Family Worship Guide for the week of October 9-15th 2022
Bible Passage for the Week
Deuteronomy 23:1-9
Matthew 24
Revelation 2
Psalm 44
Verse to Memorize
Hebrews 4:15-16
Catechism Questions
Q. 64. What offices has Christ?
A. Christ has three offices.
Q. 65. What are they?
A. The offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king.
Q. 66. How is Christ a prophet?
A. Because he teaches us the will of God.
Q. 67. How is Christ a priest?
A. Because he died for our sins and pleads with God for us.
Q. 68. How is Christ a king?
A. Because he rules over us and defends us.
People to Pray for:
Church: Syracuse Baptist Church
Pastor Tim Bushong
Ministry: Alex Parks
Civil Magistrate: Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch
Song Recommendations:
Deuteronomy 23:1-9
Matthew 24
Revelation 2
Psalm 44
Verse to Memorize
Hebrews 4:15-16
Catechism Questions
Q. 64. What offices has Christ?
A. Christ has three offices.
Q. 65. What are they?
A. The offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king.
Q. 66. How is Christ a prophet?
A. Because he teaches us the will of God.
Q. 67. How is Christ a priest?
A. Because he died for our sins and pleads with God for us.
Q. 68. How is Christ a king?
A. Because he rules over us and defends us.
People to Pray for:
Church: Syracuse Baptist Church
Pastor Tim Bushong
Ministry: Alex Parks
Civil Magistrate: Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch
Song Recommendations:
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Why do the nations rage?
Why do the peoples plot in vain
Seeking to rid themselves of Christ’s dominion?—
A theme that’s true in any age—
O tell me, why do the heathen nations rage?
Kings and rulers take their stand
Against the Lord and His Anointed Lamb
To tear from them Messiah’s cords and fetters
And set themselves upon His stage
O tell me, why do the heathen nations rage?
The God of heaven laughs at them
He laughs them all to scorn—
“I’ve set my King on holy Zion’s hill”
He rebukes them in His anger
Says, “Today My Child is born
And woe to those refusing My goodwill”
“My Son, just ask of Me
And I will give the nations of the earth
For You to rule them with a mighty iron rod
For You to dash them all to pieces
And then pound them into dirt
Until You spread Your fame and power and love abroad
’til all the nations bow before the Son of God”
Now listen, kings, be wise
All you rulers, come and check your pride
Get down on your knees, rejoice with trembling
Kiss the Son while He is near
And let your rage become a holy fear
The Son of God calls out to you:
“Come find your rest in Me
Come stand with Me up here on Zion’s hill
My rage will soon be kindled
So you best come bow your knee
And woe to those refusing My goodwill”
“My Son, just ask of Me
And I will give the nations of the earth
For You to rule them with a mighty iron rod
For You to dash them all to pieces
And then pound them into dirt
Until You spread Your fame and power and love abroad
’til all the nations bow before the Son of God”
Why do the peoples plot in vain
Seeking to rid themselves of Christ’s dominion?—
A theme that’s true in any age—
O tell me, why do the heathen nations rage?
Kings and rulers take their stand
Against the Lord and His Anointed Lamb
To tear from them Messiah’s cords and fetters
And set themselves upon His stage
O tell me, why do the heathen nations rage?
The God of heaven laughs at them
He laughs them all to scorn—
“I’ve set my King on holy Zion’s hill”
He rebukes them in His anger
Says, “Today My Child is born
And woe to those refusing My goodwill”
“My Son, just ask of Me
And I will give the nations of the earth
For You to rule them with a mighty iron rod
For You to dash them all to pieces
And then pound them into dirt
Until You spread Your fame and power and love abroad
’til all the nations bow before the Son of God”
Now listen, kings, be wise
All you rulers, come and check your pride
Get down on your knees, rejoice with trembling
Kiss the Son while He is near
And let your rage become a holy fear
The Son of God calls out to you:
“Come find your rest in Me
Come stand with Me up here on Zion’s hill
My rage will soon be kindled
So you best come bow your knee
And woe to those refusing My goodwill”
“My Son, just ask of Me
And I will give the nations of the earth
For You to rule them with a mighty iron rod
For You to dash them all to pieces
And then pound them into dirt
Until You spread Your fame and power and love abroad
’til all the nations bow before the Son of God”
Notes for Parents
Bible Passage for the Week
Deuteronomy –
The Lord God is Holy. He is pure. The Bible says no evil thing can stand before his presence. We read in this passage of Deuteronomy of some of the requirements God’s people had in the Old Testament regarding coming into the presence of the Lord. Some of these requirements may seem harsh but they are there to teach us that God’s presence is pure. Again I am reminded of the song, Holy Holy Holy and the line that says though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see. No sinner can stand before the presence of God by himself and live. We must have Christ. Christ is the one who is worthy to stand before God and it is only when we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ that we can come into God’s presence. In the book of Acts, one of the first to converts outside of the disciples and jews in the temple was the Ethiopian eunuch. He would never had been able to enter the presence of the Lord on his own but because of Christ’s righteousness, he could be saved and boldly enter into the throne room of God.
