The Call to Hold Fast

Good morning. It's great to be with you again.

I want to invite you to turn with me to the book of Revelation if you have your Bibles with you.

The passage is also found in our bulletins.

We're hearing from God's Word today, Revelation chapter 3,

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

and the call to hold fast that Jesus has to His church,

and it's the church specifically in Philadelphia,

but as this is God's holy and inspired Word,

it is also His Word for us today as well.

So draw your attention to the reading of God's Word from Revelation 3, verses 7 through 13.

Revelation 3:7–13

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,

the words of the Holy One, the true One, who has the key of David,

who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

I know your works.

Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.

I know that you have but little power,

and yet you have kept my Word and have not denied my name.

Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan,

who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie.

Behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet,

and they will learn that I have loved you,

because you have kept my Word about patient endurance.

I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world,

to try those who dwell on the earth.

I am coming soon.

Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.

The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.

Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God,

and the name of the city of my God,

the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven,

and my own new name.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

This is the Word of God.

Thanks be to him.

Let us pray together for our time in his Word.

Lord God, Father, Son, and Spirit,

we come now and we sit underneath the preaching,

the proclamation of your Word,

asking that you would be gracious to us,

that you by your Spirit would come and pour out knowledge,

pour out wisdom, pour out revelation about who Jesus is.

Lord, that you would awaken our hearts,

that you would give us understanding about these things,

that you would come and take the things of Jesus

and make them real to our hearts.

We ask that for our little theologians in this room as well,

our covenant children who are in this place.

God, we ask that you would also give them understanding,

that you would help them to see you as you truly are.

Lord, to think big thoughts about you,

that they would have a big God and a big Savior for them even now.

We ask that you would bless the preaching

and the hearing of your Word now for your church,

and it's in Jesus' name that we ask this.

Amen.

Amen indeed.

Well, in December of 1914,

Ernest Shackleton and his 27-member crew

aboard the ship The Endurance

entered the ice fields of the Wendell Sea

navigating through dangerous packed ice.

With only 100 miles left in their journey,

Shackleton made the fateful decision

to stop and wait for a break in the heavy ice.

The temperature dropped and the ice closed in around the ship,

making it impossible to proceed.

The crew would live aboard the ship for the next 10 months.

Gradually, the ship began to succumb

to the crushing grip of the ice.

Shackleton gave the order to abandon ship.

The crew began a march in search of safety,

carrying minimal supplies and dragging three lifeboats.

Eventually, reaching open water,

they boarded the lifeboats and sailed off

in an attempt to find land.

Surviving perilous conditions,

they finally landed on the deserted Elephant Island.

Stranded on that island with no hope of rescue,

Shackleton and four of his crew members

set sail in a lifeboat in an effort to reach the island of South Georgia.

This was a whaling island.

They traveled 800 miles,

800 nautical miles,

through the world's worst seas.

When they arrived to the island finally,

they discovered that the whaling station

was on the other side of the island.

And in order to rescue the remaining crew in time,

Shackleton and two of his men

had to cross on foot

the treacherous cliffs of this island.

They were icy.

They were forbidding cliffs.

They were vulnerable to sudden blizzards

and hurricane-force winds.

The island's inhabitants, as a matter of fact,

had considered the journey

from one side of the island to the other

on foot impossible.

Nevertheless, Shackleton and his two partners

crossed in 36 hours.

His diary provides an interesting perspective

on the South Georgia island crossing.

This is what Ernest Shackleton's journal says.

Quote,

In memories we were rich.

We had pierced the veneer of outside things.

We had suffered.

We had starved.

We had triumphed.

We had groveled down,

yet grasped at glory,

grown bigger in the bigness of the whole.

We had seen God in his splendors,

heard the text that nature renders.

We had reached the naked soul of men,

and by endurance we conquered.

And while we will likely

never face the extreme physical conditions

that Ernest Shackleton did,

we will face extreme spiritual conditions

where our fortitude,

our resolve,

our endurance will be tested.

The New Testament is clear on this point

that it is through many tribulations

that we enter the kingdom of God,

Acts chapter 14.

Acts 14 · chapter mention

As a matter of fact,

Jesus said,

If they hated me,

they will hate you.

