It helps if you turn it on. I, how about that? Oh, right. We are in first Kings chapter eight.<inaudible> Our text this morning is going to deal with the consecration of the temple and the initial uh, feast that, that will go along with the opening of the temple. So we’ll deal with that in a few moments. I,
I’ll just tell you right now, we may or may not get all the way through this chapter. Uh, we, we might continue a little bit of this on Wednesday. Um, there’s a lot here and there’s a lot of other passages in scripture that connect back to this. And so seeing this particular chapter in its full biblical view and all the different things that that touch on it,
um, we, we may take an extra class period to do that and fold to, uh, the, you know, to other classes together. Um, as far as two other lessons together to, to, uh, still hit our quarter, um, with the other classes. But we’ll get into that in a moment. Let’s begin with a word of prayer.
Gracious father in heaven. We humbly bow before you grateful for this day for the life and the opportunity that we have to serve you and the blessings you shower upon us on a daily basis. We pray for those who have been struggling with illnesses, difficulties. We pray for those who are dealing with chronic issues and chronic pains. We pray for those who have lost loved ones in recent months.
We pray for those who are struggling with just the day to day difficulties of life in all these areas. We pray that you will comfort those individuals and give them strength, help them to remain strong and steadfast and faithful to you above everything else and help them to seek your strength instead of relying upon their own. We pray that you be with us as we go through this period of study and this period of worship this morning may all that we do be in accordance with your will and right in your sight.
We pray for the missionaries that work throughout the world and we pray that you give them strength and a willingness to speak and boldness to proclaim your gospel and a willingness to go to places and to do things where others might not. And we pray that as they are sound in the faith and sound and faithful to you that you will bless them with fruitful opportunities and bless their labors.
We pray for the work here at Collierville and we pray for the congregation. May she always be sound in the faith instead fast proclaiming your word constant day in and day out. All this we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.<inaudible> First Kings chapter eight We read in chapter eight verse one now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes,
the chief fathers of the children of Israel to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the Ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David, which is Zion. Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of<inaudible>, which is the seventh month. So you tell me what feast this is<inaudible> Give you a clue.
Leviticus 23 verses 33 and 34<inaudible> East of Tabernacles. Okay. The seventh month there was the feast of Tabernacles where Israel was to come together and they were to dwell in Tabernacles. Tabernacles is another word for what? Tents. They were to dwell in tins. It’s kind of, I don’t know, a musing to me that it’s the feast of dwelling in tents where they moved the Ark of the covenant and God’s house out of a tent and into a permanent structure.
But that that’s when it happened. Uh, but it’s in the seventh month and it’s during this feast that Solomon calls all the elders of Israel, all the leaders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and he calls them together to bring what into this new temple, the Ark, the Ark, and all of the pieces from the tabernacle were brought together into the temple.
Now, have we ever had any miss steps while transporting the Ark before? Yes, we have. And they’re going to do it right this time. They’re going to do it the right way. Um, let’s notice here in verse three, so all the elders of Israel came and the priest took up the Ark. Oh look, you do it God’s way.
It works perfect every time. Uh, there’s just one more reminder that we need to keep having. We need to keep reminding ourselves of, it’s the way Peter said, I will not be negligent to always puts you in remembrance of these things. When you do it God’s way, it works. You may not get the result you imagined, but you’ll get the result God wanted.
You’ll get what God intended. And it’s that pattern. It’s that mentality. It’s that perspective that says, listen, do it God’s way and you’ll do it right. Do it your way and you’re bound to end up doing it wrong. And so the priest took up the Ark. Then they brought the Ark of the Lord, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the Holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle.
The priests and the Levis brought them up. It’s interesting, they don’t just bring the contents of the tabernacle. They bring the tabernacle as well. I mean this is a mobile structure and the temple is of massive size by comparison to the tabernacle, so they just as it were, fold up the tabernacle and bring it with them. They did everything that they were supposed to do as if they were transporting the tabernacle in the days of Exodus when they were moving from place to place,
the correct people, the Levites group did their job. They took their responsibility and they transported the articles that were in the tabernacle, the tabernacle itself and the arc of the covenant to the temple. Then they uh, excuse me, verse five, also King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him were with him before the Ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.
There is going to be a numbering of sacrifices later on in the chapter, but at this point I think that that was one portion of it and then there’s more indicated here even than that number and that number is significant when we get down to it. But there’s so many sacrifices going on. There is so much that is being offered in the consecration of the temple that it’s numerable,
okay. Going back for a moment in your mind to the requirement buying God back in the book of Exodus, when they came out of Egypt, he said, for every family, for every first born, there was a sacrifice required, okay? And that sacrifice, if the family had enough to do, had enough wealth, had enough possessions, was what to redeem the firstborn,
A kid of, of the flock, okay. And if they didn’t have enough, then there were alternatives that they could offer as well, including, uh, I think it was a dove or, or something like that. So here you have this responsibility as part of the consecration that occurred in Egypt as they’re leaving. And that was to be done,
uh, as part of their regular, uh, worship. Here you have essentially Solomon supplying what’s needed for the whole nation to do this. Again, this is really what you’re getting in this picture here is you have this consecration of not just the tabernacle, but of the nation to faithful service to God. Then the priest brought in the Ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place,
into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most Holy place under the wings of the cherubim. Now remember we talked about the chair of him the other week, uh, how, how large was their wingspan From one side to the other? There were two cherubim, one on one side and one on the other. They had wings going forward and wings going back and the back wings touched the walls on either side and the front wings touched each other in the middle.
And so the arc of the covenant comes into the middle underneath the two forward facing wings. Okay, so just so you can imagine that in your mind, uh, for the chair boom, spread their two wings over the place of the arch. And the cherubim overshadowed the arc and it’s polls. The polls extended so that the ends of the polls could be seen from the Holy place in front of the inner sanctuary,
but they could not be seen from outside and they are there to this day. Okay. So at the time of this writing, and we don’t necessarily, I think have a real good picture of who wrote the book of first and second Kings, but at the point in which this is being written, this, the temple is still there. The, the arc is still there.
