Descriptions of Jesus' Rule (Micah 5:5-15)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:04.679 Please remain standing, if you're able, and turn your attention to Mica, 2 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:33.140 Chapter Five. I'm going to read verse Versus Five Through Fifteen. Those humble 3 00:00:33.179 --> 00:00:38.850 our hearts before the Lord and his word, Mica Five, verses five through 4 00:00:38.890 --> 00:00:46.130 fifteen, and he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our 5 00:00:46.170 --> 00:00:51.119 land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds 6 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:55.759 and eight princes of men. They shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the 7 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:00.520 sword and the land of Nimrod at its entrances, and he shall deliver us 8 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:03.310 from the Assyrian. When he comes into our land and treads within our border, 9 00:01:04.230 --> 00:01:07.349 then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, 10 00:01:07.909 --> 00:01:12.629 like do from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which delay not 11 00:01:12.829 --> 00:01:18.189 for a man, nor wait for the children of Man. And the remnant 12 00:01:18.269 --> 00:01:22.140 of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, 13 00:01:22.739 --> 00:01:26.340 like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among 14 00:01:26.379 --> 00:01:30.540 the flocks of sheep which, when it goes through, treads down and tears 15 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:36.290 and pieces and there is none to deliver. Your hand shall be lifted up 16 00:01:36.370 --> 00:01:41.810 over your adversaries and all your enemies shall be cut off and in that day, 17 00:01:41.890 --> 00:01:44.969 declares the Lord, I will cut off your horses from among you and 18 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:48.760 will destroy your chariots, and I will cut off the cities of your land, 19 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:53.760 I and throw down all your strongholds. I will cut off sorceries from 20 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:57.959 your hand and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes, and I will 21 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:01.150 cut off your carved images and your pillars from among you and you shall bow 22 00:02:01.269 --> 00:02:05.989 down no more to the work of your hands. And I will root out 23 00:02:06.189 --> 00:02:10.110 your Ashura images from among you and destroy your cities. And in anger and 24 00:02:10.229 --> 00:02:16.699 wrath, I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey. Since 25 00:02:16.780 --> 00:02:35.810 the reading of God's word, you may be seated. At the beginning of 26 00:02:35.889 --> 00:02:42.490 Mike a five, God promises through His prophet that there would be born in 27 00:02:42.610 --> 00:02:49.159 Bethlehem a king, a shepherd, a new shepherd to guide and watch over 28 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:54.159 his people. and to night we consider the kind of kingdom that this king 29 00:02:54.520 --> 00:03:00.430 brings. What kind of shepherd is he and what what effect does his rule 30 00:03:00.629 --> 00:03:10.990 have on the people of God and on even the whole world? So we 31 00:03:12.030 --> 00:03:16.620 will look tonight at Mica Five, versus five through fifteen, and consider this 32 00:03:17.699 --> 00:03:23.219 what is what do we learn here about the Kingdom of Christ? What does 33 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:29.729 God do when he comes into the world and establishes himself as the king of 34 00:03:29.810 --> 00:03:38.250 kings and to redeem his people and Save the world? There's two things I 35 00:03:38.409 --> 00:03:44.199 want to point out this evening. The second one has a couple parts. 36 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:49.360 The first thing is that we learn from this passage is that this kingdom, 37 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:53.479 this work that the shepherd will do, will be broad. It will be 38 00:03:53.719 --> 00:03:59.949 throughout the whole world. It will not be restrained to just this place, 39 00:04:00.389 --> 00:04:04.030 the land of Canaan and Israel, but it is to be very broad, 40 00:04:04.069 --> 00:04:10.460 very, very spread. We read in verse five that he shall be their 41 00:04:10.580 --> 00:04:14.939 peace when the Assyrians come into the land, but when we get to verse 42 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:18.699 seven we read this of the vision of this kingdom is much more expansive. 