so so Well, good morning. Welcome again to the Bethany Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church as we gather together to worship the Lord our God on this blessed Sabbath morning. Just a couple of announcements, again, worship. Just as a reminder, next Lord's Day morning, after morning service, we'll have our annual state and congregational meeting. And at that meeting, we will adopt the budget for the congregation as well as the budget for Sabbath school. and also re-elect our treasurer and also we'll have a deacon election next Sunday and so we look forward to that. Again that will be after morning service next Sunday. Next Sunday evening will be our annual Lessons and Carols service at 5 p.m. Again, we give thanks again for all the work that the kids and the choir and Ms. Kelly, Ms. Anna have put into that. So again, we look forward to that. Next Sunday at 5 o'clock, of course, there will be a pick-up meal after that service. So we look forward to that time of fellowship and food. Other things to take note of, on the front view down here, there are two sign-up sheets. One is for the senior citizens list for 2025. If you are blessed with longevity and your name is on there, please take a second to make sure your information is correct. Also, next Friday, December 13th, the WOC and the ladies are putting together a trip to the concert of the Gaston Symphonic Band. They're going to meet here at six o'clock on Friday, so if you're interested in that, put your name on the list down there. Look forward to that opportunity. Also, one other thing to take note of, the 2024 WOC Church History Reports will be due January 12th. If you have questions about that, just see Ms. Pam Walker and also on that front, WOC is in need of a president for 2025. So if you feel so led. To that, please see me and I'll put you in touch with the right people. Also, we are in need of a lady circle president for 2025. So again, if you're interested in that, just let me know. Last but not least, the deacons will be having a meeting immediately after morning service today over here in the wing. So just meet Mr. Logan over here. And I know I said last but not least, but there's one more announcement. We want to give thanks and rejoice the Lord for the Grayson family who has joined us here at Bethany. And after worship this morning, if you haven't already, please be sure to give them the right hand of fellowship. And so we welcome y'all to our congregation here at Bethany. So let's go ahead and prepare to come before the Lord and do so through a moment of silent prayer. Amen. Again, as we come to our call to worship this morning, one announcement I have, my big preaching Bible has come up missing, so if you see it around the church somewhere, let me know. I think I'll do all right with another copy of God's Word this morning, but like I said, if you see my big preaching Bible, let me know. This morning, our call to worship comes to us from the first chapter of the book of Philippians, verses nine through 11. So again, let us hear the word of our God as he calls us to worship on this blessed Sabbath morning. Again, Philippians chapter 1, beginning there at verse 9. Hear the word of the Lord. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. Amen. And again, as we give opportunity this morning to the power of the Holy Spirit to show forth that testimony of grace and love, let us stand together as we sing our opening hymn from the Red Trinity Hymnal, hymn number 196. Let us stand. Let us sing together and let us sing with the joy that is in our hearts. Let us stand. Oh, Jesus, Lord, you set my people free. Oh, Jesus, Jesus, bless my heart. You. Amen and amen. As we come into the throne room of the living God, and as we are blessed not only in the presence of our Heavenly Father, but His Son, Jesus Christ, and of the glorious Holy Spirit, we give thanks again for this day. And so let us come now before our glorious God in prayer. Let us pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, You are the One who has made this day. You have given us the glorious Sabbath rest that we might look forward unto the glorious rest that is to come in eternity through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. And so dear God, as we gather together with our brothers and our sisters in Christ and as we rejoice And as especially, you give us time this morning to reflect on your providence and on your power. Dear God, we pray that you would open our hearts and our minds this morning, not only to be renewed in faith, but dear God, that we would be overwhelmed by your majesty, by your compassion to sinners, and your guidance day by day. We ask these things in the name of your son who taught his disciples to pray, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen. again as the Lord has given us opportunity once more to testify of our Redemption in his son and of the way in which he has called us to be reminded of that we turn in our scripture lessons this morning which of course comes from the opposite testament of our sermon text to our continued walk through the book of first Kings as we come now to chapter 22 of first Kings and And as we come to chapter two of 1 Kings, we're reading the first 12 verses of this portion of God's holy and perfect words. So turn with me there to 1 Kings 22, as we come to verse one. Hear the word of God. And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. And it came to pass in the third year that Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth and Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria. He said unto Josaphat, Will thou not go with me to battle to Ramah of Gilead? And Josaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord today. And the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about 400 men, and said unto them, shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might inquire of him? King of Israel said to Josaphat, there is yet one man, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Josaphat said, let not the king say so. And the king of Israel called an officer and said, hasten hither Micaiah, the son of Imlach. And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, sat each on his throne, having put on their robes in a void place, and the entrance to the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. And Zedekiah, the son of Janiah, made him horns of iron and said, thus sayeth the Lord, with these shalt thou push the Syrians until thou have consumed them. