Thank you, God. so so Oh. Amen. Amen. Yeah. Yeah. So, so so so So, Yeah. So, so so Hmm. and an Let's pray together. Our loving and gracious Heavenly Father, we come again this night to join in prayer together. Who else can we turn to in this vast world but the God who made the world, the God who laid out the oceans and the mountains, the God who is vast, unmeasurable in knowledge, unmeasurable in time, O Lord, we come to the Maker of all the earth, the God that one day we shall stand before, and we would come and make our peace this night. We would come and confess our sin. We would come before the God who sees right into our mind and heart, and He knows all things. He knows everything as though it was now. O Lord, we come and we would not hide, and we ask this night, that God would be gracious to each one of us. O Lord, we pray, speak to us individually in the quietness of our heart. May the word of God come with clear, convicting words, and may each of us understand. Lord, do us good. Do us good for all eternity. May this not just be a church service, May it not be an opportunity to go out of the home, but may this be meeting with God himself, so that we know his will, his purpose, his plan, his kindness to each one of us. So bless us and help us now. May these things be so real and so genuine to each one of us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. We're going to take our hymn sheets this evening. We're still not permitted to sing, but we are going to stand. Again, it's a very humid evening. I think it will help our worship if we stand and follow the words of our first hymn together. Number 246. Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious. See the man of sorrows now from the fight returned victorious. Every knee to him shall bow. Number 246. so Our first reading this evening is Psalm 139. Psalm 139. O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising. Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind, and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is too high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day, the darkness and the light are both alike to thee, for thou has possessed my reins. Thou has covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect. And in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God, How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God. Depart from me, therefore, ye bloody men, for they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them? O Lord that hates thee, am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me. Lead me in the way everlasting. Lord bless the reading of his word. We're going to stand shortly and we're going to read this hymn. It does have a chorus. We shall just read it the once exactly as it is on the page. Number 106. Great God of wonders, all thy ways are matchless, godlike. and divine. Let's stand and read this hymn. Great God of wonders, all thy ways are matchless, godlike, and divine. But the fair glories of thy grace more godlike and unrivaled shine. Who is a pardoning God like thee, or who as grace, so rich and free. Such dire offences to forgive, such guilty, daring souls to spare. This is thy grand prerogative, and none shall in the honour share. Angels and men, resign your claim to pity, mercy, love and grace, these glories crown Jehovah's name with an incomparable blaze. In wonder lost, with trembling joy, we take the pardon of our God, pardon for sins of deepest die, a pardon sealed with Jesus' blood. O may this strange, this matchless grace, this godlike miracle of love, fill the wide earth with grateful praise and all the angelic hosts above. Our second reading this evening is from Luke's Gospel. Luke's Gospel in chapter 16. Luke chapter 16, and we shall read from verse 19 to the end of the chapter. There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fed sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in hell, he lift up his eyes, being in torment. And seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember, that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot. Neither can they pass to us, that they would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses, and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto them, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. and the Lord give us understanding of his word. Now the only notice is this evening, our service is next Sunday at 11 in the morning and at 6.30, both here and also on live stream. And we commit these things into the Lord's will. Let's come and join in prayer again together. Let us pray. Our loving and gracious Heavenly Father, we come again tonight. We come to the God of all the world. We come to the God who is full of love, the God who defines love, the God who is love, the God who sheds his love abroad, the God who demonstrated and displayed his love. And oh Lord, we are amazed. We stand amazed at all that the Saviour has done. Lord, this night we pray that every heart, that there would not be one heart untouched, unmoved by the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that everyone here this evening would consider their never dying soul, would consider where they will spend eternity, and that they will come tonight and listen to the Savior who will plead with them. Our gracious God, we thank thee for the many blessings, the many blessings which are common to men and women and children. We thank thee for this day. We count it a privilege to be able to meet together again. We've had so many things taken away. It has reminded us of the great privileges that we have, to meet together in a place of worship, to be able to lift up our praise, even silently, to be able to read the word of God together, to be able to come out. outside of the four walls of the rooms that many