An Extraordinary Request and Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways

Extraordinary Request

When you think of great prayer requests in Scripture, what comes to mind? Joshua’s request to God for the sun to stand still at Gibeon so Israel could rout their enemies? Jabez’s prayer for God to bless him and increase his borders? Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance in the face of the Assyrians? The options are endless. And at least a couple of these have been coopted as formulaic means for unlocking blessing in your life, which is probably not the wisest approach to them. But what other great requests? What about this request in Matthew 6:9–10:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Is this not the most earth-shaking request that could possibly be made?! Father, may your name be made holy in all the earth, and may your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven. What an colossal request—that all the earth would recognize the holiness of God and that God’s kingdom would break out from eternity and break into creation, invading all of earth with God’s will!? This must be the greatest request in all of Scripture. Could this possibly happen? Will this actually happen? (Spoiler Alert) Yes. If you skip ahead to the end of your Bible, you will find this in Revelation 21:1–4:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Simply stunning. What, then, are we to do in the meantime? What do we do in anticipation of such an earth-shaking request? How do we participate in this coming reality now? What do we do? We do ordinary things in ordinary ways.

 

Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways

Given this awesome reality, given that we sit on this freight train called creation and time that is charging toward this extraordinary end, does it surprise you that I say we should busy ourselves with doing some very ordinary things? Well, just consider what follows this extraordinary prayer request in Matthew 6:11–13.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

This prayer, then, could sound something like this.

“Father, in light of this extraordinary, amazing request that your name will be hallowed in all the earth, that your kingdom and your will would come crashing into and cover the earth just like in heaven, will you

  • Provide my food for me today on my lunch break, and please give me something to eat for dinner too.
  • Also, help me to see, believe in, and depend on the life you offer in Jesus, the bread of life, when I go to the Word today.
  • And please forgive my sins. Especially for lashing out in anger earlier, and for caring too much about money, and for my self-absorption and pride that causes me to criticize and manipulate my wife (or husband), children, that guy I work with, and for my laziness, and for my obsession with everything but you.
  • Also, help me to forgive my wife (or husband), my coworker, my friend, that one guy who doesn’t like me very much, when they wrong me, and help me not hold a grudge like I am prone to do.
  • Also, God, please keep me from those things that tempt me so much—anger, lust, pride, coveting, spending too much time on social media. These things end up turning my heart toward evil.
  • So please, I’m asking that you would keep me from evil and the evil one who prowls around seeking to destroy me.”

What do we do in the midst of these extraordinary realities of the inevitable kingdom of God? (1) Depend on God for our ordinary, everyday physical and spiritual provisions, (2) confess and repent of sin, (3) forgive others’ sin, and (4) turn away from sin and evil in dependance on God. You could categorize these broadly as (1) depending on God to provide and (2) fighting sin.

These are some of the most basic, ordinary things we are called to do as Christians. Yet, this is God’s will in the midst of his coming kingdom.

 

God’s Will

(1) Depending on God to Provide

Depending on God for our daily physical and spiritual provisions is his will, because it indicates our belief and trust in his sovereignty, care, and sureness of his coming kingdom. Perhaps that’s why only a few verses later we read this in Matthew 6:31–33:

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

This is normal, ordinary dependence on God for daily physical food. But this is also, normal, ordinary dependence on God for spiritual food. John 6:29, 35:

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent… Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

We depend on God to provide our physical and spiritual needs. And then we actively go to the pantry and grab some cereal, and we actively come to Jesus in the Word and prayer in dependence that he will give us grace and mercy to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

 

(2) Fighting Sin

Depending on God in this way leads to God’s name being made holy in all the earth because his name is made holy in individual lives—your life. Depending on God in this way leads to his will being done on earth just as it is in heaven. And this dependence on God characterizes our fight against sin. First Thessalonians 4:3 begins this way:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification:

God’s will for your life is your sanctification. Now in this context, the specific sin in view is sexual sin, but this is a concept that applies to all sins. We depend on God’s grace and mercy for when we do sin. And so we actively confess and repent. And we depend on God to keep us from being tempted beyond our ability and to always provide of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). And so we use wisdom and actively seek to avoid and put up safeguards against the things that might tempt us. And we depend on God to keep us from evil and our adversary, the devil. So we actively renounce his ways and pray for God’s authority over him to come to bear on our lives. This is seemingly basic, ordinary Christianity. We depend on God and so we actively fight sin.

 

Conclusion

As Christians, we are aware of and participate in the most extraordinary realities. God’s eternal name, his kingdom, and his will shall all come to bear on this earth. Heaven will flood the earth, and God will dwell with us. And, God wills ordinary rhythmic disciplines of grace—active dependence on God for physical and spiritual provision, confessing of and repenting of sin, forgiving others’ sins, and turning away from evil—as one of the primary means to bring this about. I confess I was partly inspired to write this specific post because I have recently been listening to a new album called Ordinary Ways by John Guerra. In that album, Guerra hits on this very reality. One lyric in his song titled, “Thank You, Lord” is especially fitting:

Daily bread

Daily breath

Ordinary

Faithfulness

Christ in me

More and more

Let it be

Thank You, Lord

Through seemingly ordinary things in seemingly ordinary ways, God makes us look more and more like his Son, Jesus. In doing so, God grants this extraordinary request that his name would be hallowed, that his kingdom would come, and that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. And, what we’ll discover in the end, is that none of this is very ordinary at all.

Do You Know the Scriptures and the Power of God?

Do you know the Scriptures and the power of God?

Matthew 22 records Jesus’ interaction with the Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. These opponents speak of a woman who had been married successively to seven brothers, each of whom died, then ask: “In the resurrection … of the seven, whose wife will she be?” (Matthew 22:28) Through this story, they suppose they have shown the resurrection of the dead to be absurd: A woman can’t be married to seven men simultaneously, as she would be if they all were resurrected!

