Latest / HBCWestminster / 7.21.21 Empowered Session #6 Jenn Sinks

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7.21.21 Empowered Session #6 Jenn Sinks · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  Well, welcome. I'm so glad that you guys are all here, and I don't know about you, but this summer has just been such a delight to me to hear all of my amazing friends just teaching about amazing women in the Bible. It's just been such a blessing to me, and I'm sure it has been to you as well. So for those of you who don't know me, my name is Jen the hairdresser. I've decided to introduce myself this way from here on out. What do you think? What do you think?
• 0:28
  Yeah, I think you should all try this next week. Just put your name and your job title. It's totally biblical, and it's even modeled for us in the Bible. In fact, the woman that we're going to talk about today has her job title after her name all throughout Scripture. Are you curious about? Well, you already know who we're talking about. So allow me to read. Thanks for wrecking it.
• 0:54
  Allow me to read Hebrews 11 31. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. So yes Rahab the prostitute is who we will be talking about today and this is how she is known all throughout scripture. How's that for a label? Maybe we should just stick with our first names.
• 1:20
  The prostitute appears after her name in nearly every verse she's in, and she's identified this way even in the verses where she is being commended for her incredible faith. I mean, it's used so much you'd think it was her last name. Well,
• 1:38
  Well, we know that this is how she is identified in Scripture, by God's grace. This is not her identity. Rahab the prostitute is listed among some pretty big names in Hebrews chapter 11, which is commonly known as the heroes of the faith chapter in the Bible. But who is this woman? And why is this unlikely hero of the faith being singled out by name for the greatness of her faith? What was so special about her faith?
• 2:08
  And her full story is found in Joshua, but she is commended for her faith in the books of Hebrews and James. And she's even recorded in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 1. I think that's pretty amazing. So we're going to get to know this intriguing woman and camp out in her story for a bit, but first let me give you a few details so that you have a better understanding of what's going on during that time.
• 2:32
  Now there are some pretty major things that we're about to go down in history right here between the people of Israel and the city of Jericho. And in case you don't already know, Jericho is known as the promised land because the Lord had promised the land to the Israelites. And Genesis 15, 13 through 16 is where we see the Lord making this covenant with Abram, promising this land.
• 3:01
  But the Lord said that the Israelites would have to wait 400 years and until the iniquity of the Amorites was complete. So Jericho is the city where these Amorites lived, and scripture does not speak favorably of them at all. They were a wicked, debauched, grotesquely violent, completely immoral pagan culture that was devoted to absolutely everything that God hates.
• 3:31
  They did not worship the one true God. They worshiped a bunch of different pagan gods. And I like how John MacArthur describes it. He says, the culture itself was on the brink of judgment. Their long descent into the abyss of moral and spiritual corruption had been intentional and now it was irreversible. The people of Jericho were those Amorites.
• 3:57
  the ones who push them to the brink of judgment. And nesting sweetly in the walls of this charming little city is where our girl Rahab the prostitute called home sweet home, because she was also one of those Amorites. So what's up with those Israelites? It's not always the question when you're reading through like the Old Testament. We know them to be a stubborn and grumbly bunch, even though the Lord always took excellent care of them.
• 4:26
  So long story short, they were slaves in Egypt for those 400 years, remember? Then the Lord sent Moses to deliver them out of Pharaoh's hands, away from slavery, and lead them into the promised land. God supernaturally opened the Red Sea, allowing them to cross safely to the other side, and then closed the Red Sea on Pharaoh and the entire Egyptian army who had been chasing them, drowning and killing them all.
• 4:55
  And the Lord also gave them victory over two other fearsome Amorite kings, to Sion and Og. But right before they were about to cross the Jordan into the promised land, the people of Israel made a pretty bonehead move. And the Lord was very angered by their disobedience and their lack of faith. And he punished that entire generation by making them wander in the wilderness for those 40 years until they died.
• 5:24
  Their children would get to enter the promised land, but they themselves would never taste of the land of milk and honey. There were, however, two men, Joshua and Caleb, who were allowed to enter the promised land because they faithfully believed God.
• 5:42
  and after Moses died, the Lord commissioned Joshua to lead the Israelites into Jericho. Those 40 years were about to come to an end, and Joshua was ready to roll, but first he sent two men into Jericho to scope out the land before battle, and those men were to report back to Joshua all that they saw. Okay.
• 6:06
  Now we're ready to be introduced to our girl Rahab. She was a rascal, just like the rest of those Amorites. She made a living by selling her body to wicked men in this wicked city. And as far as we know, she had always been a willing participant in her culture's grotesque immorality. So why should this woman be spared from judgment?