of us have lived in for month after month. Lord, we return thanks to God. We're thankful for keeping us, most of us in good health through these weeks and months. We're thankful for watching over us. We're thankful that we have peace in our land, that we are able still to meet together. and to lift up the word of God. We think of those in other countries who even not because of COVID, but because of persecution and opposition and fear, they have to be wise. They have to meet in quietness, in the privacy of their homes. Oh Lord, make up to them what they miss. We think of those in lands where there is persecution, We hear of pastors who've been imprisoned, some taken in this past week and held, held by their captives cruelly. Oh Lord, be kind to thy people. Release them, we pray. Bless those who know great opposition and persecution at this time. Heavenly Father, we come again to pray for our land and nation. Lord, we've spurned thee. We've turned our backs. We've rejected the creator. We've rejected the lawmaker. We've rejected the only one that can save souls. We've turned our backs on things which are high and holy. And oh Lord, we as a representative of the people of this land, we would turn our own hearts back to God We would pray tonight that there would be a stirring of the heart, that there would be a desire to turn from sin and evil. We have read in that psalm of how God searches the heart. He knows our thoughts. He sees everything that we have done and said and been. He knows if there is hypocrisy. He knows if we wear only an outward religion. O Lord, we come tonight and pray, stir the heart, stir us to have a desire and a love for truth, a love for the Savior, a love to know eternal things, a love to have a desire to be in the presence of God, where there is no sin, no sorrow, no sadness, to be with him forever. O Lord, bless us and be with us tonight. We pray for those who are away from us, on holiday, at home, those who still cannot come out, how we miss them. We pray that very soon all might be able to come. Lord, bless this church. Bless our witness to this town, the villages and the area. We pray for all within Bedford, those who are hearing, those who are deaf, those in care homes, those who know nothing of the Saviour, nothing of his kindness. Lord, show all, we pray, the Lord Jesus Christ. As we lift him up, may many come and desire to hear him. So be with us now, we pray. We ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and for his sake. Amen. We're going to take our hymn sheets again this evening. It's number 196, the third hymn on our hymn sheet this evening. All ye that pass by to Jesus, draw nigh. We shall stand again and we shall follow the words as carefully as we can. So, you Now we're looking this evening at Luke chapter 16 and to this parable that we've read, the rich man and Lazarus. Our title this evening is being unpersuadable. Well, we can be many things, we can be obstinate, we can be thoughtful, but is the characteristic term that might describe somebody here tonight? Is it that word that's really mentioned in verse 31 of chapter 16? Neither will they be persuaded, even though a miracle was done, even though one rose from the dead. Being unpersuadable. Well, this is fascinating. One of the most interesting and detailed parables that the Lord Jesus ever told. It's unusual in certain respects. I think it's the only parable that actually mentions a name of one of the characters within the parable. Perhaps it's for that reason that some people think it's not actually a parable. but it's actually a true account of something that happens, a conversation between heaven and hell. I think that's most unlikely. It comes at the end of four parables in chapter 15, the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son, and then the unjust servant in chapter 16. And immediately following is this parable It also contains what seems to me to be an impossible conversation. How can heaven speak to hell? This is a picture. It's symbolic and it uses symbolic imagery. The idea that the tip of a finger could be cooled by water that would pass through flames of great heat and not evaporate is clearly not something that physics would permit. And of course it uses very figurative language. Abraham's bosom, his chest, everybody being in Abraham's bosom, it's clearly just symbolic, figurative language. So I'm sure this is a parable, but it nevertheless has many rich and important lessons that we can consider tonight. It's graphic. It's got so many contrasts and comparisons between these two characters, between the rich man, the rich man who seems to have everything in this life. Doesn't seem like he needed any more. If it was a modern day, he would have a large swimming pool, he would have a large garage, with many vehicles, he would have a summer house, he would have this, that and the other, everything that he possibly could want. He had servants' quarters, he had everything. And in the parable, Lazarus seems to have almost nothing. And yet the rich man actually had nothing of value. His life was void of any spiritual value at all. And yet Lazarus had everything. He had a relationship with God, as we shall find out. He knew where he was going when he died. He had a friend through life. Lazarus was the one who had everything, and the rich man had nothing. What a contrast, what a paradox there is. Well, let's look briefly as we do at the context to try and understand why is the Lord Jesus telling this parable to the audience that he has before him? Well, they were Pharisees. Down in verse 14 of chapter 16. The Pharisees also who were covetous. They desired possessions. They desired things. They desired to accumulate. They measured their happiness through what they had. The Pharisees also, who were