The Model Follower, Part 2

If you have your Bible, turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, as we look at the model follower. Last week we learned about the leader's affection. This week we'll focus on the follower's actions. First Thessalonians chapter 2, verse number 13, reads as follows.

For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God which also performs its work in you who believe. For you brethren became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out.

They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles, so that they may be saved with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins, but wrath has come upon them to the utmost. The model follower is one who responds appropriately to the word of God, and number two, reacts assuredly to the will of God.

This is a church at Thessalonica. They would respond, number one, appropriately to the word of God. One because they received the word, and two because they recognized that word was not from men, but from God. Paul says we constantly thank God. I mean, think about it. How many times do you constantly thank God for a group of people? How many times do you constantly thank God for anything? But Paul says we are constantly giving thanks to God for what He has done in your life. For when you heard the word of God, you received the word of God, and you accepted the word of God.

The word accepted means to put out the welcome mat. In other words, when they heard the word, it's as if their heart put out this welcome mat that said, come into us. We want to hear, we want to believe, we want to know, we want to understand. So they willingly welcomed the word. They eagerly embraced the word when they heard the word. So Paul says we constantly give thanks to God because on how you receive the truth. Because very few people receive it that way, but they did. They all didn't receive it that way.

There were some Jews who didn't, and Paul makes it very clear in Acts chapter 17 that when they were there, there were many of the Jews and Greeks and some of the leading women of the city who gave their life to the Lord. But there were many Jews in opposition to them. But I want you to notice that they put out the welcome mat to the truth.

I wonder how many of us willingly put out the welcome mat to the word of truth when we hear it. These people did. They welcomed the truth. They heard it, and they received it. And it made me ask the question, how many of us are in that category? When we hear the word, what is our response to the word? I've come to realize that there are a lot of Christians in the church today, and they're called Yabbit Christians. You ever heard about a Yabbit Christian? They're the ones who hear the word of God, and they respond with, yeah, but.

They're called Yabbit Christians. They hear the word about what it means to be tenderhearted, compassionate, forgiving toward one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. And they respond by saying, yeah, but.

You don't know what they did to me. Yeah, but you don't know their attitude toward me. Those are Yabbit Christians. There are those who hear the word of the Lord, and it says, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice. And the response is, yeah, but.

You don't know my situation. You don't know how bad it is in my circumstance. We hear the word of the Lord, and it says, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. And the husband responds by saying, yeah, but you're not married to my wife. If you were married to her, you wouldn't love her as Christ loved the church, but that's the command. But we respond with, yeah, but, simply because we don't put out the welcome mat to the truth of the living God. The Bible says that God has gifted you with the spiritual gift to serve.

So someone comes along and says, hey, we want you to serve in this ministry. And your response is, yeah, but, I'm busy. Yeah, but I've got this to do, or yeah, but I'm over here doing this, and I don't have time. Instead of saying, if the Lord wants me to serve, I'll serve. But we don't want to put out the welcome mat to service, or the welcome mat to rejoicing, or the welcome mat to forgiveness, or the welcome mat to loving our wives as Christ loved the church, because we just simply don't want to obey the command.

So we make excuses. The Bible says, be anxious for nothing. Don't worry about a thing. And we respond by saying, yeah, but you don't know my situation. Yeah, but you don't know the turmoil I'm under. Yeah, but you don't know the stress I feel. So what do you want me to do with that? God gives a command, you can't respond with, yeah, but.

But we do. But the church of Thessalonica didn't respond by saying, yeah, yeah, but if I give my life to Christ, they're going to ostracize me from the synagogue. Yeah, yeah, but if I give my life to Christ and I receive the truth, then I'm going to lose my family. Yeah, but.

There were no yeah, but Christians in Thessalonica. They truly, truly received the word. They put out the welcome mat. Why? Because of how they heard the truth. They heard the truth for what it is, the word of the living God. That's why the Bible is replete with commands about hearing. In Revelation chapter 2 and 3, at the conclusion of every letter to the churches, it says, he who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. In Matthew chapter 13, a parable we'll look at in a minute, the Bible says, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.

In other words, don't hear superficially. Don't hear with a shallow heart. Explore, study, learn, understand. Luke's account of that parable says these words in Luke chapter 8, verse number 18, take heed therefore how you hear. Mark's account, same parable says, take heed as to what you hear. It's all about hearing and listening. That's why in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 5, verse number 1, it says, guard your steps as you go to the house of God, because you're going there to listen, you're going there to hear.

