”Betrayed, I Can’t Believe You Did That to Me”, Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

0:47 on this Sunday morning. From God who loves us as a mother and a father and Jesus Christ who alone is our resurrected, our risen, our reigning, and our returning redeemer. I hope it's still appropriate to say Happy New Year to each and every one of you and to all 11,000 plus who've covenanted in partnership with us for our Seek Corporate Fast I pray that you're already feeling the power of the Holy Spirit and hearing the voice of God and seeing God shake things up in your life. Would you bow with me in prayer as we get ready to receive a word that I'm excited to share with you today that the Holy Spirit has laid upon my heart and prayerfully will lay upon yours as well. Let's bow in prayer. Lord, we thank you for the calling not only into this new season and this new year, these new opportunities to live out our discipleship in Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, that we're not alone on this journey.

1:41 We thank you for your word, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We pray now, O God, that your word would find fertile soil in our lives, that we may bear fruit in due season if we do not faint or grow weary. Lord, bless the preaching, the teaching, the hearing, and the living of your holy word. In Jesus' name we do pray. Amen. As some of you all know, a few months ago, I injured my shoulder. And by the grace of God and the power of prayer, and I thank you for your prayers, I was able to stay off of the operating table. Rather than surgery, my orthopedic surgeon put me in therapy. For the last couple of months, I've been going to physical therapy. And thanks be to God that my shoulder doesn't hurt anymore. I've got some of my range of motion back. I'm able to go about the functions of my day.

2:37 The other day I went to visit my orthopedic surgeon and he asked me how things were going. I told him it doesn't hurt anymore. I told him I've got some functionality. I told him I can move throughout my day. And I asked him if I can now be released from physical therapy. Going to physical therapy twice a week for 90 minutes each time is a burden on my schedule. And I'd rather be in the gym with some light weightlifting. So I said, doc, can I please be released from physical therapy? I want to share with you what my orthopedic surgeon said to me that I share with you. He said, just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it's healed. I want to say that again. Just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it's healed. Family, there are some things that wound us so deeply in life that even when they don't hurt, even when we've got some functionality, even when we can go about the agenda items of our day, it does not mean that we're healed.

3:45 If the truth be told, beloved, there are a whole lot of people in life who go day in and day out functionally wounded. People who've learned to navigate life with hidden wounds and scars, but they are functionally wounded. And I would suggest to you that one of the wounds that leaves us functionally wounded, that hurts us in ways that eyes cannot see, that penetrates beyond what the flesh can share is being betrayed. As I look back over my own life, other than the loss of my father, nothing has hindered and handicapped and angered and frustrated me more than those moments and those seasons when I feel like I've been betrayed. I'm going to say it now and I'm going to repeat it today and for the next few weeks, that betrayal is an inevitable and inescapable reality that we all must go through. And I'm going to ask you to allow me for the next few weeks to speak from a place of personal pain and continued healing as we examine how it is we live through and grow through these seasons of betrayal. I'm going to suggest to you, my beloved brother and sister that you can't get out of high school without being betrayed. You can't walk into adulthood and not know what betrayal is. You can't dibble and dabble in romance and not be betrayed.

5:29 You can't mature in friendship and not experience betrayal. You can't climb the ladder of your career without betrayal. And you will not make it to your funeral without some moments of repeatedly being betrayed in your life. Let me give you a side order scripture. One of my favorite scriptures is in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. In 1 Corinthians chapter 10, the apostle Paul is trying to write and explain to us the purpose and the power of scripture. And in verse number 11, Paul simply says this, that everything that happened to people in the Bible happened to them as examples for us and that they were written in scripture that we might learn from them. In a real sense, what Paul was arguing is that scripture is a mirror whereby we can reflect upon our own lives.

6:32 Because no matter what happened to people in scripture, even if it happened millennia ago, it's still relevant for us. What they felt, we will feel. What they experienced, we will experience. What they endured, we're going to endure. What they went through, you and I will go through. maybe in different detail, but we will experience many of the same things. And if that is true as I believe it is, I will once again say that betrayal is an inevitable and inescapable experience in life. How do I know that? Because page after page, we see betrayal in the Bible. David is betrayed by his power-hungry son, Absalom. Joseph is betrayed by his envious brothers. Martha feels betrayed when Mary won't help her get the home ready for Jesus' visit. Sarah is betrayed by her husband, Abraham, when out of fear, he sends her to the harem of Abimelech. Paul feels betrayed by John Mark when John Mark abandons them on their missionary journey. Jacob is betrayed by Laban when Laban switches Rachel for Leah. Esau is betrayed by Jacob when Jacob tricks his father into giving him the wrong blessing. And of course, we all know that Jesus is betrayed by his own disciple Judas. And just like the Bible is filled with examples of betrayal, I'm sad to say, so will our lives. One of the examples of betrayal that I want to invite you to hear and learn from today and over these next few weekends comes to us in the book of Judges.

