Take Jesus At His Word
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
I have something I want you all to do right now...
I want you to leave Leamington, leave your family,
and go to another town.
You don’t need to know the town yet,
I will tell you that later.
All you need to know is that,
something big is going to happen!
Something that will affect all the families of the earth!
Now, I don’t actually want you to do that,
but I did want you to think about the magnitude of that for a moment.
That IS what God asked Abram to do.
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
God called Abram to leave everything behind and follow Him.
And do you know what Abram did?
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Summary
As a 75 year old, he went.
He heard the Word of God…
He believed the Word of God… and
He obeyed the Word of God.
Abram took God at His Word!
Main Point of Sermon
Main Point of Sermon
This is what I want to encourage us to do this morning…
Title
Title
Take Jesus At His Word
Take Jesus At His Word
Last week we learned that,
Jesus is the Light of the world…
In Him there is no darkness.
He exposes the darkness with the truth.
Jesus
is God…
He is holy…
He cannot lie…
Everything He says is:
good, right, and true.
Therefore, we should take Him at His Word!
If Jesus says it,
we should believe it!
And not only believe it…
but OBEY it!
BILLBOARD
This morning we are going to be encouraged to:
Know Jesus’ Words
Believe Jesus’ Words
Obey Jesus’ Words
Prayer for Illumination
Prayer for Illumination
Lord Jesus,
YOU are the Light of the world!
You shine in the darkness,
and through You, we come to know truth.
We thank You that You have spoken,
and revealed Your Word to us!
We thank You for our Bibles,
that are Your inspired Words,
written to us.
Your Word is a lamp to our feet,
and a light to our path.
We pray that it would lead and guide us into truth today.
Expose sin and lies from the enemy that we are believing…
Expose the hardness of our hearts that cause us to run from You…
Expose the truth of Your glory to us,
that we would
love You,
be satisfied in You
trust You,
believe You, and
obey You!
This we ask in Jesus’ name… Amen!
Scripture
Scripture
Announce
Announce
This morning we are continuing in our series in:
The Gospel According to John…
John 8:31-59.
Introduce
Introduce
We are continuing a long section going back to chapter 7,
where Jesus has been teaching the crowds.
At the end of last week’s passage we read…
30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
The beginning of the next verse then says…
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him…
Now, Jesus shifts the focus of His teaching to
those who claimed to believe in Him.
Transition
The first thing He encourages them to do is…
1. Know Jesus’ Words
1. Know Jesus’ Words
Jesus has already made it abundantly clear that,
He has been sent by God,
and speaks the words God has told Him to speak.
This means that His Words are true since they are from God,
and therefore they should listen to them and know them.
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
When you know Jesus’ Words…
a. You Will Know the Truth
a. You Will Know the Truth
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth
Jesus, speaking to those who have believed in Him,
knows that not all of them TRULY believe in Him.
The way they prove whether or not they really believe in Him,
is if they abide in His Word.
Abide means:
to continue…
to remain…
to reside/live…
True disciples of Jesus abide in Jesus’ Word,
they KNOW Jesus’ Word.
And the result of them KNOWING Jesus’ Word,
is that they know the truth,
because Jesus is God!
He is holy and true,
and everything He says is true.
Summary
To KNOW Jesus’ Word is to KNOW the truth!
Transition
And when you KNOW the truth…
b. The Truth Will Set You Free
b. The Truth Will Set You Free
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
What does Jesus mean by this?
Those who are following Him are confused…
33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
They are pointing to the fact that they are children of Abraham.
They are basing their favour before God on the fact that they are Abraham’s descendants.
The fact that they say they have never been enslaved is interesting.
We know that the Israelites have been enslaved many times,
and in fact, during this time they are not free,
but under Roman rule.
Whatever they are thinking,
they don’t think they need whatever freedom Jesus is offering!
But Jesus shows that He’s not talking about political freedom…
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
The idea of practicing sin,
is someone who makes a habit of continuing in sin.
Before we are born again and have the Holy Spirit in our hearts,
we willingly sin because it’s in our nature.