These things are still there. That gives us some clue by the way, uh, that w of when it’s not written, it’s not written in the time of the Babylonian empire. It’s not written after the exile because by the way, the arc of the covenant doesn’t go to Babylon. But that’s another discussion for another time. But when this is being written,
he says it’s still there and this is still the case. So it’s interesting you think about the polls that they use to carry the Ark. The polls would go through what? On the Ark? The rings. So the priests carry in the arc and of course they’re carrying it through the veil, the veil that separated the Holy place where the priest came in on a daily basis to do the things that they were supposed to do in the Holy place.
But then the most Holy place, only the high priest went in and he went in. How many times a year? Once on the day of atonement. Does anybody remember what month the day of atonement in? So let me look that up. Second. I don’t remember off the top of my head. That’s why I’m asking you. So while somebody is looking that up,
the priest would, the high priest would go in through the veil into the most Holy place. But what they’re telling you here is the way they situated the arc of the covenant. The poles for transporting the Ark were left in the rings. Think maybe this might have been a, Hey, let’s not make this mistake again. Put the poles there. So we always know how to transport this thing.
Uh, but it’s put in there and the polls, the end of the polls are sticking through the veil. What does that tell these priests day in and day out when they go into the Holy place but aren’t allowed to go into the most Holy place? Well, it means they better stop. But it, if the polls are there, what else is there?
The Ark. Okay, it’s this, it’s this reminder. Every time they go into the Holy place, it’s still there. Nothing’s happened to it because they only get to go in once a year and only the high priest gets to go in. So let’s say somebody comes into the temple, breaks in and steals it, they wouldn’t know till the next day of atonement that it’s missing.<inaudible> I’m just saying,
I think there’s this, this, they go, Hey, if we leave the poles sticking out through the veil, it’s this reminder. It’s there. And, and what was on top of the arc? The cherubims, but what was between the cherubims, the mercy? See there’s this, there’s this connection, this reminder that God’s mercy comes from God’s throne,
comes from God’s presence and fills the lives of these people. And so this connection, they can’t go in and see it, but they can see those poles. They can know it’s there. 10th day of the what, seventh month. Oh, I was right. So, not only do we have, by the way, the feast of Tabernacles going on in the seventh month,
we also have the day of atonement. So all of this, even though it’s not spelled out, they don’t say, Oh, by the way, we’re doing the feast of Tabernacles. And Oh, by the way, it’s the day of atonement, and I’ll spell it all out in first Kings. But if you go connect this to the other passages,
you’re supposed to catch up on that. Hey, by the way, it’s the day of atonement when all of these sacrifices for all of the people are made, and when the high priest goes in through the veil, and that’s the day the temple is opened. Okay? Yes. So that is a, it’s an important point when even going back to the days of the tabernacle,
when it was time to transport the tabernacle, when they would go from place to place, those who had the responsibilities of transporting it were allowed to go in. But there was a procedure there. There were things that had to be done by the priests. And then the, the, I think it was the Kohathites were the ones responsible for transporting the articles of the temple and such.
And so there was a procedure they were to go through when it was moved and that’s how it gets in there is that they’re following that procedure now, but once it’s there, once the veil is shut, once all of it’s done, then it’s the high priest once a year that’s allowed to go in. What about speeding? You know, That’s a good question.
I don’t know that we ever read about it, but I guess my assumption is there’s probably some sort. Yeah. And what’d they do with all the blood? That’s going to be an interesting one by the time we get through this, um, to, to, to just a mental image to go, Hmm. I wonder how they did this. There was another comment.
Yeah, That is correct. That is correct. We’re going to see the prayer, the presence of God, God’s presence manifested in the Holy place and that is going to occur after the arc is placed there. So, um, this is part of the reason why we’re not getting through this chapter all today. So just, just FYI. Uh, so the priest brought in the Arctic covenant of the Lord to its place,
into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most Holy place under the wings of the chairman for the chairman, spread their two wings over the place of the arch. And the cherubim overshadowed the arc and its poles and the poles extended so that the ends of the polls could be seen from the Holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside.
And they are there. To this day, nothing was in the Ark except the two tablets of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. Now what was originally in the Ark? The the bowl of manna. Okay. Aaron’s rod that budded and the tabernacle or the tables of stones,
Tabernacles with the tables of stone. What’s there and how Errands Rod’s gone. So’s the bowl of man. The only thing that remains are the tables of stone. Now, what happened to the other things Eight? The answer is we don’t know. Uh, just like, you know, that rabbit, we’re not going to chase. We don’t know where the arc is either.
Um, it never went to Babylon. It’s not among the things listed is going to Babylon. But what happened to it before Babylon came into Jerusalem? We have no idea<inaudible> Uh, could, could be, could be, uh, that, that is the reminder that this had gone to the Philistines. The Philistines had it for a time, then it had gone to,
uh, was obeyed ITAM and, and these other places, um, before it came back. Did something occur then we know the Philistines tried to open it, uh, because many of them died when that occurred. So, um, we, we don’t know all the details. We do know that as of this point, this is what’s still in the Ark.
Uh, nothing was in the Ark except the two tablets of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb. When the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt, and it came to pass when the priest came out of the Holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord so that the priest could not continue ministering because of the cloud,
for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. So as they come in, they bring the Ark in, they place it in, they come and they’re continuing to offer the sacrifices. They’re continuing to do the work of priests in the Holy place. But God’s presence comes in to the temple. And as a result of that, they have to stop.
Basically all of them have to leave this, this cloud, as it is described, descends over the temple and into the temple. And everyone inside goes out. They can no longer continue to operate in the temple. And this was a continual reminder, the presence of God. And you’ll this, by the way, if you go back into Exodus, you’ll see the same thing occurring at the tabernacle.
