Ishmael LaBiosa: If you put your hand in the hand of Jesus, my sheep hear my voice, and I give them eternal life, and they never perish ever. Okay? So if you're like Mr. or Mrs. Spiritual Anxiety, and you're like, ⁓ I've sinned, going to hell, going to hell, that's what I'm doing. Just you're not going to hell. Okay? You know, you're the last person that's going to go to hell. Okay? Because you're so worked up about it all the time. Be at rest. In the work of Jesus and the promises of God. Okay? I mean, just say if the God who knew me in eternity past, called me and justified me in the present, he is the one that's going to see to it that I am glorified, that my body is raised, be at rest. And so if you're afflicted, be comforted. God's got you. He is here for your good and not for your. And not for your bad. And so ⁓ I think this is helpful, not just to answer a question, but to inform my Christian life. You say, I end, me, Rusty, at the age of seven, out of an Iwana program is one of the reasons I love Iwana, because it teaches the children the Bible. And I just remember reading through the Book of Romans as a child. And and the Book of Romans is a hard hitting book. You're condemned under sin, and Christ Jesus has come to save you. Right there. I remember reading those scriptures, unprompted by mom and dad. At seven years of age, I walked into their bedroom and said, I'm lost and I want to become a Christian. That decision at the age of seven for me. was the real deal. I thought, well, maybe I have to reevaluate it at 10 and 12 and 16. Nope. I did. And when I evaluated it, the Holy Spirit of God said, what you said at seven was legit. Now seven's been a f a bit ago for me. So why today am I trying to still live a faithful Christian life? Because if that was real, and I think it was That that faith should now produce faithfulness in me. And you know what? ⁓ not only do I want to work out my faith right now to experience the fullness of what God had has for me in the now, but but you know what I realize if the Lord gives me 40 more years, maybe he will in his grace, 50 more years if he's really gracious. But you know what? My ultimate I want to sprint across the finish line because the salvation possessed that is being worked out is yet to be fully obtained. And honestly, I long for that. The Apostle Paul says, For me to live is Christ and to die is gained. And I want to live faithfully. I have put my faith in Jesus, but I want to express greater faith in Jesus until that final day. Where my faith in Jesus is made sight. He says, All that you believe me for, Rusty, here I am. Here you are. Salvation complete. The one from the throne says in the book of Revelation, Behold, I have made all things new. That's what I'm looking for. And I hope you strive in faithfulness because you are genuine in your faith. Faith. The altar is open. Some of you today may say, you know what, I'm not sure. I'm not sure that I'm sure. That I'm a Christian, that I've really believed. Well, I can think of no better day than today. I'll be here, Pastor Ishmael will be here. You ought to settle the fact today that you're a Christian. And for by grace you've been saved through faith. Come to say, say, Jesus, I I admit of my sins and I put my faith and trust in Jesus. And then some of you, the Holy Spirit of God says, You're mine, but you're not living for me. That decision you made was to produce faithfulness. And so you need to trust me, not just in the past but in the present. I King Jesus is convicting you, saying, Let's let's see it. Let's see the fruit of faith. Let's see the fruit of faithfulness. And maybe today you say, God, here I come back to you, restore unto me the joy of my salvation. If you feel that you're not a Christian today, let's talk about it. If you feel that you're a genuine Christian but not being faithful, exercise your faith and faithfulness to Him, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we ask you. God, we thank you that your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto her path. God, our desire is to genuinely trust you with our whole hearts. And God, may we, as the years pass, trust you more. And so I pray for the person today who may not be a Christian, that they they just don't know. God, today may they settle that. For the person today who's a Christian but not living for you, may they express faithfulness to you. And God may you meet the spiritual needs in this room and may people respond when you speak. In Jesus' name. Amen.