I hope you had a great week and that you're here ready to worship our great God and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 4. Once again, Romans 4 and the text for us this morning is verses 13 to 17. Romans 4 verses 13 to 17. And I would like to begin by reading this passage. Romans 4 verse 13. The Word of God says, For the promise to Abraham, or to his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For of those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is nullified. For the law brings about wrath. But where there is no law, there also is no violation. For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace. so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written, a father of many nations have I made you, in the presence of him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead, and calls into being that which does not exist. Let's pray. Father, we come to you in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we look at your word, at what you're saying to us, help us to have hearts that are receptive Help us to understand your word, what it says, what it does not say. Help us to apply these truths. Help us to communicate these truths to our family members and friends and neighbors, knowing that the time is short. We look around us, and the days are indeed evil. And your son is mocked. You are blasphemed every day. And that grieves us. The darkness is so heavy in this world. But Lord, we know that. You have made us children of light. And that we have a sure hope, a promise that you have given us, which is an anchor for the soul, which helps us endure. And it is this promise that we want to look at this morning and rejoice in. I've asked, as always, Father, that if there be anyone here who does not know you, who is lost in sin, who is on their way to hell, without hope, without God in the world, an enemy of yours, estranged from you, that this very morning would be the day, this time, that they turn from their sins place all of their hope and trust in the only one that can save them, the Lord Jesus Christ. And this we ask in his holy name. Amen. Well, we are headed toward another presidential election. And what is typical of that process, as with any political campaign, what's typical are promises. A promise is when one person or group of people commit themselves to do something for another person or group of people, typically something good, something beneficial. Although, as an aside, we know, as we see every day, that much of what is being promised is, in fact, evil. And we truly live in a day when good is called evil and evil good. But I don't want us to focus on that this morning. What I want us to focus upon is the element of promise. Now, as we know, promises are often left unfulfilled. And not only in politics, but across the board, in every situation, promises are often left unfulfilled. And that stems from the fact that we are fallen, finite, sinful human beings. And we live in a fallen, sinful world. Promises are often unfulfilled because of lies. The promise giver lied to the public in order to be placed in office. But that's not always the case. Sometimes promises are unfulfilled due to a lack of foresight. Something comes up that prevents the promise from being fulfilled. Promises often fail due to a lack of knowledge, a lack of wisdom. Promises often fail because the promise giver passes away, and he's not around to fulfill the promise. And also promises fail due to a lack of power, a lack of authority, a lack of resources to fulfill the promise. And again, I say this is all part of living in this fallen world. God also makes promises. But unlike human beings, God's promises are always fulfilled. They are certain. 100% of the time, 10 out of 10 times, God fulfills His promises. Because God, unlike human beings, He does not lie. He is truthful. He is honest. And so what God does, or what God says, He does. And God has all knowledge. He is omniscient. And so He knows all things. He has all wisdom. He has the knowledge to fulfill His promises. And nothing is going to come about in the future that takes God by surprise, that prevents Him from fulfilling His promises to His people. God is eternal. He does not die. And so He's always going to be around to fulfill His promises. And God is omnipotent. He has all power, all authority, all resources to fulfill His promises. God's promises never fail. And I want you to keep this in mind as we look at this passage, because it's a very important element of what Paul says here. Now, if you look at verse 13, It begins with the word for, and Paul is indicating that he is resuming his argument using the example of Abraham. And up to this point in Romans chapter four, Paul has established that Abraham was justified by faith apart from works. And as we saw last week, that Abraham was justified by faith apart from rights, in his case, the right of circumcision. Now Paul introduces the law yet again, which he has not mentioned up until this point in this chapter. Now, you could say, yes, the law is synonymous with works. But Paul has not mentioned the law up until this point. And so his argument in this passage is, in essence, the