Alright, good morning. How's everybody today? Me, I'm recovering. We had quite a party at our house last night.
And if you were there, you know all about it. We had an incredible worship band. We had some passionate Nigerian singers. We rocked the house.
It was awesome. Absolutely awesome. And if you weren't there, I'm sorry you missed it next time, but it was a lot of fun. So bear with me today.
I'm a little bit behind, but we'll get this going. If you look at the screen here, we'll bring this up in one second. I want to continue today in my theme of the teaching of Jesus Christ in the Gospels. A little while ago I took this trip to Israel, and when I walked through the land, I read my Bible in the context of the land of Israel.
And a lot of things just really came to life for me. And these are some of the things that I'm trying to share with you so that you can really get the teaching of Jesus Christ. If you look at these two pictures, the one here on your left is the old road from Jerusalem to Jericho. This is what it looks like today.
And you can see that it's pretty deserted. There's nothing there, but rock and stone and hot, dry desert land. And the picture on the right is a Bedouin Shepherd that I met. His name is Joseph.
And he was out there with his donkey and he was doing tours. So I decided to stop by and share with him the Gospel. And I talked to him about this road that we're going to read about today. So my message today is entitled the ultimate question and the parable of the Good Samaritan.
A couple of things that I found really interesting. It's only 24 kilometers from Jerusalem to Jericho. It's actually quite a short distance. But in that short distance, there is a drop of altitude of 3,400 feet.
So it's actually a steep downward road. Keep that in mind as we read this parable. So today we're going to talk about the ultimate question and the parable of the Good Samaritan. I'd like you to turn first of all to Mark's Gospel and Chapter 10.
Mark Chapter 10, it's on the screen here if you don't have your Bible, but you can follow along. Mark Chapter 10 and verse 17. And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and nailed to him and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do? What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said unto him, why call us thou me good? There is none good but one. That is God. You know the commandments.
Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness.
Do not lie. Defraud not honor your father and your mother. And he said unto him, I'm amazed at this. He said unto him, Master, all these have I kept from my youth up.
And I'm thinking, Jesus is saying, really? Then Jesus be holding him, loved him, and said unto him, one thing you lack, go your way, so whatever you have, give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and then come. Take up your cross and follow me. And he was sad at that same.
And he went away grieved for he had great possessions. Now we're going to read the rest of the story in Luke chapter 10. So if you turn over to Luke chapter 10, we're going to read a little bit more details and then the parable. Luke 10 and verse 25.
And behold a certain lawyer. Now this rich young man is a lawyer, not as you think of a lawyer today. This is a man who studied the Old Testament law, the Torah. He studied all the details and memorized the laws of God.
This certain lawyer stood up to test him. Notice that it was a test. Saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And he said unto him, well, what is written in the law?
How readest thou? In other words, you know the law. What do you think about the law? And he answered and he said, I shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy mind.
And then he adds this little phrase and thy neighbor as thyself. That's actually a very big important part. And he said unto him, thou has answered right. This do and you will live.
But he desiring to justify himself, said unto Jesus, and who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. This is actually an allegory of every one of our lives. This story that the Lord Jesus is telling this parable is an allegory of travelers on the road of life.
And this actually happens to every one of us. I'm going to point this out. This traveler on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among thieves was stripped of his garment, wounded and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest along that way.
And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In other words, he looked at him and he just totally ignored him and went to the other side. And likewise also a Levite. When he was at the place, he came and he looked upon him.
And he too passed by on the other side. Couldn't help him. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was. And he saw him.
And he had compassion on him. And he went to him. And he bound up his wounds. And he poured in oil and wine.
And he set him on his own beast. And he brought him to an inn and took care of him. And on the next day when he departed, he took out two pens to denaria and gave it to the host, the innkeeper, and said unto him, Take care of him. And whatever you spend more when I come again, I will repay you.
Which now of these three do you think was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? And he said unto him, he that showed him mercy. Jesus said unto him, go and do likewise. I want to present to you today three things that Jesus taught.