covetous, they heard these things and they mocked him. They derided him. He'd just been speaking in verse 11 about the fact we can't live two lives. We can't serve two masters. We either serve one and love one and hate the other, or it's the opposite. And this parable follows very much the same line. It's partly a parable about riches, but it's really a parable about eternity. And our attitude to God in this life will determine where we will spend eternity. You see the Pharisees, They were mockers, scoffers. They dealt with deception, subterfuge. They were not honest. They were not transparent. Some people can be like that. We never really know where they stand. We try to talk to them. Perhaps we draw alongside them. We ask the odd question. We perhaps suggest something. but they are an impenetrable wall. And the Pharisees were just the same. There was a barrier, a blockade. Their riches, the hardness of their heart, and they were not transparent. So the Lord Jesus, in kindness, he tells a parable that really was speaking directly to their heart. It was out of his kindness. Instead of speaking directly and pointing the finger, he tells this wonderful parable that was really about each of them individually. It's about time versus eternity. We thought about that a few weeks ago. Are we investing in time or in eternity? Where are we putting our investment? Well, I want to consider three headings this evening. Three greats, the great contrasts between the two people. The great gulf, which this parable mentions, which is fixed between heaven and hell. And then the great rejection of God's word. So three headings, three greats. Let's look at the contrasts that there are between these two. First one is their names. It's obvious. The rich man. No name. No name perhaps, because in eternity, in the Lamb's Book of Life, in the Book of Heaven, in the Book of Remembrance, the rich man is unknown. He's not recorded. He's not a signatory of the Lord Jesus' writing. That name, I went to Calvary to die for that name. His name is unknown in heaven. What a contrast to Lazarus. Lazarus, we know that name. There was also another Lazarus, I think it was three or four in the New Testament. Lazarus means God has helped. It seems surprising. He had sores. He was a beggar, he was in distress, and yet God was helping him. You don't know what God is doing in a heart. You don't know what communication is going on between that soul and the Saviour, Lazarus. God has helped. No doubt the Lord was helping Lazarus through his life, not physically, not materially, But spiritually, he knew his God, he knew his Creator, and he knew the Saviour. Well, that's their names. What about their riches? This is obvious again. These are just obvious points. The rich man, he belonged to that category of people that we sometimes call the filthy rich. What did he not have? Did he have an aeroplane? A helicopter? Whatever the equivalent was at the time. He had everything. Everything. And he wanted you to know it. Such dazzling splendor. It was what we call nowadays a show-off. Boy, did he want you to know what he had. Lazarus. Just a few coins. and even those had been given to him, begged with his bowl. What a difference between these two. He relied on handouts, cast-me-downs, the riches and the poverty. What about their appearance? The rich man, clothed in purple. Purple in those days signified extreme wealth. In order to make a purple garment, You needed to crush a shellfish that contained a very deep dye. And that was then used to stain the clothing. And out of it came this luxurious, deep purple, just like Lydia, who was a seller of purple. And when you wore this color, Everybody knew that you were wealthy. You had everything. He wore this outer garment and then he had a cotton inner garment. He was in love with himself. In love with himself. What a description. He didn't love God. He loved himself. He looked after himself. Nothing was too much for me. He needed me time. He needed and he deserved one more. And then look at their food and provisions. The rich man had so much, it says he fared, he ate, he feasted sumptuously. It seems almost every day he threw a banquet and the people would walk past Lazarus outside. maybe tossing some of the surplus food that they'd taken away with them, casting it to him in fake grace and love for him in his sad condition, hungry permanently, sat at the gates begging. And what of their friends? The rich man, it seems he had many friends, rich people usually do. They want to be associated with the wealthy and the celebrities. How many followers do the wealthy celebrities have? They're not real friends. Lazarus, he barely had a friend, but he had the most important friend. He had the Lord Jesus Christ. We only need one friend. And Lazarus had that one friend. The rich man had many, many in his family, five other brothers. There's no mention of Lazarus having any family that cared for him. What about their lives? Well, the rich, the rich man, he lived a luxurious life. The poor man had pain. The dogs were his only comforters to lick the wounds. And then finally, the contrast in death, perhaps the greatest. We might pass over it, verse 22. The rich man also died and was buried. He had, I imagine, a grand send-off. In today's terms, he would have had a horse and cart dragging the gold coffin. What about Lazarus? He died. That's all it says. And he was carried, his soul was taken by the angels. But their destination was different. Their send-off was different. Their life was different. What contrast there are between these two? But in some respects, they were the same. They both died. We'll all die one day. Sometimes we hear of untimely deaths. We saw this afternoon that a car crashed into a house. Four died. Untimely deaths. Things that we didn't