Forgetting What Lies Behind, Pressing Forward
First B Jackson
2026-08-16

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Good morning, everyone. Welcome to first b. Would you stand with us in song? And we're gonna lead you into worship. Here's an encouraging word from Romans five to lead us.

Hope will not just lead to disappointment for we know how dearly God loves us because he he's given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. We're gonna sing My Hope Is In You.

Good morning, everybody. Hope you all are doing good this morning. Can you say good morning?

No. If you haven't

been here before, welcome. I hope you've been greeted and welcomed. If you haven't, I'd love to get the opportunity to do that. I'm still a little winded from carrying chairs. We've got at 10:00 right after this service, we've got a really awesome breakfast.

So come and enjoy that with us. The first yeah. That's first announcement. Second is seeking truth in your twenties. It's the last night, which is which means summer's almost over, which is really sad.

But, yeah, it's the last night. So if you've been coming, come again. If you haven't been before, still come. It was you still get a great meal out of it and get to talk about who Jesus is. And but one other thing about that, there's still gonna be some events, like, spread out after the summer season.

So if you've been a part of that, get make sure you get the number of KC or Brian and stay plugged into that group text that they're gonna circulate. So, yeah, that's it for that. And then last, I know we talked about it last week, old bills fund run and how that works with our benevolence fund. So just recap, I mean, our benevolence fund is such a really cool way that our church and you guys have an opportunity to meet physical and spiritual needs in this valley. And so hold on now, Josh.

So last week, we were talking about there's a certain season of giving, like a certain window of time. Now we're in that time frame. So when we give through the link on our website, through old bills, there's a secret formula. It's not a secret, I just don't know it. That like multiplies our giving, or at least adds to it.

So make sure you if that's something you want to be a part of and you want to know more on the math, get with Nick. Otherwise, give, and I promise it'll be money well spent. Lastly, we have a trip coming up two trips coming up, Zambia, Costa Rica in November. I'm sure you all heard this a billion times, but we have a meeting for both trips today at 4PM in the fellowship hall. And we're going through the book, something needs to change by David Platt.

Now I was doing some last minute reading, and it's really wrecking me, the amount of physical and spiritual need in not just here, but all over the world. And so it's a really good study. I need to wrap it up. It's a really good study. So even if you don't want to go on those two trips, I still invite you to come and just be a part of that conversation.

Let's pray. Lord, thank you so much for this church body. Thank you for a cooler weather after such hot summer. And we just pray that we can just slow down and worship you and really just get to share in the fellowship among other believers this morning. What a what a blessing that is, Lord.

We love you so much in Jesus' name.

If you could stand up and greet one another. Great. Amen. You can have a seat. I'll ask the ushers to come forward.

We're gonna do the worship through giving part of the service. Ray, would you pray for us? God

almighty. God almighty. We are overwhelmed, lord, to be here together as this little representation, the body of Christ and we're thankful lord for your presence here with us right now and we just ask your blessing on this ceremony, this offering, this day, these conversations, this family, and lord, we what we wanna do is we wanna be a blessing to this community and extend it to the very ends of the earth. So, lord, we want to do your will and your way. We want for you, lord, to bind up the brokenhearted.

We want for you to proclaim peace to those who are in turmoil. We want we want to proclaim peace to those who are in turmoil. We also, lord, want to speak to those who are captive, that you set people free. So, Lord God almighty, may we be about your continuing work. Thank you, Jesus for what you've done and show us.

Lord, through your spirit what we should be doing. In Jesus name, we ask you to bless this offering, both the gift and the giver. Lord, but we we want it to go and do with it whatever you will. In Jesus name, amen. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I don't know if y'all have noticed what a reunion it is from up here. I'm seeing people from everywhere.

All kinds of stuff has brought y'all into town this week and we're here together and having a ball. So, I'm excited. We're in Philippians. Van continued last week and I was on the highway headed back this way. I let out Saturday afternoon after getting paddles Paschal settled in at school, and I got here Monday before sundown.