8:32 it is nestled in the account of the relationship between Samson and Delilah. And before you go back to the cliff note version of second grade Sunday school, Samson and Delilah, allow me to share with you that Samson and Delilah is not a story about love. It's not a story about sex. Samson and Delilah is an account of betrayal. The story of Samson begins in Judges 13 and ends quickly in Judges 16. Today for your hearing, I want to read in Judges chapter 16, beginning in verse number 15. As you grab your scriptures, I'm reading today out of the New International Version of God's Holy Word. Judges chapter 16, beginning in verse 15.

9:28 Then she, meaning Delilah, said to him, meaning Samson, how can you say I love you when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you've made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength. with such nagging she prodded him day after day after day after day until he was sick to death of it so he told her everything no razor has ever been used on my head he said because I've been a Nazarite dedicated to God from my mother's womb if my head was shaved my strength would leave me and I would become as weak as any other man. When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, come back once more, he has told me everything.

10:28 So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. And after putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair and so began to subdue him and his strength left him then she called out Samson the Philistines are upon you he awoke from his sleep and thought I'll go out as before and shake myself free but he did not know that the Lord had left him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

11:28 In this series called Betrayed, this first sermon, I want to put a tag and title on this first lesson and simply preach and teach a little bit from the subject, I can't believe you did that to me. I can't believe you did that to me. Many of us are very familiar with the story of Samson and Delilah. before you go back to what Sister Johnson taught you in Sunday school, let me set the record straight. Samson is not an innocent victim, and Delilah is not a harlot. I want to suggest to you for your consideration that Delilah, like Jezebel, gets a bad rap. Such a bad rap that if you ever met some woman named Delilah, you would question whether her parents went to church.

12:29 And I'm willing to bet you have never met a woman named Jezebel. Why? Because Delilah and Jezebel, those names are synonymous with whorish, immoral, ungodly behavior. When if the truth be told, all Delilah and Jezebel are, are some dominant, powerful women who wisely use their authority over some weak men in their lives. And like most dominant, intelligent, independent, self-persevering women who intimidate men, they get a bad rap because they know how to use what God blessed them with. Delilah is just a smart sister trying to take care of herself. And Samson, he's no innocent victim. As a matter of fact, one could argue that Samson is the saddest story in scripture. Here is a brother gifted by God with more strength than anyone else. He is the strongest man in the Bible. And yet Samson never lives up to God's calling and God's assignment on his life. With all of his strength, Samson is not killed by a lion or a bear. Samson is not wounded by weapons. Samson is not conquered by soldiers.

14:06 Samson is not taken out by some subtle poison. No, Samson with all of his strength is taken out by betrayal. The betrayal of Delilah. What is betrayal? All of us have experienced it. How do we define it? Well, one definition of betrayal is the intentional harmful action of someone you trust. The intentional, harmful action of someone you trust. It's intentional, it hurts, and it comes from someone you thought you can trust. And with that definition, I'm going to say again, that betrayal is an inevitable and inescapable experience of life. Somebody today, you know betrayal. You know what it's like for someone you trust to look you in your eyes and lie to your face. You know betrayal. You know what it's like to share something personal and private with someone who shares it with some other people without your permission. You know betrayal. You know what it's like for someone to say, I do, and then break the covenant vow of forsaking all others so long as you both shall live.

15:38 You know betrayal. You know what it's like to help someone with all of your resources and then for unapologetically use you for their own benefit and gain, knowing that it will hurt and it will harm you. You know betrayal. You know what it's like to consider someone a friend only for an advantage or an opportunity to come their way and they're willing to sacrifice your friendship for that advantage and their opportunity. You know betrayal. When someone who shares your last name or carries some of your DNA is the very one who's out to take you. All of us know betrayal. As a matter of fact, I want to ask you a question. when was the first time you were betrayed? And while you're thinking about it, let me ask you another question. And when was the last time you were betrayed? And if I was a betting man, I'd be willing to wager that you remember the first time you were betrayed. And if I was a betting man, I'd be willing to wager and the last time you were betrayed was not too long ago.

