Our God - No Shadow of Turning

I want to welcome everybody that's with us, especially those who are tuning in, those who are here in the audience, and looking forward to bringing this message. This is a message that I've always wanted to bring for the last 50 years. And today, you get to hear it, because we're going to be talking something that is very special, that grabs my attention, creates an impulse in me, that whenever I see this object, it remembers me of the loving and the faithful and the incredible God that we worship.

And you'll be surprised when I mention the object and what it is. I found it in a graveyard, but we'll talk about that in a moment. While we were in Ohio, we did have the opportunity to visit the Presidential Library and the estate home of Rutherford Hayes in Fremont, Ohio, which is about an hour from where Susie's home it was.

And you say, oh yeah, I know Rutherford Hayes, and I can tell you all about him. Well, let me just share the bottom line. Rutherford Hayes was the president after U.S. Grant. So we're in the 1870s. He'd been a governor of Ohio, been involved in politics much of his life, and he decided and wanted to serve just one term. He had a very good term.

He was in that list of Republican governors after the Civil War, and you understand that dynamic with the Civil War, etc. And we had an opportunity to visit his home, which of and by itself is just lovely. I think the home was put up by his father-in-law or uncle. I'm trying to remember the story. Just a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful home. It would kind of remind you of an ever so large craftsman-style home out of Pasadena or San Marino, for those that might understand what I am talking about. While walking the lovely park-like grounds, because the estate was set on about 25 acres, as was the museum, but afterwards Susan's brother Bruce and Susie and I took off, and we went through the grounds, and there's nothing more green and more beautiful than Ohio in the summer.

I knowed it one of my favorite garden-type objects. I immediately saw it, and I beelined right over. And it wasn't a rose in a garden, and it wasn't a hyacinth. For those ladies that know what hyacinths look like, they are all in full bloom now, all over part of Ohio that we are in. But I didn't, wasn't looking for a rose. I wasn't trying to shake a hyacinth. It was something much, much different. I made a beeline for a sundial, and you know a sundial when you see one. You go, oh, there's a sundial. But that's not enough for me, because I don't go, oh, there's just a sundial.

There's an impulse in me that makes me want to go and look at it, in a sense, almost face to face. I didn't go over there to see if it was working. I didn't go over there to see what time it was. But to look at the gnomon, you say the gnomon. What is the gnomon? I'm going to share that with you, okay? The gnomon. This is my, remember I am the powerpoint. Okay, so anyway, the gnomon, if you see a sundial, a sundial's round. Never seen a square one. It's round.

And then you see that little piece sticking up like this, right? This is my powerpoint. You see, here's the round top of it. Then you see this is usually metal or whatever it is, but it's kind of like at an angle, and you have the gnomon. That's spelled G-N-O-M-O-N. Gnomon. It's Greek. That's what we're looking at.

Because I go over there to look at the gnomon, that projecting piece that creates the monitoring of daylight time by the position of its shadow. So the gnomon is here, and as the sun is orbiting, or we're orbiting the sun, sun doesn't orbit, is that you begin to see, oh, it's one o'clock or two o'clock by the shadows and by the darkness on the top of the sundial. To be very honest, I thought about this when I was writing this out this morning. I have an immediate attraction, and I have an impulse to experience the meaning of James 1-17, whenever I see a sundial.

James 1-17, and we're going to read it in a moment, and that's going to be the major, and if I can somehow have you run with me towards the sundial sometimes, if we're ever walking in a cemetery, I've done my job during this message. And or if you're just by yourself, that you will remember more than the gnomon, but what it represents in our hearts and our minds. It anchors me, and I think it is intended to do so, especially James 1-17. The gnomon is a great visual reminder about a spiritual reality, just like what we just saw with the horrific disaster that came upon Pasadena and Altadena, that there is a god above. There is a god above in which it is always at the top. It's always high noon with God. Ultimately, there is no darkness. Ultimately, there is no shadow.