Matthew
Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at chapter 24 in Matthew. This is a passage that is often misunderstood. The misunderstanding has caused many a person to be anxious about the end of the world. As you read the passage this week, pay close attention to the first 8 verses. This provides the context. We see from these verses that Jesus is answering questions from his disciples. The questions were brought on by Christ saying that the temple would be destroyed. The disciples were basically asking two questions. 1. When will the temple be destroyed and what will that look like? 2. Will this be the end of the world and if not what will that be?
Therefore the entire chapter is prophetic language answering these questions. It first describes the time leading up to the destruction of the temple. And then in verse 36-44 Jesus talks of the end and his final return.
In the first 8 verses, Jesus says make sure no one deceives you. There have been many deceivers who constantly predict the end of the world. Jesus then says that wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and false teachers are NOT the sign of the end of the world. Many get this backwards. Every time there is a war or some kind of natural disaster, they talk about how the end is just getting closer. But in the first 8 verses, Jesus point to his disciples is that these things are not signs of the times but normal things. They will happen. Don’t be deceived.
Then after verse 8 or so, Jesus begins to describe what it will look like leading up to the destruction of the temple. He gives his disciples a sign so that they can know when to flee Jerusalem and avoiding the desolation.
Again in the coming weeks, we will look closely at these verses in the sermons. But for this week, remember Christ’s words not to be deceived. Don’t be looking around at all the things that happen in the world and live in fear. Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and false teachers will happen. This should not shock us or cause us to fear. It shouldn’t cause us to think the end is about to happen. It certainly should not cause us to give up on the work that God has for us. Let us be faithful. We can look forward to the hope that is ours but in the meantime let us be on mission for God.
Revelation 2
In the book of Revelation, the Apostle is instructed to send a message to seven churches. Each message is filled with warnings and encouragements to the churches around Asia Minor. We can learn from these warnings for ourselves. Let us never leave our first love.
Psalm 44
In this Psalm, the writer reflects on God’s faithfulness and his discipline in ages pass and therefore knows that He can trust God now. One important take away from this passage is that we need not hide God’s discipline of ourselves from our children. Instead we need to let our children know God’s work in our lives. Let our failures be instructive for our children so that they can trust God in their lives.
Catechism/ Memory Verse
God established three offices to lead his people in the Old Testament. The office of priest was to offer up sacrifices to God. The priests represented man to God. They interceded upon behalf of the people through the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. Prophets represented God to man. They spoke the word of God and instructed the people of God’s commands. Kings led the people into battle and protected them. Kings oversaw the government of the people as a representative of God. All three offices pointed to Jesus. Jesus is the great high priest who sacrificed himself for His people. He intercedes for us. Jesus is the greatest prophet. The book of Hebrews says that in the former days God spoke through his prophets but today He speaks through His Son. Jesus is the fullest revelation of God. In Jesus we are learn what God requires. Jesus in the King of Kings. He leads and protects his people. He governs all the earth and yet has a more intimate government of his church. His governing of all the earth is for His church.
Because Jesus is priest, prophet, and king, we can boldly come before God. We can have assurance of our salvation and of God’s protection of us. Your sins are forgiven.
People to Pray for:
This week we are praying for Pastor Tim Bushong in Syracuse Indiana and Syracuse Baptist Church. Pastor Joseph will be going up to Syracuse to preach at a conference that church is hosting in October. Pray that God will bless the conference and the church with growth in maturity and number.
Many of you will know Alex Parks. He and his family have visited with us several times. We have worked together to fight abortion as well as to preach in the streets. Alex recently accepted a call to pastor a church in Kansas. This is a big move for his family from Illinois. The town is much more rural and remote than what he and his family are used to. Pray that God will bless their ministry and help them to adjust to the cultural changes.
