Please open your Bibles to Leviticus chapter 16. That will be our first scripture reading this morning, Leviticus 16. And our second will be taken from Hebrews chapter 10, verses 19 through 25. Begin with Leviticus 16, and let's stand together as scripture is read. Remember as I read and as you follow along in your Bibles and even follow along in your hearing that this is the Word of God. Leviticus 16 beginning in verse 1. The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they drew near before the Lord and died. And the Lord said to Moses, tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the holy place inside the veil before the mercy seat that is on the ark so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the holy place with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist and wear the linen turban. These are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony so that he does not die. And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side. And in front of the mercy seat, he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil, to do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleanness. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar all around and he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel. And when he has made an end of atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel and all their transgressions, all their sins, and he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, And shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the holy place and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire, and he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. And it shall be a statute to you forever. that in the seventh month, on the 10th day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves. It is a statute forever. and the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in a year because of all their sins. And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses. Now to the book of Hebrews, beginning in verse 19 of chapter 10. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some. but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Every year, the Gallup organization takes a poll of the American people and asks a number of questions about the level of confidence that the American people have in various institutions. So, for instance, the Gallup organization will ask, what degree of confidence do you have in the U.S. banking system? Or, what degree of confidence do you have in the Supreme Court? What degree of confidence do you have in the Congress? And so on. And this year was not unusual for the last decade or so in that what the Gallup organization found was that in each of the categories, the American people's confidence was slightly lower than it had been the year before. So, for instance, confidence in Congress went from 8% to 7%. You may think that's still a bit high, but nonetheless, this is the American people's level of confidence in the various institutions of our government and of our society. There's another way to look at confidence as well. We can talk about confidence in institutions, which is low at this moment. But we can also talk about personal confidence. Sometimes perhaps someone will say that you need to have confidence when you go in for a job interview or you need to be confident when you're presenting your case before someone. And that kind of personal confidence actually is often connected to confidence in someone or something else. The reason I bring your attention to this notion of confidence Because if you notice in verse 19 of Hebrews chapter 10, the writer of Hebrews begins by talking about confidence. Look at what he says in verse 19. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, This confidence to which the writer to Hebrews draws our attention in this section of scripture is actually extraordinary. Particularly set against the backdrop of the Old Testament. We read just a minute ago from Leviticus chapter 16. And if there was one thing that was clearly presented in that chapter, it was the various ways in which preparation has to be made for entrance into the holy places. You remember in Leviticus 16 that there was actually only one man who could enter that most holy place in the tabernacle. And that one man could only enter that Most Holy Place one time per year. And that one man who could enter the Most Holy Place one time per year could only do so having prepared himself rigorously according to the pattern of Scripture. You remember all the washings that needed to take place. You remember that he had to bring in blood both for himself and for the sins of the people. You remember he had to be wearing certain garments that were cleansed in certain ways and had been prepared just for that one time per year with that one particular man. And so it's no surprise that when we read about the Jewish people on that Day of Atonement, in the time between the Testaments, we read that there was often great fear and trepidation that accompanied that one day per year. Because it was obvious in the Scriptures that the Lord took very seriously these commands. And that there was a kind of risk involved in approaching the most holy place. And yet look at this in verse 19. Therefore, brothers, we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. Now of course, that statement is premised on the whole argument of the book of Hebrews up to this point. It's premised on the fact, as the writer will draw our attention to a little later in this paragraph, that Jesus is himself the great, once for all, priest of his people. But it's also premised on what's described in