Even when it is dark, that gnomon in God's hands tells me that he will always be awake. He will always be there. Any time is his time in our time of need. So allow me to read two verses to explain why this is so special to me. Then I will offer you my title, and then we're going to build upon it together. Join me if you will. Let's open up the scriptures today. That's why we're here. James 1. Let's go to the epistle of Jesus' half-brother in James 1 and picking up the thought in verse 17. As we do this, I'm going to enunciate and accentuate certain words that are going to build upon. Words have meaning, and they are important. They are going to position where our father above is and where we are below. What does come from above and is granted to us that are below? Every good gift—agitives are important—every good gift—and every perfect gift, and it may not seem perfect at a given time, but ultimately it is a perfect gift, is from above, and comes down. Comes down from where? Comes down from above, from notice the father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

He's not in a flux. Our God, our God, our Heavenly Father, His Christ, His anointed, our Savior, our High Priest, are always at high noon in their love and their attention and their caring for our well-being. Notice what it says in verse 18. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Excuse me, of His creatures. So the title of my message today is simply this.

Our God. No shadow of turning. We have to identify who that is. We've got to put that right up front in our title. Our. He doesn't belong to just any one person. He does not have his heart and eyes just on any one person. He has many children that He is calling to His kingdom. And my goal is to implant this one concept on this Sabbath day in August so deeply in you that you and I, in turn, will never turn ourselves. God never turns in that sense. He never turns in that sense. It's only down here below that we hazard perchance to turn from God. And we'll be talking about that in the course of this message. And turn not from a God that demands our blood because His Son has already given His blood for our cause, but gracious and a loving God. To begin with now, as we move into the body of the message, I want to just establish some thoughts here that are very, very important for us to understand. Join me, if you would, in Malachi towards the end of the Old Testament in the book of Malachi. And we're going to know that you're going to see a scripture that perhaps is familiar, but we need to lay it down to begin with. For those that are having trouble finding Malachi, that's on page 1106 of my Bible. Does that help? Otherwise known as one of the minor prophets that normally have very major things to tell us about, don't they? Notice what it says in Malachi 3 and verse 8. Excuse me. Malachi 3 verse 8. Yeah, pardon me.

Oh, that's not what... Okay, no. Actually, what I do, I want Malachi 3 verse 6. Pardon me. Notice what it says, for I am the Lord. I am the Lord. Notice the first two words, which are actually a title and also a definition of what the Lord is. And notice what it says, I do not change. I do not change. This establishes something that's very important for us to begin with. God simply is the I am. And what is very important, we sometimes make a convergence where they both need to be understood, but they both need to be appreciated. Please hear me out, and remember this going back to 1993-94 with some of the challenges that we had in our former association and understanding, quote-unquote, the nature of God. The I am is not merely inherent of his nature or his existence, of his being of and by itself, and what that may or may not be composed of. But notice here when it says, I changed not, it's about his loving, eternally consistent attributes which we will come to see. Let's understand when we use the term God is.

That can be an accurate term of and by itself once understood. But it is not only in a sense the structure of the Godhead, but it's about his attributes. When we say God is, we need to understand, okay, there is a father in our understanding, there is a father, and there is a son, there is a Godhead. And the son was the word, became the son. We'll get into that story. But we also need to understand the attributes. They simply are his graciousness, his love, his extension. This also is a part of God which never, never changes. When you think of the term, one of the shortest sentences in the Bible, it says, God is, can you help me fill in the blank? God, I know this group has read the Bible. Help me. God is, are you sure, Bob? A little bit louder for everybody. Love. That's one of our elders. He knows. Okay. Thank you, Bob. God is love. If you take the very shortest verse in scripture, it talks about his son as he's going to the tomb of Lazarus. And what does that say? That's even shorter. Two words. Jesus wept. Why was Jesus weeping? He loved and loves the people so much. And he was so saddened by their confusion, by their being distraught, because death can look like a just a blockade. It looks like a dead end, no pun intended, just a wall. But God is love. And this is something very important to understand, not just intellectually. I'm talking to each and every one of us, starting with moi, individually. We need to know that. And we need to embrace that, that we are never apart from God's love, even in our darkest days, even when we are in the sense in the land of shadows.

