There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
43 The statement “the LORD gave Israel” emphasizes God’s sovereign action. Israel’s obedient participation was essential, but it was always secondary. The land was God’s gift to Israel. All of Canaan was not yet in Israel’s possession, nor were all the enemies destroyed; nevertheless Israel was in control of “all the land.” It was securely in their hands. The promise of the land is a prominent theme in the history of the Patriarchs beginning with the call of Abraham (Gen 12:1–7). God’s oath to Abraham had now been fulfilled. The words “they took possession of it and settled there” speak of the fulfillment of the hopes and aspirations of God’s people. It is appropriate that the account of the Conquest and the division of the land begins (1:6) and ends on this note.
Madvig, D. H. (1992). Joshua. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 353). Zondervan Publishing House.
43 This verse first of all recalls God’s promise that he would give the land to Israel, one of the leading motifs of the book (1:2–3, 6, 11, 13, 15; 2:9, 24; 5:6; 6:2, 16; 8:1, 7; 10:8, etc.). This giving of the land was in keeping with the oath sworn by God to the forefathers (1:6; cf. Gen. 24:7; 26:3; 50:24). This oath is also recalled in other books of the Pentateuch (Num. 11:12; 14:16, 23; Deut. 1:8, 35; 6:10, etc.). The view of a completed conquest and settlement in the land which God had given must also be seen against the background of the patriarchal stories which first mention the oath made to the forefathers. These patriarchs could not call any part of the land that God promised them their own except a grave or two in which to bury their beloved dead. Compared to that, how rich the fulfilment of the promise now appeared!
Woudstra, M. H. (1981). The Book of Joshua (p. 314). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
21:43 This verse must be read in the light of other Scripture. It does not mean that Israel occupied all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates; instead, it means that the land which Joshua divided was in fulfillment of God’s promise that He would give them every place that the sole of their feet walked upon (Josh. 1:3).
MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (A. Farstad, Ed.; p. 255). Thomas Nelson.
Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! —Psalm 100:2
As spring draws near, it is as though all creation bursts into life. Flowers bloom, trees blossom, grass grows, and weeds shoot up like they have been fertilized. Thus, it is time to break out the weed-eater, which soon leads to firing up the blower. These gas-powered instruments for beautifying the yard, however, cannot crank with just one tug on the pull cord. The engine requires priming, which involves pushing a small pump to deliver fuel, making the engine ready for combustion. Our hearts are like those cold engines. To be ready for worship, fired in our souls to give God the praise due His name, we need shots of truth, heart-focusing facts about the greatness of the Lord and His grace, so that our cold hearts would be roused to action. Psalm 100 can be such a primer for us.
Psalm 100 is the climax of a collection of psalms focused on the Lord as King. From the declaration of Psalm 93:1, “The Lord reigns,” to the reminder in Psalm 99:1, “The Lord reigns,” the psalmist has fixed the believer’s heart on the fact of the Lord’s present enthronement and future glory. These psalms are laden with gospel hope because they depict all the earth singing to the Lord (Ps. 96:1), and all the earth seeing the revelation of His righteousness (Ps. 98:1), which previews Paul’s declaration about the gospel in Romans 1:16–17 as the revelation of God’s righteousness.
But Psalm 100 is specifically a psalm for giving thanks, whereby those saved by the Lord now serve Him with gladness. Service, the very service given to God as we corporately come into His presence (and that is why we rightly call it a worship service), is the only appropriate action in view of the Lord’s saving mercies. But that action also requires a certain attitude: gladness. It’s the gladness associated with liberation seen in Isaiah 35:10: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
It is obvious to us that we have not yet reached the day when sorrowing and sighing vanish. Nevertheless, King Jesus has brought everlasting joy with His redeeming mercies, and those who have been awakened by the Spirit of Christ must necessarily sing, make melody in their hearts, and give thanks (Eph. 5:18–20). It is our joy to be called before the living God to sing in His presence. However, if we are to prepare ourselves for this action, service, with this attitude, gladness, on what truths do we need to think?