Jesus responds: “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). He goes on to show that the Old Testament Scriptures teach the resurrection of the dead, and thus God has power over death.

Let’s consider Jesus’ statement more broadly: Why do we need to know both the Scriptures and the power of God?

Consider first those who know the Scriptures but not the power of God. That is, they have studied Scripture, they may have memorized much Scripture, they may know the original languages, they may be familiar with commentaries and grammar and the history of interpretation – but they do not know God’s power. They do not believe that He is sovereign, that He is a Redeemer, that He is the Judge.

The Sadducees were somewhat like that, as Jesus brings out Matthew 22:31. He says: “Have you not read what was said to you by God,” and then quotes Exodus 3:6, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” God originally spoke those words to Moses – but Jesus says God spoke them also “to you,” to the Sadducees.

The point: God spoke all Scripture to you! He spoke all Scripture to me! And unless we read the Scriptures that way, we do not know them – even if we can quote the entire Bible from memory.

So when you read Scripture:

  • If you primarily think, “That sheds light on the customs and beliefs of Jews two thousand years ago,” you haven’t heard Scripture correctly.
  • If you primarily think, “That’s a key statement in the historical development of worldwide religious thought,” you haven’t heard Scripture correctly.
  • Even if you primarily think, “Boy, my friend really needs to hear and apply that truth,” you haven’t heard Scripture correctly.

Now, all those statements may be true. But God speaks the words of Scripture to you! So hear them that way! Plead for insight into them. Conform your mind to them. Submit your actions to them.

Second, consider those who know the power of God but not the Scriptures. They may be impressed by the majesty of creation and ascribe that to a Creator. They may have prayed for the healing of a loved one – and it happened! They may witness natural disasters and believe that a god controls them.

Such knowledge, however, often results in thinking of God as a genie in the bottle (I rub the bottle, make my three wishes, and – voila! – I get what I want!), or as a random, dangerous force I need to bargain with and appease (“Here, I’ll offer you this worship and this contribution if you’ll refrain from harming me”).

Only from Scripture can we know of both God’s power and His redeeming love, of both His justice and His saving grace, of both the power of temptation and the greater power of His life-giving Spirit, of both the dangers of this present age and the security we have in Jesus, of both death as the last enemy and Jesus’ victory over death.

So, once again: Do you know the Scriptures and the power of God? Commit yourself to knowing both. Only in this way can we be “imitators of God, as beloved children, … walk[ing] in love” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

3 Cautions on Christian Nationalism

 

Was America founded on Christianity? The answer to this question may depend on your view of our nation’s history, our founding documents, or the personal beliefs of the founding fathers themselves. Recently many have begun to ask a slightly different but more important question, a question rooted in our future aspirations and not in the intentions and deeds of our past. As a believer should we support Christian Nationalism? Should the believers in a risen Christ who is supreme over all things want our nations laws, governance, identity and culture to be overtly Christian? While this idea seems good and even wise we should be cautious to embrace this idea outright not because some aspects of the ideology wouldn’t be good for all people but because our call is to put our hope and trust in Christ alone and the finished work that he has already completed. Below are 3 cautions regarding Christian Nationalism.

Laws can be a witness to our our own sinfulness but righteous laws cannot redeem.

Laws do not have the power to save

As Paul writes in Romans 1:16 it is the gospel of Christ that has the power to save us from the wrath of God. Even if a nations laws were perfect in every way we would still be no closer to the miracle of salvation that we receive when we put our hope the Gospel of a Christ. To be clear, we should want laws that are just, fair, and reflect the character of God. Laws can be a witness to our our own sinfulness but righteous laws cannot redeem. In fact Jesus himself often rebuked the Pharisees for outward displays of righteousness while being disobedient and having hearts that were far from God. Becuase our own fallen nature we could expect that our aspirations toward Christian Nationalism would have a similar effect on us. Too much focus on our laws resulting in us losing focus on the law giver who is eager to overlook our transgressions.

Our hope is in the finished work of Christ alone, we look to a future kingdom where God will reign and our ability to love and enjoy him fully will no longer be marred by our own sin and shortcomings.

Our hope is not in a Nation but in a risen Savior

As Christian’s we are encouraged to see ourselves as sojourners whose citizenship and identity is not  on this earth but in the heavenly kingdom that God has promised and prepared for us (Philippians 3:20, 1 Peter 2:1-11). However, Christian Nationalism tempts us to put our hope in the here and now, it would demand that we marry our eternal hope of the future with the political expediency today. These two things are ultimately incompatible.  Our hope is in the finished work of Christ alone, we look to a future kingdom where God will reign and our ability to love and enjoy him fully will no longer be marred by our own sin and shortcomings. This is our ultimate hope and we will get there through perserverance, prayer, and trust in the promises of God. Christian Nationalism may seem like a means to the same end but it is more likely to shift our hope away from the person of Christ altogether.

we can create a Christian nation by relying on the Gospel of Christ to create a nation of Christians

Christ resisted Christian Nationalism

We can alsongain some insight from the Gospel of John. After miraculously feeding the multitude with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, the people were amazed so much so that wanted to make Jesus king “by force.” This was Jesus’ opportunity to have a nation on earth and he rejected it (John 6:1-15). This could have been a people and nation with Jesus governing all laws, culture, and identities but he flatly refused. There should be no doubt in our minds about how great this would have been for the people of that day. Jesus would have been a just and righteous King. His decrees would have wise and effective, his military could have deployed angels and unimaginable power. He would have been the model of for Kingship and Governmental authority, but he refused. He refused not because it would not have been good but becuase our deepest needs were meet by him embracing his cross and not an earthly kingdom.