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand. Amen. Thanks be to God for the reading of His holy and His perfect word. Let us be seated. I invite the children to come up for the lesson today. Well, good morning everybody. How are y'all doing this week? Y'all having a good week? You like all this cold weather we've been having? No? You like it when it's hot outside? Why do y'all like it when it's hot outside? Because you have to get to go outside. Y'all don't own coats? You go outside and run around in the coats, they gotta get in the way? It is kind of crazy, and I used to be, when I was y'all's age, growing up in West Virginia, I loved the cold weather, because what's one of the things that cold weather brings in the wintertime? Snow, right? Y'all like snow? Yeah, see I loved snow when I was a kid, but the older I've gotten, the more I don't miss it. An elder at the church I served in Mississippi told me one time, you ain't got a shovel, Now, as we think about, again, the differences of the times of the year and the things going on, we also, right, are entering into a time of the year where there seems to be a lot more talk about Jesus. Now, do you all like talking about Jesus? Yes, right, we all love talking about Jesus, right? Now, what is it about Jesus that we like talking about? So how he saved us from our sin, right? And one of the things that we sang about this morning in the first hymn we sang was that we look forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Now, has Jesus already come once? Yes, right? He was born in a manger in Bethlehem, right? And he lived and died and was raised from the dead. Now, is Jesus gonna come again? Absolutely, right? Now, as we think about His first coming, and as we sing about His first coming, we need to always be reminded that we are not a people who look back, right? We're a people who look forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Now, when Jesus comes a second time, what do you think is going to happen? Do you have any ideas what's going to happen when Jesus comes a second time? Is he going to be born as a baby that time? No. Is Jesus a baby right now? No. He is a man seated at the right hand of God Almighty in heaven. Now what do you think Jesus is doing in heaven right now? Is Jesus up there playing Minecraft or Fortnite or anything like that? No. What do you think Jesus is doing? Do you think Jesus is praying for us? Do you think Jesus is watching over us? Do you think Jesus sees everything that's happening everywhere? Absolutely, right? And so as we think about that, right, that Jesus is in heaven right now, looking down on us here at Bethany AARP, and we know that Jesus in heaven is praying for us right now, and we know that when he comes again, that he's gonna take away every tear, he's gonna take away sadness, he's gonna take away pain, he's gonna take away death, all of these things. As we think about that, how does that make you feel? Does that make you feel happy? Does that make you feel encouraged? Does that make you feel joyful? Absolutely, right? So, one of the things that we learn and remember, especially this time of year, is that, in a sense, it's always time for that, no matter if it's December or June, right? We are always called to remember that Jesus Christ, who was born, is now in heaven, watching over us. and we can have peace every day of the year, knowing that Jesus has his eyes on us. So I want y'all to be encouraged with that this week. All right, y'all ready to pray? Gracious heavenly Father, we give thanks again for the glory that is your son, of the beauties of the heavens, of the promise of his second coming, that we might not only be reminded of how wonderful it is that he came, but with the knowledge that he's gonna come again, and make all things good. In Jesus' name, we pray. As we come now to sing our second hymn of the day, number 210 from the Red Trinity Hymnal, as we turn there, I invite you as you stand to sing this hymn that we all are reminded again of this heavenly peace that we have in Jesus Christ. Let us stand together as we sing number 210 from the Red Trinity Hymnal. Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace. so serious. Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. Amen. Let us be seated. Again, as we sing of the beauty of the coming of the Lord Jesus, and as we thank so dearly of all the benefits which have come from His coming, none so much remind us of how blessed we are as the opportunity God gives us to come and speak unto Him in prayer. For now, we get to come to Him not as those who see darkly, but those who see Him face to face. So let us come now as we prepare ourselves to be not only in the Lord's presence, but to speak unto God by prayer. Let us pray. The God of grace and love. The God of mercy. Of benevolence. Of majesty and magnificence without fear. As we gather together on this day and as we are brought closer to understanding what it means to be a son or a daughter of the living God. God as you remind us as we have been redeemed from the curse of the law. We have been made no longer enemies, but friends of the God of grace. How you, dear God, has called us out of darkness into the light of your marvelous mercy. And how you've done all these things by the power of your divine will. That you have done these things not because you foresaw anything within us, but as the scriptures tell us, from before the foundation of the world, you have declared these things to be so. Dear God, while we confess that we in our flesh will never understand fully or comprehend the majesty of these things, dear God, we come together this morning to worship You. Because You alone are worthy of worship. We gather together on this Lord's Day because You, dear God, have set aside the first day of the week for this purpose. We might receive a foretaste of glory divine, that we might in the public testimony of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Show forth our thanksgiving for your