Nathaniel R. Martin

Kingdom Come: Matthew 6:9-10

Sermon Idea: Praying, “Your kingdom come,” is to pray for the destruction of Satan’s kingdom, the advancement of God’s kingdom of grace, the bringing and keeping of saints in it, and the Kingdom of glory to come. 

Introduction: The Gospel of Mark tells a remarkable story in which a desperate father comes to Jesus’ disciples, hoping they can heal his son, who is oppressed by an unclean spirit. The description of the suffering is devastating and traumatic.

17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” (Mk 9:17–18)

As you can imagine, this initial disappointment leads the father, in desperation, to plead with Jesus to have compassion on him and heal the boy, which Jesus does. The Lord Jesus’ command exorcises and defeats the unclean spirit. 

I bring this story to your attention because it shows what Jesus teaches his disciples about their failure. They asked him, “Why could we not cast it out?” 

29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Mk 9:29) 

The nature of the fight required more than intellect, gifting, and resources. It required more than grit, willpower, and determination. It was a battle of spiritual proportion, and so it required the chief means of spiritual work–prayer. 

All that we want to see happen in our midst, all that we hope to experience–salvation, disciple-making, church health, holiness, gospel advancement–requires prayer. 

Jesus told us in John 18:36 that his kingdom is spiritual. 

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (Jn 18:36)

Wilhelmus A Brakel is certainly right when he wrote, “It originates in heaven, is of a heavenly nature, functions in a heavenly manner, and culminates in heaven. It is therefore called the kingdom of heaven.”

The second petition in the Lord’s prayer is, “Your kingdom come.”

This is appropriate if we pray for the hallowing of God’s name as Jesus taught us, because the coming of God’s kingdom is the primary way that God’s name is hallowed. 

What does it mean to pray for God’s kingdom to come? Does it mean that we pray for the rising of an empire, a castle, and an army? Does it mean we pray for the future coming of the kingdom or the present coming of the kingdom?

It is really difficult to improve upon the older understandings of this petition as found in the Baptist Catechism. Listen to how the saints who’ve gone before us reflected on this passage. 

Q 109: What do we pray for in the second petition?

A: In the second petition, which is, “Thy kingdom come,” we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.

Since this cannot be improved upon, these four ways will serve as the outline for the rest of our time. 

I.) We pray for Satan’s kingdom to be destroyed 

The Bible often speaks of the fallen world as Satan’s kingdom through a variety of images. For example, Paul in 2 Cor. 4:4 refers to Satan as “the god of this world,” who has blinded unbelievers. In Ephesians 2:2, Satan is called the “prince of the power of the air.” Multiple times Jesus refers to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:27-32; 14:30). 

These descriptions do not mean that Satan had or has ultimate power. His kingdom is not equal to the kingdom of God. It does mean that he exercises authority and dominion over sinners. Those who are dead in sin are held captive and under the influence of Satan’s kingdom. 

We can pray for Satan’s kingdom to be destroyed because Christ has already laid a fatal blow to his rule through his death, resurrection, and ascension. The first gospel promise in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:15, where God promises that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. 

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (Jn 12:27–32)

The cross presses Jesus’ foot firmly on Satan’s head, and when he returns, Jesus will crush Satan’s head and destroy his kingdom.   

Meanwhile, God’s people are responsible for praying for the destruction of Satan’s kingdom. We pray for the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to pierce through the darkness of unbelief, so that blind sinners get a glimpse of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:5-6).

We pray for any continuing influence of Satan’s kingdom in the world to over governments, authorities, or powers to be undone. We pray that the influence of Satan and his demons would lose influence over people’s lives, and that the power of God would extinguish at last. 

Now, do you see why I began where we did? We cannot do ministry armed with nothing but our gifts, resources, and willpower. We’ll need more than our intellect. We need to pray and stand in Christ’s strength (Eph. 6:10). 

We pray, “Your kingdom come,” because it is by the power of God and the coming of Christ’s kingdom that the devil and his works will be destroyed. 

We need to ask a question at this point. Whose kingdom do you serve? No neutral ground exists between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. To reject Christ and his Lordship is to declare your citizenship in the domain of darkness. 

This brings us to the second element of this petition: we pray for God’s kingdom of grace to be advanced.

II.) We pray for God’s kingdom of grace to be advanced 

This is the positive side of the first element. If we pray for the destruction of Satan’s kingdom, we are also praying for the advancement of God’s kingdom of grace. 

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he announced that the kingdom of God was at hand, “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:15)

Note the declaration of the kingdom and the necessary response: repentance and belief in the gospel. God’s kingdom of grace advances, as people come to acknowledge and then submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Prayer is the means through which God works to advance the gospel around the globe and that is vital, because it is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16)

We should learn and seek to be like Paul, who, while in prison, was overjoyed that the gospel was advancing and becoming more widely known.

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. (Php 1:12–13)

To pray, “your kingdom come,” is to pray that the gospel not only advances, but is embraced. As sinners come to trust Christ, they are brought into the kingdom of God under the Lordship of Christ. We need to pray toward this end. 

This brings us to the third element of the petition: we pray that we and others be brought into it and kept in it. 

III.) We pray for ourselves and others to be brought and kept in it

Entrance into the kingdom of God is not like admission into an earthly organization or club. You don’t simply put in an application or commit to paying dues. Entrance into the kingdom of God comes only by God’s grace and the gift of the new birth. Listen to what Jesus told Nicodemus. 

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn 3:3)

In salvation, God gives a new heart through our faith in the Lord Jesus. With that new heart we turn from Satan, sin, and darkness to the Kingdom of God. 

Listen to how Paul describes salvation in Colossians 1:13-14. 

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:13–14)

Prayer is the means God uses not only to spread the gospel, but to draw sinners through it. If people will be saved, it will be in response to our prayers. To pray, “your kingdom come,” is to pray that the gospel finds reception in hearts ready to respond in repentance and faith. It is to pray that the Spirit calls, regenerates, and indwells sinners as they hear the gospel. 

Notice this as well. We are to pray that God keeps us in his kingdom by his grace. Make no mistake: every true believer who has entered the kingdom of God will remain there, but not because they kept themselves there. They will remain there because God faithfully keeps them. 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Pe 1:3–5)

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ (Jud 1)

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Th 5:23–24)

God keeps us by the use of means! The Word of God, prayer, the fellowship in the local church, and the administration of the ordinances. These are not lifeless rituals, but means of grace by which we are built up by the grace of God, conformed to Christ, and kept by the power of God.

As we are being kept by God, we look forward in hope to Christ’s return and the consummation of Christ’s kingdom. 

IV.) We pray for the kingdom of glory to come 

To pray, “your kingdom come,” is to pray for God’s kingdom and power to be fully known on earth as it is in heaven. It is to pray that God would be with us and we would be in his divine presence without limitation, separation, or restriction. 

It is to pray 1 John 3:2, 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 Jn 3:2)

With God’s presence in the kingdom of glory comes the astonishing promise that sin, sickness, and death will no longer exist. The pains and heartaches of this fallen world and the suffering that ravages our fallen bodies will be undone. God himself will wipe the tears from our eyes. 

3 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. 4 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.” 

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Re 21:3–5)

Nathaniel R. Martin

Leviticus: An Introduction

“…Leviticus was and is one of the most important books of the Old Testament. It not only presents the entire religious system of ancient Israel, but also lays the theological foundation for the New Testament teaching about the atoning work of Jesus Christ.”– Allen P. Ross

Introduction: Many believers have tried to read the Bible in a year, only to falter and grow frustrated by Leviticus’s tedious nature. Many commands seem foreign to everyday life, and others seem plain weird. In discouragement, the reader initially presses on as long as they can, then gives up. Why is this the case? If all Scripture is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, why is it so hard to find the benefit of Leviticus? 