All Christians should want Christ to be glorified in every aspect of life even in our government (1 Corinthians 10:31) but the way this happens is not through state sponsored religion. Instead we can create a Christian nation by relying on the Gospel of Christ to create a nation of Christians. May the power of God be with us to this end and may he use all earhtly means even our nation itself to bring about his will.

Tell the Next Generation

Every time we share the gospel with a family member at a holiday gathering, with a neighbor while we’re mowing the lawn, with a stranger on our daily commute, or even with our own children at bedtime devotionals, we are heralding to them the deeds of our great God. In this way, we pass the gospel to another generation. In Psalm 44 we see this pattern. Psalm 44 begins this way:

Psalms 44:1—O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:

This is how the gospel has perpetuated throughout the centuries: one generation telling the next. Indeed, the gospel is only ours to pass on to another generation because someone first passed it on to us—and someone passed it to them and so on and so forth. This is our gospel legacy. We have the privilege of passing on to the next generation the story of God’s greatest deed that he performed in the days of old in the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we do this, we follow in the pattern that Psalm 44 describes.

 

Psalm 44 in Context

In Psalm 44, the Psalmist isn’t heralding the explicit gospel of Jesus Christ in the historical sense, due to the fact that Jesus had yet to walk the earth when this Psalmist penned these words. However, Psalm 44 does point to, anticipate, and prophetically prefigure the gospel of Jesus Christ. Did you notice the colon at the end of verse 1? That tells us that the Psalmist is about to describe the deeds of God that he is referring to. Consider those deeds.

Psalms 44:2–3 describe God’s deeds in the days of old, when God delivered the promised land to his people, the future kingdom of their nation, by routing all their enemies. God “drove out nations” before his people, and he “planted” his people. God “afflicted the peoples” but he set his people free. The psalmist sums all this up in salvific terms. His people did not “save” themselves, but God did by his own “right hand, [his] arm, and the light of [his] face.” Why? Because he delighted in them.

In light of this past grace of God, the Psalmist then raises up his petition for God to again save his covenant people. Indeed, he frames the entire rest of the Psalm, vv. 4–26, with a plea for God to work his salvation again: “You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!” (Psalm 44:4) and “Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”

 

The Gospel in Psalm 44

This salvation that the Psalmist longs for, Christ fulfills. Jesus is the Israel that Israel should have been. Jesus secured for us the eternal kingdom—what the promised land pointed to. And he did it by being “rejected” in his people’s place (Psalm 44:9). He did it by becoming a “sheep for slaughter” (Psalm 44:11), by becoming “the taunt of [his] neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around [him]” (Psalm 44:13), even though he had “not forgotten [God] and [he] was not false to [God’s] covenant” (Psalm 44:17). He became the curse for us (Galatians 3:13). And God did not “abandon [his] soul to Sheol or let [his] holy one see corruption” (Psalm 16:10; cf. Acts 2:27–31). Therefore, in Christ, God helps us and redeems us because he delights in us as his people united to Christ (Psalm 44:26). This is the gospel, God’s greatest deed of salvation and redemption.

 

Telling God’s Greatest Deed of Old

So we still follow this same pattern of the Psalmist. We now tell of the greatest deed of old that God has done. God sent his Son, God incarnated, wrapped in human flesh, in order to save all who believe in him—to give them eternal life (John 3:16). He accomplished this in his perfect life, death, and resurrection. This is the deed we speak of when we share the gospel. This is what we pass on to the coming generation. And we herald this past deed of grace, the gospel of Jesus, with a view to and in anticipation of God’s future grace.

Because of what Jesus has done, and because of what he is still doing from the throne room in heaven, we endure the trials and reproach that this life throws our way, knowing that we are awaiting the heavenly city, the city that is to come, whose designer and builder is God (Heb 11:10; 13:14). We look to the day when we will see “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God”, when we will hear that clarion call: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3). This is what God’s greatest deed in the gospel of Jesus has secured for us.

 

Conclusion

We have the privilege of passing on to the next generation the story of God’s greatest deed that he performed in the days of old in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have heard this great deed from the generation before us, and we aim to pass it on to the next. We have heard, and we will tell. And we do it all with a view to eternity with God.

Something Greater than Jonah

In my most recent sermon, I preached through Mark 4:35–41—the narrative of Jesus calming the great storm. I pointed out that Mark intentionally shows that this entire event parallels Jonah’s own stormy experience in Jonah 1. Thus, Mark’s narrative of Jesus calming the storm fills out what Jesus proclaims about himself in Matthew 12:41: “Something greater than Jonah is here.” A question comes to mind: What exactly does it mean that Jesus is the one greater than Jonah?

I unpacked this reality some in the sermon, and I aim to unpack it more here. In short, when we dig into the relevant texts, we find that Jesus is the greater Jonah in two ways. First, Jesus is the greater Jonah in that he prophetically proclaims God’s word of salvation through repentance in perfect obedience to God and with genuine, loving desire to see the lost come to salvation. Second, Jesus is the greater Jonah in that he ensures that the prophetic word will have saving effect by willingly and obediently sacrificing himself for the sins of those to whom he preaches repentance. We arrive at this by looking at the parallels and contrasts between Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1:1–16, in their respective contexts. These parallels and contrasts between Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1:1–16 sing forth this undeniable tune: Jesus is the greater Jonah. First, consider the parallels.

 

Greater Jonah: Parallels of Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1:1–16 in Context

Word to the Gentiles

God instructs Jonah to take a prophetic word to Nineveh, the Assyrians—a Gentile people (Jonah 1:1–2). Likewise, Jesus is headed to minister in the region of the Gerasenes, a predominantly Gentile region (Mark 4:35; 5:1).

