Good morning. Welcome to all. Again, it is our privilege to gather as God's people, to hear his word, to worship the triune God. We remember that certainly on this day we call Ascension Sunday, as the Ascension Day is actually this Thursday. I want to say a blessed Mother's Day to all mothers and grandmothers here, and may the good Lord certainly bless you and your families as you serve him. Today we will have a beginning of a fundraiser for Vermilion Area Right to Life, and there are the baby bottles for change and so forth. You can get those after the service in the Fellowship Hall, and hopefully they can be returned by Father's Day, June 20th. Congratulations to Joel and Caitlin VanPersom, who both graduated from Northwestern College yesterday, and yes, they have employment in the Mitchell area or nearby. Per request, I think most of all these have been on there except for Hadassah. I sent that around because she is expecting another baby. And she's had some pelvic pain with that. Again, I guess it's a bit better today and to see a doctor in a couple of days. So pray for her and family again and caring for baby Eve. She's concerned about that with going through this. others with health needs, and the church in the Philippines as listed there. Pray for Ebenezer Reformed Church in Shafter, California, and Ruben Zartman, our pastor there. All right, let's take a few moments in silent prayer as we do prepare to worship our God. Please stand then for the call to worship from Ephesians 4 verses 7 to 8. But each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, he says, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to man. Beloved of God, called to be saints, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And let us pray together. Oh, Heavenly Father, we do praise you that you are the great and glorious God, the God of our salvation, and you have proven it, you have accomplished it in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is that one who came into this sin-cursed world, who gave himself so freely and fully, even going to the cross after a life of perfect obedience, perfect righteousness. He fulfilled all that great plan, bringing that one atoning sacrifice and now ascended to heaven as the living Lord. He rules over heaven and earth. And so we praise you for such assurance that we have in the ascended Christ. And we thank you that we can worship and hear your word. Turn us away from our sins. Lead us then as your people. that we would hear you rightly and respond to you as we ought with all repentance and faith with new obedience to your glory. We ask it indeed through Christ our Lord with the forgiveness of our sins. We do pray it all in Jesus' holy name. Amen. and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, tis now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen. And again, let us confess the true Christian faith with the words of the Apostle's Creed, saying, I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. You may be seated. Let us turn to our first hymn, number 289, a hymn of glory. Let us sing 289. A hymn of glory let us sing, new songs throughout the world shall ring. Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ, we have known thee for a time. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia. ♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪ ♪ To whom be angels falling down ♪ ♪ I sing in exultation, alleluia ♪ ♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Yes, our blessed Lord was seen to arise to heaven and so he rules there as King, as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. And we read of that from Acts chapter 1, first 11 verses. Acts 1, starting at verse 1, as Luke wrote, The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach until the day in which he was taken up after he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, having being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, you have heard from me. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." Indeed, Jesus foretold how He would go to the Father and He would come again. He will return at the last day, the final day, in glory with the clouds of heaven showing that He is God coming to earth, coming to judge all mankind. It is assured, it is promised by the Lord God Almighty, and it will come to pass at the appointed time. Have no doubt about it. We look for that one and all who trust in Him, for as our Savior can have confidence in life and in death, confidence that He will come again to gather all believers to be with Him in that perfect eternal world to come. From our catechism today, it's Lord's Day 14, page 865. Lord's Day 14, questions 35 and 36. 35. What is the meaning of conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary? That the eternal Son of God who is and continues true and eternal God, took upon himself the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the Virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, so that he might also be the true seed of David, like unto his brethren in all things except for sin. Of course, our Savior had to be true man as well as eternal God. Only that one, again, could be the Savior. Only that one could bear the wrath of God at the cross and win the victory for his people. And so Jesus is that very one with the very nature of man, of flesh and blood. He took upon himself a true human body and soul, and he is that one so conceived in the Virgin Mary by the work of the Holy Spirit. He is that descendant of David according to the flesh as foretold He is like us in all things except for sin. He is that holy one as man sinned and man must pay the penalty for sin. Question 36, what benefit do you receive from the holy conception and birth of Christ? That he is our mediator and with his innocence and perfect holiness covers in the sight of God my sin wherein I was conceived. Again, we need every Benefit of Christ all that he has