Sunday Evening Worship Service
by Nathan Whitley
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Luke 10:25-35

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nathan-whitley--sunday-evening-worship-service-66
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Get your Bibles or if you're like Moses, get your tablets. Just don't throw it down. We're going to go right to the word of the Lord. Luke chapter number 10. I give honor to our pastor, our bishop, all of our ministers, and all the saints of God that are here. And thank you for all that you do. And I know uh camp meeting was last week uh but I will say this. Thank you to all who served, all who worked uh early into the late uh part of camp meeting uh who were here cleaning, cooking, uh organizing, practicing, rehearsing, praying, all of that. Thank you so much. This is the greatest church uh in all the world and I am uh so indebted to each and every one of you for your service to Jesus. Luke chapter number 10, a very familiar parable. Luke 10 beginning at verse number 25. Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted Jesus saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said unto him, "What is written in the law? How readest thou?" And answering he said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and all, and thy neighbor as thyself." And he said unto them, "Thou hast answered right, this do, and thou shalt live." But he willing to justify himself said unto Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered and said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his reignment, wounded him, departed, leaving him half dead. By chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite when he was at the place came and looked on him and passed by on the other side." But a certain Samaritan, someone say Samaritan. As he journeyed, came where he was. When he saw him, he had compassion on him. He went to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Now notice this, verse 35. And on the tomorrow when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them to the host, and said unto him, "Take care of him. Whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee." I want to minister to you tonight from this parable. I'll try not to keep you too long. Wounded on the way, healed at the end. wounded on the way, healed at the end. Right where you're sitting, put your Bibles, your devices down. Would you just slip up your hand and say, "Lord, would you speak to me from your word?" Father, we thank you for your spirit that has been here from very early this morning to even now, Lord. The praise, the worship, the prayer, the fellowship, the ministry, the word, all that has gone forth today. We've done it all to bring you glory and to serve you and to serve your people. And I ask one more time, Lord, that you would anoint me, your servant, to help your people with the word of God. Help us to see something tonight and be refreshed from it. In Jesus' name we pray. And everyone said, "Amen." Amen. Wounded on the way, healed. At the end, certain Jewish lawyers stood up and asked Jesus a question. Maybe he really wanted to know what was the path to eternal life. But he put Jesus to the test. He cleared his throat and said, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Being that he was the offspring of Abraham along with the other Jews there present, they believed eternal life could be inherited. The belief was that eternal life was something that could be passed down to him after his death. like inheriting something from another loved one's death. This Jewish lawyer also held to the idea that he could do something to inherit eternal life. But I want you to know that you cannot inherit salvation. You do not inherit salvation from your grandfather or your father. Uh just because you were raised in a church does not mean that you are automatically saved because you attend a church. No, you must be born again. You must be born again of the water and of the spirit. And you can't do anything to be saved either. For salvation is of the gift of God. Obeying the word of God is not works. Obedience to the word of God is faith. For faith without works is dead. But he had something to ask though how do I inherit or what can I do to have salvation? But Jesus who was the embodiment of wisdom folly the question back to the lawyer. He says this and I want you to note this. What is written in the law? How do you read it? Let me say this for a moment. It's not in my sermon notes but let me just add this. What is written in the law and how do you read it? It's important that you read the word of God. How God is concerned with how you read his word. There is a right way and there is a wrong way to read the word of God. How do you read it? Well, you someone say, "Well, I don't like to read." Then uh if you don't like to read, uh then then let me add this to you. Jesus also says this, "He that has ears to hear, let him hear." So if you're not reading it, at least listen to it. Well, I listen to it on Sunday mornings and Sunday night when preaching. That's not enough. You need to have a daily bread, a daily intake of the word of God. And you like, you don't like to read, then listen to it. It is free wherever you go. But you need to read. You need to have the word of God in your life. It's not simply enough just to listen to preaching and teaching. You must have your