Great Storms

In both accounts, a great storm of wind and cresting waves threaten to sink the respective ships. In Jonah 1:4, “the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” In Mark 4:37, “a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling.”

Great Fear

Both the crew in Jonah 1:5 and Jesus’ disciples in Mark 4:35–41 react to the storm with fear.

Deep Sleepers

In the midst of these great storms, both Jonah and Jesus are sleeping and have to be awakened (Mark 4:38; cf. Jonah 1:5–6).

“Cease” the Storm

The mariners in Jonah 1:11–12 wonder how it is they can get the sea to “quiet down” or “cease” (κοπάζω). This is the very thing that Jesus causes to happen in Mark 4:39 where upon his command “the wind ceased (κοπάζω)”.

Immediate Halt to the Storm

Once the mariners in Jonah 1:15 hurl Jonah into the sea, the storm comes to an immediate halt. In Mark 4:39, at Jesus’ command, the storm likewise comes to an immediate halt.

“Great fear” of the Lord

Finally, and most compellingly, once the storm ceases in both narratives the witnesses are “filled with great fear” (The language in the original Greek shows a clear lexical connection: Mark 4:41—ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν; Jonah 1:16— ἐφοβήθησαν…φόβῳ μεγάλῳ). And that great fear in both accounts is fear of the LORD. In Jonah, “the men feared the LORD exceedingly” (Jonah 1:16), and in Mark, the disciples fear Jesus, the Lord, and wonder “Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him” (Mark 4:41).

So the parallels are obvious. But the real payoff comes from noting the contrasts between these narratives in their wider contexts in light of these parallels.

 

Greater Jonah: Contrasts of Mark 4:35–41 and Jonah 1:1–16 in Context

Jonah, the Reluctant, Disobedient Prophet of Repentance : Jesus the Willing, Perfectly Obedient Prophet of Repentance

Jonah flees the LORD in disobedience to his assigned prophetic task, which is to deliver God’s word of impending judgment to sinful, wicked Nineveh (Jonah 1:1–3, 10). Such a prophetic word implies the need to believe God and repent (Jonah 3:5). Jesus, on the other hand, obediently proclaims the word of the coming kingdom of God and repentance (Mark 1:14–15).

Jonah’s Helplessness to Stop the Storm : Jesus’ Authority to Stop the Storm

Jonah is helpless to stop the storm. And the storm only ceases when Jonah is passively sacrificed by being thrown into the sea. Jesus, on the other hand, causes the storm to cease by his perfect, divine authority.

 Jonah is Sacrificed to  Save Others from God’s Judgment Due to His Disobedience : Jesus Sacrifices Himself to Save Others from God’s Judgment Due to their Disobedience

In Jonah, the storm is God’s judgment due to Jonah’s disobedience. Thus, Jonah’s entire sacrifice to save others was in the context of judgment for his disobedience. Ultimately, Jesus too sacrifices himself to save others from God’s judgment. But unlike Jonah, Jesus saves others from God’s judgment due to their disobedience not his. Indeed, Jesus sacrifices himself (1) in perfect obedience to God, and (2) for the disobedience of those others.

Jonah Proclaims God’s Word but Cannot Effect Salvation : Jesus Proclaims God’s Word and Effects Salvation by his Work on the Cross

Jonah proclaims God’s prophetic word to Nineveh, but does nothing to grant their repentance or effect their salvation. Jesus proclaims God’s prophetic word to the lost, and by his sacrifice ransoms his people (Mark 10:45). He not only proclaims the word but he grants repentance and effects salvation through the cross and resurrection.

Jonah Begrudges Repentance of the Lost and God’s Mercy Toward Them : Jesus Loves the Lost and Generously Offers Repentance and God’s Mercy to Them

Jonah begrudgingly proclaims the word and grows angry when it leads to repentance (Jonah 4:1). Jesus, loves those he calls to repentance, and he generously distributes mercy to them and gives his life to save them (Mark 5:20; 10:21, 45).

 

Jesus is the Greater Jonah for our Joy

Thus, the contrasts between Jonah’s narrative and Mark 4:35–41 in light of the parallels point to this: Jesus is the greater Jonah. Jesus is the greater Jonah in that he prophetically proclaims God’s word of salvation through repentance in perfect obedience to God and with a loving desire to see the lost come to salvation. And, Jesus is the greater Jonah in that he ensures that the word will have saving effect. He does so by sacrificing himself not for his own disobedience but for the sins and disobedience of others under God’s judgment. And just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, so too was Jesus for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And as Jonah seemingly came back to life from a watery grave, Jesus truly rose to new life and did not see corruption. Now Jesus dwells in God’s joy-filled presence having secured the salvation of his people. And Jesus will bring his saved people back to God to experience that very same divine joy he enjoys now (Psalm 16:10–11; 1 Peter 3:18). What does it mean that Jesus is the greater Jonah? It means our perfect joy.

 

 

Loving Jesus Through Poetry

I spent last week with my 96-year-old mother. In the midst of fading memory, she remembers Jesus, she remembers the Gospel – and she remembers poems and hymns that speak of Him and His Gospel. I tried to encourage those memories through singing with her, through listening to hymns and spiritual songs with her – and, for the first time in years, reading poetry with her. My main resource for poetry was A Sacrifice of Praise, edited by James Trott (2nd Edition, Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).

Here are two public domain poems from that collection. The first is related to our present Wednesday morning online study, Love Jesus’ Return. I vaguely recall singing this hymn on occasion growing up. The second – by Joseph Hart, author of “Come Ye Sinners” – is a dialogue between a Gospel-speaking believer and his distressed “soul.” Note the structure: The speaker in the first seven verses rotates between the believer and his soul. In the eighth verse, the distressed soul speaks the first four lines, the believer the last four. In the ninth verse, the speakers alternate every two lines, while in the final verse, the speakers alternate every line.

