Don’t Fall Short of God’s Promises
Numbers 32:1-25
November 24, 2019
What is happening at this point in the Scriptures, Israel is getting ready. They've been in the desert now. They're almost 40 years, and they're on the other side of the Jordan, preparing to entering-- to cross the Jordan, so they're on the other side. The context of what's happening is, that two of the tribes, two of the 12 decide, "Hey, it's not so bad over there on the other side of the Jordan." Maybe that's why they want to stay over there. They had cattle and other livestock, and they thought, "That land is good for grazing over there, and that's enough."
They didn't want to cross the Jordan. They wanted to stay right where they were, but here's the problem. They are staying outside of the promises of God. The problem is, that he didn't bring them through the wilderness for 40 years, just to camp outside of the promises of God, but it's the easiest thing. How tempting to do the easy thing. The land on the East of the Jordan had already been conquered. The Amorites that were there. People of Bashan already defeated. They had attacked Israel and provoked and they got defeated. Midianites were defeated.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad, they realized they could have this land without any further blood, sweat or tears. Life would be easier. They didn't cross the Jordan to the land of promise. There's a lot of lessons in the story for us, because many people, they live outside of the promises. They live outside of the fullness of spiritual maturity. They want to do the easy thing you might say. They don't want to press in the deeper spiritual things, and that they're content with less. They're content with less than God's best. They're content with less than what God has in mind for them.
What God called them to, and you can imagine Moses. How astonished he is at this idea. He would have given anything to cross the Jordan River, but he can't. Here, these two tribes can but they won't. Let's read it. Numbers 32. We'll begin in verse one, and we'll just read the account of the story. Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had an exceedingly large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock. The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, they came and they spoke to Moses and Eleazer, that's the high priest and to the leaders of the congregation.
They said, "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon, the land which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock." Now they said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession and do not take us across the Jordan." Moses said to the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Reuben, "What? Shall your brothers go to war while you yourself sit here? Now, why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them?
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol, and they saw the land, they discouraged the sons of Israel, so that they did not go into the land with the Lord had given them. The Lord's anger burned in that day, and he swore and he said, 'None of the men who came up from Egypt from 20 years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they did not follow me fully, except Caleb, the son Jephunneh, the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the Lord fully,'" only those two.
"The Lord's anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord was destroyed. Now, behold, you have risen up in your father's place, a brood of sinful men, to add still more to the burning anger of the LORD against Israel." Let me interpret that. Moses is basically saying, "I'm not going to spend another 40 years with these people out in the desert." Verse 15, "If you turn away from following Him, He will once more abandon them in the wilderness and you will destroy all these people."
Now, they came back. We presume that there's a gap here. They considered this rebuke, they came back with a compromise, a suggestion, so then they came near to him and they said, "Here's what we could do. We will build here on this side, sheepfolds for our livestock and cities, for our little ones. For we ourselves will be armed and ready to go before the sons of Israel until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones live in the fortified cities, because of the inhabitants of the land." In other words, it's still not safe. "We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has possessed his inheritance, for we will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan."
They're giving it up. "Because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Jordan toward the east." Moses said to them, "If you will do this thing--" He's going to concede to this compromise. "If you do this, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for war, and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him, and the land is subdued before the Lord. Then afterward you shall return and be free of obligation toward the Lord and toward Israel. This land shall be yours for your possession before the Lord, but be sure of this,"
He gives them this very interesting warning, and it resonates for us because it really is a tremendous piece of wisdom. "If you will not do what you said, you have sinned against the Lord and be sure of this, your sin will find you out." That is a profound statement. "Build yourself cities for your little ones, and sheepfolds for your sheep and do what you have promised," and the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses and they said, "Your servants will do just as the Lord commands." All right, these are the verses I want us to look at and, of course, Wednesday, during the Wednesday service, we're going through all the other verses and chapters around these ones.