If they persecuted me,

he said,

they will persecute you.

Now this raises the obvious question

as to why.

Why the hatred?

Why the persecution of Jesus of Nazareth?

And why the subsequent hatred

and persecution of his followers?

Why, given the fact

of how pluralistic

the worship of many gods,

the acceptance of many gods,

and how syncretistic

the combining of those gods

the ancient world was?

The ancient world was pluralistic.

You could worship many gods.

It was syncretistic.

You could combine

the worship of many gods.

Why in this context

was the message of Jesus,

the person of Jesus,

so antagonistic?

Every month at our church

at Westside,

we have a potluck dinner

called Eat Church

where everyone brings

what they want to share

with everyone else.

That's what the ancient world

was like in terms of

religion and worship.

Everyone brings

what appeals to them

and says,

here, worship Caesar.

Here, worship Zeus.

Here, worship Artemis,

Diana, and so forth.

Of course,

what's interesting about this

is that our culture

is very much the same

in our day as well.

Even though ours,

perhaps,

is the most secular age

of human history,

that itself,

that itself

is a religious claim.

And that is one

of many claims

that is accepted

right alongside

the major religions

of our world.

If that was the case then,

and it continues

to be the case now,

then the question

that I'm asking is,

why wasn't Jesus

just acknowledged

as another religious teacher?

Why wasn't his message

acknowledged

as just another

religious path?

Why,

in a religious potluck,

wasn't Christianity

just one of many

casserole dishes?

Why the heat?

Why the persecution?

The answer is found

in the book of Revelation,

and in particular,

in Revelation chapter 3,

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

in the word that Jesus has

to his church in Philadelphia.

Verse 7.

You can start there,

looking with me.

He says,

to the angel of the church

in Philadelphia,

write,

the words of the Holy One,

the True One,

who has the key of David,

who opens

and no one will shut,

and who shuts

and no one will open.

You see,

right away, church,

we see in this passage

that Jesus doesn't claim

to be just

another religious teacher,

or that his message

is one of many

that you can take or leave.

No,

Jesus declares,

I am the Holy One.

I am the True One.

He declares that

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

No one comes to the Father

but through me.

He proclaims

that all authority

in heaven and on earth

has been given to him.

And he reveals,

he reveals by his spirit

that he is the one

who opens

and no one is able to shut,

who shuts

and no one is able to open.

In other words,

Jesus is exclusive.

Jesus is unique.

He stands alone.

He stands above

every other single person

who has lived.

It's not Jesus versus

fill in the blank.

It's just Jesus.

And that is something

that the church in Philadelphia

knew very well.

little theologians.

Kids,

if you're taking notes,

if you'd like to follow along,

I have two assignments

for you, kids.

One is to draw a picture

of a key and a door.

A key and a door, kids.

And then,

the question is,

what makes Jesus

unique

and stand out

from every other person

who has ever lived?

What makes Jesus unique?

What makes him stand out

from everyone else, kids?

Now,

for the rest of us,

I want to give you

some background

of the city of Philadelphia.

It was founded

as a missionary city

in 189 B.C.

What that means

is that it was meant

to be a gateway,

a doorway

to Asia Minor.

It was the Greek culture

in the east

to further spread

the Greek culture

in the year 189 B.C.

It was a doorway

into Asia.

And this helps us

understand

the play on words

that Jesus is using here

where he says,

I have a door

that I open

and no one is able

to shut

and who shuts

and no one is able

to open.

The church in Philadelphia

would have known

exactly what Jesus

was referring to there.

By the first century,

it was one of the greatest

trade routes

in the Roman Empire.

So the Roman Empire

continued to use Philadelphia

as a doorway,

a doorway from Rome

in the west

to Asia in the east.

It was an open door

linking the two

vastly different cultures

there in the ancient world.

Following a devastating earthquake

early in the first century,

the city was rebuilt

by the Roman Emperor Tiberius

and a temple

was dedicated to him there

as people came

to pay homage

to worship Tiberius

as the savior

of the city.

This helps us understand

why Jesus addresses them

in such an extraordinary way.

They are holding fast,

as he says,

to him

amid a culture

that says

you must worship

these other gods as well.

You must worship Caesar

for he is savior

of the city.

