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Right, so we're up to now, Matthew chapter 20. And as usual, I'll just remind you what happened last week. And it's kind of a bit more important this week, because we follow on from Matthew 19 here. But we did earlier in the chapter, Matthew chapter 19, look at divorce and the only biblical grounds for it, which was fornication pre-marriage. And obviously that was something unknown. It wasn't sort of 10 years down the line. Well, actually I think, yeah, you probably fornicated pre-marriage, so I'm going to divorce you. This was something which was found when they were under some other, obviously under the impression that wasn't the case. And that is the only grounds for divorce. And we saw how the Phariseeds had changed it, but Jesus said that remarriage for any other case is adultery, okay? So, and if you think about it in kind of just in a simple way, so often, that's really what divorce is about really, isn't it? Oh, well, I'm just going to go and live a kind of single life. It's just because so often someone just wants someone else, whether they know them already or not, or it's just the kind of idea, the idea of someone else. And that's what so often divorce is about. And that's why, obviously it's adultery because what God has joined together, let not man put asunder. So we looked at how some are able to live a life of chastity, but most is our husband or wife. So it's not a reason to put people off. It's a reason to basically take these things seriously and for those who aren't married and kids growing up and stuff is to be diligent when you do find someone. And obviously you're not going to find that perfect person, but someone that you are going to make that effort to love your whole life and not just, oh, well, yeah, it all seems so great right now, but we'll see what happens. Marriage is an important thing for life, isn't it? We looked at the rich ruler then after that, who in verse 16 said, Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And obviously we looked at how he didn't believe that Jesus was a Christ, was therefore looking to achieve it with his good works. And how Jesus said, he delicately, didn't he, really shows him his covetousness and how he handled him was different to maybe how he'd handle someone else. And when we're soul winning, sometimes we do have to have that personal touch, don't we, and deal with different people in different ways. Jesus Christ shows us that. And we saw that how he left that commandment out, didn't he? And it was like sort of like the glaring, obvious one that he left out when he gave that list of that second half of the 10 commandments. And then I would imagine he would have worked that out afterwards. He showed then after that, after he gave this example and showed that this guy clearly did have issues with that. He then showed the difficulty of getting rich people saved and said, it's no easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. And yeah, he was, you know, obviously it's hyperbole, but he wasn't talking about some eye of a needle gate or any of that stuff. He finished a chapter telling the disciples of the blessings they could receive here as well as in heaven. And it was after Peter asked this in verse 27, Matthew 19, 27, it says, then answered Peter and said unto him, behold, we have forsaken all, and follow thee, what shall we have therefore? And then he finished with the saying that we see a few times in the gospels, to explain, obviously, and then verse 30, he says, but many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Which then leads on to the beginning of this chapter from that passage, because then we go into verse one where it starts with for, we're continuing on, for the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. I'd like to pray before we continue. Father, thank you for this great chapter of the Bible. Please help me to preach this accurately now, Lord, and boldly and clearly, and help everyone here to really just understand what you're trying to say to them, Lord. Please just bless everyone here to just be able to pay attention. Help me to just preach this clearly, Lord, and fill me with your spirit, please. In Jesus' name, pray all of this, amen. So I'd like to just read this parable again in full, and then we'll go through it afterwards. So verse one says, for the kingdom of heaven, for the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a better day, he sent them into his vineyard. Then he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace and said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again, he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing idle and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They said unto him, Because no man hath hired us, he saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more, and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good men of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and now has made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that line is, and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many be called, but few chosen. Now, remember that we've seen this phrase, the kingdom of heaven, referring to various aspects of the things of God. So it's not right, this is salvation, okay? You know, the kingdom of heaven is like unto, and then we see similarities, you know, and lessons that we're learning from these parables. Okay, it's like unto, it's not getting into heaven is this or this, you know, they're similarities, okay? And just bear that in mind with this. And there are many things, the coming end times, salvation sometimes, the things of God working for God, all these different things we've seen over some of the parables in the last several chapters. He said in verse one, For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Now, this is where we get the reference to the value of a penny in the Bible, a day's wage for a labourer. I don't know what it would be now, it's about 12 hours. I think nowadays, I think minimum wage is 10 pound an hour, is it now, just about? So yeah, I don't know, 120 odd quid, something like that. So this householder representing God is obviously, this is what the householder is, has gone out early to get workers into his vineyard, okay? Now, notice how this first group here have an agreed reward, it's what they've agreed, yeah, of a penny a day. Said, and when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, sent them into his vineyard, okay? So just bear that in mind. Verse three says that he went out about the third hour and saw other standing idol in the marketplace. Now, third hour here is about 9 a.m., okay? We're starting at 6 a.m., so this is now, we're looking at around 9 a.m., and said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you, and they went their way. So nothing's been agreed here, is it? These guys are just, okay, they've just trusted him, whatever's right, give me. Verse five, again, he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, so this is midday and 3 p.m., and did likewise. So again, same, nothing's agreed here, yeah? Likewise to the verse before. And look at verse six. At about the 11th hour, now this is sort of 5 p.m. now, with a 6 p.m. finish, yeah? He went out and found other standing idol and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? I mean, this is, we are talking about an hour of work here, right? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. Notice how they didn't say, because we couldn't agree the wage. They're willing a neighbor, aren't they? They just said, No man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So again, nothing agreed there, yeah? Verse eight says, So when evil was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their high, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the 11th hour, they received every man a penny. So these one-hour workers have received what seems to be an agreed day's wage, yeah? Verse 10, But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more, and they likewise received every man a penny. So they're thinking like, why haven't we been paid more than everyone else? And maybe first look, look at this, you could look at that and think, yeah, this seems a bit off, doesn't it? And the guys have only done it now, they've been working all day. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good men of the house, saying, These last but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong, didst not thou agree with me for a penny? He's saying, what's the problem? Didn't we agree that you were being paid a penny? They agreed to work for a penny, didn't they? Take that line is, and go thy way, I would give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is I naival because I am good? So it makes no difference to them, does it? Why be angry because of his generosity? That's what he's saying. What difference does it make to you? We agreed a penny. If I decide to be generous to these other people, how does that affect you at all? And it's a fair point, isn't it? He says in verse 16, So the last shall be first and the first last, for many be called, but few chosen. Now, what's this a picture of? I believe there's a few truths wrapped up in this parable. Many like to talk, and I'm sure I've heard this preached and many years ago, the fact that it's kind of like the end of life salvation type thing that, well, you know, you get saved from early on and you can get saved last thing, you know, and basically because salvation is, is, you know, it's just comes down to being a free gift, doesn't it? And obviously he's talking about paying labors, but it's just a picture, et cetera. And look, you know, that's true. Yeah, you can get saved at the 11th hour, can't you? Okay, people can, people I'm sure sometimes do. I think it's probably less than we'd like to think. I think a lot of the time when someone's been hardhearted for their whole life to some degree, it's probably less likely. It'd be nice to think that there's all these people getting saved on their deathbeds. The reality probably isn't the case. However, that is true. But remember that this was on the back of Matthew 19. The rich ruler was unwilling to forsake all and follow Christ, wasn't he? And we saw that in verse 27, it says then, then answered Peter and said unto him, behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee. This is in Matthew 19. What shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in a regeneration when the Son of Man should sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And everyone that has forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my name's sake shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first. Then he went in to for the kingdom of heaven is like unto man that is in household, which went out early in the morning to our labourers into his vineyard. So this power clearly follows on from that conversation, doesn't it? Okay, so I believe there's a few obvious points he's making here. Number one, it's just those counting the costs are the ones that are unhappy, aren't they? So those are like, well, what can I get in return? And what, you know, when I do this for God, what am I going to get? What blessings am I going to get in life? What maybe, or what am I going to get even in eternity if I do this? What have we agreed? Well, God did say this and on the back of, by the way, Peter kind of asked you that, what are we going to receive then? No, we've given up all this. What are we going to get? And there are people like that, aren't there? Just like, well, what, wait a second, you know, brother so-and-so seems to be doing all right there, but I've been doing this and I've been turning up for every soul winning time. You know, where are my blessings, et cetera? Well, they're the unhappy ones in this story, aren't they? It says, when he had agreed, verse two, when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. So there's definitely been something agreed there. They believe that they're getting the penny in return. They're happy at the time to be getting that, but then they're looking at others and comparing to others. They're the ones murmuring afterwards. It's the look at what we've done types. Look at me, why is that person seems to be getting this or doing okay in that area of life or whatever else? Number two, those just willing to work receive a great reward, don't they? Look at verse three, and he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idly in the marketplace and said unto them, go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. They were just willing to work, weren't they? Whatsoever is right. I mean, I don't know how many of you would just go to an employer and go, you just pay me whatsoever you think is right because you'd expect to get stitched up, wouldn't you? But when we say that to God, just go, look, I just want to serve you. I just want to serve you. You give me whatever you think for that. I just want to serve you. I'm just happy to work. I'm happy to labour. Well, those willing to work receive a great reward in the end, because these people, look, in fact, verse four, and said unto them, go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Verse five says, again, he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise. So you've got ones who are even in the ninth hour. They're just going, yeah, whatever. Yeah, I'll come and work for a few hours. You just give me what you think's right. What do you think? Is it even worth turning up? Even worth walking to the vineyard? How many people just think that's even a day's wage? What's the point? But they're just willing to work, yeah? And in return, they receive a great reward, don't they? They end up getting the same as the people that had done the full day. Number three, those willing to give what little they can receive the best reward when you compare it, don't you? So are those willing to just give what little they're able to give? Verse six says, in about the 11th hour he went out and found others standing idle and saith unto them, why stand you here all the day idle? They say unto him, because no man hath hired us. And you kind of look at our verse, you do think there are probably a lot of people out there who probably want to do stuff for God and just no one's hiring them to do it. No one's sending them out. There are probably some well-meaning people in churches, maybe in this nation, maybe in other nations, who are just kind of languishing in some dead-as-a-door-nail church, who were willing and had some zeal, who wanted to do some stuff for the Lord, then they couldn't even be bothered to send them out and get them actually doing anything. They're just, well, no man's hired us. But they've probably got their hearts in it. They've probably done even 90 better. Maybe they haven't seen preaching like the sorts of churches that we listen to preach and that we preach at this church. Maybe they just don't know much better. Maybe they're just in these, and you know, I've talked about this before. Look, there are some churches which are just a bit dead, but some I just think are wicked. Some just appear to be a dead church. You're like, well, I've kind of got to go there because there is a