same, that Abraham was justified, declared righteous, saved by faith apart from the law. However, it's interesting how Paul now approaches this. He takes a different angle. He could have used the same argument he used with circumcision, a chronological argument. Paul could have said, Abraham was not justified by keeping the law of Moses because Abraham lived hundreds of years before the law of Moses. And so he couldn't have kept it because it didn't exist. But Paul does not do that. It's interesting, he now introduces this new element, the element of promise. And what we see here is that he's constantly separating works and faith, promise and faith, and promise and works, and also grace and works. That's the theme of what Paul is doing in this chapter. And the question that Paul is going to answer for us this morning is this. God's promise to Abraham. How was it given? And how was it received? Was it given through the law? Or was it given through faith? Now, what promise does Paul have in mind? We will get to that in a moment. But first, if you take notes, the first heading is this. The recipients of the promise. The recipients of the promise. And I know I just said that God gave the promise to Abraham, but there's more to it. Look at verse 13. Paul says, for the promise to Abraham or to his descendants. In the Greek, the word for descendants is literally singular, seed. The promise to Abraham or to his seed. And what we need to see here is that this promise is given only to this group. No other group in the world has claimed to this promise from God. It is only Abraham and his seed. And so the question is, who are his descendants? Who is the seed? Well, if you look back at verses 11 and 12, Paul established that. And he said that the descendants of Abraham, the true descendants of Abraham, are those who are not merely physical descendants, but who follow in the footsteps of the same faith, the faith of Abraham. Those are the descendants of Abraham. And in the context of Scripture, in the context of Romans, it is those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And Paul actually establishes this if you go to Galatians 3 and verse 26 to 29. Galatians is like a mini-Romans. It has the same type of doctrine, the same type of arguments that Paul makes in Romans. And so he establishes this in this passage, Galatians 3.26-29. Paul says, for you, he's talking to saints, he's talking to the elect. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ, the perfect righteousness of Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free man. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. And so saints, those of you here who have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, this is God's promise to you. You are the seed. You are the descendants. This is God's promise to me. What is the promise? Second heading, the promise. The promise in verse 13. He goes on. The promise to Abraham or to his descendants that, here's the promise, that he would be heir of the world. And the he refers back to Abraham, but as we just saw, it's not just Abraham, it's also his seed. An heir is someone who inherits something, typically after the death of someone else. That's an heir. You inherit someone, a relative passes away, they left you an estate, they left you possessions, they left you money, you inherit that, you are an heir. But more generally, it could refer to someone who receives something as a gift. as a gift. And here Paul says that the promise is that Abraham would be heir of the world. Here's what's interesting. When you read the Old Testament, and God gives Abraham the promise, it is not stated in these terms. Nowhere in the Old Testament does God say to Abraham, you're going to inherit the world. When we read the Old Testament, this is what we read, that God promised Abraham land, seed, and blessing. Land, seed, and blessing. The promised land, seed, many descendants, as numerous as the stars in the sky, and also blessing. In you, all the nations of the world will be blessed. This is how we find God's promise in the Old Testament. And so what's going on here? Why is Paul putting it in these terms? Some have suggested that Paul is simply restating God's promise in different terms. What Paul is saying here is that Abraham would have all of these descendants, and they would be all over the world eventually in the future. And in that sense, they inherit the world. But I think there is a lot more going on here. I'm leaning toward the view that Paul here is thinking eschatologically. when Abraham and all of his descendants, all the faithful, will inherit the new heavens and the new earth. This is what Abraham looked forward to, and scripture proves it. Go to Hebrews chapter 11, please. Hebrews 11, if you look at verses 8 to 10. Hebrews 11, verses 8 to 10. The author of Hebrews says this, By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise. as in a foreign land dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. What city is that? Jump down to verse 13 to 16. Hebrews 11, 13 to 16. All of these died in faith. Who's he talking about? He's talking about Abel, he's talking about Enoch, he's talking about Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Isaac. All of these died in faith without receiving the promises in their lifetime. It has to have a future fulfillment. But having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth, for those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. You see, this is what Abraham lived for. He didn't live for this world. He lived for the world to come. He lived on this earth, down here, in light of eternity. Abraham lived down here with his mind set on the things above, where Christ, his greatest descendant, is now seated at the right hand of God, and he's awaiting to come back to judge the living and the dead. Abraham did not live for this life. His sights were set on eternity by faith. The question is, are you? And am I? Are we living for this life, for this world, or the one to come? Because saints, this is what we were created for. This is what we were chosen for. This is why Christ redeemed us. This is what we have been predestined to. You see, we don't come here on Sundays. We're not just playing church. This is headed somewhere. We are headed to a destination, a new heavens, a new earth. It's glorious. The Bible doesn't describe it much, but what it does say, I'm going to say to you. It is a place where righteousness dwells, and nothing but righteousness. We're down here. Are you guys tired of the politics and the war and the violence and everything that is unrighteous? In the earth to come, what God promises you, this earth is marked by nothing but righteousness. Nothing but righteousness. I know many of you in this church, in this congregation, you're struggling with health issues. You're struggling with spiritual issues and emotional issues and pain with family members. And some of you have been weeping for decades over things that you have had to experience in the past. Dear Saints, in this new world, in this new earth, he will wipe away every tear. There is no more suffering. There is no more sickness. There is no more death, because there is no more sin. It is going to be a glorious place. And that's not even the best of it. That's all icing on the cake. What we want, saints, is God himself. We want God. And in this new heavens and this new earth, the Bible tells us we will dwell in the very presence of God himself. And in the presence of God, no evil can coexist. It's all righteousness. In the presence of God, there is fullness of life and joy and peace and singing, rejoicing forever and ever. And so let me ask you, are you storing up treasure in heaven that's going to yield an eternal reward? Or are you living for this life and storing all of your treasure in this life and spending all of your energy and time and effort to live as comfortably as you can live in this life? and storing up treasure where moth destroys, and thieves break in and steal, and things corrupt, and things decay, and they're temporal. That is vanity, the Bible says. Vanity of vanities. To live for this life. Even as a Christian, to put all of your effort in this life. It is a waste of life to do that. It is a waste of life. We are called to so much more. To so much more. A new heaven and a new earth. And maybe you're here this morning, or listening, and to you, you're thinking this is a fairy tale. A new heavens, a new world. Yeah, okay, it's a fairy tale. Why is that so hard for people to believe? And if that's you, why is that so hard for you to believe? Look at yourself. Look at the earth and the world you live in, with all of its design, all of its beauty, its intricacy, mind-bending detail. Do you think it's all an accident? Do you think this is all random, that you're an accident, that you're random? Listen, if God could create this world and place you in it, He can certainly create a new heavens and a new earth, redeem you, and place you in it. He says, I am making all things new. This is what we need to preach. This is what we need to share with people. This isn't religion, and I go to church, and I do these things, and I'm a better person than other people. No. I'm a pilgrim. I'm a sojourner. I'm just a passing through. Let me tell you about my Jesus who can redeem you and give you eternal life in a place that you could not even begin to imagine. Paul had a little snippet of it, and he said, I've heard things that are unlawful for me to repeat. Glory. How do you get there? Heading number three. How the promise is given. How the promise is given and was given. He continues in verse 13. The promise was not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Very simple. Watch Paul saying, God didn't say to Abraham, nor does he say to you or anyone else that you need to do X, Y, and Z. And if you do these things and fulfill your end of the deal, then I will fulfill my promise to give you a new heaven, a new earth, eternal life. Abraham did not earn this. That's what Paul is saying. It was not given through law. But, he says, it was given through the righteousness of faith. He received it by faith. And when Paul says, through the righteousness of faith, what he is not saying is that Abraham's faith was in itself a work of righteousness. As we have seen, what that means is that when Abraham