I. You’re Called to Deeper Spiritual Things
I want us to go over this and see how they are applied to our lives. Because there's really many lessons for us, out of that, starting with this. That you are called to deeper spiritual things. See, the tribes of Reuben and Gad, really, they're making a logical business decision. They had lots of cattle and livestock, and the east side of the Jordan was good for grazing. Simple, straightforward, logical business. The problem is that it's less than what God intended. Now, because the point is, they're not just anybody, they're God's people. That he redeemed, brought out of Egypt.
He brought them out of Egypt for a purpose, to give them the fullness of blessing and the fullness of His promises, and the same is true for us. The picture of them coming out of Egypt is a picture of us coming out of the world. God brought you out of the world. God gave you the promise of eternal life, but he gave also for a purpose. To bring you into spiritual life, to bring you into the promises of God, to bring you into spiritual maturity, not to leave you short of the promises, and the fullness, and the deeper spiritual things. See, God is calling us to deeper spiritual places, don't fall short of God's promises.
A. There are no revivals on cruise ships
If I could apply it this way, if you would allow me to apply it this way, there are no revivals on cruise ships. It was funny. I was going over my notes before I came in, Athea came and sat down next to me. She looked over my shoulder and she says, "Really, you're going to say that, grandpa?" I said, "It's true. There are no revivals on cruise ships." See, the problem with Reuben and Gad is that they didn't want the effort of crossing over. Facing the giants, they were content. It's easy. They didn't want to clear the rocks from the field, to clear the trees, the brush, to cut out the vineyards, and orchards facing the inner, experience God's best.
Problem is that the land on the east side was already cleared. The whole nation of Israel cleared that, and now they want to let others do the work of the battle while they relax and put out their sheep to pasture. Until Moses confronts them, of course. For our 25th anniversary, I had never been on a cruise in my life, so my wife had this idea of going on a cruise for our 25th, and I thought, "Yes, let's do this. This is going to be exciting." Go to Alaska, so we did this. As I said, I've never been on a cruise. Oh my goodness. Talk about indulgence.
I mean, the food is absolutely over the top. Someone cleans your room every day, puts mints on your pillows and is standing at there ready to meet any need, anything you want just say it. Then we come home and what a shock? There's no one, well, who's going to clean our room now? Who's going to make our food now? Who's going to cater to us now? Because you get pretty used to it pretty fast, of course, you gain a lot of weight, too. Anyway, it's like some people develop cruise ship Christianity and this is a problem. This is a problem today. Some people develop what we could call cruise ship Christianity.
They want to be catered to. See God is calling us to deeper things but they want to be catered to like the cruise ship Christianity. They'll even change cruise ships according to who's got the best accommodations. Which one serves the best food? Who has the best entertainment? It's a problem today because God is calling. He wants the church to go deeper, he wants-- he's calling the church to revival, he's calling the church to spiritual depth, he's calling the church to enter into deeper things. The tribes of Reuben and Gad, they're done. They've reached as far as they want to go, they don't want to press any further but there's no revival there.
In fact, if you go through history, you will find that it cost them spiritually, it cost them. I was thinking of an illustration, back in the days of steam-powered trains as you know, as you're moving through the plains or whatever, someone's got to be throwing the coal on the fire to make the steam for the power. What I was thinking was this, if somebody stops throwing coal on the fire you won't notice it right away. No one notices it at first but when you need the power and it's not there, that's when it's a problem. See, because there are mountains ahead, there are troubles ahead, there are challenges ahead.
God wants to build a spiritual foundation of tremendous spiritual depth and tremendous spiritual power. He's saying, "Don't spiritually compromise, don't fall short, don't stop throwing coal on the fire," you might say. I think one of the issues is that we here in Christianity, which is the truth, the Scripture says that you do not work for your salvation. It's a free gift. Now, this is a great truth, it's one of the great theological understandings of our faith. It's a gift, you cannot work for your salvation. It is a gift of God but the problem is that once understood, then there are many Christians who then presume that once they receive that free gift of salvation, that there is still more work involved in their Christianity.
