like-minded people in the work of God. So the accent's different, you've noticed that already. It's not Canadian, it's not American, it's not Southern, certainly not from South Carolina, and it's not Dutch either. We had some Dutch people in our congregation in Calgary, and some, I would ask them, so when did you move from the Netherlands And he said, well, I was born in Canada, and I was overwhelmed that they still, there were certain words they said that sounded very Dutch. It's not so much here in the U.S., but in Southern Alberta, if you've ever been there, you may come across that, which is quite an unusual thing. But I'm from Northern Ireland. In the UK, look at Ireland and go to the very north of there, and that's where I grew up, and that's where the accent comes from. Kind of Scottish, but not quite. So I don't have that Sinclair Ferguson or Alistair Begg sound, but there's some similarities if you listen carefully. We want to open the word of God, young people. Some of you may be here for the first time. It's exciting. least I hope you're excited. Maybe some of you are a little afraid. My eldest is going on our camp on Saturday. Our camp begins in Pennsylvania and she's going for the first time and she almost didn't go. She was afraid to go and then at the last minute She said to me last week, maybe I will go to camp. So we squeezed her in at the last minute. So some are more timid and you're not sure what to expect, but we pray that you'll have a good time. And most of all, that you will hear from the Lord. So we begin our week in Hebrews chapter four. And we want to read from verse one. And I encourage you to follow along in God's word and pay attention. Hebrews chapter four, verse one. Let us therefore fear. Lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest. Any of you should seem to come short of it. For onto us was the gospel preached as well as onto them. But the word preached did not profit them. Not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, as I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day, and this wise, and God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, if they shall enter into my rest. Seeing, therefore, it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time, as it is said, Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Amen. We'll end the reading there at verse 13. May God bless the public reading of his word. Would you pray with me, young people? Would you bow your heads before the Lord and ask God to speak to you? Father, we assemble this first day of this, this opportunity that in your province you've given to each one of us, and especially to the young people, to make friends, make memories, and to receive the word of God. I pray that there may be unusual help given. Take us from the ordinary into the extraordinary, that the spirit of God will so work, that the word of God will Be heard with profit. And your blessing may be. Marvelously known tonight and in the coming days. Give help them in preaching and receiving the word. May souls be saved. And assured of what Christ has done. And may you extend your kingdom, we pray in Jesus name. Amen. I'm going to guess that the vast majority of you grew up or have grown up in a Christian home and in church. That certainly was not the case for me. I didn't start attending church regularly until after my mother was converted and by that stage I was already 18 years of age. It was through her influence that I began to attend and through the preaching of the Word of God, I began to recognize things that I would say most of you have always known. Like you can't remember not knowing, for example, that you're a sinner. You can't remember a time when you didn't know that the Son of God came into this world to die for sinners and rose again the third day from the grave. You don't remember not knowing about those things. That's a privilege indeed. The chapter that we have before us reminds us of the fact that there is a mixture, not just in the world, but in the church. We look at the world and there are some who believe and some who don't. We know that, but in the church it is true as well. And the apostle, as he writes here in Hebrews, he is warning, look again at the opening verses of this chapter, let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest. So God has given a promise. There is an open invitation for sinners to come in and receive the promise, the promise of rest, the promise of rest from our sins, the consequences of our sins, the guilt of our sins, that any of you, you sitting in church, Hearing this message of the book of Hebrews should seem to come short of it. You come up short. I mean, you know the message, you know the promise. You're aware of the invitation that has been put before you many times, but you come up short. This is what we mean by there being a mixture in the church. Look at verse two, for onto us was the gospel preached as well as onto them. Here he's referring to the Israelites in the wilderness. God had delivered them. What a story, what a story. This nation that had no expertise in warfare, had no weapons, had no influence, God delivers from under the hand of the mightiest nation on earth at the time. They didn't lift a finger. He just brought them out in the Exodus and brought deliverance for them. And in that, there was a message, you know, of course, of the Passover. There was a message there of how we can be saved and delivered. So when I see the blood, I will pass over you is the central message of Exodus chapter 12. It's reminding them that deliverance will not come by their own