believed God, it was reckoned to him as righteousness. He received the perfect righteousness he needs in order to inherit a new world. Because the only people that can go to heaven must possess a perfect righteousness. And that righteousness is the righteousness of Christ himself, and it is received by faith and faith alone, not by works. The promise given, received, not works, faith. Point number four. In verse 13 and 14, Paul now gives two reasons why it is not of law. Two reasons why the promise was not given and not received through law. I'll give these to you, and then we'll go through them. Number one, because the law invalidates faith and nullifies the promise. The law invalidates faith and nullifies the promise. That's what we see in verse 14. And then in verse 15, it is because the law brings about wrath, not salvation. So look at verse 14. Paul goes on. For those who are of the law are heirs. If people who are legalistically trying to earn heaven, salvation by their own efforts, exerting themselves, if those people are the heirs, if those people are going to heaven, then, he says in verse 14, faith is made void. He uses a perfect tense verb here. Faith is completely, definitively eradicated. It is made useless. If heaven comes by works. And he says in verse 14, the promise is nullified. Another perfect verb. The promise is completely demolished. It is canceled out. And so what we see here is that Paul is setting the law as an enemy of faith, and the law as an enemy of promise. And when it comes to salvation, the Bible says you are either a person of works, or you're a person of faith. Not faith and works. Of works or faith? Either or. And if you say, as many people say who claim to believe in Christ, if you say, no, I am of faith and works, you have devalued faith, you no longer have a biblical faith. Because biblical faith is a faith that says, no works, when it comes to salvation. If you are working, and striving to earn heaven, God says, the promise is not for you. The promise is not for you. He put it this way in Galatians 3.18, Galatians 3.18, For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise. But God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. This is serious. We need to understand this. We need to communicate this to our family members and friends and neighbors who are legalistically earning salvation. Such a person, by their belief and their actions, says this. On the cross, Jesus lied. Because Jesus said, it is finished. Everything that is required for salvation has been completed. I have lived the perfect life, I have fulfilled the perfect righteousness you need, and I give it to you by faith in me. And I have died for your sins, all of your sins, and you receive forgiveness by faith in me. So the person who says, no, I have to work. I have to add to that work. I have to supplement. I have to help Jesus out. What that person is saying is that Jesus lied on the cross. It is not finished. It is mostly finished. It is mostly done. I need to add something here. Paul saying that mentality leads you to hell. Not heaven, right? There's two options, not three. And then he goes on to explain in verse 15. He doesn't just leave it there. He goes on to explain in verse 15 why it cannot be by the law. Not only that it's not, why it's impossible that it's by law. Look at verse 15. 4. Because the law brings about wrath. The law brings about judgment. The law brings about damnation, not salvation. Not blessing, not eternal life. The law brings about wrath. Why is that the case? Because no one can keep the law perfectly. And God requires a perfect righteousness to go to heaven. And all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. No one is good, not even one. Paul has established that in this epistle. You see, people who think that what they do is pleasing God, and it's going to get them an open door to heaven, are deceived. Because the law, and not just the law of Moses, any law, brings about wrath. You see, in the Greek here, he actually doesn't use the definite article, the law, he just says law. And I think that's on purpose. Not just the law of Moses, any law. You see, any religious system brings about wrath. It brings about wrath. And then he goes on to say in verse 15, but where there is no law, there also is no violation, no transgression. That makes sense, right? If there is no law, you can't break the law, because there is no law to break. Now here's what this does not mean. Paul is not saying that until Moses came around and God gave the law through Moses, until that happened, that people didn't sin and that people were not held accountable for their sin. And we know that to be the case. How? Very simple. Read Genesis. We see that Adam and Eve sinned, and they were held accountable for their sin. Cain sinned, he killed his brother, and he was held accountable for his sin. Sodom and Gomorrah got torched with fire and brimstone for their sin before the law. And oh yeah, by the way, the whole world was flooded except for eight people because of evil, Genesis 6.5. Right? And so what Paul is saying here is the opposite. What he's saying here is the opposite. There has always been a