They don't understand that God-- no, there is still a moving that you need to have in your life. You still need to press forward. Let me give you a great Scripture, Philippians 2:12-13, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." What does that mean? It means this, God is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. In other words, God did a work in you now you work out your salvation. Let your salvation be pressed into, move deeper into. Proverbs 13:4, "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is satisfied." There is a pressing forward, pressing into. The Scriptures encourage, with strong words the Scripture encourages to pursue deeper things.
Don't fall short, press in, press in. Hebrews 5:14 and then in the sixth one, "Solid food is for the mature who because of practice," that is the doing of such. The practice is the putting it into practice, putting it into place. "Solid food is for the mature who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." They are spiritually alert, they're spiritually alive, they're spiritually powerful. Therefore, he says, "Leave the elementary things about Christ and press, let us press on." That's a great word, that's a great verse that's saying God is calling us to deeper spiritual things.
B. Your faith will impact others
Now, here's a lesson that we see out of the story and it is important, your faith will impact others around you.
Moses responded to this request to have Reuben and Gad with strong correction. He says, "Shall your brothers go to war while you yourself sit here? Why are you discouraging the sons of Israel?" See, it's showing us a tremendous spiritual truth, and that is our lives impact the people around us. He reminds them of what their fathers did when the 10 spies discouraged the fate of the whole nation. It impacts, your faith impacts. Imagine the discouragement if two entire tribes would not help or go in. As I say, I can imagine Moses saying, "I'm not going to spend 40 more years. No, this is not right." If you're spiritually defeated, it's also true, it will impact those around you.
If you're spiritually on fire, it will impact the people around you. One of the famous pastors, preachers of history has to be C.H. Spurgeon, and really was a pastor of tremendous revival. There were times when people would come and they would say, "What is the key? What is the key? What do you think is happening?" He would give his answer, he would say, "I am on fire for God and when I preach, they come to watch me burn." I love that quote and, of course, a lot of pastors read that and are inspired like, "Yes, Lord, I want to be on fire."
Here's the thing I would like to add to that quote because when you draw near to someone who's on fire, you're not just watching the fire, you're going to catch fire yourself because faith is something that impacts other people. When you're around people who are on fire, it is going to impact you for faith. Something inside of you is going to be inspired, you're going to want to grow in your faith. When you see people who are victorious and are standing strong, it does something in you. Is that not true? He's calling us, "Be these people." Imagine what other people have done that came before us that have allowed us to have the freedom that we have in Christ.
Those who suffered, those who at great effort translated God's Word, those who carried the Gospel throughout the world. Many died in the process and it really then comes to us. May it be said of us that we did not drop the ball, this is our generation. This is our generation. We have the baton now. See, it's our turn to do that which God has called us to do, to press in, we are to be on fire, we are to impact the people around us, we are to make a difference because God has made a difference in us. Last week I mentioned that one of the-- one of our brothers had a massive heart attack last Saturday morning, I went to the hospital and prayed with him.
He was unconscious and-- but I prayed with his wife. Ronnie Linda Hewitt, if some of you know them and the prayer-- I mentioned of Linda was so inspiring to me. I actually started crying when she prayed, so beautiful was your prayer. "I trust my husband to you Lord. You have been so faithful to me." The next day, Sunday last week, they took him off life support and he passed but we were talking about the impact of his faith that he's had on his children, on his grandchildren. Here is a person who's alive in the Lord maturing his faith and their marriage is a tremendous example.
It's just an amazing thing to see the impact because I'm getting to know the family, I'm seeing the results. It just reminds me of what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:6-7. "I'm already being poured out like a drink offering." That's a beautiful picture. "My life is to be poured out like a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. I've fought the good fight, I've finished the course, I've kept the faith." Wouldn't that be marvelous to have that be said of you and me? I've finished the course, I've fought the good fight, I've kept the faith. There's something glorious about that desire just to make an impact because there's been fire in your life to make an impact.
