Transcription
If I were to give a title to a sermon we're about to walk through, it would be "Patience When Life Is Painful." And if I could just put it out there, there's a sense in which I don't want to preach it because I don't want life to be painful for me or for you. And I don't think you want life to be painful either. But it is.
There are people all across this church, people listening right now, who have suffered in ways far beyond what I can imagine. I know some of you have walked through significant suffering and pain over just the last year. I think of one brother I was praying with last Sunday in the lobby, who was just pouring tears over a loss he's experienced this last year. Some of you are walking through hard, painful circumstances right now in your life, your family. And if so, I'm not going to go into all the details from my own life, but I would just say, I'm with you.
And that's actually why I'm really looking forward, on the other hand, to preaching this message over the next few minutes, because I needed this word this week, and I know many of you need this word right now, especially amidst the holidays and how emotions can be heightened and harder over the holidays. And then there are others of you, things are going awesome right now, and I thank God for that. And at the same time, the reality is, things are not guaranteed to stay awesome in the days to come. So I just want to encourage you, if things are going great, hide this word in your heart today so that you're ready to come back to it when you need it.
D.A. Carson said, "We don't give the subject of evil and suffering the thought it deserves until we ourselves are confronted with tragedy." But if, by that point, our beliefs, not well thought out but deeply ingrained, are largely out of step with the God who has disclosed himself in the Bible and supremely in Jesus, then the pain from the personal tragedy may be multiplied many times over as we begin to question the very foundations of our faith. In other words, I want to make sure, as one of your pastors, that when you get that unexpected message or call, call, or when you feel that lump on your body that wasn't there the day before, I want to make sure you're ready with rock-solid foundations to stand on instead of sinking sand that leads you to worse places.
So I want to encourage those of you who are walking through pain and suffering today with this text. I want to prepare others of you for those days to come. And in the process, I want to do all this in a way that those of you who are not yet Christians, that you might see the hope and the love and the rock-solid foundation that are found in Jesus alone, in a way that transcends whatever this world brings at you. So let's start by hearing straight from God's word and then think about what God is saying to us.
James 5:7 says, "Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider blessed those who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful." Amen.
"But above all, my brothers, do not swear neither by heaven nor by earth nor by any other oath, but let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no,' so that you may not fall under condemnation."
So here's why I would title this sermon, "Patience When Life Is Painful." Did you notice the emphasis on patience and waiting in this passage? Four times we see that word "patience." You might underline them. Verse seven, from the very beginning: "Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it." You also "be patient." And then in verse 10, "As an example of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord." And then in verse 11, you see this word twice: "steadfast." "We consider blessed those who remain steadfast." And "you have heard of the steadfastness of Job."
And that word in the original language of the New Testament means to endure. You know what's interesting? If you follow along with our church's Bible reading plan today, our Bible reading just so happens to be in Revelation chapter 1. Where we see this phrase. I want to show it to you if you have your Bible, just turn a few pages to the right, you'll come to Revelation chapter 1. I'll have it up here on the screen if you don't. But John was suffering, exiled on the island of Patmos, when he writes the book of Revelation. And he says, "From the beginning, I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation..." He's talking about the trials that he and other Christians are experiencing, "...in the kingdom and the..." Listen to this phrase, "...patient endurance that are in Jesus." "...I was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." Jesus. That phrase "patient endurance" is the same word in the original language of the New Testament that's translated "steadfast" here in James chapter 5.
And so God has ordained that we would hear this word on this day. Patient endurance. And then it's interesting, if you turn to Revelation chapter 2, this is a theme you'll see as Jesus starts speaking to his churches about things that were positive about their faith. Listen to Revelation chapter 2, verse 2: "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance." Revelation 2:3: "I know you're enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake you've not grown weary." Revelation 2:19: "I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance." Then Revelation 3:10: "Because you have kept my word about patient endurance." You see it all these different times in Revelation. Like the Book of Revelation, in many ways, is about helping Christians to endure patiently. And then you get to Revelation 13:10 and it says, "Here is a call for the endurance of the faith and the faith of the saints." "Here is a call for the endurance of the saints."
