Scriptory reading this evening. So he turned with me to the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John. I'm reminded, because I'm a little sleepy, and that's no reflection of the speaker, and I hope the message will help to keep us all awake. But I remember my uncle used to say he liked the speech and be the last speaker in the afternoon, he said, because everybody in the audience was agreeing with everything he said. So we're going to read in John chapter seventeen. These words take Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, ye always come, glorify thy son, for thy son also may glorify thee. As thou has given him power or authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men, the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. Now they have known in all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. and all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. The Holy Father keeps to thine own name those whom thou hast given me that they needed one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thine name. Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost. of the Son of Prediction that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Now come I to thee. These things I speak in the world that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word in the world and hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, and even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sake thy sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one. Thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and that love them, and thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also whom... thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I hath known thee, and these hath known that thou hast sent thee. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, baby, in them. and I in them this is the Lord's prayer this is what the Lord wants for his people when I was in school and perhaps when you were in school we used to stand up and we would repeat the Lord's prayer our father It's not in heaven, alo, be thy name. But that's not the Lord's prayer. It couldn't possibly be the Lord's prayer. Because in that prayer, we pray, forgive us our debts as we forgive those who sin against us. The Lord couldn't have possibly prayed that prayer. Peter said of him he did no sin. Either was, Kyle found in his mouth. John says he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin. Paul says he who knew no sin was made sinful of us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. It could not possibly be the Lord's prayer He said, when they asked him about praying, he said, after this manner pray ye, the Lord's prayer is our prayer, not his prayer. Now this is his prayer. When we look at this chapter, we instinctively feel and can identify ourselves with Moses at the burning bush. And he heard those words, take off thy shoes from all thy feet, for the place where I now standeth is holy ground. Father, the hour is come. He had said before, mine hour is not yet come. Your time is always ready. He said to his disciples, but here he says, Mine hour is come. All of the hours come glorify thy Son. He doesn't pray in this prayer for sinners. Not one word of this prayer is for sinners. In fact, he says, I pray, not for the world, but for those thou have given me out of the world. Does this mean that the Lord Jesus does not love sinners? Of course, it doesn't mean that. The Bible says this is a faithful saying, and it's worthy of all acceptations, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That's why James. After he had written from the dead, he told his disciples, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every preacher. But here in this chapter, he doesn't pray for sinners. It was the Lord Jesus himself that announced the first announcement of the love of God that's found in the New Testament. You know the first verse in the New Testament that speaks about the love of God for sinners? You've never heard it before, having a finger straw. For God so loved the world. First time in the New Testament, do the love of God. Oh, you read about the command, not to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. That's what we're to do. The first time in the New Testament, you read of the love of God. It's in John three, verse sixteen. For God so loved the world. In the interview, the Lord Jesus of Nicodemus, is also of the world. He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Here in his love, not that we love God, but he loved us and sent his Son to be propitiation for a sin. No, he prayed for his own. But what does he pray for his own? Doesn't pray for our wealth. Sometimes these televangelists tell us that you're giving enough money away. You know, the Lord's going to give you a lot more. He doesn't pray for our wealth. That would be the last thing in his life to pray for. For he said on one occasion, it is easier. for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, and for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And when you get to heaven, you're not going to see many people who are rich here in this world. They're not going to be there. Paul tells us in First Corinthians, not many wise men, not many mighty, not many noble, are well-born, those who were born with a silver spoon in the mouth. Don't expect to see them in heaven. There's not going to be many of them there. It doesn't say not any. was that not many. The