grace unto sinners. And that, dear God, we might be in the work of preparation for the heavens that are to come. Dear God, we are prepared by your grace alone. We are prepared by the means of your grace, through the preaching of the Word, through the reading of the Scriptures, through the singing of your songs, through the fellowship of the saints, so that we might long for that life which is everlasting. So dear God, this morning as we do gather together and as we bring with us the events of the last week, as we bring with us those things that are heavy on our hearts, those things that we are struggling with, those things that we know not the answer for, those things that cause anger to swell up within us, God, we bring all these things to your feet this morning. God, we pray in your mercy, not only will you remind us of the reality that Jesus has paid it all for our sins. God, as we spoke with the children, Jesus reigns in the heavens this day. And he has called us to come unto him all who are weary and heavy laden, and he will give us rest. Lord God, this morning we pray through the power of the Holy Spirit that we will be at rest. Lord God, that we will lay all these things at your feet. Lord God, that we will trust in your ways, trust in your means, trust in your plans. Lord God, you truly are sovereign over all. Lord God, may we live in light of that promise that you have made unto us through your Son. And so dear God, as we bring again the things of our hearts, whether they be our transgressions, our own sin before You, as we plead for You to forgive us of our many sins, dear God, we pray again earnestly that You remove the weight of those sins from us. Dear God, that we might remember Your promise unto us that You have cast them as far as the west is from the east. For dear God, we confess that it's a harder much in our lives to be forgiven of our own sin as it is to forgive others. So dear God, we pray through the power of the Holy Spirit that you will make this forgiveness known under our hearts. We might have that fullness of assurance that is given unto us by faith alone through the justification won by Christ. And God, as we do pray for the walk that we walk each and every day, and as we think about those ways that we have stumbled, those ways that we have transgressed your holy law, those ways that we have failed to do that which you've called us to do. God, we do come before you as penitent sinners, as those asking forgiveness of our sins. And God, we do so because, again, of the shed blood of the Lamb. Dear Heavenly Father, as we do think not only of our own personal walk, but of the walk of the church here at Bethany. Dear God, as we lift up the Bethany ARP Church unto you this morning, and as we ask your blessings upon us, and we ask forgiveness of our own sins. God, we do pray that you would give us hearts of peace, hearts of mission, hearts of remembering the gift that's been given to us. And as we think about the needs of our community around us, and as we pray for Bethany, and as we pray for Clover, as we pray for York County, and South Carolina, and United States, and as we're almost overwhelmed by the needs that we see. God, we especially lift up unto you our brothers and sisters in the lands of Lebanon and Syria this morning. God, we shudder to think of the depredations persecutions and the wickedness that is already befalling our brothers and sisters and will in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Dear God, we pray in precatory prayers against those who have led to such destruction. We pray, dear God, that you would awaken their wickedness unto themselves, that they might see the damage that they do. Dear God, that you might use even a moment as wicked and evil as this to show forth your glory unto the nations. Dear God, as we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in these lands, dear God, we do ask your mercies to be with the preachers and the elders and the deacons in these churches as they lead their people. We pray that you would give them wisdom, give them understanding, give them hearts to protect physically if needed. For God, you have given much of a promise to your church. And to God, we pray for these things this morning. And Heavenly Father, as we do think about, again, the needs of our own people, dear God, we do pray for those who are sick this morning as we see another round of sickness going around. We pray for healing. We pray for relief. We pray for comfort. We pray that you might especially be with parents who are tired and overwhelmed. We pray that you would give them strength. We pray especially for loved ones who will be going to surgery this week. We pray especially that you would guide the hands of the surgeon That you would be with the nurses, that you would be with family to God, and that you would bring safely through all those who are in need of your help. Dear God, we do give thanks for your providence in the way that it smiles upon us when we least expect it. Dear God, we give thanks for the power of prayer and for answered prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, as we think about, again, the weeks to come, and as we think about, again, the needs of this year, dear God, we do ask your blessings upon the rest of this month. Dear God, we especially pray that you would be beginning within us prayers of preparation for the year that is to come. We pray as we make plans as a congregation, as we meet together next week, as you have called two men to serve in the office of deacon at this church, dear God, that you would be with them even this morning. That you would be watching over them and guiding them and encouraging them. And we give thanks again for those who will be fulfilling their responsibilities. We give thanks for their faithful service. for the work that they have done and for all that they have meant. We pray your hand upon them and we give thanks again for the witness that we have. Dear Heavenly Father, we continue to worship you this morning. We pray in your grace as you watch over us on this day and as you bring us back safely this evening at 530. Dear God, we rejoice in all that we have in our Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave The words to which I'd like to draw your attention to today come to us from the 22nd chapter of the book of Revelation. So I invite you to stand as we come to the reading of God's word from this 22nd chapter as we continue in our sermon series through these last couple of chapters of the book of Revelation. So again this morning we're in Revelation 22 and we'll be looking at the first five verses. So let us again come to the word of the living God. Revelation 22, verse 1. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bared twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servant shall serve Him. And they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads, and there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. Amen. Let us pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, as you provide these words in this day by your providence, we pray dear God that you would apply these words on our heart through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we might live in light of your gospel grace. And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. As the 22nd chapter begins in earnest, we hear many of the same things that we heard in the 21st chapter of the book of Revelation. We hear of this light. We hear of the river that is clear as crystal. We see again the light that comes not from the sun, but from Jesus Christ, the Lamb, who is the light of the world. And as John begins to describe for us not the outside of the temple, or the New Jerusalem, but the inside of it, there are some statements made here about life as we live. And not only life as we live, but life as we live now in Jesus Christ. There are some pictures here that especially make sense to somebody who lives out in the desert. And of course, we know that the Jews were a desert people all the way back to the days of Abraham. Abraham came from Ur, the land of the Chaldees. Ur was a pretty place there towards where the tigers from the Euphrates come together and go into the Persian Gulf. We often have a mind, of course, of that part of the world that everything is dirt and rocks and brown. But that area there where Ur was, was pretty green, pretty purdy, pretty beautiful because of all the water that was present from the Tigris and Euphrates. In fact, it's described even today as a land of marshes. And here we have, of course, Abraham moving to the land which is now Israel. And that is a land where there still is some plants, but it is a land where water is not found everywhere. And so it's important to note here at the beginning of chapter 22 that the height of blessing for somebody in a desert is water. That makes sense. That is clear unto us. And so again, there's a reason why John is being showed this because people need to be reminded every now and then that what they need can only be found in one place. It can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. You think especially when it comes to water of the same with the woman at the well in John chapter 4. There in John chapter 4 is the woman comes to the well. She comes to Jesus and Jesus tells her of the water and the fact that He's the water and the life-giving water and all that good stuff. And of course her first response is that she is overjoyed because what does she never have to do again? Never has to come to a well. Now some of y'all remember days of your parents or maybe even you yourselves grew up in a day where you had to get up and go to the well every morning, or go down to the creek, or go down to the pond, or go down to the river and get water for the day. Now if you have to get up and go get water every morning, how excited are you going to be to hear that you don't have to get up and go do that anymore? That is going to fill you with joy. It s going to fill you with all nature and things. I can remember my granddaddy describing the first day that water came to Prince, West Virginia and they turned the water on and he was able to get water out of a faucet. He said it was like a miracle. Nothing he had ever seen and he got in trouble for like two weeks because all he was doing was going over there and turning the water on and watching it run. And dads back then are just like dads today. I know each one of us who has young children spend most of your time doing what? Doing two things actually. You go around turning faucets off and you go around turning lights off. Because even if you got a well, there is only so much water in there. You got to be careful about that. But here in Revelation 22 what do we see? We see that the river is ever flowing. That there is no end to the water. There is no impurities in the water. There is nothing wrong with the water. There is nothing to be concerned about because where does the water flow from? flows from the very throne room of the living God. Now, it's not just desert people who need to hear this. But remember, back before the fall, back before Adam sinned in the garden, there is much concern in Genesis chapter 2 with water. Because what does the water do in the garden but feed the plants, feed the animals, and feed Adam and Eve? Now where did the water come from in Genesis 2? In Genesis 2 verse 6 we're told that a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. We're told that out of this became four rivers, right? The four rivers, which we know as the Tigris, Euphrates, the Nile, and the other one, which didn't come to my head right now, but y'all can Google that here in a second. But the idea there, again, that out of the Garden of Eden is gonna come all the water that everybody's gonna need all throughout the world. This place that God had made for his people to dwell in it. Now in the days of the Garden of Eden, that was literal H2O. It was water as we understand it. Because again the plants needed to grow, people needed to eat, the animals needed to be taken care of. And so when John here talks about the water that is coming from the throne room of heaven, do we need water in heaven? No, we don't need water in heaven because we're not going to need to drink, we're not going to need to eat, we're not going to need to do anything to maintain our sustenance in heaven. And part of the reason for that is because heaven is a different place than the Garden of Eden. We can misunderstand again