Genesis 9:18-29, How Do You Get In?, Dr. John B. Carpenter

Genesis 9:18-29 and the Question of How You Get In

Genesis chapter 9 be reading verses 18 to 29.

Hear the word of the Lord.

The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem ham and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. Noah began to be a man of the soil and he planted a vineyard.

He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent and Ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it on both their shoulders and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father.

Their faces were turned backward and they did not see their father's nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him. He said Cursed be Canaan a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.

He also said Blessed be the Lord the God of Shem and let Canaan be a servant. May God enlarge Japheth and let him dwell in the tents of Shem and let Canaan be a servant. After the flood Noah lived 350 years and all the days of Noah were 950 years and he died.

May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, how do you get into? Whatever is you want into university? You have the test scores a club you pay the dues a team. You have the skills into the status of being rich.

You make a lot of money into adulthood. Well, you grow up from infancy to childhood through.

What.

Over the last century a new category of person has been Basically invented the adolescent a prior to a century ago. There was basically no such thing people were either children or adults and once you were adults you're expected to act like it.

George Washington was appointed the land surveyor of Culpeper County, Virginia at the age of 17. That's a pretty lofty responsibility 17 years old. I mean you're grown now George act like it was the idea now though it's played that we need a stage between childhood and adulthood of adolescence in which we give up the values and attachments we get from our parents and go through a period of turmoil of questioning perhaps criticizing rejecting maybe mocking Rebellion sowing some wild oats until we settle on values and beliefs of our own.

You know that phase of life in which authorities are questioned and often abandoned and which young people look for another community. Besides their family for their values in which they assert the priority of their own choices.

Against authorities that stage is necessary to get into true adulthood. Many think. They'll rebel and insult their parents for a while. Maybe mock say don't trust anybody over 30 and revel in the failings of authorities because they are they're finding themselves.

You got to let them go through that we're told because they got to find themselves and to get into the realm of having found ourselves we. Must so people think be independent. Self-determining to have what William Henley and his poem Invictus called my unconquerable soul.

It matters not how straight the gate how charged with punishments the scroll. Obviously referring to God's Word there. Actually, I am the master of my fate. I Am the captain of my soul. How do I get in.

I get in my way. Now someone's narrow gate now such a person may is the author of that point may be moral a good neighbor a good citizen. But it's on his own terms. How many times have you heard? Don't push your brand of morality on me.

In other words, it's not that there isn't any interest in virtues. There is there's a lot of interest in right and wrong. Indeed people are often driven even still in our culture to do all kinds of things sometimes strange new things.

Like name their pronouns is a way of signaling that they are indeed virtuous. That they are concerned for what is right. It's just that everyone thinks that they don't need someone else. Certainly not an authority to tell them what is right.

We might want to do what is right. We just don't want someone telling us what's right. We want to be do-it-yourself righteous people. We are the captains of our soul and no authority. No community. No ultimate Decree of God has authority.

Authority, Shame, and the Sin of Ham

How do you get in? Well this passage from Genesis shows us and it shows us that it completely Contradicts the modern ethic we get into God's kingdom. There's a living in his presence his tabernacle his tent.

Through a straight gate and it matters. Which has three realities. Authority community and priority. God's priority. Here the story is very simple, right?

We read it.

Noah and his sons they come out of the ark and from them the rest of the people of the land they will disperse at. Verse 19 they are Shem Hammond Japheth now Noah took up farming a man of the soil. He's called in verse 20 He planted a vineyard and so he had wine and one day he drank too much of it and got drunk.

So drunk he passed out and he lay naked and in his tent in verse 21. Notice how it emphasizes he's in his tent. These little details matter. It's not outside for all to see now a son Ham saw him and went and told his brother outside brothers two of them outside in verse 22 note that verse 22 make sure to emphasize that Noah was inside while the brothers were outside and Shem and Japheth the other two brothers.

They took a garment. I guess a sheet I guess and Held it between them and Walked backwards. No, it's verse 23. It's oddly very specific. In fact, it's kind of repetitive so that but they did that so they wouldn't see Noah and Their father and so they covered him verse 23 emphasizes that they they were looking the other way.

I mean you could kind of guess that when they're walking backwards. So it's not to see them but just in case you have any doubts that maybe they took a glance down. No, they they were looking the other way and they did not see their father in that condition.

