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Now I want you to pay attention. It wasn't anything in Israel wasn't their military.
Today we'll be doing what I really love to do and that is be an expositional preacher will be going through the Chapter of John 11 and there are two big things that I want us to get from today. There are two major threads that I'm going to try and have you follow as we walk through this passage.
One is the person of Christ.
We will see both his divine majesty.
And.
His gentle.
Humanity. We will see both of those in this passage the divine humanity of Christ or the divine nature of Christ and his gentle humanity and. The second thing I want us to see today is How this great divine God deals with us?
Individually. These are the two things I want us to look at today. John chapter 11 this is about the resurrection of Lazarus the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus had been working in Jerusalem and in Bethany and He had continued his work and the Pharisees were getting tired of him.
The Pharisees kept saying this man is doing great signs and great wonders and. The people are beginning to follow him that people are beginning to believe in him. We got to get this guy gone. You know, it was like the mafia went up to Vinny and be like a Vinny.
I got a problem. Okay, you know that's that's kind of what the conversation was happening. He's getting too much power. You know the when Jesus went into the temple and through the tables, you know that happened twice he did that two different times.
You can mess with people you can talk bad about him when you start messing with people's money. You start messing with people's money then they get serious twice. Jesus went into the temple and through the tables and said you will not make my father's house a den of thieves.
So Jesus started touching that wallet and they said all right, we got to get this guy out of here. And but it was not time for Jesus to God died. So he actually left Jerusalem and left Bethany and had been wandering the countryside.
Preaching and doing signs and everything was going great. Everything was going great. They weren't really under any massive persecution almost trying to kill them at the moment people were receiving them and blessing them and coming to the Lord and.
Then Jesus gets word that Lazarus has died or sick. I apologize then he gets word that Lazarus is sick and it says and Patras I actually preached this one a few months ago. He preached the main verse that Laz was sick and out of his love for Lazarus.
Mary Martha. He waited two days. Now that's not the main topic we'll be discussing today, but that is a big one to remember. That sometimes God does allow us to sit in that suffering out of love. You are in suffering and you're in pain and you say God, can you please bring me out of this and God says not yet?
Him saying not yet is out of love. Now that's not today's sermon, but that's a reminder for us to that would keep on the forefront at all times. So Jesus waits two days. And he looks at his disciples says we're going back and they say Jesus.
But they're trying to stone us and you want us to go back and Jesus says yes, we're going back. In verse 15, he says Lazarus has died and for your sake I am glad that I was not there. So that you may believe.
This is all a setup. It's all orchestrated. Jesus purposely waits so that Lazarus can die. So that they may see and believe.
Nothing was an accident.
It's all an orchestrated setup. So that they may see and believe.
Now when Jesus.
Came. He found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for days. This body is already decomposing two other times in scripture Jesus raises someone from the dead the daughter of Jairus and the son of the widow from Nain as.
The.
Funeral procession was coming out. Jesus raises the son from the dead. But this one is even more because some of the critics may have said well the boy really wasn't dead. The daughter of Jairus. She had just died.
She was sick. Lily had just died and then Jesus brought him back. So they weren't really dead. Not this one. They know arguing this in four days in the tomb not even four days. From point of death four days in the tomb already buried and You have to remember in this time period they didn't have funeral homes.
Like we do if somebody passes away phone call is made body is taken. We don't see the body. We don't touch the body and you know, we have people for that in our society. There was no embalming there was no preserving of the body.
The Jews would simply wrap the body and put spices with it to help with the smell. The heart would have let me just. What all has happened within four days? Let me describe this to you. The heart has stopped beating.
The cells of the body are now deprived of oxygen and are dying. Blood drains throughout the circulatory system and pools in the lower places. Muscles begin to stiffen and what's just commonly known as rigor mortis.
That sets in at about three hours. By 24 hours all of the heat is gone from the body and it's cold. The muscles then lose the rigor mortis in 36 hours and by 72 hours the rigor mortis is completely vanished and gone.