verse 19, that the reason why we can have confidence to enter the holy places is by the blood of Jesus. You could turn your attention back to Hebrews chapter nine, where the writer says this about Christ's high priestly ministry and his once for all sacrifice. He says in Hebrews 9.11, but when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent, not made with hands, that is not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood. And the writer to Hebrews goes on to say this in Hebrews 9, thus securing an eternal redemption for if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. The only reason why the writer to Hebrews can approach us and say, we have confidence to enter the holy places, is because of the once-for-all sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. His once-for-all ministry in entering into the most holy places on behalf of His people, offering, as it were, His own blood for the forgiveness of the sins of those who come to Him in faith. And I think it's worth starting our approach to this text by asking ourselves the question if we are indeed the ones to whom the writer is addressing these words. Are you trusting in Christ alone for your salvation? Would you be able to confess in the deepest recesses of your heart that you know your own sin and you know that the only way in which you can be right with a holy God is through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you can't say that, if that's not the way you're approaching God, if that's not how you understand your own standing with Him, That's not how you see forgiveness. Or if you don't see yourself as a sinner at all, if any of those things are true of you, then in fact, these words that the writer to Hebrews begins with in this text, really don't for those who are coming to God on the basis of Christ's death alone. These extraordinary words can be said, we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. Now the writer goes on to describe this way that has been made by Jesus in and through his death, this great provision he's made for his people. By saying this in verse 20, it's by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain that is through His flesh. He's reminding us again that but for the fact that God became man, but for the fact that Jesus Christ, the God-man, lived a perfect life and died this great sacrificial death, There would be no way into the holy places for us. But he goes on to add this in verse 21. Not only do we have this new and living way, not only do we have confident access into a place where in the Old Testament, in the earthly tabernacle, one man could go once a year Not only do we have that kind of access, but we also have, and the writer to Hebrews goes to great lengths to describe this in other texts, we also have a great priest over the house of God. Now we know that the way in which the writer has described for us the greatness of Jesus' priesthood, is astounding, really, for all of us who are Christians. He describes the fact that Jesus is a great priest in that he's a sympathetic priest. He understands what it is to be tempted, and yet he's without sin. He's conquered every temptation, and so he's able to understand and have that degree of sympathy for his people. He himself was a human being. He won't die as the old priests died. We have a great priest, he says, over the house of God. No longer do we have to go through a human mediator to get to God. No longer is there a high priest who is perhaps unsympathetic or uncaring or unavailable as there were in the older days. No, we have the greatest high priest who gives us confident access to our Father in heaven. And so the first question that confronts us in this text is do you have this kind of confidence? Do you understand the confidence of which the writer to Hebrews speaks? If you are a Christian, are these truths at the forefront of your thinking? If I were to have asked you on the way in the door, for those of you who are Christians, what does it mean to be a Christian? Would these truths have come to your mind? Would you have said, well, what it means is that I have confident access to God. What it means is that Jesus is my high priest and that His blood paid the penalty for my sin. That's how the writer of Hebrews is describing what it means to be a Christian. Now make no mistake, he's writing to Christians who were struggling in many ways. One commentator writes this about the congregation who originally received this text. that apparently, based on reading between the lines, the warnings that he gives, the cautions that he issues, he says, it appears that some of them lacked assurance. Some were lazy with little appetite. Some were immature and unable to teach. Some were in danger of having old sins and hindrances recapture them. Hardship was resented. Some had given up in their longing for heaven. They were irritated with their leadership. Some were even tempted to forsake Christ. And certainly, as we see in this text, the habit of some was to forsake the gathering together with one another. And yet, for those who are in Christ, He says, we have confidence. And we have this great priest. And so it's on the basis of those truths that the writer of Hebrews then gives three commands. And these commands are easy to distinguish in your Bible because they each begin with this little phrase, let us. So you see in verse 22, let us draw near. Verse 23, let us hold fast. And then verse 24, let us consider. See, when you begin to understand your Christian life in the terms that the writer to Hebrews has outlined, when these things are at the forefront of your thinking, there are some commands