C. Cattle can turn into pigs
See, in other words, don't wait for someone else to lead. Some people say, "Let someone else lead. Let someone else pray for revival. Let someone else be on fire, I'm busy. I got cattle things to do." See, it's a spiritual compromise and if you could let me put it this way, here is the problem. Cattle can turn into pigs. Let me tell you what happened. After Moses's strong challenge, the tribes they come back with this compromise. What if they built fortified cities over there in the East and sheep pens and then send men to battle and come back later?
He permitted this compromise, but it cost them. You go through history and it cost them. Spiritually they were not strong people and if then you go further into history, at the time of Jesus. When Jesus came and crossed over to that side, up in the North on the other side of the sea of Galilee, it's the area of Gad, that the area of the Gadarenes and they came over there. It says that there was a man with an unclean spirit who met Him. A man dwelling in the tombs. No one was able to bind him, he was so strong, no one could subdue him though they tried with chains.
Constantly day and night, it says, he was screaming amongst the tombs and the mountains gushing himself with stones. Seeing Jesus, this man, he ran up and bowed and he shouted with a loud voice and he said, "What business have we with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High? I implore you not to torment me." Because he had been filled with demon. Jesus said, "What is your name?" and the demons answered, "Legion, for we are many." The demons implored Jesus not to send them into the abyss. The abyss was the place where the demons would be kept until the end of the age.
"Don't cast us there," and there was a large heard of swine. Wait, what are they doing? Jews raising swine? What is this? Well, the market changed, we had to adapt to the market. We had to go in the park bellies because it was the thing and they're raising swine. The demons implore Jesus to allow them to be cast into the swine, which He does and then sends them the heard right down the steep bank into the sea about 2,000 of them and they were drowned into the sea. When you go to that area you can just see the cliff, you can just see the whole scene.
This was reported to the city and the people from the city came out to see what had happened. When they come, they observed this man, the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed in his right mind. Now that should have been amazing, that should have marveled them, "What manner of man is this?" But no, this is what happened, it says in Mark 5:17&18. "They began to implore," the people from the city began to implore Him. "Please leave, could you please not be here." This is the result of spiritual compromise; it will come to this point.
"I'm not comfortable with you talking about God. Why do you have to keep bringing God up? Why do you have to keep bringing spiritual things up? Can you just go?" The man, it says of him, "As Jesus was giving into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed," what a contrast? He was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. "Can I be with you? Wherever you are, I want to be. Wherever you walk, I want to walk. Can I be with you?" What a contrast? See that's a spiritual revival, that's a spiritual desire. By the way, Jesus said to him, "Go back to your home and tell of the marvelous things that God has done."
He goes back and he says something interesting about this man. It says that he goes back and then he begins to tell the people in the Decapolis. Now, a little history here it would be helpful. There were these 10 cities on the other side. It's like almost a small nation almost of 10 very important significant cities called the Decapolis. It says that this man began to speak of Jesus in these cities. It's like he became an evangelist and what is also fascinating, a little later in the gospels it says that many of the multitudes came. Many multitudes came to hear Him, and many came from the Decapolis.
That's just a marvelous declaration. God changed him, God healed him, and he went back and became a powerful man of God and evangelist. It's just a really powerful statement and a testimony. Spiritual compromise versus spiritual fire, there is the difference. Spiritual compromise versus spiritual fire. Spiritual compromise will cost you. At some point, it will cost you and the fruit of it will always be seen at some point. You will not want spiritual things. "Can you just not-- you just get me uncomfortable here, Lord.
You're just pressing in a little too much for me. Can you just back off here? Can you just stop talking about spiritual things? It makes me really uncomfortable," but the one who is on fire has the opposite. "Can I be with you Lord? I see the power. I see the transformation. I want that, can I be with you?" Contrast that to the sons of Korah who wrote Psalm 84. I'll just give you the first five verses. "Oh, how lovely are your dwelling places?" See the difference? Speaking the fire, "Oh, how lovely are your dwelling places oh Lord of hosts. My soul longed, even yearned for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God." What is he describing there? Spiritual fire, spiritual life. What a contrast? what a difference? "Even the bird has found a house and a swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young even amongst your altars oh Lord of hosts, my King, and my God." Now you got to see that as a declaration of allegiance. He sees the swallows making nests in the altars of the Lord and he's jealous. "Even the swallows have made a nest. My king and my God, how blessed are those who dwell in your house.
