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Let's pray all of this. Amen. OK, so look down your Bibles there in James chapter 1 at verses 22 to 24. So from verse 22 of James chapter 1, which reads, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. And the title of my sermon today is, Responding to the Instruction of God's Word. So responding to the instruction of God's word. And we're in a world where people like to obsess over fake superheroes, don't they? Witches, wizards, false religions, promoting some sort of miraculous power or other, and most of them seem to promote some sort of miraculous power or other. Magic pills, magic diets, super foods, super tonics. And with all that, they ignore the real tried and tested power in this world, don't they? They ignore it. The super food that doesn't leave you hungry. The super drink that's purer than Peckham Spring. The word of God which liveth and abideth forever. Yeah, and that word of God, that's a real power in this world, isn't it? Keep a finger here and turn to Hebrews 4 because, yep, it's alive, it's powerful, and what's more, it's tried and tested. So Hebrews 4, you're turning to, because you can take your stupid yoga mat and other prayer mats. What's wrong with them anyway? Can't they toughen up? I mean, get down on your knees. What do you need a mat for anyway? But you can take your mats and you can take your rip-off health tonic, your signs and wonders and all of that rubbish, you could smash it with your King James Bible, couldn't you? Because the word of God in Hebrews 4-12, for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And you can also take your cheap imitation swords, can't you? A comic book Koran. Yeah, what a comic book that is. Anyone ever try to read any of that rubbish? What a joke, absolute joke, isn't it? Your commandments of reprobates Talmud, you could take that as well. Your incohering, rambling, what do they call it? The Bhagavad Gita. Yeah, you could take that as well. And you could cut them all in two with your King James Bible, couldn't you? Cut them in two and show what they're absolutely using. It's like if you've ever seen when they kind of have a real sword against some cheap imitation, it just shatters it, doesn't it? Cuts it in two, snaps it in one. And that's what happens when you put the King James Bible against any of these other so-called holy books, OK? And we know that, don't we? Everyone here knows that. I'm sure everyone here knows that. They are all a bad joke in comparison because the Word of God, it says here, it is alive, isn't it? But it is powerful. It's sharp and it cuts to the heart, doesn't it? It cuts to the heart. It is an amazing thing. Now, go back to James Chapter 1, because we do have this power at our fingertips, don't we? We have the sharpest, most powerful sword, but most Christians put it in its scabbard on the mantelpiece, don't they? Hang it above the fireplace just to look at. The Word of God is there for us, isn't it? It's there to be used, it's there to help us, to protect us, to improve us. And it's the Word of God that saved us, yeah? If you're saved, it was the Word of God that saved you. Look down at James Chapter 1 and verse 16, it says, Do not err, my beloved brethren. So this is talking to saved Christians. And just quickly on that, we call each other brother and sister because we're all children of God, yeah? That's why we call each other brother and sister, because we're children of God. It's a sign of love and it's also a sign of respect too. And it's probably a good habit to get your kids into, wouldn't you say? Good habit just to get them into a habit of not just talking to adults as if they're just another kid, yeah? That's why I teach my kids to call people brother this and sister that at church. And I would hope that maybe you'd do the same, because it's a sign of respect for an adult and something which sadly is lacking in our world, isn't it? Lacking in our nation is respect for adults from kids. Well, we like to teach that, but some of you might know each other on first name terms here. And look, it's not that you're less Christian if you refer to someone that you know well by their first name, OK? If you want to do that, great. But look, when it comes to the ordained leadership in the church, well, the titles are important, aren't they? Yeah? The titles are important. You wouldn't turn up at your place of work, depending on the place of work, and start calling your boss mate or bro or anything else, would you? I'm sure you wouldn't. And our pastor is Pastor Thompson, isn't he? He's Pastor Thompson to us. He's Pastor Thompson to most people. He's not Pastor Aaron. He likes to be referred to as Pastor Thompson. He's not Aaron Thompson. He's not Thompson, like the reprobates like to call him. And he's not Brother Thompson or anything else. And some people just don't understand that distinguishment that we make in a Baptist church, in a proper Baptist church here, but we like to refer to people by the title that by the way he's earned, yeah? And I'll tell you what, yeah, a year or so in this job and you realise, wow, you know, for every month that someone does in this job, they've earned that respect to be called pastor, OK? Because this is like no other job, OK? And I'm not ordained as a pastor yet, but even just trying to do the job of a pastor while I'm here in this country, it's something else, yeah? But I would say the same, by the way, when you refer to me as well, OK? So look, if you amongst yourselves as friends want to call each other, you call each other what you want, yeah? That's up to you. But when you refer to me in the church, I'm brother Aaron or brother Taberna, OK? That's what I'm referred to. I'm your leader in this church and that's what you refer to me as, OK? And again, for me, I just find it interesting when we're a year down the line, there's still people that want to call me bro and mate or geez or anything else like that. For me, it's absolutely bizarre because you're not going to do, like I said, you wouldn't do that if you, if your boss at work asks you to call him by title, you're going to call him that title, OK? So especially when you're in church, it is, for me, it says a lot about the heart. And we'll be talking about that in a minute. But OK, let's continue, because James said, do not err or err, some people pronounce it as, this means do not commit error. So verse 17, he goes on to say, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. And as we see in the following verses, he's talking specifically here about the word of God, because what a gift it is, isn't it? What an amazing gift that is. It's for our own good. There's no variableness, he says here. That means it doesn't change with the times, does it? Yeah, it's not altered because some self-styled scholar has decided that he knows better. OK, it's a word of God. There is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. It's constant, eternal truth, isn't it? Verse 18 says, of his own will begat us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. That's how we were reborn, isn't it? With that word of truth. And keep a finger here and turn to 1 Peter chapter one, because if you were saved, it was with the pure living words of God and in English, that's the King James Bible, isn't it? OK, if you were saved and I hope everyone here is saved, it is with the word of God. 1 Peter chapter one, famous verses from verse 23 reads, being born again, talking about us here, not of corruptible seed, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Those false Bibles are corruptible seed, aren't they? And you need to steer clear