Christ Church (Moscow, ID)

Many Christians have forgotten the truth that “the most high rules the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17). Saints who forget this find a way to go on believing that they themselves will be saved. But they forget that Christ came so that the world itself might be saved.Amid such forgetfulness, these Christians leave off praying that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. And they also leave off thanksgiving to God when he executes his will on earth.You must not be such a people. Better things are determined concerning you.We live in a broken world. And at the same time, we live in a world that has experienced the birth of God’s Son. Not only that, but the world has undergone his death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and the pouring out of His powerful Spirit upon his bride. This means we shouldn’t be surprised when God answers yes to the prayers of the righteous.So as you know, the abominable Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade was overturned last week. And God is the one who overturned it. He thwarted the plans of the ungodly. He heard the prayers of his people. And he has answered from on high.This is a cause for great celebration. It is also a cause for repentance for many thought the arm of the Lord was too short. And this is a time for covenant renewal, resolve, faith, and a good deal of work. It is not a day to despise small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). It is a day to set up an Ebenezer, for thus far the Lord has helped us. Look at the work of the Lord and listen to him say, “Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).

Before reading our text for this morning, I cannot let this moment pass unremarked. As you have already heard in the exhortation, this last Friday the Supreme Court reversed their infamous Roe decision of 1973. That makes this our first post-Roe worship service. And if you are not yet fifty years old, this means that this is the first worship service of your entire life where Roe was not the tyrannical and very bloody backdrop.

INTRODUCTIONModern man prides himself in not being violent and savage, and yet we have butchered 60 million babies and counting. We have high rates of drug and alcohol and porn addiction, suicide, incarceration, and so on. We sacrifice babies to our Molech, and we sacrifice millions more in the slow cooker of government programs and prisons. We have rejected Jesus and His easy yoke, calling it harsh, and we have demanded the demented yoke of humanistic hubris and tyrannical government. And the only way out of this mess is through the Cross of Jesus.THE TEXT“And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Again thou shalt say to the children of Israel, whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death…” (Lev. 20:1-27).SUMMARY OF THE TEXTThe text opens with a prohibition against offering children to Molech and against turning a blind eye to it, as well as all idolatry, since the people are to be holy and keep God’s statutes (Lev. 20:1-8). Seven crimes are listed with death penalties (20:9-16), and five additional sins are listed, with the community sanctions of being “cut off from among their people” and “bearing their sin” (Lev. 20:17-21). “Dying childless” could imply the possibility of a civil penalty, but it is probably a direct sanction from God since it identifies one of those instances as being “unclean,” which is a ceremonial status (20:21). God reminds His people that He is giving them life and blessing in a good land through His law, which is why they must remain separate from the other nations (20:22-24). The daily sign of the distinction was their diet (20:25-26), and that was to remind them to remove all idolatry out of their midst (20:27).COMPARED TO WHAT?“Molech” is related to the Hebrew word “melech” which means “king.” The fires of Molech are most likely a generic reference to the various cults of the nations. Dedication of children to Molech seems to have included both child sacrifice as well as temple prostitution. And right on schedule our nation is actually debating the appropriateness of Drag Queen story, so-called gender “transition,” and the furies are out in full force demanding abortion as “health care.”  