effort, but by the work of another. by a substitute, by the lamb whose blood was shed and applied to the doorposts of each home, this gospel is being preached to them. And all through the years in the wilderness, God is preaching the gospel to the Israelites over and over and over again. Even in the giving of the law, he is reminding them as he begins in Exodus 20 to give to them the commandments that would be the central kind of expression of his will. He reminds them before he gets to those commandments, I'm the Lord that brought you up out of the land of Egypt. You've been delivered and experienced deliverance already. And yet the gospel that was preached as well as onto them that's been preached to us, to this generation. But it says, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. And that's the burden of the writer of the Hebrews, and it's the burden of every faithful preacher in every generation. He's always aware that he stands before a mixed group. I don't know your hearts. Even if I took a survey and asked you point blank, each one of you went through, where do you stand before God? I could not say at the end of it that your answers faithfully reflect the reality. Sometimes we're self-deceived. So the burden of the preacher is to get people to, yes, hear, yes, understand, but to profit. God is giving this promise of rest that I and my sin and my unworthiness before the living God can enter into rest, not through anything I can do, simply believing in the promise that is put before us in Jesus Christ, that if we believe, we will never perish. The text given to me to get your mind upon the power of the word of God and the significance of it is verses 12 and 13. I want to leave some thoughts with you because he moves in his argument, of course, to, as he talks about rest and entering into rest and the fact that the Israelites largely did not, this generation is in danger of the same thing, he then comes back to the Word of God and is elevating it as the sole hope of striking into the hearts of those that are reading or listening. And whether or not they will change will depend upon how the Word of God is received. The title given to me is Powerful to Enliven Us. It speaks of the Word of God being powerful to enliven us. So young people, I want you to follow along with me as we look at these verses and give some thoughts for you to consider tonight. First of all, the living nature of God's Word. The living nature of God's Word. God's Word is alive. That's what it tells us here in verse 12. The Word of God is quick. It is alive. It is the living Word. It's a life. It has this power, a vitality that transforms lives. Now, I can testify to that. I can testify personally, and I'm sure quite a number here can do the same, that there's a power to the Word of God. And it's unlike anything else. First of all, we might say it is spiritual. Go to John chapter 6. Our Lord Jesus, in John chapter 6, You know, we always want Christianity to be popular. We want as many people as possible to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don't want them to follow in a false way, do we? We want it to be real. And our Lord Jesus was not in the business of garnering false converts. John chapter six is a wonderful lesson in that when multitudes are there because he has fed the 5,000, they are overwhelmed at the display of power and it's, Well, a certain type of political movements, I'll say no more than that, would look at the Lord Jesus and say, this is great. This is great. We don't have to work. We just follow him around. And he turns this bread and fish into a meal that will provide for 20,000 people. I mean, we don't need to work. We just need to follow this one. And our Lord Jesus, he addresses them in their hearts because the next day when they're following him, expecting him to do the miracle again, instead of them going to work and provide for their families, let's just follow Jesus. He says, look, you're not coming after me because you understand what I'm about. You're calling that your bellies might be filled, your physical bellies, but you don't get the message. The message of the feeding of the 5,000 is that I am the son of God and I display what was illustrated in the wilderness when God sent manna from heaven to provide for the Israelites and they never lifted a finger. But I am the full expression of that and I bring life. And if you eat of me, you will never die. Well, he explains that more, and I'll not take time to say too much. But look at the end in verse 63 of John chapter 6. He says these words, Jesus that is, it is the spirit that makes alive, that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, they are life. These words are life. They're life. Now, of course, the context is where multitudes walk away dead. They do the same thing as the Israelites did in the wilderness, when God is preaching the gospel to them in the manna, in the water from the rock, and in all the other things, such as the serpent being lifted up. These proclamations of life through the gospel That salvation is not of works which we can do, but according to his mercy. And if we look, we will live. If we trust, we will receive from him life. And Jesus saying, these words that I'm speaking, they give life. And yet many of them, they turn away. They don't want it. Look at verse 64, there are some of you that believe not. And we're told specifically, Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him. And we go on down and we're told in verse 66, from that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus onto the 