There is a sense in which the Christian life is a life of patient endurance in a painful world. And we shouldn't be surprised that it's painful. This world is not as it should be. It is filled with sin and suffering. Which is why Jesus told us back in John 16:33, "In this world you will have what? Tribulation." That's a promise. And we usually like to claim promises from Jesus. This is not one that we often claim. But don't miss it. The Bible does not say that if you follow Jesus, everything will go well for you. Now, the Bible actually says the opposite. That the more you follow Jesus, the more you give your life to spreading his love in this world, the harder it will be for you. Because the God of this world, Satan, will come after you and those you love all the more. If you follow Jesus, you will have tribulation.
So how do you remain steadfast? How do you endure with patience when life in this world is painful? That is the question that James chapter 5 is answering. And the answer it gives is breathtaking and life-changing because it completely reorients our lives and our perspective of this world. So you might write this down. What I would say is the overarching truth of James 5:7-12. Here it is: Patience when life is painful in this world is only possible when your eyes are fixed on another world. Amen. Patience when life is painful in this world is only possible when your eyes are fixed on another world. Yes.
So, did you notice how much this passage in James emphasizes the temporary nature of this world? It actually started in the verses we looked at last week, earlier in James 5:1: "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." In other words, your riches, all that you've acquired in this world, are not going to last. In an instant, they're going to be gone. I saw a line of cars behind a hearse yesterday, and there was no U-Haul behind the hearse. All the riches, all the stuff we acquire in this world, in an instant will prove totally empty. Then James 5:3 says, "You have laid up treasure in the last days of this world." Like this world will not last forever, and we're in the last days of it. The language in James 5:5 was particularly poignant: "You have lived on the earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." In other words, living on the earth in this world in luxury and self-indulgence is like fattening yourself for the slaughter.
And then, so then you get to verse seven, our passage today, and you see this emphasis continue: "Be patient therefore, brothers, until..." Until. So this world is not all there is. Something else is coming. Actually, someone else is coming. The Lord is coming. So be patient until then. When he comes, everything's going to change. And that's not way off in the distant future. End of verse 8: "The coming of the Lord is at hand." You want to know how close he is? Verse 9: "The judge is standing at the door." He's close. He is close.
And this is the truth that's all over scripture that unfortunately many Christians don't think about very much. But the New Testament refers to the return of Jesus 300 times. On average, that's once every 13 verses. Yet so many of us as followers of Jesus have been lulled into thinking that this world is all there is. And it's not. And this is a game-changer when life in this world is painful. Because the Bible makes clear: one, that Jesus is coming back to judge the sinful. The judge here in James 5, the Lord, is Jesus.
So for those of you who are visiting, maybe exploring Christianity, the Bible's big picture is the story about how we are all created by God for relationship with God. And not just in this world, but after we die, we are made for eternal life with the God who made us. Amen. But we have all sinned against God. We've denied him. We've turned from God in his ways to ourselves and our own ways. And as a result, we deserve eternal judgment before God and His holiness. But God loves us so, so much that he has not left us alone in this state of sin. In this world, God has come to us. In this world. This is what Christmas is all about. God came to us in the person of Jesus. And Jesus lived a life of no sin. And then, even though he had no sin for which to die, he chose to die to pay the price for the sins of anyone who would trust in him. And then, three days later, he rose from the grave, conquering sin and death. And then, after that, he ascended into heaven. And from the moment he ascended, God made clear, he is coming back. Amen.