This helps us understand

why Jesus begins

to address them

in the way that he does.

It's very intentional

on his part.

As a matter of fact,

in all of these seven addresses

to his church,

the way that Jesus

describes himself,

he is speaking directly

to what is going on

in that city.

And here in Philadelphia,

he means to remind them,

remind them of who he is

in contrast

with the claims

of the culture

that they're living in.

And what does Jesus

remind them of

in his address?

First, he says

that he is holy.

He is holy.

He is the holy one.

Holy one.

He is none other

than God Almighty.

For John,

who was an apostle,

who was a Jew,

for him,

there was only one

who was holy.

As 1 Samuel 2 says,

it says,

there is none holy

like the Lord.

There is no rock

like our God.

God.

In John's gospel,

John's gospel,

he talks about

in chapter 6,

that the disciples,

after they witnessed

Jesus feeding the 5,000,

they declared

that he was

the holy one

of God.

John knew

who Jesus was.

What is holiness?

Holiness speaks

of separation

or distinction.

Uniqueness,

speaking of

our Lord's

separation,

his uniqueness

from his creation.

It's not Jesus

and his creation

are together.

It's Jesus

over his creation.

Jesus is not

subject to us,

friends.

We are subject

to him.

He is not subject

to the cosmos.

He is over

the cosmos.

The cosmos

is in subjection

to him.

He upholds it,

the Bible says,

by the word

of his power,

Hebrews chapter 1.

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

Jesus moves

in a mysterious way

to quote the old hymn.

His wonders

to perform.

He plants

his footsteps

in the sea

and he rides

upon the storm.

This is who

the Lord Jesus Christ

is, friends.

He is the almighty

one.

He is the sovereign

son of God

who is addressing

his church

from a place

of authority

and a place

of majesty.

So Jesus is holy.

The second thing

that he says

is that Jesus

is true.

He is the true one.

Later on

in the book

of Revelation,

John describes

Jesus as being

holy and true.

And the word

here for true

means that

Jesus is the authentic.

He is the genuine.

He is real.

And this is signifying

that everything

about Jesus

is the real deal.

Everything about him

is the real deal.

His divine nature,

his attributes,

his words,

his character.

Jesus is the standard

of truth.

We do not measure him

by our inferior standards.

He is the measuring rod

that assesses

and judges.

We do not appeal

to a higher authority

to validate Jesus.

Jesus is the highest authority.

He is validation itself.

Jesus is the very embodiment

of truth.

Glory as of the only son

from the father

full of grace

and truth,

John 1.

He is the true light

which enlightens everyone.

He is the true light

which continues

to shine in the darkness

and the darkness

cannot put it out.

Now why is it significant

that John's pointing this out?

Why is the fact

that Jesus is holy

and Jesus is true,

why is that significant?

Little theologians,

kids,

why is it important

for you to know

that Jesus is holy

and Jesus is significant

or Jesus is true?

Well,

in a world

that is searching

for significance,

searching for meaning,

in a world

that is longing

for transcendence,

here is Jesus,

the holy one,

made flesh,

walking and talking

among us

and to us.

Jesus,

the holy one,

the transcendent one,

is addressing you and I

in a world

that is searching for

and wondering

if there is any truth,

anything worth believing

and defending,

anything worth fighting

and dying for.

Here is Jesus,

the source

in whom all the treasures

of wisdom

and knowledge

and truth

are found.

In him,

in him, church,

we have holiness.

In him,

we have truth.

And these two things

begin to shape

the way that we view

the world.

They begin to shape

the way that we view

ourselves in the world,

what we are called to.

They answer the question

of significance.

They answer the question

of meaning

and purpose

and value.

Much like for the church

in Philadelphia

who are holding fast

to this testimony,

the question for you

and I today is,

are we holding fast?

Are we holding fast

to this Jesus

as he is revealed

in scripture?

To the one

who is holy

and true?

It was just as,

if not more difficult

for them in the first century

to hold fast to this.

They were facing

open persecution.

They were facing

heat for their witness.

What about us?

Do we know him

who is holy?

Do we know his voice?

One of the ways

that we can tell

that we listen

to his voice

is we listen

because we know

his voice

has authority.