daily bread. That's for free and you can say amen. How do you read it? How do you read it? He knew what the law said and he wanted to know how the lawyer interpreted it. He was right. He quoted Deuteronomy 6:4 and5 to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. And Jesus said, "You have said correctly. go and do likewise. But this man with a smirk on his face and a little bit of a sarcastic tone asks another question. Who is my neighbor? Then Jesus goes into the parable, the parable of what we call now the good Samaritan. I want to draw for you principles this evening and then we'll just uh see see what happens as we get to the end. But I want you to understand the setting of the parable, the setting of the story that Jesus said. He said, "The man went down. Jerusalem sat perched on a hill in Israel, some 2500 ft above sea level. Traveling to Jerusalem, you would have to lift up your head and eyes to see the temple in its glory. The hills of Jerusalem are considered natural defenses against attacking enemies. The psalmist wrote this. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain. I had no idea what pastor was preaching today. And here it is again echoing what he said earlier. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation is the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great king. Within her citadels, God has made himself known as a fortress. So, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, the dwelling place of Israel's sovereign king, high upon the mount since the temple, who's who's who who houses the very glory of God. Bible commentator James Montgomery boy said this. From the north, west, east, and even from the immediate south, the way to Zion is uphill. Which is why the Psalms always speaking of going up to Jerusalem. There on the lofty hills of Zion, the towering ramparts of the city rose and the breathtaking beauty of the city beckon. So lift up your eyes from that where my help comes from. You have to lift up your eyes. There in Jerusalem where the temple was, it was high in elevation. You had to go up. So if you wanted to be in the presence of God, you had to go up. You have to ascend. Who shall ascend the mount of the Lord. It's those with clean hands and a pure heart. And if you want to be in his presence, you must go up. You never go down. And we're hearing about it next Sunday about holiness. If you're going to get closer than the Lord, you do not become more like the world. You become more like him. You go up. You take your dedication up. You take your devotion up. We must go up. Come on. We send up our worship. Send up, Judea. Why? Because that's where he is. He is high and lifted up. Somebody say amen this evening. Oh, hallelujah. He continues his story. He went down. A certain man went down to Jericho. Jericho was a 15 to 20 mile journey down from Jerusalem. The man was leaving the city of God to head downward. Someone say downwards. Toward Jericho. He's not going up. He's going down. Down to Jericho. Like Samson going down to Timnath and Jonah going down to Japa, he went down only to find his ruin. And can I add this tonight? Those who leave the dwelling of God only go downwards. To leave the place where God's spirit dwells is to end up lower than before. None go down to find God. But you must travel upwards to Mount Zion to find his presence. And so when you leave his dwelling, you are always headed down. But Jericho was more than just a city, it was a lure. Nestled in the Jordan Valley, just north of the Dead Sea and west of the Jordan River, Jericho was known as the city of palms. A lush oasis in the middle of the Judeian wilderness. Freshwater springs, fertile soil, an abundance of date palms, balsom, and fig trees. Jericho was paradise to the eye and a magnet to the flesh. It was prosperous, beautiful, and strategically located on a major trade route, offering the kind of wealth, comfort, and indulgence that still captivates the body and the heart today. Herod the Great built a lavish winter palace there. Tax collectors like Zakius made their fortunes there. Jericho promised security, sensuality, and status. The same threeheaded beast in our world today. But beneath the beauty lay a curse. If you remember the story of Jericho. Jericho was the first Canaanite city to fall when Israel entered into the promised land. Its towering walls were weren't breached by battering rams, but it was by the sheer power of God. After its destruction, Joshua declared a curse on anyone who would rebuild those walls. And centuries later, under the reign of King Ahab, a man named Hyel dared to rebuild it at the cost of his two sons, just as God warned. So Jericho stands as a picture of the world. It's going down from God's presence. It's impressive to the out on the outside, alluring the flesh and alluring the senses. But underneath it is judgment. Its pleasures are only temporary. Its security is a lie and its end is always death. So when Jesus starts this story, don't miss the details that the man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He's not just describing a geography or a geographical location. He's describing a spiritual descent here in Jerusalem, the city of God, where God's spirit is, where worship and covenant and communion are. And then there's Jericho representing the pool of the world. A downward path from God's presence lined with danger, false promises, and