12, will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. He agreed with what Jesus said. The words that I speak are life. And Peter says, why would we go away? We agree with what you just said. Your words are life-giving, not just for the physical, for the inner man. They give life. And young people, this is how you begin this week in realizing afresh, maybe for the first time, That God's Word is where you will find life, real life, transforming life. It doesn't matter what age you are, you can experience the power of God's Word. But it is spiritual. It's also self-authenticating. You may turn to it in John 7. If you're already in John 6, you will see it. At John 7, verse 17, Jesus says, if any man will do his, that's God's, will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. So Jesus is saying, look, if you will do God's will, you will know that I come from God. That will come together. If you're really the Lord's, you will recognize me and my words. If you don't, then of course there's going to be a conflict and you'll be able to see. So what he's saying really is that you'll be able to authenticate, you will know, you will know that Jesus is speaking the words of God because you already are submitted to do God's will. That's your desire and you see it pulling together. I can't, I can't like just put that into your hand. I can't give the authenticity of God's Word to you. And people try to prove that God's Word is God's Word and all of this. But while there's some things that can be argued, young people, the fact of the matter is God's Word is self-authenticating. And it's like trying to To try and prove its power to someone who hasn't felt it is like trying to show someone who's blind the sun, like them being able to, they can't see it. It doesn't matter how you describe it. They can't see just the extent of the brightness of it. If you describe anything to them, they struggle to see it as you see it. It's not until you see it for yourself that you say, yes, this is what that is. This is real. This is authentic. You can describe something they've never experienced, but they won't really know it until they experience it themselves. I was reading just this morning in Jeremiah chapter 23. I might just read some verses there for you. Jeremiah chapter 23. And Jeremiah, I mean, he had a tough time. He really did. It wasn't a very pleasant ministry that he had, and yet he was faithful. And one of the frustrations that Jeremiah had to face is something that most preachers have to face, is that as you're proclaiming God's word, there are other voices out there proclaiming something that pretends to be God's word. And sometimes you find that people are being drawn to this. And they may even call themselves Christians, and you just can't get your head around it. You're in disbelief. Your jaw hits the floor. Why? Why are you interested in that? Like, really? I mean, they don't even preach God's Word. They're not faithful to God's Word, but you're drawn after it. Why? Well, Jeremiah had the same experience. Jeremiah 23, I'll read just from verse 28. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream. All right, so let these people tell their dreams, their imaginations, the message that they have thought up themselves. And he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. Don't change it. Don't hear the dreamer and then modify God's word to sound similar to it. You tell my word faithfully, let the dreamer tell his dreams. And he says, then, what is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord? Is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Is it not? Now, not everyone experiences it. And Jeremiah's watching like multitudes who won't listen. They want the dreamers. The people who are saying, peace, peace, when there is no peace. The people that say, don't worry, God's loving. And you can go to heaven. It doesn't matter whether you believe in Jesus. It doesn't matter whether you believe in Muhammad or whatever. It doesn't really matter. God is loving. You'll get there in the end. They're dreamers. They're false prophets. And they tell lies. Whereas the faithful person is saying there's only one way. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And the faithful prophet doesn't want to change that. He doesn't want to alter it. And yet he has this concrete understanding that if you really will trust this word, you will experience the truth of it. And you will feel it. You will feel it like a fire and like a hammer in your life. I don't know if you've had the experience of feeling the power of God's Word. I hope you do this week. But it's not only spiritual and self-authenticating, it's also sure. The living nature of God's Word shows us that it's a sure word as well. Sometimes you'll discover that laws in a country or a particular area fall out of favor. And some law that was written in the past, you realize is still actually, law hasn't been removed. It's on the books as it were, and it should be being upheld, but it's not. It's fallen out of favor. One very interesting one, I don't know if you're aware of it, but I was reading that it is illegal to destroy a radio in Detroit. So I don't even know if some of you know what a radio is or was. It was so long ago since we used radios. I imagine most of you have an idea. But it's illegal to destroy radios. So you had a radio that you'd tune in and listen to news and programs or whatever. And in Detroit, if you destroy a radio, It's a crime, it's a felony or whatever. You're breaking some kind of law and you can be charged for it. Now, it sounds really odd, but I imagine, I