Read these – and, like my mother, delight in Jesus and His Gospel!

The Second Advent by Thomas Kelly (1809)

Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious:
See the Man of Sorrows now;
From the fight returned victorious,
Every knee to Him shall bow;
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crowns become the Victor’s brow,
Crowns become the Victor’s brow.

Crown the Savior! angels, crown Him;
Rich the trophies Jesus brings;
In the seat of power enthrone Him,
While the vault of heaven rings;
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown the Savior King of kings,
Crown the Savior King of kings.

Sinners in derision scorned Him,
Mocking thus the Savior’s claim;
Saints and angels crowd around Him,
Own His title, praise His name;
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown Him, crown Him,
Spread abroad the Victor’s fame,
Spread abroad the Victor’s fame.

Hark, those bursts of acclamation!
Hark, those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown Him, crown Him,
King of kings and Lord of lords!
King of kings and Lord of lords!

A Dialogue Between a Believer and His Soul by Joseph Hart (1759)  

1 Come, my soul, and let us try,
For a little season,
Every burden to lay by;
Come, and let us reason.
What is this that casts thee down?
Who are those that grieve thee?
Speak, and let the worst be known;
Speaking may relieve thee.

2 O I sink beneath the load
Of my nature’s evil!
Full of enmity to God;
Captived by the devil;
Restless as the troubled seas;
Feeble, faint, and fearful;
Plagued with every sore disease;
How can I be cheerful?

3 Think on what thy Saviour bore
In the gloomy garden,
Sweating blood at every pore,
To procure thy pardon!
See him stretched upon the wood,
Bleeding, grieving, crying,
Suffering all the wrath of God,
Groaning, gasping, dying!

4 This by faith I sometimes view,
And those views relieve me;
But my sins return anew;
These are they that grieve me.
Oh! I’m leprous, stinking, foul,
Quite throughout infected;
Have not I, if any soul,
Cause to be dejected?

5 Think how loud thy dying Lord
Cried out, “It is finished!”
Treasure up that sacred word,
Whole and undiminished;
Doubt not he will carry on,
To its full perfection,
That good work he has begun;
Why, then, this dejection?

6 Faith when void of works is dead;
This the Scriptures witness;
And what works have I to plead,
Who am all unfitness?
All my powers are depraved,
Blind, perverse, and filthy;
If from death I’m fully saved,
Why am I not healthy?

7 Pore not on thyself too long,
Lest it sink thee lower;
Look to Jesus, kind as strong –
Mercy joined with power;
Every work that thou must do,
Will thy gracious Saviour
For thee work, and in thee too,
Of his special favour.

8 Jesus’ precious blood, once spilt,
I depend on solely,
To release and clear my guilt;
But I would be holy.
He that bought thee on the cross
Can control thy nature;
Fully purge away thy dross;
Make thee a new creature.

9 That he can I nothing doubt,
Be it but his pleasure.
Though it be not done throughout,
May it not in measure?
When that measure, far from great,
Still shall seem decreasing?
Faint not then, but pray and wait,
Never, never ceasing.

10 What when prayer meets no regard?
Still repeat it often.
But I feel myself so hard.
Jesus will thee soften.
But my enemies make head.
Let them closer drive thee.
But I’m cold, I’m dark, I’m dead.
Jesus will revive thee.

The Kingdom of God in Psalms from Beginning to End

God’s eternal kingdom and his eternal reign in Psalms is hard to miss. Consider:

Psalm 9:8— But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice…

Psalm 10:16— The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.

Psalm 45:7— Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

Psalm 47:8–9— For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

Psalm 95:3— For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 103:19— The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 145:13— Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.

And this is just a small sampling—a taste.

In light of this, have you ever noticed how Psalms begins and ends? Psalms literally begins and ends with God reigning over his kingdom through his Son the King. As we read with the grain of the Psalms, this wonderful reality moves us to praise our God who reigns forever.

 

The Beginning of Psalms

Psalm 1 and 2 are wildly recognized as the introduction to the book of Psalms, and therefore they should be taken together. Psalm 1 describes the righteous man who delights perfectly in God’s law. Psalm 1 begins with “Blessed is the man.” Psalm 2 describes God’s Son, his Anointed, the King, whom he has set on Zion to rule over the nations. Psalm 2 ends with “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” This intentional framing of Psalm 1 and 2 with promised blessing intends to reveal that the blessed man of Psalm 1 is God’s royal Son, the King in Psalm 2. Therefore, those who take refuge in this king, the righteous one will be blessed.[1]

 

Jesus is the Righteous Man of Psalm 1, the King of Psalm 2

We know this promised king to be Jesus, our resurrected Lord. The saints in Acts 4:23–31 recognized Psalm 2 to be about Jesus. And Peter in Acts 2 makes clear, that Jesus was the promised Son of David, the Messiah and King, who lives forever and sits at God’s right hand until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet (Acts 2:22–36; see Psalm 16:8–11; 110:1).

So Psalms begins with a proclamation of God’s eternal kingdom and his King who will reign from Zion, and all who take refuge in him will be blessed. Jesus is that King. Therefore, this prophecy is for us—we are those who have sought refuge in the King of Zion. Well, if this is how the Psalms begins, how does it end?

