1/8/20

"THE BOOK OF DANIEL" Faith In The Face Of Fire (3:1-30) by Mark Copeland


"THE BOOK OF DANIEL"

Faith In The Face Of Fire (3:1-30)

INTRODUCTION

1. In Dan 1, we were introduced to three companions of Daniel:
   Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego...
   a. Like Daniel, they were young men taken from Judah into captivity
      and trained to serve before the king - Dan 1:6-7
   b. Like Daniel, they were blessed by God and impressed the king
      after their period of training - Dan 1:17-20

2. Dan 3 reveals more about the character of these three young men...
   a. In recounting an incident that has fascinated many, both young and old
   b. Like Dan 1, it illustrates the power of a strong faith in those
      who are young

[This inspiring story, which I like to call "Faith In The Face Of
Fire", begins by describing...]

I. THEIR TRIAL

   A. THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO IT...
      1. Nebuchadnezzar's image, and his command to worship it - Dan 3:
         1-7
      2. The accusation against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego- Dan 3:8-12
      3. The king's threat of the fiery furnace - Dan 3:13-15

   B. THE NATURE OF THEIR TRIAL...
      1. To save their situation
         a. They had been promoted over the affairs of Babylon - Dan 3:12
         b. They would lose their position as well as their lives
      2. To sacrifice their conscience
         a. All they needed to do was to conform outwardly
         b. Of course, that would have meant disobedience to God - Exo 20:4-5

   C. WE MAY FACE SIMILAR TRIALS TODAY...
      1. To save our situation, such as:
         a. Our popularity at school, by doing things our peers or
            teacher do not see wrong
         b. Our position at work, by doing that which our boss or
            company requires which may be illegal, unethical or immoral
      2. To sacrifice our conscience
         a. It would be easy to conform outwardly, to "go along with the crowd"
         b. But our conscience would condemn us, and so would God

[Likely we all have been tempted in some way like this.  How did we
react?  How should we have reacted?  How did Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-Nego react?  Let's consider...]

II. THEIR TESTIMONY

   A. THEY DEMONSTRATED FAITH...
      1. In the power of God - Dan 3:16-17
         a. That God was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace
         b. If it was His will
      2. In the will of God - Dan 3:18
         a. If it was God's will not to deliver it, so be it!
         b. They would still not worship other gods, nor the gold image!

   B. THEY DETERMINED TO SERVE GOD NO MATTER WHAT...
      1. Like Job in the midst of his affliction - Job 1:20-21; 13:15
      2. Like Habakkuk who would praise God even in suffering -Hab 3:17-19
      3. Like the apostles who rejoiced to suffer in His name - Ac 5:27-29
      4. Like Polycarp who offered this prayer as he was being burned
         at the stake:

        "O Lord God Almighty, the Father of Thy beloved and blessed
         Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the knowledge
         of Thee, the God of angels and powers and of all creation and
         of the whole race of the righteous, who live in Thy presence;

        "I bless Thee for that Thou hast granted me this day and hour,
         that I might receive a portion amongst the number of martyrs
         in the cup of Thy Christ unto resurrection of eternal life,
         both of soul and of body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit.

        "May I be received among these in Thy presence this day, as a
         rich and acceptable sacrifice, as Thou didst prepare and
         reveal it beforehand, and hast accomplished it, Thou that art
         the faithful and true God.

        "For this cause, yea and for all things, I praise Thee, I bless
         Thee, I glorify Thee, through the eternal and heavenly High
         Priest, Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, through whom with Him
         and the Holy Spirit be glory both now and for the ages to come. Amen.'
                                      - From The Martyrdom Of Polycarp

[Such examples are truly "Faith In The Face Of Fire"!  This is what it
means to have faith, trust, and commitment to the Lord.  What about our
own personal trials at school or work?  Have we been true to God, no
matter the cost?  Finally, consider...]

III. THEIR TRIUMPH

   A. THE REST OF THE CHAPTER REVEALS...
      1. How they were saved in the fiery furnace - Dan 3:19-25
      2. How Nebuchadnezzar was led to bless the true God - Dan 3:26-39

   B. CONSIDER WHAT THEIR TRIALS BROUGHT THEM...
      1. A new sense of freedom!
         a. They entered bound, but were soon seen "loose, walking"- Dan 3:23-25
         b. The very thing presumed to destroy them, enabled them to walk freely!
         c. So our own trials can be used to set us truly free! - Jm 1: 2-4; Ro 5:3-5
      2. A new source of fellowship!
         a. Note:  There was a fourth person in the fire! - Dan 3:25
         b. The identity of this fourth person is not certain
            1) Some think it was an angel
            2) Others believe it was a Christophany (a preincarnate
               appearance of Christ)
         c. Whichever, it suggested a closer communion and fellowship with God!
         d. So our trials can bring us closer to God
            1) As explained by the author of Hebrews - He 12:5-11
            2) As promised by Jesus Himself - Re 3:12,21; 7:13-17
      3. A new opportunity for service!
         a. They were promoted to even higher positions! - Dan 3:30
         b. Just as Joseph, who in his trials went:
            1) From slave to steward
            2) From prisoner to Pharaoh's second hand man!
         c. So our faithfulness in trials will lead to greater things!
            - Mt 25:21; Re 2:25-27

