Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000532A
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00:01 Breath Of Life Ministries Presents
00:08 Sermon B532 Put Your Whole Self In 00:12 [Breath of Life Theme Music] 00:19 PB: Romans chapter 12, verse number 1. 00:23 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, 00:26 by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies 00:31 a living"--what, everybody? Aud.: Sacrifice. 00:34 PB: "Holy and acceptable unto" whom? Aud.: God. 00:36 PB: "Which is your reasonable"--what? Aud.: Service. 00:39 PB: Father, we thank You, God, today for what we've 00:42 already experienced. But we can sing, we can testify, 00:46 we can return offerings, but we need a word from You. 00:50 Disappoint us not. Hide me behind Your cross. 00:52 Forgive us of our sins. In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:55 I beseech you therefore, brethren, 00:59 by the mercies of God, that ye present your 01:01 bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable 01:04 unto God, which is your reasonable service. 01:07 Put your whole self in. Let me take somebody 01:13 back to their childhood right now. 01:16 Anybody ever remember the hokey pokey? 01:19 Aud.: Yes. PB: It's that little song 01:22 and dance melody. I've had to relearn it 01:24 since Danielle and I have a two-year-old, 01:26 but it's that song we used to sing when 01:28 we were kids. Let me test you. 01:31 Put your left foot in, put your left 01:34 foot out, put your left foot in, and you-- 01:36 Aud.: Shake it all about. PB: You do the-- 01:38 Aud.: Hokey pokey. PB: And you-- 01:40 Aud.: Turn yourself around. PB: That's what-- 01:43 Aud.: It's all about. PB: All right, you're good. 01:46 All right, all right. [Aud. reaction] 01:48 PB: And then everybody would shout 01:49 "hokey pokey"! And then you would continue. 01:53 Put your left arm in, put your right arm in. 01:56 And then at the end you would say, 02:00 put your whole self in. Well, in the text, 02:05 Paul says, present your bodies, which is Paul's 02:09 way of saying put your whole self in. 02:13 It's Paul's way of saying that God wants 02:16 complete surrender. That God wants 02:19 total submission. Put your whole self in. 02:25 I beseech you therefore, brethren, 02:28 by the mercies of God that ye present your 02:30 bodies--putting your whole self in--a 02:33 living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, 02:36 which is your reasonable service. 02:38 Now quickly, let me break the text down 02:39 so we can go home. Whenever you see the word 02:41 "therefore"--everybody say therefore. 02:44 Aud.: Therefore. PB: Whenever you see 02:46 "therefore" in the Bible, you should always 02:48 ask what it's there for. When you come to 02:54 Romans chapter 12, Paul is making a shift 02:57 now in this book from doctrine to practice. 03:02 Paul establishes the doctrine in the early 03:04 part of Romans, in chapters 1 through 11, 03:06 but then moves to application in chapter 12. 03:09 He makes this shift with the word "therefore. 03:12 " Everybody say therefore. Aud.: Therefore. 03:14 PB: Therefore is a conjunctive adverb. 03:17 And remember, a conjunction is a part of 03:20 speech that connects phrases and clauses. 03:24 So then a conjunctive adverb is a type of 03:27 adverb that joins together two clauses. 03:30 Somebody's going to get this in a minute. 03:32 In other words, Paul is saying, you've got 03:35 the theory, but now get the application. 03:38 Paul is saying, you got the book sense, 03:41 now get some common sense. 03:43 In chapters 1 through 11, it tells all 03:46 that God has done. But in chapter 12 it 03:50 tells what we ought to do. Understand me, 03:53 theology was never meant to be cold and lifeless. 03:57 It must always have a practical application. 04:01 So what Paul is saying with the word 04:03 "therefore" is simply this: 04:04 Based on everything that I have said 04:07 in chapters 1 through 11, this is now 04:09 what you need to do, in chapter 12. 04:12 The Christian life is not based on what 04:14 you get from God, but the Christian life 04:17 is based on what you give God. 04:19 Paul says, I beseech you therefore, brethren. 