That's why Christ said in Matthew chapter 17, this is my beloved son, make sure you listen to him. That's why James says in James chapter 1, let every one of you be quick to the hearing of the word of God. The Bible is replete with commands about how we hear, how we listen, because it determines everything about our lives. How do you hear the truth of the word of God? Those in Thessalonica heard it in such a way that they put out the welcome mat to receive the truth. They didn't give excuses as to what might happen if they believe in the gospel, what might happen to their family, they might lose their friends, they might be kicked out of the synagogue, and they were, they didn't worry about that, because they recognized that the truth they heard was the word of God, not the word of men.

It's very, very important that the word of God was proclaimed to them and they understood the word. The very last words of the Bible are addressed to hearers. Revelation 22, John says, I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. In fact, Revelation 1.3 says, these words, blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy. In other words, the book of Revelation is bracketed by those who hear. In other words, there's an importance about this book that you need to take heed once you hear it and listen to it.

It's the apocalypsis, it's the unveiling of the Christ, it's the revelation of the nature and character of Christ himself. The whole Bible is a revelation of Christ himself, but specifically the book of Revelation is called the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is the unveiling of who the Messiah is and all of his glory and all of his splendor. So make sure you hear the words of this prophecy. Not just that they go in one ear and out the other or that you superficially listen to what's being said, but that you take in what is being said.

So much so that you act upon it and believe it. Some of them might come along and say, well, you know, it was the Apostle Paul. Of course they believed. I mean, after all, it's Paul, it's not me. It was a great apostle who was preaching the truth. Of course they believed in the Apostle Paul. Think of the magnitude of his testimony and how powerful it was because he once persecuted the Jews, but now he's born again. And so why wouldn't we believe the Apostle Paul? But not everybody believed the Apostle Paul.

Many people rejected him in his words. In fact, the Bible says these words in the book of Acts, the 28th chapter, verse 23.

Paul's in house prison in Rome and it says when they had set a day for Paul, they came to him as lodging in large numbers. And he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God. What's Paul doing? He's talking to them about the king and his kingdom. So he wants them to understand the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus from both the law of Moses and from the prophets from morning until evening. Now think about it. He is explaining to them who Jesus is, not with the New Testament, so the Old Testament, the law of Moses, the Pentateuch, the prophets.

In other words, you can explain to someone, you can properly identify the Messiah with just the Old Testament. The Messiah and his kingdom in just the Old Testament, and that's what Paul's doing. He's speaking to Jewish people, so he's going to reason with them through the Old Testament about the kingdom of God, explaining to them that Jesus is the Messiah. So it says, some were being persuaded by things spoken, but others would not believe. Others would not believe. So just because it's the Apostle Paul doing the preaching doesn't mean that everybody's going to receive him, right?

We think if we take the Apostle Paul with us, door-to-door evangelism or from park to park sharing the gospel, that everybody's going to believe and people are going to come. Not true. Not true. We tend to think that if I just change the way I say it or reinvent the wheel of how to present the gospel, people will believe the truth. Not true. Why? Because it doesn't depend upon the sower or the seed. It depends solely upon the soil itself. Because the sower is the one who sows the seed, and the seed is the Word of God, and the soil is the heart of man.

It all depends on the condition of the soil in which the seed falls. That's very important to understand. So, many came to saving faith, but there were many who did not. So when people don't come to saving faith, what do you say to them? How do you leave them? Well, let me tell you what Paul said to them and how Paul left the Jews who would not be persuaded that Jesus was the Messiah.

This is the way it says, and when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word. These are the last words. The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, go to this people and say, you will keep on hearing but will not understand, and you will keep on seeing but will not perceive. For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, excuse me, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.

Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. They will also listen.

Those were Paul's parting words to those Jews who rejected the gospel. He quotes to them from the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 6 verses 9 to 11. That was Isaiah's prophecy to the nation as to why they were going into Babylonian captivity. That was the first fulfillment of the prophecy.

But there would be a second fulfillment, and that second fulfillment would be at the arrival of Jesus and His preaching, and they rejecting His word as well.

So turn with me if you would to Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13, it says in verse number one, that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea, and large crowds gathered to Him.

So He got into a boat, sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. He spoke many things to them in parables saying, behold, the sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched, because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out, and others fell on the ground, on the good soil, excuse me, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some 60, some 30.