This is nothing short of the new dedication of children to Molech.You can always tell the god or gods of a culture by where coercion and violence are accepted and obedience and submission are required. Even in relatively conservative churches, if a woman says she must obey her husband, she will sometimes get concerned looks and questions about whether everything is OK (same with obeying a pastor or elder). But if you mention a court order or taxes (with threat of violence/prison), the assumption is that you better just submit. The fact that many modern Christians are embarrassed that God would require death penalties for certain crimes but just shrug when our civil government sends thieves to prison for decades, tells you who our god is, who we see as holy.In these laws we see God’s requirement that we hallow Him particularly in our families and sexuality. Over the centuries, acts of treason and desertion from an army in time of war have been punished with death, subtly insisting that civil loyalties are the most sacred. Instead of accusing God of harshness, we ought to assume that He is warning us and the world about the potency and sacredness of marriage and family (Heb. 13:4). Jesus also makes it clear what cursing father or mother looks like: “For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, if a man shall say to his father or mother, it is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightiest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother” (Mk. 7:10-12). Jesus is clearly implying that certain forms a high-handed neglect of elderly parents are the kind of cursing of parents that might be tried as form of murder.CRIMES & SINS & JUSTICEThis text distinguishes between crimes that require a civil penalty (20:9-16), and sins that require a ceremonial or familial penalty (20:17-21). The distinction between crimes and sins designates different jurisdictions: the state, the family, and the church. Sins are to be adjudicated and addressed by individuals, families, and churches as appropriate, while crimes have civil penalties and are the proper jurisdiction of the state. God has given the civil magistrate the sword of vengeance, which means that the state is only good at violence and coercion (Rom. 13). This is why the Bible requires a fiercely limited civil government. In a Christian land, all crimes would also be sins, but not all sins are crimes. In a pagan land, it’s more of a Venn diagram, and not all crimes are really sins.It's worth noting that only murder required a mandatory death penalty; all of these death penalties are maximum sentences (Gen. 9:6-9, Dt. 19:11-13). We can see this in another law regarding Sabbath breaking which also called for a death penalty (Lev. 24:11-22, cf. Num. 15:32-36), however in the days of Nehemiah, he suppressed Sabbath commerce but didn’t institute a death penalty (Neh. 13:19-21). We see something similar with the death penalty for homosexuality in our text (Lev. 20:13), but the good kings Asa and Jehoshaphat exiled the sodomites from the land (1 Kgs. 15:12, 22:46), and Josiah tore down their houses of prostitution (2 Kgs. 23:7).CONCLUSIONIn the New Testament, we do not see the apostles lobbying for death penalties. What do we make of that? Paul does say after listing a number of crimes and sins, “that they which commit such things are worthy of death” (Rom. 1:32), and elsewhere he says the law is good, so long as it is used lawfully, to prevent lawlessness and everything that is “contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel” (1 Tim. 1:8-11).Therefore, we conclude that the law (with its death penalties) remains the perfect standard of justice and reveals God’s wrath against our sins and crimes. We affirm the goodness of the law for public policy and all morality, but we affirm it first and foremost as that which drives the world to Christ and His glorious gospel. There is no life outside of Christ, and all who hate His wisdom love death. The world says believe in yourself, re-invent yourself, find yourself, and the end of that road is nothing but sadness and death: rage and shame, sickness and scars, mutilation and murder. And the law drives sinners to despair.The law drives sinners to the cross, to the place of execution and there the gospel proclaims: Christ died for guilty sinners. Christ died for lawbreakers. Christ died for the unclean, the profane, the obscene, the sodomites, the pedophiles, the prostitutes, the liars, the idolaters, the proud, and all who have dishonored their parents. The law cannot save, but what the law is powerless to do, God has done by sending His Son. Christ has received the death penalty for us. And this is why it is only those who know their guilt who are the ones who are in.