43 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:26.889 Notice what he says in verse seven. Then the remnants of Jacob shall be 44 00:04:27.089 --> 00:04:32.329 in the midst of many people's the same the same language comes up again in 45 00:04:32.449 --> 00:04:36.290 verse eight. The remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the 46 00:04:36.329 --> 00:04:41.519 midst of many peoples. So the first point is that it is broad. 47 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:46.800 The broadness of it is described through these words about missed nations, but he 48 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:53.750 also uses this beautiful image with a with a theological point as well as the 49 00:04:53.870 --> 00:04:58.829 image is that the people will be like do from the Lord, showers on 50 00:04:58.910 --> 00:05:03.589 the grass. If it weren't for the fact that I was raised in Phoenix 51 00:05:03.670 --> 00:05:08.699 and not to sometime may not know what this means. In Phoenix we have 52 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:15.860 lands, and perhaps unnecessarily so. Nevertheless, there they are and sometimes there 53 00:05:15.980 --> 00:05:20.889 is do in the mornings. Do Wetness on the grass, and it's it's 54 00:05:20.930 --> 00:05:25.850 not just on a little portion of the grass, but it's everywhere. It 55 00:05:26.009 --> 00:05:31.129 covers everything. Every inch is covered in such a way it would be difficult 56 00:05:31.209 --> 00:05:38.480 even even to measure. I'm like showers on the grass, this life giving 57 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:42.519 image, and will return to that in a moment. This is how the 58 00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:49.670 God's people will be in the world, spread out over everything. The theological 59 00:05:49.750 --> 00:05:55.750 point is at the end of verse seven, which says which delay not for 60 00:05:55.829 --> 00:05:59.790 a man, nor wait for the children of Man. This is the do 61 00:06:00.230 --> 00:06:03.540 that appears on the morning grass. Is a lot different than you going out 62 00:06:03.660 --> 00:06:09.220 and spraying your own down your yard in the evening. Even the effect of 63 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:13.300 it happens, you could never really with a guard and who is replicate the 64 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:16.740 way that the do appears on the grass. You might get this section whet 65 00:06:16.779 --> 00:06:21.050 or that section where, but it's never the same. This is not an 66 00:06:21.050 --> 00:06:27.689 under the control of man and it happens when God chooses and when God pleases. 67 00:06:28.569 --> 00:06:31.410 One of the central points, perhaps these central point of this passage, 68 00:06:31.449 --> 00:06:35.879 is to trust in the Lord, to not trust in our power, to 69 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:41.399 not trust in our strength, in our governments and even in spiritual powers, 70 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:46.670 but to trust in God and in God alone. And this is what when 71 00:06:46.750 --> 00:06:50.670 he comes, when the Messiah comes, when Christ comes, he is going 72 00:06:50.790 --> 00:06:59.189 to establish his people throughout the world, in the midst of the nation's that's 73 00:06:59.269 --> 00:07:01.379 the first thing that we know, that this Kingdom of peace, what it 74 00:07:01.420 --> 00:07:05.860 will be like. The second thing we note that this Kingdom of peace to 75 00:07:05.939 --> 00:07:13.259 which Christ will be and indeed is now, as we reflect on his having 76 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:17.170 come, as we see that there is a sort of double mission in the 77 00:07:17.290 --> 00:07:23.329 peace that he brings. On the one hand, there is peace, he 78 00:07:23.410 --> 00:07:27.810 says he and he will be their peace, and we have this life giving 79 00:07:27.930 --> 00:07:32.839 image in verse seven of the Dow Coming, these gentle showers on the grass, 80 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:41.279 this way in which water and life are are connected, gentleness, goodness. 81 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:46.269 But we also have an image, that is in Verse Eight, where 82 00:07:46.269 --> 00:07:53.069 we are reminded that there is great power in this piece. We read of 83 00:07:53.110 --> 00:07:57.110 it before in regard to the Assyrians. But here, notice what the image 84 00:07:59.379 --> 00:08:03.500 the point is the same, or the beginning is the same. The remnants 85 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:05.620 of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many people's but 86 00:08:05.699 --> 00:08:11.779 notice this image in verse eight, is is not so gentle, like a 87 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:16.170 lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks 88 00:08:16.209 --> 00:08:20.569 of sheep which, when it goes through, treads down and tears to pieces 89 00:08:20.689 --> 00:08:26.839 and there is none to deliver it. So these are very different images, 90 00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:31.279 right, one of do on the grass, being in the midst of everything, 91 00:08:31.840 --> 00:08:35.919 and the other of a young lion in the midst of the sheep, 92 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:43.429 destroying, tearing apart, ripping the shreds. How do these things go together? 