The psalmist highlights eight things. First, “Know that the Lord, he is God” (Ps. 100:3). Move past an intellectual assent to God being God and know Him, set the eyes of your faith on who He is, see and embrace the truth about Him. He is the Lord, the covenant God, Yahweh. He is self-existent, independent, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. He is steadfast in His commitments. He’s not a man that He should lie (Num. 23:19). He is not weak, ignorant, limited, flawed, or confined to our thoughts of Him. He is sovereign. He is incomprehensible. He is the only living and true God. He triumphs over all so-called deities. There is none like Him. Know this fact and rest your soul in His prevailing rule as the promise-keeping King.
Second, know that “It is he who made us” (Ps. 100:3). He created us. He knit us together in our mother’s wombs. He designed everything about us. He formed our bodies. He is “the Father of spirits” (Heb. 12:9); the very one who breathed life into us giving us a soul. All that we are we owe to Him. Indeed, there is nothing we have which is not derived from Him. What do we have that we have not received (1 Cor. 4:7)? As the Maker, we thereby depend totally on Him. What power this declares to us! What boundless creativity! Each of us are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14), shaped by the master potter. And though the Lord stands over us as the transcendent Creator, He yet calls us to come into His presence. Marvel over this fact!
To be ready for worship we need shots of truth, heart-focusing facts about the greatness of the Lord and His grace.
Third, know that “we are his” (Ps. 100:3). He owns us by virtue of creation. He has a right to our service, our thanksgiving, our loyalty. He has enlivened us. He has directed us by His will. He has formed us for His glory (Isa. 43:7). And, while His creation right over us demands our devotion, His saving mercies all the more so! We are not our own. We have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Precious blood has been spilled, better blood than bulls and goats, the blood of His beloved Son. We come to serve with gladness as those freed from our sins by Jesus’ blood and made a kingdom and priests to God (Rev. 1:5–6).
Fourth, know that “we are his people” (Ps. 100:3). Our God is our ruler, and we have been designated by grace as His subjects. He is our King, our Judge, our Lawgiver. We are citizens of His kingdom bound to follow His directions for life. Moreover, He’s identified Himself with us. The great covenant declaration throughout the Scripture is “I will be your God, and you will be my people” (Gen. 17:7; Ex. 6:7; Lev. 26:12; Ezek. 36:28; Rev. 21:7). We’ve been drawn into a covenantal relationship, one filled with lavish grace. We are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” that we may proclaim his excellencies (1 Peter 2:9).
Fifth, know that we are “the sheep of His pasture” (Ps. 100:3). In choosing us, drawing us to Himself with cords of steadfast love, the Lord has stooped to take us under His tender care. It is not simply that He has made us and functions as our King. He is our Shepherd. He carries us near to His heart, gently leading the weak (Isa. 40:11). We are the objects of special affection, and He gives us all kinds of good things to enjoy. He feeds us, nourishes us, and protects us, and that protection will go beyond our farthest comprehension when the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). We are precious to the Lord, a crown of beauty, a royal diadem (Isa. 62:3), and as the Lover of our souls, He has given us refuge under the shadow of His wings (Ps. 17:8).
Sixth, after giving more commands to enter His gates, to give thanks and bless Him (Ps. 100:4), the psalmist says we should do so “for the Lord is good” (Ps. 100:5). Who can begin to describe the goodness of the Lord? He is good in Himself—namely, He’s kind (Titus 3:4), tender-hearted (Ps. 34:18), full of compassion (Ex. 34:6), boundless in mercy (Ps. 25:6; Eph. 2:4), lavishing grace (Eph. 1:8), and great in love (Eph. 2:4). This is who He is, and goodness is likewise what He does, as seen in Psalm 119:68: “You are good and do good.” The goodness of God’s works are seen in creation, providence, and redemption, and a sight His mercy over all He has made (Ps. 145:9), should compel believers to bless Him.
Seventh, a particular evidence of His goodness is that “his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps. 100:5). The Lord Himself is the fountain of living waters, and therefore all He is as a God of steadfast love can never run dry. His covenant loyalty, His dogged affection, can never wear out. His love is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him (Ps. 103:17). Even when hard providences come, when our hearts are heavy with grief, when the fiercest afflictions strike, still His steadfast love is new every morning (Lam. 3:22–23). How can that fact fail to fire your soul for worship?