Uh, in the days of of Moses, God, again, placing his stamp of approval on this, saying, this is part of my covenant. I will dwell with my people. I will be here and now it’s also important to realize what’s going to be said by Solomon and that Solomon and all the people recognize. Just because we have this manifestation of God’s presence here doesn’t mean that God dwells in places made with hands.
Okay, so Solomon makes this statement. Verse 12, then Solomon spoke, the Lord said he would dwell in the dark cloud. I have surely built you an exalted house and they place for you to dwell in forever. So Solomon makes this statement. He says, this is a place for God’s presence. This is a place for God to dwell. This is a,
and the connection here is to the covenant, to the promise. Notice the connection, the verses before it, nothing was there except the TA, the tables of stone that Moses put there. And he put them there. When, when God made a covenant with Israel, which you’re seeing is these verses are getting your mind to go to the covenant. God’s presence is to remind you of the covenant.
God said, I’ll dwell with you if you’d well with me, but if you cease dwelling with me, if you see following my laws. Isn’t that interesting? The covenant was connected to the tablets of stone and written on the stones were what? The 10 commandments foundation of the law. God said, the law is the fundamental connection between my presence here and you and as long as you continue in my law,
out continued dwelling with you, but you leave off the law and my presence will be gone from you. So notice verse 14 then the King turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel while all the assembly of Israel was standing. And he said, blessed be the Lord God of Israel who spoke with his mouth to my father, David and with his hand has fulfilled its saying since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,
I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house that my name might be there, but I chose David to be over my people Israel. Now it was in the heart of my father, David, to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father, David, whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for my name,
you well that it was in your heart, kind of hear, uh, a little bit additional information here from Solomon. You know, God told David, you’re not building the temple, but I’ll make a covenant with you and your son who comes from you. We’ll build a temple. But what Solomon includes in here is, but God wasn’t angry with David that he wanted to build the temple.
God said, you do well to have this perspective, to have this idea, uh, this was a, this was a positive thing and yet it needed to be done God’s way and not David’s way. Nevertheless, verse 19, you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body. He shall build the temple for my name.
So the Lord has fulfilled his word, which he spoke. And I have filled the position of my father David and too, and sit on the throne of Israel as the Lord promised. And I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And there I have made a place for the arc which is in which is the covenant of the Lord,
which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. Solomon blesses the people and he stands before them and he reminds them why all of this has happened. How long has it taken to do this? Let’s go back to all the way back to second Samuel chapter seven when David initially had the idea, this has been a generation incoming,
th th Solomon would probably have still been a child when this idea initially came forth. And so, uh, you, you have all of this being leading up to what God is going to promise, what God is going to do, what God has done. And now Solomon says, and the Lord has done what he said, this is going to be one more example of what God says he’ll do.
He will do. Okay. We need to be reminded that these things happen and they happen according to God’s plan and they happen according to God’s timeframe. God doesn’t allow someone else to come in and you serve his authority, you serve his plan. But he also doesn’t allow someone else to get in the way of him fulfilling his plan. It’s this reminder that we get from,
from the book of Esther where Mordecai says to Esther, listen, you can go in and you can stand before the King and you can save your people and you can make sure that the King knows. But if you, you could rest assured God’s going to save his people anyway, But your house won’t be safe. So this constant reminder that God’s going to do what God has said he will do and God’s going to fulfill what he has promised.
Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Um, so Just for clarification, cause my brain started thinking about this as I was talking, I said that Solomon probably was a child when God made the covenant of David. No, Solomon wasn’t born yet because second Samuel chapter seven happens before second Samuel chapter 11, where David committed adultery with Bathsheba. So Solomon wasn’t born yet.
That’s how long a time it’s been, uh, from the time that, uh, before Solomon was even born, until this is fulfilled. Now verse 22. Thanks. Let me step back and say one more thing. Yeah. God made a promise to David. You’re going to have a son and the son that I choose is going to be on the throne and the son that I choose is going to be the one who builds the temple.
Absalom was not that son at a Nijah was not that son. Solomon had not even been born and yet God said, I’m choosing Your son is going to continue your throne and I will make a covenant with him and he will build my temple. And Solomon here stands 11 years into his reign and says, God did what God promised before. I was even born and it is a recognition that it wasn’t all about Solomon,
it was all about God. We need to be reminded of that as well, so just carries back this connection all the way back to Abraham. God promised you’re going to have a son and I’m going to do this and I’m going to be with him and I’m going to be with his descendants before Abraham ever had a child, God did the same thing with David before Solomon was born.
Then Solomon stood verse 22 before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands towards heaven and he said, Lord God of Israel. There is no God in heaven above or on earth below like you who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants who walk before you with all their heart. You kept what you promised your servant David,
my father. You have both spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand as it is this day. Solomon says that God fulfilled this. God did this with his hand. The God just Make the temple. Who was God’s hand to do it? Solomon and the people. There’s this, there’s this reminder that Solomon gives here and that is that God has purposes and God has his will and God has the things that God wants done and God has the promises that he’s going to fulfill and sometimes we’re a part of that,
But the glory doesn’t go to us. The glory doesn’t go to Solomon. The glory doesn’t go to the people. The glory goes back to God because it was God who was doing it. But notice also that Solomon makes it clear. The presence of God is connected to the heart of the people. Go back to verse 23 Lord God of Israel. There is no God in heaven above or on earth below like you who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants who want before you with all their hearts.
Jesus has asked what’s the greatest command? No, And it seems as though Solomon already knew what it was To love the Lord thy God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength, with all my mind. And Jesus said the same thing because both of them read the book of Deuteronomy. Both of them knew what Moses had said in the book of Deuteronomy about serving the Lord and God says,
you are. Solomon says concerning Lord, you’ll keep your covenant. You’ll keep your promise. You’ll walk with your people if they walk with you because that’s what you’ve told them. Then we verse 25 therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what you promised your servant David, my father saying, you shall not fail to have a man sit before me on the throne of Israel.