All stiffness is gone from the body and the body is just soft and limp. The cells are dying. The bacteria in the body is beginning to decay and attack itself. Breaking the cells down the decomposing tissue takes a horrific look and smell.
I'm very grateful I have not had the pleasure of smelling that but we have plenty of Officers and whatnot who may have if you want to go ask them. The tissue really starts to release hydrogen sulfide and methane as well as other gases.
Meet Lazarus a Disgusting smelly Horrible sight at this point and in this orchestration of God. Let me also point something out. The Passover was coming. The book of John actually takes place in a very short period of time.
This was probably two weeks. Maybe even less than from Passover and so Bethany being two miles east of Jerusalem would have been a highway into the city and Sojourners and pilgrims and people from all over would have been traveling right through Bethany to get to Jerusalem about this time.
Christ wanted witnesses he wanted people to see. There would have been a crowd at this and. Then every single day as more sojourners pass through the city guess what it would have been the talk of the town.
Lazarus who died he lives right over there. You can go see him. He was dead four days. No, he was not. I promise. I said he was in there four days and now he's like he is not a lot. You go look in that house and see as.
More and more would pass through the town. The testimony of Christ would have been shared more and more and more. Now let me introduce us in case for those who are not aware who these people are. Mary and Martha are not strangers to Jesus Christ Lazarus.
Mary and Martha were some of Jesus Christ best friends every time Jesus would pass through Bethany. They would be the ones he would stay with and he would stay with them multiple times. So his ministry days possibly even weeks and.
We see the first account in Luke 10.
I'm gonna read this to you. So we understand this of who they are. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went and met him. She'd obviously had heard about him But Mary remained seated in the house.
Now as they went on their way Jesus entered a village and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house and she had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving and She went up to Jesus and said Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
That's pretty bold.
That is quite bold. Do what. Walk up to the teacher and be like, are you not gonna correct her? But the Lord answered her. Martha. Martha, you know you're in trouble if you hear the name twice. You know you in trouble.
Martha. Martha. You are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion Which will not be taken away from her. He so gently corrects her and So gently points her to what the correct priority is.
Which is Christ. You ever get so busy that you don't have time for Christ. You ever get so busy doing what you ought to do that you forget time for Christ. You ever get so busy serving and working for the Lord.
Did you forget Christ? Well, I'm doing all of this for God and you forgot God along the way doing this for the Lord. But you forgot the relationship with the Lord. Martha was trying to do right she was trying to serve Jesus.
But in serving Jesus she missed the relationship with Jesus. You know, we work we're a working church we're dang proud of it. I'm dang proud of it. And this is not just a pastor staff. No you people. Work so hard and you do so much.
But this is a reminder to us friends. Do not try and do so much you forget who you're doing it for. We do not need to get a Messiah martyr complex. We don't need to get well, I'm doing all of this. They're not doing as much the why don't they?
No.
We do our job. Keep your mouth shut keep stepping. But don't forget the relational aspect because if you forget that your work is in vain.
You very well might do more harm than good. Because your attitude may be in the wrong place as you work. So we see Martha is this type a personality. High strong anyone know anyone. High strong. Energetic busy body aggressive.
She walked straight up to Jesus said hey Jesus. I that's a little aggressive. Anxious one of those anxious perfectionist. Can I get an amen?
Why we got laughing?
And because of this anxious perfectionist a little controlling. Three times if we can get to all three she actually corrects Jesus three times. Mary is the more keep to herself gentler more inward.
Thoughtful.
Melancholy.
Personality and this has become important in a second first. 21. Martha looks to Jesus. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went out and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Jesus now traveled to Bethany and the messenger that originally went to Jesus now come back and says hey Martha.
He's here. And she takes off. Leave Mary behind. She's still sitting in the house doing whatever she does. Martha takes off. And she comes up to Jesus. Is what she says Jesus Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
That's number two now this one.
It's soft.
It's not as direct and harsh as the first but you kind of see a little. You shouldn't have left. Or why did you not get here quicker? But in any case what she said is true. She didn't lie. She said what she said is correct.