And my folks left Sunday after church and they got here Thursday. But I left with intent and they left to see the country. So they're here this morning. I wanted to give you a fair warning. If you see somebody that looks kinda like me, that's slightly older.

It's probably my dad. But my my mom and dad and my brother are all here this morning. And I'm glad to see all of y'all. See folks from all over all over the place. Philippians, this is what we're up to.

Two nineteen and it's gonna go till 03:14 this morning. There's a section that sounds like he's about to end the letter. So usually when Paul has his letter, it's the hey, howdy do, grace and peace to you. Love y'all. Thankful for you.

There's a few things we need to talk about and then personal greetings, right? Timothy says hi. This one is it looks like it's going to do that and then, it picks back up again with some more instructions. So, here we go. We're we'll see how it goes.

But I hope, it says, in the Lord, Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. So, I'm sending out Timothy and I'm expecting he's going to come back and bring a report. Now, that sounds a little bit like I got my eye on you and it kinda is. He's saying though, I'm sending you Timothy for I don't have anybody else here is who is of kindred spirit who will genuinely genuinely be concerned for your welfare. Now, knowing what we already know from the book of Philippians and knowing what we'll see in the next chapter two, there is division that is creeping in.

We've got division between a couple of parties that are starting to form and Timothy was there with Paul when the gospel was planted and started to take fruit there in Philippi and he says, I'm sending you Timothy. You know him and he knows you and he's going to remind you of this stuff that I've already said in the letter so far and I'm about to say it again. I don't have anybody else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. If I send anybody else, I'm afraid they take sides. For they all seek after their own interest and not those of Christ Jesus.

He's still not saying they're not brothers and sisters though, okay? He's just saying, they're looking out for themselves and not really looking out for Christ Jesus but Timothy will and so I'm I'm sending you Timothy. This reminds me of the chapter before where it says, let nothing be done through selfishness or vain conceit but in loneliness of mind, you should emulate Christ's humility, right? He's seeing that they're looking out for their own interest. They have some selfish interest involved but Timothy is not like that and I'm going to send them to you.

If you you know of his proven character, it's not somebody you're going to have to get to know and I tell you what, when division starts in the church, say it starts to be when you approach a conversation, you approach it like this and you're kind of leaning back with your arms folded and wondering, is this guy on my side or is it on the other side? And you know of Timothy's proven character that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. If you have any respect for me and for Timothy, that's why I'm sending them. So, that's Timothy. Therefore, I hope to send him immediately.

I'm planning on sending this letter with him right now. As soon as I see thou thee how things are going with me, I'd like to give you a little more information about the court dates and all that business. Right? But I'm sending him soon. And I trust in the Lord that I myself will also be coming shortly.

He's looking forward to seeing him again. You know that first chapter where he says, I my God upon each remembrance of you. I can't wait to see you again. He's really really longing for them. But I also thought it necessary not just to send Timothy but Epaphroditus.

Now Epaphroditus is someone from among them. Epaphroditus, he's my brother and he's my fellow worker, and he's a fellow soldier. Now, you might see that and go, soldier, why would he say soldier? It might have been that Epaphroditus was actually a soldier because Philippi was one of those places where soldiers went to retire. And it's a good guess that Epaphroditus might have also been a soldier but he's saying soldier for the cross.

He's somebody who soldiers up and gets ready and goes with it and comes along. He is your messenger and he's your minister to my need. So he brought what you sent to me and man, it was great. Thank you. Because he was longing for you all and he was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

He was sick. Actually, he says, indeed he was and he was sick even to the point of death but God had mercy on him. So, he did not die. He was sick to the point of death but God had mercy on him and not only did God have a mercy on him by not letting him die but also on me so that I wouldn't have sorrow upon sorrow. Now, this is interesting for Philippians because the whole book has been about rejoice, rejoice, rejoice no matter the what the circumstances, joy, joy, joy, rejoice in Lord always.

Again, I say rejoice. And he says, I'm glad that Epaphroditus didn't die. I don't think I could have took that. Sorrow upon sorrow. He is in jail.