And he's coming back to do two things: One, he's coming back to judge the sinful. For anyone who has not trusted in Jesus and his sacrifice for their sins, you will pay the price before God for your sin. Yes. And I want to urge you today, you don't want to pay the price for your sin, and you don't have to. Why would you? God loves you. God has made a way for you. Right where you're sitting, right now, God's brought you here to hear this good news. He loves you so much. He wants to forgive you of all your sin and restore you to relationship with him for eternal life with him. Yes. That's the invitation from God himself to you today. Don't say no to that. Trust in Jesus today, knowing that he's coming back to judge the sinful.
And at the same time, Jesus is coming back to redeem the faithful. Amen. Notice, not the sinless, not the perfect, but the faithful. For those who have are full of faith in Jesus to forgive you of your sins and lead you as the Lord of your life. To all who hold on to faith in Jesus, he's coming back to redeem you, to save you from this world of sin and suffering and pain and death. Jesus is coming back to make everything that is wrong in this world right in the next.
Hebrews chapter 9, right before the Book of James, puts it this way: "Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." You see it? Jesus came the first time to bear the sins of all who would trust in him. And he's coming back a second time, not to pay the price for sin, he already did that. He's coming back to save, to redeem, to deliver all those who are eagerly what? Waiting for him. That, that's, that's what James 5 is telling us: patiently, eagerly wait. He's coming back for you.
And so, in James 5, we see three different pictures of patience. And I wish we had more time to camp out on each one of these, but I just want to hit them briefly and encourage you with them. So, one, when you experience pain and hurt of life in this world, God says, like a farmer, wait for the harvest. Like a farmer, wait for the harvest. James says, "See how the farmer waits with patience." I love this phrase. What is he waiting for? "For the precious fruit of the earth." The farmer waits with patience for the early and the late rains. The early rains to water the crops at the beginning of the season, the late rains to mature the crops at the end of the season. Can I just point out the obvious here? A farmer can't control the rain. But a farmer can control what he or she does with faith that God will bring the rain in due season. Amen.
So as you walk through pain in this world, here's some encouragement from James: Honor God with what you can control, and trust God with what you can't control. Always. There are some things in this world that are in your control. So honor God with those things faithfully. Do what God calls you to do. Even here, in James 5:9, James says, "Do not grumble against one another, brothers." So James is acknowledging when you're walking through suffering, there's temptation to grumble against others. And this is something you can control, the way you speak. So don't let pain in this world lead you to sin against others. We know this. How easy is it for frustrations in this world to lead us to lash out at others, to grumble against others, even those you're closest to, or your brothers and sisters in Christ? It's just one of many ways that trials are accompanied by temptations to sin. And James says, don't give in. When the judge comes back, you want to be found honoring him with what you can control and trusting him with what you can't control. And for those things you can't control, don't try to control them. Leave them in his hands. Don't try to manufacture the rain. Trust in a good, wise, all-sovereign God with that. Like a farmer, trust that the harvest God will bring will be worth the wait. And stay the course, no matter how severe the trial.
In verse 8, "You also," he says it again, "be patient." Then he says, "establish your hearts." And this word for "establish" there is so good. It means to strengthen your heart. It has like connotations of standing firm and being resolute with courage to wait with courage, with strength. In other words, James is saying, don't give up. No matter how hard it gets, no matter how long it seems, stand firm, stay the course with courage, no matter how severe the trial, believing that the wait will be worth it, that precious fruit is coming. Believe that in the end, you will not regret waiting on God. Like a farmer, wait for the harvest. Yes, it's coming. Yes.
Then, second, like a prophet, speak the truth. Amen. Verse 10: "As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord." This is why I wish we had more time to camp out. Like, there's so much we could talk about all these prophets and the pain they experienced in the world. I just think Moses patiently endured 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Elijah patiently endured constant opposition from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, threats against him. Jeremiah endured patiently to the point where he became known as the weeping prophet. Ezekiel patiently endured the death of his wife. Hosea patiently endured unfaithfulness by his wife. Daniel was thrown into a lion's den. John the Baptist was imprisoned and eventually beheaded. And you know what's interesting about all the people I just mentioned? Think about this: None of them, not one of them, got to see in this world the fruition of the word they proclaimed. Amen. All of them died before the things they spoke came to pass. They all died waiting in this world. And that's the point, because they were looking to another world. Amen.