93 00:08:45.629 --> 00:08:48.909 How is it that Christ and his kingdom are both of these? Are 94 00:08:50.070 --> 00:08:54.950 both of these things? Well, they are not at odd, they are 95 00:08:54.990 --> 00:09:01.220 not opposed to one another. They relate to one another in a particular way, 96 00:09:01.700 --> 00:09:07.539 and that's because what is overthrown, what is torn apart, what is 97 00:09:07.580 --> 00:09:13.809 ripped to shreads, is an obstacle to life it's not another life, it's 98 00:09:13.889 --> 00:09:18.970 not a possible life. What is torn apart, what is ripped, what 99 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:26.480 is destroyed, even with the strength of a lion among sheep, is something 100 00:09:26.519 --> 00:09:31.200 that is deaf to people. That image is, of course, not in 101 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:35.000 the sheep itself. We get that from later on. The point is not 102 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:39.789 some kind of injustice that's happening in verse eight. The point is that God 103 00:09:39.950 --> 00:09:46.070 is powerful, as powerful and his kingdom is as strong as a lion, 104 00:09:46.509 --> 00:09:50.309 a young lion, in this situation. But what God is doing when he 105 00:09:50.509 --> 00:09:54.460 acts in this way? What what his what comes about in his kingdom? 106 00:09:54.580 --> 00:10:01.620 What is being overthrown? Are Not innocent little sheep, but what we read 107 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:05.820 in verses ten through fifteen, the horses in the chariots, the cities and 108 00:10:05.860 --> 00:10:09.889 the strongholds, the sorcerers, the tellers of fortune, the carved images, 109 00:10:11.289 --> 00:10:16.809 the pillars, the Astra images, on these things, God is going to 110 00:10:16.009 --> 00:10:20.639 act like a lion these things. He will tear them apart and he will 111 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:26.519 destroy them. Why? To bring about peace? Because these things are the 112 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:31.919 obstacles to life. These are the things that bring death, these are the 113 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:37.750 things that bring destruction to God's people, destruction to the world and so this 114 00:10:37.909 --> 00:10:45.149 is what he promises. He promises to overthrow the powers of this world that 115 00:10:45.230 --> 00:10:50.220 are that believe themselves to be self sufficient and Self Glorious and worthy of worship 116 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:58.659 even and also the powers of spiritual darkness that fight and a rebel against God. 117 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:05.649 This, by the way, just as a just to be very clear, 118 00:11:07.970 --> 00:11:13.090 is a reminder to us that fortune telling and sorceries and horoscopes and things 119 00:11:13.210 --> 00:11:18.600 like this are inappropriate, to say the least, for Christians. Christians should 120 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:24.960 not be turning to spiritual darkness for power, for knowledge, for safety, 121 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:31.279 for security, we turn to God and to God alone. To turn aside 122 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:37.830 to these things is to turn away from God. Some people get very caught 123 00:11:37.870 --> 00:11:41.629 up in these things, as did Israel. Some people become very attached to 124 00:11:43.070 --> 00:11:48.899 what is spiritual darkness, hoping to find a way to control theirselves and their 125 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:54.419 future and their circumstances. This is not the way to do it. This 126 00:11:54.500 --> 00:12:01.610 is exactly the wrong way to do it. The way we live our lives 127 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:07.330 is not by trying to control either this world or the spiritual world, but 128 00:12:07.450 --> 00:12:13.049 by trusting in the Lord who controls everything. You don't need to control these 129 00:12:13.090 --> 00:12:16.600 things. He's got it all. Just for you. He does it for 130 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:26.159 your good. So this is the Kingdom of the king. This is what 131 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:31.190 our good shepherd does for us. I want to finish by asking this question. 