Thank you for listening to our Emanuel Baptist Church podcast sermon series by Pastor Sean Cole. Emanuel exists to display God's glory, declare God's gospel, and to disciple for God's great commission. If you have any questions about this message or would like more information about our church, you can visit our website at www.ebc-online.org. Now here's Pastor Sean. Rest of you, I want to invite you to open your Bibles to the book of Ruth chapter four. This is our last sermon in this journey through the book of Ruth. Next Sunday, we're starting a mini series through the book of Psalms. where Pastor Dustin and I will be tag teaming and preaching some messages. And then after Labor Day, we will jump into the book of 1 John as our study going forward. So Ruth chapter four. You know, many people are fascinated with issues related to the family tree. You've got these websites called Ancestry.com. You've got 23andMe where you can actually send in your DNA and find out if you're related to a famous person. And so I am a distant relative of Edgar Allen Poe on my dad's side of the family. That may explain some things about me. My mother's My grandmother's maiden name is Jackson, and if you go far back, we're related to Stonewall Jackson and Andrew Jackson. My son Aiden did a family tree research a few years ago, and he called me up one day and said, Dad, did you know that Thomas Jefferson is my second cousin seven times removed? Whatever that means, I have no idea. But my last name is Cole, and it is from England, from the Cornwall region in southwest England, and rumor has it in the early 200s AD, the Coles were a family of kings. Thus the song Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he. He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl, and he called for his fiddlers three. When my grandparents were alive, in their home, they had the Cole family crest. The Cole family crest is the bull, a black bull that hung in their house, and in Latin was the inscription of the Cole family motto, and so it's very interesting that the Cole motto is worship God, obey the king. And some of you probably have some fascinating details of who you're related to if you go back into your family tree, your ancestry. And so why do I bring up family trees? Why did I bring up ancestry this morning? Well, we're gonna find out at the end of the book of Ruth, this wonderful family tree in this ancestry. So we're at the end of this journey through the book of Ruth. And so let's just recap for a moment. In the first sermon that I preached, I told you there were a few reasons why it would be beneficial for us to study the book of Ruth. And first I said, it has been regarded as one of the best short stories of all time. And hopefully you've seen that. You've seen the plot twist, you've seen the play on words, you've seen how the storyteller has drawn us into this wonderful story, and we've seen three larger-than-life characters. Ruth, Boaz, Naomi. Profiles of godliness in this great love story. Second, I said that this was a story of God's invisible hand of providence, invisible hand of sovereignty. God is orchestrating things behind the scenes, and each time we wonder what's gonna happen, and the narrator uses words like, as luck would have it, or just would you know it, and we know it's not luck. We know that it is God orchestrating things behind the scenes. Also, this is a story of redemption and grace. The word redeemer shows up 23 times in the book of Ruth. And the main theme is chesed. The chesed, the loving kindness of Ruth towards Naomi, the loving kindness of Boaz towards Ruth, the loving kindness of God towards this family. And then the last thing I said that would be helpful for us to study is that this whole narrative centers on Israel's greatest king, King David. But ultimately it points beyond King David to the king of the world, Jesus Christ himself. So let me say it this way. If there were no Ruth, there would be no Jesus. If there's no Ruth, there's no Jesus. And so God in the end is the main character of the book of Ruth. It's not Ruth. It's not Boaz. It's not Naomi. It's God. Yahweh, the Lord, the God of Israel. And so what we wanna see as we end this morning is how God brings this story to culmination by providing for this family in amazing and far-reaching ways in His grace. So let's read the conclusion of the book of Ruth together. Ruth chapter four, verse 13. So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And he went into her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a Redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, A son has been born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Perez. Perez fathered Hezron. Hezron fathered Ram. Ram fathered Aminadab. Amenadabab fathered Nashon, Nashon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. So after that legal transaction we saw last week where Boaz and Mr. So-and-so exchanged sandals, verse 13 is the culmination. In a very concise statement, we find out that Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. She came into his family, he took Ruth. That imagery is that he surrounded her with those wings of protection, brought her into the family, and