INTRODUCTIONThere will never come a time in your Christian life where the Spirit will invite you to coast. You are not going to grow to an age where it will be unnecessary to trust God. There will always be something that you need to trust God for. We never grow out of our need to believe in the God who raises the dead.THE TEXT“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf” (2 Cor. 1:8–11).SUMMARY OF THE TEXTAuthentic ministry is in constant need of resurrection power. Paul alludes to some kind of monumental trouble that his band had encountered in Asia. Some interpreters think that this is referring to the riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-20:1), but Paul’s description of his internal emotions here does not seem to match with that episode. He describes himself here as despairing “even of life” (v. 8). It is best to apply this description to some unidentified disaster of Paul’s life. The reason Paul was given this sentence of death “within himself” was so that he might learn a lesson, that lesson being a “resurrection lesson” (v. 9). This was so that they would not trust in themselves, but rather in God who raises the dead. This is the God who delivered, who does deliver, and will deliver again (v. 10). This is the lesson.What God does in the past is to be taken by us as a pattern. And the final thought here is that there is a biblical basis for getting a lot of people to pray for something. The Corinthians helped Paul through their prayers—the gift of deliverance was bestowed through the prayers of many, meaning that there would also be gratitude from the many (v. 11).THE AFFLICTION PATTERNAn essential part of God’s plan—for establishing His church, fulfilling the Great Commission, and extending His kingdom throughout the world—has to be understood as the suffering of church planters, missionaries, and pastors. As they imitate Christ, it turns out that they imitate Him in His sufferings. This is why He has things go wrong. When things “go wrong,” you should know you are on the right track.This requires great wisdom, because there is a kind of “going wrong” that should be a signal to knock off whatever it is you are doing. The sluggard is supposed to consider his lazy ways, and amend them (Prov. 6:6-10) The prudent man watches his step (Prov. 14:15), as well he should.So how can we tell that we are suffering because we on the right track? The reason for all the anti-aircraft fire is that you are over the target. The answer is that you are to know the options because you know the Scriptures, and you then walk by faith. Afflictions can be God’s stop sign, and they can also be His blinking yellow. Walk in wisdom. Walk in faith.AS INVITEDA skeptic is going to say that “just because something happened in the past doesn’t mean it will happen again.” And what are we to make of the variations in the promises of God? He says that He will not allow the wicked to succeed in killing the righteous (Ps. 37:32-33), and yet what about Dietrich Bonhoeffer? In the same psalm, God promises provision during famine (Ps. 37:19). Has no believer ever died of starvation?We should appeal to Hebrews 11:32-39. Look at the stark transition in the middle of v. 35. Some received their dead back to life. Others were tortured. Some conquered, others were conquered, and all did so in faith. The promises of God are not theorems from Euclid, where triangles will never not have three sides. The promises are rock in God’s quarry, and as I build my house, I need to choose which rocks I bring out with intelligence and faith. Read your Bibles and, having read your Bibles, read the story you are in. Do this honestly—take your thumb off the scales. If your thumb is on the scales, you are not building a scriptural house. Rather, you are just daydreaming and weaving Bible verses into it.That said, He delivered us in the past. He will deliver us in the immediate future. And He will certainly deliver us in the ultimate future.WITH UPTURNED FACESThe apostle Paul was not at all shy about requesting prayer. This is not because he did not believe in the sovereignty of God—it was because he did believe in the sovereignty of God. Prayer and answered prayers is one of the central tools that God uses us to teach us that everything proceeds from Him.Paul requested prayer for his continued boldness (Eph. 6:19). He requested prayer for his deliverance (Phil 1:19). He prayed that a door for effective ministry would open (Col. 4:3). He requested prayer for the Word of the Lord to speed on and be honored (2 Thess 3:1). Paul requests many prayers from many saints, and he does this a lot.We get more details about how this is to work in v. 11 here. The Corinthians saints were helping Paul through prayer for Paul. When the gift of answered prayer was bestowed on Paul and his company, it was by means of the prayers of many faces (prosopon). Think of many faces, uplifted to Heaven on Paul’s behalf, and so when God answers their pleading, those same faces may look toward God in deep gratitude.Prayer and its answers are a conversation. Prayer is relationship. Moreover it is a covenanted relationship, bound together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the more the merrier. You are here worshiping God in the name of Jesus Christ, and God loves seeing your faces.