CONCLUSION

1. What a wonderful example of faith in these three young men!
   a. Committed to serving God, no matter the consequence
   b. Believing that God can bring deliverance, willing to accept death
      if He doesn't
   c. Demonstrating that faith in the face of fire can lead to greater things

2. Let's not overlook perhaps the most important outcome of this
   incident:  glory to God!
   a. Note the praise rendered by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
       - Dan 3:28-29
   b. So our faith (and works) should be to the praise of God - Mt 5:16

3. What kind of faith do we have?  Is it like a....
   a. Spare tire, used only in the case of an emergency?
   b. Wheelbarrow, easily upset and must be pushed?
   c. Bus, ridden only when it goes our way?

May our faith be like that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego,
committed to serving the Lord and demonstrating "Faith In The Face Of
Fire"!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

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Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Kyle Butt, M.Div.





Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.


Who could forget God’s promises to the “father of the faithful?” Not only would God bless all nations through Abraham and give his descendants the land upon which Abraham’s feet had trod, but God also would cause Abraham’s descendants to multiply so that they would be as countless as the stars of the sky. In Genesis 15:5, we read God’s promise to His friend Abraham: “Then He [God] brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ ” The prophet Jeremiah referred to a similar promise that God issued to David, in which He explained that the stars “cannot be numbered” (33:22). Indeed, that the stars are numberless comes as no surprise to those of us who have seen pictures taken from the Moon, or peered into other galaxies through million-dollar telescopes.
Yet, the idea that the stars could conceivably be counted remained firmly planted in the minds of some all the way up until the early 1900s. In chapter 12 of his exciting book, Why the Bible is Number One, Kenny Barfield catalogs a host of ancient, and not-so-ancient, personalities who attempted to count the stars. One such Greek astronomer, Hipparchus, almost two centuries before Christ, went on record in multiple ancient sources with figures anywhere from 800 to 1,080 for the total number of stars. Barfield sites other ancient writers such as Chang Hing, who put the number around 2,500 “not including those which the sailors observe.” The idea that the there existed a fairly small number of stars conceivably countable by humans was quite a prevalent notion.
It is humorous today to compare the actual estimated number of stars to those figures garnered from the ancients. With our modern knowledge we have estimated that there are over 25 sextillion stars (25 with 21 zeros after it)! Indeed, the Bible was correct when it commented that the stars “cannot be numbered.” And, even though the promises to Abraham and David were not uttered with scientific information as their primary concern, it is true that whenever the Bible speaks on such matters, it always is scientifically accurate. What else would we expect from the “Father of lights?”

REFERENCES

Barfield, Kenny (1997), Why the Bible is Number 1 (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock).

Tunneling For The Truth by Kyle Butt, M.Div.



Tunneling For The Truth

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.


Quite often, the Bible will make a very specific remark about a certain person, place, or thing that can be checked against historical and archaeological evidence. Such cases provide an excellent way to build up corroborative evidence in support of the Bible’s accuracy and inspiration. The book of 2 Kings relates the story of King Hezekiah, one of the few kings of ancient Judah who did “what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done” (2 Kings 18:3). Second Kings 20:20 lists a number of his achievements: “Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah—all his might, and how he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah.” We then read in 2 Chronicles 32:30 that “this same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.” These two verses provide us with a wonderful opportunity to verify the Old Testament’s accuracy. One would think that such a feat of aquatic engineering would leave behind some type of archaeological evidence as a memorial to this king. Is there any extra-biblical information to verify this story?
Indeed there is. Randall Price, in his fascinating book, The Stones Cry Out, catalogs amazing evidence to confirm the tunnel Hezekiah dug underneath the old city of Jerusalem. In fact, on page 267 Price includes a picture of his daughter standing in the actual tunnel. How Hezekiah carved this 1,750-foot tunnel through solid limestone remains a mystery, even today. However, in 1880, an inscription now known as the “Siloam Inscription” was discovered that helped fill in some of the blanks. Apparently, two crews of Hezekiah’s men, working with picks, tunneled from opposite ends, snaking through the limestone in an S-shaped style. How these two crews met in the middle without the aid of a modern compass or other such device is still unknown. However, the fact that Hezekiah built this tunnel leaves no mystery to uncover. Time and time again, the Bible “checks out,” and remains the most accurate and authoritative book ever written.