Number one, Jesus taught that justification comes by faith alone in him. Justification really simply means to be declared righteous, to be right in the sight of God, to have no more guilt, to have eternal life, and to be saved by the grace of God. It means to have a right standing before God. And Jesus taught that justification by faith comes alone from the Lord Jesus Christ by believing in him.
Secondly, Jesus taught us that God has shown us mercy. God has shown us every person in this world. God has shown us mercy. And then Jesus taught that we ought to show mercy to others.
Can you see those three things in this parable? I hope you can. Justification comes by faith alone in the Lord Jesus. And it's God that has shown us mercy.
And so therefore we ought to show mercy to others. This was revolutionary in the minds of the scribes and the Pharisees. You know why? Because their whole system of religion was based on obtaining favor with God through keeping the law.
They lived for this. They studied all the integral details of the Torah, and then they made all these applications. And then they said a person has to live this way according to these rules, and they developed two other books, the Mishnah and the Talmud. And these were the books of their interpretations of the laws, and they studied them.
And they tried to do everything that they possibly could to get favor with God by keeping all the integral details of the law. And Jesus said, no, no. If you want to be made right with God, you have to understand who you are. You need to humble yourself and accept the mercy that God has given us and believe in Jesus Christ.
And that was the teaching that Jesus taught from this parable. So I want to ask you first of all today the ultimate question. What's the ultimate question? You know, there's a lot of questions that people ask in life.
But here's the ultimate question. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Many people are asking this question today in many different ways. Do you know what it infers?
It infers that we have only temporary life. I think everybody knows that. You know what? Ten out of ten people die.
We are all going to die, apart from the Lord's return. And therefore we have temporary life. We don't know how long we're going to live. But the ultimate question is, where will you be five minutes after you die?
Where will your soul be? Do you know what it means to me? When we ask people this on the street, they act like they don't even care. They are so blinded that they don't even think about their soul and where they're going to be after their temporary life is over.
So the ultimate question is, do you have eternal life? And how can you know? How can you be 100% sure that you have eternal life? Well, there are many things wrong with this lawyer's question.
And I'd like to point them out to you. First of all, we read that Jesus, when he was speaking to this man, he knew that this man was testing him. This man was challenging the teaching of the Lord Jesus. And that's the motivation that came from him asking the question.
Secondly, like so many people in this world, this rich lawyer was looking for an intellectual connection with God. I just want to stop here for a second. There's a lot of people that are so focused on religion and check box Christianity that really what they want is they want an intellectual connection with God. That's not what God wants from you.
God wants your heart. God wants the very innermost part of your being, not this sidelined intellectual connection with God. Here's this rich young lawyer and he says, okay, I got it all. I got success.
Check the box. I got religion. Check the box. I got status.
Check the box. I'm successful. And so now, what am I missing? What can I do to inherit eternal life?
That's the basis of the question that this man asked the Lord Jesus. The Lord is looking for a heart connection with you. And that's why Jesus tested his heart. Folks, let's be really clear.
You don't need to go sell all that you have and give money to the poor in order to be in heaven. That's not what Jesus is teaching. But what Jesus was pinpointing in this young man's heart was, what's most important to you? And for this guy, it was his wealth, his religion, and his success.
And Jesus put his finger right on the issue of this man's life. And he said, would you be willing to sell all that you have and give it all away and come follow me? This lawyer declined the offer. Jesus asked him, would he be willing to give God first place in his life?
And he declined. The Lord Jesus quoted the law. You ever wonder why Jesus quoted the law to this man? This man, like so many other people in this world today, assume a self-righteous position before God.
You ask Warren, how many times do people say to you, Warren, oh, that they've never sinned, they're a good person, they've kept all the law. And when you start going through the law, people start to realize, okay, well, everybody does that. Well, everybody does that. Well, yeah, like, lied, lusted, stole it.
Yeah, well, why did the Lord Jesus go through the law? He went through the law to show this man his condition and his need, and this man didn't get it. Went right over his head. He said, yep, all those have I kept from my youth up.