If Jesus had been there. He would not have died. It says in verse 3 the messenger when he came to Jesus says Lord the one whom you love Jesus loved this family. He loved them with a special kind of love.
If Jesus had been there No way he would have let Lazarus die. His compassion would have compelled him so Martha Says if you had been here, he would not have died. Verse 22, but even now look at her faith.
I Know that whatever you ask from God God will give you. Jesus said to her your brother will rise again Martha said to him. I know that he will rise again and the resurrection on the last day Jesus said to her I am The resurrection in the life.
Whoever believes in me though He died yet shall live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this and she said to him? Yes, Lord. I Believe that you are the Christ the Son of God who is coming into the world.
What a theology she has. She had a better theology than Peter. It took him forever to come to realize that you are the Christ the Son of God. Sure, I'm dead. She had a legitimate theology. She understood the Lordship of Christ.
She understands that he is the Messiah. She understands that he possesses the nature of God that he is the Son of God. She understands that he is from heaven coming to the world. That's the incarnation.
She also has a fantastic understanding of the relationship between the Father and the Son. Whatever you ask I know that he will give. She understands that and she has an eschatological understanding the end times.
She knows from Daniel chapter 12 from Job 19. Possibly from John 6 when she heard Jesus talk earlier. She knows about the end times. She knows about the resurrection at the end. She has a better theology than most Christians today.
You can't say amen say ouch. She was not ignorant. She knew who Jesus was. She never addresses him without first calling him Lord. But now let's look at what Jesus said and we're gonna take a minute we're gonna talk about Jesus.
It was a conviction in my heart when I could not figure out what I wanted to preach. But I knew I wanted to preach about Jesus Christ and who he was. I knew that so we're gonna take a minute. We're gonna talk about this.
Jesus says I.
Am.
The resurrection. He didn't say I will pray for the resurrection. He didn't say that after my erection resurrection. I will become the resurrection. The power is within me. It is all within me. I am the embodiment and the personification of life life in of itself from a Philosophical nature of being life is me.
I am it. There is nothing higher than me. There's nothing outside of me. There's nothing greater than me. I do not draw my power from another Life as life is because of me. The breath that you have the breath that the dog has the breath that the lion has is all given from me.
The breath that was given to Adam the Hebrew word whoo. That same breath is the breath I breathe. I am that breath. The breath of life, that's me. I am the resurrection. I am life. And we can't pass up the I am.
This is the I am the ego of me. This is the the name I am that was given to Moses. This is the holy revered name of Yahweh. This is the name that the Jews dare not even speak out loud. And he says that's me.
I.
The resurrection and the life and acts 2.
It says.
Peter's preaching says God raised Jesus from the dead and First Peter 3 it says that the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. But in John chapter 2 and in John chapter 10, it says destroy this temple in three days.
I will raise it up.
John 10 says no one takes my life for me, but I lay it down on my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and I have the authority to take it up again. That power of resurrection. It wasn't. I was witnessing Jehovah's Witness two weeks ago.
It wasn't that here's the father. Here's the son and he had to be given that power. That's not what it's saying here. That's called subordination. Ism. The idea that Jesus Christ was created that he is the creator, but because God created him first.
No, it is within himself. That's why I'm driving this point home from an apologetical standpoint. He is not under the father. It is within him and his own nature. All three persons or if the Godhead are attributed with the resurrection the father the son and the spirit all three are attributed with the resurrection.
John opens this gospel. By saying in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning all things were made through him and Without him. Not one thing was made that was made in him was life and.
This life was the light of men in him was life. In Colossians chapter 1 it says he is the image of the invisible God. We cannot get this messed up today church. The two biggest attacks on our faith is the Word of God and the and the personhood of Christ.
Who is Jesus to you? Who is he?
These are the two most important things. Colossians chapter 1. He is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation. Jehovah Witness loved that one. See he was born that has to do with placement of authority.
The firstborn son was the son to inherit all things. This is saying that Jesus Christ will inherit all. That the father has given him. He submitted himself for a small time a little lower than the angels.