done for his people We need even his that holy conception why because we are conceived and born in sin We're sinners from the moment of our conception Receiving that even through Adam our first parent and so we need this perfect innocence holiness to cover in God's sight all that fallenness that we inherited all the corruption all the sin put to our account and And in Christ, praise be to God, we have his righteousness. It's perfect holiness put to the account. So it is for all believers as we trust in him, the one who's done it all for our salvation. Again, we have such assurance, brothers and sisters, in the Lord Jesus Christ and that he rules in heaven. He hears us. He intercedes for us there. He will do all things well. He is in control over heaven and earth, and He will come again at the final day to gather believers to that perfect world He will even recreate. And so we give thanks to God and praise to Him, and we are assured we can come to Him in worship and in prayer. So let us pray together now. Again, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we give you praise and honor. You're the one true God, the triune God, great and glorious indeed. You have created all the universe for your honor, for your praise, and you have provided that one way of redemption as you had planned it from eternity as well. For you created Adam and Eve in perfection, and they had no sin, no reason to turn away from you. And yet, according to your plan, that was involved, that was decreed. And so they listened rather to the instigation of the devil. Instead of your holy word, your commandments, they broke that one commandment they were not to do. And so they failed in that test. And certainly we have to acknowledge we would do the same thing. And it is our sin as well. And so it is indeed imputed to all natural born, all mankind. And so we know that we are conceived and born in sin, and we need this Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who was not so conceived, but miraculously so by the working of the Holy Spirit within the Virgin Mary, that had no sin nature, but is the holy God and man in one person. And so we praise you for such a great plan of salvation is beyond anything that we could ever have conceived or imagined. but you have brought it to pass according to your mercies, according to your grace, according to the covenant of grace as you have provided it. And so we give you honor and glory. How we thank you indeed Christ obeyed in every thought word indeed also and suffered the penalty of sin at the cross for all your chosen people. And so we, when we have faith in him, have that assurance and comfort to know we have forgiveness of all our sins, righteousness in your sight and everlasting life. And so we praise you for such a great assurance in life and in death. May we show our gratitude all our days of Heavenly Father. Guide us indeed to worship you as we ought and seek your will. Help us to hear your word. Help me to proclaim it and that you would be honored working in our lives for our good and for your glory. We do pray you would lead us away from our sins and lead us in your paths of truth and righteousness. Thank you for all your blessings, O Lord, our God, and that you do provide for us. Even with Christ interceding, he does what is good for us at all times. And we thank you for answering prayers in so many ways. We certainly continue to pray for, ask for your mercies for Hadassah and for Joshua and their baby Eve and this new baby that is coming. We pray for your direction in all things. We pray for mercies, O Lord, that she would not have the the pain she's had, but that you will guide and direct and may this pregnancy go well. According to your mercy, oh Lord, may she have good care and treatment from any medical staff and that you indeed would provide for her. She cares for baby Eve also and be with Joshua and his work and all things in their family life and their situations. Continue to provide for them. We do pray for our brothers and sisters in the Philippines. We ask for your blessings upon them as they go through such trial, even from past flooding and COVID now, and many dying before they can even get to the hospital. We pray for your provisions, O Lord. Help us know how to care for them. Thank you that our ministers have gone and helped to teach there and do that even through Heidelberg Seminary and do that online also. We do pray for your continued blessing. Build up your people there in faith and in numbers. We pray for Emma. She'd be over the migraines, according to your goodwill. We pray again for the Mayville family. May they have comfort and peace only in you. It's been a shock indeed to lose Tom to COVID. And we pray that you would bless your people, though, with the congregation there at Lodi also, as they care for them. We pray for Zach and Alicia, various needs in their family, and certainly for Dave and provide for Him, may he look unto you in true repentance and faith and ask for your blessings upon each one. Would you pray for our country, O Heavenly Father, that we might be turned to you and have a great reawakening. Guide our governmental leaders to follow the principles of your holy word, not the ways of evil man and the way our culture is going. You pray for the protection of the unborn and human life to be valued as made in your image. Just pray for your guidance even with elections and regarding immigrants and so forth, all things. Oh, Lord, may we seek your will. May morality be the characteristic of our nation once again. Many saw that in the past. The Christian faith guided and directed us. I pray for that reality to be more evident again, according to your mercy. With Mahdi Lucen, as I care for Melvin, others we think of. Again, may we hear your word in all things. With all the foreign missions we help to support in Africa and elsewhere, be with Ebenezer Reformed at Shafter and Reverend Zartman and help him as