that naturally follow from that. some obvious implications in the mind of this inspired writer. And the first is this in verse 22. Because of this confidence, because of Christ's priesthood, he says, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure The first question we have to answer here is, what does he mean when he commands Christians to draw near? This, it seems, is the first most obvious implication. Because of these truths, draw near to God. Well, we see in the Old Testament, and indeed we saw it in Leviticus 16, but we see it throughout the book of Leviticus, that this command to draw near is often given to certain people in certain situations. And there are times as well when there is a prohibition, let him not draw near. And so we begin to understand from the sacrificial system and from the Levitical regulations what is meant by drawing near to God. So for instance, in Leviticus 9.7, then Moses said to Aaron, draw near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burn offering and make atonement for yourselves and for the people. At the beginning of Leviticus 16, that passage that we read, it says, do not draw near unless certain provisions are met. But when those provisions are met, then draw near. And this is the logic of the writer to Hebrews. Because we have confident access to God through Jesus Christ, the implication of that, the command that comes from that is we ourselves need to be drawing near to God in Christ. And you know how this is often used in the New Testament. James says, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. But in the New Testament, by far, the book that uses this phrase, this Levitical phrase, this phrase from the tabernacle, to draw near, is the book of Hebrews. And the book of Hebrews, I think, most clearly describes what is meant by this drawing near in Hebrews 4, verse 16, when the writer says this, let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may find grace to help in our time of need. In other words, what the writer's describing here really is simply are the imperative to pray. That what we must be doing, if we understand what it means to be a Christian, is we need to be drawing near to God in prayer. And in fact, I would think that one of the ways in which we could diagnose how well we understand the provision that's been made for us in Christ is to look at the degree to which we take advantage of that provision in prayer. And so I have to ask you this morning, based on this text, is that something that marks your life as a Christian? Oh, he's someone, she's someone who understands the Christian life and so draws near to God in prayer based on this. astonishing provision that's been made for us in Christ. Jesus, of course, acknowledges the difficulty of this. the many ways in which we're tempted not to pray, we lose heart in prayer, we grow weary in prayer, we sometimes pray in unbelief, and Jesus, of course, gives a very clear teaching about those many practical obstacles to prayer, but nonetheless, his example If nothing else, his example stands as a stark reminder of our need to pray. How often do the Gospels say to us, he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. He withdrew from them about a stone's throw and began to pray. See, the Bible shows us the example of one who prays without ceasing. And here we're told if we understand what it means to be in Him, we too will draw near to God in prayer. Even if you think about your Christian life and you think about the things that you need to grow in and the ways in which you need to continue to press on and be diligent, is prayer at the top of that list? It's the top of that list for the writer to Hebrews here. After laying out this glorious theology, draw near to God, he says, because we can enter the holy places with confidence, because we do have this great high priest. Well, he says more than that, of course, in verse 22, because he specifically says that we should be drawing near, but we should draw near with a full assurance and our hearts having been sprinkled clean and our bodies washed. Once again, he's assuming here a familiarity with the Old Testament, a familiarity with the priestly sacrifices in the Levitical system, because as you noticed in Leviticus 16, these priests didn't simply have to put on the right clothes and then go into the holy place. No, they had to be sprinkled clean, they had to be washed, they had to undergo certain washings at certain times, and really everyone involved with the Day of Atonement had to wash himself in some special fashion in order to fulfill the law properly. This expression of sprinkling clean is again an expression from the sacrificial system as the blood was sprinkled on the altar and the blood was sometimes sprinkled on the priest himself, particularly when he was ordained to that office. But I think it's also the case that while the writer to Hebrews is referring to the sacrificial system, he's referring really more specifically to the way in which the prophet Ezekiel understands that sacrificial system. Because what Ezekiel does is he takes these images of washing with water and being sprinkled in the sacrifice. And he ascribes pure water and the sprinkling with pure water. as the work ultimately of God's Holy Spirit. And so I think that's what the writer of Hebrews as well has in mind here. As we draw near to God, we do so in the power and the purifying presence of God's own Holy Spirit. Indeed, prayer really is one of those places in our Christian lives where we can't escape the glories of the Trinity. As we pray to the Father in the name of the Son, we do so by the provision, he says, of God's Holy Spirit, so let us draw near. Well, the second imperative is in verse 23. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. There's a tremendous realism in the book of Hebrews about our frame. And of course, we know from the scriptures that God does know our frame. He knows that we are but dust. He knows our weaknesses. He knows our struggles. In fact, part of his ministry as a high priest that is so gracious and so merciful is because he understands us. And the writer here understands, of course, that our hope, our confidence in the future, our confidence in the promises of God for the future, very often can waver. It waxes and wanes depending on our circumstances, depending on how we think the future is going to work out from our limited vantage point. The writer to Hebrews says, no, based on the provision you've been given, hold fast your hope without wavering. Now I should say a word here about this term hope, because it's used differently in the scriptures than we often use it in our own common speech. Oftentimes today when we say we hope something will happen, what we really mean is that we have a kind of wish that it might happen. We're not sure whether it will or whether it won't, But we'd like to see it take place, and so we say, I hope that's going to happen. That's not biblical hope. That's not hope as it's defined by the writer of Hebrews. No, he means a confident understanding of the future. It is future-oriented based on the promises of God. And you see, that's exactly the rationale that he gives in verse 23. The reason why we hold fast our hope without wavering is because He who promised is faithful. When you're thinking about the future, You're thinking about the way in which these future promises that God makes may seem so distant, may seem almost so abstract or so ephemeral, like they couldn't possibly be real, and certainly you couldn't possibly bank your life on it. Remember who it is who's made those promises to you. Remember that it's the Lord Jesus Christ, the risen Savior, The one who died and then was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. He's the one who has made these promises to us. And so when we think about the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, or we think about the promises Jesus gives where he says, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. I'll be with you always, even until the end of the age. I will build my church. I am at work within you. both to will and to do according to my good pleasure. That the one who began that good work will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus. That one day you will be like me, for you will see me as I really am. That those promises, those promises are made by Jesus himself. That the one who said these things is far greater than Moses. Far greater than any angel. Far more reliable than any human who might make a promise to you. Even a human whom you trust the most and in whose promise you bank your life. No, we're talking here about the faithful one. The Lord Jesus Christ. We're talking about God who's never made a promise and broken it. Who can be relied upon. For every detail of his promises, the Puritans used to talk about the gospel being a kind of promissory note, and the implication they drew from that was, we need to be like attorneys, we need to study that, we need to know it. We need to know exactly what's being promised to us, because whatever it is, we know it's going to take place. See, the one who made a new and living way by his own blood didn't simply leave us with that provision. He actually gave us great promises. So let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. What about this third imperative? Well, it begins in verse 24. Now, if your background is similar to mine, you may be more familiar with verse 25 than with verse 24. In verse 25, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that we're to be gathering together, that we're to be regularly gathering together, not least at public worship, but also at other times. He says there are those who get into the habit, and we've seen people get into the habit, and perhaps we've found ourselves sometimes getting into the habit of neglecting to meet together, but there's no circumstance under which that's appropriate. And so the implications of verse 25, that we're to be present with God's people on the Lord's day and in other times, is the significance of verse 25. And so very often I was introduced to this whole passage based on verse 25. In other words, you should be in church, you should be with other believers. This isn't optional, this is part of the command of God. And yet, actually, in the context, while all of that is true, and while all of that, in fact, is a correct implication of this text, actually, in the context, the command is found in verse 24. In verse 24, what the writer to Hebrews says is this, let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. Now, this term consider, is worth spending some time reflecting on because the term that he uses here really has the idea of giving careful thought and oftentimes it's used to give careful thought ahead of time to something. And you see how that applies here. We're to give careful thought ahead of time as to how we can be used to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. So let's assume for a minute that you're not in the habit of forsaking the gathering together. Well, that's good, of course. That's obedient to God's word. But the question that this presents to us is, are you in the habit of considering ahead of time, as you're going to meet with the people of God, how you can be used to stir up one