INTRODUCTIONBecause you’re confronted with it each Sunday, it might be easy to think that our musical style is high up on the list of important Christ Church distinctives. In actuality, it’s further down the list in importance. Not unimportant, but not of first importance. You could hang around for a good while without knowing the first thing about our eschatology, which actually looms large over much of what we do around here. This text is an instance of both distinctives being woven together, providing an opportunity to highlight why we worship the way we do, and what that has to do with the end of the world.THE TEXTThe LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David... (Zech. 12:7-13:3).SUMMARY OF THE TEXTZechariah, along with the other later prophets, encourage the returning exiles in the work of rebuilding Jerusalem. Though enemies threatened the work, those dwelling in tents wouldn’t be more vulnerable than those in the more secure habitations (2:7). Jehovah would defend His people; the feeblest would be like David in the height of his greatness, and the house of David would be as God, an angelic warrior of the Lord (2:8). With such a warrior within her, no enemy shall overcome this New Jerusalem (2:9).Upon the house of David, God’s spirit of grace & supplication would be poured out; they would look upon a pierced Warrior-God, whom they pierced, and greatly mourn Him (2:10, Cf. Jn. 19:37). They’d mourn as Judah had once mourned for the death of good king Josiah (2:11, Cf. 2 Kg. 23:29, 2 Chr. 35:22-25). Every family & household––royal & priestly, great & small, husband & wife––would mourn (2:12-14).In that day, a cleansing fountain would rain down on the house of David, cleansing sin & all uncleanness (3:1). This fountain will wash away both idolatry & false prophecy (3:2-3).THE HOUSE OF DAVIDIt isn’t a stretch to say that David is the central character of the Old Testament. His reign is the crescendo of the OT narrative, and after his reign, Israel falls into a sad decline. The centuries after David are filled with nostalgic yearning for that Golden Era. The prophets foresee that Davidic glory returning. Later Psalmists are both students & conservators of David’s musical brilliance.Zechariah is no exception to invoking Davidic imagery. He uses the term “house of David” because of how laden it is with historic significance, liturgical bearing, and Messianic meaning. The historic significance which is used here is to remind the exiles of David as Israel’s champion. The House of David was the undisputed Royal household, so it would be quite natural for the regathering Jews to look there for God’s deliverance.But Zechariah also draws out one of David’s other significant contributions. David brought musical worship into a prominent part of the religious life of Israel. His preparations to build the temple were motivated by an insight that is expressed throughout many of the Psalms: behind God’s command for burnt offerings, was a greater desire for contrite sacrifices praise (Cf. Ps. 51:16-17, 69:30-31). One of David’s most important episodes was the building of the tabernacle of David on Mount Zion, in order to bring the Ark of Covenant to a permanent resting place. This tabernacle wasn’t identical to the one which the Levites offered animal sacrifice in (that was in Shiloh, and later in Gibeah). This tabernacle of David, in the stronghold of David, in the city of David was full, not of the smoke of burnt offerings, but with the sound of Psalms. Zechariah’s prophesies that the Spirit of true prayer would return to the lips of David’s household.Finally, we cannot miss the Messianic hope latent in this reference to David’s house. God’s promise to David was that he would not fail to have an heir sit on the throne (1 Ki. 2:4). Zechariah picks up on this promise and foretells that David’s house would arise like the avenging Angel of the Lord; a real  boon of hope to the feeble regathering exiles then dwelling in Jerusalem. The Messianic promise was that David’s Son would conquer all enemies, wash all the people, cleanse them from their idolatry & false prophets. This Messianic Angel would be pierced in the battle, but still He would wash the entire house of David & Jerusalem clean.A SERVICE OF SONGZechariah expresses the Messianic promise as a renewal of a spirit of grace and supplication. This Spirit would rest in a particular way upon the house of David.Matthew Henry makes a wonderful comment on this passage: “When God intends great mercy for his people the first thing he does is to set them a praying.” It’s no small matter that a large portion of our worship service is comprised of spoken & sung prayers. An enterprising 5th grader might tally up 19 prayers in our service.This is a service of prayer. We bring our supplications to the Lord, and it is fitting that we do so with glorious music. The casual air of our age has led many to misinterpret what it means to come before the throne of grace with boldness. We slap indie-band chord progressions on the lyrics of a High School cheerleader’s