It carries authority.

And that's the third

point that Jesus

reminds them of.

His authority.

Not only because

of his character

and his attributes,

he is holy,

he is true,

but because of his authority,

he holds the key of David,

he says there.

In our Old Testament

reading from Isaiah 22,

you heard it.

We heard how God

intervened at a time

that he provided

a steward

for the house of David

in Eliakim.

And this was God

providing this

to David's household

so that David's household

could be preserved.

It could be preserved

so that the coming Messiah,

the Messiah could come

into the world.

The Messiah who now

rules and reigns

over David's household.

The church.

That's what Jesus

is alluding to

when he says

that I have the keys

of David.

It's absolutely incredible

to think of how God

used that bleak moment,

that bleak moment

in history

roughly 700 years

before Jesus was born

as an analogy

pointing to

Christ's own rule

and reign

over his church.

So he holds

the key of David,

he says,

and he opens

and he closes the door.

Much like how the steward

was in charge

of who was in the household,

who was accepted

in the palace,

and who could come

before the king,

so now Jesus says

to the church

in Philadelphia

that he is the one,

he is the one

who opens

and shuts the door.

Now this raises

the question,

what door

is he talking about?

He's about to tell us

that in verse 8

and following.

He says,

I know your works,

behold I have set

before you an open door

which no one

is able to shut.

And in the Bible

when God talks about,

when Jesus talks about

an open door,

it's talking about

within the context

of the advancement,

the establishment

of the gospel message.

And that is

that the church

in Philadelphia

had remained faithful

to that

despite the difficulties

that they were facing.

they had remained

an open door

where the gospel

was being proclaimed.

They were holding

fast to Jesus.

They were not compromising

to the culture

around them,

but they continued

to proclaim.

They continued

to witness

to the truthfulness

of who Jesus was.

And that was

despite the difficulties

that they were facing.

In verse 9,

Jesus says,

I know you have

but little power

and yet you have

kept my word

and you have not

denied my name.

Though they were

little in power,

they were mighty

in their perseverance.

In their endurance,

their faithfulness

to Jesus.

One thing

that we can take away

from this

is the way

that Jesus

assesses his church.

The way that he

assesses the church,

it's not the way

that we typically

assess churches nowadays.

Because he's not

assessing them

by numbers

or anything external.

It's by their

holding fast

to his word

and their faithfulness

to him.

It's who they are

and where they turn

in time of crisis.

That's what defines

them as a church.

When external difficulties

are threatening

the church itself,

it's what defines them

that they are

holding fast to Jesus.

They are not

looking outside.

They are looking

to him.

Jesus sees this

and he commends

them for it.

Now what were

the external difficulties

that they were facing?

He says in verse 9

that there were those

of the synagogue

of Satan.

Those who say

they are Jews

but are not.

They lie,

Jesus says.

These are sharp

piercing words

from Christ.

Much like the church

in Smyrna

in Revelation chapter 2,

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

there's another church

that has no rebuke there.

There Jesus only has

commendation for them.

He has encouragement

for them.

In Smyrna,

they were facing

hostility from the

Jewish community

there as well.

In Philadelphia,

they are facing

the same kind

of persecution

from those

who are ethnically

Jewish

but Jesus says

morally and spiritually

they are not Jewish.

What does he say

that they are?

He says they're

satanic.

Those who oppose

and act in hostility

against Christ's church

are acting satanically

whether through deception

as Jesus talks about here.

They say they are Jews

and are not.

They lie about it

or as in violence.

That was in the case

in Smyrna.

They were violently

persecuting the church

there.

Here in Philadelphia,

they are persecuting

the church

through deception.

So it continues

in our day as well.

It may not be

the synagogue of Satan

that we are facing

in 2021

but the same

deceptive hostility

is prevalent

down through the ages

as an attack

against the church.

We should not be

surprised by this.

The Bible talks about,

the New Testament talks about

that the whole world

lies in the power

of the evil one,

1 John 5.

The apostle Paul,

of course,

said in 2 Corinthians 4

that the God

of this age

has blinded

the minds

of unbelievers

to keep them

from seeing

the light

of the gospel

of the glory

of Christ.

The God of this age,

Satan himself.