of them at all costs. We are born again of incorruptible seed, the preserved word of God. Verse 24 says, for all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man is a flower grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof fulleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is a word which by the Gospel is preached unto you. Yeah, but it endures forever and thank God because it's what got you saved, yeah? Thank God that it does endure forever, otherwise you wouldn't be saved. And the title of my sermon today is responding to the instruction of God's word. And if you're saved, then you responded to the first instruction of God's word, didn't you? Because you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, OK? But it shouldn't just stop there, should it? It shouldn't just stop there. There's a very big Bible here, isn't there? That's a big Bible with a ton of other instructions in there aside from the Gospel. Yeah, that's why we're not one of these churches that preaches the Gospel week in, week out, because we should be preaching the whole counsel of God, shouldn't we? You don't have to turn about 2 Timothy 3.16 says, all scripture, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. OK, that's every bit. That's not just our favourite bits. That's not just the Gospel. That's not just the bits that talk about God's love or something else. No, that's all scripture. OK, that's why we try to preach all scripture here. And it will take a long time to preach all scripture here because there's a lot of chapters in this Bible, aren't there? But we want to preach all scripture. Now, I want to look at three different levels of instruction in God's word. So we're going to kind of level up as we go through. And the first one is basically just initial instruction. Are we going to call that guidance today? OK. And so number one is going to be responding to the guidance of God's word. So responding to the guidance of God's word. So look down at verse 19, because in verse 19 and 20, we see some guidance. James says, Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Now, the context is a good and perfect gift, the word of truth, isn't it? The guidance is to be swift to hear it. Yeah, swift to hear it. That means make sure you're listening to the word of God. Yeah. And that includes reading it, too. OK, we're blessed that we have it in front of us in black and white and we can hear it when we read it as well. But be quick to do so. Make it a priority. Yeah, swift to hear. That should be something that's a priority in our lives. Yeah. Yeah, we should be finding the time, making the time, be disciplined, make sure you're reading the word of God. Why? Because it's your guidebook, isn't it? Because it's your guidebook, because it's the best instruction you'll ever get. Because of the power that's in this book and the power it will give you in your life. Yeah, you'd have to turn to Proverbs 8.33 says, Hear instruction and be wise and refuse it not. And sadly, there are many people, there are many Christians that refuse instruction from the word of God and that won't hear it, that aren't wise. Now, turn to Psalm 73, because however sorted you think you have it, however wise you think you are, yeah, you need guidance. Every single person here needs guidance and the more you live the Christian life, well, life in general, you need guidance. But when you live in the Christian life trying to live for God, you realise, well, I really do need some guidance. I really do need the help of God. Well, look at Psalm 73 and from verse 22, this is the psalmist Asaph, and he's recognising that he needs guidance. And this is someone who the Holy Spirit is indwelling and through him is writing the word of God. And he says in verse 22, So foolish was I and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee. That's pretty humble, isn't it? Yeah, pretty humble there. That's someone humble enough to receive instruction, isn't it? I was as a beast before thee. Verse 23, Nevertheless, I am continually with thee, thou has holden me by my right hand. If you want to make it through the Christian life, then you need your father in heaven holding you by the hand. And that's a pretty humbling thing to think about as us adults here, isn't it? That we actually need to have our hand held by our father. Yeah, if we refuse to, and some kids do that, they don't want to hold their hand. I think they're a bit too cool for that, a little bit too old and grown up for that, a little bit too wise for that. Well, you're a fool if you're a Christian saying that. Yeah, you need your father to hold your hand. He goes on to say here, Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Where's his counsel? In the word of God, isn't it? Yeah, in the word of God that you have in front of you. You've got to want that counsel, though, don't you? You want to be swift to hear. Verse 25 says, Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. He said, Whom have I in heaven but thee? Wait a second, what about the Virgin Mary? What about the Virgin? Well, no, because he's not calling for the Virgin Mary, is he? Yeah, he's just another lady, by the way, in case anyone's confused about that. No, he's not calling for the Virgin Mary. But he's about to drive in the car, what about Saint Christopher? Is it Saint Christopher, the one that they say is a patron saint of travel or something? What a load of nonsense. There are people around this world, there are billions probably, or at least millions of people around this world that pray to Saint Christopher every time they go on some sort of journey somewhere. What a nonsense, eh? What a load of nonsense. But what's the Psalmist saying? He said, Whom have I in heaven but thee? Yeah, there is no one else. There is no one else but God, the one true God. And by the way, he said, And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. He's not seeking ungodly counsel, is he? Yeah, he's not saying, Well, yeah, well, yeah, but in this area of life, I better go to the world. Well, they understand the situation more. No, he's going to God. He says, Yeah, there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. And that includes all those other false gods and wicked religions out there. Verse 26 says, My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. We fail on our own, don't we? So God's guidance needs to be lifelong, doesn't it? Now, turn back to James chapter one, because the more you read it, the more you hear it, the more you memorize it. Well, then the more guidance you get. That's how it works. And you need that guidance day in and day out. Well, you turn there, Psalm 119, 105 says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Now, that's a great verse, isn't it? That's a famous verse. But what a truth that is, because we're in a pretty dark land, aren't we? Yeah, we're in a pretty dark land. In a land as dark as this, you need that light the whole time, don't you? Yeah, you can't walk, you're going to be groping around in darkness if you don't have that light the whole time, that lamp unto your feet and that light unto your path. Now, the guidance here in James 119 is this. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. So this is the particular guidance we're seeing in this passage of scripture. He's saying be quick to hear the word of God, yeah? And that could go across, that could go for any issue, yeah? Make sure you're quick to hear the word of God first off. You should be in a rush to hear it, but not in a rush when it comes to your own words, not in a rush when it comes to your own anger. And we can all be in a rush sometimes when it comes to our own words and our own anger, can't we? Because so often we're quick to speak and get angry, but slow to go to the word of God, aren't we? Yeah, we're quick to speak, we're quick to get angry, quick to get irate, quick to say things how we think it is, but slow to go to the word of God. Now, turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 5. You could say perhaps maybe the context here is he means a response to God's word, because look, even at this guidance stage, it can cut to the heart, can't it? And like I said, we're going to level up in the stages of God's instruction, but when it's just guidance, when it's that first stage of guidance here, it can cut to the heart. And Ecclesiastes chapter 5 and from verse 1, it reads, Ecclesiastes 5, 1, Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven, and now upon earth, therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. So Solomon is telling you to listen and don't answer rashly, isn't he? And what do I mean by that? Well, because there are those that listen, and then their response is something like, well, that doesn't apply to me because. Yeah, that message, that bit of Bible I've just read, that particular scripture I've just seen doesn't apply to me because of this. Oh, well, God knows my situation. And instead of just being quick to hear and slow to speak, instead they start trying to make excuses. They start trying to worm their way out of whatever that guidance is in the Word of God. It's all right for him, you know, whether that's God or whether that's a preacher, whether that's a wise counsel, but they're not married to my wife. They're not married to my husband. They don't have my father. They don't have my mother or whatever else it is. Well, you need to be quick to hear and slow to speak, slow to wrath, yeah? Ponder, dwell on the Word of God before you start trying to make your excuses. He's saying, be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Because then you're out of God's will, aren't you? You're out of God's will. Look, there is a time to be angry, okay? Be angry and sin not. But when you're wrathful, when you're just fuming, when you're slow to hear the Word of God and then quick to get angry, you're so often out of the Word of God, aren't you? And so many people will get that when they hear the guidance and the counsel. God, sadly, so many Christians will hear it, will see it, things that they find hard in the Word of God, and instead of just, well, be quick to hear that, yeah? And respond to that instead, well, you know, I don't know about that. Well, what about me? Well, he doesn't know, well, you know, God knows my situation. How dare he suggest this? Well, we should be slow to that, shouldn't we? Yeah? Because level number one is a guidance stage, okay? Level number one is a guidance stage. So this is basically your father telling you the house rules, yeah? This is your father sitting down with you and saying, these are the house rules. This is how you should live. These are how to avoid the pitfalls of life, yeah? This is how you should make decisions in life, yeah? Level one is God giving you guidance, God giving you instruction. Level two, well, if you get this level right, you might not have as much a level two, but we're going to get some a level two. Level two is when it gets to the reproof stage, okay? That's when it gets to being told that you're wrong. That's when it gets to God basically making it clear you're in the wrong. And we're looking at three levels of instruction in God's word. Number one is responding to the guidance of God's word. Number two is responding to the reproof of God's word. And we all have to respond to the reproof of God's word. You might be sitting there going, well, it's all right for you, brother Ian. You're the one preaching it. Yeah, look, I tell you, yeah, when you sit down and you look at scriptures for many hours to preach it, you're getting reproved when you need to be getting reproved by God's word. I'm not just glancing through it and then writing a sermon and that's it. Look, I'm going to make sure I'm getting right before I preach it. I can't stand here and start preaching something and be a hypocrite about it because I'm going to get a whipping from God if I do, okay? And look, I hear some reproof in God's word. And by the way, I also have to sit here three minutes preaching. Sometimes that might reprove me as well. And also, by the way, I do listen to other stuff. But ultimately, for me, I'm in the word of God a lot, okay? I'm in the word of God a lot week in, week out. And the word of God will reprove you, okay? When you read it, it will reprove you. When you study it, it will sure as hell reprove you, okay? But for many of you here, when you come to church, you're going to get reproved. You're going to get reproved and you've got to deal with that, okay? You've got to deal with that. And ultimately, you've got to respond to that as well. You have to respond to it. So, like I said, three different levels of instruction in God's word. Number one is responding to the guidance of God's word. Number two is responding to the reproof of God's word. Look at verse 21 here, back in James chapter 1. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. So, James is saying to put to one side the filthiness, superfluity is unnecessary abundance. And that's of naughtiness, which is badness, wickedness, depending on the context here. Here, I think he's talking about wickedness here, because it's the sin that hardens us to God's reproof, isn't it? Yeah, the sin. It's our sin that hardens us to the reproof of God. That's why you don't have to turn up at John 3.20. He said, for every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. And yes, you can apply that to salvation. Yeah, obviously you can apply that to salvation, but also to God's word, can't you? Yeah, when you hear anyone here who's had those times, when you are in sin, yeah, and they will be ongoing. I'm not saying, oh, long, long ago in the past, you're going to have those times, yeah? And when you think back to those times, they're those times you don't really want to hear the word of God, aren't they? They're those times when opening the word of God is that little bit harder. When reading the word of God is that little bit harder. When turning up at church is that bit harder. And people that are just constantly not turning up at church, ultimately, you know, the truth is, most likely, it's because they're avoiding the word of God. Okay, they're avoiding the word of God, they're avoiding being at church, they're avoiding hearing that reproof of God. Because it does, sin hardens us to it, doesn't it? And that's the time you need it most. That's the time you need to be in church, that's the time you need to be reading your Bibles. That's the time you need to be hearing preaching. Yeah. Okay, but he's saying here, lay apart all filthiness, superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word. You've got to put it to one side and receive with meekness. Now, what is meekness? Well, humility, resignation, submission to the divine will, without murmuring or peevishness opposed to pride, arrogance and refractoriness, which is basically perverse or sullen obstinacy in opposition or disobedience. Okay, so, basically, have you ever noticed it's the most proud and arrogant that are often in the most sin? Yeah, it's kind of a bit of a bizarre thing in life, isn't it? Because people that are the most proud and arrogant that you come across are often in the worst sin. Yeah, they're often in the worst sin. And then they can't deal with the reproof, can they? They