What, lack I yet? Jesus pointed out to this man, his own deficiency, and this man didn't get it. The lawyer was absolutely ignorant of the identity of the Lord Jesus. Ever wonder why the Lord said, why do you call me good?
There is none good but God. Now, some people would look at that and say, oh my goodness, Jesus is saying he's not God. That's not what Jesus is saying. Jesus is looking at this man and he's saying, you're calling me master.
You think I'm just another teacher? He was really asking him. Do you think that I'm God? And this man missed it.
He was ignorant to the identity of who the Lord Jesus was. And he assumed that Jesus was just another teacher. You know, there's a lot of people in the world today and they'll say, I like the Bible. It's a great intellectual book, great work of literacy, absolutely.
Good teaching there, good moral teaching. If that is only your assumption of the word of God, you're missing the message from God. Jesus Christ is the Lord God creator of the universe. And he became a man.
He came right to where we are, to show us what we are, and to save us from our sins. And this man missed the identity of who the Lord was. This lawyer thought that eternal life was earned by doing some great work. You know, there's a lot of people today in this world that actually still believe that.
We had a guy on Friday night saying to me, oh man, I could never go to church every Sunday. Why do you even say that? Well, I don't have to go to church every Sunday to hear this. Like, I couldn't keep that up.
Like there's people that think they got to go to Mass, they got to take the sacrament, they got to be baptized. They're looking for checkbox Christianity. That's not what Jesus is saying. Jesus is saying, humble yourself, believe in Him as the only savior of the world, repent of your sin, and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
Here's the other thing. A lot of people are looking to how they can connect with God. I think that's the wrong perspective. The message of the Bible is how God wants to connect with you.
The message of the Bible is not what you can do for God. It's what God has done for you. It's an amazing message. And Jesus takes that and He develops this parable, which I just absolutely love.
Let's go to the next slide. Okay, so what does the Bible teach about eternal life? So here's my question. How is eternal life obtained?
Jesus taught that justification was by faith alone in Him. I want to read you a verse that's really important. Romans 5 and verse 6. This is what it says.
For when we were yet without strength, that's us, that's the whole world. When we were yet without strength at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. That's the starting point. That is the picture of what it means to have eternal life.
That when we were without strength, which means we couldn't do anything for ourselves. At the right time, Christ died for us. How is eternal life obtained by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ? I want to prove to you today from the Bible that every single person who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ has eternal life.
John 1 and 12, I love this verse because this is the verse I got saved through. Jesus said, he was in the world, the world was created by him, the world at large knew him not. He came onto his own people, his own received him not, but to every individual who receives him, to them gives the power to become the children of God, to everyone who believes on his name. So that verse is teaching that every person who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ becomes a child of God, which were born, not a flesh, not a blood, not a well man, but of God.
This is the born again experience that comes from God regeneration. The moment that you believe in Jesus Christ, you have life inside of you, and God dwells inside of you and develops that life. John 3 and 16, God so loved the world. He gave his only begotten son, and everyone who believes in him.
Well, never perish, but have everlasting life. There's not a soul in this building today that's never heard those words. This is the truth of God. John 3 and 18, everyone who believes on the Son is not condemned.
There's no more judgment for sin. The moment that you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the judgment of your sin is passed. It's gone. But if you're in this church today and you have never put your personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you're condemned already.
That's what it says. John 3 and 36, when you believe on the Son, you have life, life, spiritual life. The life of God comes into you when you believe on the Son. John 5 and 24, everyone who believes in him is passed from death unto life.
There is no more condemnation. They will never come into judgment by believing on the Son of God you pass from death unto life. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart from the Word of God gives you the assurance that you have eternal life. So what does the Bible teach about how eternal life is not obtained?
This is really important because a lot of people get this wrong. I want to read you this verse in John 6 and 28. I love this passage. Jesus is teaching in John chapter 6 that he is the bread of life.