 

The End of Psalms

Psalms ends with five Psalms of praise to God for who he is and all his works throughout history (Psalm 146–150). David himself leads into these five Psalms of praise with this declaration in Psalm 145:1:

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

Psalm 149, then, begins to close out the entire book by picking up with where Psalm 1 and 2 left off. It exhorts “the assembly of the godly”, the saints, “the children of Zion” to “rejoice in their King” (Psalm 149:1–2), to “Sing to the LORD a new song” (Psalm 149:1). Who then are these saints? Who are these children of Zion? They are all those who took refuge in the blessed, righteous man of Psalm 1. They are those who took refuge in God’s King of Psalm 2, who sits “on Zion my (God’s) holy hill” (Psalm 2:6). They are those who have taken refuge in Jesus. So when God ultimately executes his justice on all his enemies and the enemies of his people at the return of Jesus the King, these godly ones are blessed and honored; therefore they praise the LORD (Psalm 149:9). Indeed, they are the redeemed who will stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion and sing “a new song” before the throne of God (Revelation 14:1–3; see Psalm 149:1).

 

Praise God

Psalms begins and ends with God reigning over his kingdom through his Son the King. Psalms lays out for us a royal roadmap. It reveals the trajectory of all of history. God has established his kingdom in his Son, the King, Jesus. Those who take refuge in him are and will be his children, children of Zion, when his kingdom comes in its fullness at Christ’s return. Until then, we sing and praise God our King now, just as Psalm 150 exhorts us to:

 

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with sounding cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

 

Amen. Praise the Lord.

[1] See Jason S. DeRouchie, “Lect 19-Psalms” (Jason S. DeRouchie 2022: 6) at https://jasonderouchie.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Lect-19-Psalms.pdf

Let Us Pray: Help in Prayer from D.A. Carson’s “Praying with Paul”

Praying can often be challenging in many ways. Simply finding time to pray once throughout the day can be elusive, let alone trying to find and establish a rhythm of prayer. We find our time in prayer comes in fits and starts and often looks random as opposed to regular and rhythmic. Then once we do start praying, we find that our mind tends to wonder to-and-fro to the point that we often can’t even remember what it is we’ve already prayed for or haven’t prayed for yet. What is the remedy? One very helpful and encouraging resource for building a regular rhythm of prayer in one’s life is D.A. Carson’s Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation.

The Introduction and first two chapters alone are a treasure trove of practical and biblical wisdom. First, Carson identifies the immense value of prayer. Then he offers some practical steps to help us start praying and to help us drown out the noise of everyday. And then he offers insight into building a biblical framework that helps guide our prayers. This practical wisdom helps eliminate distractions and the biblical wisdom informs and streamlines our prayers so that we pray in the Spirit, in accord with the heart of God as revealed by Scripture.

 

The Need for Prayer

We will not ever prioritize prayer or ever establish a rhythm of prayer in our lives if we do not recognize the immeasurable value of prayer. Carson notes, “The most urgent need of the church in the Western world is the need to pray.”[1] Carson acknowledges the swath of other areas the church needs to address and be prepared to respond to (Issues like overwhelming biblical illiteracy, cultural moral decay, the sexual revolution, the rise of cultural intolerance for those disagreeing with majority cultural virtues, unreached and unchurched people groups, etc.). However, he maintains “the one thing we most urgently need is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better.”[2] And what is one of the primary ways in which we grow in our intimate knowledge of God? How do we know God better? We pray.

“One of the foundational steps in knowing God, and one of the basic demonstrations that we do know God is prayer—spiritual, persistent, biblically minded prayer.”[3]

So once we recognize its value, then the next natural step is to engage in the practice of prayer itself.

 

Practical Steps for Prayer

I once had a track coach who offered powerful wisdom for improving one’s running ability and speed. He could often be heard saying to us unfit, ailing, frustrated wannabe track stars, “Do you want to know how you become a better, faster runner? You run.” In chapter one, Carson makes much the same point with prayer. If we want to see improvement in our prayer lives, the first step is to pray. Or, to say it another way, we often struggle in prayer because we don’t pray regularly. Carson addresses this point specifically in this way, “Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray.”[4] He then offers perhaps one of the simplest yet most profound pieces of wisdom with regard to prayer: “It is better to pray often with brevity than rarely but at length.”[5] The first step to improving our prayer life is to pray.

Carson then offers some simply practical steps to help eliminate distractions. Among these are: vocalizing prayers, praying through Scripture, making prayer lists to follow, journaling prayers, having a prayer partner, etc.[6] The takeaway from these suggestions is that there are practical steps we can plan to take along with good and wise practices that help focus our prayer efforts. Some will find different practices to be more beneficial than others. The key is finding what works for you.

 

Developing a Framework for Prayer

In chapter two, Carson urges us to develop a robust framework for our prayers. And as the title of his book suggests, he models this framework off of Paul’s prayers. Specifically, he models it off of Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 1:3–12. There, Carson points out that two elements make up Paul’s framework for his prayer:

  1. Thankfulness for signs of grace in the Thessalonians
  2. Confidence and hope in God’s coming reign at Christ’s return, and the justice it will bring

So, when we pray, we too should recognize the varying signs of grace that God has granted in us and our church family. And we make it a point to thank God for such gifts of grace. Such gifts could be increased faith, increased love, increased knowledge of God, growing maturity, perseverance in trials and suffering, people using their gifts to build up the body, confession and repentance, etc. When we recognize such graces, our instinct should be to thank God for them. As we develop this framework, we will likely find that we become more proficient at recognizing them. We will begin to identify God’s gifts of grace where before we might of looked right past them. So when we pray, we infuse our prayers with thankfulness for signs of divine grace.

And, when we pray, we pray with a view to and longing for the fullness of God’s kingdom that comes with the return of Jesus. We anticipate not just the joy that comes with his presence but also the justice that comes with the consummation of his kingdom. All wrongs will be made right. God will vindicate all his people, and God will exact retribution on all the enemies of him and his people. Saints have always fit their prayers into the reality that God will deliver vindication and justice for his people, whom he knows intimately. Think of David’s prayers to God in the Psalms (cf. Psalm 139, which we have recently memorized as a congregation). Therefore, when we pray, our prayers take on a tincture of hopefulness because Jesus will return. And so in our prayers we raise up this plea to heaven, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

 

Let Us Pray

We must recognize the value and need for prayer. With Carson’s help, we can find ways to plan for prayer and develop practices to eliminate distraction. And with Carson and Paul’s helps, we too can begin to develop and build a framework for our prayers that infuses them with thanksgiving and hope. When we pray, we commune with God, grow in our knowledge of him, thank him for his varied gifts of grace in our lives, and joyfully anticipate Christ’s return when he will right all wrongs. So the only thing left for us to do is to pray. So let us pray.