can't deal with the reproof because they're in the most sin, which then creates this proud and arrogant exterior, but those in the know are looking at it thinking, you need to sort yourself out, you need to get out of sin. But then, it's a vicious circle because then they don't want to hear the word of God. And then they want to avoid the reproof of God. Now, turn to Proverbs 15. Proverbs 15 has some great truths about handling reproof. Because the word of God is going to reprove you, isn't it? It's going to reprove you. And that might be when you read it, but often it will be when you come to church and hear preaching. Often it will be when you come to church and hear preaching. Because sometimes you can read it and those bits that maybe are a little bit uncomfortable, you might skim over. You might just, and some people will choose which bits they read, but even if you're doing just a Bible cover to cover, sometimes you'll switch off to those bits. Well, it's different when you've got some guy at the front of a church shouting about a sin that you know full well is a problem of yours. Yeah? That's a bit different, isn't it? Well, where are you going? Proverbs 15. I'm going to read 2 Timothy 4-2, where Paul is instructing Timothy to preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. One of a preacher's jobs is to reprove with the word of God. And look, that can be hard for a lot of people to deal with, okay, to stand and feel that reprove coming from the word of God. But that is the job of a preacher. And if I'm not doing that, then I'm a lousy preacher. And yeah, you don't need it week in, week out, the same sin just getting preached on, preached on, and there is a whole council of God to preach. But I tell you what, if you're not getting reproved from a pulpit, then you're in the wrong church. Yeah, you're in the wrong church. And look, on that as well, if you're not coming to church, you're missing, do you think that God's going to go, okay, well, they don't really fancy going this time. So we'll leave that reproved for this time. Because what you got to get in your head is that the reprove from the word of God is for your own good. It's for your good. It's not for me to feel good about it, okay. Sometimes it can be pretty uncomfortable preaching things that I know need preaching to a church. Yeah, it's not for me. It's not, oh, this is going to get brother, whoever, or sister, whoever. Yeah, no, it's not. Okay, it's for you. The word of God's for you. So when you skip it, when you avoid it, when you switch off, when you go off into your own world, when you pick and choose what you hear, do you think God's just going to bless you, go, well, we'll wait for that sermon that's really going to help you when you come a month later, when you come two months later, when you come and you actually pay attention in the service. Is he going to do that? No, because it's for you. You can miss that service which was for you. You can miss that one that would have made such, that power of God, that power of God's word would have changed your life. And, no, I don't really fancy it. Or you could just go hard-hearted. Yeah, you might be here, but you're not really here, are you? You're here, but instead you just, you know, or like this when the preaching's going on, or looking at me like this, or whatever it is. And really, you're just, really, you're not going, yeah, okay, yeah. You know, you're not receiving that with meekness, are you? No, instead you're receiving, you're not even receiving that. Really, it's just that, that word of God is just bouncing off you away because you don't want to hear it. You don't want to, you don't want to even assess it in your life. But, but it's for you. It's for your good. Yeah, it's for your good. It's not me to just get at you. Because it is going to reprove you. And Proverbs 15 verse 5 says, A fool despiseth his father's instruction, but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. Yeah, a fool despiseth his father. And really, it's coming from your Heavenly Father. I'm not trying to call me your father here, okay. We're not like some sort of weird queer Catholic priest here, who, you know, want you to call his father or something else bizarre while we sit in a private little booth and hear all your gory details. No, but if I'm preaching the word of God, it's coming from the Lord, isn't it? Yeah, and if he's put a message on my heart and it's, and it's, as long as it's in tune with the word of God, yeah. Yeah, it might be that I expand something. It might be that I apply it to your life. But if it's in line with the word of God, then take for me, it's your father approving you, yeah. Don't hate your father's instruction. And prudent, by the way, is sensible, okay. Be sensible, be wise. Verse 10 in Proverbs 15 says, Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way, and he that hateth reproof shall die. Now, of course, you could apply that to salvation as well, couldn't you? But those that have abandoned the things of God hate correction, don't they? Yeah, they hate it. When you're just, no, I'm done, I'm not interested in that bit, I'll pick and choose that bit, you hate it. Hate the correction that comes from it. Well, he says here, correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way, and he that hateth reproof shall die. And look, often, backsliders do die early, yeah, because it can be a slippery slope. It can be a slippery slope when you start backsliding and start rejecting the word of God and just going back to your old life, going back to your old ways, just refusing to hear it. Look, eventually God might take you home early. And that's not a good thing, okay, that's not a good thing. There's a lot of rewards we can earn in this life and there's a lot of good that we can do in this life as well. Verse 12 says, a scorner loveth not one that reproveth him, neither will he go unto the wise. So now a scorner, if you've read the book of Proverbs, that's not a good person to be, okay? The scorner, the one who scoffs at the word of God, and often it seems to go hand in hand with reprobation. Okay, the scorner loveth not one that reproveth him, neither will he go unto the wise. They hate being told they're wrong, they hate going to the wise, they don't like to be around the wise, do they? And that's people with the word of God using the word of God, they avoid it. And last one, Proverbs 15 and verse 32 says, he that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul, but he that heareth reprove getteth understanding. So if you're refusing the instruction of God, you're really despising, you're hating your own soul, because it's you that will suffer in life, isn't it? Yeah, it's you that's going to suffer, that's who it's for. And reproof is good for us, and that's a good thing to remember, isn't it? Reproof is good for us. Yeah, we should want reproof. You think you're going to get through life without getting any reproof while you live in a dream world, okay? We're all sinful, we all need reproof. Okay, that's how God does it, and he does it through his word, he does it through reading his word, he does it through the preaching of his word. Okay, so soul here, by the way, in Proverbs 15, 32, isn't talking about salvation. And go back to James chapter 1 verse 21, which also talks of the soul. So James 1.21, where we were, says, Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. Now, although he could just be making a point of the power of the word here, yeah, because the word of God does save your souls when it comes to salvation, soul also just refers to a person, doesn't it, as well? Okay, to a