• 6:31
  Didn't she deserve the punishment for her own deliberate sin along with the rest of these wicked people? Well, God had a different plan for her. Her whole life, her career, and her future for all eternity was about to be changed the moment those two spies entered her city. So if you are following along, we're going to be in Joshua chapter 2 and then later on in chapter 6. Let's read Joshua 2, 1 through 7.
• 7:03
  And Joshua, the son of Nun, sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, Go view the land, especially Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land. Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying,
• 7:32
  who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land. But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, true, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them. But she had brought up to the roof.
• 8:00
  She had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords, and the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. So Rahab's house was built into the city wall.
• 8:21
  Her house would have provided a good view of the city, making it an ideal place to collect the information the spies needed to report back to Joshua. Everyone who knew her probably knew the nature of her business. No one would have been suspicious as to why men were knocking at her door, and she probably would have opened her door to them without questioning who they were. But the spies were not there to support her local business, if you know what I mean.
• 8:52
  We know that the spies came in the city and lodged with Rahab, but there's still a bit of mystery here as to how the king of Jericho heard about the spies. And the Bible doesn't give us details about how the king knew that they were there or that they had been to her house, but we do know that the king sent some men to question Rahab about what she knew about the spies.
• 9:17
  And here's where we find out that not only is she a prostitute, but she was a lying prostitute. Now, there is no way to wrap this lie up in a pretty little bow in order to justify it. To be clear, the Bible does not commend her for her lie. It commends her for her faith in action, and it does not excuse it either. She lied, and lying is a sin.
• 9:45
  But let's remember at this point Rahab was an unsanctified rascal. And I'm inclined to think that she was very proficient in the art of deception, given her lifestyle. I mean, the fact that she hid the spies beneath the stalks of flax on her roof with such swiftness and ease might indicate that she had a bit of experience with hiding men. And I'm not convinced that it was a coincidence that those stalks of flax were just laying around up there, but who knows.
• 10:14
  All right, continuing on. Before she hides the spies, she makes this incredible speech that will change the course of her life for all eternity. Look at chapter two, starting in verse eight. She says, I know that the Lord has given you the land and that the fear of you has fallen upon us and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have
• 10:54
  Whoa!
• 11:10
  All right, hold up, time out. Did she just make a profession of faith? Because it sounds like Romans chapter 10 business happening right here to me. And these events would have been big news, and everyone would have heard about it. But here's the thing. When the Amorites heard these things, they had a fear of God, as in they were afraid that God was out to destroy them. But when Rahab heard,
• 11:39
  Her fear was different. When she heard those stories, she took the time to consider them, and she believed that Yahweh was the one true God. She had faith that he was totally different than any of the other gods that she had been raised to believe in. And miraculously, in the midst of her dark and sinful life, God had lit a spark in her heart, and she began to develop a reverent fear of the Lord, and it changed her.
• 12:11
  It changed her. Now Psalms 111.10 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And we don't know when, but at some point Rahab got a bigger view of God, and it gave her the courage to take some pretty big risks for him. Rahab wasn't in fear of God's wrath. Instead, she was in awe of his power, and this faith activated her courage.
• 12:38
  James 2.24-25 commends her for her faith in action. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? So God has used her faith as an example to us of what active faith should look like.
• 13:07
  And she acted in faith, and we are to have an active faith too. We need to be willing to take risks for our faith just like she did. So let's take a look at some of the risks that she took. She was willing to house the spies and could have been arrested for treason. She lied to the king, and she was a traitor to her nation.
• 13:30
  She was risking absolutely everything, including her own life and the lives of her family, because back in the day, they didn't just punish you. Oftentimes, they wiped out your entire family, too. So she was pretty courageous. Her courage was big because she believed that God was big, and I think that courageous living just flows out of a higher view of God.
• 13:58
  Okay, so let's pick it back up in verse 12. Rahab is still speaking here and she says, Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that as I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's house and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother and brothers and sisters and all who belong to them and deliver our lives from death. And the men said to her,
• 14:28
  Our life for yours, even to death. If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land, we will deal kindly and faithfully to you. Okay, so here she is pleading with the Israelite spies to spare her and her family in exchange for her help.
• 14:48
  And I would like to draw our attention to the phrase deal kindly that is used here a few times. And at first, it may not seem like we're looking at much, but it relates to the Hebrew word hesed. It's a love that flows out of a covenant relationship. And a closer look at the meaning of this word hesed reveals that it's not merely an emotion or feeling, but it involves action on behalf of someone who is in need.
