It's good to be here. It's always a pleasure and a privilege to stand in front of you. And we come today to Matthew 5, verse 17. Verses 5 through 48 are one section showing Jesus' attitude toward the Old Testament. And that's a matter of interest to us because quite often we're not quite sure what to make of The Old Testament laws. Verses 17 through 20 are an introduction to this section, and verses 21 through 48 give us six examples of how the principles in verses 17 through 20 play out. Now, vast crowds followed Jesus. He was a great healer, and that brought a lot of crowds. And he taught the Sermon on the Mount from a mountain in Galilee. This was a kingdom manifesto. It was one of his first main sermons. And people didn't know Jesus very well. Many of the listeners were Jewish by descent, so they would have been familiar with the Old Testament. And they were curious about how Jesus, the upstart healer and teacher, How he would handle the Old Testament law? Was he a scrupulous scribe who would insist on strict obedience to the Old Testament? Or was he a progressive reformer who would advocate for discarding the Old Testament? His listeners anticipated that he would either push for strict enforcement of the law or discard the law's authority, but Jesus took a third approach. I came to fulfill the law. Let's look at the text, verse 17 first. Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. Well, what did Jesus mean by the law or the prophets? The Old Testament was often divided into three parts, the law, the prophets, the writings. The first five books of the Bible are the law, Genesis through Deuteronomy. The prophets, as you would imagine, include the major prophets, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, minor prophets, and the writings are more poetic in their nature, would include Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, and some others. Jesus here referred to two out of the three major divisions of the Old Testament, but it wasn't because he wanted to exclude the writings, this was just more a shortened way of saying the Old Testament. So Jesus was about to tell the crowd what his relationship to the Old Testament was and would be. And he said, first, I didn't come to destroy it. It's not being discarded, it's not being replaced, it's not being disrespected. Every jot and tittle would be eternal, and jot and tittles were the smallest markings in Hebrew. They would be equivalent to the dots on our I and J, and maybe the cross on the T in the English alphabet. And so the people thought, oh, well, so maybe Jesus then is a strict advocate for complete obedience to all the laws and ordinances in the Old Testament. how Jesus himself personally obeyed all the laws sinlessly, but Jesus didn't always enforce the strict disobedience to the Old Testament that people might have imagined. You have listed in the bulletin as an extra passage, John 8, 3 through 11. Turn there and we'll read that passage, John 8, 3 through 11. This is the story of a woman who was caught in adultery. Starting at verse three. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery, and when they had set her in the midst, they said to him, teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very act. Now Moses and the law commanded us that such should be stoned." And they were right about that, Deuteronomy 22, 22. You can look it up. It was an Old Testament command. And then they said to Jesus, but what do you say? This they did, testing him that they might have something of which to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear. So when they continued asking him, he raised himself up and said to them, he who was without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. And again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest, even to the last. And Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman, he said to her, woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, no one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, neither. Do I condemn you? Go and sin no more. So this would not have been a very popular move among the scribes and Pharisees who believed in that strict obedience to the law. And in this case, the Old Testament would have called for the woman to be stoned. So Jesus, he was not an advocate for literal strict obedience to all the laws of the Old Testament, but He was not an advocate for discarding, disrespecting, or changing the Old Testament laws. Jesus took a third road. I came to fulfill the law. So what does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law? Well, three possible meanings. One, Jesus fulfilled the predictions of the Old Testament. He was the promised Savior. that the Old Testament, the law and the prophets had been predicting and looking forward to. Secondly, Jesus fulfilled the moral and legal demands of the law by perfectly obeying them. The only person ever to do so. Three, Jesus fulfilled the penalty established by the law through his death on the cross. He filled the demands of the law by obedience to it in his personal life and then in his death The law's demands were fully satisfied in the redemptive work of Jesus, who then said from the cross, it is finished. So those of us who have come to Christ for salvation are no longer under the law. We are under grace, the grace which came through Jesus. We're forgiven because Jesus paid the sin debt. Now, being free from the law, does not mean that we are free to disobey the law. When we come to Jesus for salvation, we're freed from the penalty of disobedience to the law, but Jesus sends us back to the law in order to understand the heart of God and in order to grow in what we call sanctification or to mature in day-to-day Christian behavior. And if you hear the phrase, we're not under the law, oh, we're not under the law, it doesn't mean, as some people suppose it means, that we're free to do whatever we want to do. Now, if you have not gone to Jesus for salvation, you are still under the law in the sense that you're still under the penalty of the law. The death of Jesus on a cross has the potential to free you from the penalty of sin, but