He has been through a lot. And he did not know what his future was. In fact, if you'll remember back just to the last chapter or this same chapter, he says, I don't know. I don't know which way it's going. For me to live as Christ to die is gain.

I don't know which way it's gonna go, but I'm glad Epaphroditus made it. I'm glad he's coming back to you. Therefore, I've sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again, you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about y'all. That's plural, y'all. You hear how personal this is?

So have we discussed any points of theology so far? Not really. Proven character is not really theology, but they knew who Timothy was and I'm sending him to you because he cares for you. And I'm sending Epaphroditus because he showed that you all care for me, And it's just really, really personal. And I think, have you all had experiences this week that were like that?

My goodness. I did three weddings this week, attended one and did a funeral. I saw lots of that stuff happening this week. And it really is I'm so glad to see you. I popped into the office the other day, and there's somebody that got married ten years ago.

And I was a part of that. I went into the Virginian the other day, and there's a family got married ten years ago. I was like, man, that's awesome. Just seeing stuff come back. And the longing kind of peaks its head when you see people sometimes too.

The personal nature of this is like, to me, I'm like, that's really, really good, Paul. Now, it does sound like he's complaining just a little bit that he doesn't have a whole lot of people like Timothy around him but he's in jail. You know, so receive him. That's Epaphroditus. Then, in the Lord with all joy, that's Epaphroditus.

Epaphras probably, Epiditus like the it is on the end is like the Ito in Spanish. It's a diminutive. So little Epaphroditus, maybe he was a small man, I don't know. So yeah. Receive him.

Then in the Lord with all joy and hold people like him in high regard. Who are people like him? Well, he came close to death for the work of Christ. So, it was a missionary. It was someone who was sent out on a mission even if it was a short term mission.

He had a mission to do. He took it on and it nearly killed him. So hold him in high regard. He was risking his life to compensate for your absence and your service to me. I I was in need and y'all knew about it and then he took the brunt by coming to me.

And thank you for sending them. So finally, my brothers, oh, this is the one. Tanya says never say finally or in conclusion because it gives people false hope. But he said finally right there. That's what Paul said.

I didn't say he said it. Finally, my brothers and sisters, so it looks like I'm gonna wrap up now. Rejoice in the Lord. That's what this whole book is about. How many times have we heard it?

Well, we'll hear it 16 times in the book of Philippians, and this is about the twelfth one depending on how you count what you count. But finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. Be happy and let it go deeper than that. Have this steadfast joy in God. So, count them off.

Y'all can go back and do that yourself. To write the same things again is no trouble for me. He's about to start over writing the same things again. And it's a safeguard for you. The safeguard caught my eye this time.

And I I say, oh, yeah. As I always say, redundancy is for times when you wanna say something more than once. This safeguard thing caught my eye. To write the same things again to use, no trouble for me, just think on a page. And I've already got this thought, and it's it's pursuing me, and I need to get it to you.

To write the same things again to you, no no trouble for me. It's a safeguard for you. That word is as follows, and properly it means secure because it's on solid footing. What I'm writing to you will help you not to fall down, built on that which does not totter fall slip, unfailing, safe, reliable, trustworthy. That's good stuff.

I am writing this so that you'll know it and you'll be able to stand and you'll be able to stand up against because the rest of the letter, it's not in this verse, but in the rest of the letter, we know it's about unity and the body of Christ. So that you won't get taken into the nonsense that tries to divide the body of Christ. Okay. I don't want you church splits, worst thing that can happen. That's my opinion.

Beware of the dogs. Beware of the dogs. Beware of the dogs. That's what it says. Beware of the dogs.

This is interesting because Paul previously would have used this of Gentiles. The Jews used regularly. They called the Gentiles, those Gentile dogs. And what Paul is warning against here is most likely Judaizers. It's people who are saying that you have to follow the Jewish law in order to be a good Christian.

So beware of the dogs was that's a complete role reversal. It is Paul, Pharisee, who has become a Christian saying to Gentile Christians, don't be dogs. And he's not saying don't be Gentiles. He's saying don't just be ravenous and looking to bite. Beware

of

the evil workers. There are evil workers. Now earlier in Philippians, he said, yes, some people do it for the wrong reasons. Yes, they do. And some people do it for profit and some people do it for selfish ambition.