church in my area. But really it's just some wicked, usually some closet heretic, who's just got you in there, just weakening you and weakening you and putting a dampener on soul-willing, putting a dampener on the truths of the Bible and just making you just kind of have to go. Because I can't really, they do seem to preach the right gospel. He doesn't seem to have any passion for it at all. He doesn't seem to have any zeal, doesn't even want to go out soul-willing. He even kind of constantly gives the old, oh, so did they really get saved, sort of stuff. Or, well, let's hope they come to church then. Or, remember God does the Saviour. And all that rubbish that just weakens you week after week after week after week to the point where there are people still in those churches around this stage and others who have got to the point where they barely go out and preach the gospel anymore. They said no man had hired us. He saith unto them, go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So, like I said, they only had an hour left to work, yeah? And they were willing to go to that vineyard for just that hour. And there are people that only have a little to give for some reason or another. Maybe they're, you know, maybe they're a single mum with however many kids. And they can't, they can't come to every soul-willing time. They can't do everything. They can't do everything that maybe someone else who's maybe single and doesn't have those, those, you know, other responsibilities in life can do. But they're willing, but they just want to do what they can. You know, those people get rewarded for that. Oh, well, they haven't been, you know, they haven't been preaching the gospel five times a week. What should they get? Well, I'll tell you what, they do what they can. They're willing to do what little they can, yeah? And they get the best reward, don't they? Because their heart's in the right place, isn't it? They weren't there trying to haggle, go, well, if I do this and I'm going to get rewarded this. No, they just said, they just said, whatever. Yeah, and now no one's hired us, but you're hiring us. We're happy to work for you, Lord. And then number four with that, and I think they're kind of the main points, but you could also add as well that those who think that they have done the most for God are often the least likely to receive salvation as well, aren't they? So those who think they have done the most are often the least likely to get saved in the first place. Look at verse 10, but when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more, and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying, these lasts have wrought but one hour, and thou has made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine ears, and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many be called, but few chosen. And the reason that there's also that picture in there as well is because really of that last verse especially. But look, you know, there are people like that who really, they're so upset by the fact they think they've done so much, often pre, you know, any chance of, or at least pre-hearing the gospel, that they just don't even want to hear it because basically they're upset that the Lord is willing to give people a free ride into heaven by just putting their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And how often does that put people off? They don't even want to hear it. They don't want to believe it. And then they're murmuring against the good man of the house like these guys here. Now with that in mind, I think that that kind of leads on to what I consider could be another picture. I might be just going off on a Jew tangent here, but sometimes you've got to go off on a Jew tangent, okay? And I also believe that this could be one of the many pictures of salvation being offered to all, not just Israel and the Jews. It kind of is the same thing really. Where, look, there are those that just sort that, like these guys here, well, we've done all this, we've done, as a nation, we've done all this stuff. And what, and you're now just like 11th hour Gentile, just free ride into heaven. And we'll just quickly look at this, because just turn to John 4, because at this point in history, look, there'd be many converts, yeah, and prophets have gone out from Israel, and later, obviously Judah, but it seems that the Gentiles were pretty much in the dark now. There'd be no prophet between Malachi and John the Baptist 400 odd years later, yeah, and he is called a light unto the Gentiles, Jesus Christ in a dark land, et cetera. And obviously, you know, Judah and, you know, and the areas surrounding are obviously dark as well. The remnant in Judea, they weren't exactly preaching the gospel to every creature at this point, were they? Okay, and what did seem to be a small remnant from what you could tell, and obviously, John the Baptist has come and prepared the way, and he's preaching the gospel before that, but John, you know, as a kind of point in history, look at John 4 and verse 20. Jesus is speaking to the woman at the well, she's a Samaritan. She says, our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and ye say, in Jerusalem is a place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto a woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what? We know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. So you can understand that they're thinking, you know, look, we're the people of God. We've been given it all. We've been given the word of God. We've had the oracles committed unto us. We are the people of God, you know. We'll look at the, you know, what about the fathers? You know, we're of Abraham. We're, you know, all our history, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And look, a lot of that is true. They did have the word of God given to them. Jesus went first the lost sheep of the house of Israel. However, look at verse 23. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. So they might have the word of God, the history of the prophets, Abraham as a father, but Jesus said that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham, didn't he? Okay, so verse 23, Jesus said, the Father seeketh such to worship him. And in the parable back in Matthew 20, the householder goes out to seek more laborers, didn't he? Goes out to find more laborers. So yes, the Jews, you could argue, had borne the burden and heat of the day, hadn't they? Look, they've gone through a lot. They're, you know, and as a nation, they had previously done some great things. Well, because a lot of time when we think of Jews, kind of think negatively, because of those that say they're Jews and they're not, but the synagogue of Satan, the clowns that we have there, you know, in our kind of lives today that people are calling Jews, which are just a complete, just blasphemous bunch of devils. However, as a nation previously, think about King David and the kingdom under David, after all the war, yeah, I know, he obviously made some errors in his life, but that was a great leader. You know, there was some great things being done. Think about under the reign of Solomon. I mean, that was a picture of the millennial reign and there was some great stuff going on there, obviously, before he veered off at the end, yeah? So, great stuff had happened under, you know, well, with this nation, with the word of God, but the householder went out to seek more, even up until the 11th hour. And this is why he said, if you go back there in verse 16, so the last shall be first and the first last, for many be called, but few chosen. So you could argue the first being that nation