God is at high noon. God is light. And we'll be giving you some definitions there.

Join me if you would in Isaiah 46. In Isaiah 46, remember, we worship a God in whom there is no shadow of turning.

He doesn't go down a wrong way, any way, alley, like you and I have at times.

Isaiah 46. And let's pick up the thought in verse eight, actually, Isaiah 46, verse eight. Remember this. When God says to remember this, can I ask you a question? May I? What is he telling us to do? He's telling us to remember. Oh, why does he say remember? Is this like a duh test? No. Humanly, we tend to forget to remember, and we remember to forget. We all of a sudden feel like the curtain has been pulled. God is coming right at us in Isaiah saying, remember this and show yourselves. Men, recall to mind you, O transgressors. Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me. God is inherently eternal. He is inherently with an attribute, love, and a father that loves to give us gifts. And when the gifts don't come pouring down our way, there is even in that a purpose that transcends the moment that God is moving us towards something that we'll be talking about in a few minutes. I am God, and there is no like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are done, not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do half my pleasure. Is that how your Bible reads? Help me. Skip. It says, I will do all of my pleasure, and we pleasure God when we understand this about Him, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel far from a far country. Indeed, I have spoken it. I will also bring the past. I have purposed it, and I will also do it. I will do it. Have you run into family members or fellow employees or neighbors, and they go, sure, sure, don't worry about it. I'll do it.

How's that work sometimes? And in all those, we have some good examples that they will do it, but God is eternally consistent. When He says He will do something, He will do it. Remember what I often share with you. You might want to jot this down right now. The four P's. Number one, and it mentions right here, God has a purpose. There is a purpose that is being worked out here below, and you are a part of that human puzzle that He's putting together in 2025. Beyond that purpose, He has a plan underneath that to establish that purpose. He works with the plan. We're going to touch on that in a moment. Beyond that plan, He makes promises just like He did here. I will do it. This is actually an echo of Deuteronomy. Excuse me. Numbers. Pardon me. Wrong book. Number six, where the blessing, the Shema. And at the end of all of that, He says, and I will do it. Look at Deuteronomy 6 sometime. The Lord God be with you and keep you and all of this and His face shine upon you and smiles and His countenance, and I will bless you. And then it says underneath that, very interesting, there's this stamp. Watch this. This is what God does with us.

Skip Miller. I'm not saying that Skip needs extra work. I'm just bringing him out. He's smiling where I said, I will do it. And then at the end, He has another one. Done. When God says He is going to do something. And when God says that the whole big point of the purpose, the plan, the promises, the provisions that He gives to make those promises happen. Why? Because He, His purpose is to, as it says in Hebrews 2, 9 through 10, to bring many sons to glory. Today, I'm sharing some of the very basis of what we need to remember and know when we are like what we saw in the fires of life and the smoke is thick. And we really wonder, where has God been? Where has He gone off to? This one that's supposed to be always at high noon. Then why is my life so dark? But to recognize that same God, whatever darkness that you and I are going through right now, in that darkness, He can bring light. The very story of the Bible, let's think about this for a moment. This is so wonderful to share with all of you today. Let's just go there right now while we're at it. Genesis.

In Genesis 1, let's notice something here. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the faces of the waters. Then notice verse 3, one of the great interrupting dynamically, a God thing, one of the great interruptions right in the first couple of verses of the Bible. Then God said, let there be light. And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness.

I'm only going to add something that will help all of us to recognize if we're in that dark moment now. God enters any darkness that we're in with us. He's working. He's loving. He knows where you're at. He knows what He yet has in store for you and I to accomplish. He is in that light, as we're going to come to see by some verses. Join me if you would in Hebrews 13. In Hebrews 13, know that old expression of like father, like son. You find that over here in Hebrews.

I'm picking up the thought in verse seven.

Remember those who rule over you who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. My faith begs me to tell you today and to follow that you and I worship a God in whom there is no shadow of turning. And not only our heavenly Father, but they notice what I said like father, like son. Notice what it says here. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Wow.