[1] D. A. Carson, Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation, Second. (Baker Academic, 2015), xi.

[2] Carson, Praying with Paul, xiii.

[3] Carson, Praying with Paul, xiii.

[4] Carson, Praying with Paul, 1.

[5] Carson, Praying with Paul, 2.

[6] Carson, Praying with Paul, 2–20.

The Heart of a Disciple

[I’ve adapted this post from a sermon on Mark 4:1–20 titled “The Mystery of the Kingdom” that I preached April 2, 2023]

Jesus is the “founder of our faith” (Heb 12:2). Jesus is both the savior and the model of our faith. He made us his disciples through the cross. And as his disciples, we seek to be with and be like Jesus. We seek to bear fruit just as he did. Thus, discipleship begins at the cross, and the heart of a disciple bears much fruit. What then does the heart of a disciple, the fruit bearing heart, look like?

In Mark 4:1–20, Jesus tells the parable of a sower and four different types of soils: (1) the path, (2) the rocky soil, (2) the thorny soil, and (4) the good soil. The sower sows the word of God and the different soils represent those who hear this word (Mark 4:14–20). The condition of the soil, that is, the condition of the hearts of those who hear, ultimately determines how the word is received and if it will produce fruit. While there are four different types of soils or hearts in the parable, there are really only two categories: hearts that do not produce fruit (the path, the rocky soil, and the thorny soil) and hearts that do produce fruit (good soil). In the heart of a true disciple, the word of God bears fruit (John 15:8). But what is the makeup or nature of this fruit bearing heart? By looking at the nature and condition of the three soils or hearts that do not produce fruit and asking the question, “What would be the opposite of this?”, we can determine the nature of good soil. That is, we can discern the defining marks of the heart of a true disciple of Jesus, a heart that bears the fruit of God’s word.

 

The Path

Mark 4:4—And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

Mark 4: 15—And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

The picture of the trodden, hard-packed, impenetrable path is that of the hard-hearted man. He hears the word, and rather than sinking into his heart, it sits on the surface. It never breaks through. Satan easily walks along the paths of this heart and takes up the word. And as a result, there is no fruit.

 

The Heart of a Disciple

What would be the opposite of this?

The heart of a true disciple of Jesus is a soft, tender heart. This heart lowers its defenses when the word is spoken, even if the word confronts deeply held notions, ideals, and values. This heart opens itself up to the truth of the word even if the word exposes sin, selfishness, and pride. The word pierces the heart of a disciple, and the gospel of Jesus sinks in deeply. In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 

The Rocky Soil

Mark 4:5–6—Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.

Mark 4:16–17—And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

The rocky ground represents those who hear the word of God and joyfully accept it. But the due to the condition and nature of this heart, the gospel doesn’t take deep root. Rather, the picture here joyful but shallow acceptance. The word is something that accessorizes this hearer’s life. It is helpful. It offers self-improvement. It’s something new and exciting. The hearer intellectually assents to it and enjoys its tight logic. But they only endure for a while. This is more literally translated “they are temporary.” Why are they and the word within them temporary? Because tribulation and persecution arises on account of what? The word. Suddenly the gospel that they enjoyed for its helpfulness is no longer helpful. It doesn’t seem to be leading to self-improvement but harm. Therefore they immediately fall away. Once the heat turns up on the hearer on account of the word whether socially, culturally, politically, etc., and they are out. Like a plant with no roots drying out under the scorching heat of the sun,  the word within this heart withers away when tribulation and persecution mount. And there is no fruit.

 

The Heart of a Disciple

What would be the opposite of this?

The heart of a true disciple of Jesus does not shallowly accept the word. For the true disciple, the word, the gospel is not simply a trinket. The heart of a disciple does not see the word as a helpful addition to their life. For the disciple the word is not a therapeutic path to self-improvement. The true disciple does not merely intellectually assent to the word. Rather, the heart of a disciple hides the word deeply within and gives ample room for it to take root. For the disciple, the word is a part of the very fabric of who they are. The heart of a disciple is bound up in union with Jesus and his gospel. Jesus and his gospel are treasured as an identity, not simply admired as a personal accessory. Thus, a true disciple endures through tribulation and persecution on account of the word because it is not just what they have, it is who they are. In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 

The Thorns

Mark 4:7— 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

Mark 4:18–19—And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

The thorns are those who hear the word and accept it, only to have it choked by the world. Specifically, these receive the word, but due to three things it never bears fruit: (1) the cares of the world, (2) the deceitfulness of riches, and (3) the desires for other things.

 

The Cares of the World

In this heart, the word ultimately succumbs to the cares and anxieties of this temporary age. While all hearts battle anxiety to a degree, these anxieties enter into this heart and supplant the word. The key here is that these cares concern “the world” or “this temporary age.” This heart seeks to continually vie for and maintain control of all aspects of this age, without looking to God’s sovereignty or the coming age of eternity. This age, this world, ultimately holds sway over the affections of this heart rather than the gospel and God’s eternal kingdom. And it leads to anxieties and cares on all fronts. The cares concerning the things of this world and this earthly life strangle the gospel, and there is no fruit.