132 00:12:31.389 --> 00:12:35.870 Then, has this happened? How have we seen these things come to 133 00:12:35.990 --> 00:12:41.590 pass, given that Christ has been born in Bethlehem and he has even died 134 00:12:43.190 --> 00:12:48.419 and risen? Well, in part, we are waiting for the completion of 135 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:54.299 these things. We are waiting for the completion of these things. There are 136 00:12:54.379 --> 00:13:01.490 ways in which there are still rebellious people in this world, nations which and 137 00:13:01.809 --> 00:13:07.570 people's all over the world which do not bow to the son of God, 138 00:13:07.809 --> 00:13:13.320 which do not give themselves over to him, but instead seek worship and glory 139 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:22.840 and honor for themselves. This is self evident, I think. On the 140 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:28.389 other hand, though, we wait for the subjection of all of these things, 141 00:13:30.190 --> 00:13:35.149 we do see that the work that God promises to do has begun and 142 00:13:35.509 --> 00:13:43.940 even continues to spread, that work of destroying the forces of spiritual darkness, 143 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:46.860 to open the eyes of the blind with the so that the god of this 144 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:54.500 world might no longer have power over people, is very evident in the way 145 00:13:54.659 --> 00:14:01.450 that we see the Kingdom of God spread throughout the world like do over the 146 00:14:01.529 --> 00:14:09.649 grass. What do I mean? Simply this that God has his people everywhere, 147 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:15.440 everywhere, not just in Canaan, not just a small group of of 148 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:24.950 disciples and other followers, but so many places. The International Conference of reformed 149 00:14:24.029 --> 00:14:31.110 churches is by no means the whole of God's people. Nevertheless, just this 150 00:14:31.590 --> 00:14:37.980 small group of of Reformed Christians and International Group of reformed churches to which our 151 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:45.100 denomination belongs, speaks, even just this little part speaks to the the extent 152 00:14:45.299 --> 00:14:50.500 of God's kingdom. Over thirty four denominations across the world represented in this body. 153 00:14:52.340 --> 00:14:56.529 In addition to our own country, there are churches established in Kenya and 154 00:14:56.730 --> 00:15:01.730 Canada, Indonesia, Ireland, reformed churches in South Africa, Korea, Brazil, 155 00:15:03.370 --> 00:15:09.679 Sudan and more. And this Gospel continues to spread. God uses even 156 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:16.039 our tiny little denomination to serve people, to spread the Gospel. And Quebec 157 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:22.470 and Haiti, Uruguay and Ukraine, are Tria and Ethiopia, Uganda and China, 158 00:15:24.429 --> 00:15:30.070 and we, as those who have been brought out of slavery, who 159 00:15:30.149 --> 00:15:37.539 belong to this mission airy movement, who have been who have heard the gospel 160 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:41.500 so many thousands of miles away, from where it was first preached. Participate 161 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:48.539 in this partly by our simply existing, simply by being here and worshiping together 162 00:15:48.659 --> 00:15:52.649 as part of the body of Christ, confessing our faith, praying to the 163 00:15:52.889 --> 00:15:58.409 Lord, proclaiming and hearing his word and supporting that word going out. Each 164 00:15:58.529 --> 00:16:07.120 and every Sunday. We see this kingdom expressed each week. We also see 165 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:11.159 it expressed when we pray for our missionaries and when we host them, intent 166 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:17.000 when they come into town and when we serve and send people on short term 167 00:16:17.159 --> 00:16:22.190 trips and assignments to serve with alongside our missionaries, as we've done throughout the 168 00:16:22.230 --> 00:16:27.909 years. We also support our missionaries financially and regularly do so, including through 169 00:16:27.990 --> 00:16:33.299 our annual thank offering in November. These are all the different ways in which 170 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:37.740 we are a part of this and ways in which we see these prophecies in 171 00:16:37.940 --> 00:16:45.139 Mica happening in concrete, real ways. People that we know, churches that 172 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:52.450 we pray for, missionaries