In this state, we are slaves to sin!
WE CAN’T NOT SIN!
35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
A slave has no rights of his/her own,
they must go where they are told to go…
they must do what they are told to do…
they are not a member of the family…
But a son is a part of the family,
and can release the slave.
Jesus is using this as a way to show His authority!
Even though you are a slave,
and have no ability to deliver yourself from slavery,
“If I set you free, you will be free!”
Transition
A true disciple of Jesus knows His Word,
and therefore knows the truth,
and that truth will set you free!
ILLUSTRATE
ILLUSTRATE
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation,
declaring that all slaves in the Confederate states were free.
Legally, in that moment, slavery was abolished in those territories.
But here’s the shocking truth: many slaves didn’t know they were free.
Some never heard the news for months, even years.
In places like Texas, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865 — two and a half years later —
that Union soldiers arrived and announced that slavery was over.
That’s why Juneteenth is celebrated today.
Can you imagine that?
Living in slavery,
beaten and worked to exhaustion,
when in reality,
freedom had already been secured.
Papers had been signed.
A proclamation had been made.
The war had been won.
And yet they lived as though nothing had changed —
simply because they didn’t know, or they didn’t believe it.
APPLY
APPLY
Brothers and sisters,
is that how you’re living?
Jesus has done all that was necessary to set you free from sin,
and yet you still live as if you are in slavery!
Maybe there’s a specific sin you’re struggling with,
that you just can’t seem to get over,
and you feel defeated…
Maybe you’ve given up hope that you will ever get over it!
You need to understand that if Jesus has set you free,
YOU ARE FREE INDEED!
The reason we struggle so much is because,
even though we are saved through the power of Jesus,
we try to live our new lives in OUR OWN POWER!
You need to understand the power that you have from God…
the power of the Holy Spirit!
He is the One who enables you to overcome sin.
This is why Paul prays for the Ephesians to have…
18 the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us!
You could not save yourself,
and you cannot overcome sin in your own strength.
You must learn to rely on the Spirit if you want to live free!
Abide in Jesus’ Word…
come to it throughout the day,
so that you may know the truth.
Ask the Holy Spirit to continue giving you new desires,
replacing the old desires of sin,
with new desires to obey Jesus!
You don’t have to live a defeated life like a slave…
You have been set free by the Son!
Non-Believer
Maybe you’re here this morning,
and you’re like the Jews in this story,
who don’t believe they need to be set free…
You don’t think you’re a slave…
You think you’re free to do whatever you want.
Transition
The next thing Jesus encourages the people to do is…
2. Believe Jesus’ Words
2. Believe Jesus’ Words
It isn’t enough to just know Jesus’ Word…
you must believe it!
The Jews then say to Jesus,
37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.”
They are making a claim to being God’s chosen people,
because they are physically descendants of Abraham.
But Jesus is going to say that they are not true children of Abraham… spiritually speaking.
Abraham believed God’s Word,
which led him to obey God’s Word.
If you follow Abraham’s example of believing God’s Word…
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
a. You Are True Children of Abraham
a. You Are True Children of Abraham
Jesus responds to them saying…
“If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
Jesus says that if they were true children of Abraham,
they would be doing the works Abraham did.
What was the work Abraham did?
Believe God!
Since he was a man of faith in God’s Word,
his true descendants should look like him,
following his example.
But the Jews don’t follow His example!
Instead of believing God’s Word through Jesus,
they are trying to kill Him!
Jesus has shown through His teaching and miracles,
that He has been sent by God to teach the truth of God,
and be the Messiah.
Instead of believing by faith like their father Abraham,
they ignore God’s Word,
and try to kill His Messenger!
Jesus then says…
41 You are doing the works your father did.”
We don’t know exactly what Jesus means by this yet,
but He definitely intends to say that:
your works show who you are seeking to emulate!
We see this in children,
that they model what they see in their parents.
Sometimes good things… and
sometimes not so good things…
Jesus is calling them out:
“You may be children of Abraham through blood…
but you’re definitely not his children judging by your actions!”