And then when Noah woke from his stupor and knew what Ham his youngest son had done. He issues a curse on Ham's youngest son Canaan and knows the passage emphasizes that Ham is the father of Canaan and.

And he puts a blessing on his other two sons, especially Shem in verse 25 and following. Strange story, isn't it? Why is it in the Bible? Martin Luther observed that it at first appears to be quote a silly and and Unprofitable little story if you compare it to the rest of Noah's outstanding achievements.

Well, God could have inspired the Bible to tell us all about how Noah faithfully witnessed to the people who came to us. I mean think of all the things that Noah did that that we could have lots of stories about.

I mean, he's building this art people probably flooded to him. See what see what what see what he's doing and Questioning him. Why are you doing this?

About his.

Message is a herald of righteousness. What exactly was he telling people but his trials and persecutions is a righteous man living in a violent age before the flood. But his prayer life as a man who walked with God remember that.

But his family life as a man who raised at least two fine sons. And and what about his life? What was life like on that arc for a year? You have to wonder about that right crammed in there with all those animals for a whole year.

But all the time he did in restarting human civilization after the flood and on and on. There must be whole shelves full of books that could have been written about all that Noah did. But instead we have this little story in Which he gets drunk.

What a weird thing. So that very strange now if the Bible were just a book about morality a Source of inspiring stories. How about how we can become do-it-yourself righteous people? This story would make no sense.

To be a do-it-yourself righteous person. You want to be inspired to do the right thing to not get drunk and be upstanding but this story this is shocking. This is scandalous and that's just the point.

How do you get into God's presence his tent? Not by moralism. It's not the sin of Noah that's the point of the story but that of ham. Sure, what Noah did was simple, but that's really not the point. That's kind of passed over.

When we individualistic and moralistic and sometimes the story despising Americans look at this passage. We might have a hard time saying what ham did wrong. What exactly did ham do wrong here? All that it says in verse 22 was that he saw that his father was naked in his tent and then he went out and he Told his brothers now people here in the US go on TV all the time and speak much worse things.

Expose much worse things about their family members. Because of that because so many people today have such a hard time saying what did ham do wrong? Some commentators have such a difficulty seeing what he did wrong that they imagined that there must be some kind of there must be some kind of sexual perversion in here they imagine the Moses I guess writing this.

Couldn't you know just to Victorian or whatever the word to restrained that he couldn't say outright what happened. And so he hints at it and it leaves it implied but there really isn't any evidence of that here.

Genesis in other places can be very explicit when it talks about sex. I can chapter 38. You know what Genesis 38 says you should go home and read it. It's an explicit story of Tamar. And so if there were anything like that here, there's no reason that the Bible wouldn't tell us explicitly.

But it doesn't it only says that he saw his father in his tent drunk naked instead of covering Noah himself. He went out and he told his brothers. Now to we who are suspicious of authorities who sometimes feel satisfaction when they're exposed for being human like us.

Who may like to make fun of them when they get caught? Looking silly stumbling up the staircase or who are individualistic and was it the idea that we need leadership? We sympathize with him. Yeah, I.

Mean.

No was the one got drunk. After all Noah's responsible for his actions. He's the captain of his fate. He's responsible for the humiliation. He brought on himself. Even if he's the head guy. But it's that attitude.

It's being exposed and condemned here. This is about authority and The curse that comes on those who despise God-given authorities. What did ham do wrong? Well, he caught his father in a shameful position instead of jealously guarding Noah's honor.

Instead of acting quickly to protect his father's reputation. He went out he spread the news. He broadcast his father's weakness. What was the purpose of that? The purpose was the gossiping satisfaction and showing that somebody else especially an authority is.

No better than ourselves.

Ham wanted to bring down Noah in the eyes of his brothers. He wanted to publicly humiliate him. He wanted to show that Noah was no better, you know, no better than I am no better than we are. Took advantage of Noah's moment of weakness.

He forgot about the years the centuries, right? 950 years. Noah walked with God and rather than covering his father up He wanted his brothers to join him and scoffing at his father. What makes a son do that a.

Pride.

Rebellion.

Pride makes us happy when we see others exposed in their sins or their folly rebellion. Individualism makes us love to tear down authorities. Think how seriously God takes this. The villain in this story is not Noah who got drunk.