Hebrews 11 says, "To them, these all died in faith, not having received the things promised, having seen them and greeted them from afar and acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles in this world." For people who speak, that makes it clear they're seeking a homeland. They'd been thinking of that land from which they had gone out. They would have an opportunity for to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Amen.
You see this patience? It's possible in the pain of this world when your eyes are fixed on another world, on a heavenly country to come. So here's the encouragement from these prophets: Amidst pain in this world, bank your life on God's word. Amen. Bank your life on God's promises. Yes. You will never, ever regret banking your life on the promises of God. Amen. James 5:11: "We consider blessed those who remained steadfast." You will not regret remaining steadfast in God's word. It will always lead to blessing in the end. So, so guard yourself. Guard yourself against all the lies that the adversary wants to fill your mind and your heart with amidst pain in this world. All the lies that he wants to use to discourage you and to deceive you as you walk through pain and hurt. Hide God's word in your heart and bank your life on it.
And then, and then reflect God's integrity with your words. So this is where I want to pull in James 5:12 about oaths. In a day when it had become common to swear by an oath to ensure that somebody's telling the truth, and James says exactly what Jesus had said back in the Sermon on the Mount: "No, let your words be true simply as you say them. Let your 'yes' actually mean 'yes,' your 'no' be 'no.'" When you speak, reflect the honesty and integrity of God. This is so important. I want to gloss over. I read, I read this paragraph from one commentary on this passage. It was so striking. It said, "Fallen men are basically chronic liars. Children lie to their parents, and parents lie to their children. Husbands lie to their wives, and wives lie to their husbands. People lie to their employers, who in turn lie to them, and often to the public. Politicians lie to get elected and continue to lie once they're in office. People lie to the government, perhaps most notably on their income tax returns. Educators lie, scientists lie, members of the media lie. Our society is built on a framework of lies, leading one to wonder whether our social structure would survive if everyone were forced to speak the truth for even one day." We live in a world of lies. "Man, not be so among you," the Bible says. "The judge is standing at the door. You will be accountable to him for the words you say." Like a prophet, speak the truth.
And then, so the final picture here in James, it's my favorite. Like Job, look forward to the end. Amen. Like Job, look forward to the end. James 5:11: "You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful." And obviously, there's a lot we could talk about here, like the whole book of Job. But what I love about this verse is this word "purpose." It's really interesting, the purpose of the Lord. Because there's some debate about how to translate this word, because it can also mean "end" or "outcome," like purpose, where things are going in the end. And the whole point of this word is that when you look at Job's life, you'll miss the point if you don't see the ultimate purpose, the outcome, the end of his story. Because yes, Job endured great pain, unimaginable loss and grief and suffering in this world. But that was not the end of his story.
How did Job's story end? Well, after all of his suffering, he concluded, Job 42:5: "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you." Job says, "God, I see you." And to be sure, Job's faith struggled through hard days. Yet, in the middle of hard days, he remained steadfast. You remember this passage from right in the middle of Job's struggles? Job 19:25: "For I know that my Redeemer lives." Amen. "And at the last..." In other words, in the end, "he will stand upon the earth." And after my skin has been destroyed, you see that? After my flesh has gone, after my body has gone, there's something after that. "Yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold." Just like saying the same thing over and over. "I'm going to see God." "My heart faints within me." Amen. Job knew that his suffering was not the end of his story, that he would see God, and he would experience redemption after all this.