Summary
It’s when you BELIEVE Jesus’ Word,
that you are true children of Abraham!
Transition
When you believe Jesus’ Word you are also…
b. You Are True Children of God
b. You Are True Children of God
41 They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
The Jews here are doubling down on their insistence that they are truly God’s people.
They are saying they are true Israelites,
and not children of mixed-marriages.
Some believe they are actually sarcastically suggesting Jesus was an illegitimate child,
and that He is not a true Israelite.
Jesus then…
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
Jesus again confronts them with the fact that they don’t really know God,
or else they would know Him!
Since God sent Jesus,
they should recognize Him.
Since they don’t,
it shows they don’t really know the Father!
Then Jesus drops the hammer…
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Jesus says that they are not:
children of Abraham; OR
children of God…
they are children of the devil!
Your works prove who you follow!
If they were children of Abraham,
they would believe God’s Word…
If they were children of God,
they would believe the One whom He sent…
But in fact, they are children of the devil,
for they don’t follow the truth of God’s Word at all…
Instead, they follow the lies of Satan,
and so carry out his desires!
Satan is not to be trusted because he is the exact opposite of God.
God is light…
Satan is darkness.
God can only speak truth…
Satan can only speak lies.
God gives life…
Satan brings death.
Jesus knows they are children of the devil because:
they are walking in darkness…
don’t believe the truth… and
seek to kill Him!
Jesus continues…
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
Jesus on the other hand is speaking truth!
No one can point out any sin in Jesus, and yet…
they don’t believe Him!
Then Jesus tells us why…
47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
They do not believe Jesus’ Words,
because they are not true children of God!
Summary
Those who do believe Jesus’ Words,
prove that they are true children of Abraham,
and therefore… true children of God!
Those who do not believe,
prove that they are children of the devil.
And who you choose to believe,
dramatically affects the decisions you make,
and therefore the consequences of those decisions.
ILLUSTRATE
ILLUSTRATE
A couple months ago,
I watched a documentary called, “The Work”.
This documentary released in 2017,
is filmed from inside Folsom Prison,
and shows footage from a 4-day group therapy retreat,
as they try to help these men heal from the pain they have experienced,
that led to their life of crime.
One of the scenes that impacted me most,
was from an inmate named Dark Cloud.
He was a Native American,
who was part of a gang,
and imprisoned for attempted murder.
Sharing about his childhood,
Dark Cloud remembered when his parents split up.
He was living with his mom,
but he wanted to go and live with his dad.
His mom didn’t want him to,
and told him that he was a scumbag,
and all the bad things he did.
Dark Cloud didn’t believe her,
and thought she was lying.
He left her and went to live with his dad,
because he thought he needed a son.
Living with his dad, his dad would get into trouble,
and he would bail him out,
and when he needed something,
he was always there to pick him up.
Dark Cloud then says,
“I feel like it was all just a scam, because everything he taught me is what got me here. I didn’t even know how much my mom needed me. I didn’t even think about that. I don’t know why I betrayed her.”
Summary
Dark Cloud had to choose whether to believe his mom, or his dad.
He chose to believe his dad,
and abandoned and betrayed his mom.
And what was the result of his decision?
His father taught him how to be a criminal just like him,
and it led him straight to prison…
straight to slavery!
APPLY
APPLY
We have a choice to make about who are going to believe.
Are you going to believe Jesus’ Words?
If you do believe Jesus Words,
you are true children of Abraham.
By following his example of faith,
you are trusting God,
and you will be blessed as he was.
If you do believe Jesus’ Words,
you are true children of God!
Those who are truly His children,
are those who believe His Word!
If you do not believe Jesus’ Words,
you are calling Him a liar,
and choosing instead to believe the devil.
And so, you become a child of the devil!
The reality is though,
that the devil is the liar!
He seeks to lead the world astray through:
movies…
music…
culture…
government policies…
using the deceitfulness of sin,
he pushes the world further and further away from God’s Word,
so that they don’t believe His Word.
What is the result of believing the devil’s lies?
You are led straight into hell!