Finally, in connection to His steadfast love, “his faithfulness [endures] to all generations” (Ps. 100:5). Not one word of all His good words will fall to the ground (Josh. 21:45; 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56). While everything we experience in this life fails us—flowers fade, offers expire, contracts run out, men prove unreliable—the Lord’s Word stands forever (Isa. 40:8). He will not renege on a promise. He is trustworthy. Therefore, when we come to worship, even if the darkness of a cursed world aims to pull us into despair, we have a future and hope, and these things resting on God’s faithful promise can never wear out. Oh, what gladness should erupt from our hearts! If we would give our Lord the thanks owed to Him, let us prime the pump of our heart with these truths from Psalm 100. Let us ready ourselves to resound with praise to our great God.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 4, 2022.
We read in (1 Corinthians 10:31): “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” As a Christian our prime motive in every activity we undertake should be that our great God is glorified by our actions. And when it comes to our ministry efforts I love what Warren Wiersbe shared: “Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.”1
This description of ministry, as Wiersbe states, can be broken down into four components:
Divine resources
In the final analysis Scripture tells us that every good gift comes from above. (James 1:17). Our role then, as servants of God, is to use these divine resources in ways that will bless others. And one of the exciting things about ministry is that when we give of our time, talents, and treasury, we receive great joy in the process!
Meeting human needs
We live in a world where opportunities abound to meet human needs in so many ways. We can take a meal to a shut-in, visit a nursing home and share the love of Jesus, drive a brother or sister to church, support a foreign missionary financially, and the list goes on and on. As a Christian taking our divine resources and matching them with human needs, in my humble opinion, is one of the best ways to form meaningful relationships and supply us with a wonderful opportunity to share the message of the gospel.
We should be loving channels
Have you ever examined your motive when ministering to others? Before I became a Christian, I used to volunteer at a place called “The Bridge,” in New York City, where I interacted with people who had mental issues. I helped feed them and socialize with them and was a blessing to many. However, after I accepted Jesus Christ, the Lord impressed upon me to examine my motives behind doing this “good work.”
The answer I came up with was that there was a void in my life and I thought by doing this “good work,” it would fill the void in my life. Yes, people benefited, but the main reason I helped these people was my own need to find meaning and purpose. In reality my main focus was on meeting my own needs first. Now as a Christian, I still do many “good works” but the motive is totally different and God-centered. I now bless others from a new kind of agape (selfless) love, with the sequence of my motive being to glorify God first, help others second, and bring joy to my heart third. I now act as a loving channel to bless others and glorify my Savior. And I have found when I do this I get abundantly blessed in the process!
It’s all for the glory of God
Here we come to the main focus of ministry – that everything we do should be for the glory of God! For you see Jesus is our Creator, the one who blesses us so abundantly, and is not only the author of life but the author of eternal life. As a result, He is indeed worthy to receive all praise, thanksgiving, holy reverence, and glory. And the most exciting thing of all is that He treats us as His beloved children, whom He loves so much that He died on a cross, so we could have our passport restamped from hell bound to heaven bound. My friends, I don’t know about you, but when I realize just who Jesus is (the Lord of the universe), how much He loves me (more than I can ever comprehend), and that He promises me eternal life (in perfect health, and never-ending joy), how can I not want to do everything to His honor and glory!
The American Christian pastor and author Douglas Wilson is not afraid to speak his mind. That results in some believers strongly disliking him, and other strongly liking him. I more or less tend to be in the latter group. Needless to say, one need not agree with everything he says to appreciate his sharp mind and his commitment to Christ and the gospel.
I happen to have quite a few of his books, but one volume that I have been looking at a number of times of late is Mere Christendom (Canon Press, 2023). One good thing about this book is that it is primarily a collection of his various writings and podcasts from over a number of years. It is nice to have them so many of them gathered together in one place.