now she is his wife. I want you to think about Ruth's progression in this story. When we're first introduced to Ruth, she's a foreigner. She's a Moabite. She's living in a far-off country. And then she comes back to Bethlehem, she goes out into the harvest fields, and she says, I'm the lowest of servants. And then she goes out on the threshing floor in that daring midnight escapade, and she says, Boaz, marry me. And now she is elevated to Boaz's wife. She's come full circle. She's now an Israelite. She's now transformed. She's gone from being an outsider, a Moabite, to being an Israelite married to Boaz. She's a picture of how God can transform somebody from being an outsider to being part of his family. God can transform your life. God can do amazing things in your life to change you, to transform you, to bring you into His family. The question you've got to ask is, has this transformation happened to you? Have you gone from being an outsider in your sin, separated from God because of your rebellion, to being included into His family as one of His children through a relationship with Jesus Christ? You see, God is the master potter, and He is orchestrating things in your life to make you more like Jesus. And that's ultimately what we'd want. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you want to be shaped and fashioned into the image of Christ and you know that God is doing everything for his glory and for your good. And I've said this multiple times from this pulpit. Your prayer, your ultimate prayer should be this. God, whatever would bring you the most glory and whatever would be for my good, that's what I want. Now we may not define good the way God defines good, but Romans 8.28, we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. So God's the hero of the story. God is working out all things for good. And notice it says the Lord gave her conception. The Lord caused her to become pregnant. Now, for the most part, God has been behind the scenes through the book of Ruth, orchestrating things behind the events, but there are two events in the book of Ruth at the beginning and at the end where God supernaturally intervenes. If you remember back in chapter one, verse six, the Lord visited his people and ended the famine. And here, the Lord visited Ruth and gave her conception so that she became pregnant. And in both cases, God is refilling what Naomi lost. She lost her family, and she lost food. And so at the beginning of the book of Ruth, God sends her back to Bethlehem for food. But here at the end, God restores her with a grandson. Now, it's interesting. At first glance, you may just kind of look over this detail and say God gave her conception, but I want us to take just a little bit of a mini history lesson through Genesis for a moment, and think about all the women in Genesis who struggled to have children, and God gave them a child, Sarah. How old was Sarah when God came to her and said, you're gonna have a baby? How old was she? 90. Any 90-year-old women in here wanna get pregnant? What happened when Sarah heard that? She laughed. And thus her son Isaac was born, which means laughter. You also have other women, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel. These were the founding mothers of Israel. The Lord worked miraculously through them to bring the 12 tribes of Israel. You fast forward past Ruth and you see Hannah, Samuel's mother. She was having a hard time getting pregnant and the Lord answered her prayer. You go forward to The New Testament, and you have Elizabeth, John the Baptist, who was preparing the way for the Lord, and then who's the most famous woman of all? She wasn't barren, she was a virgin that the Lord gave birth to her, and that is Mary. And so the Lord is miraculously coming to Ruth and giving her the ability to birth this son. And the women, in verse 14, after the baby's born, so verse 14, you fast forward nine months. The woman said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord, who's not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel. Now remember these women were back in chapter one when Naomi returned. Remember when she returned and she's like, don't call me Naomi, call me Marah, call me bitter. These women are now saying, Naomi, God has blessed you. She's no longer a bitter shell of a woman. She has been restored. God has met her needs. And notice what they say to her. Who gets the credit? Blessed be the Lord. They don't say blessed be Boaz or blessed be Ruth. They say blessed be the Lord. And these women say some things about what this little guy is gonna be for Naomi. In verse 15, they say, he shall be to you the restorer of life. Naomi, this little guy is gonna give you vitality. He's gonna give you life. He's gonna give you joy. You're gonna have renewed joy in this little boy. And then secondly, he's going to be a nourisher of your old age. Literally, he's gonna feed your gray hairs. Not only is he gonna be an emotional source of joy for Naomi, but as he grows, he's gonna take care of Naomi in her old age financially. She finally has an heir that can take care of her. So she's filled to the brim here. What did she lose in Moab? Well, she lost food because there was a famine, but ultimately she lost a husband and her two little boys, and now she has food and she has an heir. Now, it's interesting that this little boy is called a Redeemer. This little boy is going to be your Redeemer. Now, technically, Boaz was the Redeemer, remember, in the technical sense? Why is this little boy going to be the Redeemer? Do these women know something? Do they have some prophetic sense that they, I don't know if they know what they're talking about, but ultimately, he's going to be the Redeemer. Now, how are they so sure that this little boy is going to be this for Naomi? Well, you find the answer. It's because of who his mom is. It's pretty straightforward. Look at verse 15. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. Why? For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. This boy's gonna be a wonderful boy, Naomi, and you know why? Because Ruth's his mother. And we know about Ruth. Time and time again, Ruth has emerged as a worthy woman, an excellent woman. She's the epitome of love and devotion. And these women know that this boy is going to grow up and be something special because his mother is special and his dad's special. If you've got Ruth as your mom and Boaz as your dad, you're destined for great things. Now remember, this is during the time of the judges. There weren't very many noble people during this time. And then verse 16 is sweet. It's the final appearance we have of Naomi in the entire book. And what does it say there in verse 16? Naomi took the child, laid him on her lap, and she became his nurse. Some translations say nanny. Others say foster mother. Whatever it is, it's more than just she's a nanny. If you go back and you read the original language, what Ruth is doing here is she's giving Naomi a very special position to basically have a unique relationship in raising her grandson. Now Ruth's gonna be the mother, but Naomi's gonna have a special place where she's gonna be able to hold the boy, snuggle the boy, lead the boy, love the boy. And so Ruth is being kind. She's showing has said to Naomi by letting her be the nurse to this little boy. I'm struck by Ruth's selflessness in this book. This has said, this steadfast love that she shows continuously. And it got me thinking about church. Got me thinking about our church. Let me ask it this way. Are we an chesed community? Now, what do you mean by that, Pastor Sean? Are we a chesed community? Are we, as a church family, marked by this type of kindness, this type of sacrifice, this type of unconditional love? Do we love one another the way that Ruth loves Naomi? And you may say, that's really hard, Pastor Sean. There's a lot of Naomis in this church. A lot of people I don't like. A lot of people that are hard to get along with. Well, that's the point. The point is God has called us to live in community together as a church family, to love one another, to serve one another, to sacrifice for one another, to encourage one another. Listen to 1 John 4 19 through 21. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says I love God and hates his brother, he's a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, whoever loves God must also love his brother. So I challenge us by the power of God's grace to be a chesed community, a community of loving kindness, a community of faithfulness to one another, a community where we serve and encourage and pray and care for one another. Now in verse 17, the women actually name the son. Now we don't know if why this happened or if Ruth and Boaz already named him, but verse 17 tells us the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, so they named the boy. And notice what they say, a son has been born to Naomi. A son, a little baby, my little baby boy. A baby boy has been born to Naomi. That's interesting. Wasn't the boy born to Ruth? Well, yes, but it's come full circle. What did Naomi lose in Moab? Her two little babies, her two boys. And now she's getting a son back. So technically it's Ruth's child, but they say to Naomi has been born a son. A son is born. A son is born in Bethlehem. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? A son will be born in Bethlehem. Just some foreshadowing there, just in case you're tracking with me. It's not Christmas yet, but hopefully you know what that's all about. Secondly, they name him Obed. Now, you might think, what's Obed? Well, let me tell you what Obed means. It's short for Obadiah. That helps you out, right? What does Obadiah mean? Obadiah means the servant of the Lord. The Lord's servant. Now it's interesting. Did these ladies know something about Obed that he was going to be the servant of the Lord? Interesting. The servant of the Lord. Now, this is a fulfillment of God's sovereign hand of grace who's been orchestrating all these events behind the scenes. Let's just recap our steps. How has God sovereignly orchestrated things behind the scenes? How did Naomi just happen to hear that the famine was over when she was in Moab? God gave her that message. How did Ruth just coincidentally happen to walk on the right field, Boaz's field? That was God's fingerprints all over it. How did that midnight scene at the threshing floor not backfire? God was all in it. And how come the day at court with Mr. So-and-so went down the way it did with him refusing and giving the rights to Boaz? Well, you can say in the end it was all luck, but we don't believe in luck, do we? It was God's sovereignty at work every step of the way with his sovereign fingerprints all over the story. And now we come to the story's biggest surprise, the final culmination. So not only does God sovereignly provide a child for Ruth and Boaz, not only does God sovereignly provide a redeemer for Naomi, but in Ruth, God sovereignly provides a king for the nation of Israel. We are introduced to the name David. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now, we've read Ruth before, and we know who David is, but think about the first time you're hearing this. The original audience, when they heard David's name, they would have risen up and cheered. They would have gotten excited because David was Israel's greatest king. Remember, this is during the time of the judges. Okay, this is during the time of the judges. How does the book of Judges end? What's the very last verse of the book of Judges? Judges 21, 25, in those days there was no, what, king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. This is the worst of the worst, okay? If you've been with Emmanuel for the past nine months to a year, we went through Judges and we went through Ruth. We went through darkness in Judges, now we're in the light of the tunnel in Ruth. But these are some of the darkest times in Israel's history. Not only is Naomi and her family on the brink of destruction, but the nation is almost on the brink of destruction. And what is God providing for the nation in the birth of Obed? David's grandfather, a king. How did Ruth start? What's Naomi's husband's name? Elimelech. What does Elimelech mean? My God is king. What happens to my God is king in the first few verses of Ruth? He dies. But then at the end of the book of Ruth, the bookend, it's not my God is king, Which is true, but it's Israel has a new king. Israel's greatest king. His name is David. Now think about names for a moment. Obed's name means servant of the Lord. Do you know who is called servant of the Lord over and over and over in the Old Testament? Over 30 times David is called the servant of the Lord. King David. But I want us to think about the culmination in Christ. Who is the ultimate servant of the Lord? Jesus. Who is the ultimate king? Not just of Israel, of all. Jesus. He's the ultimate servant of the Lord. As a matter of fact, Jesus said this about himself in Mark 10, 45. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life. as a ransom for many. So the story ends with David as this big surprise. And then there's a genealogy here at the end. Starting with Perez going all the way to David. So you got 10 generations. Now you think, what's the purpose of a genealogy? I get to all these weird names. You know your Bible reading plan when you start getting the weird names and you're like, do I read this today or do I skip on to the next one? So-and-so father, so-and-so, and so-and-so, I can't even pronounce the names. You're like, I'm getting bored with genealogies. What's the purpose of a genealogy? Well, it does give us a purpose theologically here. Why is the genealogy here? It's to show us that during the dark days of the judges, God's chosen line is preserved through, not military deliverers, not the judges, not kings, but through God's invisible hand of grace in ordinary people. Now these are ordinary people, right? Do you see any burning bushes in the book of Ruth? Any parting of the Red Seas, any amazing miracles? No, these are just normal people working in fields, going to threshing floors, going out to the harvest field, doing their daily things, but yet God uses them in ways beyond their wildest imaginations to bring about the King of Israel. Now let me just talk to you this morning about how God can do amazing things in your life mysteriously. This is a great encouragement because you may not always know what God is doing. God may not reveal to you what he's doing at the time because his invisible hand is orchestrating events in your life and you may just be right where God wants you to be to make an impact that you have no idea the ramifications will be made years after you have left the scene. God may be doing something extraordinary in your life right now to impact future generations. Now, in Hebrew genealogies, the seventh person is usually the most important when there's a list, because seven's that number in Hebrew that represents fullness or completion. And who's number seven in the list? You can go look at it. It's Boaz. Boaz is number seven. Now, this genealogy has all men. And it ends with David. But there's something very scandalous in Matthew chapter one, verses two through 16, when you look at the genealogy of Jesus. There are five women in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew chapter one, and all of them are somewhat marked by scandal. Some of them are marked by, most of them are marked by some type of scandal. Who's the first one to be mentioned? You don't necessarily have to turn