16:49 because betrayal is an inevitable and inescapable experience that all of us will go through. I don't care how big your Bible is, how many Sundays you go to church, how many hymns you sing, how many good deeds you do. All of us will experience moments when the enemy of life takes us through seasons of painful betrayal. It's exactly what happens to Samson. Delilah discovers the source of his strength. She divulges it to the Philistines for an amount of money. She puts him to sleep on her lap. she calls a man in who cuts off Samson's hair and the Bible says that at the end of the betrayal here is beloved one of the saddest scriptures in Bible Judges 16 and 19 that after she betrays him His strength leaves him.

18:00 Because the end result of betrayal is that your strength leaves you. It robs you of your strength and your joy. It hurts you in ways and in places that are not easy to fix. It breaks you in ways that cannot be easily repaired. Betrayal leaves you functionally wounded. And someone today you're watching online and you're already chatting amen because you know what it's like to be betrayed. You've been lied on. You've been lied to. You've been cheated on. You've been used. You've been taken for granted. You've been exposed. Someone broke your trust. Someone destroyed your relationship. you know what it's like to be betrayed. Mark, one of my favorite scriptures is in Zechariah chapter 13, where the prophet looks at a man who has some wounded hands and he asked the man, where did those wounds come from? And in Zechariah chapter 13, verse six, this is what the man says.

19:07 These are the wounds I received in the house of my friend. Have you ever been wounded in a friend's house? Have you ever been hurt in a relationship you thought you could trust? Have you ever been broken by someone that once said, I love you? Do you know what it's like to be broken? Do you know what it's like to be betrayed? Do you know what it's like to carry those deep wounds? I come by to tell you that just because you're functional doesn't mean you aren't wounded. Just because it doesn't hurt does not mean that it is healed.

19:52 Betrayal is one of Satan's strongest tools to leave us on the sideline of life just like Samson. Gifted by God. But our resume reads, would've, should've, and could've. Because if you don't know how to deal with betrayal, if you don't know how to pick yourself back up, if you don't know how to live through and press through and fight through, the enemy will leave you on the sideline of life, betrayed, broken, and wondering what could've happened in your life. Betrayal, one of those weapons that Satan uses against each and every one of us. Come here, let me give you a little diagnosis of betrayal that you might understand how it works against us, that you might be able to fight against it the next time it comes your way.

20:47 One of the very first things about betrayal is that it creates a disbelief that causes you to doubt your discernment. So stay with me. One of the end results of betrayal is that Satan wants you to doubt your own discernment. One of the most disorienting things about betrayal is the shock factor. When you are betrayed, you're never betrayed by a stranger. You're betrayed by someone you think you could trust. and when you're betrayed, your first response is shock. I can't believe that they could do that and even worse, that they could do that to me. You know you've been betrayed when you want to go to someone who's done you wrong and ask them, are you serious?

21:46 How could you do that to me? After all we've been through, after all I've done, the reason it hurts so badly is because you thought the rules of the relationship were different. You thought you all were in a safe category. You thought you were in a different place. You thought you all established different protocols that we would not do this to one another, that this was even outside the realm of imagination and possibility. You thought you were better than this after all the years we've known each other, after all the work we've done, after all I've invested in you, after all I've done for you, after all we've gone through together, how in the world could you now do this to me? Have you ever been shocked that someone could do that to you? And it leaves you offended because of the truth be told, if I would have ever known you could have done that, I never would have sewn myself into this if I knew you were going to cheat I never would have said I do if I knew you would share my business I never would have told you what was happening in my life if I knew you would steal from me I never would have shown you where my treasure lies if I knew you were no good I never would have let you in my life if I knew you would betray me I never would have trusted you in the first place part of the pain of betrayal is that you've made a personal investment of yourself into someone who got over on you.

23:25 You thought you were wiser than that. You thought you were smarter than that. And now you realize there will be no return on the investment of yourself, of your years, of your resources, of your love, of your heart that you sold into someone who took advantage of you.