the pastor there, certainly as he is the fairly new stated clerk for our Senate with that meeting coming up in just over a week. We pray for your blessings upon our denomination. Again, guide all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and may we be strong in the faith, those who are persecuted for that faith, May they continue to bear witness unto the Lord and that many would be turned to you before that last day that is coming. Again, thank you for your faithfulness, O Lord. We do pray all these things for your glory and for our good and with the forgiveness of sins through Christ our Lord. Amen. Let's turn then to hymn number 294. The golden gates are lifted up as we'll stand to sing. The golden gates are lifted up, the doors are opened wide. The King of Glory is gone in unto His Father's side. Thou art gone up before us, Lord, to make for us a place that we may be where Thou art at look upon God's face. And ever on our earthly path a gleam of glory lies, A light still breaks behind the cloud that veiled thee from our eyes. Lift up our hearts, lift up our minds, let thy dear grace be giv'd. That while we wander here below, Our treasure be in hell. that where thou art, at God's right hand, our hope, our love may be. Dwell thou in us, that we may dwell forevermore in thee. Sermon passage today is Isaiah 45 verses 20 to 25. In Isaiah 45, starting at verse 20, Assemble yourselves and come, draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge who carry the wood of their carved image and pray to a God that cannot save. Tell and bring forth your case. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides me, a just God and a savior. There is none besides me. Look to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To him men shall come and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against him. In the Lord, all the descendants of Israel shall be justified and shall glory. Now, considering the ascension of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, we can think of what it was and what it means. Jesus was simply seen, as we heard of that in Acts chapter one, seen to go up into the clouds and to heaven. That is what his disciples saw with their own eyes. And so it was not some sort of space travel, although some science fiction movies imagine people being dematerialized and beamed to another place. Nor was Jesus using some device such as a jet pack to go up in the air. It was not travel in some kind of a vehicle. No, in his body Christ simply ascended physically. And clearly no one on earth can do what he did. Most importantly, part of the meaning of the Lord's ascension is to show us who he is, the ascended God, the Savior and Lord of all believers. And therefore this great event in God's plan of salvation is not something with meaning only for the first century witnesses, nor is it only of meaning for the first century church, No, we must also, of course, realize, understand, know what Christ's ascension means for us and how it is to affect our thinking and our doing. For it was an event of enormous importance, which you and I should not take for granted. It assures us of great truths according to God's word. And so first today we can know the ascended Christ is the true saving God And second, the ascended Christ is to be honored by all. Well, Isaiah, as with other prophets, the Lord God confronted his people time and again because of their sins. And he loved and he chastened them. He chastised Israel and Judah for their idolatry, particularly in following pagan gods. And Judah was to be taken into captivity in Babylon, as Isaiah foretold repeatedly. But also the return of a remnant from there was certainly foretold. And that return, you know, was often spoke of as being a salvation. They would then be turned to the Lord God alone. Well, here that return would later mean salvation for the Gentile world as well. When God's chosen ones out of all the nations would be turned away from idols unto the one true God. And as the New Testament revelation makes plain, all those who are one to Christ are delivered from this evil, idolatrous world which rebels against God continually. Continually. Yes, on the basis of Christ's righteousness, his death and resurrection, his ascension as Lord over all those who hear him are commanded to repent and believe on him. then they will have eternal deliverance or salvation from sin, Satan, and death. Oh, that call to believe is part of what our Lord's ascension enables, for it shows who He is and what He is able to do to save sinners. So yes, He is the true saving God, not an imaginary Savior, Oh, beloved, today from heaven our ascended Lord Jesus declares to all that he is the eternal Savior and King. And no one else and no other religion can claim that truthfully. Again, the immediate background around 700 BC addresses those who have escaped from the nations. Verse 20, no doubt that first means the Jewish remnant foretold to return to the promised land, but also other peoples can be met to escape from Babylonian captivity through the decree of Cyrus the Persian. For when he conquered Babylon, then he released the Jews and others from there. As they had taken others captive. And you know, certainly any people, any people that had been conquered should have seen the futility of their idolatry. As said here, praying to a God that cannot save. And they should no longer take counsel together, verse 21, as if to speak for their pagan gods. Oh, captivity should have been a cure for outward idolatry. It was a cure for Israel. They repented of that outward idolatry, at least then. And again, New Testament fulfillment is promised that by repentance and faith, the Gentiles will escape escape the spiritually blinded nations whenever the gospel is believed by them. In fact, you know, it was common for a prophet to be given a foreshortened view of the future, and that can be understood like looking at a mountain