 

The Deceitfulness of Riches

How are riches deceptive? Well, the word “riches” in Scripture is telling. “Riches” in the NT refers primarily to God and the treasure he offers in Christ rather than to earthly, material wealth (Rom 2:4, 23; 11:12, 33; Eph 1:7; 2:7; 3:8, 16; Phil 4:19; Col 1:27; 2:2–3; Heb 11:26; Rev 5:12). Our earthly, material understanding of riches, then, is really a twisted, counterfeit to the real thing. Earthly riches hold out the promise of security and happiness while true security and happiness are found only in the richness of God. The thorny heart embraces the deceitfulness of earthly riches, and the result is the word is choked. And there is no fruit.

 

The Desires for Other Things

Finally, the thorns are the desires, that is, the “lusts” the “cravings” for other things. If the first two thorns don’t cover everything, this last one certainly does. It’s a catch-all. This is every Satanic, evil, fleshly, worldly passion that James 1:14–15 says gives birth not to fruit of the Spirit, but fruit of the flesh—sin! These desires and lusts override the desire for God’s word, and they choke it out. And there is no fruit.

 

The Heart of a Disciple

What is the opposite of this?

The heart of a disciple desires and embraces God’s sovereign rule over this age. Humility marks the heart of a disciple. When anxieties abound and threaten, this heart lays down it’s pride. As 1 Peter 5:6–7 instructs, disciples, “humble themselves under the mighty hand of God.” How? “By casting all their anxieties on him.” In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 The heart of a disciple desires God above worldly riches. The heart of a disciple finds the treasure of the gospel in a field and goes and sells everything to buy that field (Matt 13:44). The heart of a disciple considers reproach and rejection on account of Christ of greater wealth than all the treasure of Egypt. It is a heart that looks to the reward of God in eternity (Heb 11:26). In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 The heart of a disciple desires God above worldly riches. It desires God above worldly pleasures. The heart of a disciple seeks to “not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). It is a heart that has “crucified the flesh with its passions and desire” (Gal 5:24). It’s a heart that desires nothing more than to “be with Christ” (Phil 1:23). It’s a heart that desire to be in God’s presence where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). In that heart, the word of God can bear much fruit.

 

Conclusion

The heart of a disciple is a heart in which the word bears fruit. In that heart the word sinks deeply, hidden and guarded from the enemy, becomes an identity by establishing robust roots to endure, and is embraced, desired, and treasured above all the world has to offer. In that heart, the word bears much fruit. We can only do this because the founder of our faith did it first. As the Living Word, he cherished God’s word and was perfectly obedient to it even unto death. And like a grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies in order to produce a harvest, Jesus in his death bore abundant fruit (John 12:24). Discipleship begins at the cross, and the heart of a disciple bears much fruit, just as Jesus did. You, Christian, are a part of Christ’s harvest. Let us then follow in the footsteps of the founder of our faith. Let us have the hearts of true disciples that holdfast to the word and bear much fruit.

Where is This World Headed?

Within the last week:

  • A former student breaks into a school and murders little children and adults.
  • A former president running to regain the office is indicted.
  • A foreign leader threatens the use of nuclear weapons.

Where is this world headed?

Revelation 13 describes a world in which evil powers rage. A beast rises out of the sea with ten horns, and a crown on each horn (thus indicative of the power of the state). “The whole earth marveled” at the beast (Revelation 13:3), thinking that its power is greater than any other. Indeed, it exercises authority “over every tribe and people and language and nation” (Revelation 13:7); many respond by worshiping it. The beast blasphemes God and makes war on any who don’t worship it, on God’s people, conquering them.

A second beast then arises out of the earth, performing miracles such as calling down fire from heaven, deceiving people (thus indicative of the power of false religion). It instructs them to make an image of the first beast – and then gives breath to that image, causing it to speak and even to kill those who don’t worship it. Then people are given a mark identifying them as belonging to these beasts – and only people with this mark can buy or sell.

Consider that world of Revelation 13. There are parallels with at least the trajectory of our world – but that world is far worse!

Where is God in such a setting?

The author of Revelation, John, lets us know in four subtle ways that God is very much in control, even as these evil forces seem all-powerful:

  • In verses 5, 7, and 15, John uses “divine passives” to show God’s sovereign control over these evil forces. In Revelation 13:5, the first beast “was allowed to exercise authority 42 months.” Was allowed by whom? By God. Similarly, in Revelation 13:7, the first beast “was allowed to make war on the saints.” Was allowed by whom? By God. Yet again, in Revelation 13:15 the second beast “was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast.” Was allowed by whom? By God
  • The beasts’ time is limited, according to Revelation 13:5. As Jesus says to those coming to arrest Him, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). But Jesus rose from the dead in just a few days, and that hour ended. Just so, God limits the time that these beasts have power.
  • The beasts come out of the sea and the earth. In Revelation 10:2, a mighty angel “set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land.” God is in control of the origin of both beasts.
  • God’s people are not led astray by the beasts. Yes, they suffer – they are attacked and conquered. But Revelation 13:8 tells us, “All who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.” If their names are in the book of life of the Lamb, they are secure.

Thus Revelation 13:10 tells us, “Here is a call for the endurance and the faith of the saints.”

The world may appear to be under the control of evil forces – and those forces do indeed have much power. There will be persecution and murders; government authority and religious influence will be used against those following Jesus.

But God is in control. His people are secure. So we must endure, whatever the chaos, whatever the trials, whatever the tragedies – endure in faith, endure in joy, and endure in confidence that, however things may appear, there is One Who reigns. For the seventh angel will blow his trumpet, and then loud voices in heaven will declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

He is in control now, and He will return to right all wrongs and to bring in His eternal Kingdom.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

[For more on Revelation 13, see the sermon “Tribulation, Endurance, and Faith,” preached July 3, 2005: text, audio.]