Previous articles of mine have examined various themes he makes in the book. Here I want to discuss and quote from Chapter 9: “All Liberty Is Founded in Christ”. It raises a number of important points, so it is worth drawing to your attention. The chapter begins this way:
Christ is the foundation of every true form of liberty. Civic liberty is an impossibility for a people who are enslaved to their lusts. For such a people, constitutional liberties—the kind of thin surety that tends to satisfy slaves who need to be flattered by their masters. My argument is not just that mere Christendom is consistent with true forms of personal liberty. The argument is that some sort of mere Christendom is the only place where it is possible to gain and maintain true liberty. It is the foundation upon which liberty itself is built. (p. 113)
He quotes some American Founding Fathers on these matters and then looks at how the work of the Holy Spirit is essential in all this. He goes on to say this:
“Liberty cannot be locked up in a cage, whether that cage is a party platform, a national constitution, a bill of rights, or a campaign slogan. Liberty exists, or does not exist, in the hearts of the people. If the people are free, then civic freedom for the people becomes a possibility.” (p. 115)
Wilson develops this thought as follows:
“The battle for liberty never ceases, and it never ceases anywhere. Tyrants are always waiting in the wings, looking for an opportunity. When the people become complacent, drifting into sloth and lust, they have that opportunity—and they always take it. What do you have to do in order to have a garden full of weeds? The answer to this trick question is nothing.” (p. 115)
Mere Christendom: The Case for Bringing Christianity Back into Modern Culture – Leading by Faith to Convert Secularism by Douglas Wilson (Author)
And this extended quote is quite useful:
We live in a generation that is totalitarian in principle, having accepted all the basic totalitarian premises. Denying the Lordship of Jesus Christ drives you to those premises—for if Jesus is not Lord, then there is a vacancy that men will always want to fill….
Secularism is simply not capable of sustaining limited government. It cannot be done, and this is a problem. Because men are sinners, they require governance. Because men are sinners, they cannot be trusted with governance. Limited government is therefore the first and foundational problem to be solved in any exercise of practical theology.
That said, it is a problem that cannot be solved apart from the widespread dissemination of the gospel among the people.
Incidentally, if you solve the problem of limited government by denying any real need for limited government, this is not an exercise in creative problem-solving, but rather an example of going over to the adversary. The Spirit of God is the spirit of liberty. The Holy Spirit is not the spirit of coercion. The impulse to control everything is the machinery of Isengard, and those who want to be a cog in that machinery have all their aspirations pointed in the wrong direction.
If the gospel runs freely, enough people are converted to enable them to understand the problem. If that happens, enough people are converted to enable them to begin to execute a biblical solution—a sample of which we can see in the form of government our nation had at the founding (checks and balances, separation of powers, etc.). That form of government really was a glorious achievement, and it should be no surprise that it is routinely disparaged by our generation of soi-disant political theorists, a.k.a. fiddlers and fussers. “You can put banana peels in that can! What are you, evil?”
The gospel, pure and unadulterated, is there for the thing that Christians must emphasize, and that the adversary will always attack…. (pp. 117-119)
Wilson then discusses what a godly form of government might look like:
A government appointed by God to be a ministering servant is not a government appointed by God to be a swaggering bully. Divinely established authorities can also be put under severe restrictions — and in Scripture, the authorities have been.
So if we withhold divine sanction from government in order to keep them from claiming too much authority, we discover that we have simply opened the door to allow them to claim all authority. If there is no recognized God over the state, then who has now become god? Who is now the highest authority in the lives of those governed? (p. 121)
He continues:
If there is a court of appeal past our human government, then in principle I have admitted theocracy. If there is no court of appeal past them, then I have just made them god. Having made them god, I discover that I am still in a theocracy, but instead of a loving Father, the theos of this system is corrupt and grasping, mendacious and low, and full of flatulent hubris. Requiring government to remain modest and within the bounds of sanity is therefore one of the most profound ethical requirements that has ever been promulgated among men. (p. 122)
And he finishes by noting that we should dismiss any form of Christian anarchy:
What governmental power exists must be fixed, defined, nailed down, watched very carefully, even though it is swathed in the duct tape of multiple Bible verses about man’s depravity. To take government down to zero is simply to create manifold opportunities for ad hoc warlords. Theocratic libertarianism suspects the heart of all men, all the time, while anarchy, eternally suspicious of the current rulers, fails to suspect the hearts of those forming hypothetical militias on the fly. (p. 123)
As I keep saying, reading the full chapter, and the full book, will give you a much clearer sense of the argument he is seeking to make here. So I recommend that you get a copy of this thought-provoking volume.
Image Credit: Raphael (1483-1520), St Paul Preaching in Athens (1515); image from Wikimedia Commons.
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Words make things happen. They not only describe and propose actions, but words also bring about action—they result in getting something done. What is known as speech act theory helps us understand how the language of words may be used to result in change and action, and in Scripture we read about how God uses his words to make things happen, to create and recreate.
It is through the words of the Gospel of Christ that a person is changed and is reborn a new creation.