person, to their life. So as well as salvation, the engrafted or implanted, and we were talking about grafting, weren't we, last week, the implanted word of God can save our physical life, can't it, from unnecessary stress, harm, and even early death, can't it? Yeah, that's what it can do, and it does do, if you allow it to do it. And save here is not always to regret salvation, but it could be talking about salvation there, it doesn't have a problem either way, because basically that word of God is able to save, that's the word of God that did save you, it's the only way you get saved, yeah? It's through the word of God being preached unto you. Okay, so, verse 22, he says, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. And you can hear the word every day, can't you? Okay, you can hear the word every day, you could read it every day, have it on audio, but if you refuse to do any of it, then you're just deceiving yourself, aren't you? Amen. Oh, I'm such a good Christian, I read my Bible, I've read it through countless times, but if you're not applying it, you're not doing it. You're not doing any of it, you're deceiving yourself. Okay, you might as well, well, you might as well not bother. Verse 23 says, For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Now, the analogy here is of someone looking in a mirror. Okay, remember that the word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, isn't it? Okay, because that word of God will show you what you really think, it will show you what you're really feeling, it makes it really clear, doesn't it? It is an amazing mirror. It is an amazing mirror if you use it in the right way and you read it with a humble heart, and you read it in a way that you actually want to learn about yourself. Yeah, you want to improve yourself, that word of God will do that. It will show you who you really are, but it will also show you how to improve as well, won't it? Yeah, it will show you how to improve. It doesn't just leave it at just, you know, ripping you to shreds and showing you what a lousy person you really are. It will also show you how to improve that. And it gives you the ways, it gives you, you know, it gives you basically ways and ability to make yourself better, to improve those things that you see in that mirror. And that's why reading your Bible cover to cover and coming to church week in, week out is so important, yeah? Why? Because then you're not selecting your mirror. Okay, then you're not selecting your mirror. Because a lot of people do have a favourite mirror. Did you know that? I bet there's some people here, especially ladies, who have a favourite mirror in the house. Now, why is it their favourite mirror? Because unless you've been ripped off for some sort of convex mirror, and I think I got that right, it's convex, not concave, yeah? Okay, unless you've been ripped off for one of those mirrors that makes you look a lot bigger than you are, yeah? Okay, most mirrors, they're just mirrors, aren't they? So what's the difference? Is it that the mirror is any better itself, or is it where the mirror is? Is it the time of day you look in that mirror? Is it the lighting? A lot of the time it's the lighting, isn't it? It's the lighting around that mirror, which makes it your favourite mirror, which makes that mirror give you a bit of a better reflection. I prefer the mirror in the bathroom, or I prefer the mirror in the bedroom, or I prefer whatever it is. Well, it can be like that with the Word of God, can't it? It can be like that with the Word of God. People want to select their mirror. I'll come to church when I'm feeling spiritual, yeah? Because there's a good time of day to look in the mirror. For some people, it might not be first thing in the morning, yeah? Especially when you're getting older and you're kind of hunched over in the morning, you're feeling a bit, you know, it's pretty hard to kind of look right in the morning. For other people, it might not be last thing at night, yeah? For some people, it's just at that right time, maybe after they've had a wash and they're freshened up and everything else. Well, a lot of people do that with the Word of God. They only want to come to the Word of God when they're feeling right, when they're feeling best, when they're feeling spiritual, when they're feeling like they've got things right. That's when they want to come to church. That's when they read their Bible, oh, now I'm feeling good, yeah? I think I've got rid of that sin, now I'm going to read a bit more Bible today. They want to select their mirror, don't they? They want to read their favourite bits. Now, I've preached this before, nothing wrong with picky and choosy verses, nothing wrong with enjoying and loving the Word of God, nothing wrong with seeking those bits that are going to help you for that situation in your life, but you've got to read it to cover the cover as well, okay? You have to read the whole Word of God. Because if you're not reading the whole Word of God, you're selecting your mirror. Because there are parts of that Word of God which are going to talk to you, parts of that Word of God which are going to show you who you really are and show you how you need to improve in life. Yeah, parts of that Word of God that are going to guide you, parts of that Word of God that are going to approve you, okay? And if you pick and choose your favourite bits, you only read a certain part of it, well, you're missing out on a lot of the Word of God there, aren't you? What about, I'll select what sermons I listen to online, yeah? Had that, haven't we, yeah? I'll select what sermons I listen to online. So, well, it's all right, I don't need to go to church because I listen to sermons. Yeah, but I don't quite like the sound of that one. That seems a little bit close to the mark, so I'll pick the one on reprobates again, yeah? Or I'll pick the one, I'll just watch for the 10th time this week about, you know, well, we've got enough sermons to pick from, 10th time about, you know, how fags are this and flaming... I'll just pick the ones on the Jews, yeah? Because I like beating up on the Jews. Look, that could be tempting, can't it? Yeah, that could be tempting to just go, I'm just going to go for Romans, yeah? I'm going to go for the Book of Romans because we can beat up on the Jews in the Book of Romans. To be honest, you beat up on the Jews in pretty much any book of the Bible, let's be honest, but it is tempting, isn't it? Yeah, but really, you're selecting a mirror, aren't you? You're selecting the light that you want to see yourself in, yeah? Because that's easy when you look at the real wicked. When you hear some preaching on a false prophet, that's feel-good preaching, isn't it? Yeah, that feels pretty good. Yeah, the false prophet, the quiz, you know, the freaks and the rest of it, yeah, that can feel pretty good, yeah? That's when you look pretty good. You're a good light right there, aren't you? But when it's preaching on how a husband should behave towards his wife, when it's preaching on a wife to her husband, when it's preaching on many areas of life that we fail at, that we get miserably wrong, it's not so easy that bit, is it, yeah? And look, when you're selecting online, you can pick and choose. And also, when you're selecting, there is a difference, isn't there? Everyone here knows there's a difference, yeah? Everyone that's been in church and had preaching which got close to Mark knows there's a big difference to hearing it online when you are not in that church, where there is no way, like, there's no way that you're thinking, well, he might be talking to me right now. Maybe he's