another to love and good works? So often we treat gatherings with other Christians. as opportunities for us to get something out of it. And how often have we met someone after leaving church, or on a Monday morning, or as we're driving home, and they'll say something like, I didn't get much out of that. Of course, what the writer of Hebrews says is, one question you should be asking yourself is, are you considering ahead of time how you can help others in those gatherings. We know that people are different. Some people need to be really, their sin needs to be addressed. But very often what people need is just encouragement of some kind. And that's the kind of thing we should be thinking ahead about. We shouldn't simply be reacting as we meet with other Christians. No, we should be giving some thought to this. We should be preparing ourselves for it. It's a natural implication, he says, of the provision that Christ has made for us. It's another reminder, of course, too, that when we gather together, that it's not primarily about us individually. When we gather together for worship, of course, we're addressing ourselves to the Lord, and we need to be obeying Him, and so it's ultimately about Him, but it's also about other people. And this is what the writer to Hebrews is addressing for us. How do you prepare for public worship? How do you prepare for the opportunities, which I hope are many, when you can meet together with other Christians? You know that the Bible assumes that all of us are engaging in our Christian life together. I'm always struck by how many little asides there are in the New Testament to this effect. For instance, Paul in 2 Timothy 2, when he's addressing Timothy, and you'd think this was a very individual kind of command. He says, flee youthful passions, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. That sounds like a very specific and individual command, but then Paul adds this, as we see so often in the New Testament, along with all those who call on the name of the Lord. New Testament really doesn't know anything of solo Christianity. And this is emphasized here in the way in which we're supposed to prepare ourselves for public worship. You know, we talked about the example that Jesus gives us in prayer, but Jesus, of course, also gives us a wonderful example of the importance of gathering together in worship, have you ever considered this? That Jesus, who had every reason, if anyone ever had a reason to neglect gathering together with other believers, he knew the hearts of all men, he knew how he was going to be betrayed by them, he knew all the things they had done, he knew how imperfect their worship was. And you know, what do the Gospels tell us? Things like this, he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as was his custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read. Well, if that's true of the Lord himself, then certainly there are no excuses for us to neglect to meet together as is the habit of some. Well, as we come to the end of this text, I have to say again, if you're sitting here and you're not a Christian, Perhaps you might, as you examine your own heart, recognize some things that you are looking for. You want to be near to God. Perhaps that's why you're here today. You want to know for certain what the future holds. And you want to be part of a community of people who care about you, who love you, who are willing to tell you the truth and tell you what's best and point you to God. Don't you see, in a sense, these commands are all pointing to each of those things. But it's all based on the provision that God has made in Jesus Christ. And the Bible makes it very clear that it's only those who call on the name of the Lord who will be saved. That salvation is found in no one else, no other name. Under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved. So if that is you this morning, then I would plead with you, but also I would offer you, in the name of Christ, what Christ himself offers. He says, whoever will come to me, I will not cast out. and I will raise him up on the last day. Whosoever believes in him, the Bible says, will not perish, but will have everlasting life, and the kind of life described here. If you are in Christ, and this provision in 19 and 20, this glorious provision is yours. And I hope you noticed something about each of these commands. Each of these commands Let us draw near. Let us hold fast. Let us consider. Hinges on something that God has done or that God will do. The whole thing begins with a therefore. It's what God has provided for His people in Christ. And then in each individual verse, did you notice the provision of God? Verse 22, God has sprinkled clean our hearts. Verse 23, God is faithful to His promises. And then verse 24, verse 25, the day of Christ's return is near. And because of all this, because of the good news of Jesus Christ, because of his death, burial, and resurrection, and ascension, because of his great and precious promises, what does the Bible teach us? Draw near in prayer. Hold fast to your hope. and consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let's pray together. Our God, we marvel at the clarity of your word. You have given us a lamp and a light, and truly we are without excuse as we read your word. And we marvel at your provision for us Oh Father, fill us with your spirit that we might obey your word. And use us to bring glory to your son. Use this congregation to glorify your son as we await the day of his return. And it is in Christ's name that we ask these things. Amen. Now receive God's blessing. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.