I had to battle with her too. And talked to her about what God said when He made one male and one female, okay, and they were to be united together, and what God's design was for marriage. And for five and a half, six years on that campus, it was a constant battle. The battle never subsided. It was every day. I went to work. I didn't go to work. I went to war every day. And yet the Lord brought me there.

And then I became, after a short stint at another church in South California, became the pastor of the most historic church in Los Angeles. The most historic church in Los Angeles. The Lord led me to be the pastor of that church. Only to find out that the greatest proponent of licentiousness and antinomianism was the former pastor, who had led the church down the primrose path of, for lack of a better phrase, the Nicolaitans of the Church of Pergamum of Revelation chapter 2. So when I arrived there and began to preach through the Gospel of Mark about the message of John the Baptist, and then the message of Jesus about how you must repent to be saved, they had heard error for so long that when I preached the truth, they thought I was an error.

And so there was this ongoing battle with me and the elder board over what was true. Do you have to repent to be saved or not? Can you just believe and live any way you want? Or do you really truly have to repent of your sin, give your life to Christ, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him? And so that battle ensued for the 14 months I was there, for 13 months. It never ended. And one day I was asked the question, why do you think you can come to this church and preach something other than the historic belief of this church?

I said, oh, no, that's not true. Because I read R.A. Torrey. I've read J. Vernon McGee. I believe exactly what they believe. So it's not that it's opposed to the historic grounds in which this church was founded on, because it was founded on the biblical principles of truth. But over the last 10 or 12 years or so, you guys were led away from that truth. And therefore, I come in, show you that truth, and you think I'm giving you error. And you see, that was a battle. You see, I'm willing to go to war for those things.

I'm willing to go to war over doctrinal issues, because truth matters. Nothing else does, but truth does. And how can I live prophetically if I just compromise on the truth? I can't do that. I've been called to protect the truth, to guard the truth, to treasure the truth, to watch over the truth, to make sure it's delivered properly to the people. We are to cut it straight, 2 Timothy 2.15. Study to show yourself a prudent God of work in the need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

That's the way we're to live our lives. And if we don't do that, we're in danger of moving away from the hardcore truths of Scripture. And the funny thing about all that at my previous church was that that whole doctrine of antinomianism, which means no law, okay, that whole aspect of, well, it's grace only and grace is free. Well, you know, we're all saved by grace. But Titus 2 tells us that God's grace teaches us something. It teaches us to deny ungodliness, worldly lusts, so we can live righteously and soberly in this present age.

God's grace does do that. God's grace is always operative in our lives. And it teaches us the truth of God's holy word. And Peter would warn against false teachers. Jude would say they're already here. So contend earnestly for the faith. They've crept in unnoticed. And when you come to the seven churches of Asia Minor, it has spread to about five of the seven churches. And those churches are representative of the church age. And so the majority of churches have succumbed to doctrine that leads them away from the hardcore truths of Scripture.

And so when Christ addresses the church of Pergamum and talks about the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, started by a man named Nicholas, which means to overcome, laos, the people, overcome the people. How did Nicholas overcome the people? He overcame the people by teaching them there was no law to obey. It's just free grace. So this wasn't something new in the 80s and early 90s, which, by the way, is still going on today in a majority of churches across our country. It was way back during the days of the seven churches in Asia Minor.

Peter, Jude, it's always been a tactic of Satan to get you away from the hardcore truths of Scripture because a diluted gospel can't save. A diluted gospel can't save. You don't want to water down the gospel to its lowest common denominator so it appeals to everybody in the audience. That doesn't work. You can't dilute the gospel. You've got to preach the gospel. To preach the gospel, you've got to preach the law. Why? Because the law shows you you're a sinner. And if you don't see yourself as a sinner, you'll never see yourself in need of grace.

So you must preach the law so people see they fall short of God's glory and show them the remedy that comes through the grace of God to bestow mercy upon those who will repent of their sins and give their lives to Christ, knowing that repentance is in no way a work of man, but completely a work of God. 2 Timothy 2, 24 and 25 tells us that God grants men repentance. It's a gift. Nobody can repent just because they muster up enough energy and says, okay, I'm going to turn from my sin today. No, it's the Spirit of God working in your heart.

And so you preach the truth. But we have today in so many churches a diluted gospel. That's why I'm saying, by truth, do not sell it. Obtain it at all costs. Don't compromise it. Don't compromise it for the sake of your family, your friends, your children, your job. Don't do that. Obtain it with all that you have, because it's all that matters. It is the treasure. It is the gift. It is the truth of the living God. That's why it's so important. And we who live prophetically, who act like men, who are strong and courageous, as the Old Testament says, we live prophetically because we want to proclaim the truth uncompromisingly, undauntedly.

We want to make sure that the truth of God is out there so people know the truth. If you dilute it in your gospel presentation, hoping to win someone over to Christ, what truly have you won them over to if you haven't given them the undiluted, pure truth of the gospel? That's so important. So if you're going to live prophetically, you must tremble at the truth. Those who tremble at it, oh, they'll seek to taste it. Those who taste it, they'll treasure it. Those who treasure it will tend to it, will protect it, watch over it, guard it with their life.