And so these religious people, they're all confused. And they're trying to keep the law and they're trying to hold on to religion and they're trying to do all the works of God. And Jesus said unto them in verse 27, labor not for food that perishes, but for food that endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of God will give you. And these people are so confused.
And so they come to Jesus in verse 28 and they say unto him, what should we do to do the works of God? What should we do? Jesus says, this is the work of God that you believe on him, who God has sent. It's not about doing anything.
And yet so many people try to do something to earn salvation. Jesus said, this is the work of God. We believe on the one whom God has sent the Lord Jesus. In Romans 3 and 28, it says this very, very clearly.
So we conclude that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Galatians chapter 2 again says pretty much the same thing. Galatians 2 and verse 16, we know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. A man is not justified by works.
Titus chapter 3 says, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. Ephesians 2 and 8 says, for by grace you are saved through faith, not of yourselves. It's the work of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Jesus taught something that was fundamental, and it was revolutionary to the thinking of all those people.
He said, it is God who has shown you mercy. You can't earn your way to God. You can't do anything to merit favor before God. If you understood your condition, you'd understand that it's God who shows you mercy.
So what's our condition? Jesus taught this parable. Our condition, his compassion, and his healing. Folks, we are all traveling on a downward road.
I don't know if that's surprising to you or not. Just go to the next slide for one second. Remember this chart? This is a chart that depicts where we are, the broad way.
Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13. It says that many people are on this broad way that leads to hell, destruction. And many people miss the door, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are on a downward road, flip back to the other slide.
We're on a downward road. Jesus taught this parable that there was a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. What's Jerusalem, city of God? Where'd you come from?
You came from God. Where are you heading? Jericho. What's Jericho, city of the curse?
It's downward. From the time that we are born into this world, our life's journey, naturally speaking, is downward. I'm going to tell you three things about the journey of life. It's short.
It's only 24 kilometers from Jerusalem to Jericho. It's short. Person could walk it in eight hours. It's downward and it's dangerous.
And every single one of us, along the course of life, we fall into circumstances where our sinful nature manifests itself in our lusts and in all the trouble that comes to every single one of us because of our sin. We become wounded spiritually. We become crippled spiritually. We become helpless.
When we were without strength, helpless, the right time Christ died for the ungodly. And we need healing. As we go out and share the gospel on the streets, I said to Warren on Friday night and I think this is so true. The biggest reason why most people are not saved, because they don't see themselves as lost.
The biggest reason that people are not right with God, because they're not aware of their condition. They're not aware of their danger. They're not aware of what they're exposed to. This is not nice, but I want to show you what the Bible says.
Turn to Isaiah 1 for one second. This is a picture of all humanity. This is what God sees as He looks down. Isaiah 1 and verse 4.
I know that this is in reference to the nation of Israel, but it is true about all humanity. Isaiah 1 and verse 4, sinful nation, a people that are laden, full of iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children of corruption. They have forsaken the Lord. They have provoked the Holy One of Israel onto anger, and they are gone away backward.
Look at verse 6. This is a picture. This is a spiritual picture of what God sees of the condition of all humanity. From the soul of the foot, even unto the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefined sores.
They have been not closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. That's a picture spiritually of what God who is pure and holy sees of the condition of all humanity. And you might say, well, that was the Old Testament. Okay, let's look at the New Testament.
Romans 3. Same picture. Romans chapter 3, and this is what it says. If you look at Romans chapter 3 and verse 11.
There is none that understand. There is none that seek after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable.
There is none that doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre with their tongues they have used to see. The poison of asp is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
And then it says that the law makes it clear that the world is guilty before God. So when Jesus told this parable about this man who is traveling, he is depicting every human being on this road that is a dangerous road and downward and they fall among thieves. You know what happens in this road? Guys we get beat up.
Sin hurts us. It wounds us. Spiritually there is a need of healing because of what sin does to us. In James chapter 1 it says, everyone is tempted when they are drawn away of their own lust and when lusts conceive that brings sin and sin when it is finished brings death.