what heaven is by just making it slightly better than the Garden of Eden. Remember, what did Adam have to do in the Garden of Eden? He had to tend to the garden, he had to watch over all the animals, he had to do a lot of work in the garden. Now it wasn't hard work, because that's one of the curses of the fall, right? That men are going to have thorns to deal with and they're going to sweat and they're going to die. But in the garden, Adam's work was pleasant. Well, in the heaven, we're told that we're not going to have to do any work. That the time has gone and we will be at rest forever. Now, why is that picture given to us? Why is there a difference between the Garden of Eden and heaven? Well, part of it is, is we're meant to understand that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ was prophesied before the foundational world. that God had something more in mind for Adam than eternal life in the garden. The scriptures teach us that at some point in time if Adam had maintained the covenant of works that God would have accepted those works as sufficient and he would have brought Adam and Eve out of the garden into the heavenly kingdom. Again, that was the plan from the foundation of the world. That Adam would go into this heavenly place. That there was something greater in mind than merely the garden. And yet, one of the things we're told here of course is that something happened on the way. We are reminded that God also in his blessed providence, in his sovereign will, had decreed that Adam would sin. Now does that make God the author of sin? May it never be. Again, God had decreed that Adam would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good nature. Now, we're told in the book of Genesis that when this happened, what took place? Well, one of the first curses that comes down upon man is he's no longer able to go and to eat of the fruits of the tree of life. He is barred from this tree. Now, here in the book of Revelation, we just read that one of the things that's going to happen in heaven is that there is going to be this tree of life. And what is this tree of life going to do for us, right? In verse 2 it says, In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bared twelve manner of fruits, and the unit of fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Well, didn't I just get done telling you that we're not going to eat in heaven? It seems like I've been contradicting myself, right? Why is there a tree making fruit if we're not supposed to eat it? Well again, part of the witness here is testifying to us that what has happened in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is we have now been given access once again to the tree of life. We have been provided by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ access to that which was taken away from us when Adam sinned. Now just like the woman at the well in John 4 and the people who got fed in John 6, if we are thinking in a fleshly way, right, if we're thinking as the world thinks, then we're looking forward to eating the fruit in the garden in heaven. But that's not what we get, is it? When Jesus is talking to the woman in John 4 and He's talking to the crabs in John 6, what is He offering them? He's not offering them water. He's not offering them bread. He's offering Himself for their blessing. Right? That is the gift and grant that we receive in faith is Jesus Himself. Jesus is this tree of life. He is the water which flows out from the throne room of grace. He is the one who not only strengthens us, but He is the one who grants us and gives us life. Now how do we know that to be the case? If you go back and you read the Old Testament and you hear the word that we hear in the book of the Psalms for instance, what's the first Psalm? The first psalm that David gives to us in the book of Psalms speaks directly again to the nature of water and the blessings that we have been given in the Lord Jesus through this work. In the book of Psalms, Psalm 1, it said, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper." Now, again, there are images and pictures in Psalm 1 that show up here in Revelation 22. Again, go back with me there to Revelation 22 for a second. Again, we hear in Revelation 22 that the benefits are not just the fruit, but what else? The leaves of this tree are for the healing of the nations. Psalm 1 tells us that we not only will be planted by the river of water, we will bring forth fruit, but we also will have a leaf that does not wither. Now again this picture is witnessing to us again the blessings that we've received in Jesus Christ. That He who has planted us by the river of living water shall nourish us, shall strengthen us, shall protect us and shall give us exactly what we need. So that we bear fruit and so that we have these leaves that don't wither and these leaves which lead to what? Again the healing of the nations. Last week we talked about the fact that this concern about the nations that we see in Revelation 21 and 22 is a reminder of the mission that God has given to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Covenant. We who have been planted by the river of life, who have been given this water which nourishes us, which strengthens us, are called then to produce the fruit of the gospel, not just in our lives as individuals, but as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there's a reason why Jesus is always calling the disciples to holiness. Calling them to obedience unto the revealed will of the living God. One of the reasons for that, we talked about last week, is that we're called, according to the Sermon on the Mount, to be a city on a hill, whose light shines out unto the nations. And the means by which that happens is not our obedience to the law, but because of the fruit that is born in us by the Lord Jesus Christ. We talked in Sabbath school this morning in Galatians chapter 2 about how important it is for us to get things in the right order. When we talk about our salvation, we talk about our redemption purchased by Christ, we think about again this new life that we have received, this new body that we have been given by His grace. We are obedient unto the law, not as a means of earning our way into heaven, Again, our obedience