You are a slave to sin,
and your sin leads you straight into eternal bondage.
Examine Yourself
I want to encourage you to examine yourself today.
Who’s son are you?
You can call yourself a Christian…
maybe you can convince others,
and maybe you can even convince yourself…
but look at your actions…
what do they tell you?
Are you living a life of abiding in the truth of God’s Word,
believing it and seeking to walk in it…
Or are you living a life of sin,
refusing to allow to God to change your heart through His Word,
and you just come to church and do some Christian things,
that make you feel good about yourself.
2 Corinthians 13:5 says…
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Is Jesus Christ really in you?
If He is…
then abide in and know His Word…
believe His Word…
and He will set you free,
and you will be a true child of God,
who seeks to be like their Father!
If Jesus Christ is not in you…
then you are a son of your father the devil.
You are believing his lies,
and you will continue in slavery to sin,
and suffer the eternal punishment for your choice!
TURN TO JESUS TODAY!!!
Don’t believe the devil, HE IS A LIAR!
Believe Jesus, who is God and truth,
who wants you to have life and have it abundantly!
Transition
The next thing Jesus encourages the people to do is…
3. Obey Jesus’ Words
3. Obey Jesus’ Words
This is what happens when you truly know and believe Jesus’ Words.
If you know Jesus’ Words… and
Believe Jesus’ Words…
it leads you to OBEY Jesus’ Words!
If you don’t OBEY Jesus’ Words…
it shows that you either don’t know it,
or you don’t believe it.
But Jesus gives a wonderful promise to those who DO OBEY His Word…
EXPLAIN
EXPLAIN
a. You Will Not Taste Death
a. You Will Not Taste Death
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
After having been called the children of the devil,
the Jews shoot insults back at Jesus,
claiming He is a Samaritan (half-Jew),
and that He has a demon.
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
You’re wrong!
I have been sent by God the Father,
and am doing and saying all that He sent me to do and say…
By this I honour HIM!
Yet you dishonour me,
the One sent by God!
But He is the Judge,
and He will glorify me!
He will prove me to be true and faithful!
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
Jesus did not answer back to their slander,
and did not respond in kind to their threats…
but entrusted Himself to God,
the true Judge,
who was going to glorify Him!
Jesus then says…
51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
The Jews have been fabricating reasons not to believe Him…
half-breed (not true Jew);
and has a demon…
These are excuses to not believe and obey Jesus.
But Jesus says,
“if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
The Jews don’t understand what Jesus is saying…
52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus is making an incredibly bold claim,
and the Jews realize that!
Since they don’t believe Jesus,
their conclusion is that He is a crazy, demon-possessed person,
Abraham and the prophets,
as great as they were, STILL DIED…
and yet Jesus is claiming those who believe in Him WILL NOT DIE!
But Jesus is not referring to physical death,
He is referring to spiritual death,
which is: separation from God!
Sin separates us from God,
but those who believe and obey Jesus,
will not taste the death of separation from God,
but will be brought into His presence!
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Summary
Those who believe Jesus’ Words,
will not taste death,
but rather,
experience eternal life!
Transition
When you obey Jesus’ Words you will also…
b. You Will Rejoice in Jesus’ Coming
b. You Will Rejoice in Jesus’ Coming
In response to their question,
“Who do you make yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
Jesus isn’t interested in glorifying Himself…
If He exalts Himself it doesn’t mean anything.
Ironically, the God they claim to follow,
is going to be the One to glorify Jesus,
the One they are refusing to believe!
55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
Jesus speaks the truth when He says He does know God.
He knows God, AND keeps His Word!
These Jews don’t believe Jesus,
which shows that they don’t know God the Father,
though they claim to be His children.
They are not displaying the same faith and trust in God
that their father Abraham displayed...
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
Abraham believed and obeyed God’s Word,
that He would bless all nations through him.
Abraham knew that God was not going to fulfill this in his day,
but He believed and obeyed God,
rejoicing in the fact that He would fulfill His promises.
Abraham did not know that God’s plan was to send Jesus,
and that all who put their faith in Him,
would be saved,
but He knew God would be faithful to His promise,
and therefore, HE REJOICED!