How blessed are they? They are ever praising you. How blessed is the man whose strength is in you? In whose heart are the highways to Zion." In my heart, there is a highway right to the Lord. That's spiritual fire, what a compromise brings distance, but fire brings nearness. Then back to Numbers 32, so they come back with this compromise and they say, "Our armed men will go over. Then once Israel has attained their possession then we will return." Moses won't be there. He won't be around, he's not allowed to go over, so he makes a profound statement to them that really is a powerful statement.
II. Sin Will Find You Out
"Your sin will find you out," this is a great truth, sin will find you out. "Be sure of this," he says, "Be sure of this." They say there's only two things in life that are certain, death and taxes, but I suggest that there are perhaps more things than that are certain. There are spiritual things that are certain and so he makes this statement. "Be sure of this," he says. Now Moses knew something about his sin finding him out. He's the one if you remember, he was raised in Pharaoh's house and then when he was a man, he went out and he saw his people the Hebrews being mistreated by an Egyptian man and he got enraged and he struck the man down.
A. There is a sin of doing nothing
In his anger, he struck the man, the Egyptian down, and buried him and thought perhaps he'd gotten away with that until the next day. He saw two Hebrews having the conflict and then he said, "Why do you do this, you are brothers?" They said, "What are you going to do? Kill us like you did the Egyptian?" And he immediately knew that his sin had found him out and he ran, you know the story. He ran and he was in the desert, the wilderness himself for 40 years. He says, "Be sure of this, you will do what you said you will do because--" what is he pointing at, he's pointing out that there's a sin of doing nothing.
That is what he's showing them. There is such a thing as a sin of doing nothing, so they committed to help their brothers even as their brothers had helped them, so Moses is holding them to this. See, there is a new testament Scripture that speaks to the same thing. James 4:17. He says, "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it to him it is a sin." There he's speaking to the fact that there is a sin of doing nothing. If you know the right thing to do, and you don't do it, see that's what he's saying to them. There's an old saying that I think is a very, very good, powerful saying.
B. Sin will find you in your conscience
What does it take for evil to prevail? What does it take for evil to prevail? Answer, for good men to do nothing. There is that admonition, that call. There's a time to do something and, in fact, what we recognize is that sin will find you out. It says, "Sin will actually find you in your consciences, the Lord works even that way." First of all, can we make this statement? There is no such thing as a secret sin. Let's just agree, there is no such thing. It does not exist, there is no such thing. People imagine there to be but there is no such thing as a secret sin because God always knows.
There is no sin that is secret from God. In fact, if we could live in the light of that knowledge, I suggest to you that if we could live in the light of that knowledge, it would truly transform how we live. Anybody agree with me? If we could truly live in the light of that knowledge it would transform how we live. Hebrews 4:13 says, "All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Before Him, we live and move and have our being." In other words, he's saying if you run from Him, He is saying you can be sure that your sin will not be silent, it will run after you.
Yes, because you are also taking it with you. You carry it with you, some people are very troubled and bothered, which is good. There is a story of a man, a humorous story of a man who sent the IRS a check for $1,500 and a letter that said, "I didn't pay all of my taxes and I can't sleep. Now if I still can't sleep, I'll send in the rest."
There are many examples that you cannot outrun, it catches you. Joseph's brothers, this one example, you know the story. They betrayed their brother. He had this vision that God was giving him a position of authority even over his brothers and he gave them a vision of this. The brothers took offense, "Who do you think you are?" They took an opportunity one day the father had sent the boy Joseph to check on the brothers. They said, "Here comes that dreamer. Let's take hold of him, let's kill him and then let's see what comes of his dreams."