Are you living prophetically? I would trust that you are. Next, you'll teach it. You'll teach the truth. If you live prophetically, you'll teach the truth. Matthew chapter 5, verse number 19, Whosoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever keeps and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. You hear these commands, you keep them, you teach them, you're great. Well, those who are living prophetically teach the truth.

It doesn't mean you teach it as a pastor does, but you somehow impart that truth to others. You teach someone. The Bible says we're to go into all the world, make disciples, right?

Teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. Okay, so if it's one disciple that you are investing in, you are teaching that one disciple all the things that God has commanded. You want to teach them the truth. We teach our children, we teach our wives, we teach our Sunday school class, we might teach a person at work, we teach a Bible study, we communicate, we proclaim the truth, we teach the truth because in the kingdom of God, the greatest people are teachers. Greatest people are teachers.

But all Christians should be teachers because we're disciple makers and we are to proclaim the truth of God's holy word to others. So we teach them. It might be just one person you teach, but you're teaching them. One child you're teaching, but you're teaching them. Whether you're involved in our prison ministry and teaching inmates or whether you're involved in our release time program and you're teaching one or two children a week, but you're teaching them because you want to give forth the truth.

And those who live prophetically teach the truth. Not only that, they translate the truth. I'm not talking about giving a translation or interpretation. I'm talking about giving a show of truth. You translate the truth through your life. And this, listen carefully, is the make-or-break point in your marriage. This is the make-or-break point in your family. This is the make-or-break point in your workplace. The ability or inability to translate the truth, to live it out consistently. That's what makes or breaks a marriage.

And as men, we're to act like men. We're to be strong and courageous. We're to live prophetically. And one of the greatest ways you live that way is to translate the truth. How many times have we told you in our study of Elisha, when Elisha went to Syria and went to Damascus and everybody knew he was the man of God? How did he know that? Because he translated the truth. He lived the truth. He just didn't speak the truth because in all reality, Elisha didn't say much in the scriptures except to certain individuals.

But he lived out that truth every day. And so when you think about your marriage, when I think about my marriage, in any difficulty over the last 31 years my wife and I have ever had, comes down to this point, the translation of the truth. Do I, as a husband, translate to my wife that which I say I believe and teach? Because that's the foundation for believability. That's the foundation for credibility. That's the foundation for your integrity. It all comes down to her being able to see in you that not that you just take her to church, which you need to do, but you live church.

You just don't teach at church. You live what you teach at home and at church. There is a consistent lifestyle. That's why Paul told Timothy, Timothy, you set yourself up as an example because he was 35 years of age thereabouts and he didn't have much credibility in the church in Ephesus. Paul had been the pastor there. So Paul says to Timothy, you be an example. You translate the truth to people through your speech, through your conduct, through your life, your faith, your purity. If you translate it that way, they will know that what you say is absolutely true.

The reason your wife doesn't buy in to what you're saying for the most part, not in every situation, but for the most part, is simply because you don't live out that truth in front of her. Live it out. Translate it. There are extenuating circumstances where that doesn't happen, where you live with all you have and you give all you have, and still she or he might refuse to follow, but never give up. Never give up. Because that's what God has called us to do, to live it out. That's why I love how Jesus closed the Sermon on the Mount, which will lead me to my close of the sermon of today, when he said, Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them, does them.

As James says, Be doers of the word. In other words, translate the truth through your life. May it be obviously seen in the way you live. So not only do you hear the word of God, but you act upon them. May it be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not translate them, does not live them out, does not act upon them, does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Ah, the rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and slammed against that house, and it fell, and great was its fall. That's just a powerful ending to the Sermon on the Mount. Christ says, listen, if you hear these words and don't act upon them, you don't do anything about them, when the winds blow, and the rain comes, you cannot stand.

You will fall, and great will be that fall. But those of you who hear the words of mine and do them, live them, obey them, all the wind can blow, all the rain can fall, all the tornadoes can come, all the hurricanes can come, but you'll stand, because your foundation is the rock, and the rock is Christ, the truth. How about you? You live prophetically? You tremble at the truth? You taste the truth, treasure it, tend to it, teach it, read it, translate it? Is that what you do? That's what it means to live prophetically.

Better yet, buy truth, sell it, never, never, get wisdom, get instruction, get understanding, do all you can to obtain it, do all you can to seek after it, let nothing ever hold you back from obtaining the most valuable commodity, not just in this life, but in the life to come, the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me pray with you.

Father, we thank you for today, all that you do. You are so great. You are so great. You are the truth. In obtaining truth, we obtain Christ, who is the truth. Paul was willing to count everything as rubbish, as dung, simply because it meant nothing compared to the truth, the knowledge of Christ. It's a surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ our Lord. And my prayer is for every man in this room that he would lead the way with his family in this area. He'd pave the way for his wife. He'd pave the way for his children.

They might see God's truth translated day in and day out. Lord, we love you, and we are grateful for this time we've had. In Jesus' name, amen.