He who has ears, let him hear. Now, it's interesting in the course of the ministry of Jesus that He would turn to speaking in parables. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. It's an earthly story that everyone in that culture would understand. They would understand sowing and reaping. They would understand the emphasis that Christ was making, because they live in that kind of culture. So He would use an earthly story that everybody would be familiar with, and then emphasize the heavenly meaning of that story in their lives.

He would speak to them in parables. Interesting why He would do that. So the disciples asked Him, and the disciples came and said to Him, verse 10, "'Why do you speak to them in parables?' Jesus answered them, "'To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance, but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

In their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, "'You will keep on hearing but will not understand. You will keep on seeing but will not perceive.' For the heart of this people has become dull. With their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and in return I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." Christ would quote the same portion of Scripture in Isaiah 6 that Paul does in Acts 28.

Four times it's quoted in the New Testament, because it deals with the nation of Israel. In Matthew 13 you have what is commonly called the kingdom parables. Christ speaks about the coming kingdom of God, and he begins by talking about how people are going to receive and hear the word in the kingdom age. That's the age that we are in today. How will people hear the word of God today? He puts them in four categories, four categories to let you know that when you present the gospel because you are a sower of the seed, the truth, that seed is going to fall on certain kind of hearts.

The majority of them will not believe. Half of them will look like they do believe, but in reality they do not. There's only one good soil that really takes in the word, receives the word, and brings forth fruit. Very important. So Christ wants his men to know at the outset what the gospel is going to look like in the kingdom age as it's presented and falls on certain kind of hearts. So he introduces the kingdom parables. And then he tells them, because Israel willfully rejected me as their Messiah, I have judicially rejected them from coming to me.

You see, a willful rejection of the king ultimately leads to a judicial rejection by the king. It's like Pharaoh. He hardened his heart toward the things of God. So what did God do? God hardened Pharaoh's heart so he could not believe. And that's a dangerous place to be. You just never know when you're going to get there. Only God knows. That's why he says, their ears became dull, calloused, or the hearts became dull, calloused and cold to the truth. That's why there was that warning in Hebrews chapter 3, verse number 7, today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the day of provocation in the wilderness that the children of Israel did.

And the warnings given to those Hebrew people that when you hear the word of God, do not turn from it because every time you hear the word of God and you don't respond, there becomes a layer of hardness over your heart. And the more you hear it and the more you don't respond, the harder your heart becomes. And your ears become dull of hearing the same thing over and over again. And you find yourself in a situation where there is this willful rejection of the gospel that ends up being a judicial rejection.

It will be impossible, as Hebrews 6 says, to renew that person to a place of repentance. Problem is you just don't know when that time is. I say all this because when the church at Thessalonica heard the gospel, they immediately received the gospel. Their hearts were soft toward the truth of the gospel and they embraced it and they took it in and they put out the welcome mat to the truth because that's what believers do. Believers welcome the truth. That's why He says that the word of God effectually works in those who believe.

God's word does not work in those who do not believe. Only in one instance, and that's conviction. Without conviction, there is no working of the word of God in the life of the unbeliever. So when you think about your life and you hear the word of God, how do you respond? What's happening in your life? Because you see, when you hear the word of God, when you read the word of God, when you memorize the word of God, what happens? Something takes place in your life that causes it to take effect and do something unique and special.

If that's not happening in your life, you don't know the Lord. I don't know how else to tell you that. If you hear the word of God and nothing's happening in you spiritually, you don't know the Lord because the Bible says it effectually works in those who believe.

It's effective. It's not dormant. It actually accomplishes what God sends it forth. Isaiah 55 verse 11, I send forth my word, it will accomplish my purposes. It will not return to be empty or void. It doesn't. That's what God's word does. See, we've minimized the power of the word of God today in our gospel presentation, in our churches, thinking that if we can add some gimmicks to it and some stories to it, some funny illustrations, that people will come and laugh and be happy and receive it. No, that's not the way it works.

God's word is powerful in and of itself to do the work. The only thing I can do is just mess it up. I don't want to mess it up. I just want to make sure I give it to you full bore so you understand the truth of the gospel. So Christ says these words, he says, hear then the parable of the sower.

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. This is the roadside soil. We're going to call this the stony heart, the stone heart. If you live in that culture, you know that there were walkways in the fields and the sower would have the bag of seed hanging around his neck or around his arms or around his waist and he would take the seed and he would toss the seed as he would walk on that hard trail in between the fields.