04:23 Beseech comes from the Greek root word parakaleo, 04:27 meaning to urge. Everybody say urge. 04:28 Aud.: Urge. PB: So what Paul is saying is, 04:31 I urge you, brothers. Notice the term brothers 04:35 or brethren, indicating his affection for them 04:38 as members of God's family. He's begging, then, 04:41 believers, not unbelievers to do something 04:44 that has not yet been done. I beseech you therefore, 04:48 brothers, by the mercies of God. Let's stop there. 04:52 Paul does not say in the text, I beseech you therefore, 04:56 brothers, by the grace of God. Paul says, 05:00 the mercies of God. Paul focuses on mercy. 05:06 Everybody say mercy. Aud.: Mercy. 05:09 PB: But then why mercy and not grace? 05:11 God's grace is defined when we get what we 05:14 don't deserve. But God's mercy is what keeps 05:18 us from getting what we deserve. Let me try 05:20 that one more time. Grace is when we get what 05:24 we don't deserve. Mercy is what keeps us from 05:28 getting what we deserve. Grace, then, 05:31 is when I get the job and I was late for 05:33 the interview. Mercy is when I keep the 05:37 job even when I'm late to work. Are you 05:38 hearing what I'm saying? Somebody's 05:40 still not getting it. Let me try it this way. 05:42 Grace is getting what we don't deserve. 05:45 Mercy is what keeps us from getting what we deserve. 05:50 So when I think of mercy, I'm reminded of the 05:52 man who stormed into a photo studio, 05:55 complaining about the quality of his photographs. 05:58 He slammed his fist on the counter and said to the 06:01 photographer, these pictures don't do my looks justice. 06:06 [Aud. reaction] PB: The photographer then responded, 06:11 Sir, with a face like yours, you don't want justice, 06:15 you want mercy. Do I have a witness in this place? 06:18 [Aud. reaction] PB: Mercy is when God keeps you 06:23 from getting what you deserve. If we got what we deserve, 06:25 we'd end up in hell somewhere. 06:31 But thank God for God's mercy. 06:34 Do I have a witness in this place? 06:36 Mercy woke somebody up this morning. 06:38 Mercy let you have something to eat this morning. 06:41 Mercy kept your heart beating while you were 06:44 sleeping through the night. Mercy kept you from 06:47 getting in a car wreck on the way to church. 06:49 Somebody say mercy. Aud.: Mercy. 06:51 PB: Is there anybody thankful for God's mercy? 06:53 [Aud. reaction] PB: You see, we're living 06:55 in an age where people don't like or act like 06:57 they need mercy. But somebody knows, 06:59 you wouldn't be here today if it weren't 07:01 for the mercy of God. So stop looking cute, 07:03 wise and otherwise, you ought to 07:06 thank God for God's mercy. 07:09 But what I love about the Apostle Paul 07:11 in the text is, he does not reduce this 07:14 declaration to one mercy, but he mentions 07:17 mercies in plurality. Mercies. I beseech 07:23 you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God. 07:27 Jeremiah said, "Morning by morning, 07:29 new mercies I see." It is because of God's 07:33 mercies that we are not consumed. Somebody's 07:36 going to get this in a minute. We're not 07:38 talking about mercy in the singular, 07:40 we're talking about mercies. 07:43 What does that mean for us today? 07:44 It's not that God has given you a second chance, 07:48 but God has given you chance after chance 07:52 after chance. And let me throw this in. 07:56 It's not the people who are the holiest 07:58 in the room that need to praise God, 08:00 it's the people who've done all kinds 08:02 of stuff that need to praise God, 08:05 because you know if God had given you 08:08 what you deserved, you wouldn't be 08:11 in this sanctuary right now. [Aud. reaction] 08:13 PB: And you ought not care what anybody says, 08:16 you ought to thank God for the mercies of God. 08:20 They are brand new every morning. Oh, 08:23 you don't want to act like you don't 08:25 know what I'm talking about. Somebody, 08:26 you got your car through the mercies of God. 08:28 Your credit was jacked, but God gave 08:32 somebody mercy, and gave you a car anyway. 08:36 And every time you get in that car, 08:38 even if it's a hooptie, you ought 08:39 to say thank You, Jesus. [Aud. reaction] 08:42 PB: You ought to drive down the road 08:44 thanking God. Thank You, God. Thank You, God. 08:48 Everybody else looking at you like you've 08:50 lost your mind. But you ought to thank 08:52 God for His mercy, because you know if 08:54 it had not been for God's mercy, 08:58 you'd still be walking. You'd still be 09:01 catching rides. You'd still be riding the bus. 09:05 But it's because of God's mercies that we 09:08 are not consumed. Great is God's faithfulness. 