to the law is born out of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Our obedience to the law is born out of our desire to honor our husband, who is Jesus. We're the bride of Christ, and according to the fifth commandment, we are to obey our husband. And how do we do that? But by submitting to His will. Now again, that submission is out of love, it's out of care, it's out of a desire not in order to earn the favor of our husband, but because we love our husband. That's again the picture we're seeing in Revelation 22. Again, we who have been established by the river of flowing water, we who are being built up by the grace offered to us in Jesus Christ can't but do what? but love the one who has established us and grounded us and promised us that no power of this earth can ever pull us out of the ground. Again, if we have been established in the rivers of living water by the banks of the river of life, then we don't have to worry about anybody coming by and cutting us down. Because not only are we too strong for that, we would break any blade that hit our wood, but we know that the Lord Jesus stands guard over us, right? He gives a hedge of protection around us from the enemies of the gospel. That's one of the things that allowed the early church to grow in the way that it did, because it feared no man. You can kill the body, but what are you never going to be able to do? You're never going to be able to separate me from the love of God the Father Almighty because Jesus Christ has named my name and he has nailed the requirements of the law to the tree and that requirement has been taken away and now I've received through the river of life this assurance of dwelling in the city of the living God. And again this picture is all over the place in the Old and New Testaments. But again, Colossians 2.14 tells us, having wiped out the handwriting requirements against us, which was contrary to us, and Jesus has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Galatians 3.13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. have become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Again, this curse that has been removed from us, this curse of the law that has been taken away from us is a keen reminder of the fact that we have not just been saved so that we would no longer have this judgment against us, but we have been saved so that we would experience the fullness of life in Jesus Christ. Because that's why we have been made. Again, all of you who have been properly catechized can repeat, without thinking about it, the first question of the catechism. What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Again, it's not breaking the law for us as believers in the Lord Jesus to enjoy the Lord our God and to show that joy in the life that we live. Again, when we consider again that we who have been given this new life in Jesus live in this celestial kingdom already, what is it that the world can do to us to bring us down from that joy of Thanksgiving? Again, one of the reasons why Israel failed in the way that it did is it forgot to remember the Sabbath day. Now, you know, it seems kind of like a thing, right? Why is it that God is so concerned about the keeping of the Sabbath day? Why are we to remember the Sabbath day? Well, in both the Old and the New Testaments, what does the Sabbath day witness unto us, right? In the Old Covenant, the Sabbath witnessed the day that God rested on the last day of creation. And what had not entered the world on the seventh day of creation? Well, sin had. Everything was very good. Everything was exactly as God had designed it, exactly how God had made it, exactly how God had desired it for it to be. And so Israel would look back at that, and they all started to remember, what did God do on the seventh day? He rested. What was that a sign of? It wasn't a sign that God was tired, right? It wasn't a sign that God was done, that six days of labor was enough and He needed a day off. It is a sign of the fact that God saw all that He had done and saw that it was perfect. There was no need to create anything else. For everything was well done and well made and He was resting not so much in His accomplishments But God was resting to witness to us that we who have been brought out of the darkness and into the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we likewise have been given rest. Israel had been given rest when they were brought out of the land of Egypt and brought into the land of promise. The land that God had provided for His covenant people, right? They no longer were under the thumb of their masters in Egypt. Now, they were brought into the land flowing with milk and honey, with grapes bigger than your head. And they were promised by God that the land was theirs. And they would be at rest, they would be there to build gardens, to build houses, to build families, that their generations would no longer know what the former generations had known. But of course we know the history of Israel didn't turn out that way. And why did it not do that? The prophet Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah 2.13, for my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water. Again, that is the challenge, that is the thing that led Israel into apostasy. is that they forsook the river, the fountain of living waters, and decided that not only did they have a better way, but they were going to build their own containers. And what was wrong with the containers that Israel made? Well, they had holes in them. They went down to the river to get themselves water, and by the time they get back to the house, what's in there? Nothing but air. They had exchanged H2O for O2. I don't know about you, but you can't live off of just O2. Now, you need O2, right? You need oxygen to live, but how long can you live without the water? You can't live real long. And the truth of the matter is, Israel didn't live real long when it forsook the fountains of living water. In fact, it found itself in famine. It found itself in destruction. It found itself in condemnation. And the difference in the New Testament is no different. Again, the same curse falls upon the church of the Lord Jesus Christ when we do the same, when we forsake the river of living