Lastly, we are praying for the Lt. Governor of Indiana. The Bible is clear that it is a judgement upon a nation when women take on civil authority. Please pray that our state will repent of sin and that godly men will step up and be elected into places of authority.
Church History Spotlight
Paulinus of York Died October 10th 644 AD
In the middle 400's the pagan Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain, driving the Christian Britons north and west into Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Sometime after 616, Edwin, the pagan king of Northumbria asked for the hand in marriage of Ethelburga, the sister of the king of Kent. He was told that a Christian princess could not marry a pagan, but he promised that she would be free to practice her religion, and that he would listen to Christian preachers, and seriously consider becoming a Christian himself. At this Ethelburga, went north in 625 to visit him taking with her as chaplain Paulinus. Paulinus preached to Edwin and his court for several months, the gospel of Jesus. Upon hearing the gospel, one of Edwin’s counselors said: "Life is like a banquet hall. Inside is light and fire and warmth and feasting, but outside it is cold and dark. A sparrow flies in through a window at one end, flies the length of the hall, and out through a window at the other end. That is what life is like. At birth we emerge from the unknown, and for a brief while we are here on this earth, with a fair amount of comfort and happiness. But then we fly out the window at the other end, into the cold and dark and unknown future. If the new religion can lighten that darkness for us, then let us follow it." In 627, Edwin and his counselors were baptized and Paulinus began to organize the Church in Britain. We must remember that God controls the hearts of kings and turns them where he will.
Highlight from the Westminster Shorter Catechism
Q. 7. What are the decrees of God? A. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
Isaiah 14:24 & 27 The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,…For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
There is probably no more disputed doctrine in all of scripture than the truth that God has foreordained everything that happens. There are some that go so far to avoid this doctrine that they argue that God does not know the future. They argue that the future is open ended and God is responding to events as they happen. This false teaching called open theism is not only not biblical, it harms our ability to trust God with the future. By arguing that God does not know the future, they destroy God’s prophesy of it. Prophesy instead of being the foretelling of what will happens becomes God’s best guess at what will happen. It becomes a sort of game plan of things God’ thinks may happen.
Scripture of course says not only does God intend things to happen, they are just as He planned. God being creator established all things. He doesn’t just wind up the world and watch it all work out. He is intimately involved. His plan will stand because He has decreed all things.
This is a difficult doctrine to get your head around. But it is important. The Westminister Confession carefully takes in all scripture has to say and then summarizes it this way regarding God’s decree: God “from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”
God is sovereign over all things. His will comes to pass. And yet even as He decrees all things, He does it in such a way that He is not the author of sin. God ordained that evil will happen but not so that He is the author of it. Take Joseph being sold into slavery. It was a great evil that his brothers committed and yet Joseph tells his brothers that it was God’s plan. He says what they meant for evil God meant for good. The same event that they did which was evil and which they near the blame of, God decreed for good.
The perfect example of this is the crucifixion of Christ. It was the greatest evil ever perpetuated by man. There has been no greater sinful act than the rulers of the Jews conspiring to kill Christ along with Herod and Pilot. The mocked Christ. Beat the Son of God. Spit in His face. Lied about Him. And condemned the only truly innocent man to death. They nailed Him to a cross. They murdered Him.
It was sinful. It was vile. It was evil. Cosmic treason.
But what does scripture say Acts 4
“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”
They were only doing what God predestined to occur. All their evil deeds were ordained by God but not that God is the author of evil. Rather what they meant for evil turned to the greatest good that has ever happened. Their evil deeds were meant by God for the good of our salvation.
What we have here is more than simple knowing things ahead of time. We have God’s decree over all things including the choices of man. God’s decree did not make them robots but it is sovereign over all. They are still responsible for their sinful actions yet God was in control
Everything that happens is by the very decree of God. This includes the evil of man. And it all fulfills his purposes. It fulfills his purpose of pouring out judgement upon the wicked and of pouring out his grace and mercy on his people.
This truth gives us great comfort. We have no reason to fear the works of evil men. We ought not freak out over all the things we hear about on the radio and tv and internet. Evil men do evil things. They plot and they plan. But they are not outside the design of God. Joe Biden is not outside the plan of God. Russia, Ukraine, World Economic Forum, Bill Gates, Covid, Hurricanes, Food shortages, crime, the sins of the hypocrites-they are all under God’s control and work together for the good of his people and for the judgement of the wicked. Don’t fret and worry. Be prepared. But trust God.