inevitable wounds. It's along this road from Jerusalem to Jericho that the traveler is beaten, robbed, and left half dead. Jericho's billboards and Jericho's brochures found in the gas station and the rest stops left out the fine print. It told you of all of its features and all of its attractions, but it left out all of its destruction and history of judgment. It's a dangerous trip this this journey from Jerusalem to Jericho. The pathway between Jerusalem and Jericho was riddled with caverns, ravines, cliffs, and a danger. And also in addition, there was a dangerous, narrow, and curvy road. It was a dangerous terrain, and it was infested with unsaavory fellows who would scheme, attack, and rob unbeknownsted travelers. Many called this route the bloody way or the red way because many lives had been hurt and lost on this dreadful route from Jerusalem to Jericho. And here is our traveler in Jesus's story. It happens to him as he's going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He is met with danger. He is met with danger. Jesus says that he fell among the robbers. Please hear me. I know I'm going a little slow, but I want you to understand. I want you to see a few things. The phrase he fell in Greek means to come across or meet a hazardous or negative situation by accident. He didn't intend to get in this situation, but here he was. He just wanted to go to Jericho. He just wanted to leave Jerusalem. He just wanted to go and visit Jericho. How long? We don't know. We It's not said in the story. But here, he fell among danger. Nobody leaves the church. Nobody leaves God's presence and hopes to find danger. Nobody intends to find hurt. Nobody intends to have trouble. Nobody intends to make a mistake. Nobody intends to ruin their life. But I'm telling you, when you leave Jerusalem for Jericho, you will fall among danger. You will fall. Somebody hear me tonight. Some young person, hear me. Jericho, the world might look good. Its bright lights and all of its allurements might seem seem pleasurable to you, but there is danger. It's in the fine print. You don't read. It's not what they advertised in the brochures. He fell among a hazardous negative situation. Didn't intend to get there. No one ever intends to end up ruined. Nobody wakes up and says, "I'm going to ruin my life today." Nobody says, "I'm I'm I'm just I'm decided to throw in the towel and I'm just going to give up." No, no, no. There's usually some there's some there's some drift of some sort. there's some allurement of some prayer meeting that you missed at some time. You didn't read your Bible and all of a sudden you got a job and you didn't need to come to church on Wednesday nights or Sunday mornings and you didn't intend for that. But I just want you to I'm trying to make things better for myself. You didn't intend to fall into that situation. But I'm telling you, there is danger when you leave the comforts of Jerusalem and go down to Jericho. Fell. He fell as he lay there half dead. Was he thinking of those who warned him of the dangers of traveling down to Jericho? How many teachers, how many friends, how many how many loved ones told him, "Don't go to Jericho. Don't leave Jerusalem. Don't go to Jericho. It's dangerous. No, it's not dangerous. Just let me try it. I just go for a visit. Did he lay there with regrets? Did he hear those in his mind telling him, "You shouldn't have done that. I told you so." How many live with the shame and the guilt and the regret of the decisions that they make? They didn't intend to get there, but here he is, naked and half dead, on his way to something he thought would bring him pleasure. He's in no condition to save himself. He's unclad and broken. The thieves have come to steal, kill, and destroy. He has nothing left but anguish and pain. But who will come to where he is? The Levite and the priest passed him by. I'll mention them here in just a few more moments, but just stay with me. They ignored him and went on their way. But Jesus mentions something in the parable that his listeners, his their ears would certainly perk up. Jesus said, "A Samaritan came to where he was." I'm sure somebody in disbelief said, "A who?" A what? A Samaritan. No one liked a Samaritan. No one liked Samaritans. They they were part Jew, part Gentile. So the Jews rejected them. The Gentiles rejected them. They had their own form of worship. They had their own ideologies. They had all that. They had their own culture. Nobody liked a Samaritan. Jesus's detractors even said, "Are we not right in calling you a Samaritan and that you have a devil?" So that's how they thought of Samaritans. They thought that they were devils. And so Jesus said, "A Samaritan, an outcast came to where he was." Now today when you say Samaritan, you say good Samaritan, right? There was no such thing in that day. There was no such. We have hospitals called Good Samaritan Hospital. We got Samar, you got all kinds of of of of charities called Good Samaritan. In one story, Jesus changed the trajectory of a Samaritan in just one story. They went from being rejected to being accepted in one story. That's the power of the gospel, isn't it? That's the power of Jesus, isn't it? He can how those who are outcasts, all of a sudden they're good. They're good. They're not they're no longer bad and rejected. They're good. They're the good Samaritans. And here he is, a Samaritan is on his way to help