Common Reasons for Being Disinterested in Leviticus 

1. Leviticus is perceived as an interruption of the narrative of Exodus.

2. Leviticus reads as a collection of obscure ritual regulations. 

3. Leviticus is primarily concerned with ancient Israelite worship. 

4. Leviticus is difficult to relate to Christian faith and practice.

What all of these reasons miss, however, is the book’s true heart and meaning, which the reader can grasp only by appreciating the redemptive drama unfolding not only in Genesis-Exodus, but also in Numbers-Deuteronomy. 

To fully appreciate Leviticus, readers must understand the problems posed by Genesis and Exodus. Genesis recounts the gravity of sin and humanity’s exile from God’s presence. Eden has not only been lost; life in God’s divine presence has been lost with it. 

Exodus records not only God’s great redemptive act of delivering his people from Egypt through the Passover lamb, but also the command to build the tabernacle, which would be at the center of Israel’s worship of God and a means to experience God’s presence again. Exodus, however, ends with a problem. God’s glory fills the tabernacle, and no one can draw near to Him—not even Moses. 

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Ex 40:34–35)

Here, in response to this exact problem, Leviticus becomes significant. 

Exodus 40:34-35Leviticus 1:1-2 (CSB)
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Then the Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any of you brings an offering to the Lord from the livestock, you may bring your offering from the herd or the flock.   

Leviticus is not a stand-alone book with an altogether different theme than Exodus. It is the sequel to Exodus, which not only explains how Israel becomes the nation it is, but also answers and solves the problem at the end of Exodus. It’s about restoration to and life in God’s divine presence. That’s the point of Genesis-Deuteronomy. It is the point of the entire Bible. 

The Main Theme of Leviticus 

So, with L. Michael Morales, we agree that the theme and theology of Leviticus is “YHWH’s opening a way for humanity to dwell in the divine Presence.” 

Scripture begins with life in God’s divine presence (Gen. 1-2) and ends with life in God’s divine presence in the new heavens and the new earth (Rev. 21-22). 

 3 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 (Re 21:3)

Between these two great visions of life in God’s divine presence is God’s gracious making of a way through his covenants, laws, and sacrifices, ultimately fulfilled in the New Covenant. 

This longing for God’s presence is the Bible’s theme. Consider how it appears throughout the Psalms, for example.  

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Ps 16:11)

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Ps 23:6)

O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. (Ps 26:8)

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. (Ps 27:4)

As to the importance of this theme of divine presence, Morales is worth quoting in full. 

“Its dominating concern, as well as the rest of the Bible, is the way in which humanity may come to dwell in the house of God. Under the Mosaic covenant, that way opened by YHWH was through the tabernacle and later temple, its priesthood and rituals—that is, through the Levitical cult. The advent of Christ would open a new and living way into the house of God; indeed, that was the goal of his taking out humanity upon himself, of his suffering, of his resurrection, and ascension.”

Leviticus as the center of the Pentateuch

The first five books of the Bible, Genesis-Deuteronomy, are a collection of Scripture known as the Pentateuch (i.e., “five-scroll). Notably, Leviticus sits at the center of these five books, underscoring its importance not only to the Pentateuch but to the rest of the Bible. 

(A) Genesis 

    (B) Exodus 

               (C) Leviticus

    (B) Numbers 

  1. Deuteronomy 

The Day of Atonement as the center of Leviticus 

We cannot survey all the reasons and evidence here, but several Old Testament scholars consider Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement, central to the book’s literary structure. Atonement means “to be reconciled,” at-one-ment. 

Lev 1-7 Sacrifices 

     8-10 Institution of priesthood                          (Approaching God)

       11-15 Clean/Unclean in daily life 

                  16 Day of Atonement                        (Judgement/Cleansing) 

        17-20 Holy/profane in daily life 

      21-22 Legislation for the priesthood.              (Communion with God) 

 23-27 Festivals/sacred time                                  Holiness 

Again, Morales is helpful. 

“How the Day of Atonement relates to the theme of YHWH’s opening a way for humanity to dwell in the divine Presence is readily recognized when the significance of the atonement is understood, namely, that it makes possible life in the divine presence.” 

The purpose of highlighting the structural nature of the Pentateuch and the structure of Leviticus is to reinforce the central theme of God’s divine presence and what it means for sinful people to dwell in it once again. 

Why should Christians care about and study Leviticus? 

  1. Leviticus is Christian Scripture not only intended for those in the ancient past, but for the church today. 

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Ro 15:4)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Ti 3:16–17)

I like the encouragement from Gordon Wenham, “…the biblical writers believed, and the Church has always accepted, that they were writing more than history. They were recording God’s word to his people. Leviticus is therefore more than a description of past historical events and more than a collection of dated laws. It tells us about God’s character and will, which found expression in his dealings with Israel and in the laws he gave them. Those who believe that God the Lord “is the same yesterday and today and forever” may look to the book’s theology for insights that are still valid and relevant.”

2. Leviticus is vital for a proper understanding of the New Testament in general, and some books like Hebrews in particular. 

4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. (Heb 8:4–6)

3. Leviticus explores the importance of holiness, a theme too often overlooked by many Christians today. 

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy. (1 Pe 1:14–16)

14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14)

4. Leviticus teaches the importance of liturgy and proper worship of the triune God, a theme neglected by many evangelicals today (Lev. 10). 

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (Le 10:1–2)

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:28–29)

5. Leviticus lays the foundation that sinful people can only dwell with God by the means he provides—a truth that ultimately brings us to the centrality of Christ crucified and risen. 

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Heb 9:13–14)

Nathaniel R. Martin

God So Loved: John 3:16

Sermon Idea: God’s love is why He sent the Son to save the world. 

Introduction: John 3:16 is the most recognizable verse in the entire Bible. It is the first verse young children memorize; you can see it on billboards along the highway and in the stands at sporting events. In 2009, Tim Tebow even etched “John 3:16” into his eye paint for the BCS National Championship game as the University of Florida quarterback. 

It is simply familiar. This familiarity, of course, is not bad, but it can become problematic when we take these familiar truths for granted. Here is one scholar describing the potential problem. 

Familiar verses can seem like the ABCs of the Christian faith—things to move beyond in order to drink from deeper wells. But if we have this attitude, we may forget key elements of the Christian gospel and miss the deeper, varied truths that are right there. – Jarvis Williams 

This evening I want to put this familiar verse before you one more time, not as the ABC’s of the Christian faith, but as the very life-giving message of the gospel and the only hope for sinners. I want us to see the deeper, varied truths that are right here. 

This Spirit has used this single verse to convict sinners, bring repentance, and bring faith in the Lord Jesus. For that reason, I decided to begin this week with this familiar verse. My simple prayer is that God will use this evening to draw people to Himself through this familiar but crystal-clear Word. 

As we look at John 3:16, I hope to show you the greatness of God’s love, the giving of the Son, and the gift of eternal life.

I.) The greatness of God’s love 

It is hard to think of a more famous use of the word “so.” If you listen closely, you can probably even hear the stress people put on the so, when they say, “For God so loved the world…” 

This word captures the greatness of God’s love because it directs our attention to both the action and the object of God’s love. 

The word “so” captures the greatness of God’s love because it shows how God’s love is made manifest. It might he helpful to read John 3:16 in the CSB, which makes this crystal clear. 

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son (Jn 3:16)

Giving His Son makes God’s love great and glorious. This act manifests His love and makes it known! This is why 1 John says that God sending His Son is love. 

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 Jn 4:9–10.