that was given so much, yet so many of their descendants ended up rejecting God, didn't they? Both physical and spiritual descendants, why? Well, one of their big rights was the gospel going to the Gentiles, wasn't it? Was those being saved at the third, sixth, ninth and 11th hour, yeah? These people, they had got so, so racist, really. It's funny, isn't it? You know, when I use that race card against anyone that criticizes their religion, it's just bizarre. Yeah, this is a racist bunch, yeah? And really, they just couldn't cope with this truth, could they? That the word of God was going out en masse to the Gentile, and they just couldn't deal with it, you know? Jump forward to chapter 21, where Jesus tells them this truth. He tells them the parable of the householder and husbandman. We're going to look from verse 42, because he then says, after that parable, Jesus saith unto them, did ye never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected? The same is become the head of the corner. This the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. So what do they do? They find out how they could get right. How can we get right with God? How can we make things better? How do we please God now? What do we do? Verse 46, but when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude because they took it for profit. And that's what Jesus Christ preached the gospel did to the majority of these people. They rejected him, they hated him, didn't they? They didn't want him. They wanted to lay hands and they wanted to kill him. And the kingdom of God was taken for them. It's not that they weren't allowed to get saved. It's not, all right, the Jews are now banned now. God's not done with the Jews, yeah, until later. No, that's nonsense, yeah, no. What happened is ultimately they were unable. They rejected him and eventually so many of them are rejected as well. They rejected God as a result of this truth was a big part of it, wasn't it? They just couldn't cope with the fact that it was going out to other people. And then back in chapter 20, the real reason is verse 15, where it says, Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good? And that's what it comes down to. God is good, isn't he? And that's why their eye is evil. And verse 16 says, So the last shall be first and the first last, for many be called, but few chosen. And obviously this isn't talking about some clown Calvinist style election, you know, shut eyes and just point at random nonsense. However, intellectually you try and make it sound, there's a criteria to being chosen. What's the criteria of faith in Jesus Christ? Many be called. John 12, 32 says, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. That's many, isn't it? But few get saved because straight is the gate and narrows the way, leadeth unto life. Few there be that find it. Okay, and that's the truth of life, grace through faith. So the first received the word of God, who think they've done so much. And maybe I'm, you know, gone off on a due tangent there, but I see that there. And they think they've done so much for God, their bloodline, their works, you know, all the stuff they've done, but they're the last when it comes to salvation in terms of look, they ain't getting saved, right? Okay, so look at verse 17. We're gonna move on from there. But for me, look, the main four points there, and obviously you could, you know, cause it kind of is the same thing, isn't it? Is those that feel like either they've done loads as a nation or they've done loads individually, whatever it is, are those that are the most offended by God's generosity to all, yeah? That's how I see that parable. But we're gonna move on from that. You know, there's probably other things in there and that's how I see that. Verse 17 says, And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the 12 disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, behold, we got to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him. And the third day he shall rise again. So it looks from there that there's a bigger group than the 13 of them. It's like Jesus takes the 12 to one side. In Mark 10, by the way, it says they were afraid. Why do you think they're afraid? Jesus Christ is just like marching onto Jerusalem. What are you doing? You know, because obviously these people want to take him. They want to kill him. You know, he's going to like the hub of it all. And obviously they're in a bit of fear right now. Now, he makes it pretty clear to them. I mean, he's just said, look, he's going to be betrayed unto the chief priests, they shall condemn him to death, they should deliver him to the Gentiles, to mock, to discourage, to crucify him, and the third day he shall rise again. But they still don't seem to get it. Luke, you don't have to tell them, but Luke 18, the parallel passage in verse 34 says, and they understood none of these things. And this saying was hid from them. Neither knew they the things which were spoken. So they still don't get it. He's spelling out clearly to them. So why did he tell them then? Why is he telling them if they don't get it? I reckon for them to look back on. There are many things that when you read through the word of God, you don't necessarily understand the first time and the next time, but you kind of look back at me and go, okay, yeah, that makes sense now, et cetera. And for them, obviously it was just, wow, yeah, he was telling us all about this, we weren't even understanding it. And don't forget as well, and I made this point the other day, sometimes you can forget this when you're reading through the gospels, because you can think, oh, come to the disciples, oh, not very quick, and how they do this, they don't. They ain't into help by the Holy Spirit, yeah? You don't have an excuse if you say. But the disciples weren't, were they? Okay, they're not into help. Yeah, I know the Spirit could come upon them. I know there are great men of God in the past, and obviously before the New Testament, who understood a lot, you know? But look, there is a difference there, isn't there? But anyway, they don't understand it. But Jesus himself, he didn't understand, he knew exactly what he was heading towards, okay? This isn't, and again, some people look for a fire and think, oh, Jesus just didn't quite evade capture, oh, you know, he just didn't quite make it away from there. No, no, Jesus Christ knew exactly what he was doing, he knew exactly what was gonna happen, he's explaining it to them. Verse 20, then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him and desiring a certain thing of him. So this is James and John, and they brought their mum along, okay? They brought mum along to try and get a special favour from Jesus here, quite clever, really. And he said unto her, what wilt thou? She saith unto him, grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. Now is that because they want to be close to Jesus? Is that why she asked that? No, they want to be the next in charge, the top guys. And they basically brought mum along to put the pressure on him. They're like, who could scare Jesus? I'll tell you who, mum, mum's gonna persuade him, right? If there's anyone that could do a bit of persuasion, it's a mum, isn't it? And mum's been brought along to put the pressure on him. Verse 22, but Jesus answers said, ye know not what ye ask, are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptised of the baptism that I am baptised with? They say unto him, we are able. So what's the cup and baptism here? Now, before I kind of go through this, look, you could look at this just at face value in the next couple of verses. So 23 and 