And in this way, Job's life is a reminder. A steadfast message of Job reminds us that trials on earth can only be understood from the timeline of heaven. Trials in this world can seem and feel so long, like they're never going to end. But the timeline of another world reminds us these trials will end. They're temporary. And you know what? In a similar way, pain on earth can only be understood from the perspective of heaven. Yes. This is one of the things I love most about the way the story of Job is told. Because we're told in the very beginning about a conversation in heaven between God and Satan, where Satan says, "God, Job only worships because you give him stuff. You take away his stuff, he'll curse you." And God subsequently allows Satan to afflict Job. But Job doesn't know what's happened in heaven. I just imagine the scene in heaven, the perspective of heaven on Job's suffering. So there's Satan standing before God with 10,000 holy angels around God's throne. And Satan says, "God, you just, you just pay people to worship you." And God responds, "You may do all these things to Job." And Satan does. Strikes down Job's possessions and the people who meant the most to him. And Job gets the message, hears the news that nobody ever wants to hear. And a hush comes over heaven as God, Satan, and 10,000 angels wait to hear Job's response. And what does Job do? He falls on his face and says, "The Lord gave, and the Lord took away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." And unbeknownst to Job, all of a sudden, 20,000 angel arms shoot into the sky, and 10,000 angel voices shout, "Worthy is the God of Job!" And Satan runs from his presence.
Now, I'm not saying that whenever we experience pain in this world, it's due to a particular conversation between God and Satan in heaven. But I am saying what the Bible is clearly saying: that what we see amidst pain in this world is just part of the story. It's only part of the story. And it's definitely not the end of the story. And even thinking about the end, the reality is, think about this with me: the end of our story here in this world is only the beginning of our story in the world to come. Amen. And this, this is reason for patience. We're not even to the beginning of real life.
I love the way C.S. Lewis ends his last paragraph, the last book of the Narnia series, "The Last Battle." He writes, "The things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us, this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page. Now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the great story which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before."
Oh, be patient, brothers and sisters. Without question, there are some rough, hard, difficult chapters here at the start. But this is the point of James 5: For all who trust in Jesus, you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that suffering will not be the end of your story. Be patient, brothers and sisters, amidst the pain you're walking through in the world right now, amidst pain you may walk through in the days to come.
And I just got to tell you, this whole message, I've been seeing, I don't want to, I've obviously not asked for permission, I'll just speak generally. I'm seeing a sister in Christ in our church family in this room who's walked through all kinds of physical pain and suffering, who's in a wheelchair. And every time I've said this or that, I've seen her arm, as best as it can, rise to the sky because she's praising God in the middle of the pain. I just want you to know, I not only see you, the Lord sees you. I praise God for your patience. Amen. I praise God for your patience. Amen. This is not the end of your story. It's not the end of any of our stories.
Be patient because our God came to this world of sin and suffering. Jesus, God in the flesh, endured all the way to the pain of the cross for our sin, your sin, my sin. And he died on that cross. But his suffering and death were not the end of his story. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave. He has conquered sin and death itself. And he's promised, that's not the end of the story. Not just him rising from the dead, he said, "I'm coming back for you, and I'm going to redeem you. I'm going to make all that's wrong in this world right in the next. I'm coming back. I'm going to wipe every tear from your eye, and sin will be no more, and sickness will be no more, and cancer will be no more, and depression and disorders will be no more, wheelchair will be no more, death itself will be no more. Just life. Just eternal life."
The end of your story will not be pain or hurt or loss or grief or sin or suffering. The end of your story will be everlasting enjoyment of the compassion and mercy of God. Yes. Just keep your eyes fixed on the end. And in that, the beginning of all that God has for you for trillions of years and beyond. Patience. That's pain in this world is only possible when you fix your eyes on another world.
So will you bow your heads with me? All across this room, other locations, online. I just, well, first and foremost, I want to ask you, before God, like, bow your head, just close your eyes. You, before God, are you sure you have eternal life in heaven with God when you die? You're not guaranteed to make it to tomorrow. Is Jesus the Savior and Lord of your life? If the answer to that question is not a resounding yes in your heart, then let this be the moment where that changes. God's brought you here. He wants relationship with you. You don't have to earn your way into relationship with him. You just have to trust his love for you. Just to say to him right now, "God, I know I've sinned against you. I'm separated from you by my sin. But I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sin, rose from the grave. Today, I ask you, forgive me my sin and restore me to relationship with you. Redeem me." And God will answer that prayer for all who ask him.