REFERENCE

Price, Randall (1997), The Stones Cry Out (Eugene, OR: Harvest House).

Too Much Activity on Day Six? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.




Too Much Activity on Day Six?

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

One of the reasons skeptics reject the validity of the biblical account of creation is because they find it impossible to believe that one man could name every single species of animal on the Earth in a single day. Considering there are only 86,400 seconds in a 24-hour period, we are told it is ridiculous to believe that an individual (who had never seen animals before the day he named them) could name several million species of animals in one day. Perhaps over a period of a few weeks he could accomplish such a task, but certainly not in a single day—right?
The problem with such objections to Genesis 2:18-20 is that they are based on assumptions. The question that skeptics often ask, “Could Adam have gathered and named all of the animals on the Earth in one day?,” is misleading because the Bible places certain restrictions on the animals Adam named. Consider the following.
  • Adam’s task did not include searching for and gathering all of God’s creatures. Rather, God “brought them” to him (Genesis 2:19). Likely this was in some sort of orderly fashion in order to reduce the amount of time and human energy necessary to complete the process.
  • Genesis 2:20 does not say that Adam named “all” of the animals on the Earth. The text actually says, “Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.” Excluded from this naming process were sea creatures and creeping things mentioned earlier in the creation narrative (cf. Genesis 1:21,25).
  • The beasts God brought to Adam are qualified by the descriptive phrase “of the field” (hassadeh). Although the precise limits of the term “field” are difficult to determine, it is possible that it refers only to those beasts living in Eden.
  • If the beasts of the field were limited to those animals within the boundaries of Eden, then livestock and birds could have been similarly limited. This would greatly reduce the number of animals involved in the naming process, since it is very unlikely that all created animals lived in Eden. [If so, Eden would have been quickly overrun and destroyed.]
  • Contrary to popular belief, Adam did not name millions of species of animals on day six (cf. Wells, 2001; McKinsey, 2000, p. 84). Genesis 1 states that the animals were created “ according to their kind(s)” (vs. 21), not species. The Bible was written long before man invented the modern Linnaean classification system. The “kinds” (Hebrew min) of animals Adam named on the sixth day of Creation were probably very broad—more like groups of birds and land animals rather than specific genera and species. Adam would have given animals general names like “turtle,” “dog,” or “elephant,” not special names like “pig-nosed soft-shell turtle” or “Alaskan Husky.” As Henry Morris has pointed out,
...the created kinds undoubtedly represented broader categories than our modern species or genera, quite possibly approximating in most cases the taxonomic family. Just how many kinds were actually there to be named is unknown, of course, but it could hardly have been as many as a thousand (1984, p. 129).
All of these textual considerations suggest that the events of day six could have been accomplished easily within a 24-hour period. Adam did not have to spend a great deal of time pondering what he would call each animal; he was created with the ability to speak and reason. If my two-year-old son can look at a book and call the names of 60 different kinds of animals in 60 seconds, I have no problem believing that Adam, having been created directly by the hand of God and made in His image (see Lyons and Thompson, 2002), had the ability to name hundreds (if not thousands) of birds and land animals in 3,600 seconds (just one hour!).

REFERENCES

Lyons, Eric and Bert Thompson (2002), “In the ‘Image and Likeness of God,’ ” Reason & Revelation, 22:17-32, March & April.
McKinsey, Dennis (2000), Biblical Errancy (Amherst, NY: Prometheus).
Morris, Henry (1984), The Biblical Basis for Modern Science (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).
Wells, Steve (2001), Skeptic’s Annotated Bible [On-line], URL: http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/1cor/index.html

THE METHOD FOR ENSURING CHURCH GROWTH BY STEVE FINNELL




THE METHOD FOR ENSURING CHURCH GROWTH BY STEVE FINNELL


The contemporary method for promoting church growth. 1. Do not preach doctrine that offends.  People want to feel good on Sunday morning. 2. Do not preach absolutes. Most consider absolutes as an exercise in arrogance.  3. Do not preach from the Bible and the Bible alone. Men do not like their opinions challenged. 4. Do not criticize denominational doctrine that is contrary to Scripture. Many honestly believe error is God's truth. 5. The most important thing to remember, do not preach the the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven. Jesus tried that and He was crucified.

A LIST OF DOCTRINES THAT INHIBIT CHURCH GROWTH.

1. Teaching that baptism [that is immersion in water] is essential for the forgiveness of sin. It will offend those who have been taught that men are saved by faith alone. It will offend those who were sprinkled as unbelieving infants.

2. Do not proclaim that Jesus is the only way to attain salvation. That will offend those who believe in universal salvation. It will make the ones who have an aversion to making any kind of judgment, very uncomfortable.