All that we have in the gospel: the sending of the Son incarnate in Jesus Christ, his perfect sacrifice on the cross in the place of sinners, his glorious resurrection from the dead, and the grace of salvation begins with God’s great love. 

As part of discipleship, I’ll often encourage people to ask several questions about Scripture. The first one I teach them to ask is, “What do these verses teach us about God?” 

We learn that God has demonstrated his love for the world in a visible, historical, and sacrificial way. God is love, and his love is great, so he manifests it by sending the Son. 

God’s love is also great because of the object of God’s love: “For God so loved the world…”

Two important points stand out here. The world is very big, and the world is very bad. 

We need to remember that Jesus is having a conversation with Nicodemus, who is described as “a ruler of the Jews.” Nicodemus expected God to send a Messiah to save Israel and to judge Israel’s enemies. He expected that Israel would be with God in his Kingdom. God’s love for Israel was little in doubt. 

John 3:16 does not say, “For God so loved Israel…” No, the Gospel of John is teaching us the greatness of God’s love and the extent to which the gospel will reach. God’s salvation through the Messiah will not be for Israel alone, but for both Jew and Gentile. In other words, it will be for the world. God loves the world: every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. There is not a people group on planet earth that we should not labor, strive, and give to get the gospel to. God loves the world. 

Something more needs to be said here. It is not just that the world is big. It is also bad. Here, the greatness of God’s love is amazing. God’s love for the world is not a love for an obedient, righteous, and holy world. It is love for the world that is wicked, rebellious, and sinful.

In fact, this is why John tells Christians not to love the world: “world,” in John’s gospel, refers to fallen, sinful humanity. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 Jn 2:15)

 God loved the world when the world did not love God. 

8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Ro 5:8)

This brings up an important practical point. The gospel will not be good news to you, and God’s love will not be great in your eyes, unless you are convicted that you are part of a wicked, rebellious world in need of salvation. 

Scripture is clear that every person in the world is in need of salvation, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Ro 3:23)

In 1 John, we are told that denying that we have sinned makes God a liar and means his word is not in us. All of us, without exception, are members of the world God loved by sending his Son, which means we all need a Savior. 

The gospel will not be sweet to you until you realize how necessary it is. 

The gospel is the good news that God loved the world that sinned against God. The manifestation of that is the giving of the Son. Let’s look at verse 16 again.

II.) The giving of God’s Son 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The phrase “only Son” carries great weight in the ESV, or “only-begotten Son” in other translations. “Son” is a royal title in the Bible, but when it refers to Jesus, it means more. It speaks to Jesus’ shared divine nature with the Father. He is the eternally-begotten Son of God.  

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:14)

We see the greatness of God’s love in giving the Son at two levels. The first is the incarnation. The eternal Son of God is sent into the world by becoming flesh and dwelling among us.

The second giving is Jesus’ offering as a sacrifice on the cross in the place of sinners. We know both are in view because John 3:16 is sandwiched between John 3:14-15 and John 3:17. 

In John 3:14-15, Jesus told Nicodemus that just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so also must the Son of Man be lifted up. This clearly references the cross. Jesus will be lifted up by his substitutionary death on the cross, so that all who look to him in faith will be saved. 

John 3:17, we are told that God sent the Son into the world. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (Jn 3:17)

The “giving” mentioned in 3:16 includes both sending the Son and sacrificing the Son. God’s love results in the mission of the Son of God, who leaves the glories of heaven, humbles himself by becoming human, and is sacrificed on the cross, dying in the place of sinners.

Great love and a great cost. These two themes led Isaac Watts to pen When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. 

See from His head His hands His feet

Sorrow and love flow mingled down

Did ever such love and sorrow meet

Or thorns compose so rich a crown

Were the whole realm of nature mine

That were an offering far too small

Love so amazing so divine

Demands my soul, my life, my all

Since Jesus is the one whom God sent to accomplish the mission of salvation, belief in Him brings salvation. Let’s consider the final point—eternal life. 

III.) The gift of eternal life 

The purpose of giving His only Son is that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Notice that although not all will respond to the gospel, the gospel is offered to everyone. Many will hear—“whoever believes in him” — but will not believe. 

The Bible places the blame for that unbelief squarely on the unbeliever. They sin because they love the darkness, and in their sin they hate Christ’s light. 

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (Jn 3:19–20)

The end for those who do not believe is perishing. It is to be eternally separated from God, so that eternity is defined as death or perishing rather than life. 

That doesn’t have to be your story. Hear the call of the gospel. For all who believe in Jesus, there is eternal life. 

Eternal life is sharing in God’s life through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a life of quality and quantity. It includes the future resurrection and eternity with God in heaven, but also includes real, spiritual resurrection life the moment someone is saved. 

Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ can live content in the present while also hoping for the future. Listen to Jesus’ words to Martha in John 11. 

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (Jn 11:25–26)

The comfort that these truths can bring to the Christian is many, and if taken seriously, will anchor your heart in the midst of the most difficult moments. 

The hope of eternal life transforms a fear of death, so that we can say with Paul, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”  

Eternal life means we can say, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”

When I was in North Carolina, one of my members had a heart attack. While talking to the doctor, he said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” to which the doctor responded, “Do you have a death wish?” 

The answer, of course, is no! The hope of eternal life means we don’t live like the world, grieve like the world, or even die like the world.

Hope in eternal life means that we can answer the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism with confidence in every word.

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

  1. That I am not my own,1 but belong—body and soul, in life and in death2—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ….Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life9 and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Hear the familiar words one more time. 

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16)

Amen. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

Hallowed Be Your Name: Matthew 6:9

Sermon Idea: Praying for the hallowing of God’s name means praying that God’s Holy name be known, revered, and glorified in all things. 

Introduction: This first petition, “Hallowed be your name,” centers the glory of God’s name at the very center of the Christian life. The goal of creation, humanity, and the Christian life is to live for the glory of God’s name. 

As the first question of the Westminster Catechism asks…

Q: What is the chief end of man? 

A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. 

The essential importance of this prayer and our great need to let it shape, form, and reorder the affections of our hearts is self-evident when considered in light of the sinful world in which we live and the competing goals offered to us as visions of an ideal life. There are contrary visions of life, parodies of God’s kingdom where the goal of living for the greatness of God’s name is replaced with the goal of making our names great. 

This is not new, but is as old as Cain and Abel. In fact, Genesis offers interesting early examples of this, which together teach us how human beings pursue contrary goals and build competing kingdoms. 

16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after his son, Enoch. (Ge 4:16–17)

4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. (Ge 11:4)

Do you see how this is contrary to the purpose and goal of creation? We read in Genesis that God created humanity in his image (Gen. 1:27). What purpose does an image like this serve other than to reflect the glory of the one in whose image we are made? 

The problem of competing visions of life and parodies of God’s kingdom, which direct us to ourselves rather than to God, remains very much with us today. From advertisements and entertainment to mainstream and social media, we are given competing visions of life that place us at the center, with little to no room to consider God’s glory. 

The glory of God is the chief end of man, and so the glory of God is the chief end of prayer. Jesus gave three petitions that are essentially one: hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done. All of these are modified by the phrase, “….on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) 

We will leave the latter two for the coming weeks. This morning we want to think well about what it means to pray, “Hallowed be your name.” What exactly are we praying for? What may come about as we pray such a prayer? 

Praying for the hallowing of God’s name means praying that God’s Holy name be known, revered, and glorified in all things.

I.) Pray God’s Holy name be known 

If we are going to pray that God’s name be hallowed, let’s take the time to understand the meaning of God’s name. As God has revealed himself in Scripture, God’s name is equivalent to God, his perfections and attributes. 