Lord didn't pray for their wealth. He didn't even pray for their worldly education. Boy, we've got to go to the best universities. I'm not knocking education. I swear that. But I'm just saying what the Word of God says, the world, by its wisdom, do not go. the world by its wisdom do not go. You're not going to find the real wisdom at the universities of this world. Because you're not going to hear much about twice except in a derogatory way. And the Bible says in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I have a book at home. written by Samuel Wright out. It's called the Bible, the true university. Want to know God? You better start here. You're not going to get the wisdom of God if you go to the best, so quote-unquote, the best university in the United States of America today. You're not going to get the wisdom of God there. He's found in his book. And we can do no better, young or old, than to listen to the words of the Lord Jesus in John chapter five, verse thirty nine. Search the scriptures. Search the scriptures. They testify of me. He didn't pray for worldly wisdom. He didn't even pray for health. You know, many of our prayer, but he was praying for the health of the saints. And I'm not knocking that. This one got cancer of this and cancer of that and He spent a lot of time praying for the physical well-being of the saints. He didn't pray for their health. There's only one man in the New Testament that's called a man of God. His name is Timothy. And Timothy means one that pleases God. That's a good name to have. Good reputation to have. One that pleases God. Can you think of anything better that you would like as the epitaph of your life than this. Before his translation, he had this testimony. He pleased God. There it is. Enoch. He pleased God. How did he please God? He walked with God. Didn't choose the direction of his life. He didn't choose the destiny of his life. He just walked with God and left the direction and the destiny of his life in God's hands. and therefore he pleased God. You know, some of the men like Timothy say, wait a minute, this is man. Boy, certainly God would have blessed this man, Timothy, one that pleased God with good health. Oh, it says, Timothy, take a little word for thy stomach's sake and thine awful infirmities. A man that pleased the woman Timothy Paul writes as, I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your faith, godly young man. In fact, Paul's testament of this man looks like that in five of his epistles, he links Timothy's name with his. Paul and Timothy, call and Timothy. John writes his epistle, third epistle to Gaius, he says, I could wish you were in health, even as your soul prospers. And a very prosperous soul, but his body wasn't doing too well. We can look through church history, and we can find some of those godly individuals that ever walked his earth. were men and women who had very, very poor health. Health in itself is not a sign of spirituality, but neither is it a sign that a person is out of the will of God. Whole sword in the flesh. He wanted to get rid of it. He prayed three times to get rid of it. But the Lord said, well, my grace is sufficient for me and he said that very thing paul that you might face as a hindrance i've got a lesson to teach you this and paul learned the lesson he said it was given to me he says a thorn in the flesh a messenger of satan to buffet me lest i should be involved in the above measure God says, I've given you a pride presented. You can get too big for God to use, but he says, I'm going to keep it small so I can still use you and pray for his health. But he prayed for what he wanted for his people. And we certainly know this. The Bible says, if we ask anything according to his will, We know that he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, we know that we have the petitions that we desire to be in. Father, glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. His ambition is purpose. The Son of God was to glorify the Father. I have glorified thee on the earth. He says, I have finished the work, but thou gavest me to do. And is it not correct to say that that should be the ambition of every child of God, whatsoever you do, the Bible says, do all to the glory of God. And when the apostles went out to preach in the Acts of the Apostles, they didn't come back and give their missionary reports and say what great things they had done for God. You don't read that in the Acts of the Apostles. You know what you read? you read of what great things God had wrought through them. They were just an instrument. And they were content to be just an instrument in God's hands to the accomplishment of his purpose. The Lord Jesus preached in this passage in anticipation of the cross because the work was not yet done. But he says, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gave us. He said, it wasn't finished when he spoke those words. But The Bible says that God speaks of things that are not as though they were, that no flesh should glow in His presence, because nothing is going to hinder the outcome of His purposes. It's as good as God. And God says, no devil, no being in the universe can hinder the out-working of His purposes of God. Seven hundred and fifty years, approximately before the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world. Isaiah wrote, He was wounded for our transgressions, past them, for the wounded them, the bruise for our iniquities, the punishment