don't know the history, but I imagine it goes back to a time when this is the only form of communication and it functions as a key role within the community, allowing people to hear what's going on or important messages. It's almost like a utility, destroying utility power lines and stuff. You would get in trouble for that. So I imagine that's where it comes from, but it's still existing. So if you broke the radio in Detroit, I very much, I'd be very surprised if the police officer saw you and then would, you know, call you up and break the law. I can't imagine that that would happen. It falls out of favor. That's not God's Word. It never falls out of favor. It doesn't change. Let me read some verses to you. Numbers 23, verse 19, God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? And you know the answers to those questions. When God speaks, it's going to come to pass. Psalm 119, verse 89, forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Matthew 24, 35, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. Isaiah 40, verse 8, the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever. It's not going anywhere. So here you are, thousands of years from Hebrews chapter 4, and when Hebrews was written, and the New Testament, and it's God's Word, and it's just as relevant today as it ever was. Just as relevant as it was prior in the Old Testament, when men like David and Moses and others were hearing from God and giving the Word. It's just as relevant. If you can feel this living power of the Word, it will transform your life. But young person, you have to desire the Word. You have to long for it. It's very convicting when we are so blessed with so much and we don't seem to appreciate what we have. So we have the living nature of God's Word, but secondly, the powerful force of God's Word. It's powerful. The Word of God is quick and powerful, Hebrews 4 verse 12 tells us. Powerful? In what way is it powerful? What does it do? Well, we might say, first of all, it saves sinners. It does, it saves sinners. Now, in one sense, of course, you say Christ saves sinners, but the Word plays a part in that. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 14, Paragraph 1 says, The grace of faith whereby the elect are enabled to believe that the saving of their souls is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word." The Word is important if you're ever going to be saved. See, salvation is taking God at His Word. Therefore, you have to hear it and respond to it. Without the Word, you're in a hopeless condition. The same chapter of the Confession of Faith says, a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the word. It goes on and says, the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life. Now there's much there, but let me ask you, have you accepted, received, and rested upon Christ? Have you read, received, took in hand for yourself the Word of God and said, I am making this mine? I'm accepting it, I'm receiving it, and I'm resting upon the Christ that is in it and put before me in the Word of God? Do you, young person, can you testify to saying, I have done this, I have taken the word. I am, as you read this passage of Hebrews, and it's trying to get across to people who are in the church but are in danger of walking away. They're going to go back to the old religion. They're going to go back to all the other Things that God didn't intend to stay as a permanent model, because it was just pointing to the substance. It's like a man who gets engaged. So let's say he's in the military, and he gets engaged to a young woman. And of course, he's very excited about it, as I trust she is as well. But he has to go off and turn on duty. Away he goes. And before he goes, what does he do? He gets a picture of her. He wants a picture. And he gets a picture of his bride-to-be. And he carries it so carefully in his belongings. And off he goes to some far place in the world. And every day, he's sitting there looking at it. Every day, maybe he takes it out of his pocket and he looks at it. Maybe he kisses it. And he's like, looking forward to the day when I get back home. She's mine. And he's so excited. Now imagine, imagine, imagine that he comes back and he's been writing letters, telling her, every day I look at the photograph, every day I kiss it, you know. So excited, I can't wait to be married. Imagine he comes back, gets off the plane, she's there waiting for him. And he goes there, and with her standing there in front of him, he takes out the photograph and starts hugging the photograph, and embracing the photograph, and showing expressions of affection to the photograph. And she's standing there. I mean, what's she going to feel? She goes, what's wrong with you? Is your head right? What is wrong with you? Why would you do that? It's ludicrous. But that's what was happening to the Hebrews. God had given these pictures of what the Messiah would do for them. And then he comes. And he's right there. And these he's writing to, they had received it. They had been influenced by it. But now they're tempted to go back. So they had seen the beauty of Jesus and they had embraced him. But now they're going back to the photograph. Why would you do that? That's what they were doing. walking away from the truth. Jesus is in the business of saving sinners and drawing them to himself, drawing them to himself. Young person, that that's the biggest burden, perhaps, that we all have here is to make sure. To make sure the root of the matter is in your heart, you young man and young woman, that you have the root of the matter in your heart. That