Only if your sons take heed to their way that they walked before me as you have walked before me. Not only is the relationship of the people with God contingent upon their hearts, but the relationship of the throne to David’s family was contingent upon their deeds contingent upon their actions and they’re keeping the law. It’s going to be, It’s going to be very sad to see where Solomon is in the 11th year of his reign,
where he goes in the years thereafter because he doesn’t do this. He does all of this work and does all of this to accomplish this great deed and then lets his heart Go And lets it follow after everything else. Now I pray, Oh God of Israel, verse 26 let your word come true, which you have spoken to your servant David, my father,
but will God indeed dwell on the earth. Behold, heaven in the heavens of heavens cannot contain you. How much less? This temple, which I have built Solomon’s not disillusioned about this, Solomon is not believing that, Oh, I built this great structure in this grand thing and encompassed it with gold and done all of these things. Therefore, now God dwells in this house in contrast to everywhere else.
Solomon says, heavens and the heavens of heavens cannot contain your presence. I am not confused about your presence being here. Is your presence here? Yes. Does that mean it’s not somewhere else? No. So Solomon understands that God is dwelling with his people, but that does not mean that God is not still God. But then also he says verse 28 yet regard the prayer of your servant and his supplication.
Oh Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which your servant is praying before you today, that your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day toward the place of which you said, my name shall be there. That you may hear the prayer which your servant makes toward this place, and you may hear the simplification of your servant and of your people Israel,
when they pray toward this place here in heaven, your dwelling place. And when you hear, forgive, Solomon makes clear that this temple is simply a representation of God’s true dwelling place in heaven.<inaudible> What is the church? According to first Kings chapter or sorry, first Chronicles chapter three in first Chronicles, chapter six<inaudible> First Corinthians. There we go.
Corinthians, I’m I messed you up on the Chronicles there. First Corinthians chapter three in chapter six, The temple. Paul writes to the Corinthians and he says, your body, If you look at the context of the two passages, one of them is the congregation and one of them is the Christians. You are the temple of God. One passage says,
if you’re the temple of God, you better not be joined to a harlot. That’s an individual relationship with God. The other one speaks concerning the church being the temple of God. God hasn’t left heaven. God isn’t missing from heaven. If someone is, and I know I’m speaking in earthly terms about spiritual legs, but if someone in heaven goes to look for God,
he’s still there. That doesn’t mean he’s not in the church. That doesn’t mean he’s not in you and me. It didn’t mean he wasn’t in the temple. But what Solomon wants these people to recognize and what he’s asking God to do is when this people turns their heart back towards the covenant, because what is it that’s there? What is it that’s housed inside this temple?
What is it that connects the people to God and his presence? It’s the covenant. So every thing that you read here when he re when he makes this statement about the people praying towards the temple and he says, when they pray towards this temple and this occurs and they ask for forgiveness, forgive them, but it’s not the temple that is the significant part of that.
It’s what’s in side. It’s what is of real consequence and value. All the things that the temple is is this external wrapping around two things, laying in a box, The law, and so he says when they turn their hearts back to you and when they pray towards this temple, you forgive. Now draw that forward because in Jeremiah chapter 31 or 32 I think it’s 32 verses 32 through 38 or 32 through 36 Jeremiah says that there was coming a time prophesying on behalf of God where I will write my law on their hearts.<inaudible> And first Corinthians chapter three and first Corinthians chapter six says that the church is the temple of God.
We don’t need to go about building any temples for God. Today we are supposed to live as temples of God. Today we are to act as if God’s law has written inside the deepest Portions of our heart. Yeah. And we are to live in relationship to him and dwell with him so that he can dwell with us. John chapter 17 Jesus is praying in the upper room and he says that he desires that those who are following him be one with God,
the father as he is one with God the father. And they achieve that by believing in him and by hearing the words that he delivered to the apostles. Yeah. The words that God had delivered to him In all of this, in everything that’s made up in the life of Israel and in the relationship with Israel and the covenant of Israel with God, the foundation of it all Was words,
Communication And it relationship built upon a law. Yeah. And a promise And a covenant. And when Israel remembered that They were faithful to God, When they were conscious of the law and when they were conscious of the word of God and when they were conscious of the relationship with God, they were faithful to God. Thank God, dwelled with them. And God blessed them and they served him.
But when they lost track of the importance of the law, when they lost track of the importance of the words, when they lost track of the importance of the covenant, they lost their connection to God. Turn to Jeremiah chapter seven real quick. We’ll close with this and the questions. Um, and then we’ll pick up here on Wednesday night. Jeremiah chapter seven,
Beginning in verse one, here’s what Solomon never wanted to happen, but it happened anyway. Here’s what God never wanted them to do, but they did it anyway. Jeremiah chapter seven, verse one, the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, stand in the gate of the Lord’s house. What’s Lord’s house? The temple. He says, go stand in the gate of the temple and proclaim there this word and say here the word of the Lord.
All you of Judah who enter in at these Gates to worship the Lord. Alright, so Jeremiah is supposed to go, he’s supposed to stand in the gate of the temple. He is supposed to cry out to everyone who’s coming in and out of the temple. And here’s what he’s to say. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words saying so. Here’s the proclamation of the liars, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these. God says, don’t you trust in the temple? Don’t you trust in those who say,
look, we’ve got the temple. Look, we’ve got the temple. Look, we’ve got the temple. Verse four, do not trust in these lying words saying the Lord or the temple of the Lord, the tumble of Lord the tumble Lord are these four. If you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor,
if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers for ever and ever. Behold you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal murder,
committed adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to bail and walk after other gods whom you do not know and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name and say, we are delivered to do all these abominations<inaudible> Over in your margin. If you write notes in your Bible, Right? Romans chapter six verse one Shall we continue in sin that Grace May abound?