of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes were healed. And yet he says, I have glorified thee on the earth. He speaks in anticipation. And then he looks forward not only to the glory that he would bring to God and God would bring to him through the work of the cross. He speaks of that glory which he had with the Father and before the world was. His intrinsic glory, the glory that he had as the inherent son of God. And then he says, I have manifested thy name to those that thou have given me out of the world. And he says, I am glorified in death. The Lord Jesus is glorified in the salvation of every sinner. I am glorified in them. The Lord has been glorified in your salvation, in my salvation. Every person has ever been saved. The Lord is glorified in them. I am glorified in them. The Bible tells us the day is coming when the Lord Jesus will be glorified in his saints and be admired in all them that believe. Now it doesn't say evil will be admired by all them that believe. That's true. But that is not what that text says. And that's not what that text teaches. He shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe. There is coming a day when wandering universes, hundreds and millions of angels will look as a redeemed host, and they'll say, What has God wrought? Oh, what a Savior is Jesus the Lord. Saints will sing that song as well. Well, might his name. Might his saints be adored. And the Lord Jesus not only plays for the glory that we will be glorified together with him. That was the cause for which Paul labored, he says. He says, He suffered that the elect might obtain the salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. And I love that verse in First Peter, chapter five. The way he concludes his first epistle, he says, the God of all grace has called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. He and I have that bright glory. one be joyful sin mine be forever with him and his that I am there now the Lord says in verse eleven he says and now I am no more in the world but these are in the world and I come to thee father keep through thine own name those who love given me Does the Father answer the prayer of the Lord Jesus? He is answering the prayer of the Lord Jesus. When we turn to Hebrews chapter twelve, it says, Whom the Lord loves and chases, and surges every son whom we receive it. Because we have had fathers after the flesh who have corrected us for their own pleasure. Take that and that and that. I'll teach you. Yeah. But he brought prophets. Why? That we should be made partakers of his holiness. And the apostle says, if we are without chastisement, then are we illegitimate and not silent? For it says... that he scourges every son, every one of his children, that some time or other gets a spanking. He scourges every son to a mere kid. We were mentioning the other day brother J.J. Rouse. Some of you may remember him, but I remember one thing about that old man. He labored for many years in Western Canada. He wrote a book called Pioneering Work in Canada, a book about obeying. And he used to work so often out in a very, very cold climate, thirty or forty below zero, that often he had suffered frostbite. And his nose, he had a great big nose, and it looked like these clowns' noses. You know, this red nose on the clowns you've seen of circus clowns. That's where he looked. But I remember one time he was speaking in that passage in Hebrews twelve. But to whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. If he be without chastisement, then are ye old gentlemen, and not sons. And he said, you know, sometimes I sort of wish that the Father wouldn't love me quite as much. Have you ever felt like that? Whom the Lord loves, he chastens. It's a proof of our love for our children. It's a proof of God's love for his children. It says in the book of Proverbs that if the Father loves his son, he corrects him. He disciplines them. And to tell you that is a proof of a lack of love in our lives. He discourages every son and we receive him. He says, Father, keep through thine old name. those who now have given me. He says, I have kept him in thy name and none of them is lost for the son of the perdition. And now I come to thee and he says, I speak these things in the world that you might have my joy fulfilled themselves. He says, Father, what I really want for your children is what I have myself. My joy. I want them to have my joy. What was his joy? We think of the Lord Jesus as the man of sorrow that says in Isaiah he was a man of sorrows and a queen of grief. But it's refreshing to think of this. That the man, the most joyful man that ever walked on earth was the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says so. Thou hast anointed him with the oil of gladness above his fellow. Don't think of the Lord Jesus as being a surrogate. My meat is to do the will of him that sent him to finish his work. I delight to do thy will, oh my God. Do we think of his sacrifice? But he didn't think of it as a sacrifice. He delighted to do the will of God. Not my will. But behind me, Don, he said, that's what I want. That's what I want for your children. Because I'm heaven and I'm thy word. And the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Every one of us in this world, we know Christ. We recognize this world is not our home. We're just passing through. The last few years I've spent a little time in hospitals with triple bypasses and little things like that. I broke my leg here a few