They took hold of him and they put him into a pit, but they decided instead of killing to sell him into slavery to make some money at least on the thing. So, he was sold, you know the story he was sold into slavery and then one tragedy upon another, and the Sovereign hand of God moved in such a way that he got the attention of the Pharaoh because he could interpret dreams. Now he is put in a place to tremendous authority, you know the story. Now, the famine comes on the land and the brothers come to Egypt and who should they meet but Joseph?
They don't recognize Joseph because he's in the regalia of his authority in Egypt, but he knows them. He recognizes them pretty well and he speaks hard words to them at first, he wants to know their character. Are these the same despicable, have they changed? He wants to know their character and so he says, "Is there anymore? Is this all of you?" "Well, we have one brother," of course, not Joseph, that was his brother Benjamin. He loved Benjamin. He said, "One of you will stay, I want to prove that you are who you say and what you say is true. One of you will stay, the rest of you will go back take some food for your father but you will bring me that brother."
Now they're broken-hearted and they say amongst themselves, "See, see our sin has found us out. We should not have treated our brother so badly and now the day of reckoning has come." Meanwhile, of course, Joseph is hearing every word they say because he had been using an interpreter, they didn't know he spoke their language. Of course, as you know the story ended gloriously but it's the same idea, it's in the heart of man to recognize that. David knew something about his sin catching up to him. In fact, in Psalm 32:3-4, "When I kept silent about my sin my body wasted away through my groaning all day for day and night your hand was heavy."
C. God is faithful and just to forgive
This is a tremendous insight but see there is another truth that we must bring to bear. There is another great truth about God and that's this, that God is faithful and just to forgive. You want to see what we're talking about our sin. Be sure of this, he says, "Your sin will find you out," but let's be sure of something else. God is faithful and just to forgive. What if he didn't run from your sin at all? What if you took hold of it and brought it to the foot of the cross and asked Jesus to wash it by the blood of Christ? What if you did that because 1 John 1:8-9 gives a great truth. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all the unrighteousness."
Be sure of that he would say, it's another great promise, it's another great truth. You can't say sin will find you out unless you then bring to bear this great truth. God is faithful and just to forgive. He's the one who restores, He's the one who makes all things new. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creature." God is the one who makes all things new. All things passed away; new things have come. It's a tremendous understanding of the heart of God. It's that like that hymn, one of the most powerful hymns of the church.
There is a fountain filled with blood. Drawn from Immanuel's veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. It is a tremendous truth. There is a fountain filled with blood. Drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. This is a sure truth, God's giving that word to everyone here because he wants you to recognize that having that forgiven, giving you the new beginning is also an opportunity to move into deeper things.
God is saying, "Don't spiritually compromise anymore." I want you to take hold of this, He's giving you the forgiveness so that he then can move into deeper spiritual things in your life. Would you take hold? Would you move into deeper spiritual things? Father, thank you so much for your grace on our lives. Thank you for showing us such a wonderful and powerful truth. Lord, I pray for everyone tonight that we would take the offer of forgiveness and the offer of pressing in the spiritual deeper things and the offer of revival and the offer of spiritual power that our lives would make an impact.
Church, how many people would say tonight, "I want revival in my life. I want to have some fire. I want to catch fire in my soul. I want to make a difference in this world. I want to make a difference in the people around me. I want to have a fire in my life. I want there to be a revival, I want deeper things. I want deeper things"? How many people would say that tonight? Would you raise your hand to say to the Lord?
"I'm raising my hand, Lord, because I want you to see it. I want deeper things, I want revival, I want spiritual power, I want you to move in my life." Father thank you because you have touched us by your Spirit, and you've moved by your power upon us and we're so thankful for that revival that you bring about in our lives. The vision of making an impact to make a difference. God is the vision that we want for our lives. We want to be more like Jesus. We want to be more like you Lord in Jesus' powerful name, and everyone said. Can we give the Lord praise and glory and honor, amen tonight?