Let it never be so God for bid. That’s the same mentality they had right here. They were stealing, lying, robbing, killing, and then going into the temple and saying, We can do all of these things because God is with us And yet this is the same passage you read on that Jesus uses to accuse the scribes and the Pharisees and the money changers and those in the temple in his day saying,
you’ve turned my house into identities. The temple was never intended to be the important thing. It was always intended to remind them of the important thing, which was their heart and their actions. Let’s go through the questions. We’ll just go through the ones. Actually, we’ll just go through number one and number two, since that’s as far as we’ve made it,
those whom Solomon called to assemble when the Ark of God was brought God’s new house did not include the elders, the heads of the tribes, uh, the leaders of the fathers of the house, uh, or seen any of the fathers of the household or D, all the people, the, all the people. Uh, when Solomon had the Ark of God moved to God’s new house,
who carried the Ark, the priests. And what part of God’s house was the art placed Most Holy place. Why? Or excuse me, what was contained inside the Ark of God? Tables of stone. Why did the priest have to leave the house of the Lord after placing the Ark of God inside the most Holy place? Wow. Because the presence of God or the cloud filled the house.
Who originated the idea number three of building a permanent house for God. David. Okay. So we’ll pick up there and go through the remainder of the questions and the remainder of the chapter on Wednesday night. Thank you for your attention. You are dismissed.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Man, it kind of looks like the old man used to say he looked like last year.
His burden. It’s just, just all scattered out and not many there. Good to see everybody this morning. We do have a lot of people out, but it is good to see those of you that are here and we welcome all our visitors. If we have any, I don’t see any, but if you are here and I can’t see, we appreciate you fill out a card.
Uh, We need to remember our sick Rodale and Dorothy. Um, Julia occasion is now in a hospice care. Is there a note out there about where she is or whenever she’s at home but in hospice care and uh, John Springer is still at home recovering from her pneumonia. Beverly Price is a pill out. She’s having some blood pressure problems. The Richardsons are in Ripley,
Mississippi today. I think it was Mississippi think so. Anyway, they in Ripley, uh, he’s preaching there today. The Dales are all out sick and uh, Betty Lou is going to have her other hand operated on tomorrow and it is bothering her much smaller than the other one was. So they going to try to fix that one. Carville cares.
We’ll meet two, uh, tomorrow night at seven Coleman Avenue. Ladies day was sad. It will be Saturday the 29th. Uh, we need to remember the Rushmore’s are still in Ghana, but Martha fail and uh, kinda bruised up from that and she found out she has a mass on a kidney. They will see about that on March the sixth when they get back,
it’d probably be back before the sixth, but anyway, that’s when she going to see about our kidney. And uh, Rebecca’s grandfather fell and broke his hip, but they are unable to do a surgery right now because of some other health problems. They need to fix this. If you need a Cohen can from Potter’s children home there, uh, on a table in the,
by the office there and that’s all around Schick and the people that are out, uh, gear Carla will lead singing this morning. Uh, I’ll have the opening prayer. Aaron cohort, the sermon and Jay Shafir will have the closing prayer. Thank you. First song had number one Oh eight one Oh eight the Lord is in his Holy temple. A temple is a dwelling place of a God and of course Christians are the dwelling place of God now.
Okay.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Tim<inaudible><inaudible> the earth. Keep silence be for<inaudible> key.<inaudible> Key Long. He saw Lawrence B four<inaudible> Number 671 will be the next song. Pure In the heart. Oh God. Hell me.<inaudible> Ma. Hey. Hi D boy Martin Lawrence. Oh, today<inaudible> Watch that. All my words would be gone.
Guide me with cow. So sweet.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> me too.<inaudible><inaudible> in the hall. Oh God. Help me.<inaudible> Teach me to do well. Most log<inaudible> Big doll, my friend and God that me with the buy side.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> me too.<inaudible><inaudible> in hoard or God help me.<inaudible><inaudible> one day.<inaudible> Hey me prom.
See grandson Ray and doll my soul With an<inaudible>.<inaudible> Oh, me too.<inaudible> That was probably a father who art in heaven. We thank you for this first day of the week, an opportunity to have to come together as your children to sang songs of praise to the end to worship you the only true and living God. We pray that you would be with us today and give us wisdom to understand the things that we are to study today so they might help us to become stronger Christians and to be more faithful today.
We pray that you would be with our number that are sick today, that, that are unable to be with us. We pray that you would be with them and comfort them and be with those that attack Karen for them. We pray that you’d be with those that are in nursing homes and other health care places. We pray that you would comfort them and,
and uh, be with them and the people that are caring for them. We pray that you would be with those that are traveling. We pray that you would, uh, give them safe journey to where they go and to come back so they can be back with us. We pray that you would be with the ladies rock country during this time, that they may say they’re wrong and turn to them for guidance.
We pray that you would be with the teachers here at Chi will, that they will always treat, teach the truth, and and have a long service in your kingdom. Pray that you would be with us through the further exercise of this day. Keep us safe. Forgive us when we do wrong. Christ name we pray. Amen. Number 382 will be the next song to prepare our minds for the Lord’s supper.
Why did my savior come to<inaudible> And to the arm bull go, Whoa. Why did he use the lower lip? B calls, he law me.<inaudible> He lost hope. He’s<inaudible> He<inaudible> Me.<inaudible> He gave his precious life for me for me. B calls he law.<inaudible> Why did he drink the beer?<inaudible> Oh, saw roll pain.<inaudible> Well on the cross,
bill lifted<inaudible> B calls. He lost me.<inaudible> He Me<inaudible> Yeah.<inaudible> Me.<inaudible> He gave his precious life for me, for me. The calls he law<inaudible> To Jesus comes us seeing it<inaudible> and then two Glor rig<inaudible> And reign with him through and listen<inaudible> B calls. He lost me.<inaudible> He<inaudible> Me.<inaudible> Yeah.<inaudible> Me.<inaudible> He gave this precious life for me for me.