So, for example, the Bible speaks of God’s name acting for his people: May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! (Ps 20:1)

Other times we read about God’s people trusting in God’s name: Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. (Is 50:10)

Related to this, of course, is how God’s revealed name reveals his nature, essence, and character. 

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ (Ex 3:13–14)

The church has confessed and believed rightly that reveals God’s self-existence (aseity), self-sufficiency, and unchanging nature.

5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation. (Ex 34:5–7)

 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other (Is 42:8)

As we consider the Lord’s Prayer, remember that the Bible repeatedly confesses God’s name is holy. 

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. (Ps 30:4)

Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! (Ps 97:12)

 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name (Ps 103:1)

We stress this point to show that when we pray, “Hallowed be your name,” we are not making God’s name holy as if it were not already, or making it more holy as if anything were lacking in God’s perfections! God’s name is unchangeable in its holiness, for God is holy. 

Illustration: Joe’s astronomy telescope & camera, which allow us to experience the beauty and glory of the sky, stars, and planets. These tools do not make the sky, stars, and planets glorious, but allow us to experience and know that glory in a much greater way.  

As we pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” we are not making God’s name holy but are praying that we and others would know, revere, and love God’s holy name. To do so is to know, revere, and love God himself. 

I love the way Jim Orrick puts it, “When we pray this prayer, we join in God’s work, since he has already hallowed his own name through his acts of creation, providence, and redemption”. 

The Lord tells us in Ezekiel 36:23, “… And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name.”

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. (Ps 8:1)

When God tells Israel why he delivered them out of Egypt and made them a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation for the sake of his name: 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. (Ex 9:16)

II.) Pray God’s Holy name be revered among all peoples 

God has revealed his holy name in his acts of creation, providence, and redemption. When we pray, “Hallowed be your name,” we ask that all peoples glorify God in all the ways He has revealed Himself. 

I think the Baptist catechism again helps clarify what we are praying for. 

Question 108: What do we pray for in the first petition?

Answer: In the first petition, which is “Hallowed be thy name,” we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all that whereby He makes Himself known, and that He would dispose all things to His own glory.

Let’s be more specific: what does it mean to pray this way? 

  1. We pray that all peoples come to acknowledge the glory of creation and, therefore, the glory of God as Creator. That this acknowledgment would lead to faith in Christ and the proper worship of God. 
  2. We pray that God saves sinners, resurrecting their dead rebellious hearts unto salvation. Salvation is of the Lord and to his glory. Our aim in praying this prayer is that God’s Holy name would become precious to those who were once lost in sin. 
  3. We pray for the planting, strengthening, and health of churches, which are outposts of God’s kingdom on earth. We pray that as churches are planted among the nations, strengthened, and made healthy, the name of God is glorified. 
  4. We pray for a deepening love of God among God’s people. That we would greatly fear the Lord, sincerely love the Lord, and have true joy in the Lord as we long to behold his beauty in heaven: One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:  that I may dwell in the house of the LORd all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. (Ps 27:4)

III.) Pray God’s Holy name be glorified in all things 

To pray, “Hallowed be your name,” is not only to pray that God’s holy name be revered among all peoples, but that it be glorified in all things. 

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Ro 11:36)

The last line of the answer in the Baptist Catechisms is “and that He would dispose all things to His own glory.”

There is a great comfort in praying this way with this particular aspect in mind. We cannot understand, and we are free to dislike, a particular circumstance or event, whether it be personal, national, or global. Even so, we pray that God works in the situation we don’t understand or perhaps don’t even like, and we pray that God would dispose of it all to his glory. 

Perhaps that means God will take something meant for evil and use it for good. Maybe it means God’s justice and judgment might be fully felt on the final day. Perhaps it’s that God works mightily to turn our failures and mistakes into sanctifying graces that mature us in the Lord. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

Our Father in Heaven: Matthew 6:7-9

Sermon Idea: In Christ, we have a heavenly Father to whom we pray, who is both good and great. 

Introduction: The Lord’s Prayer has been foundational to Christian discipleship since Jesus instructed his disciples how to pray. Historically, it has been grouped with the Apostles’ Creed and the Ten Commandments as foundational building blocks of Christian discipleship. At baptism, or in preparation for baptism, believers were taught what to believe (the Apostles’ Creed), how to live (the Ten Commandments), and how to pray (the Lord’s Prayer). 

You can find brief explanations of all three in the most influential catechisms and full expositions of each commandment and each petition of the Lord’s Prayer in some of the best works of theology. 

I share this for no other reason than to encourage you that spending extensive time on such a short section of Scripture is not only warranted, but has proved essential to the saints throughout Christian history.  We must know how to pray as the people of God, and there is no better place to begin than with Jesus’ teaching in what is known as the Lord’s Prayer. 

Most of you are no doubt familiar with it, but you may or may not share the appreciation for it that many Christians who’ve gone before us do. 

They would refer to the Lord’s Prayer as a summary of the whole gospel and a collection of heavenly doctrine. 

This prayer models ours by showing us what to prioritize, what to request, and whom to address in prayer. As Frederick Bruner writes, “The Lord’s prayer stretches from the Father at the beginning to the devil at the end, from heaven to hell, and in between in six brief petitions (about) everything important in life.”– Frederick Bruner

The context is Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, first beginning with Jesus teaching about proper motivation for prayer in Matthew 6:5-6. Jesus then instructs the disciples not to pray like the Gentiles who heap up empty phrases. 

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: (Mt 6:7–9)

Here, Jesus isn’t prohibiting long prayer or repeatedly praying for similar things. We might think of the worshippers of Baal in 1 Kings 18 or the people in Ephesus who shout out to Artemis in Acts 19. That’s the kind of prayer he rebukes—a rambling of empty phrases. 

We are to pray in faith, believing our Father not only hears us but knows what we need before we ask. The mention of the Father brings us to our focus this morning: who we address in our prayers. 

What I want us to see this morning can be summarized as follows: 

In Christ, we have a heavenly Father to whom we pray, who is both good and great.

Our prayer lives may struggle because we lack information—where to begin and how to pray—but they may also struggle because our thoughts about God are too small, too deficient, and we miss how good and great God truly is. 

So let’s think about Jesus teaching us to pray to the Father in heaven, who is both good and great.

I.) Pray to our heavenly Father 

Jesus teaches us to pray “Our Father in heaven…”

We can speak of God as Father in three ways.

1.) We can speak of God as Father because of the divine life of God, the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We read in the Bible about God’s only-begotten Son, so we can speak of God as Father, as Jesus does, in relation to the Son and the Holy Spirit (Psalm 2:7; Matthew 3:17; John 3:16). 

2.) We can also speak of God as Father because God is the creator and preserver of all creation. In a sense, God is the Father of all strictly because God has created every single person in the image of God. For example, the prophet Malachi asks, 10 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? (Mal 2:10) 

The Bible teaches us, though, that every person has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Every person has become estranged from God, who created us, and has become an enemy of God because of sin (Ephesians 2:3) 

“When it is used as such, however, the name Father cannot give any comfort, but it still instills terror due to man having fallen away from Him and God having become a wrathful avenger in consequence of sin.” – Wilhelmus A. Brakel 

3.) God is Father because of his great grace to adopt sinners as his children who have placed their faith in Christ and who are united with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. This is the personal use of the word Father to refer to God. Jesus calls God Father because he is a Son by nature. Every Christian believer calls God Father by grace because of our adoption. This is how Jesus is using “Our Father” here in verse 9. 

In Ephesians, we learn that God planned our adoption before the foundation of the world. 

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will (Eph 1:4–5)

This adoption is finalized as we place our faith in Jesus Christ, the true Son of God. 