waters, when we forsake the cisterns that God has made for us, when we seek out new ways, new ideas, new understandings of how God has decided to do things. Again, part of the counsel of the book of Jeremiah is that we are to seek after the old paths. Now when you think of an old path, what do you think about? Think of a well-worn path. Well if you know where the well is, you know where the water is, you're not going to take a different path every morning, right? You're going to wear out a sure path between you and the good water. Is it wise then to go seek water from somewhere else when you know where the water is? No. And that's kept in obvious stuff, but again there's a reason why we seek other paths. Because we forget, again, what the water has provided us. Not only has it given us life, but has it given us an eternal future in the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, this is part of the witness, again, of Revelation 22. Again, part of what John is doing in this passage is that he is trying to encourage and help the people of God in the early days of the church that there is something greater coming. And they are not to lose hope. They are not to lose assurance. They are not to lose their faith in what God has promised. They are to remember that God has given unto them already the fulfillment of these things in a season. Now ultimately, there's going to be a full fulfillment of this that we're going to experience when Jesus comes again. As the theologians like to say, there's a now and not yet aspect to all of these prophecies. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are living in the Kingdom of the Living God. We are living in the City of God. We are living within the bounds of this New Jerusalem that we see testified to in Revelation 21 and 22. Now when we hear again the language of, And He showed me a pure river of water of life, as clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in midst of the street of it. And on either side of the river there was a tree of life, which bared twelve manner of fruits, and a unit of fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him." Again, this is the message that Jesus gives the disciples as He ascends into heaven. That they are already experiencing the blessings of the removal of the curse. Because Jesus has already died and rose from the dead. We don't have to wait for that to happen. It's one of the reasons why Paul in the book of Hebrews is so hardcore angry at the Jews who want to bring Jesus back from heaven and kill Him all the time. Because the sacrifice has been made once. We don't need to go to the temple anymore. We don't need to kill animals. We don't need to re-sacrifice Jesus every week in the Mass. We have in Jesus Christ the fullness of the promise made to the prophets and we have the fullness of what we need every day to live in light of what Jesus has done for us. Now how do we do that? Is kind of the obvious question. Well, part of the way that God in His grace has designed that is to be here on the Lord's Day morning at, you know, at 10 a.m. I prefer, but especially at 11 a.m. Because this is one of the ways that we feed upon the water of the living Christ. Worship on the Lord's Day is the primary means of being watered by our Savior. Sometimes we kind of short trip what we do here on the Lord's Day morning. Again, Jesus has called us not to forsake the gathering together of His people. That's what Paul says in Hebrews 10. Now why do we need to gather together on the Lord's Day? Why do we need to do it every week? Because we need to be fed by Jesus. We need to be fed by His Word. We need to be fed by prayer. We need to be fed by the fellowship of the saints. We need to be fed by all of these means of grace. Because we are human beings. And we need, again, to go back unto the well. That's what Jesus again tells the woman in John 4. She doesn't have to go back to the well that is with human hands anymore. But where does she need to go? She needs to go to the well that was made for the foundation of the world. Jesus alone has this grace. He alone has this fruit. He alone has this power. He alone has this gift and grant of faith. And if we seek it from anywhere else, then we are in effect drinking sand. We are famineing ourselves, if that's a word. Again, there's this call in the New Testament when it comes to the Fourth Commandment that is likewise just as serious as the Fourth Commandment in the Old Testament. Again, we still worship Jesus Christ on the Sabbath day in the New Covenant. Instead of worshiping on the seventh day where we look back to the creation, we worship on the first day of the week because this is the day that Jesus was rose from the dead and today is the day that we are called to look forward unto the second coming of the Lord Jesus. That's why. We worship on the first day of the week, not just because it's convenient, not just because this is the one day people give you off, but because Jesus Christ Himself has laid claim to the Lord's day to be the day in which His people rest from their worldly labors and rest in Jesus Christ. This is the day that God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. One of the blessings of the Sabbath day when it comes to this eating of the fruit and drinking of the water is that God's given you six days to wait. He's given you one day that you might be at rest in Him. That you might fellowship with the saints. That you might visit the sick. That you might do works of mercy and necessity. That you might take care of one another. That you might be fed one another together in this day. Because the Sabbath day is the day that God has given us that we might prepare for the heavens and for the days to come. Because in heaven is an eternal Sabbath. And if we have trouble with the Sabbath today, we're going to have real trouble with the Eternal Sabbath. Part of what, again, John is doing here, again, is reminding God's covenant people that as they look forward to Jesus Christ, they need to make sure that they're looking forward to Jesus right now. One of the condemnations that Paul brings upon some people of Thessalonica is that they ain't doing any work. They're sitting around waiting for Jesus to come. And Paul tells them to get