B, cause he lost me.<inaudible><inaudible> Would you bow with me? Our heavenly father, we truly thank you for Christ, our savior and his willingness to die far. So we thank you for this bread which does represent Christ’s body. We pray that as we do so we would do so in a manner that’s pleasing and acceptable thee and do so with a thankful heart.
These saints we ask in Christ’s name. Amen.<inaudible> Okay.<inaudible> Well, our heavenly father, we continue our thanks for this fruit of the vine, which does represents the blood of our savior that will shed for our sins. Pray that each one of us might do so with a thankful heart. The sinks we ask in Christ’s name. Amen.<inaudible> That’s bow.
Oh God, our father in heaven. We are truly grateful for all the blessings that you sow bountifully given to us. We pray, father, that we’re good stewards of those blessings and that we have purposed in our hearts today to give a portion of that back to the we pray, father, that the church here will use those funds wisely and try to have the needy and to spread the borders of the kingdom.
Not only here, but throughout the world. Bless us in our giving and we pray. We’re giving with a cheerful heart in Jesus name. Amen.<inaudible> Number 797 number 797 Lord, we come before the die feet. We humbly bow, Oh, do not our suit deuce. Dang Shaw. We see the Lord in vain jaw. We seek the Lord in verse Lord on the hour salt deep in comm a Sean.
Now Dee say and bill our hearts with by rich gray. He’s dude our knit to sing to our lips to sing by<inaudible> in died. Oh no audited way. Now we see the here we say, Lord, we know not how to go. Deal law, blessing dog, be stole to law. Blessing be stall. Whoa. Grind that whole movie.
Seek and find the uh, God’s Preme leak on<inaudible> dog app. Do you three<inaudible> Oh Ori Georgeson the leart also read yours in the<inaudible>. Our invitation song will be number 374 374<inaudible><inaudible> Good morning. Take your Bibles if you will, And open them to the book of John. Jesus came To seek and to save that which was lost.
Jesus came And preached a message To a people. His message was not for that people alone, For when he left this earth, he left instructions for his disciples to take that message to Jerusalem, Judea, Sumeria, to the most part of the earth. But Jesus preached a message of a coming kingdom. Jesus preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand And Jesus proclaimed and said to his disciples that he would set up his kingdom,
the kingdom that Daniel chapter two verse 44 was prophesied about, that it would never be destroyed. The kingdom of God. Okay, And that he would build his church and the Gates of hell would not prevail against it. He preached all of these things. He said, all of these things, he came for this reason and yet as Jesus preached, there are topics and there are subjects that Jesus preached about differently than anyone else And specifically differently than anyone previous to him.
It was interesting that the people, the Jews would respond to Jesus’s preaching and they would say, no man ever spake as this man speaks for. He spoke with authority And Jesus preached about topics that were important And most assuredly, all of the things that he preached were true. It is for those reasons that I want to spend this morning looking at a topic that Jesus preached about more than any other preacher in scripture.
There are many who will believe and will hold and who will will proclaim that this subject is one which should not be preached, Should not be discussed, and frankly according to their is not accurate. And yet it’s interesting that Jesus preached about it more than any other preacher in all of scripture, old and new Testament. We begin in John chapter nine Yeah,
John chapter nine and verse 35 through verse 39 we read this. They answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, I’m in John chapter eight excuse me, John chapter nine verses 35 through 39 Jesus heard that they cast him out and when he found them, he said to him, do you believe in the son of God?
He answered and said, who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? Jesus said to him, you have both seen him and it is he who is talking with you. The context to this event is Jesus will heal a man who is lame. The man will be questioned by the Jews as to who healed him and he will proclaim that he does not know and then his parents will be brought in and they will be questioned and they will say if he’s of age,
ask him and ultimately it will be determined that it is Jesus who healed him and the man will be cast out. He will be sent out of the congregation, pull it out of the temple. Jesus will then find him, and this is the discussion that ensues. He says, do you believe in the son of God? And he says, who is he that I may believe in him?
You have both seen him. Jesus said, and it is he who is talking with you. And he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him. Then verse 39 four and Jesus said, for judgment I have come into this world. Yeah, Jesus said that he came into this world for a singular purpose. Now we’ve already mentioned Jesus said he came to seek and to save the loss.
That’s true, but in view of that mission to see and save a loss, the question must then be asked, save them from what Jesus says here in John chapter nine verse 39 for this reason, I came into the world that those who do not see may see, and those who see may be made blind. He says, for one reason, I came into the world and it is for judgment.
Okay, Jesus makes clear and Jesus proclaims with clarity. There is a judgment that is coming And if there is a judgment and if there is a need to save people from that judgment to seek and to save those who are lost, there must then be a consequence when the judgment comes, which leads us into this discussion of the topic that Jesus preached about more than any other preacher in scripture,
And that’s hell yeah. There are preachers today standing in pulpits today who will not preach On hell. Yeah. There are preachers today and pulpits today who will preach on hell in a way that is not correct and will say things about it that are not Correct. Well, what I want to do this morning is notice five reasons why Jesus preached on hell more than any other preacher in scripture,
And it begins here in John chapter nine it begins with this statement, John. Jesus said here in John chapter nine it is for this reason that he came into the world for judgment. Jesus preached on hell more than any other preacher in scripture because he knew it was the reason he came, The existence of hell, the consequence of judgment, the results of sin,
where the reason why Jesus came into this earth. Turn to Romans chapter five Paul will write concerning this situation in Romans chapter five beginning in verse six for when we were still without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly, for scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die, but God demonstrated his love towards us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us much more than having now been justified by his blood. We shall be saved from wrath through him. Jesus said, I came to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus said, I came because of judgment. He, Jesus said that he came to reconcile us to God. Paul makes it clear that it is only through his sacrifice that we are saved from Raph.