expect, we didn't want. They both died. It seems it happened at a similar time. And they both entered eternity. So will we. And they both had access, and this is the most important point, They both had access to the ways of God, to the revelation of God. Both of them knew the Bible, that's so clear in the parable, because they can call Abraham their father. They were both Jews. They were like the Pharisees that the Lord Jesus was speaking to, the rich, wealthy Pharisees who were covetous. They were both. recipients of God's revelation. Well, that's the contrast. Let's look very quickly at the second, the great gulf. It tells us there was a great gulf fixed. No traveling between. No soft borders. I'm not thinking of a Mexican wall. You can get over a Mexican wall. You can fly over. You can sail round. I think all of it's not yet been built. Heaven and hell. A great gulf. Fixed. No way round. No way over. No sailing in a boat. The conversation that happens is just imaginary to teach us lessons. Now people have misused this parable. Sometimes they've used it to try and scare people. And they've graphically described the flames of hell. We don't need to do that. The difference between heaven and hell is so great. With God in heaven, what is hell? It's everywhere where God is not. Not with God. That's enough. That's hell. It's a place of torment as it describes it here. It's a place where there's not one comfort. God is not there. Every comfort that we have is through the grace and the kindness of God. Because we're in his presence. Because he showers us with blessings. But if we're away from God, we shall know no comfort, no peace, and it will be everlasting. We don't believe what some people teach today in some form of purgatory or some form of total annihilation. That's not what the Bible teaches. Eternity is what the name suggests. Everlasting, either with God or away from God, with God in glorious light, a never-ending unveiling of the beauty and the power of God, or away from God, taking the punishment that each of us deserve everlastingly for all our millions upon millions of sins, on our refusal to be persuaded. In heaven, we are to be eternally rich. In hell, we shall be eternally poor. We shall have nothing of value, nothing of substance. Well, there's a conversation that goes on in this picture. This will not happen. It's too late. The gulf is fixed. Just like the Ark, the door came closed. It was shut. It was too late. Just like the parable of the unwise bridesmaids. They came, they trimmed their lamps, but the wedding door was closed. Shut. All had been determined. It was too late. Too late for the rich man. He tries, he tries to negotiate, perhaps he'd been a negotiator in his business life. He thought he could sweet talk and charm his way back into heaven, but there's no chance. Verse 25, Abraham says in the picture, son, son of Israel, not son of Christ. Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things. It's interesting to note, even in this picture, the rich man is lording it over Lazarus. Abraham, ask him to come and dip my finger in water, to cool me. He's still treating Lazarus as though he's some subordinate, because he's a proud man. And in the picture, his pride is not gone, even in hell. Lazarus is humble. The rich man is proud, and that's us. What was the man's sin? Well, all the way through his life, it was self-love. It was selfishness. There was no compassion. We don't read that he gave any food, any provision, any help to Lazarus. God was Lazarus' help, not the rich man. He had no time. He could have given a fraction, we hear, of these wealthy people. Some of the wealthiest people in the world. And they've given away 1% of their wealth and it still comes to billions. There's no account here. No generosity. No kindness. No giving. No thought. He was on the doorstep. We don't read of anything of grace and mercy being shown. This man was deluded. He thought that he was safe. He was Abraham's son. I'm an Israelite. I'm a Jew. I know the first five books of the Bible. I'd been taught, Abraham is my father. I'm in the special people. I go to synagogue. If he did, I'm one of the elect. I'm special. I'm one of God's people. No, he wasn't. He was deluded. He thought that was because he was in this family, this family of Israelites, that he was secure. and he was safe, but he was just deluded. What he had, who he was related to, Abraham, he was a son of Abraham. He thought that was sufficient, but God was not impressed. The great gulf was fixed, my friend tonight. Is that gulf fixed? If you don't come to the Lord, If you don't consider his word, if you won't be persuaded in life, it will be too late. The door will be shut. The ark will sail away. The only savior will go and he will leave you. Well, let's look at this final point here down in verses 30. and 31. He's tried to sweet-talk his way. And now he tries one more thing for his five brothers. Maybe, maybe, if I can't be saved, how about my family? No thought for Lazarus in life. He just has an element of looking after his own in death and in hell. And he says in verse 30, nay, father Abraham, one more try. If one person was to go to my five brothers, they will repent. If there was a miracle, if something happened that left our mouth wide open, left us with a sphinx, a tingling spine. That would impress. That would convert them. Some miracle. And in the parable, the Lord Jesus speaking, clearly it's him. He said unto him, If they won't hear Moses, if they won't read their Bibles, if they won't hear the preaching of God's Word, if they won't listen to their Sunday school teacher, if they won't hear their conscience, God speaking to them through Moses, through the prophets, they won't be persuaded. You see, even the first five books of the Bible There is