As he would throw the seed, he'd pick it up and as he did, some of it would fall on the stony ground, the hard ground. Well, it's not going to be able to germinate or take place because it's so hard. That's the majority of believers. Their hearts are so hard that when the seed falls on it, nothing happens. It takes no effect. And Satan comes along and snatches the seed away. It's called the stone heart. You present the gospel to people. There's absolutely no response because they're stone, hard, cold against the truth.

They won't hear it. It's called a stone heart. And number two is what we call the rocky soil. We're going to call this the shallow heart. So he says, the one on whom the seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary. And when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. So this is the rocky soil. If you've been to the land of Israel, you know that Israel is filled with rocky soil, right?

And so as the sower throws a seed, because on the top soil, it looks really, really good, it begins to germinate and take effect and begin to grow. But because it's a rocky soil, the roots can't dig themselves deep into that soil to get a firm foundation. So when persecution arises or when the sun comes out and beats down upon it, they fall away. You will notice that the Church of Thessalonica in chapter one received the word amidst much opposition and tribulation.

In fact, in 2 Thessalonians chapter one, Paul says, we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting because your faith is greatly enlarged and the love of each other, of you toward one another grows even greater. Therefore we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. This is not rocky soil. This is not shallow soil. Why? Because they were receiving all kinds of persecution, all kinds of adversity, all kinds of tribulation, but they were able to sink their roots deep into the things of God and stand strong amidst the persecution because the believer is able to do that by the power of the Spirit of God in his life.

The unbeliever can't and won't. So although they receive the word with joy and they get on the Jesus bandwagon, when they're persecuted for the things of Christ, when they have to stand strong for Christ, they won't do it. Why? Because there's no root in them. They fall away. Then you come to the secular heart. It says in verse 22, and the one on whom the seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.

This is a lush soil, but it's filled with weeds and thorns. And when the seed falls on it, it begins to germinate and grow. It's choked out by those thorns, the deceitfulness of riches, the cares of this world. Why? Because when this person heard the word of God, they just wanted to add Jesus to their existing lifestyle. They didn't realize that the rich young ruler had to realize that he had to be willing to sell all that he had to follow Christ. Like Demas in 2 Timothy chapter 4, he has left me because he loves this present world.

And Demas looked like a believer. He looked like a follower of Paul, but yet the world would call out to him and he would turn away from the apostle Paul and turn away from the faith because he loved this present world. These are people that when they hear the word of God, they want to hang on to the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. Why are they deceitful? Because they never give what they promise. They just don't. But they hang on to them because that's their lifeline. They're unwilling to separate themselves from those things to embrace Christ wholeheartedly.

All of a sudden, the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word and there is no fruit. There's the good soil. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and brings forth some 100-fold, some 60 and some 30. That's an amazing statement because a bumper crop in Israel is 10-fold. A bumper crop is 10-fold, but the good soil brings forth fruit, some 100, some 60, and some 30-fold. This is a mega, mega crop.

Why? Because you see, when someone gives their life to Christ, you don't have to go searching for fruit. It's obvious. It's evident in their attitude, right? Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit. In their actions, they bear fruit through witnessing, through giving praise to God, by honoring God. In their service for the King, their whole life is measured by the fact that they are completely abounding in fruit because they love the Lord and they want to serve the Lord. This is just so important because you're going to know people that you have shared the gossip with and they got on the Jesus bandwagon or they came to church and they were here or maybe they were baptized in our baptismal or maybe they were involved in the ministry or service of the church for a while, but then all of a sudden persecution comes and affliction comes and they fall away from the faith or because of the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this world, it chokes out the truth and they go the way of the world once again.

Those people were never saved to begin with. They looked like they were, but they made a profession of Christ but never possessed the Christ. There is a huge difference. That's why Christ said these words earlier in His very first sermon in Matthew chapter 7, verse 24.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them may 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 the house and yet it did not fall. It would have been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew, slammed against the house and it fell and great was its fall.

It's how Christ ends the Sermon on the Mount. You've heard the words about the narrow gate. You've got to enter. You've heard the words about bearing fruit because every tree is known by its fruit. You've heard that. You've heard what I've said about coming to the kingdom. Blessed are those who mourn over the sin and blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. You know what it means to come into the kingdom. If you hear what I've said and you act upon it, you built your house on the rock.