you really know Jesus Christ. I marvel at the compassion of the Lord Jesus in John 7, 37, when being so rejected and despised, he stood and cried, we're told, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He's standing. He's standing appealing to the crowd. If you thirst, come to me. Now, I know some of you will say, well, preacher, preacher, we're dead in trespasses and sins. And if we're dead, how can we come? If we're dead, how can we come? But you notice what Jesus is focusing upon. He's not denying the reality of spiritual death, but when he preaches to your heart, he's not giving you an out by saying, well, you're dead, you can't come. He preaches in a way that gets to your heart and asks the question, stop making an excuse of your nature and ask yourself, are you thirsty? Are you thirsty? You see, if you're thirsty, come to me, I'll quench that thirst. So the question for you is not getting caught up in theological conundrums about, I'm dead, I can't come myself. Jesus says, if you're thirsty, you come. So that gets you asking questions, doesn't it? Not saying, well, I'm dead, I can't do anything, Am I thirsty? Let's put it this way. If I could come, would I? The powerful force of God's word, it saves sinners, it sanctifies saints. I'm going to pass over that. That will be developed by other preachers. other occasions this week. But it helps, it sanctifies saints. It saves sinners, it sanctifies saints. It helps those who are saved to grow, and we'll see that more. Which brings me thirdly and finally to the cutting precision of God's word. We've seen the living nature of it, the powerful force of it, but I want us to see the cutting precision of it. And note two things. First, it is unlike anything else in its sharpness. We are told here that it's sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened onto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." I'm not gonna get into nitty gritty here of the, parsing these words and trying to understand all. Put it this way, the point simply is, as he multiplies terms, is that God's word reaches the inaccessible parts of man. That's a simple way of looking at it. God's word reaches the inaccessible parts of man. In other words, your profession may fool me, and it may fool mom and dad, and it may fool your minister, And you may talk the talk, and as far as everyone is aware, there seems to be something there, certainly not any rebellion, that they can see. But God's word isn't like me or your parents or anyone else. God's word gets to places that no one else can get to. It cuts in, that's the point. It cuts right into the inner part of you so that even your thoughts and intents, the things that go on in your mind, your conscience can't escape its reach. Maybe some of you feel it already. You're feeling it. Maybe try to ignore its work. Maybe try to laugh it off with your friends sitting beside you and you try to turn it into a point of humor. And God's word is actually dealing with your soul. You feel it. You're meant to feel it. And you're not meant to ignore it. You're meant to respond to the pricking influence of the word as it does its work upon your conscience. Oh, it's, it feels painful, it feels difficult, but when you stop resisting it and you realize, no, this is good for me. I mean, Saul of Tarsus had to learn this, didn't he? Saul of Tarsus was so knowledgeable in the Word. You know, it's like some of you, I mean, you know the Bible inside out. You win the quizzes. You know it. You're the person to go to with Bible trivia. But the root of the matter is not there. And Saul was running around thinking he had everything that he needed and these people, these Jesus of Nazareth followers are a problem. And he thought he was serving God and trying to arrest them and imprison them and put them to death. And he stood there consenting to the death of the first martyr of the Christian church of that era after the resurrection and ascension of Christ. And yet when he goes to Damascus and the Lord Jesus meets with him, what does he say? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. Something was prodding in his heart, bothering him. He was feeling that, I thought I was a good person and I had everything in order, and then suddenly begins to feel this weight that something's wrong. He writes about it in Romans 7. The commandment of covetousness. Began to realize his heart wasn't as pure as he imagined it to be. Well, maybe you have to go through that same experience. The sharp word of God is pricking you. It's pricking, and you feel this tension because there's a part of you that wants to do your own thing. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just I agree that this is God's word. I even love God's word. I even read it, and I pray, preacher, but there's a part of me that wants to taste the world, be in something that I, be involved with things that I know are not Christian, so I don't want to be a hypocrite. And you actually feel better about yourself because you're not being a hypocrite. You're not trying to fool yourself. You're saying, I'm being honest. I know about some of those other young people at church. They go through all the steps and profession of faith and everything else. But if only their parents knew what they were posting on social media. If only people saw what was going on really in their life. So you actually feel self-righteous about it, that you're better. Let God's word have its work in your life. Before we close, I want to turn to Luke chapter 13 with you, because it's not only unlike anything in its sharpness, it's unlike