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (Jn 1:12–13)

…for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. (Ga 3:26)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (1 Jn 3:1)

This matters for our understanding of the Lord’s Prayer. When Jesus says, “Our Father…” he is using it in the personal sense. We relate to God the same way Jesus does! He calls God Father because he is by nature the true Son of God. We call God Father with him because, by God’s grace, we have been adopted and made true sons and daughters of God! 

In other words, we are to pray as sons and daughters of God—not as peasants before a judge, but as children before a Father. 

We approach God as Jesus does, and we address God as Jesus does. 

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father! (Ro 8:15)

This means, friends, we can come to the Creator of the universe, the almighty and sovereign God, as a needy child approaches their mom or dad. We can come freely, boldly, knowing our God hears us and will respond to the needs of his people. 

It means we approach God in prayer with full confidence in his love for us and his delight in us. Beloved, your adoption by God’s grace means he looks at you the same way he looked at Jesus at his baptism: “This is my beloved son, my beloved daughter with whom I am well pleased.” 

Our prayer lives will deepen the more we believe, rejoice, and reflect on the great grace we have received in adoption. We are children of God in Christ, and so we pray with Jesus, “Our Father in Heaven…” 

This is all actually related to why we are taught to pray to the Father. 

This brings us to a question often asked. Why does Jesus teach us to pray to the Father? Can we also pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit? 

The answer to this second question is, yes… but. 

It is not theologically problematic to pray to Jesus or the Spirit becasue they are God. In the New Testament, there are some rare cases of people directing prayers to Jesus, although none to the Spirit. So, yes, we could. 

But the predominant pattern of prayer throughout the New Testament is to pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, in the power of the Spirit. Why is this the predominant pattern, and why should we pay careful attention to it for our prayer life? 

Praying in this way reinforces the Trinitarian nature of our salvation. It rehearses how we are right with God, and it allows meditation on the very nature of God’s triune life. What do I mean by that? 

Think with me about how we are saved. The Holy Spirit convicts us and draws us to Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and man, who is our access to the Father. 

The Spirit always points to and magnifies the Son, and when the Son is lifted up, it is to the glory of God the Father. 

Listen to how Ephesians 2:18 describes our salvation. 

18 For through him (Christ) we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. (Eph 2:18)

So when we allow Scripture to form and shape our prayer life, rather than praying generally to God, we pray to the Father through the Son and in the Spirit, aligning our prayer life with the reality of our spiritual lives. 

Fred Sanders says it this way, “…your Christian existence is a life that has been brought to the throne of the Father by the work of the Son in the power of the Spirit. Your prayers are verbal actions that follow the same path: to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. Consciously Trinitarian prayer is an invitation to align our words with the more all-encompassing reality of your life as God has constituted it.”

It is no small thing to call God Father. It is an amazing privilege granted to us by grace. We don’t deserve it. This pattern trains us to remember that we come to God only through Christ—the one mediator between God and man. We don’t come in our own strength, name, or ability; we come through him. 

II.) Pray to our heavenly Father, believing he is good 

As we listen to Jesus teach us to pray to the Father, we need to pray believing that our heavenly Father is good. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches about the Father’s goodness. We can say a lot about this, but I want to highlight three clear, obvious verses that speak to God’s goodness. 

Jesus encourages us to pray because “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8) 

How many of you know well what your children need materially, physically, and emotionally? How many of you withhold needs? None of you do, and you are but frail, finite sinners. How much better is the perfect God in knowing our needs? 

Pray believing that God is good. Pray believing that God is love. Pray believing that he is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. 

Our Father’s goodness is also taught to us in his care for creation. As Jesus is teaching us not to be anxious, he appeals to God’s goodness in dressing the lilies of the field and feeding the birds of the air. 

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you? (Matthew 6:30)

Our Father is good; we need not hesitate to pray to him. He knows our needs, hears us, and will care for us more than the grass of the field.

The third example of the Father’s goodness is in chapter seven, and it’s worth quoting in full. 

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Mt 7:9–11)

Our Father is good. And because he is good, we should keep something in mind. Good fathers and mothers say no to their children out of love and for their good. 

If we, who are finite sinners, will say no to our children, who will say no to our children? How can we believe that a “no” from a sovereign and perfect God can’t also be good? 

Beloved, a good heavenly Father answers every prayer. Only good yeses, good nos, and good not-yets exist. Brakel is so good once again: “It is fatherly love when He gives, and it is fatherly love when He withholds.” 

To pray, “Our Father” rightly evokes feelings of warmth, intimacy, love, and joy. That is the right and good. We should approach God as a child approaching a loving Father.

Just as we are to believe our Father is good, we need to believe that he is great.

III.) Pray to our heavenly Father, believing he is great 

We are to pray to “Our Father in heaven.”

God is not limited to a place, but because we are weak and finite, God condescends to us, so we think of his dwelling place and throne as being in the heavens. 

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. (Ps 11:4)

God in the heavens reveals God’s true attributes. 

He is omnipotent—all-powerful. Our God has no limits, and nothing compares to his greatness. 

He is omniscient—all-knowing. God knows all things actual and possible. He learns nothing and forgets nothing. The God we pray to knows better than we do. 

He is omnipresent—all-present. We cannot escape God’s presence, and how comforting that is for prayer. There is no place we could go where he could not hear us, find us, and minister to us. 

How might this form and shape our prayer life? If God as Father helps us approach as a child, God’s greatness reminds us to come with reverence. Our Father is still God. We still come with reverence, with righteous fear of the Lord. 

I really love how the Baptist Catechism captures both the Idea of approaching as a child and with reverence. We will let it have the final word. 

The Baptist Catechism, Question #107

Question: What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us?

Answer: The preface of the Lord’s prayer, which is Our Father which art in heaven,¹ teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.

Nathaniel R. Martin

Yes, Jesus Loves Me

Every night when I lay my son down to sleep we sing the same song. He will hear me begin, “Jesus loves me this I know…” and then jump in: “The Bible tells us so!” What began as a way to disciple my four-year old has turned into nightly catechesis for Dad and son. We confess our weakness and rest in the strength of Jesus. We remind ourselves that it is to him that we belong.  As the familiar refrain tenderly reminds us, “Yes, Jesus loves me; yes,Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.”

These words resonate with Christians young and old because of their simplicity and depth. The melody is simple enough for a child to remember, but the meaning demands prayer to even comprehend it. The Scriptures declare that Christ’s love for us is immeasurable. With intercession Paul prays that Christians “… may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18-19). In other words, yes, Jesus loves us—and that love is so immeasurable we can’t even comprehend it without his help.

I lead my son in singing the line “little ones to him belong.” Naturally we might think of Jesus’ reception of children and the humble way adults are to come to Jesus in faith (Matt. 18:1-4; 19:14-15). But I can’t help but also think of how belonging to Jesus means we are caught up in a love that is both eternal and perfect. The Father’s love for the Son (John 3:35; John 5:20; 17:24-26) and the Son’s love for the Father (John 14:31) is the basis for our redemption in Christ Jesus. Our belonging to Jesus means that Jesus loves us as the Father loves him (John 15:9). Jesus even prays that the love the Father has for the Son might be in us (John 17:26). Those in Christ are, as D.A. Caron says, “friends of God by virtue of the intra-Trinitarian love of God…”[1] Is there a greater motivation for obedience than this? After the day’s battles with temptation, doubt, and fear, this musical nightly rhythm reminds me that I belong to Jesus, who loves me as the Father has loved him. This is what refreshes the heart to desire to abide in the love of Jesus by keeping his commands (John 15:9).