09:12 Somebody's financially clear because of God's mercies. 09:16 You ___ before you left, but praise God for 09:18 God's mercies. Somebody's enrolled in Oakwood 09:21 right now because of God's mercies. Don't get cute, 09:24 don't act like you're all that and then some 09:26 and a bag of chips. You are here because 09:27 of God's mercies. Somebody ought to be locked 09:30 up in jail cell right now, but God gave you mercy. 09:35 You're living in mercy. You're driving in mercy. 09:38 Your apartment is mercy. Your house is mercy. 09:42 Your job is mercy. Your education is mercy. 09:46 Your health is mercy. Your marriage is mercy. 09:50 You should have had a nervous breakdown by now, 09:53 but God gave somebody mercy. You should have been dead, 10:00 but praise God for mercy. Crazy, 10:03 but praise God for mercy. Suicidal, 10:09 but God gave you mercy. Anybody been 10:10 through what you've been through should 10:11 have lost their mind by now. 10:14 I don't know about you, but all I need 10:15 at Oakwood is a hundred radical praising 10:17 folks who don't care what anybody thinks, 10:20 who don't care what anybody says, 10:23 who don't care who's looking at you. 10:26 You're just glad you're not in a hospital somewhere. 10:29 [Aud. reaction] PB: You're just glad you 10:31 don't have needles hanging out of your arms. 10:33 Oh, you don't care what the elders say, 10:35 the deacons say, the choir. 10:37 If it had not been for God's mercy. 10:42 I will bless the Lord at all times. 10:46 His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 10:49 Somebody ought to praise Him. Thank Him now for mercy. 10:53 Can I throw this in? I might as well, 10:54 it's raining outside. You ain't going anywhere. 10:55 Let me say this. When you see people raise 10:58 their hands in church, you don't know what 11:01 they're raising their hands about. 11:03 When you see folk clapping and shouting 11:05 and amening in church, don't judge them. 11:08 You don't know what they're shouting about. 11:10 Oh, I feel my health coming today. 11:14 [Aud. reaction] PB: Somebody's mama 11:16 is praising God for the mercy over their child\, 11:20 the mercy over their son, the mercy over their daughter, 11:24 the mercy over your health. That's why, 11:26 when I think of the goodness of Jesus, 11:28 and all He's done for me, my soul cries out. 11:33 I beseech you therefore, brethren, 11:41 by the mercies of God, that ye present 11:44 your body a living--what, everybody? Aud.: Sacrifice. 11:47 PB: Now, let's be clear and true to the text. 11:49 The expression "living sacrifice" is set 11:52 against the backdrop of the Old Testament 11:54 sacrificial system. We had an Old Testament 11:59 sacrificial system. In order to receive 12:01 forgiveness from sin back in the Old Testament, 12:05 the sin bearer had to bring a sin offering. 12:07 Symbolically, the sin bearer would place his 12:10 hand on top of the head of the sin offering. 12:12 The throat of the sin offering was slit. 12:15 Blood came streaming down. There was then 12:18 forgiveness of sin, because remember, 12:20 there could be no forgiveness of sin 12:22 without the shedding of blood. 12:24 Jesus Christ had not come yet, 12:26 so the lamb was the type; 12:28 Jesus was the anti-type. 12:30 We had the Old Testament sacrificial system, 12:35 but then came Jesus. See, we don't talk 12:40 about the sanctuary. I've got to do a better 12:41 job of that in teaching that, 12:43 because the Sabbath is not the distinctive 12:44 doctrine of the Adventist Church. 12:46 It's the doctrine of the sanctuary. 12:48 I wish I had a witness in this place. 12:50 [Aud. reaction] PB: Then came Jesus, 12:52 the Lamb of God which taketh away the 12:55 sins of the world. It was Jesus who 12:58 offered Himself up as a sacrifice. 13:01 Jesus was both the offeror and the offeree. 