range, you know, and you know, when you see mountains in a row, you don't see all the events in between the first and the last. All the parts of it. Therefore, Isaiah might have seen that last era conversion of the Gentiles here directly. In any case, again, even in his own time, for those peoples, if their gods had not helped them against their enemies, they should have known, verse 20, that carrying the wood of their carved image was ignorance, foolishness, having no knowledge. Utterly stupid to trust, evil to trust in those idols. And yet, you know, I said here, the idols may have been covered with gold and looked so fine, but the form underneath was just wood. And idols of any kind might yet appear beautiful to behold, but it's just of an ear. And so you and I must beware of any idolatry in us. Of course, it's just of an ear. And certainly that is the case with all false religions of this world. It's just a veneer, there's nothing really there, even if they have hundreds of millions of followers. So it is. Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, whatever, all the cults have a God that cannot save, as it were. That reality which you know is true, and it's proven, proven since Jesus Christ alone ascended bodily to heaven by his own power. Well, false religions do not even make such a claim for their originators normally. For again, they have an imaginary Savior. Imaginary. But our Lord Jesus Christ is not imaginary. He is a Savior who has gone all the way to heaven to guarantee it. Yes, thanks be to our God. Let us not forget this ascension of Christ and all it means. Oh, along with that, his status as Savior is also proven, since God alone truly declares the future, said here, verse 21, declaring it from ancient times. And so if the Jews return from Babylon is considered there or the return of Jesus to his father, only God, not false teachers, could foretell it. Christ spoke of it plainly, you know, before his death, as in John 16.10, saying, I go to my father and you see me no more. And yet you and I know spiritually blind sinners can still refuse to believe this ascension, bodily ascension, even happened. Others may give lip service to it. That reminds me of a memorial on the Mount of Olives, you know, east of old Jerusalem. It's a little stone pillar, and it has footprints in concrete on the top of it, as if Jesus ascended there. And, you know, maybe a church put it there. I don't know. I don't think it had anything marking it, but it could have even been put there by the Israeli government. because they do produce a map of the land where Jesus walked. Anything to be sold, in other words. Well, you know, some in outright unbelief, they might call Jesus your imaginary friend, as said in some TV shows, for instance. Or unbelievers may speak of God as having some kind of problem since he wants all things done his way. And there they wickedly express utter ignorance as to what it means for the creator and ruler of everything to say it's his will that matters. So it does. That makes perfect sense. Only a rebellious blind slave to sin rejects that reality. But again, you know, wicked people do just that, and they hate God's commandments. Indeed, there may be worse apostasy turning away from the true religion in our nation and others before Christ returns. And so you and I, in contrast, beloved, must be absolutely assured, assured from God's Word as to Christ's ascension and his rule in heaven right now. We don't have to wait for him to come back to be the king and say, then he's going to be king. He's king in heaven now. And we must declare he's not an imaginary savior, but the one who is there for us, ruling over all things for the good of his people. Yes, have that confidence, that assurance, come what may. He is truly the real, actual savior. And he's also near to us. by his grace, spirit, power, and divine majesty always. And so how you and I should long evermore for his return in glory. Yes, we can rejoice that the ascended Christ is the true saving God. Here's also that one described here, for he saves in accord with God's justice. The triune God, verse 21, is a just God and a savior. There is none besides him. As one wrote, God acts most stringently according to his, the demands of his holiness. He is the just God who must provide us with salvation according to his loving will, his will in Christ, or we have no hope. And therefore, as here, sinners have always been told to look to the Lord and be saved. Look unto God as your Redeemer. Remember, that was plainly foreshadowed with the Israelites in the Sinai Desert. Recall that one of the many times when they complained against God, many of the people were bitten by poisonous snakes, and God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent to put it up on a pole, and when the people looked on it, they lived. Like that, the command of the gospel is to turn to look to Christ crucified in faith, And God promises you will be saved. His word will not return void, as he says here. Yet how foolish it is to refuse that command. For in Jesus alone, all believers have eternal life by his grace through faith alone. Well, that salvation is only possible because, as said in Romans 3, 26, God is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. His justice was accomplished absolutely at the cross against all the sins of God's elect. And so as in 1 John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yes, thanks be to God. Our brothers and sisters, salvation in Christ is in accord with God's perfect justice as proclaimed in his ascension. For at that time the Father declared in that very act that our Lord's sacrifice on the cross was sufficient as atonement for sin and accomplished fully for all the elect. So Jesus ascended. Of course, he was perfectly sinless and welcome to heaven on his own merits. But it's also declared in his ascension that his merits are put to the account of all the