The Jews are now living in the fulfilment of God’s promise,
that Abraham only dreamed of!
The Messiah has come,
the Son of God, robed in flesh…
The Jews should be rejoicing!
But instead, they show that they aren’t true children of God,
and don’t believe Jesus is sent by God.
And they continue to question Him…
57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
This is one of the most emphatic passages
that help us understand that Jesus IS CLAIMING TO BE GOD!
We see this from the response of the Jews:
they picked up stones to throw at Him to kill Him!
This was not yet Jesus’ time,
so He is able to hide and leave the temple.
Summary
Jesus is God,
and we should therefore OBEY His Words!
When we do, we have the promise that:
you will not taste death; and
you will rejoice in Jesus
APPLY
APPLY
Jesus has made an incredible claim…
that He is God!
You need to decide what you believe about Him.
C.S. Lewis, in his book “Mere Christianity”,
says it this way…
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say.
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.
You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.
But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
The world wants to find a middle ground with Jesus:
The historical evidence for Jesus and the Bible is so strong that they can’t deny it,
but they don’t want to submit to Him as Lord,
so they claim He was a good moral teacher,
but that He wasn’t truly the Son of God.
C.S. Lewis shows the ridiculousness of that thinking!
If Jesus claims to be God, but isn’t and is only a man…
He’s either
A liar…
because He knows it’s not true but is claiming it… OR
He’s a lunatic…
because He believes it even though it’s not true.
The Jews could even be right in thinking He has a demon!
But if Jesus TRULY IS GOD,
then you must accept Him as Lord!
And Scripture bears witness that Jesus truly IS the Son of God!
Paul, writing his letter to the believers in Rome,
begins this way…
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
Jesus IS the fulfilment of all the OT promises.
He came to the earth in the flesh as a descendant of David,
and was…
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
God is the One who glorified Jesus,
by raising Him from the dead!
God showed that Jesus truly was His Son,
by raising Him from the dead,
proving that He truly was God,
and therefore LORD!
Paul then says what this truth accomplishes…
5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations
Since Jesus is God,
and proved it by rising from the dead,
Paul made it His mission to bring this Good News to all the nations,
so that they would walk in obedience through faith in Jesus!
Closing
Closing
Land the Plane (Last call to action)
Land the Plane (Last call to action)
Brothers and sisters,
this is our primary mission:
to share the Good News of Jesus with all the nations!
So often, we get sucked into the spirit of our age,
and we think point of our lives is:
climbing the ladder of importance and power at work…
building wealth and accumulating stuff…
gaining a following and building a brand…
All of these things fade away!
They will end up in the junk yard in a few years,
and in the end, it will all be burned up.
The reason it’s so easy to get sucked into believing these lies every day,
is because of who we are listening to.
If you are filling your mind with the lies from the devil all week,
then you are going to believe him,
and be led straight into slavery to sin,
which will leave you empty!
But, if you abide in Jesus’ Words:
KNOWING His Word;
BELIEVING His Word; and
OBEYING His Word…
then:
You will know the truth, and it will set you free;
You will be a true child of God; and
Rejoice in Jesus, through whom you will never taste death!
The reason we have this promise,
is because Jesus tasted death for us…
9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Jesus was willing to humble Himself by coming to the world,
but now He is crowned with glory and honour,
because He was willing to walk in obedience to the Father’s will,
suffering death, even though He never sinned…
He did this, so that
“He might taste death for everyone.”
Jesus tasted death:
bearing the wrath of God for your sin… for my sin…
completely separated from God,
So that we wouldn’t have to taste God’s wrath,
or be separated from Him!
Let’s rejoice in Jesus, the coming Messiah!
Let’s worship Him through obedience!
Let’s share this Good News with the world,
so that they know how much Jesus loves them,
and give their lives to Him,
walking in obedience to Him as Lord.
We will be mocked, hated, and misunderstood by the world just as Jesus was,
but we have the hope that we too will be glorified…
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Let’s pray!