13:05 Jesus is both the High Priest and the Lamb of God, 13:09 and because Jesus died for me, 13:12 I don't have to go confess my sins 13:15 to another man. Because Jesus died for me, 13:20 I don't have to go tell my business to 13:23 another man in a window. I don't have to 13:26 tell you what I did so you can go and get 13:29 forgiveness for me. But I can go in for myself, 13:33 I can go in by myself and boldly go to 13:38 the throne room of grace. If we confess our sins, 13:42 He is faithful and just to forgive us of our 13:45 sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness. 13:47 Paul says, present your bodies a living what? 13:50 Aud.: Sacrifice. PB: A living what? 13:52 Aud.: Sacrifice. PB: But a living sacrifice 13:55 sounds like an oxymoron. How can a 14:01 sacrifice be living? How can that which 14:06 is supposed to be dead be alive? 14:10 The term "living sacrifice" is somewhat 14:14 a contradiction in terms, because animals 14:17 that were sacrificed were always first killed; 14:21 then burned, cooked or eaten. Has Paul lost his mind? 14:28 What does Paul mean, a living sacrifice? 14:34 Paul's definition of a living sacrifice means, 14:38 put your whole self in. It's a whole-self 14:42 commitment of one's life to God. Paul says in essence, 14:47 put your whole self in, even to the point of death. 14:53 You see, in the Bible there are two living sacrifices 14:55 that are recorded. These two examples give us a clue 14:58 as to what it means to offer a living sacrifice. 15:00 Both were acts of worship. The first was Isaac. 15:04 The first what whom, everybody? Aud.: Isaac. 15:05 PB: The second was Jesus. The second was whom, everybody? 15:08 Aud.: Jesus. PB: Now, remember in the Old Testament 15:11 a dead sacrifice was forbidden, because priests couldn't 15:15 touch dead things. It had to be a living sacrifice. 15:20 In the Tabernacle, when you came through the door, 15:22 there was a piece of furniture there called the 15:25 Altar of Burnt Offering. The sacrifice had to be 15:28 laid on the altar, alive. The altar was there, 15:35 the sacrifice was on the altar, still alive. 15:40 If it weren't alive when it was offered up, 15:43 it wasn't accepted. This is why Abraham 15:47 brought his son, Isaac, alive to Mount Moriah, 15:52 that he might be a living sacrifice and 15:56 be offered up for sin. This is why Jesus 16:00 couldn't die when he was being beaten and whipped 16:03 in Pilate's judgment hall, because He had to be 16:06 a living sacrifice. If it were dead, 16:10 God wouldn't touch it. It had to be a 16:13 living sacrifice. Somebody's still 16:16 not getting it. Think about this friends, 16:18 you're smart folk. When Isaac was offered 16:21 up to be a sacrifice, remember, Isaac wasn't 16:25 a little boy. Isaac wasn't a kid. Isaac was 16:31 old enough to fight his father and beat his father, 16:35 because remember Abraham had Isaac at an old age. 16:40 Which means then, Isaac was strong enough to 16:44 take Abraham out. But Isaac became obedient 16:49 unto death, because he had to be a picture of Christ. 16:52 Not somebody who was taken against their will, 16:55 but somebody who was obedient unto death 16:58 and became a living sacrifice. So then, 17:01 Isaac willingly put himself on the altar 17:05 and was willing to die in obedience to God's will. 17:09 So, he's asked, Isaac, how could you do it? Isaac said, 17:15 it would have been better for me not to have been born 17:17 than for me to have been born and not do the will of God. 17:21 So here comes a grown man, climbing up on a sacrifice. 17:30 And so Isaac said, Daddy, I see the knife. I see the wood. 17:37 But where's the sacrifice? And so there Isaac is, 17:43 laid up on the altar as his father begins to 17:47 strap his son down. A living sacrifice, 17:51 tied to something that's killing you. 17:55 That's what it means to be a living sacrifice. 18:00 That if you walk with God, sooner than later in 18:04 your walk with God, sometime in your life, 18:07 God will allow you to be tied to something 18:10 that's killing you. [Aud. reaction] 18:13 PB: Put your whole self in. When Jesus told 18:21 His disciples that you're going to have to 18:23 be willing to take up your cross and follow Me, 18:24 some people think that Jesus was merely and 18:27 only talking about wood. But the cross that 18:30 you live on is not wood. Somebody's cross today 18:36 is a child who won't obey. And you're loving a 18:40 child who won't love you back. You're tied to it, 18:44 you can't get away from it. And whatever, 18:47 say whatever you want, but if it weren't 18:49 for that child, you wouldn't pray like you pray. 18:51 You wouldn't fast like you fast. We're talking 18:54 about a living sacrifice. So then, God is using 18:56 that disobedient child to make you a living sacrifice. 