23:46 And it leaves you in a place where you begin to doubt your own self, where you wonder how that happened to you, where you felt you should have been smarter and you should have seen it coming. Listen, I don't want to go too far in this first point because next week's sermon is simply called I Should Have Known Better when we're going to look at how Samson missed all the signs that Delilah wasn't about nothing and that's where you and I land when we've been betrayed we feel like we missed the signs I should have trusted my instincts I should have listened to what my mama told me about you I should have believed what my friends said about you I never should have let you in I never should have trusted you I knew better but I gave you a chance anyway and part of the damage of betrayal is that it leaves you doubting yourself.

24:42 Because what the enemy wants is for you to doubt your discernment. Why? Hear me, betrayal is not about this time. Betrayal is about the next time. And what the enemy wants is to leave you in a place where you doubt yourself and you feel like you can't trust anybody else. So the next time God opens a door, the next time God calls you to something, the next time God elevates, the next time God presents an opportunity or an advantage for you, you are reluctant and resistant to obey the call of God because you don't trust your own discerning and you now believe that you can't trust anybody else. And now the devil has you exactly where he wants you because the betrayal has caused you to close the door on what God is calling you to. that is exactly where Samson lands after the betrayal his eyes are gouged out so now he can't see and that's what betrayal does it robs you of your ability to see that God's calling you to another chance to see that God is giving another opportunity to see that God is opening a new door to see that God has replaced them with someone better to see that God is doing a new thing in your life. Betrayal affects your discerning. Can I push it? Not only does it cause you to doubt your discerning, but number two, betrayal generates a secret that's meant to squander your strength.

26:23 betrayal generates a secret that is meant to squander your strength can I teach Bible for a little bit the Bible says that the lords of the Philistines go to Delilah and this is the offer they bring her we will each give you 1100 shekels of silver if you will just find out what the source of Samson's strength is and tell us. 1,100 pieces of silver from each of the lords of the Philistines. You need to know, according to history, that the Philistine area was divided into five territories, which means that there are five lords of the Philistines. Do the math. five lords, 1,100 each, that's 5,500 pieces of silver. Delilah gets 5,500 pieces of silver for betraying Samson. Back in those days, when you read in Judges 17, if you keep reading your Bible, an annual salary was 10 shekels of silver. Five lords, 1,100 each, 55 total, 10 is a year, which means that Delilah is offered 550 years annual salary. Delilah is offered 550 annual salaries to betray Samson. In modern money, even at minimum wage, that's $8.2 million.

28:17 dollars. They offered Delilah 8.2 million dollars to betray Samson. And I'm sure in her mind, that made it all worthwhile. For 8.2 million, I'm sure Delilah said the with Samson. For 8.2 million, I'm selling you down the road. For 8.2 million, I can console my guilt. For 8.2 million, I can move out of this area and nobody even know me. For 8.2 million, it makes sense to Delilah. The problem is that it doesn't make sense to Samson. Is my life only worth 8.2 million dollars? You mean you're willing to have me killed for that amount of money?

29:20 Although it makes sense for Delilah, here's what I know Samson's wondering. Was it worth it? And beloved, that's where we land when you've been betrayed. You want to ask the one who betrays you, was it worth it? was our friendship worth it was our family and our children worth it you mean to tell me that little bit of money meant that much to you the only thing you got out of this was that you were the first one to tell folk my business was it worth it was it worth destroying our relationship Was that promotion worth it? Was that raise worth it? Was that one night with her or with him really worth it? Part of what handicaps and hurts us in the betrayal is that we look at what the other person got and gained, and we know it wasn't worth it. Can I push it?

30:34 Samson never really knew how much Delilah got. There's nowhere in scripture where Samson is told how much Delilah betrayed him for. He doesn't know why she did it. And that is always where the enemy wants to leave you. in a place where there's no answer to the question, why?

31:07 Why did you do that to me? Why would you sacrifice what we had? How could you betray me like that? And nine out of 10 times, you're gonna have to live with the tough reality that there's no answer that will ever make sense. There's no answer that justifies what happens. There's no answer that will calm your anxiety. You're going to have to live with the fact that you may never know why they did what they did to you. And when there's no answer why, when there's no explanation, it pushes you to a dangerous place where you begin to wonder, what did I do?