• 15:16
  Chesed describes a sense of love and loyalty that inspires merciful and compassionate behavior towards another person. Chesed motivates one person, the superior or more powerful party, to supply a critical need to the lesser or weaker person. And I think this is what Rahab was asking God's people to do with her. Deal kindly with me. Deal kindly with my family.
• 15:46
  She wasn't simply saying, hey, I was nice to you, so you should be nice to me. I just don't think that's how it went down. She was asking them to show mercy and kindness beyond what was expected or deserved. She was asking them to take her in, to become one of them, to be with them. And it's because of God's has said that he deals kindly with us. Man, isn't that beautiful?
• 16:16
  Doesn't that just give you a higher view of God and a higher view of God's love for you? Friends, hang on to this picture. Hang on to this big view of God's love for you. And you know what? She could have just saved her own bacon, but she had faith enough to ask for her family to be saved too. I'm kind of starting to like her. All right, verse 15.
• 16:48
  Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so she lived in the city wall. And she said to them, Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way. The men said to her,
• 17:13
  We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down. And you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers and all your father's household. Then, if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street,
• 17:39
  his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear. And she said, according to your words, so be it. Then she sent them away, and they departed.
• 18:07
  Then she tied the scarlet cord in the window. Now, I won't read the rest of the chapter, but from there the spies escaped safely, and they made it back to the Israelite camp where they reported to Joshua all that they had seen and all the things that had happened, including the oath that they had made to Rahab.
• 18:31
  And I like that she just happens to have a rope just like hanging out by her window. Was it right next to the flax? That's just my question. Rascal. So what about that scarlet cord? It marked her for redemption and boy did she need redemption. Rahab's life was a wreck. Her life was full of nothing but sin and guilt and shame and the root of all her sin was her rejection of God.
• 19:01
  She was part of a culture where sin wasn't that big of a deal. It was entertaining. It was pleasurable. Does that sound familiar? She worshipped pagan gods. There was sexual sin. She was a liar. And those are just the visible sins that we know about. And I'm sure that there is a much longer and darker list of sins that we don't know about. But you know what? I don't think that we're all that different from her.
• 19:31
  I think if we were to compare our own list of sins to hers, that they would probably look very similar. Do you know how I know that? Because we're all human. We are all desperately wicked, and we need to be saved. Friends, don't minimize your own sin and its consequence, because the seriousness of our sin will not be reinforced to us by our culture. We think our sin isn't that bad.
• 20:01
  After all, at least we aren't prostitutes, right? But you can't understand the gospel without understanding that sin is very serious. And there was no time for Rahab to scrub up her life and clean up her act before she put that scarlet cord out the window. She didn't have time to go burn all of her pagan idols or remove herself from the pagan culture. She didn't have time to find a new job or any of that.
• 20:29
  There was no time to clean up the mess that was her life, and there was no need. And I wonder, have you ever felt like you need to clean up your life before you could come to the Lord? Have you ever believed a lie that you just can't come to God because your sins are too big and too many? And I think it's a struggle for many of us because we're embarrassed by our mess.
• 20:57
  We know in our hearts that it's not how God intended us to live, but it's too hard to face God because we're full of shame. We believe the lie that there's no way that he'd want to have anything to do with us. We're just too far gone. There's too much to forgive. But friends, we are all sinners in need of a Savior. And if we weren't a mess, then we wouldn't need the blood of Jesus to redeem us. But he wants to save us. He died to save us.
• 21:27
  And the punishment that we deserve for our sin, God placed on his son, Jesus Christ. And only Jesus could take the place on that cross that we all deserve. And only he can redeem us. But we live in a culture that tells us that we are empowered and strong women and we have the power to change ourselves. But that's simply not true. Only God can forgive and transform us. We can't do it.
• 21:55
  But we have an enemy who wants to prevent us from that truth. We have an enemy who lies to us and is delighted to point us in the wrong direction. He wants us to head straight to the self-help, self-love, self-improvement, self-happiness section of the bookstore. Yeah, girl, maybe a makeover will solve all of your problems.
• 22:17
  The enemy wants us to focus on ourselves. And I think it's pretty sneaky actually because it sounds like the right thing to do, right? But friends, God wants the exact opposite. He wants us to run to him in the middle of our mess and ask him to fix what's broken. He wants us to confess our guilt and shame and lay it at his feet so that he can wash it clean.
• 22:46
  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. He's waiting to receive you with tenderness and care, and he offers full forgiveness. He offers us his has said love. That's the love that holds on to you and will never, ever let you go. So you want a makeover? Run to Jesus.