3. Do not teach that there is a place of eternal punishment called hell. Most people do not like to be badgered or frighten into believing God's truth.

The church of Christ of the first century had rapid church growth. How did that happen?

They taught the apostles doctrine. They did not teach from man-made creed books. They did not preach in order to please men.

The apostle Peter preached the gospel terms for pardon on the Day of Pentecost. Faith, Repentance, Immersion in Water. (Acts 2:22-41)

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (NKJV)

The terms of pardon were not changed after the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:47 ...And the Lord added to church daily those who were being saved. (NKJV)

It does not say the Lord added the saved to the Roman Catholic Church daily. 

Acts 5:14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord,  multitudes of both men and women. (NKJV)

Believer were added to the Lord, they were not added to the denomination of their choice.

Acts 6:7 And the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.(NKJV)

It does not say many priests became obedient to the faith because God forced them to believe so they could be saved by grace only.

Acts 9:31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in fear of the Lord and comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.(NKJV)

It does not say they were multiplied because they were hearing a health and wealth gospel being preached.

Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. (NKJV)

A great number did not turned to the Lord because they had a great youth programs and interesting things to keep the senior saints happy. They did not turn to the Lord because Sunday worship was highly entertaining.


Acts 16:4-5 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem 5. So the churches were strengthened in faith, and increased in numbers daily.(NKJV)

The churches did not increase in numbers because they received the latest edict from the Pope, the denominational board, man-made creed books or from reading the extra-Biblical books written by the great preachers of their day

Acts 12:24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.(NKJV)

The word of John Calvin, Billy Graham, Martin Luther, Max Lucado, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, and Joyce Meyer did not grow and multiply.

What kind of church growth is pleasing to God?


Pure Religion: Helping The Needy by B. Johnson




Pure Religion: Helping The Needy


“Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Pro 31:9).
A necessary characteristic of those who seek to have pure religion is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. “Pure religion and undefiled before (the) God and the Father is this, to visit (Strong's #1980 - literally to inspect) the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
The Lord greatly honored a sister whose primary work was to help the needy in her community. “Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them” (Acts 9:36-39). Notice that the ones who cared most were the ones Dorcas had helped.
The great thing about Cornelius is that he feared God, cared for the needy and prayed to God. “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God” (Acts 10:1-4).
Note that the thing that pleased the Lord most in this case was his compassion on the needy. What would happen if all of us were like this? Widows and orphans have many discouragements, and who knows if the Lord will use us to help them?
“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (Pro 19:17).
“He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse”
(Pro 28:27).


Beth Johnson

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The King James Version.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

A poem, a problem and a possibility by Gary Rose


The Blind Man of John Nine

A blind man sat at his own begging post
When one day there among the peopled host
Came a teacher with His disciples few
To change his life as no one else could do


The disciples questioned about his state
Did sin bring about what was on his plate?
Sins of his parents or his own to blame?
“Neither” says Jesus they are not the same


He would serve a purpose, sightless you see
That would show Christ’s power to set him free
The works of God would be so clearly seen
His blindness as if it had never been


Imagine your eyes dabbed with spit and clay
And the abuse you suffer on the way
Searching for the pool to complete His will
And washing and seeing, beyond a thrill


The greater miracle’s yet to unfold
To stand with Jesus and Him to behold
His faith grew with each challenge they would pose
The harder they pushed, the higher it rose


Out of the synagogue he was soon sent
Exalting Jesus is what caused the rent
That act of expulsion opened the door
For seeing Jesus as never before


His opened eyes allowed him to behold
The One who gave him sight worth more than gold
His spiritual eyesight led him to more
As he worshiped the Lord he did adore.

--Brian V. Sullivan, January 7, 2020--


I enjoyed this poem that I found on Facebook so much that I just had to share it with you. Below is the text that it is based upon…


John 9 ( World English Bible )
[1] As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [3] Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him. [4] I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. [5] While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” [6] When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, [7] and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing. [8] The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?” [9] Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.” He said, “I am he.” [10] They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?” [11] He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.” [12] Then they asked him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”
[13] They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees. [14] It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. [15] Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.” [16] Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them. [17] Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
[18] The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight, [19] and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” [20] His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; [21] but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.” [22] His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. [23] Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”
[24] So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” [25] He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.” [26] They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” [27] He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?” [28] They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. [29] We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.” [30] The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. [31] We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.* Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 15:29; 28:9 [32] Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” [34] They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.
[35] Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” [36] He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?” [37] Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.” [38] He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him. [39] Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” [40] Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” [41] Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.


Imagine you saw Jesus actually perform this miracle; would you believe; the blind man (who became sighted) did, but the Pharisees did not. The difference- The realization of a need to have forgiveness of sin and that Jesus is just the man to do it. I wonder, do you see what I’m saying? More importantly, do you see what Jesus is (verse 41)?