The confession of our weakness leads to trust in Jesus’ strength. The nightly proclamation that He is strong grants us gospel rest. Was not God’s love made manifest in our weakness? “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom 5:8) It is Christ who intercedes for us after all; who can separate us from this intercessor? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Romans 8:32)

Our world is ever changing. The most loving parents can’t protect their children from the worry and distress of every day. I may want to be strong for them, but I can hear my own weakness in the melody as I sing. So my frail voice points to the strength of Jesus. His love binds us to himself and the reaches of Hell will never be able to pull us from his grasp; “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

We sing the final verse and he slowly drifts off to sleep. I retreat into the quiet of the night, leaving the business of the day behind. My mind, finally “free,” is now reminded of failures, past and present. The feeling begins to build along with anxiety, doubt, and despair. But there has been grace in this nightly repetition. The melody is stuck in my head. Unlike other children’s songs I don’t rush to block it out, but breathe deeply and sing, “Yes, Jesus loves me; yes Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me; the Bible tells me so.”

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Word of His Grace: Acts 20:17-38

Sermon Idea: Faithful ministry is sustained by God and the Word of his grace, as exemplified in the life of Paul’s apostleship and his exhortation to the elders of the church in Ephesus. 

Introduction: The final opportunity to speak, whether to one person or to a group, has added significance for the obvious reason that it will be the last time to communicate important truths for the good of others. 

There is a reason why passages like John 14-17, otherwise known as the Farewell Discourse, or Matthew 28:18-20, known as the Great Commission, are so memorable. They are the departing words of our Lord Jesus to his disciples. They were words of great love to prepare them for his ascension and to equip them to live faithfully in his absence. 

The importance of the farewell address is even evident in the American political landscape. For example, since 1893 the Senate has convened on George Washington’s birthday to publicly read George Washington’s farewell address, first published on September 19th, 1796. It was different than the self-congratulatory addresses presidents give today. It was prophetic in a sense, filled with insight on what to do and how to live as a nation with his departure. 

I am belaboring this point, and I think you get it—farewell addresses often contain the words and ideas that we believe to be most important. 

Paul spent more time in Ephesus than anywhere else. After the planting of the church there, he spent three years, especially investing in the twelve disciples he met with in the Hall of Tyrannus. But now it is time to go, and so Paul gathers the elders in the church to communicate to them the words and ideas he believes to be most important. 

This farewell speech is filled with sincere affection, but also direct admonition. Paul had earned the right to speak so directly to these brothers because of both his example before them and his love toward them.

The passage can be outlined simply by noting two themes: Paul’s example of faithful apostolic ministry in 20:18-27 and Paul’s exhortation to faithful elder ministry in Acts 20:28-35. These two divisions make up the body of the address, bookended by the gathering of the elders in verse 17 and the expressions of goodbye in verses 36-38. 

Here is what we see when we put it all together: Faithful ministry is sustained by God and the Word of his grace, as exemplified in the life of Paul’s apostleship and his exhortation to the elders of the church in Ephesus.

Before we get into the body of the address, it will be helpful if we reflect on who Paul is addressing and why. Look with me at verse 17.

17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. (Acts 20:17)

The reference to elders is not to the oldest men in the church, but to the office of elder in the life of the church. God has ordained that the local church be led by a plurality of elders who lead the congregation with the word of God and shepherd them in all matters concerning life and godliness. Since elders are required to be able to teach, they have a degree of God-given authority that comes from the Word. Elders are the spiritual leadership who oversee the church. They are to be the God-given shepherds of the sheep—the church— who are to follow them to green pastures and still waters. 

The importance of qualified Biblical leadership has been a recurring theme in Acts and continues to be an important theme throughout the New Testament. 

In Acts 11, the church in Antioch sends Paul and Barnabas with famine relief funds to the elders of the Church in Jerusalem. 

30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 11:30)

Here we see a plurality of pastoral leadership, “elders,” in one church: the church in Jerusalem. 

During Paul’s missionary journeys, he appointed elders in each church that was planted. So, for example, consider the churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe: 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:23)

Here we see a plurality of pastoral leadership, “elders” appointed in individual churches, “…every church” (singular).

When Paul writes to the church in Philippi, he addresses the saints, but also their leadership: overseers and deacons. To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons (Php 1:1) 

Remember, overseer is a synonym for elder and pastor. Here, we see a plurality of pastoral leadership, or “overseers,” in one church: the church in Philippi.

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. (Tt 1:5–7)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight(1 Pe 5:1–2)

James encourages the congregation to call upon the elders (plural) in the church (singular) to pray when sick. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (Jas 5:14)

When Paul writes to Timothy, it is evident that the eldership is made up of lay pastors who share in shepherding, but who may not teach the Word as often. 

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. (1 Ti 5:17)

There are several other passages that would be worth considering, but even a survey of this evidence is really strong. The biblical model of church leadership is for local churches to be led by a plurality of elders/pastors/overseers, to be served by a plurality of deacons, and governed by the congregation—the membership who has been equipped for the work of ministry. 

My prayer is that by teaching these texts over time, it will have a persuasive effect that leads the majority of our members to not only see and understand the truths of these texts, but to believe them. Then, once we believe them, my prayer is that we cultivate a joyful affirmation of them. When that happens, we can start talking about what it means for us, and what steps we might take to better align ourselves with the vision for leadership given to us in the Bible. 

With that introduction, we can dive into the main body of the address. Look with me at verse 18, as we think together about Paul’s example of faithful apostolic ministry. 

I.) Paul’s example of faithful apostolic ministry (Acts 20:17-27) 

You can sum up Paul’s ministry in Ephesus with faithful presence and faithful proclamation.

Faithful Presence: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews (Acts 20:18–19)

You cannot overstate the importance of presence in ministry. It is the fundamental priority for anyone who wants to faithfully care for those entrusted to him. Time with others is the only thing that will allow people to see you as one of them as opposed to apart from them. 

Notice how Paul’s faithful presence is further described in three ways: (1) humility,  (2) tears, and (3) trials. 

Paul’s ministry reflects the Lord Jesus. The ministry of Jesus is described in Philippians 2:7-8

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Php 2:7–8)

Tears were not contrary to Paul’s vision of ministry and certainly not contrary to biblical manhood. He loved those he served and often wept over their spiritual state. His tears were shed through labor and pain as he ministered. This is who Paul was. 

4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. (2 Co 2:4)

18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. (Php 3:18)

And of course, he also endured many trials as he ministered in Ephesus. The saints in Ephesus knew of his great love for them because he ministered through hardship, persecution, and pain. When you are willing to serve others at great cost to yourself, you earn trust and credibility that isn’t easily lost. 

Paul’s ministry in Ephesus exemplified and reflected Jesus Christ as he preached Jesus Christ. It was a present, weeping, sacrificial ministry. 

Faithful Proclamation: 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:20–21)

Paul’s faithful presence was characterized by faithful proclamation. I love the language of verse 20, “…I did not shrink back from declaring to you anything that was profitable.” 

He reiterates the same point in verse 27, “…for I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” 

Pastors who water down the word leave the sheep with parched mouths and malnourished souls. That never described Paul, nor should it describe any pastor who stands in a pulpit. 

17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (2 Co 2:17)

This is the type of commitment that I think you should not only expect from me, but also demand of me. I can live with slow growth. I can live with criticism, and even losses from time to time. That’s ministry. 

What I cannot live with is the easy path of least resistance. I can’t live with being a coward who refuses to deal with what is clearly in the text out of fear of perception and desire for self-preservation. The stakes are too high and your spiritual formation too important for me to give the bare minimum of what God has revealed. 

Paul’s example is not just about who he has been but who he continues to be. Listen to how he describes his perspective about what awaits him in Jerusalem. 