there, but trust me, there are five women. First is Tamar. Tamar was a Canaanite, she dressed up as a prostitute, she tricked Judah, and then she bore Perez. And Perez's descendants became the ones who populated Bethlehem. So Boaz is from basically the lineage of Perez. Now why would a prostitute be in Jesus' genealogy? That doesn't sound very precise or that doesn't sound very pure. And why is she a pagan Canaanite and not a Jew? Have you ever thought about that? Okay, second woman in Jesus's genealogy, Rahab. Okay, Rahab is another Canaanite from Jericho. She's another prostitute. She is Boaz's mother. Why in the world would God have two prostitutes be in the genealogy of Jesus? Third woman to show up in the genealogy of Jesus, Ruth. Now Ruth was not a prostitute, she was a godly woman. But she was a Canaanite, she was a Moabite, she was not Jewish also. Okay, so you have three women in Jesus' genealogy that are not Jewish, but are outsiders. Okay, then you have the fourth woman, Bathsheba. David's wife, quote unquote, he committed adultery with her and had her husband Uriah killed. So he basically stole her from her rightful husband, Uriah, Bathsheba. And then finally, another young woman marked by scandal, not because she did anything wrong, but because how can a virgin get pregnant? You have Mary. So through this lineage of very scandalous, sometimes weird, Diverse women comes Jesus. And just a side note, those are the types of people Jesus loves to save. The outsiders, the ones marked by scandal, the ones that don't have it all together, the ones who the world looks at and would think, why in the world would you spend time on them? So God is a God of grace from first to last. If there is no Ruth, there is no Jesus. And so the story centers in Bethlehem with one family without food. And then God cares for two widows without heirs and gives them food and gives them a family. But not only does God provide for Ruth and Naomi and Boaz, but extends to the entire nation of Israel by providing for Israel a King David. And not just through Israel a King David, but ultimately extending to the entire world with Jesus being the Lamb of God that was slain, King Jesus. And I wonder, did Ruth and Boaz and Naomi have any idea of what this was gonna turn out to be? Probably not. If you sat there and talked to Ruth and Boaz, hey, did you know that your grandsons are gonna be like kings and that from you is gonna come Jesus? They probably had no idea what was going on. You see, they live in that split screen world where they were just doing what God had called them to do. being obedient, being who God wanted them to be, being profiles in godliness, living the life of faith, but yet God is doing things behind the scenes to bring about a greater future, a bigger story than they thought they could ever imagine. Sinclair Ferguson says it this way. There's a broad and general lesson to be learned here. The explanation for much that takes place in our lives lies well beyond our own lives and may be hidden from us all through our lives. For God does not mean to touch only our lives by what he does in us. He has the lives of others in view, even those yet unborn. There are babies yet unborn, who the decisions you make and the things you do now will be impacted, because ultimately we're investing in eternity. We're making an impact for the next generation. You see, God has the story already written out. The script's finished. He knows the end. He ordains all things. But as you live your life, you're playing the part that God has for you, and it may end up being something that you could hardly imagine for God to impact the nations. You see, God is about redeeming the nations. We talked about that last week. God is about missions. God is about reaching the nations. And the book of Ruth helps us understand how we're a crucial part of that drama. So your life is not in a vacuum. You're not on an island all to yourself. The choices you make, the life you live, the way that you live your life doesn't just impact you and your family. It may have ramifications that you would never even think about. that God is orchestrating, the same way that Ruth and Boaz had no idea what their life of faith would do for future ramifications. It's very interesting. According to Jewish tradition, do you all know when the book of Ruth is read? In Jewish churches, in the Jewish churches, the book of Ruth is read at Pentecost. Now why Pentecost? Well, obviously Pentecost is 50 days after the resurrection of Christ. Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit came, filled the believers, but ultimately Pentecost is where the Gentile inclusion of the church started. It was no longer just a Jewish thing. It was a worldwide mission where God came to the nations. So I want you to know something. You are in this genealogy. This is your family tree. Now you may think, I'm not related to Ruth or Boaz. I'm not part of these generations, these 10 generations. No, you're part of this family tree. Because if you've trusted Christ for salvation, you're part of his family. These people are your people. Okay, Ruth and Boaz are your people. David, he's your people. Think about Elimelech for a moment. Elimelech took his family, and he wandered away to a place where the grass is greener. We're just like Elimelech, aren't we? We wander off to where the grass is greener spiritually, we live in rebellion, we live in idolatry, we only find that to be empty. Like Naomi at times, we're bitter, we're rebellious, we don't submit to God and his ways, we wander. But God and his sovereignty has brought us back. And in Christ, he's filled us beyond measure. You see, we end the book of Ruth with a question. The time of judges was a time, we know, marked by chaos, anarchy, and immorality, because there was no king in Israel. Today, we live in that same kind of culture. I don't have to tell you that we live in a culture of chaos, confusion, and immorality, do we not? Yes. And while it may seem that there is no king in Israel, there is no king on his throne, this world is going to hell in a handbasket, let me just remind you that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is on his throne. Psalm 2. Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of this earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their courts from them. He who sits in heaven laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. The only place in the Bible where it says God laughs and he's laughing at the nations that are trying to be in rebellion against him. It's not a matter of if Jesus is Lord. No, he is Lord. Regardless of what you do with Jesus, he is Lord of Lords and he is King of Kings. He is the absolute Lord. The real question is this. Have you bowed the knee to King Jesus and submitted to his Lordship in repentance and faith? See, a lot of people like the idea of Jesus as their Savior. I like Jesus as my Savior because He forgives me of my sins, I get to go to heaven, I feel really good about having my sins forgiven, and Jesus is my Savior. Amen, praise the Lord. But what people don't like is Jesus as their Lord. Because that means Jesus has to tell you what to do and how to live, and you have to submit your entire life to Him. You cannot take Jesus as Savior and not take Him as Lord. He will not be divided. He is Savior and Lord. And we find out very quickly, if you go to the book of Revelation, what will happen one day, and maybe soon. Revelation 19, 11 through 16. Then I saw heaven open to behold a white horse. The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems. That just means crowns. And he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He's clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God. And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. For from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty on his robe, and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is the Jesus we worship. This is the Jesus that's reigning in heaven right now. This is the Jesus who's coming back in power and glory to renew all things. The question is, are you ready? Are you ready? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ alone to be your savior, to forgive you of your sins? Have you submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord to be the authority over every aspect of your life? So as we celebrate the Lord's Supper this morning, let us be thankful that Jesus rules and reigns as our King. He is in control. He is coming back in power and glory. And church, we can be very, and I have to be this, I can be very blackpilled for some of you that know what that word means. I can be very discouraged about our world. You look at our world today, you look at the opening of the Olympics, you look at what's going on in political races, you look at our world and say, what in the world is going on? Where is the hope? I feel discouraged, I feel defeated, I feel like there's no hope. We can get so discouraged as Christians thinking that there is no hope. Let me just remind you, there is hope. Why? Because Jesus rules and reigns. He's on his throne. No matter what happens in this world, he is absolutely sovereign and that gives us hope. And he's coming back. And when he comes back, he's not taking prisoners. When he comes back, he comes back in power and glory. And he will right all the wrongs. And so as we take the Lord's Supper this morning, let us praise Jesus that he is the King of kings and Lord of lords. And he's going to come back in power and glory and make all things new. And that gives us great hope. Let me ask you to bow your heads this morning as we prepare to take the Lord's Supper together. As we submit to you as our king, you are king of kings and lord of lords. You rule and you reign. My prayer this morning is that nobody leaves this place without submitting their lives to you, knowing that they can be forgiven of their sins, they can have eternal life with you, and that there is hope because you rule on your throne. Lord, help us be a people of hope, not of despair. Help us be a people of joy, not of bitterness. Help us be a people who speak the name of Jesus. Over our city, from the mountaintops to the ends of the earth, our God reigns. Thank you, Jesus, for ruling and reigning. We look forward to your return. May we all be ready. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.