And so for us,

we live

in a relatively

free society.

We don't face,

as of now,

the violent persecution

as much as we face

an attack

on the truth,

whether that be

on the outside

or as Jesus

makes clear

in Revelation 2

and 3,

all these addresses

to the churches,

there's also attack

that happens

within the church

as well,

outside or inside.

The early church

there was facing

contamination

of false teaching,

sexual compromise,

immorality.

They were facing

people bringing

in the idols

and ideologies

of the surrounding culture.

They were trying

to mix all these things

with Christ's teaching

and authority,

syncretism.

They were trying

to mix these things.

And that is what

had put the church

at the first century

in such a perilous position.

Five out of the seven churches

that Jesus addresses,

they are rebuked by him.

They are warned

that if they don't repent,

Jesus will come

in judgment on them.

In Ephesus,

it was their neglecting

the truth

that above all else,

Christ calls us

to embrace him,

to love him,

allowing that love

to then in turn

affect how we love

one another,

how we treat one another

in the church.

Or in Sardis,

in Sardis,

Jesus said,

your exterior,

how you present yourself,

it doesn't matter at all

when inside

you are dead to me.

When you have forgotten

what you have received

and what you have heard,

outwardly you may appear

beautiful,

but inwardly you are full

of spiritual death

and decay.

Jesus to that church

said,

wake up.

The call is for you

to wake up,

to hear my voice,

to hear my voice of truth

and to repent.

I am the one

who knows the heart

and the mind,

Jesus says.

I see you, church.

I know what's there.

Wake up

and repent.

This church,

he talks about

strengthening what remains.

Strengthening what remains.

You're in the church.

You hear the voice

of his word.

The call to respond

with repentance

and faith is there.

Respond,

O church,

hear.

What we gather,

brothers and sisters,

by examining

what our Lord says

to his church

is that we cannot afford

to be passive

in our faith,

nor can we be neglectful

of the truth

that we have received

from Jesus.

Like Smyrna,

we are called

to be faithful,

faithful even unto death.

We are called,

as he says here

to Philadelphia,

to hold fast

to the truth,

even when spiritual

forces rage

and they combat

against that truth.

I want to say

that as a pastor,

I feel the weightiness

of these calls.

These calls

in that not only

am I called

to deliver the message,

but I also am charged

with setting the example.

I'm called to be

out front leading the way.

And to be honest

with you,

it's a heavy task.

It's a heavy task.

I know my own heart.

I know my own struggles,

my own failures,

not only as a man,

but as a husband,

as a father,

as a friend,

as a brother,

and as a pastor.

And there have been times

when the shame

in my life

has been so overwhelming,

so suffocating,

that all I want to do

is crawl under a rock

and hide,

believing that the world

would be a better place

without me.

I go full George Bailey.

And without this word,

friends,

without this Jesus,

who is holy and true,

who holds the keys

to God's household,

who holds the key

to all of redemptive history,

who opens the door,

and you know who

he opens the door for?

For the weary

and the shame-filled

like me,

without this,

I would be lost.

All hope,

all hope

would be gone.

But what has been so rich

and so timely for me

during this season

of hard providence

that I've been going through

are these promises

that Jesus has

to his church

for those who are

undergoing trials

and difficulties,

being reminded

that it's our Lord Jesus,

brothers and sisters,

who continues to promise,

promise to his people,

that the day is coming

when disappointment,

grief,

and fear will be gone,

that sorrow will be forgotten,

that love's purest joys

will be restored,

when change and tears

are passed

and all saved and blessed

we shall meet at last.

That is who Jesus is.

And even to his church

here in Philadelphia,

he talks about acting

in such a way

that will be undeniable.

He's going to act

on their behalf.

And he talks about that

in verses 9 through 10.

He talks about

that he's going to make

those that are

of the synagogue of Satan

come down

and bow before their feet

that they will learn

that I have loved you

and that he will keep them

from the hour of trial

that is coming

on the whole earth

to try those

who dwell on the earth.

He talks about

those that are

of the synagogue of Satan

and this is

an incredible picture

because when he says

that he holds open the door

and no one is able to shut

and he shuts

and no one is able to open,

Jesus is saying,

friends,

that he has the authority

to bring even

the most heinous,

even the most blasphemous enemies

and bring them

into his house

as those who now know him

and know his love

for his people.