• 23:17
  He's ready to heal you and transform you. What are you waiting for? You know, if Rahab would have waited to clean up her life, she would have been destroyed with the rest of the Amorites. So why a scarlet cord? I don't think red was chosen here just because it would be visible. The color of the cord is very specific. It's red. And the color of Christ's...
• 23:44
  blood, and the shedding of his blood is the answer to our sin problem. The scarlet cord meant that she was marked for redemption. It was a symbol that she was to be saved alive and spared from wrath and destruction, just like we are marked for redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ to be saved alive and spared from the wrath and destruction.
• 24:10
  Romans 5.9 says, Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. We see crimson, scarlet, and red in several stories throughout the Bible. And when we trace the red thread throughout scripture, we discover the beautiful overall picture of the blood of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Do you know who else was saved?
• 24:40
  by the color of crimson on their homes. It's those Israelites. When the Lord delivered them from Egypt, do you remember the Passover, how they had to paint the Lamb's blood on their doorposts in faith so that the death angel would pass over them in order to be saved alive? So for the Israelites at Passover, it was the Lamb's blood on the doorposts that pointed forward to Christ and marked them for redemption. For Rahab,
• 25:08
  It's the red cord that points forward to the redemption. Whoa. Okay, so there were only a few instructions given by the spies. Number one, don't tell anyone our biz. Number two, pile your entire family into your little house. And number three, make sure that this garlic cord is flapping in your window when we come back. Friends, this would not have worked well for me.
• 25:38
  So if I was Rahab, I would have a million questions. Like, how much time do I have to convince my family to cram into my little house? Does my roof count as being, like, in my house, or do they have to be, like, in my house? Am I going to still need this rope?
• 25:53
  When do you think you're going to be back, like, ballpark? What should I do if you get caught and don't make it back alive? Would that mean that the deal is off? Can you see how this is taking so much incredible faith on her part? There were no cell phones. She couldn't just be like, hey, just shoot me a text video to get 10 minutes out. Can you imagine what the next days were like for her? Frantic chaos would be my guess. It would be for me.
• 26:21
  You know, I mean, how big was her family? Did they live close to her? Did they think she was crazy? Or did they believe her right away? Who was in charge of the meal planning? Were there babies and toddlers that you had to entertain? Did they even get along? What was the bathroom situation like? I have so many questions.
• 26:39
  But there she was, just trusting God to come through, trusting the people of Israel to do what they said they were going to do. There was zero communication, and I'd have to imagine that her house was probably being watched. That scarlet cord would have been visible and highly suspicious. Using that rope to climb out of her house was clearly not an option, so she couldn't save herself.
• 27:04
  and her faith that the Lord would save her was literally her only hope. Do you ever have a hard time waiting on the Lord? The reality is that we're all waiting, but we're not all waiting well. You know what will help us with waiting well? Dwelling on the truths and the promises of God's word. Drawing near to God. Do you think Rahab had moments of doubt while she was waiting?
• 27:35
  I think probably. I know I sure would. And let me tell you, she ended up having to wait for a bit. You and I get to read what was going on while she was waiting to be rescued, but she had no idea what was going on. She couldn't see what God was doing. She couldn't see what the Israelites were doing. That wait must have felt like eternity to her. You know what else?
• 28:00
  Moses gave Joshua a huge pep talk right before he took over leading the children of Israel into the promised land. Moses encouraged him by telling him to be strong and courageous because the Lord God would be with him. Not only that, but the Lord God himself spoke to Joshua and told him that he would not leave him or forsake him and to be strong and courageous.
• 28:23
  Now, God didn't give Joshua a timeline of events, and he still had to fight the battle, so there was still faith required on his part too, but the only thing that Rahab had was her faith. That's it.
• 28:41
  She didn't get a reassuring pep talk telling her to be strong and courageous from the Lord God himself. She didn't have any promises to draw on. She had no idea how it would all end up. She just shoved all of her chips to the middle of the table and bet it all on God coming through for her. Her faith was literally all she had. That's it. So no wonder she is recognized as a hero of the faith.
• 29:11
  Hebrews 11.1 in the New Living Translation says this, faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. It gives us assurance about the things that we cannot see. Rahab exhibited the very essence of faith. You and I are more like Joshua.
• 29:34
  We have all the encouragement. We have all the promises. We have the entire word of God from beginning to end to cling to, and we still stink at waiting on the Lord. Why do we still struggle to believe that he will come through for us? Waiting on the Lord is so hard, but we need to remember that God is always working, even when we don't see it or feel it. He's working.