law. Remember Romans 2? God has written in the hearts of men a law, and he has given them a conscience to know when they have broken that law. This is why people who've never read the Bible and who know nothing about the biblical God or Moses, when they do something wrong, they feel what? Conviction. Because they have transgressed the law written in their hearts by God. And they know, therefore, that they are accountable to God, that they deserve wrath, not salvation. Right? In Romans 1, people look at the world, at creation, and what does creation tell them? There is a creator. And this Creator is moral. This is why people love the theory, the lie, the deception of evolution, because it gets rid of God as Creator. It gets rid of Romans chapter 1. And no God, no standard of morality. Right? Paul says, no, everyone looks at creation and it's obvious this is not an accident, this isn't random. There is a God, creation, Creator, and you are accountable as His creation to the Creator. And this Creator is a moral being. There has always been a law. And so what Paul is saying, there has always been transgression of law. People have always transgressed the law from Genesis 3 and onward. Therefore, it cannot be of law. It has to be of faith. It has to be of faith. Fifth heading. In verse 16, the reason it's by faith. The reason that it's by faith. Look at verse 16. For this reason it, the promise, is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, consistent with grace. What is grace? Grace is God's undeserved, unearned, unmerited, benevolent favor, which He bestows upon people who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, apart from works. So do you see what Paul is doing here? Not only is faith separate from works. Not only is promise separate from works, but also grace is separate from works. And what Paul is saying here is that what links us, what connects you to God's saving grace, to his gift, is faith, not works. We all know, Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, for by grace you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, that faith not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast. Works steal glory from God. And what that passage in Ephesians tells us as well is that even the faith to believe is a gift from God. and that not of yourselves." Do you see that? Even the faith to believe in Christ is God-given. And so all glory goes to God. Salvation is of the Lord. He goes on in verse 16. So that the promise will be guaranteed, certain, made sure, Works don't guarantee anything. That's not true. They guarantee hell. They guarantee damnation. Faith in Christ guarantees salvation. 100%. Right? The new heaven, the new earth. Who is it guaranteed to? to all the descendants, and then here he again defines who these are. Not only to those who are of the law. Now here's what's interesting in verse 16. Those who are of the law in verse 16 are actually believing Jews, not legalistic Jews. These are messianic Jews. We know that because they receive the guarantee of the promise. And so that shows you how even in one paragraph, God can use the same terminology in different ways. He's saying not only to the Jews, to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, whether Jew or Gentile. How is Abraham our father we saw last week? In the sense, not in the physical sense, in the sense that we share in a characteristic with Abraham, the characteristic of saving faith. And this is a very important point here. Notice it is a specific type of faith. Look at what Paul says. But also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. Those people inherit the promise. The faith of Abraham is a faith apart from law, works, and rights. It is an Abrahamic faith. It is a forward-looking faith. It is a hope-filled faith. Do you have an Abrahamic faith? This is the type of faith that, again, looks around and says, yes, things are bad. The world, the flesh, and the devil are against me. Things don't look good. There's a lot of evil, a lot of disappointment, a lot of loss, a lot of pain, but I'm looking forward. And I see God's promise from a distance, as those in Hebrews 11. And I know what's coming. And I believe God. I take Him at His word. A new heaven and a new earth. And that enables me to say with Paul, as he says in Romans 8.18, that I consider the trials and tribulations of this present time not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to me. in what's coming. Are you excited for that? This is what helps you endure. I've never broken a bone, but now I'm going to break one tomorrow. Those of you who have broken a bone, what helps you cheer up and endure the pain and all of that? Because you're looking ahead. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm going to heal. I'm going to heal. Saints, this is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's an eternal light. This life is so short. It's so short in comparison to eternity. This is what's waiting for us. This is what's waiting for us. Do you have that type of faith that can look forward in spite of the things here? This is why the Bible says we walk not by sight, we walk by faith. And I would add this, we walk not by feelings, right? We walk by faith. Because sometimes we don't feel saved. Sometimes we don't feel forgiven. But by faith, we take God at his word and we say, God, you say in your word that if I believe in Christ, I am forgiven. Even if I feel like I haven't been because I'm having a bad day as a Christian. No, we walk by faith. God, your word says I am forgiven. I am cleansed. And that's how you live. Because emotions and feelings are like a roller coaster. They come and go and they go up, they go down. Faith keeps you steady. Faith keeps you grounded. The promise would be no good if the promise giver was like so many promise givers in this world. But these promises are guaranteed because of who God is. Last point for you. The promise giver in verse 17. The promise giver. Look at verse 17. Paul says, As it is written. Perfect verb. God's Word is set in stone. It does not fail. As it is written. He's quoting Genesis 17.5, talking to Abraham. A father of many nations, have I made you? A father of many nations, have I made you? This is nothing new, Paul's saying. This is plan A. God doesn't have plan B. He has one plan. That's all he needs. It's plan A. And notice what it says. He's quoting the Old Testament. A father of many nations, have I made you? He doesn't say to Abraham, I will make you. Do you see that? I have made you. Because the promises of God are so sure that he can give them as if they have already been fulfilled. They will not fail. At that point in time, Abraham didn't have Isaac even. And yet this is what God says, I've made you a father of many nations. Now who is this God? Verse 17, in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence, into being that which does not exist. Literally in the Greek, at the end of verse 17, you could read it this way, who calls the things which do not exist as if they existed, as existing. Now what is Paul saying here? This God, He gives life to the dead. Now, does God resurrect physically the dead? Do we have examples of that in the Bible? Yes. Will He do that in the future? Yes. Does God resurrect, give life to those who are spiritually dead? Yes. Many of us here have experienced that regeneration, the new birth. But I don't think that is what Paul is talking about here. It's commonly agreed, he's looking forward to verse 19. Look at verse 19. Without becoming weak in faith, he, that is Abraham, contemplated his own body, now as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb." Paul is describing Abraham and Sarah in terms of death. the deadness of her womb. Abraham was about a hundred. Sarah, not much younger. And she could never have children, even when she could physically. She could never have children, and now she's old. Her womb is inoperative. And this God brings life out of that dead womb. The life of the promised son, Isaac. I think that's what Paul is talking about here. And then he says, and calls into being that which does not exist. Is this pointing to God's creative power? He created the world out of nothing. He spoke it into existence. Again, I don't think that's what Paul means primarily here. I think this is talking about the descendants, the seed. When God gave Abraham the promise, it was just Abraham and God, no Isaac and no seed. And yet Paul describes God here as one who calls into existence things as if they already exist. Because the promises of God are certain. They do not fail. And you can apply this to any promise in the Bible that you find from God. And there are hundreds of them. It's not a maybe. It's a yes and amen in Christ. It's not a maybe. Every promise of God is sure. And so as we close here, how can I encourage you? We live in uncertain times. The things we see in the news can be discouraging. Who's going to end up in the White House? Who's not going to end up in the White House? As one pastor put it, whoever's in the White House, we know who's on the throne. And he never vacates that throne. And by the way, it is he who puts that person in the White House. He is the one who raises kings and who removes kings. It is God who gives authority. Doesn't that give you rest? He is allowing these things to happen for his ultimate glory and purpose. But we hold on to his promises until they become sight. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for your promises. Specifically here, the promise of salvation, a glorious existence in your presence, in a glorified body that is incorruptible, a body that will not fail. All those aches and pains will be gone. You will wipe away our tears, tears of every sort, caused by every thing that we have experienced on earth. Help us to live in light of eternity. Help us to live with our minds set on the things above, where Christ is seated. And please help us not to grow comfortable here, but to serve you with all of our strength, our resources, our time, and to hear those words in the very near future, in your very presence. Well done, good and faithful slave. This we ask and pray in the name of Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you very much, Pastor Frank. I'm going to be forwarding this message to some of my loved ones. Please stand up for the communion song.