24, he saith unto them, you shall indeed drink of my cup and be baptised of the baptism. This is verse 23, and I am baptised with it, sit on my right hand on my left. It is not mine to give, but it should be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. You could just say, well, he's just talking about kind of following in Christ's footsteps and you know, the kind of tribulations and trial sings, not exactly the same way. But I don't know, you know, I'm one of these people, when I go through the Bible, you know, things like Matthew 4, four, you know, and man shall not live by bread alone, but whatever he were to proceed out of the mouth of God, I'm a bit pernickety when I go through these things. Maybe I'll go too far on this, but I like to really try and go for each word and really try and make sense of verses. I don't know, for that reason, I'm going to explain what I think this means, but I might, look, maybe you should just look at it kind of from a sort of general view and just go, oh, he's just saying, you know, are you able to follow, you know, the same sort of life as me? But I'm going to show you why I don't think that because of how particular the words are here. So what's the cup of baptism? The cup is often a picture of the anger and fury of God, isn't it, okay? We see that constantly throughout the Bible, and you could say, well, he's just talking about kind of following similar footsteps. But look, turn to Revelation 14 whilst I read Isaiah 51, 17, because he does say, are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of? Okay, in your turn in Revelation 14, Isaiah 51, 17 says, Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which has drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury. Thou has drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling and wrung them out. Jeremiah 25, 15 says, For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me, take the wine cup of this fury at my hand and cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink it. So the cup of his fury, the cup of this fury, either way, it results in God's righteous punishment, doesn't it? It's like his angry judgment, yeah? Revelation 14, you're in, in verse nine. It says, And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. So the wine is the wrath of God. It's pure without mixture and poured into his cup of indignation, which basically means extreme anger. Extreme wrath. Why is Jesus drinking of this cup then? Drinking of the cup? Because he became sin for us. Who knew no sin? That we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He became sin for us. He took the punishment that we all deserve, the wrath, the anger of God, for every sin you, I and the rest of mankind has ever committed and ever will commit, Jesus Christ took it all upon himself. It's amazing, isn't it, really? It's not, oh yeah, well, some people, I remember once, yeah, when I got baptised, I invited a friend, this is many years back, I invited a friend, bit of a kind of God-rejector came along and he was overheard outside going, yeah, I reckon I could take crucifixion and he was just an idiot, this guy, but he was basically saying, ah, I reckon I could do, what's so bad about getting crucified? And look, the crucifixion was horrendous. However, it wasn't just a crucifixion either, was it? And that's why it's always bizarre when churches just will not preach this, just remove these verses out of their Bible, somehow or other. Jesus Christ, yeah, but the crucifixion was horrendous, however, Jesus Christ went to hell, yeah, and that's the cup of the wrath of God that was poured out upon him. I mean, he really went through something, but anyway, so you have to know, Isaiah 53, six says, all we like sheep have God Australian to turn everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Okay, so all of our iniquity was laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ. What's the cup that he drank of the wrath of God and where did he endure that wrath in hell? Okay, that's where I think the ultimate wrath was in hell. Turn to Matthew three, that's why he said back in Matthew 12, 40, for his Jonas was three days and three nights in the world's belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Okay, so look, it's clear in the Bible, isn't it? We see it clearly time and time again. In Matthew three and verse 11, John the Baptist is preaching and he says this, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I'm not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Now the Pentecostals will stop here and make names like Holy Fire Ministries and the things like that. Holy Ghost of Fire, all this sort of stuff, which is kind of apt really, because that's where they're taking people. You know, it is Holy Fire Ministries, you know, because they're preaching people down to some holy fire. Yeah, but they missed verse 12 to help understand what he means here when he says he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He's not talking about lighting you up, he's not talking about the day of Pentecost or any of that sort of stuff. Verse 12 says, whose fan is in his hand, a reference here to threshing wheat, and he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. So it's two options, isn't it? It's baptism with the Holy Ghost, and that's the indwelling with salvation, I believe. And then there's baptism with fire in hell, okay, being immersed in fire for eternity, yeah. They're the two options, yeah, which Jesus Christ brings, doesn't he? Now, although Jesus Christ suffered that baptism of fire, which is why in Acts 2.31, Peter talking the prophecy of David said, he's saying this before, it's the spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Okay, not an error, not a mistake, not talking about Hades or the grave, I know he said hell for a reason, yeah. But I believe that in chapter 20, where we are, in Matthew 20, you don't have to go back there for a second there, stay in Matthew 3 though. He's talking about, I believe he's likely talking about the indwelling of the Holy Ghost that he received in verse 16. Now, he might not be, okay, he might not be in this first instance, but I do believe he is when he then talks to James and John afterwards, and I'll show you why. Matthew 3.16, it says, In Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straight way out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him. So look, there's two baptisms there, there's the basically the lighting upon you, indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and then there's a baptism of fire in hell, yeah, okay? They're your two options in life, really, when it comes to that sort of baptism that we're talking about, okay? We're not talking about the baptism that we receive in water, which is a picture of things and an answer of a good conscience toward God. Now, so in Matthew 20, they asked to sit on either side of him. He replied in verse 22, but Jesus answers said, Ye know not what ye ask? Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of? Yeah, that's coming in the future, right? And to be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with. Now, look, maybe I'm getting a bit picky here, but for me, you've got a future I shall drink of, and then you've got a current that I am baptised with. They say unto him, we are able. That's why I believe that it's being filled with the Holy Ghost, rather than the coming baptism of fire, because he's not baptised that at this point. Now, again, maybe I'm getting picky here, but it is present tense. He's saying, look, you want to sit on either side of me, are you able to go through what I'm about to go through? Are you able to be filled with the Holy Ghost? Maybe that's what he's saying. So, and again, maybe I'm off here, but remember what we just saw that they don't really understand these things fully, okay? So they then say, we are able. Then look at verse 23, and this is again why I believe that, because he says in verse 23, and he says unto them, ye shall drink indeed of, notice he said my cup, my cup, and be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with. So ye shall drink indeed of my cup and be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with, but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. Now, otherwise you would read this and go, so does this mean they're going to have to suffer the wrath of God and go to hell? Like I said, you could just look at it and just go, well, he's just kind of talking about following in Christ. You could say that, look, you know, when we suffer for Christ, we're following him, et cetera. And we do suffer for Christ. The more you live, you know, godly in Christ Jesus, you shall suffer persecution. However, obviously they're not going to suffer the wrath of God though, are they? Does God pour out his wrath upon you if you follow Jesus Christ? I don't think so. Do you go to hell? No. Are James and John going to go to hell? No. Are they going to suffer the fury of God? No. So notice a slight change of phrase. He said, you shall drink indeed of my cup. I think he's just, look, maybe I think he's being a bit clever here. I think he's saying, look, you shall indeed drink of my cup. And you could add to that. However, you're not going to be drinking of the cup that I'm drinking of. You shall indeed drink of my cup. Turn to chapter 26, because we see this physically fulfilled therefore. Chapter 26 and verse 26, chapter 26 and verse 26 of Matthew says, and as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it and break it and gave it to the disciples and said, take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, drink ye all of it for this is my blood of the new Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. They physically drank of his cup, didn't they? And it's obviously a picture of partaking in his shed blood. That's what it's a picture of. Yes, they did. They did drink of his cup, didn't they? And they partook in his shed blood and they physically actually did the picture of it as well in what was previously the Passover, which became what we know of as the Lord's supper, which is why we at this church do it once a year. That's why he said in Matthew 20 and verse 23, and he said unto them, you shall drink indeed of my cup and be baptized. Yeah, so they are going to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. Look, they didn't go to hell, right? But to sit on my right hand on my left is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared in my Father. Turn to John chapter 20 now, last place of attorney on this, because the baptism of the Holy Ghost happens after his resurrection, doesn't it? And they do get baptized if I'm right there. And I believe I'm right, otherwise I wouldn't be preaching it, but I'm not dogmatic about this. I believe that's what it's talking about. Verse 19, then the same day evening, this is John 20 verse 19, then the same day evening being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side, then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord, then said Jesus to them again, peace be unto you. As my Father sent me, even so said unto you, when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost. And that's what I believe is what he's talking about there. So yes, they did drink of his cup, and were baptized with the baptism that he was currently already baptized with. But to be the right and left hand men is something that God the Father decides. And I don't know who that is. Maybe it'll be the two witnesses, I don't know. You know, but that's not something that he can give them. So let's move on from that. And that's how I see that. Again, I'm not dogmatic. That's something that, you know, I was kind of dwelling on that a lot. I might be wrong there. Maybe he's just kind of just saying, he's generally going to follow in his footsteps. Either way, it's not, you know, it's not the end of the world, but what you believe on that. But verse 24 says, and when the 10 heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. So they're thinking like, you sneaky sons of thunder, you got your mum down here to try and snatch that left hand and right hand plates, yeah? And they're angry with them. But Jesus called them unto him and said, ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they are great, exercise authority upon them. I don't want to stop there for a second. And I know I've preached this verse before a while back. And I really like this verse, yeah? This verse just sums up the many versions of government, yeah, around the world and how things really work in nations and the powers that be. This is such a like, just for me, this is just such a clear verse on things which people, you know, I've got to go to like that conspiracy guy to tell me about, you know, these people are bribing this and like it's something new. Jesus called it out 2000 years ago. He said, so look, princes here is short for principles, okay, leaders. So the leaders exercise dominion. He said, you know that the princes of the Gentiles, it's just the nations, okay? This is how the world runs. That the leaders exercise dominion, which is power and authority. They exercise dominion over them, over the nation, okay? So you've got these leaders exercising power and authority. But then this second part, you could easily skim over. And they that are great exercise authority upon them. So great is powerful, isn't it? Wealthy, important, yeah? Those who have the power, the wealth and the importance, they exercise authority upon the leaders. So look, whether it's a ruling monarchy, a democracy, a communism, you know, socialism, capitalism, you know, everyone's shaking their fists at this one. It's all the same. It's all the same. Whoever's the leader is having authority exercised upon them by the power, the powerful people in the shadows, the people with the money, the people with the wealth, the people who dictate in the background what goes on. And Jesus just said it out clearly in this verse. You know our parallel verses, which say the same thing in Luke and Mark's gospels as well. But look, that's what goes on in life, isn't it? And it's so clear. And we see it, don't we? Just see it going on all the time. I mean, who really believes that, what's his name again, Rishi Sunak? I can't keep up. Who was the last, who was that lady that was there for about a week? That was painful, wasn't it? Anyone see any of those little mock-up clips of her in the past? Anyone see any of that? I'll have to show you some of this stuff. I saw some little YouTube clips of just all this weird stuff she used to say. Anyway, so they're all just a bunch of nutters, aren't they? But anyway, so you've got this Rishi Sunak, the prime, does anyone really think that Rishi Sunak is just exercising all this authority without any influence from anyone with wealth? Like, some of it is so blatantly in the open. I remember Preacher's Sermon on this a while back. Well, I just showed the stuff that was just clear as day. It was just easy to find. It wasn't like sort of the guy, you know, in the basement who got the government papers on the flat earth. There was none of that stuff, I'm joking. There's none of that stuff. Instead, it was the guy, it was, sorry, it was just open out and he opened donors