19:00 somebody today is married to a mean, inconsiderate, 19:08 thoughtless, selfish somebody. And you're tied to it. 19:13 You haven't been loved in years. You've been 19:18 treated like dirt, talked to any kind of way. 19:22 But you're tied to it. You're a living sacrifice. 19:26 You come to church, you're dressed up in your suit, 19:29 in your dress, in your tie, in your hat. 19:32 You got your perfume and cologne on, you smell good. 19:35 Your hair is good. Your nails are good. But you've 19:38 got a cross back at your house that you go to every day, 19:44 and you're tied to it. And I know you can't say amen 19:47 too loud because some of you are sitting next to your 19:49 cross right now. Do I have a witness in this place? 19:52 [Aud. reaction] PB: But I'm going to tell you this. 19:56 'Cause you all know me and Danielle's story, 19:58 how we lost our baby girl years ago. I am learning 20:02 in my life that God knows exactly what kind of 20:05 flesh you need, cross you need, to kill your flesh. 20:11 And God will tie you to it. Can we be real? 20:16 God will tie you to a job where you keep training 20:21 other folk, and they keep getting the position you 20:25 trained them for, and you're being mistreated but 20:28 you can't quit, because you're tied to it. 20:32 This is when you learn humility. 20:36 This is when you really learn how to pray. 20:40 This is when you really learn what it means to 20:44 be a living sacrifice. And everybody up in here 20:49 has a cross. You want out, but it seems like 20:54 you can't get out. You're a living sacrifice. 20:59 Tied to something or someone that you can't get away from. 21:05 But I heard Job say something. What did you say, 21:10 Brother Job? "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." 21:18 It's not working right now but I trust Him. 21:22 I'm not happy right now, but I trust Him. 21:26 I'm frustrated right now, but I trust Him. 21:29 The devil is beating me up and down, 21:32 but I still am going to trust Him. I'm all in. 21:37 I'm sold out. I put my whole self in. 21:40 I'm a living sacrifice. [Aud. reaction] 21:44 PB: I'm almost done. Today God isn't 21:48 interested in animals, He's looking for people 21:52 who will be sold out to Him. H wants us to be 21:55 living sacrifices, not dead offerings. 21:58 When an offering was made to God, 22:00 it was set apart and completely devoted. 22:02 God wants us to put our whole selves in. 22:04 If you're going to go to hell, go first class. 22:08 [Aud. reaction] PB: If you're going to go to hell, 22:12 go sleep with some folk, go kill some folk, go first class. 22:16 But don't play church. Don't play God. Don't play yourself. 22:22 It's all or nothing. God cannot use a dead sacrifice. 22:28 God wants a living sacrifice, because God can't 22:32 use anything that is dead. A whole lot of folk 22:34 are in the church but they're dead. And I'm not 22:37 talking about who jumps up and down, either. 22:39 A whole lot of folk have their names on the roll 22:41 but they're dead. In the number, but dead. No zeal, 22:44 no passion, no life, no enthusiasm, 22:47 no Pentecostal fire for the Lord. Just dead. 22:49 The frozen chosen, first church of refrigeration. 22:53 [Aud. reaction] But God doesn't want anything dead. 23:00 God's not dead. God's alive. I beseech you brothers, 23:08 by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies 23:13 a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, 23:18 which is your reasonable service. 23:20 Now quickly, God wants holy sacrifices, 23:23 not unholy sacrifices. And don't get it twisted, 23:26 because there's a difference between holy and unholy, 23:28 because everything that talks like holy is not holy. 23:31 Everything that walks like holy is not holy. 23:34 Everything that acts like holy is not holy. 23:36 Everything that shouts like holy is not holy. 23:38 Holiness is not about how high you jump when you shout, 23:41 but holiness is about how straight you walk when 23:44 you come back down. Holiness expresses the 23:47 awesomeness of God and how God is working in our lives. 