22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:22–24)

Paul’s life is one of singular devotion. Jesus has set the course of Paul’s life, and as long as he stays on that course, he can consider his very life of little value or precious. That is to say, that a life given to Christ and his kingdom is a life well lived, even in suffering and death. 

That’s Paul’s example. Now let’s look at his exhortation for these men to faithful elder ministry.  

II.) Paul’s exhortation of faithful elder ministry (Acts 20:28-38) 

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

We will return in a minute to why he exhorts them to pay careful attention, but for now I want you to look closely at how elders are described.

Elders are overseers who care for the church of God. I love my ESV, but this is one example where I prefer other English versions. The word translated “care” is the word ποιμαίνειν, which means to shepherd or tend to a flock. It is the word from which we derive the term pastor. Care is a fine and sufficient translation, but I prefer to keep the shepherd image as explicit as possible. This passage is one of the clearest examples to show that the terms elder, overseer, and pastor are three synonymous terms that refer to the same office. 

Elders/overseer are the Biblical titles for the office, but their function is to pastor. Elder and overseer are what I am, and pastor is what I do as an elder. 

The importance of the office is heightened by noting that the Holy Spirit has made them overseers of the care of the church of God, which was obtained by God’s own blood in the death of Jesus on the cross. 

It is the elders’ responsibility to pay careful attention to themselves and the flock. They are to be alert! Why? 

29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. (Acts 20:29–30)

In Paul’s absence, there will be some who will seek to lead the flock astray.   It is the elders’ job to care for the sheep, to fend off the wolves, and to pay attention to themselves lest they become the wolves Paul warns about. 

The means needed to serve faithfully as an elder are given to us in verse 32, and they are rather ordinary. 

32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)

This passage is really insightful because it teaches us that God builds us up and reveals that God uses means to do so. In this case, the means is the “word of his grace.” In this context, this phrase refers to the gospel, but by extension, it also includes the Word of God in Scripture.

As believers hear the gospel afresh through faith in the reading and preaching of the Word, God, by his grace, increasingly nourishes and strengthens our faith. 

Given that this is Paul’s final address, he chose his words carefully. He commends these elders to God and the word of his grace, because that word is able to build them up and sanctify them. 

Friends, these means of grace that we’ve talked so much about since I’ve been here are the means through which God has promised to work. Do you want to be built up, nourished, and sanctified? Look not to your preferences or ideas, but to God’s means of grace: Word, prayer, and the ordinances. 

Faithful ministry is sustained by God and the Word of his grace, as exemplified in the life of Paul’s apostleship and his exhortation to the elders of the church in Ephesus.

Nathaniel R. Martin

Saving Eutychus: Acts 20:1-16

 

Sermon Idea: The sweetness of gospel ministry can be experienced in gospel friendships, encouragement, worship, life, and sacrifice. 

Introduction: If I were to give you numerous details of a series of events, it would not be obvious that there was anything significant about them at all. For example, I could tell you that I woke up early, roughly 5 AM, and boarded a bus traveling to Gatlinburg, TN, where I stayed for three days. While there, I dined with friends. A year later, I traveled to Louisville, KY, where I stayed another three days with friends. After arriving home, it became routine to gather with friends every Thursday night.  We would speak late into the evening. 

These are rather ordinary details about ordinary life. But as often is the case, there is great sweetness that surrounds the ordinary. It was during that trip to Gatlinburg that the Lord opened my eyes to see the beauty of Christ and his gospel.

 I was with my pastors, friends, and my dad in Louisville at Together for the Gospel for some of the richest, most encouraging gospel encouragement of my young spiritual life. During a break, my pastor spots a familiar face in the distance. He goes off to talk to him—someone he hasn’t seen in decades, a former student named Josh Greene. I didn’t think anything of it, or hardly remember it happened. That was until I moved to Louisville for college and found myself at a small Baptist church whose pastor was Josh Greene. I spent four years there, the final two as the youth pastor. 

Of course, there were those ordinary Thursday evenings. We’d meet, eat, and talk for hours about ideas, books, and ministry. We met in this little house in Patriot Place, ironically enough, directly across from the very house in which I now live. It is not an exaggeration to say that those Thursday evenings with Joe Buchanan changed the entire trajectory of my life. 

The strenuous details that make up our lives are often saturated in and surrounded by a sweetness that gives them significance. 

In Acts 20, Luke records Paul’s travelogue. That is, he gives details about where Paul goes and who he is with. He visited Macedonia, Corinth (Greece), Syria, and Troas. We know that during this time in Macedonia Paul wrote the letter we know as 2 Corinthians.

We are even given details about time. Paul spends three months in Corinth. During these three months, mentioned just in passing, Paul wrote his most famous letter: Romans. He left Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It takes him five days to meet up with friends, where he stays with them for seven days. Paul makes his travel arrangements with intentionality—he wants to be in Jerusalem by Passover. 


In between the travelogue is a worship gathering that nearly turned into a tragedy, except that God worked through Paul to raise Eutychus from the dead. This is the part of these verses we’re used to seeing as prominent, and to be sure it is significant, but if we don’t take into account why God gives us this story when he does, in the middle of a travelogue about Paul’s missionary travels, I think we’ll miss the fullness of all that God wants to teach us. 

The sweetness of gospel ministry can be experienced in gospel friendships, encouragement, worship, life, and sacrifice. These are the five things I want to show you this morning. 

 I.) Gospel Friendships (Acts 20:1-6)

The first glimpse of friendship we see in Acts 20 is in verse 1: After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia (Acts 20:1). 

These are the twelve men who had come to saving faith in Ephesus, and with whom Paul spent so much time in the Tyrannus Hall (Acts 19:9-10). After enduring the riot, no one would have faulted Paul for retreating and keeping to himself, but he gives of himself yet again to these brothers whom he has grown to love. They are fellow followers of Jesus. They are friends.  He doesn’t leave without assuring that they’re properly encouraged. 

Beyond the twelve disciples in Ephesus that he must now leave are the seven named in Acts 20:4.  

4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus (Ac 20:4)

These brothers are from the churches that Paul helped plant. These verses tell us how Paul visited them again to strengthen the churches and care for them. Paul cares deeply for these churches, and he doesn’t stop at their founding; he visits, encourages, and strengthens them so they flourish as healthy churches. 

The relationships between Paul and these churches were so good that, at some point, they parted with some of their faithful members so they could travel with Paul and help him advance the gospel and plant churches. 

I love the way Patrick Schreiner reflects on these relationships: “His missionary team grows as he continues to travel. They look, sound, and smell like the places he traveled. Like David had his mighty men and Jesus had his Twelve, Paul has his companions. The mission of God takes collaboration; it takes friendship.”

We don’t have time to trace every reference, but some of these brothers are mentioned repeatedly by Paul, especially Timothy, Tychicus, and Aristarchus. Paul’s ministry was never isolated or solo; it was always shared by co-laborers who walked alongside him as friends. 

Ecclesiastes reminds us of the importance of friendship: 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!  (Ec 4:9–10)

The fruitfulness of Waldo’s ministry will flourish or flounder depending on the health of friendships within the church and on our commitment to building partnerships outside our church. 

Pray the spirit of camaraderie increases and the competitive spirit decreases. 

II.) Gospel Encouragement (Acts 20:1-6, 12)

After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. (Ac 20:1–2)

12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted. (Ac 20:12)

This has been a consistent theme throughout Acts.ds

 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith (Ac 14:21–22)

32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. (Ac 15:32)

40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed (Ac 16:40)

Encouragement should be the mark of true Christian friendship and gospel-partnership. We don’t need to be flattered or lied to, but we do need to be redirected to God, the Word, and the work of God among us.

We should have good, wise partnerships in church planting and mission so we can be conduits of encouragement. 