But either way, the gospel is being preached. He just kinda sloughed it off earlier. He says, there are evil workers. There are. Are people who are doing it for the wrong reasons.

Beware of what he calls the false circumcision because we are the circumcision. Actually, true is added in the new new American standard to give it a little more sense in English, but he says, beware of the false circumcision that which is of flesh only because we are the true circumcision. The true circumcision is those who worship in the spirit of God. What did Jesus say to the woman at the well? There's coming a time and it's now here when those who would worship God must do it in spirit and in truth.

Right? So, those who worship in the spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus. Now, we know God resists proud. He gives grace to the humble but already in Philippians, we've seen one other place where he says, if you're going to take pride, you take pride in Jesus, in Christ, and what he has done. He's the only one that deserves the glory and he didn't take it on himself.

He, in the best sense of the word, condescended, he came to be with us, humbled himself even to death, even death of a cross. So if you're gonna take pride, take pride in Christ Jesus who left the glories of heaven to come and save. Take pride in Christ Jesus. It's right here in Philippians one. When Paul is wrestling back and forth, it is chapter one, not chapter two.

When he's wrestling back and forth, I don't know which was better. Me to live as Christ to die as gain. So I'm wrestling, but convinced that it's for your good. I'm gonna remain and I know that I will remain and continue for you with you all for your progress and for your joy in the faith so that your pride in Christ Jesus may be abundant because of me. If you're going to glory in anything, glory in the Christ, glory in the cross of Christ, and put no confidence in the flesh.

To know that we are feeble humans. We are empowered by the spirit of God but occasionally, things can sneak up on us and we can fall into it again. I don't put any confidence on the flesh. I put my confidence in the spirit of God who indwells and empowers and directs me. Put no confidence in the flesh.

Although I here goes Paul. Now the guy called me here at the turn. Although I he's about to give his credentials almost. But it's worldly credentials and he now recognizes that. So I had a fellow call me the other day and he said, I'm reading the Bible all the way through, and I have gotten to the New Testament.

I've gotten to the letters of Paul, and we know that God resists proud and gives grace to the humble. And then Paul, why is he always telling how good he was? Why is he bragging about how good he was? I said, well, first of all, those are a bunch of different letters to a bunch of different people. So it's not like he was telling them.

He just send in Philippians junk mail every week to talk about how good he was. He very he calls himself the chief of sinners. And so he recognizes that all of that stuff before goes in that category. It doesn't come into this category. So and let me just let him say what it is.

It says, although I myself could boast, I could as having confidence even in the flesh. Now, if we're talking about religiosity, he goes, if anyone else thinks that he's confident in the flesh, he's done everything on Earth that he's supposed to do. I have even more reason. I was what? Circumcised on eighth day.

Was, did he do that? No. His parents did though. Oh, I was I was born of great parents that took care of doing things exactly as they should be done. Circumcised on eighth day.

I was of the nation of Israel, God's chosen people, no doubt, of the tribe of Benjamin. That's one of the best tribes, probably the best tribe according to Paul. Here we go. A Hebrew of Hebrews. I was outstanding.

In another place, says, I was passing all of my peers, you know. As to the law, a Pharisee. Oh, that's a party. That's division. He goes, as to the law, I was on this side.

I was on the ones that said, we stick with what it says, period, always. Not those that say, well, you know, that might not be literal. I don't really believe that stuff about angels and resurrection. That's sadducees over here. As to the law, I was a Pharisee.

I was a partisan and we all know the Pharisees were right. As the zeal, there was no doubt about it because I was a persecutor of the church. I was hardcore. Don't let anybody tell you I wasn't. They feared me.

And as to the righteousness which is in the law, I was found blameless. Okay. As to the righteousness which is in the law, as far as anybody could tell, the law, I look great. Can you see a lot of the stuff that's in the can you see covetousness? Sometimes you can.

But when Paul admits to it in Romans, he admits to the law revealed in me. Sin. That's what the law does. It lets us know where we stand. And we stand in need of a savior.