faithful. For again, God's justice is satisfied in Christ. But think of the horrible contrast in the religions of man. Those things devised by man have no real justice. It is not justice accomplished in Islamic terrorism, nor in the self-torture in Hinduism, nor in any mere human trying to obey the commandments of God well enough to be saved on that basis. No, you and I need a perfect Savior, and God in Christ is that one, just and the justifier. And so in Christ's ascension, God rightly calls to sinners As in verse 22, look to me and be saved all you ends of the earth. And since father, son and spirit are the saving God, no one should reject this call. Of course not. All should rightly trust the salvation offered through the ascended and ruling Lord Jesus. Indeed, dear ones, that benevolent cry of God is going out to the world, the world over which Christ now rules. is God's call to sinners. Look in conversion, depending on the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Jesus as the only Savior and Lord. He is that one, contrary to all the false claims of would-be saviors and lords. No one else, nothing else, can save us. And so truly, since he is ascended and enthroned, that proves who Christ is and what he accomplished for our redemption. And you know, we even pray to the Father through Christ who is in heaven, pray according to his merits and authority. Although he was crucified in weakness as it appeared, Christ now reigns with infinite power. He is able, and he will be just, to take all believers to himself. When he returns, he saves all his followers, though the world may persecute us. Yes, we can expect that from the world, but you and I, may we not fear the world. We have a risen ruling king over the universe. Indeed, may you and I not fear men, for the ascended Christ is a true saving God. Secondly, ascended Christ is to be honored by all. Well, since the Word of God commands us to do all things to the glory of God, his will is that the ascended Christ, the God-man, be honored by all. And that is to be done here first by confessing Christ. As Hebrews 6.13 states, when God swore he would bless Abraham, he swore by himself, for he could swear or make an oath by no one greater. There is no one greater. Likewise, Romans 14, 11, quoting this verse, declares, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God. That is, this gospel must be accepted, Christ's word obeyed, and he certainly will judge all people. Indeed, God, you see, God swears by His own eternal life that all believers will submit to Christ the King, confess Him, will do that in true faith, granted by the Lord. What assurance that should be to us, of course. God swears by Himself, He will accomplish this. Indeed, Christ's ascension above all creation is to convince us that he is God and man in one person so that we bow to him. Unbelievers will have to bow as well. For Christ rules over every detail of our existence throughout all ages and for the eternal good of his people. So yes, you and I must confess him as that saving Lord. And as I say, unbelievers will have to recognize and submit to Christ when He descends to earth, though they do not trust Him, nor have salvation in Him. Philippians 2 makes that reality at the last day plain. All will bow the knee, say who He is, that He is Lord, and all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Well, until then, our Lord sits at God's right hand, until all his enemies are made his footstool. Psalm 110 assures us of that. They will all be brought down who do not confess him in true faith, but we who do believe on Christ gladly confess him. We submit to his rule over us, so we must do more and more and fight against our sinful nature that would not submit. According to the new man, we want to follow him. And in showing that faith, as Matthew Henry said, we must each have quote, humble adorations and addresses toward God in Christ, cheerful obedience to his commandments, submission to what he brings to pass, complying with his will, and we must speak of our commitment to Christ. Yes, beloved, you and I must so do, confessing the ascended Lord Jesus. As one example of that, we have it in our church membership vows that we swear that we believe on this ascended one as our own Savior and Lord. And thereby let no one forget that you swear allegiance, allegiance to Christ. We vow to follow him always. We must have that commitment. Christians have that. It's essential for us and for all believers throughout the world. As Romans 10 states, with the heart one believes and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And so obviously confessing the risen and ascended Christ before people is a major part of our worship. It's part of our reverence, submission, and following of him. Indeed, in all things, ascended Christ is to be honored by all. Lastly, that is done by glorying, glorying in Christ. God declares in verse 24 that every believer will say, surely in the Lord, I have righteousness and strength. You know, even in captivity, the faithful ones of the Jews had righteousness and strength from God that included his grace to endure and to sanctify their afflictions and to be brought at last to escape captivity. turn to their homeland. And of course, righteousness and strength, the bubble, point to believers having eternal salvation. For in Jesus we find superabundant righteousness, as said in Romans 5. That is, when our sins abounded, God's grace abounded much more to cover them through the righteousness Jesus Christ. Oh beloved, what greater assurance could you and I have? As Hebrews 9 14 asks, how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Cleanse us from all our sins. In him we find our righteousness and strength. And with that, how much more are we to glory in or honor our Lord Christ when his ascension assures us of our final deliverance in the world to come? You and I must know he is the strong ruler, again, working in