It is ham who didn't act to cover it up. Instead he acted to further expose his father. The story is a warning to the smug moralizer the sanctimonious the snide critic. It's warning to them to fear God and Refrain from rashly judging those.

God puts an authority. Americans have a very difficult time understanding this because we think Authorities are fair game. You can say whatever you want about them. In fact, you make more of it. You can catch them doing something silly you you repeat it over and over again.

It's the official interpretation of the First Amendment to our Constitution official. According to the Supreme Court of all people that week we can be sued for slander if we defame an ordinary citizen.

Like I defame you one of you. Say something. I write something that's false and makes you look bad. You could sue me. You could take me to court make me pay if I don't retract it. We can be held account to what we say about the average person but major figures like national leaders.

You know, I can make him anything I wanted to right now by President Biden's make it up lie about him. And there's really nothing he can do about it. They can they can be authorities can be lied about all day long without any legal protection.

Basically, that's what it comes down to in other words. Our courts will protect the good name of the average person like you but not that of authorities and that's really bizarre. The courts are just really reflecting the the values of our culture.

Now here we have something that people think is a virtue at least in this culture, I think I think is a right. Being a mocker who doesn't bow the knee. Doesn't give respect to anyone. I think that's a right they kind of some people look up to that kind of person and the Bible here is condemning that and To get into God's kingdom his tent.

We began spiritually if not literally. Bowing the knee admitting that we are wrong that we need help. There's an authority. We have to respect to honor to love Jesus. He is Lord and we're not the masters of our fate.

We're not the captains of our soul. We're to give honor to whom honor is owed.

And so.

We don't indulge in glib insulting remarks about political leaders. But leaders of any kind are revel in their humiliation. You can disagree in a democracy like this. Whatever Republic where you can vote you disagree, but be respectful.

We should always seek whenever we can to promote the status of those God put over us. This is what the proud individualist will not understand. You see if we believe that being a Christian is all about being a do-it-yourself righteous person.

It's all about keeping respectable behavior then hams reaction seems right. If we're successful, you know, I'm successful. I mustered up the strength to be moral. I didn't get drunk. We'll be smug. We'll feel good about ourselves.

Be self-satisfied. Oh, I should be happy. I. I didn't get drunk. I. I. Control myself. I'll be actually happy when others are exposed in their foolishness because it makes me look better, right? I didn't do it.

I kept from getting drunk. He didn't. I'm better than he is. I want everybody to see that. We are especially resentful of authorities because they remind us just by who they are. That we are called to submit that we can't do it on our own and we hate the hat.

Community, Honor, and the Blessing on Shem and Japheth

Jim and Jay first are different though. When they learned that their father a normally righteous man has stumbled they act to protect him. To protect his honor to literally and spiritually cover him now.

They could have done just like ham, didn't they. They could have gone and told their wives. Their own mother brought their children gather around.

Formed a little huddle.

Everyone around Noah pointed and laughed at him. Look at the old drunk man. What a fool he is. And they could have felt very good about themselves, too after all. They weren't the one who got drunk. But they didn't they went to extreme measures to protect their father's dignity.

He's the authority in verse 23. They they go out of their way. I think what extreme Extreme they go to to keep themselves from seeing their father humiliated. They walk backwards. With a sheet between them.

Notice the verse 23 how it emphasizes that to make it absolutely clear again. The Shema Japheth were intent on not seeing their father degraded. Not only does it tell us that they walk backwards the sheet between them and we could guess why they did that and then it Specifically tells us their faces were turned backwards.

Okay, we could stop there and think well their faces were turned backwards. So they wouldn't see him and then just in case You still don't get it for like a third time and they did not see their father's nakedness you see that's the point of this so many people interpret this passage by the way is subject to so much bad interpretation and Yet it's so obvious what it's about just so emphasizing particularly in verse 23.

This is what is the right thing they did they went so out of their way. To honor their father and they did that to avoid the very temptation that ham had fallen into. Now clearly the Holy Spirit approves of what they did.

They're held up. They're honored their extreme measures to predict their father's dignity shows the reverence and love They had for their father and here we see a secret to godliness and success. Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you.

The New Testament Paul calls it the first commandment with a promise. It's the commandment comes with a blessing. It's a secret to success. You teach kids to be scoffers to be mockers to put down there particularly their parents you're teaching them to fail and We naturally rebel against authority because we Naturally rebel against God and all authority comes from him whether in the family or the church of the state now that doesn't mean we absolutely Submit to any human authority.