Meaning becoming human in that time period of humanity. He submitted himself, but he will not stay there. He will not stay there. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth. Visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things and in him all things hold together. He is head of the body the church. He's the beginning the firstborn from the dead that's talking about the resurrection. Christ is the first to be raised.
We will follow after him. Then everything he might be preeminent for listen for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and Through him to reconcile to himself all things whether on heaven or on earth making peace by the blood of his cross.
Jesus Christ is the I am. I Am driving this point home on purpose. He is the I am. He is the father. He is the resurrection. He is the life. There's no one and nothing outside higher or separate from him that has the life.
It is all him now the question that He asked Martha. What question did he ask him. He asked him do you believe? Do you believe Jesus Christ being the father. Jesus Christ being the I am means that he's eternal and it also means that he's immutable meaning he doesn't change.
So not in some stretching of the text but in a very real way I can take the same question and the same way he asked it to Martha's the same way. He's asking it to you. Do you believe. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God who has come to die for our sins.
Do you believe who has that? He has come to pay the debt that we were supposed to pay. Do you believe the Messiah? The promised one the creator of heaven and earth is Jesus. Do you believe that he is judge of all the earth who would judge the living and the dead?
Do you believe that he was.
Resurrected and he is the one who has defeated death and hell and walked through hell so that we don't have to. Do you believe that he now holds his revelation says the keys of death and Hades and those keys?
Rule. And now he now rules and governs over all of creation.
Do.
You this belief though is a call to action. This is very important. Someone says oh, yeah, I believe Jesus. But their life never changes. They are still as heathen and godless as anyone. What is it called prison salvation prison gospel go to jail?
But to get off from good time get with the good, you know got to get with Jesus. People get sober and In their sobriety they have now found Jesus. Sobriety does not mean Jesus y 'all we have got to get rid of that.
Just because you're sober does not make you saved. That is not how that works. There are plenty of things and most of the time it's just trading one sin for another. Most of the time we're just trading one addiction for another.
Sobriety does not mean salvation. Do you believe. But the belief demands action. A silly example, but if I tell you that this Water bottle has poison in it that will kill you and I say do you believe that.
You say? Yeah, and then you drink it you don't believe that. Your actions do not follow your words. Belief means that the action has to follow the belief. Belief is a turning of not just the mind but the heart in belief to God.
Do you believe. Revelation 19 says and behold a white horse Was coming and he who sat on it was called faithful and true and in righteousness. He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns.
He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God. The armies of heaven clothed and fine linen white and clean followed him on white horses.
Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that he would strike the nations and He himself will rule with them with an iron rod. He himself would tread the winepress winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he had on his robe and on his thigh the name written King of kings and Lord of lords. I asked do you believe? This is the same guy the same guy.
Nothing's changed. Nothing's changed.
The same guy that hung on the cross is the same guy that's coming for blood and the last thing I'm gonna say on this point Is how terrifying a verse John writes in first John chapter 2. No one who denies the Son has the Father.
Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also this verse right here. It's what? Absolutely crushes my heart when I look at my Jewish friends when we talk about the faith of Judaism and They do so much right and they have so much and and we agree on so much and like could God extend his mercies and Say it's they still be saved.
No, because if you deny the Son you deny the Father. And that is a terrifying verse to read so which is why I ask do you believe verse 28. When she said this she went and called her sister Mary saying in private the teacher is here.
And he's asking for you. And when she heard it she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house consulting her saw Mary rise quickly and go out they followed her.
See there's more of a crowd Jesus wants the witnesses. Supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him she fell at his feet. Saying to him Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
Now that sounds familiar, doesn't it? Mary says to Jesus Verbatim the same exact thing that Martha said Jesus if you had been here My brother would still be alive. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping.
He was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled he said where is he? Where'd you lay him they said Lord come see and Jesus wept. Now here's my question. Martha comes up and says Jesus if you had been here My brother wouldn't have died and they went and had a full theological conversation.