everything for the eternal good of God's people. Yes, the blessed Jesus is strong to save and sanctify. And so the Holy Spirit makes us to believe on him and to become more like Christ even in our lives. That sanctification that goes on becoming more like our glorified Savior. Because of that we come to God trusting him for righteousness to his glory while unbelievers flee from him for they dread his holiness. Oh may you and I rather increasingly glory in or praise our Lord. You know the very goal of history is the conversion and restoration of God's chosen ones unto Christ that we will so rejoice and glory in our God and Savior. Well then let us also be imitators of Christ by his grace and strength following after God's commands in greater measure. For all that are justified will be glorified in his perfect plan. And yet the terrible news here in verse 24 for unbelievers is that they may be incensed against him or angry at God's rule. His rule through our Lord as declared in the commandments of God's word. The anger of anger of those practicing say Sexual perversions, pornography, or abortion are examples. They don't want the Bible even to be heard. They don't want the vote of the people in government even allowed on such things. And so the ungodly again separate themselves from the ways of God and from those who serve Him. Yet their judgment is certainly coming, as Christ's enthronement assures us of that. He is that holy king who is going to return as judge. Now they may rage, but as in Psalm 2, speaking ultimately of Christ's ruling in heaven, it tells us that God will therefore laugh them to scorn. They will all be put to shame at the last day for hating God, hating the Lord of Lords, Jesus, and for rejecting His holy ways. Yet in verse 25 it proclaims to us that in the Lord all the descendants of Israel shall be justified and shall glory. Well, I think with most every commentator there that All the descendants of Israel in that context means true spiritual descendants, all the elect of Israel and of every nation. For all true Israelites or Christians now have justification by faith in Jesus Christ. We are reconciled and renewed by the Lord God. We glory in him and shall always do so. That's the eternity ahead. Praise be to God. Yes, dear ones, the Ascended God and King Jesus Christ provides and guarantees this acceptance with the Almighty Triune God. By faith in Him, in Jesus alone, we are treated by the Lord God, our Heavenly Fathers, being righteous in His sight by His grace. Certainly then, what glorying in the Lord should be evident in our praise, our worship, our joy in serving Christ. And it is a lasting, wonderful confidence here that when the Ascended One descends as judge of all, he will declare Christians to be his own followers, his. And then we shall be justified even before man. We will then glory in the Lord in perfection. Indeed, all the church even now glories in God's grace in Jesus to be our saving King and defender forever. What assurance we have. For the ascended Christ is the true saving God and he is to be honored by all. I will let us then be his witnesses and point others to him. May many more be one to Christ. And certainly whoever glories. Let him glory. in this ascended Lord. Amen. Let us pray together. Oh, Heavenly Father, we praise you for the wonderful word of the gospel for the assurance of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. For again, he is the one who obeyed in every thought, word and deed. He suffered the penalty of sin at the cross as well for all your people. He won that victory by his resurrection and now ascended to heaven. He rules over all the universe. He is at the right hand of the Father, and all his enemies will be brought down, made his footstool according to your plan. So may we submit ourselves gladly unto the Lord Jesus Christ. May we walk in your ways more and more, show our gratitude all our days. Yes, may we indeed be your witnesses, O Heavenly Father, point others to Christ. Guide and direct us for your glory and for our good. Forgive us of all our sins, all our unrighteousness. When we don't want to follow in your ways, when we don't even want to be your witnesses, let us instead have your righteousness and strength. May we be guided by your grace and Holy Spirit to serve you gladly. Yes, may many be turned to him. We do pray for your glory and our good, even as we ask it through Christ our Lord in his holy name. And now we do pray together as Christ taught us to say, 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, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Let us turn then to our final hymn, number 295, 295. Crown him with many crowns as we want that glory of Christ to be manifest and to be known in all the world as he indeed gives us such gratitude for salvation. May that be our desire more and more. Let us stand to sing. Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne. Hark how the heav'nly anthem drowns all music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee. and hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity. Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side, rich wounds yet visible above, in duty glorified. No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight, but downward bends his burning eye, that mystery so bright. Crown him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways, From pole to pole that wars may cease, Absorbed in prayer and praise. His reign shall know no end, And round his pierced fate, Fair flowers of paradise extend, Their fragrance ever sweet. Crown Him the Lord of years, the potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime. All hail, Redeemer, hail, for Thou hast died for me. Thy praise shall never, never fail throughout eternity. Amen. Do receive the Lord's benediction. And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him, above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.