31:52 What did I do to bring this on? How did I deserve this? What did I do wrong? And now the enemy has you caught up rather than living out the strength of what God called you to do and the assignment that God placed on your life and the opportunities that God has provided. Now you're spending your life trying to figure out why she did that and why he did that. And you're not operating in God. You're trying to understand somebody else. Why did you do this? How could you do this? Beloved, I came by to help someone today and to tell you the next time you feel betrayed in life, the next time you're wondering why and how someone could do what they did to you, don't you spend too much time trying to understand their motive. Don't you spend too much time trying to dig underneath their actions to see why they did it. Don't spend too much time trying to read their mind and figure out what they got.

32:50 the next time someone betrays you. I want you to remember the advice I gave you a long time ago that I'm gonna give you again today. The next time you've been betrayed, the next time someone's done you wrong, the next time someone has taken advantage of you, the next time you've been used, here's what I want you to do. I want you to go down to the local drugstore. Pick your choice. CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target. And when you get there, go to the section where the greeting cards are. You know the birthday cards. Then I want you to find the section with the bereavement cards that you give at funerals. And I want you to find a card that on the front says, sorry for your loss. I want you to sign your name on the inside and address it to the one who betrayed you and send it to them and let you know, I'm sorry for your loss.

33:45 If you would have known who I was, if you could have appreciated what I bring to the table, if you had any vision of what God was up to in my life, you never would have betrayed me. You never would have used me. You never would have broken me. And I'm sorry for your loss. betrayal is meant to cause you to doubt your discernment it's meant for you to squander your strength but here's the last thing the enemy does through betrayal betrayal is meant to generate an anger that causes you to abort your assignment let me say that again betrayal is meant to generate an anger that causes you to abort your assignment. Beloved, I'm about to hit 50 and I'm about to tell you a truth that I found out in my life. You may not have experienced it, but I'm raising my hand to tell you it's true. And that is this. Betrayal and anger are fraternal twins. Betrayal and anger are fraternal twins. I'm saying one more time for the immature, they're watching. Betrayal and anger are fraternal twins. Few things in life can get you as angry as being betrayed.

35:18 And in case you say, no, that's not me because you're so holy and you're so sanctified, let me take you back to the life of Jesus. You go on and read about Jesus in the gospels and get into Matthew and work your way down to chapter 26. In Matthew 26, Jesus begins speaking about Judas and how Judas will betray him. And here's what Jesus says in Matthew 26. He says, woe unto that fellow that will betray me because it will be better for him if he had not been born. I want to make sure you see this. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, the Word incarnate, God made flesh and dwelt among us, realizes he's about to be betrayed, and he says, woe to the one who betrays me. It had been better if he had not been born. Listen, listen, listen. I want you to look up that word woe, W-O-E, and see how Jesus uses it, and you're going to find out, Brooke, that Jesus only uses woe when he really feels like cussing.

36:23 whoa is Jesus sanctified cussing of somebody out and Jesus sanctified cusses Judas out and says whoa Judas it'd been better for you if you had not been born because can't nothing anger and frustrate you and make you want to cuss somebody out like being betrayed One of the reasons the enemy uses betrayal against us is because betrayal is attached to anger. And anger always initiates sin. Uncontrolled anger initiates sin. that's why Paul in the book of Galatians reminds us to be angry and sin not because he understands that when you are angry righteousness goes out the window when I'm angry man skip love my neighbor I'm on eye for eye and tooth for tooth when I'm angry don't tell me to pray you pray I'm going lay hands on somebody. When I'm angry, I don't care what Psalm says. I'm going to the 1988 gospel of Kenan Ivory Wayans. I'm going to get you sucker. When I'm angry, I'm no longer operating in righteousness. I'm operating in revenge. And what the enemy wants to do is to get you so angry and so riled up that you abort God's assignment for righteousness and begin to operate in revenge.

38:04 betrayal ignites anger which initiates sin especially when it goes down the same way it went down for samson can i push this and teach bible as i find my exit the bible says watch this that that many of us have misunderstood this story we always say that delilah shaved samson's head. No, she didn't. No, she didn't. Read your Bible to make you a better Christian. Delilah put Samson to sleep on her lap. Delilah put him to sleep on her lap. It's PG-13.