weeks ago and it was on crutches for a while and you have all these little things and generally when you go to see these doctors in hospitals they'll fill out a little form and they'll ask you for your name and and ask one of the things they call them there is your permanent address. And I have been very tempted. I haven't done it yet. To put down my permanent address is heaven. Here we have no continuing city. No one. What we seek was to come. Here we're just passing through. This world is not our home. You know, when Paul wrote... To the saint, he reminded him of the fact of their permanent address and their parent address. To the saint in Christ Jesus, that's the permanent address. Which are at Philippi. That's the temporary address. We have a home, but this world is not our home. And it's in the measure that we live our lives as strangers and pilgrims of staining from fleshly love. that we are of value to God in our witness of the world. And so the scripture warns of love not the world, neither the things are in the world for all it is in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, none of the fathers of the world. The world passes away. The lusts are up. But he that doeth the will of God abides forever. That was G.L. Moody's favorite verse. The world passes away. He doesn't say, I'm passing away. He says, the world is passing away. This world is all going up in smoke. It looks so permanent. Terror firmer, we say. One fellow said, when he got down back on earth, it says, the more firmer, the less terror. Terror firmer. But this world is not going to last. Peter says, you're... All that we see, it's all going to be dissolved. It's all going up in smoke someday. This world is not a home. We're just passing through. But praise God, we have a home above the last forever. He prays for our preservation. You know, the believer is just assured of heaven. The day gets saved. as if he'd lived for Christ for fifty years, because all your living for Christ didn't fit you for heaven. It was the work of Christ that fitted you for that. The Lord could have taken us out. The more he got saved, it'd take you out of the world. But he has a purpose in leaving us here. We're here to be a witness to the world. He's taking us out of the world, separated from the world to be a people unto himself. But in view of that, He prays for our sanctification, not only our preservation, is it Father? Sanctify them through thy truth. Set them apart. They're in the world, but not of it. Sanctify them through thy truth. That's what's going to do it. The Word of God is going to make us separate from this world. And as we cleave to the Word of God, God separates us from this passage. My word is true. That's the only thing that we know of that actually is true in the world. The word of God. My word is true. It is impossible for God to lie. We have something solid. And God has set us apart the Godly for himself. And he has set us apart through his word. That's the sanctifying means that God uses. Then the Lord Jesus said, as thou hast sent me into the world, he who's in the world, but he's not of it. Separate from sinners, not separated from sinners, but separate from sinners. And God wants us to be sanctified, set apart for himself, through his word, as the Father has sent me into the world, because he has also sent me into the world. And what did he send the Father, the Son into the world for? He sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Is that our job? That's it. Oh, we can't save anybody. But we have the message of salvation. And we have the privilege of manifesting Christ in our life. As we walk in fellowship with God and His Word, the objective is that the life of the Lord Jesus. That one who was once limited to a little part of Earth's surface when he was here, the nation of Israel, I'm not sent but under the law of sheep of the house of Israel. Now he says, go into all the world and preach the gospel. And now in Africa, in China, in South America, and North America, the reign of the Lord Jesus is being made manifest in our mortal bodies. Christ in you, the hope of glory. I'm glad that the Lord Jesus included you and me in this prayer. He was thinking primarily here because he had just come from the upper room. There he had met with his disciples. We have his great discourse, upper room discourse, recorded here in John's Gospel. John, thirteen through sixteen, occupied with the Lord's discourse. And immediately afterwards, we have this prayer of the Lord Jesus. Now he leaves that scene. There he had been with the twelve. And he's thinking of them. And then he says, neither pray I for these alone. But for them also it shall believe on me through their words. The Lord prayed for you that night. He prayed for me. I don't know how you were saved, but you may have been saved because you believe what John wrote. Maybe you were saved because you believe That word we quoted a while ago, that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. It's John who wrote that. And that's the means God used you to bring himself to himself. That's the reason he was saved. He was the only church that continued in the apostles' doctrine. That the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. It was what they preached, the message. All of us, in one way or another, believed. through the Apostle's Word and the Lord Jesus of neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe unto me through them through their words what