diary, and think it a worthy offering to Royal David’s heir. We come boldly, not impudently.Singing is a peculiar feature of the Christian faith. We owe that heritage to David. When God sets out to grant revival and reform, it is always accompanied by His Spirit. That Spirit energizes us, to come by the blood of David’s heir, to bring our pleas to the Father. It does no good just to have songs. We must have the Spirit. And if we have the Spirit, we will also recover the singing of Psalms with joyful reverence (Ps. 105:2, Eph. 5:19, Jam 5:13).WEEKLY RENEWAL OF AN ETERNAL COVENANTWeekly worship in the Lord’s house shouldn’t be viewed as merely an activity to entertain religious people. Rather, this is a weekly ratification of a vow which God made to David. But that vow is older than even David. It was a covenant more ancient that Moses. It predated Abram. God’s covenant mercies existed long before the bow was hung in the sky for Noah to behold. For the covenant of grace was in the heart of God even before He promised a skull-crushing heel to the Serpent.Christ gathers up all these iterations of the covenant of grace in himself, and by Him we order our service to follow that pattern of covenant renewal. He calls us by His Word. He convicts us of our sin, commanding us to confess our sin. He consecrates us as His own, by His Word preached. He communes with us in a feast of bread & wine. He commissions us to walk in our covenant duties by covenant grace. Our worship is the dawning of New Covenant glory (Jer. 31, Ez. 36:25-27)FOLLOWING A DAVIDSON TO CONQUESTThe worship of the saints isn’t a peripheral aspect of Christian faith. The Son of David has bought the world. The kingdom is His. Look on Him who was pierced. We now sing His praise. We render worship to him.Are there idols in your own heart? The Goliath-slayer will not tolerate mixing praise for idols with His praise. Are you besieged by great enemies? The Lord pours out His Spirit of grace and supplication. So call upon God to deliver. The mighty, Angelic Messiah, the Christ, the Lord’s anointed Messenger shall conquer all His enemies. He conquers by filling the house of David with David’s songs. Bending before the rightful King, singing His praise, is how we overcome.A Davidson has taken up the world’s government by taking His rightful place upon the Israel’s throne. We worship & serve Him, and this praise shall crescendo until all His many enemies fall. Our worship each Sunday foretells the end of the World: Jesus shall reign.

Talk 6 of 6 from Missions Conference 2022: As the Waters Cover the Sea. Consider donating to our Missions Conference fund: https://bit.ly/missions-conference-donation.—The gospel is good news for all people, in all lands, at all times. The call of the church is to obey Christ’s command to teach the nations obedience to Him, as the King of all the earth. The great promise of the prophet Hosea is that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as water covers the sea. But between the commencement of Christ’s kingly rule of earth and the day when he comes again to judge the living and the dead, there will be ebbs and flows.While initially in the gospel’s advance it centered in Jerusalem, and then took root in the West, we see in more recent decades how the gospel is rapidly advancing in South America and in the Eastern lands. But oftentimes, Christians in the West are often unsure of how to take the gospel and share it with their fellow Westerners; but more so are stumped by how to share the good news with those from very different cultures and religions.Missions Conference 2022 is intended to help answer those questions, while equipping the saints where they are to be ready to share the word with not only their neighbor but the foreigner in their midst as well.Visit our website: https://christkirk.com.

Talk 5 of 6 from Missions Conference 2022: As the Waters Cover the Sea. The gospel is good news for all people, in all lands, at all times. The call of the church is to obey Christ’s command to teach the nations obedience to Him, as the King of all the earth. The great promise of the prophet Hosea is that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as water covers the sea. But between the commencement of Christ’s kingly rule of earth and the day when he comes again to judge the living and the dead, there will be ebbs and flows.While initially in the gospel’s advance it centered in Jerusalem, and then took root in the West, we see in more recent decades how the gospel is rapidly advancing in South America and in the Eastern lands. But oftentimes, Christians in the West are often unsure of how to take the gospel and share it with their fellow Westerners; but more so are stumped by how to share the good news with those from very different cultures and religions.Missions Conference 2022 is intended to help answer those questions, while equipping the saints where they are to be ready to share the word with not only their neighbor but the foreigner in their midst as well.Visit our website: https://christkirk.com.