That's not what you say. Well, the authority does it will obey will salute and whatever he says now only God deserves absolute unquestioning submission, but it does mean we respect authorities as much as we can and When you can't respect them and you try to cover them up.

Shimon Japheth honored their father even in his moment of shame. Pam tried to humiliate him and so he earns a curse actually a curse on one of his four sons here once again The Bible shocks us if we think it's just supposed to be a collection of encouraging stories.

Inspirational stories on how we can be our own do-it-yourself righteous people instead of a happy ending. This is what this is what a moralistic person if you were rewriting the Bible They would write it a happy ending which Noah learns to get drunk.

He learns to control his his love of alcohol. He goes to the AA meeting so what it's called and learns the 12 steps and.

Eventually earns.

Ham's respect again. You got to earn respect right? That's the old say gotta earn respect. It's not given to you. Actually, it's totally false. Respectful people give respect. You can never earn the respect of a disrespectful person.

You can't so much disrespectful no matter what you do. They will just disrespect you and that's probably what Ham was disrespectful. Noah calls out a curse on Ham's youngest son in verse 25. Is this Noah sinning again?

Calling down a curse on Ham's youngest son his own grandson. See going from being drunk to being vindictive.

No.

The following verses and the really the rest of the Bible show that Noah was speaking in the spirit of a prophecy. The Canaanites are kind of a type of people who are the enemies of God's people now. It turns out there are people God saves from the Canaanites.

Like what's her name Rahab? There's a Canaanite woman in the Gospels. Jesus heals. But this is actually a key fork in the road on the way of salvation history much of what goes on later in the Bible. It pivots off of what Noah says here.

He will show us here. How we get into God's presence? It's meant to respect the authority. Who is ultimately Jesus? But to be part of the community. You're in the wrong community like the Canaanites. You're destroyed now think about this though.

Just a few hours before Noah was dead drunk and Now he is inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak a word of prophecy. That's a key pivotal point for the whole rest of the Bible. It's kind of odd. Isn't it?

He goes almost immediately from one kind of spirit to another capital. S spirit that's because. You don't get into God's tent. Through individualistic moralism you get in through authority confessing that Jesus is Lord and through community.

You need to be in the right community second community. Ham tried to ridicule the authority and so has his son Canaan put out of the community. Noah's youngest son. Verse 24 says Ham is the youngest. I don't really know why it's Shem Ham and Japheth.

The order of age but whatever verse 24 says Ham is the youngest is punished by having his youngest son cursed. Is that sort of it's sort of an eye for an eye punishment. Because that's because the worst thing a son could do to a father would be to humiliate and curse him like Ham did here.

The worst thing anyone could do to a father Like ham would be to curse his child. So Noah calls down a curse on Ham's youngest child. Remember hams the youngest to him. Noah called down a curse on Ham's youngest Canaan and of course we see then for the particular for the rest of the Old Testament all the destruction of the.

The conflict that comes with the Canaanites, but as we look at chapter 10 very next chapter for a time for a while it looked like What Noah says here really what God says to not God speaking through him was not right.

This pain is cursed, right? You expect well, he's gonna die and the actually individual is gonna. It's gonna be the in him, but actually he he and his descendants prosper for a while while like in hundreds of years chapter 10 Exists to show us what happened to Noah's descendants and how this prophecy was fulfilled this genealogy all these names.

Descendants to shim ham and Japheth and there's children and the children after them but the odd thing is that just looking at chapter 10, it appears that Canaan prospers. Canaan is the descendants they prosper for a while.

There are 14 verses about Ham's descendants in chapter 10. They make up most of the people of the Middle East. Of course only Canaan was cursed not all the descendants of Ham. But the descendants of a Canaan appear to do very well for a time.

You know, they they look like they're prosper. They're growing. There's a lot of them. They have a lot of territory chapter 10 verses 6 to 20 is about them. Now they dominate what is now what we now call Israel and Palestine the promised land Canaan's descendants.

They flourished.

For a while.

And that's the way it is often with the world. It looks like worldly ways. Worldly people flourish they prosper.

But they don't last.

The glory. The Canaanites like a wildflower. Faded away and most of them are eventually.