a precious precious book we have and what a precious precious thought it is that there are times I'm sure many of you do not know me and I'm sure even if you did know me or do know me. There are many times that you don't think to pray for me. Many times if I know you, I don't think to pray for you. But I shall be eternally grateful as you should be that I have one who never fails to pray for me. The Bible says he is able to save the uttermost all that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Peter had boasted, Now all men deny thee, yet will not I. Simon, Simon, said the Savior, Satan has denied to have thee, that he may sit thee as weep, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. Now I will pray for you. I have prayed for thee. And while Peter's courage failed, his faith did not fail, that I faith fail not. I'm glad that my salvation does not depend on my faithfulness to Christ. It depends on his faithfulness to me and to you. Who is he that should death? The apostle asked. It is Christ that God, ye rather, is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makeeth intercession for us. The work which his goodness began, the arm of his strength will complete. His promise is ye and our men, and never was forfeited yet. Things future nor things that are now, not all things below or above, can make him, his purpose for go. For sever my soul from his mouth. my name from the palms of his hands eternity will not erase impressed that his heart they remain in marks of indelible grace yes yes i to the end shall endure assurance and promises given more happy but not more secure the souls of the blessed and heavenly praise the savior he's able to save he's able to keep and he's able to satisfy. Our great-eyed priest is sitting at God's right hand above. For us his hands uplifted in sympathy and love while here below in weakness and onward make our way. Sorrow often sickness we scarcely dare to pray. Through manifold temptations, my soul will hold on our course. Christ's mighty intercession alone is my response. My gracious high priest please, run the cross and bleed, bring down God's grace and blessing, help in each hour of need. And then he prays for their unification. He prays that they all may be one. And he says, among other things, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The most convincing argument that we can get in this world is the unity of saints. Therefore, we need to take to heart the words of the Apostle in Romans chapter fourteen. He says, pursue, chase. The same word translated, persecute. Follow the things which make for peace, not that make for division. Follow the things which make for peace and things wherewith we may edify one another. How can I build of my brother and sister in Christ. That's what I need to be chasing at. And the Lord goes on to say that he says that they may be one. He says in verse twenty three that they may be made perfect in one. That the world may know I only believe that the world may know that thou sentest me and hath loved them as thou hast loved me. Three times is over in Gethsemane's garden. The Lord Jesus prayed this prayer. Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but I be done. only once as far as I know in the New Testament. You have the Lord Jesus expressing his direct will. It's in this chapter. Father, I will. Will what? I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. That they may behold my glory. not only behold his glory, but share in his glory. I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, seven times over this chapter, the Lord Jesus refers to his people as those that the Father has given him. Isn't that a wonderful thing? God has given us to his Father, a view of his sacrificial work on the cross. Let me say this. God is no Indian giver. What a wonderful assurance that is of the eternal security of the believer. Given by God to Son those that thou hast given me. The Bible says there's coming a day. when the Lord Jesus is going to be holy satisfied he shall see of the travail of his soul and he'll be satisfied and all the redeemed of all the ages in heaven sing to his praise he'll be satisfied and we'll be satisfied as well Just before coming up here, just a few weeks ago, I was over in the Bahamas. They have an island there that's got a lot of just off of Nassau. It's part of a community, but they call it Paradise Island. I was born in the Bahamas. My father was there for thirteen years preaching the Word of God, those islands. And when I was a boy, Paradise Island was called Hog Island, H-O-G. That was the name. But they call it paradise now. Paradise Island. And now they've got all kinds of gambling casinos, and that qualifies it, I guess, for the new name, Paradise Island. And I can assure you, it is no paradise. I was on one of the other islands of the Bahamas some years ago, and the brother there, he's a postmaster, he was telling me some lady was there on that island. It's a very pretty little place, and she had written some friend up north, and it said, I found paradise at last. Well, there's a lovely little assembly there, but I can tell you this, it's not paradise in the assembly as well as in the world around. It's not paradise there. Not only there. And I always think of a little story. During World War II, it went around, I guess all of you were in the service at that time, must have heard it, that they told about some fellow. And he went around the base, and he would pick up a little