actually got me in his mind right now. Maybe the Holy Spirit is talking to me right now. Look, when you're in church, you feel like that, don't you? But when you're online, you can pick and choose. Yeah, yeah, well, yeah, maybe, I might sort that out in the future. Yeah, anyway, that's a good time to make a cup of tea. That's a good time to maybe check something on my phone or something else. Well, there's a difference, isn't there? And ultimately, you're picking your mirror. You're choosing your mirror. Well, do you know what the truth is, though? Do you know what the truth is about mirrors? The best mirror is the clearest one, isn't it, yeah? The best mirror is the one with the most light at all times of day, yeah? The best mirror is a clear, well-lit-up, stark daylight mirror where it shows every single one of your flaws because it's the most honest one, yeah? It's the most honest mirror. And look, when you read the Bible through without being selective, yeah, when you read it through, cover to cover, year in, year out, you're not selective. When you come to church, whether you're feeling right with God or not, you'll get the honest mirror, won't you? You'll get the honest mirror. You'll get, hopefully, the whole counsel of God. You'll get everything that you should be hearing. You get everything that God wants you hearing. And like I said, remember it's for you, yeah? Remember it's for you. Missing that one service, that could have been for you. That could have made a big difference to you because I hope everyone's here because they want to improve themselves, yeah? That's why we come to church because you want to improve yourself. Oh, Brother Ian, you're putting too much credit on yourself. You think you can improve us? Yeah, I do. I know I can improve you. Do you know why? Because I have the Word of God. Because I have the Word of God and the Word of God will improve you if it's preached, yeah? Okay, and that's what we're here for, aren't we? Every single person here, we have that power, yeah? And that's not just hearing it preached in. That's going home and reading it as well. Read the Word of God. Search the Scriptures daily. Okay, well, when you do that, when you do what God's just reproved you for, because he will reprove you from this Word, won't he, yeah? And when you hear it, when you read it, you're going to get reproved. When you respond to that, you're going to be blessed, aren't you? You're going to be blessed. Verse 25 says, But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Okay, it's for your own good. Don't just stiffen your neck and harden your heart and forget what manner of man you are, yeah? Don't just say, okay, quickly move on for that. Dwell on it, yeah? Sit there and think about that message. Think about what the Word of God said to you. Make notes if you need to. Some of us haven't got the best memories, yeah? Make notes, yeah? Make notes in your Bible. Have a notebook if you think, well, I won't go back over that again, and make notes of things which stand out, things that are going to improve you. That's what it's about, isn't it? That's what we're trying, that's what we want in life. Respond to reprove and you'll be blessed. And you'll hopefully then avoid too much of level three. Level three in our levels of instruction for the Word of God, we've been looking at three different levels. Number one was responding to the guidance of God's Word. Number two is responding to the reproof of God's Word. And number three is responding to the rebuke of God's Word. Responding to the rebuke of God's Word. Now, rebuke is when either the reproof hasn't worked or it's already gone beyond the reproof level. And we can do things which go way beyond the reproof level and go straight to rebuke level and ultimately straight to chastening level as well. Okay, well, everyone here is capable of that. Rebuke is basically a harsher telling off, yeah? Reproof is a telling off from God's Word. Rebuke is when it's a harsher telling off. So this is the difference between sitting down with your kid and calmly saying to them, now, that was wrong, yeah? You shouldn't have done that, you need to sort yourself out and going red in the face and screaming at them and shouting and spitting while you're talking, okay? The rebuke, the rebuke is a hard telling off. It's a harsh telling off and it's often followed by chastening, isn't it? Okay, rebuke is often accompanied but often followed by chastening and rebuke can be hard to deal with, can't it? Rebuke is not pleasant. Rebuke isn't something that we should just laugh at. And a lot of people are still, I would say, relatively new to church or at least relatively new to a church like this, yeah? And look, I'm not trying to say I'm the hardest preacher in the world but I've been to many churches in the UK and they don't preach like this and they won't call out your sin and they won't preach and they claim to preach, and they claim to believe the whole word of God, they claim to be Bible believing Baptists and they won't preach the whole word of God and they won't preach on your sin, okay? And it can be hard to deal with. But don't be a snowflake, yeah? Don't be a snowflake. We're in a snowflake generation. It just melt to anyone telling you off. Anyone rebuke you, anyone reprove you. Look, at least in general you're sitting in a room with 50 or so other people and you can at least, you know, accept that maybe it wasn't just you getting rebuked by the word of God, okay? Because it's harder if you're standing in front of someone getting rebuked one on one as well, which sometimes needs to happen for people as well. But hopefully, you hope, because a lot of the time when you see something, there's a saying in preaching that when you see a sin, it's kind of like rats, yeah? If you see one sin, there's probably a whole load of them out there, yeah? Scurrying around in the background, yeah? And that's the way I deal with it. If I see something, I think, okay, or I just feel like something, God's brought something to my attention, something else, I want to preach it. Because if I just pull that person to one side, and sometimes it needs happening, but if I do, then a lot of the time other people aren't getting that message as well, okay? Now, it's like that with rebuke, and the thing with rebuke is that it is painful. It is hard. It can make you get a bit hard-hearted, can't it, yeah? Anyone here enjoy getting told off in a harsh way? No, yeah? But it is for our own good, isn't it? It is for our own good, but it's not always nice. Okay, well, look in James chapter one and verse 26. I feel that this is a rebuke here. He says in verse 26, If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. So they seem to be religious. They come to church, they wear maybe suits or dresses, yeah? They go soul-winning. They read their Bible, but they're not necessarily responding to God's word in all the other areas, are they? Now, the book of James has a lot to say about controlling the tongue. If you've read the book of James, it has a lot to say about controlling the tongue. See, we can look at that in the park, can't we? Yeah, we can easily put on the image, yeah? And look, nothing wrong with that, yeah? Look, you want to clean the inside of the cup and the outside, yeah? But out of the abundance of the heart and the mouth speaker, doesn't it? Yeah? And look, turn to James 3, because the mouth will give it away. Yeah, the mouth will give it away. I already mentioned the disrespecting addressing of leadership, yeah? The mouth gives it away. Yeah, the mouth gives away what's really on your heart. And like I said, you know, sometimes you just