anything in its searching. And rather than look in Hebrews, I want to turn you to an example of this in Luke chapter 13. I want you to listen to me very carefully, because I don't want to be misunderstood. Eric said the video is going to be shown after I finish here. And some of you know the reason why. You know that today is the anniversary of the passing of Jordan. On Sunday past, I'm going through the book of Luke with our congregation. And we're in Luke 13. And I want to read to you these verses, because when things happen, God not only works through his word, but he uses events to drive you back to the word and to listen to it with fresh ears. Look at Luke 13, verse one. They were present at that season, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. In the recent past, Galileans had come to Jerusalem probably for Passover because they're offering sacrifices and Pilate's instruction that they should be killed causes them to be slaughtered in the very temple itself and their blood mingles with the blood of the animals they're offering to God. So people come and they have this on their mind, this event, There's a huge crowd on this occasion. Multitudes are there. Some are perhaps still trying to make sense of what has happened. Others think they know. Verse two says, Jesus answering said unto them, suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? Is that what you're thinking? That's what they tended to think. You're trying to think about why, why did this happen? Must be sin in their lives. Jesus says, I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. So the first scene they bring is a tragedy of of which Pilate is guilty. Then Jesus brings up another event that had happened and everyone's aware of that too. These aren't Galileans, these are people in Jerusalem. Verse four, those 18 upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them. Think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? Is that what you think? I tell you nay. But except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Our default question when things happen that we don't understand is to ask, what's the cause? Jesus Jesus says, you're asking the wrong questions. The real question is, what's the purpose? The disciples were guilty of the same thing. When they saw the blind man in John nine, who'd been blind from birth, they asked, did this man sin or his parents? And Jesus says, no, you're asking the wrong question. Stop wondering about the cause It's the purpose, it's the purpose that matters. What's the purpose? God will be glorified in this. So this crowd stand there, and Jesus is basically saying, stop thinking about what happened to them and ask yourself, What if it happened to you? Stop wondering why them, start asking why not me? In verse six, he speaks a parable. A certain man had a fig tree, this depicts God. planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon and found none. Then said he on to the dresser of his vineyard, behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down. Why cumberth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it. And if it bear fruit, well, and if not, Then after that, thou shalt cut it down. Three things. Verse seven. The Lord Jesus reminds them of patience received. Patience received. This is Israel. Jesus is gonna spend a little over three years. He uses round figures here. God is being patient with Israel these three years. Now he's come seeking fruit. This is a reminder that God has been patient already. Patience received. Young person, I'm wanting you to, I want you to not miss what God is saying here in the cutting influence of his word. He is reminding you tonight, you already have received much patience from God. Now, if you're saved, great. May God help you to go on with him. But if you're not, you are certainly the target of my message tonight. You have already received so much patience from God. And yet there is patience continued, verse eight. He answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about and dung it. Here you have the Lord Jesus depicting his mercy as he continues his ministry in Jerusalem and gives the word of God to the people. And he's depicting this interaction in a parable that God would be right to judge But he's standing in saying, not yet, not yet. Let alone this year also. Let alone this year also. A young person, you have to be, you have to see the application here. You have to see how the Lord reaches out in mercy and you've had years of His patience and still you're here. You're still here. Why are you here? Why? Are you a sinner? The soul that sinneth, it shall die. You should die. I should be dead long ago. The only reason we are not dead is the mediation of Christ who has his purposes in preserving us. And the fact that you're under the word of God is an indication he is yet putting out his arms of mercy saying, let alone this year also. Don't cut it down yet. But here's the warning. Verse nine is patience ended. If it bear fruit, well. And if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. As you watch this video, I hope you watch it with the sobriety that it deserves. When God permitted what happened there to the Galileans, when God in his wisdom and in ways that we don't understand that tower came down on those 18 people, The communities were affected. And Jesus' message is this, repent. Make sure you've repented. Make sure you've turned from your sin and turned onto Christ. Don't go on rejecting the Son of God. Lord, help you. We're gonna watch a video, we'll sing a psalter, and then I'll come up and close in prayer.