enough gospel, more than enough gospel. Even in the book of Deuteronomy, when the law is being given, God is pleading. He's pleading with them to love him. He's pleading with them, you can't keep my laws. You need a savior. I will send a savior. But they weren't trusting in that savior. They had all the opportunity in life. Have you had all the opportunity? Sometimes people can sit through meetings like this, 40, 50 years, 60 years. We hear of chapel goers dying in their 60s. No turning, no repentance, no love for God. Unpersuaded. Is that you? Are you unpersuadable? Is that the description that God gives? He said unto them, if they will not hear me through Moses, through the prophets, neither will they be persuaded. They've had all these opportunities, the special people, the Jews, the Israelites. And you see out of the kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ, this group of Pharisees around him. And he speaks to them. He doesn't go for the jugular. He doesn't point the finger. He uses this picture, a graphic, shocking picture. And yet this was them. Individually. Rejected. Unpersuaded. Will you be persuaded? Will you think tonight? Will you put yourself in the position of the rich man? Will you cast away every attachment that you have to things in this life? That's what it's saying. It's not saying you can't have riches. Not saying you can't have beautiful things, it's saying what do you love? Where's your affection? Where's your heart? Do you know God? Have you made your peace with him? Have you been persuaded of your own sin? Have you stopped the delusion that you are under? And now, will you be persuaded? to close with Christ, to come to Him, to call out to Him, to ask Him. The man asked one more time, they will be persuaded, surely they will, one more time. Is that you? Is that tonight? Is it one more time for somebody here? that you will listen and you will be persuaded. Yes, Lord, I know I'm a sinner. I know I've broken every one of your commandments. I know the word of God is right. It describes me and my heart. And I see Christ in my mind's eye. And I know he's died. And I know he will be the savior of all that put their trust in him. We had a children's item this morning. Some of you were not here. If you can't swim, you try and flap and you wave your arms and your legs in the water. I was looking out on somebody who was in the calm water where we were staying last week. I think he had One of those wetsuits on that give you buoyancy. But let's just imagine he didn't. He was motionless. There was no movement. I thought he was dead. He was just allowing the water to hold him up. He wasn't trying. He wasn't trying to be a good person. He wasn't trying to get into heaven. He was relying. on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we need to do. That's what that illustration shows. Let not the water, let Christ hold you up. Let Christ be the one that you rely on. You fall, as it says in the parable, fall into the arms, not of Abraham, he won't be your savior. Fall into the arms of Christ. What do I have to do? Nothing. Let him hold you up. Let him take you. Let him save you. Let him rescue you from the destination that you are heading for. That's the meaning of this parable tonight. Are you unpersuadable? Are you going through life being unpersuaded? If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded. Don't let that describe anyone here tonight. Let your heart be soft. Let Christ speak to each one of you, the youngest here that can hear the message in this parable. And you fall onto the arms of Christ and ask him to be Your Savior. Don't be the impenitent man. There were two men on the cross, either side of the Lord Jesus Christ. One could see he was the Savior. The other was unpersuadable, even though the Prince of Peace, the Son of God, The only saviour was next to him, preaching a sermon that he would never hear again. Forgive them, said the Lord Jesus on the cross. May he forgive us, each one of us tonight, but he will only forgive you if you ask him, and if you trust in him, and if you will be persuaded. Let's pray together. Our loving and gracious Heavenly Father, O Lord, speak to each one tonight. Open a heart, speak to that heart of the love of the Saviour. May we be persuadable, may we turn from our sin, and may we come to the foot of the cross, to Calvary, and may we put all our trust in Him, for Him to save us, for him to rescue us. And may he take us that day when he calls us to the final judgment. May he take us to be with him forever, where there will be comfort and peace and all eternity with God. Lord, bless each one now. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, let's take our hymn sheets and we're going to stand again as we consider the words of this final hymn. We shall read the chorus after verse one and then after verse five. Let's have 512. I need thee every hour most gracious Lord, no tender voice like thine can peace We'll have the chorus after verse 1 and after verse 5. Hey. you you You. you. Gracious God, our loving Heavenly Father, we're thankful for another day, another day in thy house, another opportunity to hear the Word of God and to bring our worship, the worship that God alone deserves. Lord, bless and be with each one tonight. Go with us through the days of this week. We do not know what each day will hold. but we know who holds the future. We know who holds the key to all the unknowns of this coming week. And oh Lord, we rest in that knowledge that he is wise and he is kind. and he will go before us, guide us and help us, we pray. We pray that that will be our thought, that we need the Saviour every hour. Lord, go with us and look upon us, cleanse us and wash us of all our sin. We ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. you