piece of paper, and he'd look at it for a minute. balled up and throw his buttocks down on the ground and said, this ain't it. And he picked up another little piece of paper and he studied for a minute and said, this ain't it. And he threw that down on the ground. He did that and folks began to notice that he was doing this that seemed a little nutty. So he reported him to the captain. He went into the captain's office and he pulled up a piece of paper off to his desk and he said, this ain't it. He threw it down. Another piece of paper, he looked at it, balled it up and threw it on the floor. He said, this ain't it. the captain sent him to see the basic arches. He did the same thing there. Two or three weeks later, he got a paper from the government saying they were discharging him for mental reasons, and when he looks at that paper, he says, this is it. Well, I've lived long enough in this world that wherever I've been, I said, this isn't this, this isn't this. We've all been to places that are beautiful, places to visit. Where every thing sees us, but only man is vile. That's what Him later says. This ain't it. As yet. The trade God were going to a place where we were forever satisfied. Before my father went to be with the Lord, I don't know how many times he must have asked me, he said, Be sure that him is sung at my funeral. All right. And not only did he know of him that he wanted sung, he wanted a certain tune of his sung. Not so much to him was this. Mid the darkness, storm and sorrow, one bright dream I see. Well, I know the blessed moral Christ will come for me. Mid the light and peace and glory of the Father's home. Christ for me is watching, waiting, waiting till I come. The Father says ask for me. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. We lost a son, twenty-nine years of age. In nineteen-night, I say we lost. In the sense, we haven't lost him because we know where he is. September the ninth, nineteen-night, our son David, was called home. Christmas following that. We were all in our living room, all the children. There were six children in our family, counting David. My daughter had taken and provided something for each one of us. And she asked that we open it as the last event on the calendar. And we opened it in the middle of the train... picture you might say was a photo of our son David taken on his wedding day and on each side of it were two verses that meant a great deal to him two verses that had written to me he just didn't write the verses out he just wrote the scriptural reference in the same two verses he had written to the assembly just four days before he went to be with the Lord he'd written quite a long letter to the assembly And one verse says this, this light affliction, which is but for a moment working for us, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And the other verse was, my beloved brethren, Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. That's the last verse in that great hope chapter, First Corinthians chapter, where Paul uses the word hope just once. If in this life only we have hope in Christ. If that's all there is, we have all men most miserable. For thy sake, Lord, we're still all the way wrong, but we are more than a conqueror through him that loved us. Let me just make one other mention in connection with David. You know, you love all your children. Don't love anyone any more than the rest, but he was a very devoted child of God and very devoted to his parents. But one of his favorite hymn recordings, and he used to play it all the time, it was by the Scottish Festival Choir, or you may have copies of their records, it's an oral cappella. And one of the hymns went like this. You'll all be there. We'll all be there. Praise the Lord. We'll all be there. You know, that's a wonderful thing. If... It is true in your family and mine. As you look at your sons and daughters, said, Lord, the old I and the children which thou has given me, we're all here. An old Scotch brother once said, when he saw a loved one taken, he says, let me not think. of my loss. Let me but think of his gain. Let me not think of his leaving. Let me think of his arising. And let me not think of the parting, but let me think of the reunion. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then caught up together, together in the clouds, no more to be separated forever. Every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is still. Shall we pray? Father, we're thankful for thy word. We're thankful that many of us here should say, yes, the worlding has his portion in this life. But as for me, I shall be satisfied when I await with thy likeness. We're thankful for these days together, Father. We're thankful for thy word. We're thankful for each one here present, each home, each boy, each girl, each older one, thou dost know I need. We pray that through thy spirit, thou hast comfort and encouraged and challenged us to keep on keeping on, knowing that our labor is not in vain, thank the Lord. We're thankful that the day is coming when the Lord Jesus is going to come. He said, Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. Let us then, Lord, be true and faithful, trusting, serving every day. Just one glimpse of the inglory will the toil of life be paid. He looked at each and the remainder of the day, seek thy blessing and the food that has been provided for us. Blessed that, and our fellowship together we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.