see it when you look in a comment section on some sort of inflammatory video, and the way that these bizarre, just obsessed stalkers refer to ordained men of God. They just give it away, straight away, don't they? Thompson, you know? What do I get? Taverner, you know? Or it's Anderson. Or maybe if they're trying to wind up a bit, it's like, well, Aaron, you know, or something else when they're on some sort of comment debate with our pastor or trying to create one, or, well, as Roger says, talking about Pastor Jimenez, they just give it away, straight away, don't they? Because you know what's really... Really, they can't submit to the leadership, they can't deal with authority, because the Bible says that they despise authority, they despise governments, don't they? OK? And they give it away. And the disrespectful addressing of leadership is exactly that, isn't it? And like I said, look, there are people that you might have known for many years before, and, you know, old friends of mine, I don't expect them to suddenly, just off the tip of their tongue, have it right, but look, those of you that have been here a while now and got used to it, and it's not just for me, with pastors especially, you see it, OK, it gives it away, but there are other things that the mouth gives away, aren't there? OK, it's not just the way you talk to your leadership in a church, it's also just things like gossiping, constant complaining, yeah? You can look the part, you can have the sharpest suit, you can say praise God after everything you say, yeah, you can do the longest prayers, yeah? You could have it all right, but you're constantly complaining, yeah? That's just showing where your heart really is, isn't it? Yeah? The passive-aggressive insults, yeah? Just little insults, little comments, little sarcastic comments all the time, oh, but you really look the part, though, but, you know, you carry that Bible looking confident and bold, but you just can't help but dig people out, other brothers and sisters in Christ. The mouth just gives it away, doesn't it? The negativity, just constant negativity about everyone and everything, envious comments when you just show your envy towards other people, the mouth is such a giveaway, isn't it? The mouth is such a giveaway and it's hard to control, and really because it's showing what's on the inside, isn't it? And, look, ultimately we're all sinners, aren't we? And the mouth is going to show that at times, but we want to control that, and we control that really by controlling our hearts, don't we? And getting right, well, James 3 and verse 1 says, Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation, for in many things we offend all, if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body. Sometimes you feel like you could do with a bit in your mouth, don't you? Behold also the ships, which though they be so great and are driven of fierce winds, yet they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth. The tongue is powerful, isn't it? The tongue is really powerful. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell, for every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Do the fountains send forth of the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive trees, either a vine fig? So can no fountain, both yield salt, water, and freshness. He's basically saying it's a contradiction. It's a contradiction where with the body you appear to be so holy, and even with the mouth you appear to be so holy, yet also with that same mouth you're insulting, it's little digs, it's trying to bring people down, it's weird manipulation and trying to make people feel crap about themselves, little comments that just make them feel a bit insecure and other things like that. He's saying it's a complete contradiction. And for me, like we just saw in chapter one there, really your religion is vain, it's empty. He's saying it's showing what's really on the inside. We all need to control our tongues, control our mouths, don't we? Back in chapter 126, he said there, your religion is vain, worthless, he said, basically because of the damaging effect of your mouth. Because of the damaging effect of your mouth. So how should those that are guilty of this respond to a rebuke like that? And I reckon there are people in here that have probably just felt like they've had a rebuke. They've just had a rebuke here. How do you respond to that? How do we respond? How should all of us respond when we're rebuked? Because we're all going to get rebuked. And over the past several weeks, I'm sure many people have felt like they've got rebuked, yeah? They've been rebuked maybe about clothing, maybe they've been rebuked, but I think we've talked about that recently, maybe they've been rebuked about, you know, the holier than thou attitude. And that is a poison in churches, okay? And we need to make sure we cut that out and not have that in that church, that holier than thou attitude where you pick and choose what things you think, you know, make you holier than someone else and ignore your own issues. All of that sort of stuff, we want to cut it out, yeah? How do we respond to those sorts of rebukes? Well, we need to get right quick, don't we? Yeah, you need to get right quick. First off, you need to confess it, okay? And no, again, we're not going to make a little booth here where you come in and tell me about all your sins. It would be fascinating, wouldn't it? It's empty. Behind one of those screens there. Roll up. I tell you what, I'd have just sermon material every week without any problems at all, wouldn't I? But no, we're not saying that. Who do we confess it to? To God, yeah, to God. You don't have to turn there, 1 John 1.9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yeah, we need to confess to God. A lot of people don't do that. A lot of people, okay, yeah, yeah, that's a sin of mine. Confess it to God, talk to God, yeah, that's the first part, isn't it? Get right with God. But when God's word is rebuking you, you've got to get right quickly or next up, what is it going to be? Chastisement time, yeah? Next up it's chastisement. Sometimes it's too late, sometimes he just needs to chastise you anyway, but a lot of the time, look, you need to respond quick. You need to respond really at level one with the guidance, but sometimes it will get to the reproof, sometimes it will get to the rebuke. Turn to Psalm 38, you need to get meek, you need to get humble, like David in Psalm 38 here. And David's a great example, isn't he? Of someone that, he was a man after God's own heart. He did some wicked things, David, because we're all capable of doing some wicked things, aren't we? Yeah. Yeah, everyone here, we know that, don't we? We know that we are capable, but look, David, he got right with God every time, didn't he? Yeah, he made sure he got right with God, and he died in an old age, didn't he? He died a fairly content man. He died with a man that passed on that lineage to his son Solomon, and David is a great example of how we should respond when we're in the wrong. You know, when you're finding things, going through the Psalms for me is just so amazing. When you're in sin, when you feel like there's something you need to deal with, there's problems, you feel guilty, you've confessed to God, the Psalms are just great to really help you to kind of get that, your head right, your head straight with it, to see how David dealt with it. Well, in Psalm 38, and from verse 1, we see it says, it's a psalm of David to bring to remembrance, O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chaser me in thy hot displeasure, for thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger, neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin, for mine iniquities have gone over mine head, as in heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long. That's King David humbly confessing his sins, isn't it? Asking not to be rebuked or chastened, which is punished. So, you can be like King David, or you can just ignore it. Justify yourself, scoff, scoff at the preaching, scoff at the word of God ultimately, laugh it off. It's all just a big laugh, isn't it? Ah, who cares? Oh, well, you know, we're all just a bit sinful. Yeah, we are all sinful. But God wants to see you, God wants to see a meek and a humble and a contrite spirit, doesn't he? Yeah, that's what God wants to see, and David shows that there, doesn't he? Or, what's the alternative? Chasing in his hot displeasure. And everyone here should be doing their best to avoid it. It's going to come, you're going to get chastened. The Bible's clear, yeah? OK, because we're all going to need it at some time, and if we never get chastened, then we're not really going to fear the chastening, are we? OK, but we don't want to get chastened, do we? We want to avoid getting chastened. Turn to Hebrews 12, while you turn, I'm going to read Proverbs 28, 14, which says, Happy is the man that feareth all way. Yeah, fear it. But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. Don't harden your heart. Don't harden your heart to the guidance, don't harden your heart to the reproof, to the rebuke, and especially not to the chastening. OK, we need to fear God's chastening, OK? That means responding to it, yeah? Hebrews 12, verse 11 says, Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. OK, so of course it's for our own good, but it does feel grievous. Grievous is bad, OK? Grievous ain't a good thing. Grievous is something that's painful, it hurts, it's a grief to you. And we want to try and avoid the need of it, yeah? So, when we get to that point, that means that it's beyond the time for change. You need to be making changes quick, yeah? There's no, well, we'll see how we do, well, I just need to work on this for a bit. Well, that's just me, I'll just see what happens. No, that means make the changes, yeah? That means get right quick, otherwise the chastening's going to get worse, yeah? God wants to see it. Look, you're chasing your children, yeah? If they don't get right off that chastening, it can quickly multiply, can't it? Yeah, that chastening better make them get right or they're going to get chasing more, and you want to see them changing, you want to see that difference straight away, don't you? When you see them harden their heart and get stubborn, does it make you think, OK, well, that's enough then, better leave it now? No, it means the chastening gets harder, the chastening gets harsher, the chastening gets more until they accept, yeah, I'm in the wrong. And that's the same with God, OK? You need to make sure you respond when it gets to that point. Revelation, you don't have to turn there, 3.19 says, As many as I love, I rebuke and chase them. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Because it's because he loves you, isn't it? It's because he loves you, and sometimes you can forget that. Sometimes, oh, God just wants to punish me. Sometimes kids can feel like, oh, you just love punishing me. No, we love you, yeah? No, our Father loves us. He wants to improve us. As many as I love, I rebuke and chase them. Be zealous, therefore, and repent, he said in Revelation 3.19. Because he's looking for a change of attitude, isn't he? Yeah. Yeah, that's what he wants. That's the result. That's the desired result is a change of attitude. It's not just to have fun. It's not just to let out a bit of his anger on you, just because he needs someone to beat up on. Look, there's plenty of sodomites in hell to beat up on, OK? God is watching them suffer. God is watching every single person that's gone to hell that's deserved it, OK? They're in the presence of the Lamb, OK? It's not that he punishes us, not because he enjoys it. He punishes us because he loves us and he wants to see a change, yeah? Amen. OK, now, in the Christian life, like I said, some amount is unavoidable, but he wants to see us responding in the right way. Turn to Proverbs 13.8. We're finishing up now. Proverbs 13.8. The title is responding to the instruction of God's word. Number one is responding to the guidance of God's word. That was by being swift to hear, so look for it, seek it, dwell on it, and don't quickly fob it off. Number two is responding to the reproof of God's word. That's by being a doer and not just a hearer, getting rid of the pride and arrogance and accepting the reproof. And number three is responding to the rebuke of God's word, and that was by confessing it, humbly seeking forgiveness, getting right and changing quickly. And Proverbs 13.18, to finish off, says, Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction, but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured. And that's what we want, don't we? Look, we're going to get it. It doesn't mean you're a lousy Christian because you get reproved. It doesn't mean that God hates you because he rebukes and ultimately sometimes chastises you as well. Look, it's ultimately because if you respond right, you can be honoured, yeah? It's to get you right, it's to make you what he wants, and the alternative is poverty and shame to him that refuseth instruction. And it's funny because a lot of the time it's pride that makes us refuse it, but you end up in shame, yeah? End up in shame. We don't want to be there, and I hope that's helped. I hope some of those points have helped today. And going forward, guys, you know, because you're going to get it, yeah? You're going to get it from this pulpit. Every single person here is going to get it, okay? And you can either get it and respond to it and get right, or you can harden your heart, and what's going to happen after that? It's not going to be me, but God's going to chastise you, yeah? And we don't want that. None of us want that here, so on that, let's go to the Lord and the Word of God. Father, thank you, thank you for all your clear, just, just scriptures in the Bible, just, just, you know, showing us how we should respond, how we should behave, how we should love reproof, how we should ultimately appreciate rebuke and even chastisement, because, you know, as many as you love, you're chasing, and we need to, we need to appreciate that. We need to want to not get to that point, though. Help us to just respond to your instruction, to your guidance, help us to want to live right for you, help us to not just harden our hearts and find a reason to excuse our behaviour, help us to, to want to get right, to want to, to want to be more like you want us to be, more like you, you command us to be. And, you know, starting today with, with, you know, this afternoon, in our time of fellowship with each other, to, to, you know, love, love each other who are made in the image of you, to help us to, to go out and love the lost as well and want to get them saved, want to preach the gospel to them, want to, want to get more people saved, more people to be part of what is a family, a family of, of, you know, your children and, and, and to get them, get them into their local church as well and, and encourage them to get baptised and want to come here and, and live for you. Lord, we, we pray that, that you'll bless our afternoon, that you'll, you'll help us all return for this evening's service as well and, and that you bless all aspects of that too. And in Jesus' name we pray all of this. Amen.