Here is a man lying beside the road wounded stripped of his clothes. He is beat up. He has opened wounds and he is half dead. Okay, great.
Now here comes a priest. Is this priest going to be able to fix this guy up? This priest comes by. He represents religion.
And he looks at this guy and he crosses over and walks to the other side and can't help him. In this parable Jesus is teaching, religion and man's ritual will never bring spiritual healing. It can't. It's weak.
So here comes the Levite. He is the studier of the law. Here is the law. And he looks at this man.
I can hurt him more but I can't help him. So he walks away. What is Jesus teaching here? The law condemns.
The law kills. The law will never give life. The law can't help you. You can be the best person you can be for the rest of your life.
You will never get into heaven. For an unregenerate man there is no works that he could do that could please God. Nothing. That's what the Bible teaches.
So here is this man. He is broken. He is wounded. He is robbed.
He is a Samaritan. Why did Jesus say Samaritan? Okay. The Jews hate the Samaritans.
They want no dealings with the Samaritans. The Samaritans were this half breed. They were this rejected people. The Jews would have nothing to do with the Samaritans.
They love the Levites but the Levites can't help him. Here comes the Samaritan. A rejected man. A hated man.
And he comes. And he comes right to where this man was. And he stoops down. Notice what the verse says.
He came to where he was. He looked upon him. He had compassion on him and he healed him. Okay guys.
This is the gospel. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. God. Almighty God.
Creator and sustainer of all life visited this planet. And he came to where we were. Jesus Christ. God in the flesh came to where we are.
Himself. He became a man. That's the parable. Jesus came to where we were.
What did he do? He looked upon us. He saw us. He saw me.
He saw you. You know when we look at each other, we look pretty good. I like to dress nice and comb my hair and have this nice outward appearance. And you know you come over to my house and you think I got my life altogether and it's all neat and tidy.
No. That's just the outward. You know what God sees? He sees into the very layers of my heart.
He knows my thoughts. He knows my past. He knows the wickedness of my intentions. He knows everything about me.
And he knows everything about you. And he came right to where we are. He looked upon us. Here's the thing.
He had compassion. There is no compassion in this world. You know this world will do? They'll beat you up.
They'll take your garment. They'll take your wealth. They'll wound you. They'll leave you on the road half dead and then they'll walk away from you.
Trust me, I know that this is true. I have talked to enough homeless people that are wounded, bruised, naked, no money, no food, begging. And everybody walks past them and nobody wants anything to do with them. That's a spiritual picture of where we were when Christ Jesus came into the world to save us.
That's amazing. He had compassion. You know, when the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He showed incredible compassion. Let me give you a couple of instances.
Here's a guy in John chapter 5. He's on a mat for 38 years. Jesus walks up to him and He says, do you want to be made whole? Here's a woman.
She's just got one son and he dies. And she has got nothing. And she's coming out with the coffin out of the city of name. And Jesus stops.
He has compassion. Here's a woman that Jesus loved and her sister Mary Martha and Lazarus is dead. And he's in the grave and it's over and it's hopeless and four days have passed. Jesus comes to the place.
Roll away the stone. He has compassion. And he calls Lazarus four and Lazarus comes to life. What a picture of what Jesus has done for you and me.
Here's a multitude. 5,000 people. They're with him for three days. They have no food.
And the disciples say, send them away. Jesus says, I will have compassion on them. Jesus came right to where we are. He looked upon our condition and He didn't walk away.
He stooped down. He picks this man up and he pours in oil and wine. What is that? Let me tell you what that is.
It's a picture of the Holy Spirit. It's a picture of the precious blood of Christ. Next slide. It's the picture of the precious blood of Christ.
The one behind. There you go. It's a picture of the blood of Christ. Let me tell you this.
No religion can take away your sins. Not coming to church. Not being baptized. Not trying to do the best you can.
There's only one thing that can take away your sin. The blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ God's son cleanses us from all sin. It's the only thing.