Where was the theological conversation for Mary? Why didn't he not give the same answer to Mary that he gave to Martha because Mary is Mary and Martha is Martha because they're not the same person and how absolutely beautiful to me.
Is it that the God of all the universe? Still treats us as individuals. He treats us According to who we are Martha the.
Anxious controlling.
Aggressive Jesus had to refocus her and say focus on what's right focus on what's important. But then poor Mary. She's not type A. I Think of Ava and Naomi, you know, it's just you got Ava and you got Naomi, you know, it's very different.
Poor Mary.
Comes and just falls at his feet and cries. Jesus hardly says a word In my mind if I can Be allowed. I Think he just put her hand on her her back or he picked her up and hugged her and Just said Where's he at as he was embracing her?
And just cried with her because that's all it says. He just says Where'd you put him. And he cried now how also how beautiful it is. That our God is Deeply moved by our pain. It says that he was deeply moved and seeing their tears.
Knowing that he was going to raise him from the dead. I Mean he even says I didn't read it. But he says early in the chapter This death will not. This sickness does not lead to death and he ends up dying like he told the disciples No, I'm gonna raise him up.
He knows that he's not gonna die forever. He knows about the race. But seeing the hurt and the pain of his friends. He was moved with compassion. Look what kind of God we have. We don't have a God who is apathetic.
We don't have a God as we read earlier in Hebrews 4 who was unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. You have a close death in the family. He understands. You had a unsudden tragic death in the family.
He understands. Have you been betrayed by a father? I? Don't care. Have you been betrayed by a father and your father turned your back on you. Jesus understands. You have felt alone. All your friends have abandoned you.
Jesus understands. You feel persecuted by The world. Mocked and ridiculed for what you believe. Jesus understands what pain. Can you bring forth that. Jesus does not understand and not only did he walk through it, but his compassion.
Sees ours and again. Treats us as individuals. I think that is Absolutely beautiful. He treated Martha one way. Giving her the theological Cognitive understanding that she needed. He treated Mary a different way.
Allowing her to weep in her pain. He treated Lazarus another way. Still in love allowing him to die and in all three he treated with love. God may be treating you differently than he treats Your sister your brother your friend.
You're so-and-so. That does not mean he is not treating you in love. I ask you again. Do you believe that? Do you believe and trust. That the father deals with you in love. We were discussing. On the youth trip me and Elena were discussing Lamentations 3 and The Lamentations 3 is talking about the horrors and the depression and the pain.
It says you you smash my face into the gravel. I Have forgotten what happiness is. I Don't know what it means to smile or to be joyful. But then in the end it says. But Lord you do not cause grief. From your heart.
Lord you cause grief, but it's not from your heart.
Jesus.
How beautiful and I'm almost done. Jesus did not hide his emotions. So he dealt with Mary and her emotions. He dealt with Martha and her frantic anxious perfectionist. Guaranteeing Martha was the one that buried the dude.
He died. She said all right, we got to get this done about you know. Because how do so many of us deal with our stress. We work we try and fix we try. So he dealt with Mary one way he dealt with Martha another.
But Jesus allowed us to see his emotions as well. It says here.
Verse.
35 Jesus wept verse 36. So the Jews said see how he loved him See how he loved him. Some theologians and preachers want to try and make this something else. No, Jesus was crying out of his love for both Lazarus and his friends Mary and Martha.
Don't try and make it anything that it's not and he allowed publicly to be seen crying. Men let me tell you something your children and your wife need to see you cry. It is important It is important to allow them to know that that is a safe place.
Here's the other side of this coin here. We have to be emotionally vulnerable enough for others to see that. Mary could have. Martha could have come up to Mary and said hey Jesus here. You don't want to see you so I'm good I'm staying in bed.
I'm so sad. I don't want to get out of my room. She could have done that. Martha could have walked up and like how dare you Jesus you not be here. How dare you not save my brother. I'm out of here turn around and walked away.
Based off their personalities if they allowed it, that's what they would have done, but they didn't. They allowed Jesus To be there for them emotionally. Do you allow the same thing? Now I've thought many times I don't need to pray about this to God.