him. He sees him in his condition and doesn't sidestep, doesn't ignore. Here he begins to minister to a weward traveler. Have you thought of this? Perhaps because he knew what it was like to be rejected, too. How many had sidestepped to another sidewalk to bypass the Samaritan? How many Levites and priests wouldn't associate with a Samaritan? He knew what it was like to be rejected. You see, it's those, my God, I feel it. It is those who know what rejection's like. It is those who know what hurt is like. It is those who know what ruin is like. Who become the greatest of ministers because they want to see somebody receive. My God, what they have, that's what God is looking for. He's not looking for the perfect person. He's looking for somebody who knows. I know what that condition's like. I know what it's like to be hurt and broke. I know what it's like to be outcast and rejected. So, let me come to where you come on, somebody. I want you to know Jesus knows what it's like. He was rejected of all men. He came unto his own and his own rejected him. He came to you because he knows what it's like to be rejected. He knows what it's like to be backstabbed. He knows what it's like. >> And he came to where you were and he came to where I was and he began to heal him. He began to minister unto him. Going over to him, he soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an end where he took care of him. Oil, olive oil and wine had antiseptic and medicinal benefits for wounds and abrasions. But it wasn't enough. He bandaged him, put him on his own animal, his burden, his his his own beast to take him to an inn. He took him from the Jericho road to an inn to take care of him. What the weary, bruised, and wounded traveler could not do for himself, the Samaritan took care of. Isn't that the gospel? We cannot save ourselves. But Jesus, as the good Samaritan, comes to where we are and begins to put in oil and wine and begin to put us back together again. This week, Ashley and East and myself, we went to a funeral friend's grandfather who I've known most of my life passed away. And so, we went to Indiana to be there with my friend. And we thought while we're here, while we're in Indiana, let's go see Brother Osborne. Bishop JH Osborne's been here. I can't tell you how many times he's been here over the years. from camp meetings to special services to anniversary services. He is a the premier Bible teacher and preacher of all time. I told him uh this week, I told him, "You are my Charles Spurgeon. That's who you are to me. He's amazing." He recently got put into an assisted living home in Carmel, Indiana. And so we went to see him and you know we went there thinking we're going to be of comfort to him and Sister Osborne and instead he was a comfort to me. I sat there with my hero. He said son what do you been studying? Began to tell him few things. breadcrumbs, you know. He said, "All I can do is sit here and think." He said, "Can I tell you something I've been thinking about and I want to share that with you what he gave to me. I'm trying not to get choked up, but he asked a question about this story." He said, "You ever thought about that story?" You know how he talks once that it just it starts flowing out of him. He said, "If Jesus is the good Samaritan in this story, why didn't he heal him instantly?" He said, "He fed the 5000 in the desert in the previous chapter. He raised Lazarus from the dead in the next chapter. Why doesn't he in this parable heal the man instantly on the road? Why pour oil and wine on his wounds? He can speak the word of healing and make him whole. But instead, he puts him on his own animal and takes him to an end. Why not just get the job over with on that road? He takes at least three days to do a one-day job. And he said, "Why?" I'm sitting there going, "Master, thou knowest." But like Jeremiah, thou knowest. Here's the answer. If Jesus is the good Samaritan in this story, and I believe he is, why take so long to do what seems to be that could be accomplished in an instant? Here's the answer. If the traveler had been healed instantly on the road to Jericho, then more than likely he would have continued to travel down to Jericho. Sometimes it's not the healing that's needed, but the recovery. He was taken from the Jericho road to be removed from the place that destroyed him. If he left him where he was, the thieves and the robbers were still there and the danger of the road was still there as well. I want to tell you, he doesn't leave you where you are, but he removes you from Oh my God. He removes you from the thing. He could heal you right now. He could heal you instantly in this moment, but sometimes it's not the instantaneous healing. It's the recovery that he's looking for. It's the removal from the envir. I wish somebody was hearing me right now. I want you to know that there is a process called disciplehip. And then when he heals you, he wants to begin to take you through a recovery to remove you from the world that was killing you. Would you lift up your hands right now? I wonder if somebody could lift up their voice right now and say, "Lord, thank you. Thank you for removing me. Come on. Sometimes you got to be removed from some from some friends. Come on. Sometimes you got to be removed from some environments that cause you temptation. It's not the healing he's looking for. It's the recovery. He said he took three