• 30:00
  And no matter what happens, we can trust that he's going to come through for us, and it's going to be good. So for lack of time, you'll need to read the book of Joshua for yourself to get the whole story. Sorry, I wish I could fill you in on all the gaps, but we're going to jump to Joshua chapter 6 to pick up the rest of our girl's story. So Joshua chapter 6, verse 17 is where we're going to pick up at.
• 30:27
  In verse 17, when Joshua is giving the Israelites instructions before the battle, he says, And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. So skip down to verse 20.
• 30:52
  So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city. Every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Okay, but wait, Rahab was in the wall, right? So what happened? What happened to her? So verse 21 through 23.
• 31:18
  It says, they devoted all in the city to destruction, and both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys with the edge of the sword. But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you swore to her. So the young men who had...
• 31:55
  So from there, the city burns, everything is destroyed, but Rahab and her family are spared.
• 32:03
  So verse 25 says, But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent out to spy out Jericho. So yay, she made it!
• 32:26
  Remember at the beginning of the lesson that I said that she is in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the book of Matthew? Well, it turns out that Rahab lived with the Israelites for the rest of her life, and she ended up marrying a very wealthy Israelite man named Salmon, and they had a son named Boaz. And for those of you who are familiar with the book of Ruth,
• 32:52
  Boaz was Ruth's kinsman redeemer, and they had a son named Obed, and Obed had Jesse, and Jesse had King David, and so on and so on until you get to Jesus. So not only was Rahab Ruth's mother-in-law, but she was also the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandma of Jesus. I don't know how many greats it is, actually, but you get the point. Like, wow, that's amazing. So can you just imagine?
• 33:19
  what it would have been like for her and her family to have to acclimate to a whole new culture. I mean, talk about culture shock. They're going from this wicked culture into the Israelite culture that's all about atonement and sacrificing, right? And I wonder if the Israelite women embraced her and took her under their wing and befriended her, or if she always felt like the outsider.
• 33:50
  Friends, I just want to take a moment and challenge us to be mindful of the Rahabs that are among us. And everyone has experienced hardships in their life, and everyone needs to be shown grace. So let's make every effort to deal kindly with one another. May the Lord use us to be a soft place to land and healing balm to those who are weary and broken.
• 34:19
  I have really enjoyed studying Rahab's life. It's like one giant arrow pointing straight to the redemptive power of the gospel. God kept his promise to Rahab, and I think it's a foreshadowing, really, of the fact that God is going to keep his promise to us. And I love how God
• 34:38
  was at work in every little detail of her life. Did you know that even the name Joshua means God is deliverance? Too bad you're all having girls. I mean, it's a real shame. Maybe Joshua might have been a name choice. And it also means Yahweh is salvation. I mean, the sovereignty of God just blows me away. I just don't think that that was just a coincidence.
• 35:02
  and everything in her life is pointing us to the gospel, pointing us forward to the moment where Christ died paying for our sins and was raised, but then pointing forward again to the moment when Jesus will return for us just as he has promised, and I just think that's beautiful. So Rahab the prostitute became Rahab the redeemed, and both pieces of her identity matter.
• 35:30
  I'm glad that the Bible didn't erase the mess of her former life because it's part of her story. It matters who she was in light of who God transformed her to be. And I don't know that she would choose the title Rahab the prostitute for herself if she knew she was going to be written about in the Bible that many times. But look how God is using it. And I love how the Bible invites us to take a close-up view of God's grace in Rahab's life.
• 36:00
  and his faithfulness to her. It's always risky and scary to be open about the dark spots of our past, but that's the part of our story that magnifies God's grace and mercy and brings out glory to himself unlike anything else. That's when the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is on full display.
• 36:25
  And I wonder how many people throughout history have been saved by grace through faith because they read her story and they thought to themselves, if God can save Rahab the prostitute, maybe he can save me too. Maybe you've thought that even to yourself today.
• 36:45
  So let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Don't be afraid to tell the dark spots of your story. If we are in Christ, we are not who we once were. In 2 Corinthians, it says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. And I just want to close by reading Hebrews 11, 6. And without faith, it is impossible to please him.
• 37:14
  For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. So I'll just go ahead and close in prayer. Father God, I just pray that we would be women who run to you and cling to your promise. Lord, you have never failed us. You never will fail us. We know that we can put our complete faith in you.
• 37:42
  God, we are such a mess. Thank you for sending Jesus to redeem us. God, use our broken stories for your glory. Lord, help us to have a big view of you and a big view of your power and help us to have the courage just to share you with the rest of the world and the people that we know around us. Thank you for this time together, Lord. We just love you and thank you for all that you do for us. In Jesus' name, amen.