But if you heard what I've said and you don't act upon it, there's no hope. You've got to give your life to Me. It's how Christ ends. Paul says, we constantly give thanks to God for each of you for when you heard the Word of God, you received it, not as the Word of men but as the Word of God, which effectively works in you who believe. This is what Paul says to the church of Colossae. He says these words, you, he says, chapter 1, verse number 5, heard the Word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you just as in all the world, also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also, listen, since the day you heard it, since the day you heard the gospel, you heard the truth, you received the truth.

And the fruit is increasing in you since that day and understood the grace of God and truth. Think about that. He commends them because there is this constant effectiveness of the Word of God in their lives bearing fruit each and every day by the grace of Almighty God in their lives and He gives testimony to their lives bearing fruit effectively every day because that's what happens when the Word of God takes up residence in your life. See that? That's what happens. Paul says, amidst persecution, amidst opposition, there was no, you have it Christians, you have it this or you have it that, no, it was all, we embrace it eagerly, we welcome it wholeheartedly, we are all into this, we are all in on Christ.

That's why he says that Christ was in them, that's why he says, he says these words, he says the churches of God in Christ Jesus, you're in Christ and Christ is in you. How do you know Christ is in you? How do you know you're in Christ? It's because from the day you heard the truth, there is an increase in the bearing of fruit in your life because the Word of God takes effect, that's how you know. It was J.C. Ryle who wrote these words, we may listen to a sermon and approve of every word it contains and yet get no benefits from it because of the absorbing influence of this world.

Our hearts, like the thorny ground in Matthew 13, may be choked with a rank crop of cares, pleasures and worldly plans. We may really like the gospel and wish to obey it and yet insensibly give it no chance of bearing fruit by allowing other things to fill a place in our affections until they occupy our whole heart. Alas, there are many such hearers, they know the truth well, they hope one day to be committed Christians, but they never come to the point of giving up all for Christ's sake. They never make up their minds to seek first His kingdom, thus die in their sins.

He goes on to say this, we may rest assured that to reach heaven at last, it needs something more than going to church regularly on Sundays and listening to preachers. The Word of God must be received into our hearts and become the mainspring of our conduct. It must produce practical impressions on our inner being that will appear in our outward behavior. If it does not do this, it will only add to our condemnation on the day of judgment. He's right. How about you? Have you put out the welcome mat to the gospel to receive it into your heart?

No questions asked? Bethlehem didn't say, I don't know if this is right or not. I don't know if that now's the time or not. I don't know if I'm at this right place in my life to do this or not. They heard the Word, man, they put up the welcome mat, received it and said, boy, we embrace the Messiah. We want the Christ amidst the opposition, amidst the tribulation, amidst the persecution. Didn't matter. That's irrelevant. Why? Because eternity's at stake. Eternal life is at stake. We're all about Christ and the eternal God, the living God.

And Paul commends them. You turned to God from idols. You made an abrupt change. Your life was transformed. Your life was changed. Obviously, everybody knows it. Everybody knows it. We don't have to say anything to the other churches or people in your area because everybody knows it. Does everybody know that about you? The change so stark, the life so different, the conversation so clean and pure, the way of life so contrary to the world that everybody knows Christ reigns supreme in your life. Do you put out the welcome mat to the truth or do you live in the realm of, yeah, but.

Yeah, but this and yeah, but that. Instead of just saying, you know what? God said it. My job is just to obey it and follow what he says. That's it. This was the model follower. They would respond appropriately to the gospel. They heard it, put out the welcome mat, embraced it. The lives were changed and everything about their eternal destiny was changed. How about you? Have you put out the welcome mat to the gospel, to the truth of the word of God? I would hope that's the case because when you heard the word of God, you either had a stone heart, a shallow heart, a secular heart, or a soft heart, and the soft heart embraced the truth and brings forth fruit abundantly because Christ is in you.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day, the opportunity you give us to be in your word. We are truly a blessed people. Thank you for the Church of Thessalonica who is a living testimony to the grace of Almighty God that were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. When the Apostle Paul shows up, preaches the gospel, their hearts were so ripe, so ready to receive it, they embrace it wholeheartedly no matter what took place around them. They loved the King. I pray that that would be all of us today, Lord, that there wouldn't be anybody here who would not put out the welcome mat to the truth, that would embrace it wholeheartedly and say, King Jesus, rule in my life from this day forward till eternity.

In Jesus' name, amen.