that potential is not realized until you repent of your sin and put your trust in Jesus. Now for those who are believers, and when I say Jesus sends you back to the law to learn the heart of Jesus and to be sanctified, does that mean then that you as a Christian are obliged to obey the Old Testament laws? Not all, but some. Are Christians obliged to obey the commandment thou shalt not steal? Absolutely. What about the biblical command of Leviticus 19.19? You shall not sow your field with mixed seed, nor shall a garment of linen and wool come upon you. Binding or not? Well, my dad planted oats. He always mixed alfalfa and Timothy seed in. when he planted the fields. Most of you are wearing garments that mix different kinds of fabric, whether specifically wool and linen, I don't know, but we don't consider Leviticus 19, 19 binding on our behavior today. So how should someone tell the difference? between laws that are binding on us and ones that are not. Now, to understand this, we need to understand the distinctions between three kinds of laws, ceremonial law, civic law, and moral law. Ceremonial law, laws which guide religious rituals and worship. Examples of ceremonial law in the Old Testament include all the rituals of the temple, what utensils would be used, what the incense was made of, what had to be burned in the lamp stand, who could be priests, what did the priests have to wear, all the specifics regarding animal sacrifices and other sacrifices. Also how to commemorate the feasts, what is a clean and unclean animal, dietary restrictions, and many others. Civil law, laws guiding the regulation of society and governance. The Jewish nation was founded as a theocracy, that is to say, God was their king. They didn't have an earthly king until Quite a few years later, in the days of Samuel, God was their king prior to that. In the Old Testament, the law which God gave to Moses, God spelled out the laws of the land, which he was king over. The Old Testament civil law established things like punishment for crimes, property laws, inheritance laws, social laws governing things such as marriage and slavery, instructions for establishing judges and courts and many others. Moral law, it established ethical principles and standards of conduct which reflect the character of God. The moral law is timeless. timeless moral principles. The Ten Commandments are the best known example of moral law. Other moral laws, though, in the Old Testament included demands for loving your neighbor, establishing honesty and integrity, and respect for authority. Since the moral law reflects the character of God and is timeless, moral laws are often repeated in the New Testament. They're timeless. Nine of the Ten Commandments, nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament, the exception being, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. The Sabbath is Saturday, and we believe the day of worship in the New Testament was changed to Sunday, or the day on which Jesus was raised from the dead. Though we don't keep the Sabbath, the principle of regular corporate worship remains in the New Testament, Hebrews 10, 24, and 5. let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some." Now, churches like ours believe that the ceremonial laws are not binding. Ceremonial law was given to the Jewish nation, telling them how to worship Jehovah in their setting and their time. It was a way to anticipate the coming Savior. As the worshipers sacrificed their animal, they were reminded, there's a Savior coming one day, and this coming Savior will cleanse our sins through his sacrificial death. Then after Jesus fulfilled the law by sacrificing himself for our sins, there was no longer any need for the ceremonial rituals which looked forward to the coming Savior. We have certain rites which look back on the Savior who has now come, notably communion and baptism. The ceremonial law with all its temple rituals was rendered obsolete by Jesus. In Jesus we have a new covenant through his blood, the old covenant with its rituals, including animal sacrifices, is obsolete. That's the meaning of Hebrews 8, 13, in that he says, and that God says, a new covenant, he has made the first, the one with the Israelite nation, obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete is growing old and is ready to vanish away. The old covenant of Old Testament worship rituals has passed away. All of the ceremonial law is useful for instruction, but you're not bound, for example, to sacrifice animals as was commanded in the Old Testament. All right, how about civil law? Is it binding for a Christian? Now much of the Old Testament civil law was set up to guide the nation of Israel, and so it would be difficult to translate those laws to, for example, the U.S. government. We would look at the Old Testament civil law not as binding for the Christian today, but we would say that the principles Behind Old Testament civil law have much to teach us today. Now civil law varies from culture to culture as times change. So for example, the Old Testament civil law telling us what to do when an ox gores a person wouldn't make much sense for us in a time where we don't have ox gorings. But we find that in Exodus 21, 28 and 29. If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall be acquitted. But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, The ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death. Now, we don't have that law in our books, but interestingly, look at the similarity of Exodus 21, 28, and 29 to the Ohio Revised Code, section 97118, regarding negligently permitting livestock to run at large. And the statute is, an owner of livestock who negligently permits the livestock to run at large out of the livestock's enclosure is liable for all damages resulting from injury, death, or loss to person or property caused by the livestock on the premises of another. There are many examples of how Old Testament civil law guides us, gives us wisdom on principles, but where the exact law couldn't be extracted word for word from the Old Testament and placed into today's society. All right, let's look at Leviticus 23, 22 as an example. When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field. When you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God. Leaving the corners of the fields would not be the best way to care for the poor today. But the principle behind the Law is still valid. Jesus said, when you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor your rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Salute 14, 12 through 14. In fact, The church is charged with caring for poor believers. 