And for all who know him as the Redeemer, and especially those of you who are walking through pain in this world right now, hear him speaking to your heart: "Be patient. I am coming soon." I just feel that I, I just want us to pray over anybody right now who's walking through pain and suffering and is at a point where you'd say, "Yeah, I would just, I would love for some people to pray for me. I would love for us just to put our hand on your shoulder and pray for you right now, here at other locations." So with our heads bowed and eyes closed, I just want to ask, if you would say, "Yeah, I'm walking through some pain, suffering in this world, and I'd love for people to pray for me," then can I ask you just to stand where you are? Or if you're not physically able to stand, just to raise your hand. Could you do that right now? And what's going to happen all across this room is, once you've stood, we're just going to gather around. You're not going to have to share anything specific about what you're walking through. We're just going to pray over you. Just going to pray over you.
So all across this room and other locations, you just stand and just say, "Yeah, I would love for some people to pray for me." Just do that. Like, feel freedom to do this. You're not alone. That's the whole point. You're not alone. And don't think, "Well, I don't know if I'm walking through what other people are walking through, is it heavy or hard?" That's not the point. If you just need an extra measure of grace right now and help, patience, just stand where you are. Anybody else? Obviously, I can't see other locations. I'm trusting people are standing there. A lot of people standing in this room. All right, let's do this now. If we could just all open our eyes, and if there's anybody standing around us, let's just all stand here at other locations and go to those folks who were standing and make sure you get a hand on their shoulders. Let's just surround those folks. If you know them, that's great. If not, maybe you share their name, share your name with the people around you so they can pray for you. And let's just all, right now, out loud, at the same time, let's just start praying for each other. Let's just start interceding for those who are walking through some hard things right now. And then I'll pray for us. But you just start praying over them right now. Go for it. Just out loud, all at the same time, just start praying for grace, mercy, patience, strength, hope, joy.
Oh God, we praise you for your word. Thank you for your kindness to us amidst the pain of this world, to bring us to moments like this where you just speak so clearly and you say, "I'm with you, and I'm for you. Be patient. I'm coming for you." I just pray for your promises to flood over the hearts and minds of all those who are standing, for all those who are walking through painful things right now, that they would know you are with them. They would hear your word. Isaiah 43: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you, for I am the Lord your God, and you're precious and honored in my sight." And I love you. God, I pray that everybody who's walking through pain right now would know they're precious and honored in your sight, and you love them, and you're for them, and you'll bring them through. So God, help them. Uphold with your righteous right hand. Be their strength, oh God, in their weakness. Be their peace. Take all worry and anxiety out. We pray. Replace it with your peace, with your joy that supersedes circumstances they might experience. The blessing that Job and the prophets are described as having here, they might experience. Oh God, your compassion and your mercy every, every morning. As they're walking through trial, would your mercy meet them? Every, not just every morning, every moment, in every way they need. God, we pray. Help them to hold fast. Help them to be patient. Help us to be patient like a farmer waiting for the harvest, believing the harvest is coming. God, bring the rain, we pray. Like prophets, speaking the truth, banking our lives on your word. And like Job, looking forward to the end. Jesus, we can't wait for the end. Or well, you've called us to wait for the end. But we pray that you give us patience in waiting for the end. We long for your return, Lord Jesus. We know that our Redeemer lives, and you will stand upon the earth. Lord Jesus, and you will make all that is wrong right. So we, we say together, we trust in you. We hope in you. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. And help us to hold fast from this day until that day. We pray all these things in Jesus' name, in the name of the one who came once to pay the price for our sins and is coming back to save all those who are eagerly waiting for him. We pray all of this in Jesus' name. And all God's people said, amen.