23:51 Unholiness is what people pass off as religion 23:55 that is designed to impress others about 23:57 something about ourselves. You see, when you 24:01 give so that somebody else sees what you put 24:04 in the offering plate, that designed to impress. 24:09 That's why our tithe offering envelopes are 24:11 closed so nobody can see what you put in. 24:13 Come on, say amen. When you carry the 24:15 Bible just so people can see you carry the Bible, 24:17 that's designed to impress. When you come 24:20 to church just to be seen, that's designed to impress. 24:23 But when you present yourself a living sacrifice, 24:27 holy and acceptable unto God, you're not trying 24:30 to impress but you're trying to express. 24:33 Express how much you love God; express how 24:36 much you know God, because to know Him is to love Him. 24:39 To love Him is to obey Him, to obey Him is to worship Him. 24:43 And they that worship Him, must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. 24:47 We have not worshiped God until we've given our 24:49 whole selves to Him. Worship is the total commitment 24:53 of the person for the total life. Anything less is 24:55 not genuine worship. Listen to me good, 24:58 young people and older saints today, 25:00 real worship is not merely the offering of 25:03 elaborate prayers to God. Real worship is 25:06 not limited merely to giving and returning 25:08 tithe and offerings. Real worship is not 25:11 merely singing on the praise team, 25:13 singing in the choir, teaching Sabbath school, 25:15 preaching a sermon or listening to a sermon. 25:18 Real worship happens when we confess our sins, 25:24 turn away from our sins, and then offer 25:28 ourselves completely and wholly to God. 25:31 Put your whole self in. Offering ourselves 25:35 to God is not something that can be contained 25:37 in a three-hour period. Offering ourselves to God, 25:42 young people, is not sowing wild oats during 25:45 the week and then coming Friday night and 25:47 Sabbath morning and praying for a crop failure. 25:50 A living sacrifice is a sacrifice that is alive 25:56 and continuous in service. This means worship occurs, 26:02 not just in this church but in your dorm, 26:05 in your home, on your job, in the classroom, 26:11 on the street corner, in the world. 26:14 I beseech you therefore, brethren, 26:17 by the mercies of God that ye present your 26:20 bodies a living sacrifice, holy and 26:23 acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. 26:26 So let me close it this way with this final line. 26:28 Service is the rent we pay for the space we 26:31 occupy in the world. The word "service" 26:35 is in the Greek defined as latreia. 26:37 Everybody say latreia. Aud.: Latreia. 26:39 PB: Which is defined by our words ministry, 26:41 service or worship. God wants us to present 26:43 our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and 26:45 acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable worship. 26:49 In other words, God wants, and what he wants 26:53 is not just worship for the sake of worship. 26:56 'Cause some of us think we just come here and 26:58 worship and we're just doing it for the 26:59 sake of worship. God wants reasonable worship. 27:03 The word "reasonable" is defined and derived 27:06 from the Greek word logikos, which is the root 27:08 of our word "logical." Paul is then saying, 27:11 what God requires is logical worship. 27:15 God requires worship that is the result 27:17 of rational activity. God requires worship 27:20 that is the product of a reasoning, 27:22 functioning mind. It's my made-up mind 27:25 that makes me say amen, it's my baptized 27:27 brain that makes me say hallelujah. 27:30 God is the author of intelligence. 27:33 God doesn't want anything haphazard. 27:36 God doesn't want anything that is 27:39 less than the best. God wants logical, 27:41 rational, intelligent, reasonable worship. 27:44 Worship that makes you want to say amen, 27:47 but worship that also makes you want 27:49 to say aha. Worship that makes you want to serve, 27:51 but worship that also makes you want to shout. 28:13 >: Thank you for joining us for another 28:15 exciting Breath of Life television broadcast. 28:17 Tune in next week at the same time, 28:20 as Dr. Byrd will deliver another 28:22 dynamic message from the Lord, 28:23 just for you. Until next time, 28:26 may God bless you. 28:27 END |
Revised 2016-09-08