to parties. Big, wealthy businessmen just donating millions of pounds to this Conservative party, this to this. And just, and it's all these people that are great exercising authority upon the leadership and they're the ones really that call the shots. That's why it all just goes the same way. That's why all this arguing about, you know, whether it's Conservative or Labour or Lib Dem and, oh, you've got to vote, you've got to, it all just goes, it just kind of goes in this way to the same point, doesn't it? Because it's the ones with the money in the backgrounds that are exercising authority upon them. Turn to Micah 7, which also for me just explains this truth clearly as well. And in Micah chapter 7, he says this from verse 2. Micah 7, 2 says, the good man is perished out of the earth. Sorry, just give me a second to get there, Micah 7, 2. Micah says, the good man is perished out of the earth and there is none upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood. They hunt every man his brother with a net that they may do evil with both hands earnestly The prince asketh and the judge asketh for a reward. Okay, so these guys are asking for the gifts and the rewards and the great man, remember they're the ones that exercise authority, he uttereth his mischievous desire so they wrap it up. So it's like they're asking, they're asking, he just asks and they're like, yeah, whatever, you know, because they just want the money, they just want the bribe, they just want the cash. The best of them is a zebriah. The best of them is a zebriah. The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge. The day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh, now shall be their perplexity. So you basically just say, look, all these people are just wicked, yeah, they're just in the background, you just got these so-called leaders just, just basically asking for cash. The great men give it to them, they ask for their mistress to, you know, desire, they just wrap it up and what they are, and the reward is not always money, is it? They ask for a reward, the prince asketh and the judge are, and so often we see that their reward is something sort of a lot more hideous than cash, isn't it? And I don't want to go on about this stuff all the time, but that's what all this Jeffrey Epstein stuff is about, isn't it? Because sometimes the reward that they want is just some sort of vile wickedness. And the great men can just wrap that up, give it to them on a plate, whatever they want, all this pizza gate stuff, just a bunch of perverts, bunch of weirdos, but this is the way I see it, yeah, to get high in politics, you either have to be very bribable or very perverse. Yeah, and that's pretty much how it works. Bribable or perverse are usually both, and then you ask for your desire and they'll wrap it up for you. And ultimately, like we see in Matthew 4, where the devil's just showing him all the kingdoms of the world are saying, all this will I give you if you should just bow down and worship me? That's what really they do, don't they? All their wickedness, all their vile sins and everything else, and the great men doing the devil's bidding at the back, that's why he's the god of this world. That's why it's principalities and powers, rulers of the dance of this world, spiritual wickedness in high place, because these people are just so easily manipulated, corrupted, and it's pretty wicked out there, isn't it? So yeah, I'm not really up for trying to get into government, if anyone was wondering. I hope no one else is here either thinking about it, because we're not, look, that's not our calling in life, is it? I'll call on his gut and preach the gospel, because that is a filthy, disgusting, murky world to get into, isn't it? And that's not for God's children. So back to Matthew chapter 20, because we'll continue that. So verse 25, he said, But Jesus called them unto him and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. Verse 26 says, But it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. So there's no extra level here at church for being rich. Okay, if anyone wondered if they think, well, if I really make it, then I'm going to be kind of up here, and you know, brother Ian's going to kind of, you know, give me like the best kind of roles and jobs and everything else, and a bit more influence in the church. That's not how it works, okay. There's none of that here. He said, it shall not be so among you. He said, but whosoever will be great among you, so those with the power, those with the wealth, those with the riches, let him be your minister. And, you know, there's, you could say there's two points here, because one, you could say, look, you know, present day in the church here, but also you could say that he's saying that, that to be great in the kingdom, whosoever will be great among you, you know, you need to have ministered here. You could also say as well, because, you know, we've seen that point before, you know, about the first last, the last verse, and he's talking about, you know, those that do much for the kingdom of God say, look, if you want to have a, you know, great resurrection and millennial reign and everything else, look, we need to learn, don't we, that we're here to minister unto others. And it's not just the gospel. Yeah, the gospel's part of it, but we should be ministering to each other as well, shouldn't we? We shouldn't be like too high and mighty to do things for each other, to help each other and everything else. He said, but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. Then he said, and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. So same again, you know, the chief here is a servant really. And, you know, I think that often with, you know, for example, this sort of job and obviously, you know, pastoring at kind of at the next level with that as well, is ultimately you're just the servant of the church. You're just, look, yeah, you have to still lead. Yeah, you have to lead from the front. Sometimes you do have to kind of check people and sometimes you do have to have awkward conversations. And sometimes you do have to kind of exercise some form of authority in the church, but ultimately you're just ministering to people. You're serving people. You're, what you're preaching for, because that's where there'd been so many bad pastors in the past because they go into the job thinking that somehow they're going to be this great person and it's about them. And, you know, and some of them go on these power trips. A brother was telling me recently about a pastor there just on this kind of power trip, to the point where I think he was telling me that, this guy was telling me that he wanted to leave the church and the pastor said to him, he's going to have to take it to the membership. He's going to have to write a letter that he's going to take it to the membership and they're going to vote to decide whether or not he can leave the church. It's just an independent fundamental Baptist church. I mean, that's something else. And obviously he'll exert some authority with that. And that's not how it works, yeah. So people obviously just get so carried away with this stuff. But, you know, the most successful are those that just understand that when they're preaching, they're preaching to edify the church. It's not for themselves, is it? It's not, you're not preaching, how can I sound great? How can I look so great? How can I feel so, you know, bold and confident and, you know, everything just come out. That's not what it's about, is it? The whole point in preaching to a church is to edify the church, is to help the churches for