Destroyed.

The Promise to Shem, the Inclusion of the Nations, and God’s Priority

The community the blast comes to Shem in chapter 9 verse 26 Noah continues his prophecy. Noah sees then that it is to Shem. That God will create his community. It's in Shem's tent. Otherwise his shelter is What do you call it dynasty his rule his family in Shem's tent that God will live.

You cannot dwell in someone else's tent like Japheth's descendants will dwell with Shem's without being in community with them. That's what it means to be in community under the same roof, right? You're in a community with them.

There are people today who think that they can be saved without being part of the church. It's just them and Jesus walking alone, you know, just two sets of footprints on the beach. But to be saved is to be part of one church God's community under Christ's authority to dwell in his his tabernacle you'll show that by being part of a Church now, does this mean that Shem and his descendants have a promise?

That's just theirs. Now the man Shem and Harris this promise it goes down to his descendants passed on to his physical descendants. And it doesn't belong to anyone else. That they're they are the chosen people.

In other words, is this all about the Jews being the chosen people and everyone else being kind of second-class at God's idea? Sorry, you're born in the wrong Edna group you have the wrong Ancestor too late for you.

Is that what it means? Everyone else is second-class is the community based on ethnicity. You know dispensationalists say that's the case. They say that God is a literal people and They are that literal people is based on ethnicities.

It chosen people. He's chosen. He likes that ethnicity above others. And then they insist that that's the literal interpretation of Scripture. Well, here's a Promise, this is the first promise that I can tell of a people of God the promise to Shem where we get Shem, that's where we get Sam Semites.

If you're anti-semitic you're anti Shem's descendants. Don't do that. The promise to Shem that Semites the Jews here the initial promise.

Right here.

Contradicts that.

We have verse 27. They're J. Feth. Who is the father. Many Gentiles probably a lot many of us most of us or maybe all of us all his decisions were Gentiles. Japheth's all his descendants are Gentiles and he's given the promise that he will notice that dwell in the tents of Shem.

Shem gets the dwelling but Japheth's descendants get to live in it, too. In other words, the Gentiles would be brought into the shelter of salvation even at some other sons of Ham listed in chapter 10 verse 6 Kush Misra.

Kush is like Ethiopia and further down in Africa Mizrahi put are implicitly given the the blessings of having Canaan as their servant. This means they're blessed too. So God's tent God's house his dynasty his rule comes through the descendants of Shem.

It's the Israelites. Yes comes through that. Because God literally tabernacled with him and Then God became flesh and tabernacled with us and created a church in which he lives. We're all God's people of all ethnic groups.

Notice. It's right here in the very first promise of a people. It's for all ethnic groups. They all come right here from the beginning of God's people the Semites. To the promise of them includes blessings on all God's people from all nations.

Notice is that the blessings are not only For Shem, I'll come through him alone the tent now on the dynasty of the dwelling. They are in the tents of Shem, but others from outside get to come in so the true dwelling of God his true tabernacle was not a building in Israel, but among his people his community and Soon people from all nations all ethnicities from Japheth and even ham they come into the true new temple of God.

So the tents of Shem it's God's community what we now call, you know what we call it the church. That's what you want into. Individualistic moral people think they can get in on their own it matters not how straight the gate I'll get in my own way.

Well, no you can't. Something they don't need the church. They don't need insurance. They don't need a community a covering of God's people. They're the captains of their own fate. They don't need to live in anyone else's tent, but here we see that all God's people even those not from Shem dwell in the tents of Shem.

Because the one who owns that promise he comes through Shem. How do you get into God's community? Well third the priority. What's what's the key can let's take a step back from all that what's the key the missing ingredient.

That separates those what's the the one thing that separates those who dwell in the tents of Shem. Who get that blessing that God has spoken here? It'll come through Shem because Jesus is born from Shem.

What separates them from others who are not like Canaan who are outside? What's the crucial difference? We seen it's not ethnicity right not just because you're born in the right nation the wrong nation.

You don't get it. Sorry. It's not that you'd be a many nation a race ethnicity. So is it something we do if it's not race not ethnicity, then is it is it our behavior? What was the crucial difference between Shem and Japheth on the one hand and him on the other way?