Talk 3 of 6 from Missions Conference 2022: As the Waters Cover the Sea. Consider donating to our Missions Conference fund: https://bit.ly/missions-conference-donation.—James Rayment was born in England, but has lived in Seattle for 10 years with his wife and 5 kids. Since 2012, James has been building relationships with Muslims in Seattle and around the world. Because of this ministry he founded The Al-Ma’idah Initiative (https://www.al-maidah.org), a Christian nonprofit that equips the church to understand and communicate better with Muslims on a range of religious, political and worldview issues. His goal is to create genuine friendships without shying away from the exclusivity of Jesus’ message.—The gospel is good news for all people, in all lands, at all times. The call of the church is to obey Christ’s command to teach the nations obedience to Him, as the King of all the earth. The great promise of the prophet Hosea is that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as water covers the sea. But between the commencement of Christ’s kingly rule of earth and the day when he comes again to judge the living and the dead, there will be ebbs and flows.While initially in the gospel’s advance it centered in Jerusalem, and then took root in the West, we see in more recent decades how the gospel is rapidly advancing in South America and in the Eastern lands. But oftentimes, Christians in the West are often unsure of how to take the gospel and share it with their fellow Westerners; but more so are stumped by how to share the good news with those from very different cultures and religions.Missions Conference 2022 is intended to help answer those questions, while equipping the saints where they are to be ready to share the word with not only their neighbor but the foreigner in their midst as well.

Talk 2 of 6 from Missions Conference 2022: As the Waters Cover the Sea.Consider donating to our Missions Conference fund: https://bit.ly/missions-conference-donation.—James Rayment was born in England, but has lived in Seattle for 10 years with his wife and 5 kids. Since 2012, James has been building relationships with Muslims in Seattle and around the world. Because of this ministry he founded The Al-Ma’idah Initiative (https://www.al-maidah.org), a Christian nonprofit that equips the church to understand and communicate better with Muslims on a range of religious, political and worldview issues. His goal is to create genuine friendships without shying away from the exclusivity of Jesus’ message.—The gospel is good news for all people, in all lands, at all times. The call of the church is to obey Christ’s command to teach the nations obedience to Him, as the King of all the earth. The great promise of the prophet Hosea is that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as water covers the sea. But between the commencement of Christ’s kingly rule of earth and the day when he comes again to judge the living and the dead, there will be ebbs and flows.While initially in the gospel’s advance it centered in Jerusalem, and then took root in the West, we see in more recent decades how the gospel is rapidly advancing in South America and in the Eastern lands. But oftentimes, Christians in the West are often unsure of how to take the gospel and share it with their fellow Westerners; but more so are stumped by how to share the good news with those from very different cultures and religions.Missions Conference 2022 is intended to help answer those questions, while equipping the saints where they are to be ready to share the word with not only their neighbor but the foreigner in their midst as well.

Saints from ancient days have punctuated their prayers, both spoken & sung, public & private with “Amen.” An early church father, Jerome, described the early church’s practice of hearty “Amens” this way: “Where else does the ‘Amen’ resound in the likeness of thunder of the divine heaven & the empty temples of pagan idols are shaken?”So then, adopting this practice isn’t just keeping a tradition alive. Rather, as we declare in unison hearty Amens we’re doing a few things. A temptation in Western Christianity is to limit faith to what happens between our ears. But by shouting joyful amens, we use our body to vocalize our agreement with both God’s promises & what He’s produced in us by grace.