What RAF? If God is a God of love, as some proclaim, if God is one who would not be angry with man, if God is one who will accept anything that we do, if God is one who justifies man air regardless of their actions, then why in the world would Jesus leave heaven to come to earth, to save men from the wrath of God and the judgment of God.
But notice in John chapter nine Jesus doesn’t say that he came to save men from judgment. That’s an important point. He came for judgment And that is because Jesus is the judge turned to John chapter 12 John chapter 12 Beginning of verse seven now my soul is troubled and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour, but for this purpose I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it was fun that it had thundered. Others said, an angel has spoken to him. Jesus answered and said, this voice did not come because of me, but for your sake now is the judgment of this world.
Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Jesus came for judgment. Jesus came to bring about judgment. Jesus came as judge and Jesus came because this world was being ruled and is still under the influence of the ruler of this world who would be judged. It is important to understand the D the the reality of the fact that Jesus came not to preach.
Everyone will get to be happy forever. Jesus came to declare judgment and a separation. He came as he said, to bring a sword and not peace. Jesus came and he preached concerning judgment and consequences and wrath and hell because it was the reason he came. But consider secondly, he preached concerning hell more than any other preacher in scripture because he has power over it.
Turn to John chapter five John chapter five and in verse 22 we begin reading as Jesus here is speaking to the Jews. Verse 22 for the father, judges no one but has committed all judgment to the son. Jesus said for judgment, I came into this world and Jesus said that the judgment had been delivered into his hand. It had been committed to him.
He’s the judge. He’s the judge who will determine whether or not a person will be saved from wrath or receive wrath. But then notice verse 23 for the father, judges no one but has committed all judgment to the son that all should honor the son just as they honor the father. He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him most assuredly.
I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death unto life. Consider the judgment that Jesus proclaims. It is a judgment that brings about death or a deliverance from death to life. Verse 25 most of surely I say to you, the hour is coming and now he is when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live for as the father has life in himself.
So he has granted the son to have life in himself. The judgment that Jesus will deliver will either deliver one from death and bring them to live. We’ll give them new life or What’s the other option? Notice what he says. Verse 27 Okay To me, verse 28 do not Marvel at this. For the hour is coming, which all who were in the graves will hear his voice and come forth.
Those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of damnation. Notice Jesus doesn’t say those who have died, those who receive God’s wrath will just go out of existence and they’ll be never more. Jesus says, all who are in the gray will hear my voice. All who are in the grave will rise up.
Those who have done good and to everlasting life and those who have done evil unto everlasting damnation. Jesus said that he was the one who had power over hell and power over judgment. Matthew chapter eight, Matthew chapter eight and in verse 29<inaudible> When he had come to the other side, verse 28 to the country of the, uh, uh, gurgle scenes there he met him to demon possessed men coming out of the tombs exceedingly fear so that no one could pass that way.
And suddenly they cried out saying, what have we to do with you, Jesus, you son of God. Have you come here to torment us before our time? There is a torment. There is a judgment, there is wrath that is coming upon those demons that are spoken of here. And they knew it And they knew who had the authority over it.
Jesus preached about hell more than any other preacher in scripture because it was the reason he came. Jesus preached about hell more than any other preacher in scripture because he had the power over it. But consider thirdly that it was because it was intended for someone else. Okay? Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus came to reconcile. Man,
Jesus died when we were worthy of it because hell was intended for someone else. Turn to Matthew chapter 25 Nearing the end of Jesus’s life in the last week of his life as he is there in Jerusalem. Jesus speaks concerning when the son of man, verse 31 comes in his glory and all the Holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd divines his sheep from the goats. But if you go down to verse 41 then he will say to those who are were on the left hand, depart from me, you cursed into the everlasting fire. But notice this final statement prepared for the devil and his angels.
The wrath that is coming, the judgment that is coming, the separation that is coming, the separation of those who will have everlasting life, to those who will have everlasting condemnation, and those who have everlasting condemnation will be separated into the same place of judgment as Satan himself. Because Jesus came to defeat the ruler of this world. Satan. Jesus came to separate those into judge those who have allegiance to Satan.
Jesus says, if you’re his messenger, if you’re his partner, if you’re on his side, if you have allegiance to him, you’ll face the same judgment he faces. Jesus came And Jesus preached about hell more than any other preacher in scripture because Jesus knew hell was intended for someone else. It was intended for Satan, and yet he also knew that there were those who had given themselves over to serve Satan.
So again, we remind ourselves of Romans chapter five that while we were yet sinners, Okay, Those who had given ourselves over to Satan Christ died for us. Jesus is not the judge who sits on the throne, who desires with unrighteous judgment to condemn those who he doesn’t lie. Jesus is the judge who sits on the throne who also became the sacrifice to die for those who didn’t like him.
Number four Jesus preached about hell more than any other preacher in scripture because Jesus knows what it costs To avoid it. Avoiding hell doesn’t come without its cost and sometimes those costs are significant. Jesus in the sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter five Begins in verse 21 He says, you have heard that it was said of those of old to those of old you shall not murder and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.
But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother, without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment and whoever says to his brother, rakish shall be in danger of the council, but whoever says you fool shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the alter and remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly. While you are on the way with him less your adversary deliver you over to the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and you be thrown into prison. Surely I say to you,
you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny. Jesus is using the law and Jesus is using the ordinances of the law and the commands of the law in the physical sense to reason towards the greater issue. Verse 27 he says, you have heard that it was said to those of old you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, cast it from you for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be tasked into hell.
Jesus is trying to get them to realize there is a consequence for sin. There is a consequence for sin against one another. There is a consequence for one who does wrong to another and then does not restore what he has done wrong. He says, you can offer your sacrifices all you want but they won’t be accepted because you haven’t reconciled with your brother first.