that we have visited and served alongside with. We 173 00:16:52.610 --> 00:16:56.730 see the Gospel going out. We see the peace of the Lord being spread 174 00:16:56.929 --> 00:17:04.240 throughout the world closer to home, this happens whenever we, whenever you invite 175 00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:10.160 someone to church or church event, when you make a newcomer feel welcome, 176 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:14.640 when you spread to them that word of Christ and our emissary, if even 177 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:18.950 for a moment, if even for one conversation about the Kingdom of God, 178 00:17:19.190 --> 00:17:23.390 this is the work of God in and through us. This is the prophecies 179 00:17:23.470 --> 00:17:30.779 of Mica, a five of being fulfilled, an amazing thing and amazing privilege 180 00:17:30.380 --> 00:17:37.140 to participate in that. What about the governments and the economic powers of this 181 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:42.420 world? We do not yet see them fully in subject subject to Christ, 182 00:17:42.619 --> 00:17:48.210 and we won't until he returns. But we do see that their power is 183 00:17:48.450 --> 00:17:53.170 limited and minimized and though it can be very terrible for Christians from time to 184 00:17:53.289 --> 00:17:59.559 time, including and many of these places that I've mentioned, ultimately it can 185 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:04.759 do us no harm, because Christ is King and Christ is with US whereover. 186 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:08.279 We live in an area of in an era of grace, where all 187 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:17.549 men everywhere are invited to die in the Cross of Christ rather than by his 188 00:18:17.789 --> 00:18:22.390 sword. We are in an era where the Gospel if grace is going out 189 00:18:22.829 --> 00:18:26.380 even to our enemies, so that they, like us, might not die 190 00:18:27.460 --> 00:18:33.380 in God's Wrath on the Day of judgment, but might already have judgment passed 191 00:18:33.059 --> 00:18:40.099 in Christ. The wrath of God comes, judgment comes for sin one way 192 00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:44.809 or another. The invitation that God's extends now into the world is is to 193 00:18:45.289 --> 00:18:51.329 let Christ take on that wrath for you instead of instead of having it come 194 00:18:51.410 --> 00:18:56.039 upon you yourself when he returns. And so, in this era of grace, 195 00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:02.319 God calls us, as the Gospel is going out the nation's as God 196 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:08.680 is calling in his elect he tells us to live in as subjects of those 197 00:19:10.109 --> 00:19:14.509 who are under the governments of this world, as far as it is possible 198 00:19:14.549 --> 00:19:17.990 and in the name of the Lord, to live at peace, as far 199 00:19:18.029 --> 00:19:22.269 as it is possible, with our neighbors and with those around us, to 200 00:19:22.390 --> 00:19:26.980 not seek vengeance and to not return an eye for an eye or a tooth 201 00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:30.099 for a tooth, but to turn the other cheek, to pray for our 202 00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:36.059 enemies. Why? Because we are in this era of grace, because we 203 00:19:36.180 --> 00:19:42.890 have a responsibility as Christians to to be emissaries and to declare this kingdom. 204 00:19:45.210 --> 00:19:48.490 All of this is not a sign of God's weakness, it is a sign 205 00:19:48.529 --> 00:19:56.119 of his graciousness. Vengeance belongs to him. He will repay and we can 206 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:59.720 trust him for that. But we can also thank him that there is an 207 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:03.799 opportunity where we can come to him and we can go even to those who 208 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:11.190 might try to murder us for our beliefs and say and to pray for them 209 00:20:11.670 --> 00:20:18.190 and to call them to Christ as well. With these things in mind, 210 00:20:18.190 --> 00:20:22.220 let me read to you from revelation, Chapter Fourteen. You can turn here 211 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:27.779 as well if you like, or just listen revelation fourteen, versus sixth twelve. 212 00:20:30.539 --> 00:20:38.130 Here we are reminded of the work that God is doing now, John 213 00:20:38.250 --> 00:20:45.569 wrights fourteen, verse six. Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with 214 00:20:45.769 --> 00:20:52.960 in Eternal Gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, to every 215 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:57.160 nation and tribe and language and people, this is the work of the Kingdom 216 00:20:57.160 --> 00:21:03.000 of God, as his Angel Goes Out and proclaims the Gospel, and he 217 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:06.109 said with a loud voice, this is the message of the Gospel. Fear 218 00:21:06.309 --> 00:21:10.549 God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come, and 219 00:21:10.789 --> 00:21:15.710 worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. 220 00:21:17.069 --> 00:21:21.220 This is the message of the Gospel. It is a reminder of the 221 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:25.539 peace that Mica promises, that God promises through his servant, Mica, the 222 00:21:25.660 --> 00:21:30.819 opportunity that we have to come in him, to not fear the spiritual powers 223 00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:34.970 of darkness or or the economies or the governments of this world, but to 224 00:21:36.210 --> 00:21:41.930 fear God and give him glory, because the hour has come. Let us 225 00:21:41.930 --> 00:21:48.160 worship him in Christ. There's also the same, a similar warning that we 226 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:52.960 find in my con Verse Eight. Another Angel, a second followed saying fall 227 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:57.279 and fallen is Babylon, the great she who made all nations drink the wine 228 00:21:57.519 --> 00:22:03.509 of the passion of her sexual immorality, and another angel, a third, 229 00:22:03.630 --> 00:22:07.309 followed them, saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast and 230 00:22:07.390 --> 00:22:11.950 its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he 231 00:22:11.150 --> 00:22:15.900 also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup 232 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:19.819 of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the 233 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:25.180 presence of the Holy Angels and in the presence of the lamb, and the 234 00:22:25.299 --> 00:22:29.980 smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest, 235 00:22:30.009 --> 00:22:34.930 day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image and whoever receives 236 00:22:36.049 --> 00:22:45.000 the mark of its name. Application Verse Twelve, here is a call for 237 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:49.680 the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their 238 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:57.000 faith in Jesus. That's the application. When we live in this time in 239 00:22:57.079 --> 00:23:02.549 which the hour of judgment as at hand, two things happen. On one 240 00:23:02.630 --> 00:23:06.869 hand, the gospel of peace goes out and people are brought in and saved, 241 00:23:07.309 --> 00:23:11.859 but we are also reminded that Babylon and the the the cities and empires 242 00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:17.980 and strengths of this world that is represented in that name that calls people to 243 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:23.180 itself and says, worship me, this great city of Man, we're worship 244 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:27.970 me, serve me, live to, according to your passions and your pleasures, 245 00:23:29.250 --> 00:23:33.650 have delight in this kingdom, to constantly remind the world that it is 246 00:23:33.809 --> 00:23:38.970 fall and fall and fallen, and that the Lord will come on the Day 247 00:23:40.049 --> 00:23:47.039 of judgment and there will be no fleeing the smoke of their torment, their 248 00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:53.240 everlasting torment rising up between before the presence of the holy angels and the lamb. 249 00:23:57.309 --> 00:24:00.990 This is the period in which we live. The king has come, 250 00:24:00.230 --> 00:24:03.910 though, the land has been sacrificed and raised, and this is why there 251 00:24:03.990 --> 00:24:11.819 is an urgency to missions. This is why there is an urgency and a 252 00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:18.660 call, as John writes, to remainstead fast, to continue in this the 253 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:25.009 to continue in what we have been given. We are people who are called 254 00:24:25.049 --> 00:24:30.690 to consider these things, to consider this perspective and to endure, knowing that 255 00:24:30.849 --> 00:24:36.170 the shepherd has already come and we are very, very close to the end. 256 00:24:37.130 --> 00:24:41.160 We must keep the commandments of God. We must keep our faith in 257 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:47.720 Jesus, the Great Shepherd who has been born in Bethlehem and who will come 258 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:49.759 again. Let us pray