Deuteronomy –
The Lord God is Holy. He is pure. The Bible says no evil thing can stand before his presence. We read in this passage of Deuteronomy of some of the requirements God’s people had in the Old Testament regarding coming into the presence of the Lord. Some of these requirements may seem harsh but they are there to teach us that God’s presence is pure. Again I am reminded of the song, Holy Holy Holy and the line that says though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see. No sinner can stand before the presence of God by himself and live. We must have Christ. Christ is the one who is worthy to stand before God and it is only when we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ that we can come into God’s presence. In the book of Acts, one of the first to converts outside of the disciples and jews in the temple was the Ethiopian eunuch. He would never had been able to enter the presence of the Lord on his own but because of Christ’s righteousness, he could be saved and boldly enter into the throne room of God.
Matthew
Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at chapter 24 in Matthew. This is a passage that is often misunderstood. The misunderstanding has caused many a person to be anxious about the end of the world. As you read the passage this week, pay close attention to the first 8 verses. This provides the context. We see from these verses that Jesus is answering questions from his disciples. The questions were brought on by Christ saying that the temple would be destroyed. The disciples were basically asking two questions. 1. When will the temple be destroyed and what will that look like? 2. Will this be the end of the world and if not what will that be?
Therefore the entire chapter is prophetic language answering these questions. It first describes the time leading up to the destruction of the temple. And then in verse 36-44 Jesus talks of the end and his final return.
In the first 8 verses, Jesus says make sure no one deceives you. There have been many deceivers who constantly predict the end of the world. Jesus then says that wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and false teachers are NOT the sign of the end of the world. Many get this backwards. Every time there is a war or some kind of natural disaster, they talk about how the end is just getting closer. But in the first 8 verses, Jesus point to his disciples is that these things are not signs of the times but normal things. They will happen. Don’t be deceived.
Then after verse 8 or so, Jesus begins to describe what it will look like leading up to the destruction of the temple. He gives his disciples a sign so that they can know when to flee Jerusalem and avoiding the desolation.
Again in the coming weeks, we will look closely at these verses in the sermons. But for this week, remember Christ’s words not to be deceived. Don’t be looking around at all the things that happen in the world and live in fear. Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and false teachers will happen. This should not shock us or cause us to fear. It shouldn’t cause us to think the end is about to happen. It certainly should not cause us to give up on the work that God has for us. Let us be faithful. We can look forward to the hope that is ours but in the meantime let us be on mission for God.
Revelation 2
In the book of Revelation, the Apostle is instructed to send a message to seven churches. Each message is filled with warnings and encouragements to the churches around Asia Minor. We can learn from these warnings for ourselves. Let us never leave our first love.
Psalm 44
In this Psalm, the writer reflects on God’s faithfulness and his discipline in ages pass and therefore knows that He can trust God now. One important take away from this passage is that we need not hide God’s discipline of ourselves from our children. Instead we need to let our children know God’s work in our lives. Let our failures be instructive for our children so that they can trust God in their lives.
Catechism/ Memory Verse
God established three offices to lead his people in the Old Testament. The office of priest was to offer up sacrifices to God. The priests represented man to God. They interceded upon behalf of the people through the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. Prophets represented God to man. They spoke the word of God and instructed the people of God’s commands. Kings led the people into battle and protected them. Kings oversaw the government of the people as a representative of God. All three offices pointed to Jesus. Jesus is the great high priest who sacrificed himself for His people. He intercedes for us. Jesus is the greatest prophet. The book of Hebrews says that in the former days God spoke through his prophets but today He speaks through His Son. Jesus is the fullest revelation of God. In Jesus we are learn what God requires. Jesus in the King of Kings. He leads and protects his people. He governs all the earth and yet has a more intimate government of his church. His governing of all the earth is for His church.
Because Jesus is priest, prophet, and king, we can boldly come before God. We can have assurance of our salvation and of God’s protection of us. Your sins are forgiven.
People to Pray for:
This week we are praying for Pastor Tim Bushong in Syracuse Indiana and Syracuse Baptist Church. Pastor Joseph will be going up to Syracuse to preach at a conference that church is hosting in October. Pray that God will bless the conference and the church with growth in maturity and number.
Many of you will know Alex Parks. He and his family have visited with us several times. We have worked together to fight abortion as well as to preach in the streets. Alex recently accepted a call to pastor a church in Kansas. This is a big move for his family from Illinois. The town is much more rural and remote than what he and his family are used to. Pray that God will bless their ministry and help them to adjust to the cultural changes.