III.) Gospel Worship (Acts 20:7,11)

At the center of the church’s life is not work or service, but worship. We are worshippers first, sent out on mission and service. 

7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7)

Lord’s Day

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet (Re 1:10)

Didache, 14.1, But on the Lord’s day, after that ye have assembled together, break bread and give thanks, having in addition confessed your sins, that your sacrifice may be pure.

The Lord’s Supper 

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42)

IV.) Gospel Life (Acts 20:8-10) 

8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. (Acts 20:8–9)

Eutychus is in a lit room hearing a gospel about the light of the world, but he drifts toward darkness, falls asleep, and then falls to his death. No doubt we are meant to remember the disciples who fell asleep as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 9:32; 22: 45-46). Eutychus literally falls asleep, but his death is also symbolic of so many of the warnings we are given about the Christian life. We are to be alert, stay awake, be watchful. 

35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.  (Lk 12:35–37)

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 Jn 1:7)

 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. (1 Th 5:4–6)

The story does not end in Eutychus’ death, but in his resurrection. Like Elijah and Elisha in the Old Testament (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:33-36),  Paul resurrects a dead man. 

10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted. (Acts 20:10–12)

In the face of death and darkness, Paul brings light and life. This story is somewhat of a summary shorthand of Paul’s ministry. He brings life.

The Apostolic era is over, and it is not our task to physically raise the dead. Christ will take care of that on the final day. It is our task to preach the gospel which gives life. We are to be ministers in a world of death being life through the gospel, the one who promises life everlasting and resurrection in the life to come. 

V.) Gospel Sacrifice (Acts 20:13-16) 

This last one is a mixture of sweetness and sadness. Paul has every intent to go to Jerusalem, and like Jesus before him, Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem will be his last act as a free man. He will be arrested, tied, handed over to the Romans, and imprisoned. Paul truly gave of himself so that many might be free and have in the name of Jesus. 

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45)

Toward the end of his life, as he said in that Roman prison, he wrote to one of his dear friends—Timothy. 

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Ti 4:6–8)

Even in these final days of Paul’s life, it is characterized by gospel friendship, gospel encouragement, and gospel life. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

Baptist catholicity & the Nicene Creed

On occasion we’ll recite the Nicene Creed in a corporate worship gathering. As a confessional Baptist church, can we say we believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church with a clear conscience? Few have questions about oneness, holiness, and apostolicity. Understandably, however, some are curious about the word “catholic.”

To confess to believe in the catholicity of the church has nothing to do with Roman Catholicism. It refers to the universal church in every place, across time and space. It is to confess that we belong to the same body to which Abraham, David, Paul, Athanasius, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, and Billy Graham belong.

Why should we say it without hesitation?

1. It connects us to the church throughout time. (Hebrews 12: 1)

2. It connects us to the church around the globe (1 Peter 5:9-10)

3. It connects us to the church across traditions & denominations (Ephesians 4:4-6)

As Baptists, we have important distinctives that we cherish and articulate with conviction. We articulate those distinctives not as a sect, cult, or independent movement but as a branch of one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

Nathaniel R. Martin

Thanks Be To God: A Case for Congregational Response to the Read Word

“I will not participate.” 

Years ago, a church member had sent me this response after I had encouraged the congregation to respond to the public reading of Scripture with “Amen.” For this member, any sort of standard or formal response amounted to stifling the Spirit’s movement in worship. 

This perspective is common among many in the church today. It’s easy for us to let feeling and experience determine the spiritual worth of our worship. We can adopt the mindset that if it feels good, the Spirit was moving. If it did not, the Spirit was absent. The question is: Do habit and ritual really stifle the Spirit? Or could they soften our hearts toward him? 

Throughout the history of the church, across a number of traditions, congregations have responded to the public reading of Scripture. Some have responded with a simple “amen.” Other congregations find the reader of Scripture concluding with, “This is the Word of the Lord,” followed by the congregational response, “Thanks be to God.” Congregations might also respond with statements such as “Praise you, O Christ” after a Gospel reading.

I want to make the case that a congregational “Thanks be to God” is both a biblically justified and spiritually beneficial response to the reading of Scripture in corporate worship.  God commands the church to devote itself to the public reading of Scripture and to give thanks in all things. When these two commands are considered in light of the Bible’s repeated description of congregational response to the read Word, we have a solid biblical and theological case that such a practice is spiritually edifying. 

The Public Reading of and Response to Scripture

The Bible itself depicts God’s people corporately reading and responding to it. 

First, God commands the public reading of Scripture. He instructed his people to read his word publicly in the Old Testament (Exodus 24:3; Deuteronomy 1:1, 27, 31:9-12; Nehemiah 8), and does the same in the new. (1 Timothy 4:13).[1] Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Spirit, further commands that Colossians and 1 Thessalonians be circulated and read in local churches (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Revelation states plainly, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear (Revelation 1:3). God intends for his people to hear the voice of the risen Christ beyond the reading of the sermon text. We are to read the law, the prophets, the writings, and the gospel. As Stephen Presley has written, “Following these examples and exhortations, the early church has always prized the public reading of Scripture. They could not image a worship service without someone reading healthy portions of Scripture drawn from across the canon.”[2]

Second, congregational response to the Word is modeled in Scripture. Throughout the Bible, God speaks to his people, and they respond. After Moses reads the covenant stipulations in Exodus 20-23, the people respond, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” (Ex 24:3) Upon hearing the covenant curses and blessings, the people respond with, “Amen” (Deuteronomy 27). Call and response are clearly woven into the structure of several Psalms (106, 118, 136). During the covenant renewal in Nehemiah 8, the people respond corporately to Ezra’s reading of the law by raising their hands and saying, “Amen, Amen” (Nehemiah 8:6). If these examples are not persuasive, perhaps we should note that call and response is part of the liturgy of heavenly worship (Revelation 4-5). Finally, it is worth meditating on the fact that the canon’s last words are a call-and-response. 

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen (Revelation 22:20–21)

Cultivating a Thankful Church

But a congregational praise to the Lord in response to hearing his word is not just biblical. It’s spiritually beneficial. Why? Because it cultivates the gratitude that God commands his people to have. 

God commands the church to give thanks in all things. The Christian life and worship in the body of Christ are to be characterized by thanksgiving. The Psalms instruct us to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2, 100:4). Of particular importance for our purpose is Paul’s command in Colossians 3:15-17 for the church to give thanks in the context of corporate worship. 

15  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.  And be thankful.16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,  with thankfulness  in your hearts to God. 17  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,  giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:15–17)

Along with Colossians 3:15-16, I do not believe it is an exegetical stretch to apply Paul’s commands for the church to give thanks in everything (Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18) as support for the spiritual benefit of congregational response. As the saints gather to hear the Word of God, responding with “thanks be to God” upon hearing the Word read is a beautiful expression of corporate obedience to God’s command to give thanks in all things.

Is the formula “This is the Word of the Lord, thanks be to God” explicitly found in Scripture? No. It is, however, deeply biblical. God has commanded his people to commit to the public reading of Scripture. He has commanded us to give thanks in all things and provided numerous congregational responses throughout Scripture. 

As you gather for corporate worship, prepare your heart to respond joyfully and boldly to the words “This is the Word of the Lord.” The living God speaks to his people by the living Word of God. How can we not give thanks?

[1] Although some translations may imply a private reading is in view (KJV, NKJV), the pairing of exhortation and teaching with the command to read Scripture only makes sense if the reference is the public reading of Scripture. See Sam Waldron, How Then Shall We Worship?: The Regulative Principle and the Required Parts of the Church’s Corporate Worship (Evangelical Press, Great Britain, 2022) 206-207.

2Accessed July 7th, 2026.