For example, we learn that in the beginning God created by speaking his creation into existence. He spoke and creation came into existence. “And God said…” and light, and the heavens, and the earth, and plants, and animals, and humankind were created (Gen. 1-2). His word brought about all that has been created. Even we can begin to understand in our own rudimentary ways how God’s word results in actions. A parent asking a child to do something results in something happening—an action. A commander issuing an order results in the movement of people and equipment. A judge sentencing a person for a crime changes their status and freedoms. Likewise, God’s word declares and changes people and their state, actions, and nature, especially in terms of the gospel of Christ.
What for Christians is most important to understand about words bringing about a change of state is the gospel. It is through the words of the gospel of Christ that a person is changed and is reborn a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). We can see this happening from the very beginning as the church spread throughout the Mediterranean region after Christ ascended to heaven:
In him [Jesus Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. (Eph 1:13)
It was the hearing of the true word, the gospel, that led to belief and the seal of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Peter writes,
…that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.” (Acts 15:7)
The apostle Paul writes in Romans about how the spoken word brings about faith in those who hear through the gift of preaching:
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (Rom. 10:14)
The power of the Holy Spirit of God working through his word is what transforms a person.
And lest we struggle to understand, Paul makes it even clearer that words bring about faith, and through faith in Christ Jesus a person is saved:
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Rom. 10:17)
The power of the Holy Spirit of God working through his word (1 Thess. 1:5) is what transforms a person, uniting them to Christ Jesus and granting them the faith to believe. Peter could not be clearer when he writes,
You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. (1 Pet. 1:23)
The foolishness of preaching a crucified Christ is the power of God working through his word.
Finally, in our desire to spread the gospel of Christ and be an instrument to bring others to faith, we may be tempted to look to worldly ways, such as thinking we need flashy marketing, promises of a great life (versus our call to a life of suffering), sports programs and facilities, or edgy music to entertain. We may be tempted to forget that it is God’s word that changes people. In fact, anticipating this Paul writes,
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God….Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?…Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Cor 1:18-24)
We need to remember that it is God’s word that makes things happen. It is the gospel of Christ spoken and heard through which the Holy Spirit works to remove a person’s stony heart and makes them alive with a heart of flesh. It is the foolishness of preaching a crucified Christ that is the power of God working through his word. May all of us trust God at his word through faith in Christ and see how he makes those who are spiritually dead to be alive in Christ Jesus forever and ever.
This article was originally featured in Beautiful Christian Life’s February 2025 newsletter, “Words.”
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Romans 11:18-22 — Now that Christ has come, what is the relationship between Jews and Gentiles? This is the question Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer in this sermon on Romans 11:18–22 titled “None Should Boast.” Christ Jesus has come and instituted the new covenant – the fulfilment of all of God’s Old Testament covenants. In the new covenant, there is no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile, for all are made one by believing in Christ and in His death, burial, and resurrection. Paul makes it clear that the Jews have not been rejected in total, but only those Jews who do not believe in Jesus Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that it is a mistake to think that the Gentiles are part of the new covenant because of anything they have done. Paul goes on to make it perfectly clear that salvation is always by grace and grace alone. Nothing either Jews or Gentiles can do can ever make them part of the people of God. It is by the grace of God given in His Son Jesus Christ that anyone can know God and love Him. Gentiles have no ground for boasting because it is all the grace of God and not human works or merit.
In John 4:23, Jesus conveys one of the most arresting statements made in Scripture. The Father is seeking worshipers. How is He seeking them? He’s seeking them through the gospel of Jesus. Jesus offers living water (John 4:10, 14), water that purifies and satisfies, even to the likes of this Samaritan woman. All who believe in Jesus are cleansed of sin and consecrated in Christ. As those rescued from sin and falsehood by His initiating grace, we are made worshipers. There is a sense in which believers worship in all that we do. All life is lived to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). But there’s another sense in which worship is a designated activity of the gathered people of God (Heb. 12:28). We assemble according to biblical mandate (Heb. 10:25) and we offer our sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15). We enter into His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise (Ps. 100:4).