1 Corinthians 16, 1 and 2. Now concerning the collection for the saints. for the poor saints. As I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also on the first day of the week. Let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there will be no collections when I come." In our church budget, this line item is called charitable contributions. It's not used too much. Perhaps partly because maybe there's not that much poverty around us, but also because sometimes it's hard to be aware of the needs. People hesitate to ask. But it's there for people that need it. So Old Testament civil law is not binding on Christians today. such as leaving the corners of the fields unharvested, but the principles which guided those Old Testament civil laws are still valid and we can learn much about those principles from studying the Old Testament. All right, that leaves the moral law. Are Christians obliged to obey moral laws from the Old Testament? Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not steal. honor thy father and thy mother. Absolutely. They are timeless, they're reflections of God's character. In fact, a person who habitually disobeys these commands of God is showing that he or she is not saved at all. That's the meaning of 1 John 2, 3-5. Now by this we know that we know him. How can I know if I'm saved? How can I know if I'm a Christian? If we keep his commandments. He who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments as a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. But somebody thinks, hey, I thought we were under grace, not under the law. True. You're not under the penalty of the law. Your penalty has been paid by Jesus on the cross of Calvary. And thank goodness because the truth is we've all broken the Ten Commandments. I doubt if anyone here today would argue against ever breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Would you? Would you argue that you never stole anything? Oh, we just eliminated almost everybody. Never dishonored your father or mother? Or disobeyed father or mother? Or that you never coveted, never lusted after something that belonged to someone else, their spouse, their possessions, their popularity, their talents? their position. According to the Bible, both New and Old Testaments, the penalty for sin is death. Ezekiel 18, 20, the soul whose sins shall die, that's Old Testament. Romans 6, 23, for the wages of sin is death, that's New Testament. But that verse, Romans 6, 23, continues. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. The debt of the law needs to be paid only once. And Jesus has done that. So yes, believer, you are free from the law. The law no longer condemns you. But those times when you broke the 10 commandments, they'll never be held against you. But since you're saved and since the Holy Spirit lives in you and works in you, it's not possible for you to continue in a pattern of habitual disobedience to the moral law of God. That would prove that you were never saved in the first place. He who says, I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in him. So yes, Kristen, you are obliged to keep the moral law of God. But now, when you obey the moral law of God, you are not doing so because of fear of punishment. That fear has been taken away. The penalty has been paid. You are obeying the moral law because of your love for Christ. The love of Christ compels us And he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again, 2 Corinthians 5, 14 and 15. So, if you find that you have no love for Jesus, if you find you're in a pattern of disobedience to the commands of God, then you have no basis for confidence that you are saved. All right, a quick summary of how I see the three kinds of law. Ceremonial law, the Old Testament rituals of how to worship in the pre-Christ era have passed away. When he says a new covenant, he made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away, Hebrews 8, 13. Civil law. Civil law varies as civilization changes. So the exact laws to govern civil behavior change over time. The exact civil laws in the Old Testament are not binding for us, but the principles behind those laws remain, and we can gain much wisdom studying them. The moral law, the moral law of God's unchanging because his character never changes. We're bound to obey the moral laws of God, not because of fear of punishment, but because we love Christ. Many of the moral laws are repeated in the New Testament. And when an Old Testament law is repeated in the New Testament, it indicates that that law must be treated with utmost vigilance. Now, it would be nice if we had a list of all the commands of God and which category of law they fell into. That would be simple, wouldn't it? So I could go back to my chart. I could say, well, you know, this one's a moral law, so I have to do this. This one's a civil law. This one's ceremonial law. But as a matter of fact, the Bible doesn't do that. It doesn't give us definitions of these three kinds of law. Dividing the law into ceremonial, civil, and moral laws is a way for us to have a framework to understand how we should relate to Old Testament laws. But to understand which laws we should consider binding today is a matter of honest study of scripture and illumination through the Holy Spirit. And not every Old Testament law can be understood as equally binding. It's not as if the command, do not plant your fields with mixed seeds, is equally binding to thou shalt not murder. Some people don't understand this or at least they pretend not to understand this. Where you might run across this confusion, where I've seen it, is, for example, when somebody wants to argue that being gay or lesbian should be biblically acceptable. And if you point out one of the seven or eight scriptures that talks about homosexuality as being unacceptable, They might say, well, you know, you wear a shirt with more than one kind of fabric in it, don't you? In other words, since you don't obey Scripture, you have no right to demand somebody else obey Scripture. That's a misunderstanding of Scripture, and you need not be intimidated by such an argument, but it's very important that you know Scripture. So you have some idea of what is what. It highlights the importance of 2 Timothy 2.15. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. All right, let's go back to the text, verse 19. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Now, someone might ask, well, wait, you know, I thought you just said that the ceremonial and civil laws of the Old Testament are not binding for believers. But Jesus said, you shouldn't break one of the least of these commandments. Well, we know from Hebrews 8.13 that the ceremonial law is not binding for us, it's passed away. Jesus meant something other than obeying the literal legalistic sense of the law in the Old Testament. What Jesus is saying here is that all commandments are to be obeyed as explained by Jesus, and through the lens of the law having been fulfilled by Jesus. When Jesus having come changed the way that we look at the Old Testament. Obedience is not in the legalistic manner of the Pharisees. Obedience is a heart issue. It's a love for God issue. It's not checking off the boxes. like the scribes and Pharisees did. Sacrifice is commanded in the Old Testament, but Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament law by becoming the final sacrifice. We're not in danger of being called least in the kingdom of heaven because we don't bring animals to sacrifice. In fact, sacrificing animals now that Jesus has come would be very inappropriate for a Christian. It's important to understand how the coming of Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament law and we obey the commandments as interpreted through the teachings and life of Jesus. Now note also the consequences for disobeying a commandment or for teaching others to disobey a commandment. The consequences are not eternal damnation. consequences are being called least in the kingdom of heaven. Now that makes a lot of sense because we can never be saved by obeying Old Testament law or New Testament law, Galatians 2.16. A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ and Even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified. So we cannot be saved by obedience to the law and we can't be lost by disobedience to the law. There's only one sin that keeps you out of heaven. and that is refusing Jesus Christ. And Jesus said, if I am lifted up from the earth on the cross, I will draw all people to myself, John 12, 32. But some people ultimately will say, well, no, no, no, no, I'm not interested, Jesus, you know. I don't want you, I don't need your salvation, I will live my way. But the consequences for a Christian who fails to obey a commandment or commandments is not lost salvation, but lesser reward in heaven. But remember, A person who persistently lives in a pattern of disobedience to the moral law of God is giving evidence that he is unsaved, regardless of what he says. about being a Christian. All right, let's take the last verse of the passage for today, verse 20. For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Now we have this matter of righteousness that exceeds the Pharisees. What does it mean? This is a statement that no doubt would have shocked the crowds. because they looked up to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were conscientious about their obedience to the law, and no one could possibly be more righteous than the Pharisees when it came to obedience to the law. In fact, people were very intimidated by the Pharisees because they felt so unclean around the Pharisees because they were so perfect. in their obedience to the law, and then Jesus comes along and says, that's not adequate. You need something that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees. So there's two ways that we might explain what Jesus meant by a righteousness that needs to exceed the Pharisees. The first explanation involves the kind of righteousness that Jesus talked about. The Pharisees had, so they thought, righteousness according to the law. They scrupulously obeyed the Old Testament, and they felt, they believed that obedience to the law would suffice for them to be on good terms with God. but we indicated from Galatians 2.16 that it's impossible to be saved by adherence to the laws of God. There had to be another kind of righteousness which excels the righteousness of the Pharisees. And there is another kind of righteousness which excels beyond what the Pharisees had. It's not a righteousness that anyone can attain by good works. but it's a righteousness that is given to us by God. We illustrate this righteousness by comparing our lives to a book. My life can be compared to a book that God picks up to inspect. And when he opens the pages of my book, he sees all the the dirt and the filth of all those sins, all the actions that I've taken, all the words that I spoke unwisely, all the impure thoughts that I've had, and God is rightly offended by my book. Now, at that point, my expectation is that I am under the judgment of God, and I expect only condemnation. But along comes Jesus, and he says, well, let's take these dirty, stained pages and tear them out of your book, and let's throw them away. Then he takes the perfect, clean, pure, white pages from the book of his perfect life, and he places them between the covers of my book. And then when God opens my book, he sees only the perfect white pages of the righteous life of Jesus. There is a righteousness which is given to us by God. Philippians 3.9, being found in Christ, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. There's a transaction that happens when we're saved. Jesus takes away my sins, but then he gives something