Lastly, we are praying for the Lt. Governor of Indiana. The Bible is clear that it is a judgement upon a nation when women take on civil authority. Please pray that our state will repent of sin and that godly men will step up and be elected into places of authority.
Church History Spotlight
Paulinus of York Died October 10th 644 AD
In the middle 400's the pagan Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain, driving the Christian Britons north and west into Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Sometime after 616, Edwin, the pagan king of Northumbria asked for the hand in marriage of Ethelburga, the sister of the king of Kent. He was told that a Christian princess could not marry a pagan, but he promised that she would be free to practice her religion, and that he would listen to Christian preachers, and seriously consider becoming a Christian himself. At this Ethelburga, went north in 625 to visit him taking with her as chaplain Paulinus. Paulinus preached to Edwin and his court for several months, the gospel of Jesus. Upon hearing the gospel, one of Edwin’s counselors said: "Life is like a banquet hall. Inside is light and fire and warmth and feasting, but outside it is cold and dark. A sparrow flies in through a window at one end, flies the length of the hall, and out through a window at the other end. That is what life is like. At birth we emerge from the unknown, and for a brief while we are here on this earth, with a fair amount of comfort and happiness. But then we fly out the window at the other end, into the cold and dark and unknown future. If the new religion can lighten that darkness for us, then let us follow it." In 627, Edwin and his counselors were baptized and Paulinus began to organize the Church in Britain. We must remember that God controls the hearts of kings and turns them where he will.
Highlight from the Westminster Shorter Catechism
Q. 7. What are the decrees of God? A. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
Isaiah 14:24 & 27 The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,…For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
There is probably no more disputed doctrine in all of scripture than the truth that God has foreordained everything that happens. There are some that go so far to avoid this doctrine that they argue that God does not know the future. They argue that the future is open ended and God is responding to events as they happen. This false teaching called open theism is not only not biblical, it harms our ability to trust God with the future. By arguing that God does not know the future, they destroy God’s prophesy of it. Prophesy instead of being the foretelling of what will happens becomes God’s best guess at what will happen. It becomes a sort of game plan of things God’ thinks may happen.
Scripture of course says not only does God intend things to happen, they are just as He planned. God being creator established all things. He doesn’t just wind up the world and watch it all work out. He is intimately involved. His plan will stand because He has decreed all things.
This is a difficult doctrine to get your head around. But it is important. The Westminister Confession carefully takes in all scripture has to say and then summarizes it this way regarding God’s decree: God “from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”
God is sovereign over all things. His will comes to pass. And yet even as He decrees all things, He does it in such a way that He is not the author of sin. God ordained that evil will happen but not so that He is the author of it. Take Joseph being sold into slavery. It was a great evil that his brothers committed and yet Joseph tells his brothers that it was God’s plan. He says what they meant for evil God meant for good. The same event that they did which was evil and which they near the blame of, God decreed for good.
The perfect example of this is the crucifixion of Christ. It was the greatest evil ever perpetuated by man. There has been no greater sinful act than the rulers of the Jews conspiring to kill Christ along with Herod and Pilot. The mocked Christ. Beat the Son of God. Spit in His face. Lied about Him. And condemned the only truly innocent man to death. They nailed Him to a cross. They murdered Him.
It was sinful. It was vile. It was evil. Cosmic treason.
But what does scripture say Acts 4
“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”
They were only doing what God predestined to occur. All their evil deeds were ordained by God but not that God is the author of evil. Rather what they meant for evil turned to the greatest good that has ever happened. Their evil deeds were meant by God for the good of our salvation.
What we have here is more than simple knowing things ahead of time. We have God’s decree over all things including the choices of man. God’s decree did not make them robots but it is sovereign over all. They are still responsible for their sinful actions yet God was in control
Everything that happens is by the very decree of God. This includes the evil of man. And it all fulfills his purposes. It fulfills his purpose of pouring out judgement upon the wicked and of pouring out his grace and mercy on his people.
This truth gives us great comfort. We have no reason to fear the works of evil men. We ought not freak out over all the things we hear about on the radio and tv and internet. Evil men do evil things. They plot and they plan. But they are not outside the design of God. Joe Biden is not outside the plan of God. Russia, Ukraine, World Economic Forum, Bill Gates, Covid, Hurricanes, Food shortages, crime, the sins of the hypocrites-they are all under God’s control and work together for the good of his people and for the judgement of the wicked. Don’t fret and worry. Be prepared. But trust God.