The divine consistency of which we are to have faith in, even when we don't see everything in our own hands. It's a plan of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. When I said that there's a purpose, there's a plan, there's provisions. Join me if you would for a moment in Revelation 13.

In Revelation 13.

The word tells us this.

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, that is, one day in the future, whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb. Notice, slaying from the foundation of the world. God had this purposed and planned, oh, from the very, very beginning. What part of the beginning? I wasn't there. I wasn't the fly in the wall, and we can argue over that. But this didn't just happen in 31 A.D. This did not just happen with the messianic prophecies that we find in Isaiah or Jeremiah and the different books of the Old Testament. This is something that God planned. You know, some of us, and we're getting older, some of us will remember, I don't know if the younger generation remembers, but remember what Babe Ruth did. How many of you remember what Babe Ruth did one time? Bob was there. Were you born? No. But the babe, as we say, the babe got up and he went this way.

The Bambino. I wasn't born either, but I know all the names. He went like that. What was he telling him? Skip? You were there. What was he telling him? Yeah, it's good. This is going to, I'm going to give you some high Hebrew. Are you ready? Hey, baby. It's going out right there. And you know what he did? He delivered, and it went out. And that's just a human being. And we're worshiping the all-powerful, the Almighty God that looks after us and loves us. Join me if you would in Jeremiah, with that thought in mind, join me if you would in Jeremiah 29. In Jeremiah, the prophet, and picking up the thought if we could in verse 11.

Even at times when we, not God, God will never turn. He may not act. Stay with me. Very important. He may not act. He may allow. He may say, okay, this is the way that you want to go. Hands off. Lesson. Sometimes we've had to do that with our teenagers. Sometimes we've had to do that with ourselves. Okay. There comes a time when, okay, I've told you, I've shared with you, I delivered you out of Egypt. I did this. I did that. I gave you law. I sent my prophets.

You're going to do what you're going to do. But he never slams the door. He may not come out of the door immediately to rescue us, but he never slams the door. There's always an opening. We have this worship of a good God that gives us gifts from above if we'll receive them. And notice when it says this, he's speaking to Israel and about to return. And when they do return, he says, notice verse 7, for I know the thoughts that I think toward you. Now, oh, Mr. Weber, this is about ancient Israel. No, no. Ancient Israel is a type. We are the spiritual Israel of God, Galatians 6 16 of where the Gentiles been grafted into the body of Israel. This is speaking not only of those that were under the old covenant, but gives us hope as that spotlight goes down into 2025 that when we have gone our different way from God and believe that he's not at high noon. So we've got to take matters into our own hand. Even so, notice what he says. Then this is that the thoughts that I have toward you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope. And then you will call upon me and go and pray to me and I will listen to you and you will seek me and you will find me when you search for me with notice all of your heart.

All of your heart, even when things aren't happening immediately on our time schedule.

Sometimes it's not God that has moved, but it's we that have moved from God.

But even so, one of the most beautiful scenes in Scripture, and I've got a video of it. I forget who puts it. I just love it. I watch it sometimes. It's the story of the prodigal son and it shows the father. And he's looking over the field and he sees his distant speck.

And he's so excited. It's almost like he's jumping up and down in his robe and kind of older man. He's kind of going like this and his wife's going, what's Henry up to now? Oh no, the old guy's losing it. And he's running and he's running. You see this road and you see the son coming. And you see the father. That's so beautiful. You see the father and he's in his full robe and he just opens up his arms. And it's the father that opens up his arms first.

And just, you know what a really good hug is like when you think that all hope has been lost?

And there it is on the lap of your heart.

Our God is always at high noon. He even bids us welcome to approaching his throne, as it says in Hebrews 4, 19, 20. He says, Come boldly before my throne. I have not turned. I have not gone away. But we need to recognize something too that's very important. God at times is not just going to give us easy street. And that's something that I'd like to talk about for a moment. That even those that fully obey God, no one on earth ever obeyed the father more than his own son, the son of man, the son of God. And yet we know that Jesus Christ himself suffered. Join me if you would for a second in Hebrews 2. In Hebrews 2.