You someone say well one did well the other two did well actually and the other did wrong. It was their choice. Really. Is that what it was? It's free. Will. Is it is it their free will? Or does God's choice have priority which comes first?

You understand the point what separates them if you say well, it's just that Shem and Japheth did well, they made the right choice. So they get the blessing and Ham didn't they didn't make the wrong choice.

It was their will is their their decisions. It's what they did. Now sure, they did well, but what made them Shem and Japheth do well and And ham do wrong what made them different?

Was it their.

Feature sure they had a choice, but why did they make it was it God's grace to them put it another way. How do you get into the kingdom of God? Is it because you you do what is right? You make yourself into a righteous person.

By being by keeping the rules you don't get drunk. I'm in. That's what ham thought. Now sure if you have faith, you'll follow God's command not to get drunk sure and other commands. But is it your choice that gets you in?

Begets you faith. I have faith because I chose to believe really is that bit? Is that what makes the difference between you and somebody who doesn't believe? And to be one of God's people. You figure okay, we throw it out.

It's not ethnicity. It's not because you're born in the wrong ethnic group. Well, what is it? Is it just your works your decisions or is it because of the priority of God's decree? Does God's choice comes first.

Who has priority our choice our gods? Well, this is one of the great theological questions which comes first. My choice our gods. Everyone says I choose but do I choose because God chooses me or does God let me in because I made The right choice.

This passage answers that question in verse 26. There it is. Good. I have it answered right away. Early in the Bible notice. It's not Blessed be shim. That's what we would expect wouldn't. If you get God's blessing you get into his tent by your good behavior.

You would expect no one to say blessed be shim. He made the right choice. He used his free will to choose the right thing. He earned his way in Shim's respect for authority as priority. So he gets to be say in the saved community his choice as priority.

Well, it doesn't say that though. In verse 26 does it. If it did then why not include Japheth? You made the right choice, too. Well, no, it doesn't say blessed is shim or blessed is Japheth. In fact, why is shim's tent where God lives and Not Japheth.

Why? No answers blessed be God. No one praises God for shim's action. That's not what you would expect if you were a do-it-yourself righteous person. You know the captains of our own fate. We're the captains our own faith and I get blessed because I did the right thing.

I made the right choice if we do the right thing we earn credit with God we earn our pay. Blessed be me. For what I did right? That's what we think our choices that ultimately determine our destiny if that's true.

We are indeed then in that man-centered philosophy the captains of our own fate if that's true if shim and ham's Shim and Japheth's good choice had priority if it ultimately came from them. Then we'd expect no one to say blessed be shim and Japheth.

They did so well. I'm so proud of my boys, but instead he credits God with the good work. Blessed be the God of.

Shim.

Blessed be the God of shim. Why did this? Why did they why did they cover me up because of God. What God did in their Heart is the grace God gave to them. To shim and Japheth I changed their heart. So they did the right thing.

Why did they do the right thing. Because of what God did not just because of their own free will. Now certainly shim did well, so did Japheth, but the priority is on God blessed be the God of shim now by now.

Now think if you're just reading the Bible for the very first time. You're just in the ninth and tenth chapters of Genesis. Now we would know that when God Does anything good for us remember every inclination of our hearts is only evil all the time.

But still something good comes to us and what's got to come from him doing something good in us. And so we should praise him and not think that it is even possible That we earned his blessings by our good behavior.

Because every inclination of our hearts is only evil all the time. Yes shim did well, but he did well and he inherited the promise because God made a choice that had Priority. God's decree to choose shim and work through him for the salvation of all God's community including people who came from Japheth and ham.

That has priority. Blessed be the God of shim.

Just so.

We can do well we can believe and repent and be baptized and become part of the church and we can give generously and serve and be good neighbors and Good wives or husbands and serve God. And if at the end God is pleased with all that We don't just pat ourselves on the back and thank what blessed be me.

I Made the right choices. I made the right decisions. I chose to believe that had priority. We are the captains. We are the masters. No, we say blessed be the Lord God Almighty. It's God's decree as the king who reigns forever.

It's God's grace that has priority. Blessed be the Lord our God.

How do you get in?

Bless God. Praise him for what he's done for you Because he's the only one who could have done it. You must submit to God's authority come into his community praise his Priority. We come into that tent God's community when we are born again When we put our trust in the God of shim when we confess that Jesus is the captain of our fate And the master of our soul.