38:56 I'm gonna let you fill in the blanks. Delilah put him to sleep on her lap and called a man in. And Samson was so knocked out by Delilah that the man shaved his head and Samson didn't even wake up. There's another brother in the room with a razor shaving his head and he don't wake up. Delilah didn't do it by herself. They did it. They subdued him. They betrayed him. They took his strength. Y'all, it's one thing when she does it. it's another when they do it it's one thing when he betrayed you it's another thing when they betray you they they is systematic they is organized they is planned they is premeditated they is some kind of ism they are powers and principalities they are demonic and when they have betrayed you you will doubt your discernment when they have betrayed you you will squander your strength when they have betrayed you anger may cause you to abort your assignment Samson is betrayed that's the bad news but I got one piece of good news one piece of good news that ought to make you shout I got one piece of information that I'll put a little hallelujah back in this sermon I've got one piece of information that that help us close on an amen and it's simply this that after he had been betrayed the bible says in verse number 22 and I'm out of here, that his hair began to grow again. If you ain't shouting, I'm gonna question

41:09 your spirituality and your Holy Ghost, because the Bible says that after all that Samson went through in his betrayal, his hair began to grow again. Hallelujah, his hair began to grow again. Now, maybe the reason you're not shouting where you are right now is because you think that that means his strength came back. No, no, no, you missed it. His hair was never the source of his strength. His hair was the sign of his strength. The source of his strength was God. And somebody, the reason your life is jacked up right now is because you've confused the sign with the source. The Mercedes ain't the source. The house ain't the source. The income ain't the source. God is the source of our strength. And when his hair grew back, Samson learned what I'm about to share with you. No matter how much you've been betrayed, your source has not changed. Your source is still with you. God still walks with you. God still holds you. God still has you. And God will never allow your betrayer to have the last word over your life. Goodbye, Alfred Street. May the Lord bless you mighty good, but I want somebody to get hallelujah happy and know that God still has his hand on you. They may have rejected you. They may have betrayed you. They may have walked away from you, but God has not forsaken you. God's hand is still on your life. I came by to tell you, your hair will grow again. There's another chapter. God will not allow your betrayal to be the last chapter of your life. I'm in Bible territory now and I feel my baptism coming on. If you don't believe that God won't let betrayal be the last chapter of your life, I need you to go back and

43:17 study the life of Jesus and look at what happens at Jesus. He's betrayed by Judas, but that's not the end. He's betrayed by Pilate who knows he's innocent, but deems him guilty, but that's not the end. He's betrayed by the crowd that he wants blessed who now say, give us Barabbas rather than Jesus, but that's not the end. He's beaten by Roman soldiers, one who says, this man is the son of God, but that's not the end. He's nailed to a cross, but that's not the end. He's buried in a tomb, but that's not the end. Because the Bible declares that early on the first day of the week, early on Sunday morning, God resurrects our Savior to share with the world. Betrayal is not the end. I can't believe you did that to me.

44:16 Next week, we're going to come right back to Samson and Delilah with the sermon simply declared, I should have known better. Lord, I thank you that even in spite of the betrayals of our lives, some of us know what it's like for our hair to grow back, to realize that the source of our strength was never that relationship, never that friendship, never that job. The source of our strength has always been you. Thank you, God, for loving us unconditionally and keeping your hand on us when others betrayed us. In Jesus' name, amen. Beloved, as we come to the end of this service, I pray that you've been blessed in worship, but beyond just blessed, challenged to make a commitment of a change in your life.

45:21 If you're watching us today and you're not a born again believer in Jesus Christ, maybe you don't know what that means. We would love to share with you what it means and how it happens. On our website, you'll find a form you can fill out that will go directly to our deacons and ministers who will reach out to you immediately to share with you God's grace, God's love, and God's plan of salvation and forgiveness for your life. If you are a Christian and you're watching us and you desire to be part of this church family, you don't have to live anywhere near Alexandria to say, I want to belong to the Alpha Street Baptist Church. Fill that form out and we will reach out to you with open arms to welcome you to our family of faith. To everyone else, please join in with us as we seek to live out the principles and the practices of Jesus Christ in our daily living. And now, and to the almighty, the all-wise, the eternal, the sovereign, the omnipotent God, who alone is creator of heaven and earth, to the God who's made himself perfectly known to us in Jesus, who alone is our Christ, our loving Lord, our sacrificial savior, our resurrected, risen, reigning, returning Redeemer.

46:30 To the God whose presence is made known in these earthen vessels of clay through the sustaining power, promise, presence, purpose, and person of the Holy Spirit. To that wise God be glory and majesty, dominion and power from now until eternity. The redeemed of the Lord who loved the Lord.