And Jesus came to where we were. He saw us. He had compassion on us. And He died upon the cross for our sins.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. When we were without strength, He died for the ungodly. He showed His deep compassion. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree.
Next slide. And the next one. I think it's amazing the picture that Jesus gave to this guy. He picks him up.
He puts him on his own beast. Here's a spiritual picture of what Christ has done for you. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, you are no longer dead in your sins. You are alive in Christ.
If you have believed in Jesus Christ, you are seated with Him in heavenly places. Ephesians 2 and 6. That's the picture. Jesus picked this guy up who was on the roadside wounded and half dead.
And he bandaged him up and poured in oil and wine. Gave him the Holy Spirit. Gave him new life. Cleansed him from his sin.
And he put him on his own beast right beside the Lord Jesus. And he carried him away. What a beautiful picture of what Jesus Christ has done for every person who has believed in him. He came to show you mercy.
To show me mercy. Something we don't deserve. He came to show us mercy. And then this is beautiful.
He brings him to the end. He brings him to the end. His healing. Spiritual healing from the brokenness of sin.
I want you to go to the last slide. The good Samaritan brings this wounded man to the end for respite care. And he charges the innkeeper. Take care of him.
Take care of him. And when I come again, I will repay you. What a beautiful picture. You know what this church is?
You know what the body of Christ is? It's the inn. And God desires that every believer in the body of Christ would take care of each other. That's why we come to church.
That's why we have Northbrook. Because this right here is a spiritual inn. I want to share with you three verses that teach this. I think it's really important.
Matthew chapter 25 and verse 40. It's the judgment of the living nations. It's the last day. And Jesus has come.
And he sits on the throne. And he says in Matthew 25 and verse 40. They say, Jesus, when did we see you naked? Make it.
When did we see you as stranger? When did we see you in prison? When did we do this? And Jesus said, it is much as you have done it onto the least of these my brethren.
You have done it onto me. Can I tell you something today, guys? There's a lot of people out there that are hurting, that are broken, that are wounded, that need spiritual care. What's the motivation in the body of Christ to be a healing inn?
Jesus said, in as much as you have done it onto the least of these my brethren, you've done it onto me. That's an amazing, amazing, profound truth. That's why we are here to take care of each other spiritually, to minister to each other, to bind up, to show compassion, to show mercy. Jesus said to this guy, which one was the neighbor?
And the guy said, the one who showed him mercy. Jesus said, exactly. You go and do the same. Show mercy.
How about first Peter chapter 5? This is a really good reference for David and Unimey. Peter is speaking to the elders of the church and he says this, feed the flock of God. Feed them.
Take tender care of them. I'm sure that this in Peter's mind brought him back to the shore of Galilee. When Jesus said, if you love me, take care of my sheep, tend them. Feed them.
And then he says this, when the chief shepherd returns, you will have a crown of righteousness, a crown of glory. There is reward for those who take care of the family of God. You know, this beautiful book, the Word of God, the Bible, closes with Revelation 22 and verse 1. Jesus reminded everyone, behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me.
I will repay all the good works that you have done for the people of God. Works are very important after you're saved. Works can never save you, but after you are saved, God desires that we will work for the church and serve the church. Who is neighbor unto him?
The one who showed him mercy. I'm just thrilled today that God has shown me mercy and I want to show mercy to other people. I want to reach out to our world, our community. I want to serve.
And I think that's what God wants us to do. The great example of the one who is God almighty, humbled himself and took care of our need, died for our sins, raised us to life, and has given us a passion to serve others. That's the story of the Good Samaritan. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for this time together to look into your Word. We thank you for the Lord, Jesus. We thank you, Lord, for this incredible example. And Paul could remind us that let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ, Jesus, that Lord, we would humble ourselves and serve and be a blessing to others.
And so Lord, we just thank you for your mercy that you've shown to us and the forgiveness of our sins. Help us, Lord, as we go about this day and the rest of this week, to show mercy unto others. And so we thank you for this time together and ask your blessing upon us as we part in the name of the Lord, Jesus. Amen.