But he also considers that the judgment in this world looks forward to a judgment in the world to come and he tells them now what about your heart? If your heart is not right, if your heart is turned away to loss, if your heart is turned away to adultery, if your heart is turned away from God, then you have a judgment that is coming.
Jesus knew what it would cost to avoid hell. Jesus said, if your eye offends you pluck it out. It’s better to lose a member of your body than to be cast into hell. Jesus isn’t talking about their physical eye. Jesus is talking about their heart. Jesus is talking about their allegiance to sin. Jesus is talking about them allowing their lives to pull them into sin and he is trying to get them to realize whatever you have to get rid of,
no matter the cost, whatever you have to get rid of to hell, It is worth it. Jesus preached about hell, Torment, condemnation, judgment, Consequences of allegiance to sin and Satan more than any other preacher because number five Jesus actually knew How wonderful heaven really was And he didn’t want any one to go to hell. Instead, John chapter 17 Beginning in verse 17 Jesus says,
sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them the disciples into the world and for their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but for those who will believe me through their word, that they all may be one as you father are in me and I in you,
that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that you sent me and the glory which you gave me. I have given them that they may be one just as we are one I in them and you and me, that they may be perfect in one and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.
Yeah. Father, I desire that they also whom you gave me maybe with me where I M They may behold my glory, which you have given me for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Jesus prayed Before he left the upper room. Okay. That those who believe on the word of the disciples, those who believe that he was sent from the father,
those who would hear the message And obey it Would be unified, reconciled to God through Christ, And then when this life is over, they could be with him where he is. Jesus knows the glory of heaven And because he knew the glory of heaven, he preached concerning the destruction of hell, And if Jesus preached about it, then most certainly we should as well.
It was Jesus who spoke concerning the rich man who fared sumptuously every day, who had everything, his heart desire and thought. His life was going great until his life was over, and it was Jesus who preached concerning the man who was a beggar, who was covered in sores, who had the dogs to come and to lick his sores, who desire just a morsel of crumb from the rich man’s table And had no solace from the pains of this world.
Yeah. When the poor man died, he was carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom. He was carried to a place of peace. He was carried to a place of rest to await the judgment and the rich man died. And he wasn’t. Not because he was rich, but because he wasn’t rich toward God Because he wasn’t faithful and obedient because he was full of himself and thought only of himself.
Yeah, Because his allegiance was to himself instead of to God, and so he was put into Tarman and he was Put into torment and he desired to be removed from torment, and he couldn’t. He desired one drop of water that he might have the torment relieved just in some small way, and he couldn’t. He desired for someone to come back and to tell his brothers not to live the way he lived So they could avoid that torment.
Good. Abraham would tell him they have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. If they won’t hear them, they won’t hear someone come back from the grave. Jesus spoke about hell because Jesus knows what it really is and knows it can be avoided. Jesus came to help you avoid it, but it’s up to you the same way it was up to the rich man.
If you’re here this morning and you’re outside the body of Christ, you’re outside of the place where salvation is found. If you’re outside of the church, you’re outside of the place that Jesus came and died for, to purchase with his own blood. If you’re outside of the body of Christ, you’re outside of the place that God adds those who are saved from their sins and are washed from their sins and placed into a place of inheritance in everlasting life.
How do you get into the body of Christ? How do you get into the church of Christ? You get into it a simple way. You hear word of God and believe what was proclaimed. You believe that Jesus Christ is a son of God because except you believe that I am. He you will die in your sins. He says, you repent of those sins You repent of following after Satan and sin and turning back to serve God.
Yeah, Confess the name of Christ and allegiance to him and you are immersed in water for the remission of your sins, buried with him to rise up in newness of life so that you do not Face the second death and the destruction of hell, and then you live faithful until death that you may receive a crown of life. If you haven’t begun that journey today,
why not? If you have begun that journey and you’ve gotten off that path off that straight, hard and narrow path onto a broad path that leads to destruction, where many will go in where Jesus says, many will find that destruction because it’s easy. Why not repent? Why not be restored? Why not get back on the right path? The path that leads to salvation?
If you’re outside the body of Christ this morning, if you’re a member of the body of Christ and you’ve turned your back on him, why not come home? If you have need of the invitation, it is made available to you now for any reason why not come now as we stand and as we sing Be Draw mine yours<inaudible><inaudible> That blood lose all their<inaudible><inaudible> Lose all their guilty<inaudible> Lose all their<inaudible> and says nurse blondes<inaudible> That would lose all their guilties.<inaudible> Dude<inaudible> blood shower whole nerve Boogaloos it’s Oh<inaudible> the ransom church job God be safe too soon.
No. Be slaves to sin.<inaudible> We say to say it.<inaudible><inaudible> no runs from church or God be safe too soon.<inaudible> her sins by faith. I saw the stream flowing wounds up. Claw<inaudible> being blood has been my theme.<inaudible> doorway<inaudible><inaudible> And beat two Lord Dawn Reedy mean blood has been my theme.<inaudible><inaudible> Number seven 11 number seven one one.
And after this we will have our closing prayer. Blessed Be<inaudible> Barnes,<inaudible> Cruz, John law<inaudible> law to the O O Oh the four hour. All those throw home we put rock or done hers.<inaudible> teams or warn our call home put side<inaudible>. We share our music to all woes our mutual bird<inaudible>, her and Alton bore reach all the<inaudible>,
both sing to Heavenly father. We’re indeed grateful for this privilege that we’ve had to assemble and worship you and peace this day. We pray that our worship do you has been in spirit and truth and a sweet savor. As we prepare to depart, we’re mindful of those of our number that are suffering from illnesses. We pray that your healing hands may be put upon them.
Bless each of us according to our several needs. Forgive our sins as we repent and turn from them And go with us. Guide us in your footsteps each day of our lives. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray<inaudible>.