days. He took three days and he could have done it in one instant. Why? Because it's not the wounds that needed healing. It was his heart. It wasn't the wounds. It was his heart that led him from Jerusalem to Jericho. Can I tell you sometimes the process of disciplehip is far harder than the initial salvation. I've seen people come up and get the Holy Ghost their first service. I've seen people come up out of the water speaking with other tongues in their first service and then all of a sudden a few weeks go by. They say, "This is hard. I don't I don't know how to go through this." Can I tell you sometimes you've got to be removed from the road, the environment, from the place, from relationships, from desires, from temptations. There's some things that take a long time. This is all right to share. I want the huffs. Audrey had surgery. Audrey had surgery. And they said last night we went to go visit her and it stuck with me and it hit me this morning. I was writing my notes. They said, "Listen, the surgery took a couple of hours, but they said the recovery could take one year. Sometimes the recovery is longer than the surgery. Sometimes the disciplehip is longer than the salvation. But if you will stick with it, if you will allow the inkeeper, if you will allow the Samaritan to heal you and get you out of some environments and put you in a place where you could recover. Oh God, we want instant process. We want Let me I I I love y'all. I love our older generation. I love and I appreciate you and give you honor, but I can't stand this comment. They didn't get it like I got it. You don't know what they went through to get it in the first place. Well, I know when so and so got it back in 1950. Here's it happened immediately. Thank God for that. But there are some who've got to be removed from the Jericho road and taken to an inn somewhere, taken to a church somewhere, taken to a classroom somewhere, take a come on, somebody, it might take a Some believe that the Exodus, the from the the first plague to the last plague took somewhere between six and 12 months. But once they left Egypt, one week after they left Egypt, they said, "Let's go back." One trial, one little bit of trouble, let's go back. Over and over again, when they went through trouble and they went through un circumstances that didn't seem uh didn't seem great, they'd say, "Let's just go back to Egypt." Can I tell you this? It took six to 12 months to get them out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of them. Can I tell you disciplehip takes a lifetime? >> Come on. I thank God for those who come in and get the Holy Ghost immediately, but it might take 40 years for them to get over their nicotine habit. It might take 12 years for them. Come on, somebody. We need to have as much grace in the process as God gave us grace in our process. If it happened overnight for you, thank God for it. But don't you cast a judgmental eye on somebody when it takes them a year to get the junk out of them. >> Come on, somebody. takes a lifetime. It wasn't the bruises or the wounds. It was his heart. So, he took him to an inn. Took him to an inn because he needed removed from the environment. Can I tell you you can't stay where you are? Temptation's hard enough, but there's no need to put yourself into temptation. If they're giving you trouble, stop hanging out with them. Come on, young person. If you can't get over her, erase her number. If you can't stop doing the thing, stop going to the place. Got to be removed from it. Can't stay there. Some of us want to, you know, we we I don't believe in accept the Lord Jesus into your heart. Don't believe that. But I think sometimes we get it backwards, too. Lord, just accept me as who I am. Just accept me. No, no, no, no, no, no. There's no accepting Jesus anywhere in the Bible. It's repent. and believe the gospel. That means in order for him to come into your life, you're going to have to reorder some stuff. And that might mean breaking up, leaving some places, not accept me as I am. No, no, no. You're going to have to go to the end and get some healing. But have you thought about the inkeeper? He's just trying to keep house. He's just trying to keep a place nice for visitors. And here comes a Samaritan with a man who's been beaten and broken, half naked, half dead. And he says, "Care for him. Care for him." Can I tell you, there are some things we didn't sign up for in ministry. I just want to be a preacher. I just want to be a preacher. I just want to be a preacher. Great. I appreciate that. But do you want to deal with the mess? No, I just want to preach. Then you're not a preacher. We need some inkeepers. Someone will say, "You know what? I'm making room for some brokenness around here. I'm making room for some brokenness around here. I'm I'm giving space for grace around here. I'm making space for people to grow and recover around here. And if they don't get it in the first week or the first year, guess what? I've got more room for others. and we're going to help you along the way. We're going to pray for you. We're going to love on you. We're going to minister to you. Come on. This is not a social club. This is a hospital for broken people. And we must realize that's what we're here to do is to put people back together. You're going to be inconvenience. It's going to be messy. It's not always going to be easy. But I'm telling you, it's going