Let's notice what it says in Hebrews 2. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace, that good gift, grace is about a gift, by the grace of God might take death for everyone. For it was fitting for him for whom are all things and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

For it was fitting for him for whom are all things, by whom are all things.

Through sufferings.

Jesus Christ, and we are all disciples of Jesus Christ, never said it would be worth it. Excuse me. Never said that it would be easy. Pardon me. He did say that it would be worth it. He said that he was going to bear a cross, told his disciples about that, and he said, and you too will bear a cross. There's something about when we go through life and suffering, that when we know that God is high noon, humanly it may hurt. Humanly we might cry out, why Lord? Why now? Why me? Where are you as you rage and you wonder and you perhaps even doubt and to say, remember me? Jesus Christ suffered.

We also know that the apostle Paul suffered. I'll just mention this in brief. And we already heard Mr. Cook from Cincinnati talk about, how would you like that in your repertoire? Shipwreck after shipwreck, imprisonment after imprisonment, even the aspect of, you know, fighting, it seems, beast. Maybe that was an emphasis and on and on and all the stripes he took. But there's that one thought that we have of him, and we find that where, you remember, where he says, you know, three times I have prayed to you. And it doesn't seem like the answer initially came. And then it finally came to me. You did not remove that thorn that was poking me in the flesh. And we can all wonder what that might have been. But we get the idea with thorn. It wasn't fun. And then Paul had to come to the understanding when he said, your grace, your gift, the good gift from above, brought to below, your grace is sufficient. That's a lot for any human heart to say. But that's what God would want us ultimately all to say in whatever comes our way, even when it is dark. John, I want to show you something here. And I noticed this the other day in John. Actually, I noticed it this morning.

So often we turn to the Gospel of John, and we focus on Jesus Christ and the word was God, the word was God. The word was with God in the beginning, etc., etc. But wherever always remember this, this is kind of a coding kind of coding symbol. Wherever we see Christ, remember what I've told you, tried to teach you. Wherever you know where Christ is, you know the Father is just a few verses away. We never want to disconnect the Son from the Father or the Father from the Son. They are loving and they are working together for you and me. Notice what it says then after verse 6, there was a man sent from God, whose name was John. John the Baptist. Then notice what it says, This man came for a witness to bear witness, notice of what? Of the light that all through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That which was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him and the world did not know him. And he came to his own and his own did not receive him. And so we see then that it says here, God is light. When the initial creation came, God gave that to the Word to be the Creator. The Father was the producer, Jesus was the creator, the director, the established. But they were working together. God is light. Number two, Jesus is light. Number three, Jesus said that we are to be the light of the world.

So very important. I'm just going to take you for about 10 minutes here and we'll conclude it. Let's go to Psalms 139. In Psalms 139, a familiar passage to all of us, but let's drink deeply of it today.

When it seems so dark, if I can put this thought into your mind, I'm going to drill down deeply. I'm going to drill down deeply. Even if I have to go another three hours, just joking.

O Lord, you have searched and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. That means even when it's dark, you understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all of my ways. Not every other way, not every third way, but all of my ways. And maybe the way that I'm going either towards you or away from you at any given moment. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, you know it all together. And sometimes we can know, brethren, brothers and sisters, we can know this intellectually. We've read this ad nauseam. And yet, when the rubber meets the road, do we have the traction to understand that there's a purpose that's being worked out here below, that we don't fully understand that God is creating and molding and establishing us for another moment in our lives. I can tell you about situations of where I had to deal with a situation. Years ago, that sometimes takes 10 years to manifest of why God was doing something, and why I perhaps had to interact with an individual at a given time that way, that later on it might be to His glory. And not just once, not just twice, but more than that. Current events in our lives is not always the best way of seeing what God is doing with us. If we just put on our spiritual seat belt, buckle up with Christ, airbags deployed, Holy Spirit, and hold on for the ride that is ahead, God is doing something. It says, where can I go in verse 7 from your spirit, or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in the grave, behold, you are there. I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost part of the seas. Even your hand shall lead me. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.