However, in this worship of God, while we offer our praise for His mercy, God still takes the initiative. He calls us into His presence (Ps. 100:2). He speaks His word of peace in preaching (Eph. 2:17). He sends us out with His blessing (Num. 6:24–26). In the worship of God, we don’t waltz into His royal courts as though we have an inherent right to be there. Like the king with Esther, our God extends His scepter to us. He has called us into fellowship with Jesus (1 Cor. 1:9), and He likewise calls us to come before Him (Ps. 134:1). Imagine that—sinners invited to God’s throne room, sinners welcomed to the heavenly Jerusalem. In this moment of worship, we are caught up to Mount Zion and join our voices in praise with innumerable angels and the spirits of the righteous made perfect (Heb. 12:22–23). Oh, that this moment of heavenly entry could last forever! One day it will (Rev. 21:3–4).
But for now, in this fallen world, where worship is a reprieve and refreshment for weary souls, God not only calls us to enter His presence, but He also sends us out with His blessing. That is the beauty of a benediction. It is literally a “good word.” But it’s not just any good word. It’s the incorruptible word of the faithful God who has determined to bless His people. The benediction is a message to encourage believers contending with all kinds of trouble in the world: God is with you. God will keep you. God’s peace abides upon you.
The pattern of declaring God’s blessing is seen first in the famous Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6:24–26. There Moses is commanded to tell Aaron and his sons to bless God’s people. But the blessing is not from these men. It’s God’s own blessing:
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. (emphasis added)
Thus, Moses is told that Aaron and his sons are putting the Lord’s name on His people.
A benediction is as though God stamps us afresh with the word that He is our God and we are His people. You see, this good word is not a prayer—an offering up our desires to God for things agreeable to His will. Neither is it a doxology—our eruption of praise to the God of our salvation. A benediction is God’s assurance of His promises. It’s God expression to us of His favor.
Now, that favor does not come automatically. We are blessed because Christ was cursed for us. His outstretched arms on the cursed tree received the blow for our sin. He tasted death for us (Heb. 2:9). He took God’s unmitigated wrath, and He satisfied the justice of God for all who believe in Him. He Himself is our peace (Eph. 2:14). By His blood we draw near. We come to the Father by faith in Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18). And as we look to Christ and rest in Christ, God’s good word of blessing attends to us.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, our Great High Priest lifted up His hands in blessing (Luke 24:50). And when the church assembles to worship, in like manner, the last action of the service is one of divine blessing. The minister, as the ambassador of Christ, the man through whom God is making His appeal (2 Cor. 5:20), stands with outstretched arms and conveys God’s good word. In the New Testament, there are numerous benedictions—and strikingly, sixteen of the twenty-one epistles end with a benediction. Furthermore, the Bible’s last word is a benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Rev. 22:21). In other words, the Apostolic pattern was to send the saints out with God’s blessing. From the liturgies of Justin Martyr in the early church to Bucer, Calvin, and Knox in the Reformation, to the Westminster Directory, down to the present, the church has seen this biblical pattern and closed its services with God’s good word to His people.
What an encouragement it is to hear the triune God send us out assured of His love, grace, and abiding fellowship (2 Cor. 13:14). We are pilgrims eyeing the better country (Heb. 11:16), and the Lord is saying His goodness and mercy will pursue us all the way home (Ps. 23:6).
The Lord is our warrior, and the battle is His—not ours. How often we forget that truth!
In today’s Old Testament text, we read of God’s words for Joshua as the people prepared to enter the land: “Don’t be afraid of them [all the kingdoms], for the Lord Your God fights for you” (Deut 3:22). Don’t fear, the text says, because the Lord fights the battle. When the One who is with us is also the One who fights for us, you and I need not fear at all. We have victory not because of who we are, but because of who He is.
Consider these potential applications of this text:
When money worries consume you, don’t be afraid. The Lord is with you.
When it seems the darkness is winning, seek God in prayer. He will fight for you.
When God calls you to a task you’re certain you can’t do, lean into Him as your warrior King. His is the victory.
When you deeply fear the spiritual condition of someone you love, don’t give up—instead, turn to the One who is still changing lives.
Let God fight for you today. When He does the fighting, victory happens.
None of us can know for certain how much time we have on Earth. Some of us will live to a ripe old age. Others may be called away sooner. How should we live each day, knowing that it might be our last? Dr. Robert Jeffress explains what we can be doing now to prepare for our journey to Heaven.
Do you believe faith can endure even when miracles do not come? Our faith is not in our circumstances but in God. In part four of this interview, Pastor Erwin Lutzer reveals how to move beyond requests to find deep fellowship and security in God’s hidden purposes. Let’s learn to trust a Father who hears your cries even when He says “no.”
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