What an encouragement

that is for us

knowing the power

and the grace

of Jesus.

There is nothing

too heinous.

There is nothing

too dirty.

There is nothing

too shameful.

There is no one

too dirty

or too shameful

for him.

Even those

that he called

part of Satan's domain.

Christ is able

to save

to the uttermost

no matter,

no matter the sin.

And the second thing

that he promises

to his church

in Philadelphia

is that he will

protect them

from the hour of trial

that is coming upon

those who dwell

on the earth.

Now the thing

I want to just point out

to you

is keeping in mind

that Jesus is addressing

a very specific church

at this time.

I do not believe

that he is talking

about a period

of tribulation

that they themselves

would not experience.

That doesn't fit

the context

of what he's saying here.

Rather,

what Jesus is saying

is a principle

that holds true,

that rings true

for the church

down through the ages

all the way

to the end

of time.

And that is

that for those

who hold fast to him

during trials

and tribulations,

he promises

to provide the strength,

the supernatural strength

and presence

that they will need

to endure that.

The world is filled

with tribulation.

You and I,

we cannot avoid it.

But Jesus provides

what no one else can,

spiritual endurance

and ultimately

the victory

that comes with him.

And he says that

in verse 11 and following.

He says,

I am coming soon.

Hold fast to what you have

that no one

may seize your crown.

The one who conquers,

I will make him

a pillar in the temple

of my God,

he says.

To the one who conquers,

by holding fast to me,

he says,

there is a place for you.

There is a name for you.

And it's my God,

Jesus says.

It is a place

that my God

is preparing for you.

It is a name

that my God

has written on you.

And Jesus says

that I will make him,

I will make him

the one who endures.

I will make him

a member.

I will make him

a partaker

in the city

that is coming down

from heaven.

The city that is

prepared for you.

So all of that,

all of that

is for you,

Cheyenne Mountain.

For you who hold fast

even amid trials

and afflictions

in this life.

The one who is true

and faithful.

The one who is holy.

Who is the fulfillment

of all of God's

covenant promises.

He holds the door

open to this day,

to this very day.

And Jesus does this,

friends,

because he ultimately

took on the form

of a servant for us.

He was obedient

to his father

even unto death.

He faced trial

after trial.

He faced trial

from Satan.

He faced trial

from the unbelieving world

and the betrayal,

the slander,

the lies,

the injustice

that we afflict

on one another.

Jesus did all this

who for the joy

that was set before him,

he endured it all.

He endured the cross.

He endured the shame.

He endured the rejection,

the ridicule,

the malice,

the betrayal,

the abandonment,

the loneliness,

the wrath of his father.

He did all that

knowing that for the joy

that was set before him,

he would bring you and I

into his kingdom.

And he calls,

he calls you and I

to follow in his footsteps

by embracing

and holding fast

to him

who promises

by his word

and spirit

through the ministry

of his church

that we will overcome.

There is no one

like Jesus.

There is no one

like him.

So the call

goes out to you,

church,

to hold fast,

to hold fast.

He who has ears,

let him hear

what the spirit

says to the church.

By his endurance,

we will conquer.

Thanks be to him.

Let's pray.

Lord,

we thank you

for this word.

We thank you

for this time.

Jesus,

we thank you

that even though

we in the eyes

of the world

as a church

may have little power

in your eyes,

Lord,

help us to be faithful.

Help us to hold fast.

Help us by your spirit,

Lord,

to endure

what we must.

We ask that you would,

Lord,

convert us,

convert us out of our

worldly way of thinking.

Convert us.

If we,

Lord,

if we do not see you

as you are,

as the holy and true one,

as the one who holds the keys,

keys to heaven,

keys to the kingdom of God,

that no one,

no one is able to shut

what you have established

and no one is able to open

what you have shut.

You have ultimate authority,

Lord Jesus,

and we pray that

as we come to your table now,

you would remind us

of how you set

your authority aside

from heaven

to come down

and to serve us

in this incredible way.

Lord,

help us to eat and drink

in faith

as we go

to your table now.

And it's in your name

we pray.

Amen.