He says, as to the righteousness which is in the law, there wasn't anybody that was doing any better than me. I was blameless. But whatever things were gained to me and everything in that list could have been considered to be a gain. Whatever things were gained to me, these things, I've counted as just a loss because of Christ. They don't mean anything.

When I see Christ, when I look and turn my eyes upon Jesus, actually, he blinded him. You remember that part? But when I finally saw the light, I count everything else as loss. And more than that, I count all these things to be lost in the view of the surpassing value of not just seeing the light but knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. And I've said before, if Christ Jesus is your Lord, you can say, yes, Lord, but you can't say no, lord.

You're either going to say, yes, lord, you're to say no. You can't say no, lord. More than that, I count all things to be lost in the view of surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my lord. For whom I have suffered the loss of all of those things. Well, he said, I counted as a loss because it doesn't mean anything.

Why is he talking about it? Because he's talking to people who could be persuaded that it does mean something. He's talking to people that are saying, hey, you gotta be exactly like this. You're already behind because you weren't circumcised on the eighth day. You weren't a Hebrew of Hebrews.

You weren't in the tribe of whatever. You weren't in Israel. You just you just barely made it in. Now, you gotta do everything exactly right for the rest of the time. Judaizers.

Paul said, no. No. I've suffered the loss of all things and I count them and that's that them is whatever things were gained to me, all things, all things. I count all of those things as mere rubbish. Now I could go into detailed description of the word scubula.

It means dung. It's probably a little more offensive than dung. It's kind of a dirty word for dirty thing. He's saying, it doesn't mean into me. I count them as mere rubbish.

All of that religious stuff and then my heart was revealed when I saw the actual majesty of God in Christ Jesus. So that I may gain Christ, I put all that stuff down. Jim Elliot's diary. As Jim Elliot was a missionary, South America, and he wrote in 1949 that he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which we he cannot lose. And he eventually would die as a missionary to those people, but those folks eventually came to Christ because of his ministry and witness there too.

I've given all that stuff up. I've suffered the loss of all thing. I count them all rubbish so that I may gain Christ and so that I may be found in him not having any righteousness of my own which is derived from the law. We can have only self righteousness or the actual righteousness of God. We don't have any righteousness in ourselves.

Okay. Self righteousness is not righteousness just to be clear. So that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having any righteousness of my own derived from the law but only that which is through faith in Christ. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Amen.

Paul made that same step. Paul believed God and that will be counted to him as righteousness. In fact, it's the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Abraham believed God. Paul believed God.

Do you believe God? So that I may know him directly. No intermediary. He is the intermediary, Christ, so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of what? His sufferings in a letter about joy.

So that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings, and being conformed into his death. Does that remind you of anywhere else in scripture? There's several other places but the one that popped to my mind is the one I think of every time we do a baptism. Therefore, we have been buried with him through baptism into his death. We are being conformed into his death.

We're recognizing that his death is what is the only acceptable payment for sin and we are conformed into his death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead and we raised people out of the water through the glory of the father so that we may to walk in newness of life. That's every time somebody comes up is and walk in newness of life. For if we have become united or conformed with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this that our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. The one who has died is freed from sin.

Set free by being conformed to his death and then Paul says, if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead, does this somehow bother you? Man, if anybody can explain the gospel, it's Paul, right? But then, in humility, he recognizes his human frailty and his human understanding has limits and he says, I don't know how it works but I know that it works. If somehow, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. It is the promise.

It is what God has put out there. And then he says this, I'll in fact, when I say, if somehow, I go, man, Paul, wish I hadn't had said that. It feels like he got on shaky ground here. It's not though. If somehow I may attain to the resurrection of death.

He knows it's by Christ but he just doesn't understand how that works. He knows he doesn't deserve it and we fight so hard against grace. We fight so hard against grace. We want to pay our way. If somehow I may attain to the resurrection from death, not that I've already grasped it.