to be worth it. Come on, musicians, get ready. I'm almost done. Can I just I'm I'm Can I just say something here? The robbers and the thieves wounded him, but let's not overlook the Levite and the priest that ignored him. You see, their religion was self-s serving and not serving others. But let me just add this. There are some who've been wounded by Levites and priests. God forbid that we would get so hateful and manipulative and castleminded that we hurt people with the truth. We need to heal people with the truth, not wound them with the truth. We can't ignore them. We can't sidestep them. But we also can't be the ones that wound them either. We need to be a place that heals, a place that's that that that that's that's understanding that that that that helps people. Someone say amen. Samaritan takes him to the end. and says, "Here's here's some money. Care for him. And when I return, I'm coming back for what I saved." And I'm not not only am I coming back, I'm coming back with reward with me. Because if you will take care of him, whatever you pour out, I'm going to pour back into. Can I tell you, it might be hard. It might be messy, but I'm telling you, this ministry is rewarding. And there will be a reward for us either here or in eternity. But if we'll be faithful over what God has given us, he will return. He will come back. And he's coming back with crowns. He's coming back with riches. He's coming back. Come on, somebody. He's coming back. He didn't just leave us here and say, "Good. I You got it so far. I'll see you on the other side." No, he says, "When I return, there is a return on our ministries." Can I I know it's not school yet. And thank God for that. But can I tell some ACS teachers and daycare teachers, it's a lot of hard work teaching children, a lot of taxing time, a lot of stress. But can I tell you there is a reward if you will minister to them. We see it on the platform here. We see it at the front doors there. I want you to know there is a reward in helping people. Stand to your feet. I will come back and I've got you're not going to be out inkeeper. You're not you're not going to be in the deficit. I've got reward coming for you. I'll repay you whatever it costs. I I just I know I'm using our imagination. Could you imagine when that man woke up, the traveler in an inn recovering? I was on my way to Jericho, but nobody told me about the robbers and the thieves. But you know what? Nobody told me about a Samaritan that would help me. It's not all bad. It's not all bad. There are those who still want to minister to the hurting and to the wounded. So, our altar tonight's going to be twofold. Two things, okay? Number one, maybe you're somebody who's left Jerusalem or you're thinking about leaving Jerusalem. You're thinking about leaving the church. You're drifting a little bit towards the world. You're drifting a little bit towards Jericho. You think there's promise and riches and pleasure. I've come to warn you. It's dangerous. As someone who has traveled that road, as somebody who has done it, let me tell you, it is not worth it. It's not worth it. But you don't know, brother Nate, they this person, that person is in they got they got it all together. That's fine, but that's not promised for you. Don't leave Jerusalem. Turn back. Turn back. Come back. Come back. Come back. But then the next thing is this. Maybe we've been hearing it the last couple of weeks, and I'm not trying to be an echo to reiterate something again, but I want you to know that ministry is worth it. It's hard. It's hard. It's not I'm not naive. I'm not lo It's not lost on me. I'm not I don't I'm not trying to sell I'm not trying to avoid the fine print of ministry. It's hard. Sometimes it's an inconvenience. Sometimes it's messy. Sometimes it's difficult. Sometimes there's sleepless nights. Some it's it's just it's not always easy. But I want you to know it's rewarding. It's rewarding to teach students in a school. It's rewarding to go into a Sunday school classroom and teach and and preach. I know it might be hard sometimes. I I know and brother Sister George I know it's hard sometimes doing B3 sometimes it's hard sometimes it's hard doing but I'm telling you it's worth it and we've got to get a vision that a burden one more time that we are the end we are the inkeepers here at the church and our responsibility is to love people and to help people would you lift up your hands would you lift up your heart and if you want to come to the altar tonight maybe this you're the first person you're leaving Jerusalem and you're you're drifting and you want to go towards Jericho. I'm telling you, don't do it. Come on, turn around. Maybe somebody else and you're thinking, "Man, ministry is hard and I don't know if I want to do it any longer. It's so hard. There's no rewards and it seems like I'm not getting anywhere." I'm telling you, it's going to be rewarding one of these days, either in this life or another. But I want you to know, just keep going, keep trying, keep loving people, keep working with people. Come on. If you will do it, he will return and he will comfort. He will repay. He's got reward in his hand. Come on, would you lift up your hands? Would you lift up your voice right now as they began to sing? We got one to be baptized tonight. But I wonder if somebody would receive their healing, their restoration. Come on. Some encouragement in Jesus name.