them. And obviously you want, yeah, you don't want to sound like an idiot up here because they're not going to get edified. But ultimately that's the goal, isn't it? And that's the goal when you're preaching, that's the goal when you're leading. It's all about, it's about the whole point is that you're meant to be ministering to others. And that's something that people in leadership have to remember constantly. And that's what Jesus said is how it's going to be. That he said, it shall not be so among you. He said in verse 27 there, he said, and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. So now again, you could say, whosoever will be chief in the future, and he's sort of served here, but you could also say in this current time as well, if you want to lead people, you need to also learn to be serving them and understanding that it's ultimately for them, it's for their needs, for their goodness, and be happy to take that role of serving. And then he said this, he said in verse 28, even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life for ransom for many. And Jesus Christ is the ultimate example there, isn't he? He came to die for all of us. He, you know, he not just put himself out a bit, he gave his life for every single one. He gave his life for people that don't even want him. He gave his life for the whole world, didn't he? And what a great example, but we also see the example even away from his sacrifice on the cross, we see the example of Jesus Christ washing the disciples feet, don't we? And serving them and doing these sorts of things to just give that example of that, what some people will call servant leadership, yeah? Verse 29 says, and as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the wayside when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. Now, notice the contrast between how they addressed him in a rich ruler in the previous chapter. The ritual in the previous chapter is like, good master, what good thing may I do to inherit eternal life? They're just like calling out, have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. They're people that know he's the Christ, right? They're people that are worshiping him in spirit and in truth, right? So there's a bit of a difference there. The multitude rebuked them because they should hold their peace, but they cried the more saying, have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And the multitude don't like it when you call out for Jesus Christ, do they? The multitude don't like it when you call out for salvation. Many of our family and friends and others, the unsaved, don't like the fact that you got saved, do they? At first, oh, this is all right. And then when they start to realise, oh, wait a second, yeah, they actually did get saved, and they're calling out for the Lord and everything. Oh, they start to go off the idea. They start to rebuke you. Oh, do you have to go there? Do you have to get involved? Do you have to preach the gospel? Do you have to tell us about the Bible? Do you have to tell us the truth about salvation? In here, we see the multitude rebuking them because they should hold their peace, but they cried the more. They cried the more saying, have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And Jesus stood still and called them and said, what will ye that I shall do unto you? They said unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. Now, obviously a picture of spiritual blindness here, isn't it? And we see this obviously many times in the gospels. So the picture here, the healing, as often is a picture for me of salvation. So Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes and immediately their eyes received sight and they followed him. Why did Jesus have compassion? Because they asked in faith. They asked in faith, didn't they? That's why he had compassion. They said, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them. It wasn't because they butted him up a bit first. It wasn't because they did some real good works beforehand. It's because they asked him in faith. So he had compassion and that's all it requires, doesn't it? It's all it requires is putting your faith in Jesus Christ. We do that by asking him to save us. Yeah, and all this like call you on the name of the Lord, arguments and nonsense. And it's just idiots. All it is, it's just people just trying to attack anything they possibly can. It's the same thing. You call on the name of the Lord in faith, like people have throughout the Bible. No one goes, yeah, I believe in the Lord, I'm not asking him. I'm not asking, I'm not going to, you know, I'm not going to pray to him. I'm not going to talk to the Lord Jesus. Now, people might go and do it in their own time. Yeah, people might go and call the name of the Lord, you know, and ask for salvation. But who just goes, lips are sealed, leaf in the heart, born of the sword of the king. Such a bizarre argument, isn't it? So bizarre. I know when I heard the gospel, I was like, please save me. Yeah, amen. It's free. Woo hoo. Yeah, let's get it on. Yeah, please save me. Yeah, we go, it's free. Sounds like a work to me. So ridiculous, isn't it? Anyway, what do these guys do? Well, they said unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened so Jesus had compassion on them. And touched their eyes. And after a little while, after they did a few good works, then they opened. No, well, after he just kind of worked out if they, you know, had done some good stuff beforehand, turned away from the booze. And no, immediately their eyes received sight. Immediately their eyes received sight. And these guys followed him. And look, not everyone follows him, but these guys followed him. So it wasn't a process. They didn't have to work on it. They didn't have to do some eye exercises first or anything else, did they? It was just immediately, he touched their eyes, immediately their eyes received sight and they followed him. And I mentioned to get through that whole thing, so I'm quite pleased with that. And look, there's some great stuff in there. Maybe I could have spent a bit longer on some bits, but I think there's some great truths in there and what a great chapter of the Bible as usual. And on that, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, thank you. Thank you for your word. Thank you for, well, for, you know, all the many blessings you have said, that 11th hour sort of working for you. Look, many people here have come to salvation later in life and can look back and think, oh, all that time they missed out. But Lord, you reward, it's a heart that you reward. It's, you know, you reward us for just wanting to serve you. It's not about, you know, oh, well, what can we agree with you first? Just wanting to work for you, Lord, knowing that you'll give us what's right and knowing that we're just serving the, you know, the Lord we're serving, you know, the, you know, the only person that's really worth serving, Lord. And we thank you for everything you do for us. We thank you that we're, that we have this job, that we're able to serve you, we're able to follow you, we're able to do things for you, and thank you that you then reward us as well for that. And help us not to please just compare with others and constantly be looking around what other people are getting, what other people are doing, and help us to just focus on serving you, being more like you, Lord. We love you. We thank you for this church. We thank you for everything that you've done for us here. We ask that you just bless our journeys home and help us all to return on Sunday for another day in your house. In Jesus' name, pray all of this, amen.