off their rear end and do what? Do the work that Jesus called you to do. Jesus is going to come and there's nothing you can do to either speed that up or push it forward. Again, in the midst of what we're reading here in Revelation 22, right? He shows me this pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God on the land, in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river was there the tree of life. Again, this is what we've received in Jesus. And is there anything that should compete for our time, compete for our association, compete for our union, anything other than Jesus? In fact, what does the Bible tell us that is, to choose something over Jesus? It's idolatry. Again, that's what Israel would do. That's what the Judaizers were doing. That's what the enemies of the apostles were doing. That's what the enemies of the church always does. They always come and tell you that there's something more important than Jesus. Like there's something that you need to do that's more important. than the river of life, which comes from the tree of life. You know, Jesus, as he's calling disciples unto himself in Luke chapter 9, remember there's that scene where the guy comes to him and says, hey, my dad just died. I need you to go bury him, and then I'll come follow. And what did Jesus say? In one of those weird sayings that Jesus says that don't sound right at first, but once you think about it, it makes a lot of sense, right? What does he say to the guy? Let the dead bury the dead, because the Son of Man is here. Now, think about that for a moment. Again, if the buried and the dead come second to following after Jesus, how much more so do all the other things that we allow to get in the way of worshiping Jesus Christ in our own day? How much more are they idolatrous? How much more are they separating us from the love of God? How much more are they keeping us from enjoying the blessings that we've received from the river of life? One of the things this passage is meant to do for us as believers is to take stock of things and to think through things and think through again, what is my priority in life? Is my priority just to come get my grace shot every now and then and hope it's sufficient? Or is my priority to drink from the waters of life and let that be again not just my priority but let that be again my focus each and every day? As we go out into the world and as we do the works that God called us to do, as we work in our jobs, as we take care of our families, as we do all these things, again, are we doing them in the light of what Jesus has called us to be and to do? Again, are we doing these things for the glory of God, for the glory of His name, or are they in competition with what Jesus has called us to do? And it's a hard thing for us to come to terms with, That seems to be something that holds people up in the book of Acts all the time. Again, whether or not they're willing to leave, whether or not they're willing to abandon, whether or not they're willing to turn and go away from those things which are holding them from enjoying the blessings of God Almighty in our Savior Jesus Christ. And John here in Revelation 22 is telling you there is no competition. There is nothing that should be keeping you from resting and trusting in Jesus Christ. There's nothing that should be keeping you from feeding upon the rivers of life, of drinking from the fountain which never ceases, from all of these things. Because at the end of the day, what does Jesus give you? Jesus gives you life. What does everything else give you? Gives you death. And so just from a logical standpoint, it shouldn't be a hard decision to make. But why is that so hard for us? It's hard for us because we don't really understand what Jesus has done for us. What Jesus has given up of himself to be born of a virgin, to be born in Bethlehem, to suffer under Pontius Pilate, and to lay down his life at the cross for us, and to be raised in the third day. The very Son of God, the Son of Man, the One who did not have to do that, but voluntarily gave it Himself, that we might no longer be under the curse, but that we might be under the gift of the Tree of Life, of the leaves which bring peace unto men. This is our hope, both this day and forever, and it will be your hope today. I hope it will be your hope tomorrow, and in the days to come. For there is no other place by which we can drink the waters of life, either today or in the future, than in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we give thanks again for the day in which you've given to us that we might not only be reminded of the blessings which we have received But most especially, dear God, that we might rest in the goodness that you have shown us in your son, that we might drink of his water. And we might forsake the waters which the world provides for us, which make us sick and lead us astray. But let us drink of this pure water, clear as crystal, that gives life unto your covenant people. And in Jesus' name we pray, amen. but it's been a bit close with bob also number one said the shepherd of the the The new shepherd will be set free. He will take my land and my people apart. I'll be a great choice for the pride of this land. The shepherd will fear me when all is said and done. Through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, through my grace, And I remember when you said you'd save the sun And I remember when you said you'd save the sun You shall be the God of my praises. You shall be the God of my praises. You shall be the God of my praises. The Lord God of hosts has restored my grace. Again He shall give me life and grace. The Lord God of hosts has restored my grace. Again He shall give me life and grace. You. Again, as we close out our morning service, we invite you back at 5.30 as we close out the Lord's Day in worship. And as we do each week, again, we invite you, if you have need, to speak unto me, the elders. We are here to help in whatever way we can. Our benediction today comes to us from Psalm 34, beginning at verse 19. Again, let us hear the word of the Lord as we close this morning. Psalm 34, beginning at verse 19, hear the Lord's benediction. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. I'm not afraid of the dark