back. He gives back his own righteousness. He credits us with his righteousness. We call this imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness from Jesus exceeds the righteousness Pharisees have through obedience to the Old Testament law. To impute means to ascribe to or attribute to. So Jesus attributes his own righteousness to us when we are saved. Now, the second way to interpret Jesus' words, your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, is to take a close look at the lives of the scribes and Pharisees. How righteous were they, really? So, you'll see a second passage listed in your bulletin, which is Matthew 23, verses 23 through 33. And when we read this, you'll know exactly what Jesus thought of the scribes and Pharisees. Matthew 23, verse 23, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin. and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, tithing on the mint and dill and cumin. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. Blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous and say, if we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them and the blood of the prophets. Therefore, you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. fill up then the measure of your father's guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape the condemnation of hell? Now, clearly Jesus was not impressed with the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. They did follow the details of the external law, tithing, you know, on those, you know, mint, and dill, and anise, and cumin, and Jesus commended that, but they ignored the weightier matters of the law, mercy, justice, faith. And because their lives were void of mercy, and justice, and faith, they became extortioners and self-indulgent, verse 25. They became hypocrites and lawless men, verse 28, and they even murderers, verse 31. And that last accusation that they were murderers was about to be demonstrated in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, which was driven in large part by the scribes and Pharisees. What was it that the scribes and Pharisees lacked? Love? Sincerity? Devotion? Humility. The Pharisee's righteousness was not mixed with love or devotion which are necessary to please God. Remember the first and great commandment. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, Matthew 12, 30. And the attitude of Jesus was really quite understandable, I think. Ladies, think about a husband whose relationship to you was checking off boxes. Brought home a paycheck. Took out the garbage, check. Spent five minutes talking after supper, check. Bought flowers twice a year, Mother's Day, your birthday, check. and the rest of the time he was off pursuing whatever interests he had. Would you be satisfied? Why then should Jesus be satisfied with checklists from cynical, hypocritical, cold-hearted so-called followers? So explanations one and two are both true. I'm not sure which Jesus was referring to when he said, our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees, maybe both. Now Jesus went on to give six Old Testament examples that flesh out the Old Testament law and how Jesus saw the law. The people had gotten out of balance on the way they interpreted the Old Testament law, and Jesus was about to bring back into balance the people's view of the Old Testament. And so we'll get into those next week. And you can see in the bulletin, you have those six examples are referred to there. All right, let's pray. Heavenly Father, We are thankful for the life of Jesus. He delivered us from the penalty of disobedience, disobedience to your commands. And I pray, Father, that each person here would consider that offer of Jesus. I know many have accepted the forgiveness that comes through his death. And I pray, Father, that you would help the others to consider this call of Jesus to come to him for forgiveness. We ask that you would be with us this morning as we continue to worship in song and in study. And Father, we pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. So now I think I need my cards. I left them down here. Okay, we have a couple prayer requests that came in. One from Carol Kristen. She's not able to be here today. She called me yesterday and indicated she has flu. She told me that she was very disappointed, that she was really hoping to be able to be here today. And so she asked that we pray for her. Similarly, Carl and Terry. Many of you know that Carl's mom, Doris, passed away this week. And right about at that time, Carl was coming down with illness right after Carl's mother Doris passed away, Terry became ill and they're both ill today during this time where I'm sure they wish they could be working on making funeral arrangements and so on and so forth. So we'll pray for Carl and Terry for a quick recovery. A praise this morning, I was talking to Jim, this morning in regard to his sister Martha, who we've been praying for, who had the brain aneurysm. And Martha is up and walking, maybe a little weakly to an extent, but she's conversing quite well. Jim told me that yesterday, or I don't know if it was yesterday, but recently there was a group of people visiting her and there was lots of laughter. She's retained her, sense of humor and is able to communicate quite well. And so we are very thankful for that recovery. It's not what you expect when someone has a brain aneurysm. So we're thankful that the Lord has healed her. All right, let's pray over these needs. Heavenly Father, we are thankful to be able to come to you with requests, and we pray this morning for Carol, Kristen, and for Carl and Terry Eichelman. We ask that you would give physical strength to them and encourage them and help them to be of good cheer, and we ask that they would recover quickly. from their illness. We thank you for your work in the life of Martha Skaggs, Jim's sister, and we ask that you would continue to help her body heal, that she can be back to a full slate of activities sometime in the near future. Father, we know there are other unspoken requests, and we ask that you would care for each one. We bring these to you in Jesus' name, amen.