Haven't figured it out or that I've already become perfect. I know that I have and I know I mess up but I do press on. I keep on going forward. If I may also take hold of that for which I was even take a hold of by Christ Jesus. That little turn of a phrase right there is really beautiful.

What Paul is all about is going forward and he's going forward forgetting what is behind. He'll say in just a second. He's going forward. He wants to grab hold of that which he was saved for, right? He's saved without any works of his own.

He's already said that's scubula. That's rubbish. Dung. But pressing on from here, there's stuff God wants for me to do. In fact, he'd tell the Ephesians this, yeah, by grace you're saved through faith, that's not of yourselves, gift of God, two eight nine, but we are his workmanship and we were created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so that we would be walking in them.

So, I want to take hold of that ministry that God saved me for. Do y'all wanna grab hold of the ministry that God saved you for? It's awesome. Brothers and sisters, I don't regard myself as having taken hold of it yet. He says that this is after multiple missionary journeys at this point and prison and rods and beatings and all that stuff but I'm not saying I'm perfect and I don't think I've done everything that there is to do yet.

Why? Because he still got breath in his lungs. But this one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, I'm reaching forward to what lies ahead. I'm looking forward to what God has in the future for me and for you. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upper call of God in Christ Jesus.

I tell premarital sessions all the time. I talk about forgiveness and one of the things in there, I say, listen, you make acceptable boundaries for how to go forward. What what's what's a good life like? Shower curtain in, shower curtain out, toilet paper front, toilet paper back. Those really important things, you know.

You make the acceptable boundaries of what's going to happen, but you know we're human and occasionally, we're going to mess up. So how do you get past that? Well, you admit it. You confess it. You agree on it.

I'm so sorry that I did what I did. It's heartbreaking to me and I'm grieving it. I've asked God to forgive me and I believe that he has. Would you could you please, baby? I'm so sorry.

Would you forgive me? Well, yeah, what you did was terrible. It hurt and it caused me a grief. I felt like I didn't even know you but we made vows for better for worse, for richer for poor, sickness and health, and yeah, this classifies and I forgive you. Get to that place of forgiveness and then going forward, realize that the rearview mirror is this big and the windshield is this big for a reason.

Okay? Right around here looking in the rearview mirror all the time, you're gonna hit an elk or bison, run off a cliff. I'm pressing on going forward towards the prize. That's the goal, the upward call of Christ Jesus. Yeah.

I've got a future in heaven for sure there in those matches, but I'm gonna keep on doing what I'm doing here heading that direction with that in mind. I think that's the last slide. I don't have a specific invitation. God is so good and he cares so much about you in particular. He wants for you to be free from the weight of your sin.

He wants for you to feel that way. He wants for you to feel like everything religious that you've ever done before now. All the religiosity and all the things you try to do to look good. He wants for that to mean nothing to you and he wants for the surpassing knowledge of God. Surpassing knowledge of knowing Christ and power of his resurrection to be real to you today.

So, I'm going to ask the the band to come up and I'm going to pray for you. The altar is always open for prayer. We've got this breakfast out here. Well, happening in between but if you need to deal with something today, if you've got something that you know you're carrying a heavy heavy burden, I'd ask you to just talk straight to Jesus. You can talk to me too.

I'll turn off the microphone. I promise. God almighty. Thank you. We thank you that you're good.

We thank you that if we confess our sins, you're faithful and just to be forgiven our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Today can be the day when we're set free and we get a chance to start over. In Jesus name, amen. We want to abide in you. Amen.

Would you stand with us and sing?

There's a peace that outlies darkness hope that's in the blood there's a future grace that's mine today that Jesus Christ has won. So I can face tomorrow for tomorrow's in your hands. All I won. And when the sea is raging your spirit is my help you'll fix my eyes on Jesus cross I'll say that

for the Benediction Day from Romans fifteen, five, and six. Here we go. May the God of endurance and of encouragement grant all of y'all to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus that that together you all may with one voice glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, would you help us when we want to set apart and split from one another? Would you help us with one voice to glorify you?

We know that they will know we are Christians by our love. In Jesus name, we ask that we'd be experiencing your love and sharing it with everyone else. Amen.