He already knows. Here's what you're doing when you say that. You are robbing yourself. For the possibility of relationship with God the intimacy with God, this is a relationship we have with God. And in relationship you must have intimacy into me see when you are allowing someone to see the vulnerable parts.
Remember that for your marriages when you allow someone to see your weakness and your hurt and your pain. Full well knowing that they could take advantage of it. This is why we don't like being emotionally vulnerable because we've been taking advantage of too many times.
You were manipulated. Betrayed lied to your words were twisted. Abused because you were emotionally vulnerable and then you got codependent and attached and so now it's just safer if we just don't allow that anymore and keep everyone's at arm's length and Because you've learned that from childhood.
You now do the same thing with God. Did you not cry to God? I Say often we have to be emotionally vulnerable to both God and God's people. We need to be wise and how we do this. We don't need to be reckless.
But without it there is no intimacy and no relationship. You will go your whole life. Without ever having an intimate relationship ever again because you push everyone away. Jesus did not do that and he deals gently with us.
Let me remind you again. The man coming on the white horse with the sword and fire and a dadgum tattoo on his thigh that that guy Is the same guy that will gently? Handle your heart. It's the same man I said this two weeks ago when I preached.
One of the most beautiful things that the Lord has placed in my heart and my experience now of being a father is the same hand that comes and strikes Alina and Brings down the wrath of her for her disobedience is the same hand that she reaches to.
To pick her up and console her. I think that is One of the best things I've learned from parenting and that's the same thing we do with God. God will bring the grief and bring down the punishment and then we are to turn right back to him.
The same hand that punished us is the same hand that heals us. The executioner is the physician. They're the same person. Trust the Lord with all your heart. Don't lean on your understanding.
All of your ways look to him and he will guide your path guide you with.
Gentleness.
To close this.
Brother hunter you can come up.
Jesus did not leave Lazarus in that grave. He did not leave Lazarus in that grave. Verse 38. Then Jesus deeply moved again. It actually says again. Deeply moved again came to the tomb. It was a cave and a stain.
Let a stone lay against it. Jesus said take away the stone. Martha and the sister of the dead man said to him Lord by this time there will be an odor. See how she corrected him again. Jesus said take the Jesus there's gonna be an odor.
He's gonna stink.
Okay, Martha.
Relax.
Verse 40. Jesus puts her in her place gently. Jesus said to her did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God. Also note friends when we do have people those high-strung people in our life.
Let's take a note on how to handle them. Let's let's take a let's take a note from Jesus here. We can gently correct. We can. So they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said father I thank you that you have heard me.
Knew that you always hear me. But I said this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that you sent me. Remember, this is all orchestrated so they can see the glory and the power of Christ.
When he had said these things he cried out with a loud voice Lazarus.
Come out.
The man who had died came out. His hands and feet bound with linen strips and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them unbind him and let him go. I Cannot help but make the imagery here between this and what will happen two weeks later when Christ dies.
The stone will be rolled away. The man will rise again and in another way we are the one in the tomb. Christ looks at us and says come out and I will unbind you. I.
Will free you I will heal you.
We are not in the water Treading waters to reaching our hand out to Jesus. We're dead in the grave rotting. We stink if and Christ says come out and Be unbound. I don't know Exactly for all of you where you're at today.
I don't know Whether you're the person who has been denying your wife or your husband your children your emotional vulnerability. You need to repent of that and you need to fix that. I Don't know if you're the person who needs to answer the question.
Do you believe? Do you believe in Jesus Christ and who he is and what he's done and what he is coming back to do. Do you are you the person in here Who needs to be there For somebody else and you know, you've need to be there for them for a while.
But your pride or your refusal to be open to them or whatever. It is has kept you Embarrassments nothing but pride because you care too much about what people think wherever you are. Whichever person you are.
Now is the time to get right with the Lord. When you say well, I don't have to do it here. You're right, but if you don't you ain't gonna. So let's go ahead and fix it here right now. Strike while the iron is hot and Let us repent to God our Father.