And your right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall fall on me. It's going to come in every one of our lives. If darkness doesn't come upon you in this lifetime, I think you need to take the human pinch test and see if you really are alive. Because God is doing something. He's making us understand that even when we think we are in the darkest dark dark dark, he has not given up on us. He is ready to be called upon. He is ready to be called out to. As much as he intervened the universal darkness and said, let there be light, he's still creating a new creation. Not suns and moons and planets and baboons and marsupials and flies. But those that are flesh and blood, firstfruits, to understand now so that we can teach others one day that God is always at midnight and shining. If we all need know where to look in the right places. Notice what it says here. Surely the darkness shall follow me, even the night shall be light about me. Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from you, but the night shines at the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to you. So you understand that there's going to be darkness, but there's also light.

There's much I'd like to give you, but we're going to begin to conclude. There's a whole lot more. I'm going to send you out my notes. Jeremy, if you would, in 2 Corinthians 4, and we'll conclude.

I'm going to throw out a question. I want somebody to answer at the end of this message.

What am I trying to stamp into your mind, into your heart? It's just one sentence that I hope that in this brief time together, you will carry and hold for the rest of your life.

That's a big task for any human being, but I think it's something that God wants in each and every one of us. Something that as soon as I was walking that garden with my girlfriend, that's my wife, Susan, and her brother, he was not chaperoning. We've been married 51 years.

And I saw that sundial, and I said, I've got to share this coming week with somebody, because it is so important to share that you will not just simply have an impulse to go note a no man on a sundial, but that your walk will always be running towards God, even in the darkest moment. What we end up with in is in 2 Corinthians 4.

Thank you, you're already there. 2 Corinthians 4, and allow me to read it starting in verse 16.

For those of you that might feel like you have the straitjacket of darkness on you and you do not see light on this given day, let's understand something. The Sabbath is a day of rest, but it also points to a new creation that we are firstfruits of here and now.

Allow these words to penetrate our hearts. Let's take them home with us. Let's grow in the Lord. Let's be a light, which is one of the commissions of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the temporary things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Is God against light? No, He's not. He's made lots of lights.

The sun, the earth rotates around the sun, and we see the light, we see the shadows, we see eclipses in the sky.

We see the stars beaming at us that sometimes the light might have left there, however long ago. You know, it just blows your mind when you think about that.

But I want to share something with you. We'll conclude. Revelation, join me if you would there. With all of that, with all of that, remember the Bible is one book, and it is seamless. It says that what? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and there was darkness, and He said there was light, and there was just the greatest interruption. I cannot just imagine. I hope we get to see the video in the wonderful world tomorrow, when that moment happens. But notice what it says in Revelation 21, 22. I have just asked, please open your Bibles, and allow this to reach your hearts on this day. This is the conclusion. The beginning was about darkness and about light. But I saw no temple in chapter 21, 22, but I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lion are its temple.

Father and Son, together, and just as it was in the camping of old under Sinai, all the tribes were gathered around the tabernacle, and the tabernacle was right in the middle of the tribes. God always wants a relationship. He wants to be in the middle of everything that we do.

He was right there, right in the middle, with everybody circling Him. That was only a type of what this is speaking about in that world beyond, when everything is dissolved. The heavens and the earth, as it says in 2 Peter, everything that has been made to this point is going to dissolve. The universe is going to melt, and there's going to be this new creation. So what are we going to do without a sun? Notice what it says here. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is the light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. And with that light, that beacon of grace and of hope, its gates shall not be shut at all. There shall be no night there, no night there, and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

Genesis, let there be light.

Revelation, light. Think of it this way if you want to try to note. The scriptures have bookends of light. Have you ever thought of it that way? And that's the light that we're learning to worship and follow as we follow the Lamb, as the Lamb follows the Father, and to recognize that. I hope you will always, after this message, always remember, always remember that one afternoon you had an opportunity to be reminded something. God is light, even at its darkest, and that next time you see a sundial and you see the gnomon and you're waiting, but it's all dark. Always just remember that God, God is always at high noon waiting for you and you and me.