Well, good evening. You can turn with me in your Bibles to the prophet Nahum, chapter 1, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, in case you're wondering where Nahum was. I heard a lot of flipping with Philemon this morning, and someone mentioned that a lot of people didn't know where it was, and that's okay, but Nahum is after Micah. We're going to look at verses 7-14 this evening, but I'll begin reading at verse 1 to set the context.
Nahum 1. The Burden Against Nineveh, the Book of the Vision of Nahum the Elkishite God is jealous and the Lord avenges. The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserves wrath for his enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry. He dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts. The mountains quake before him, the hills melt, and the earth heaves at his presence. Yes, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation, and who can endure the fierceness of his anger?
His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in him. But with an overflowing flood, he will make an utter end of its place, and darkness will pursue his enemies. What do you conspire against the Lord?
He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time, for while tangled like thorns and while drunken like drunkards, they shall be devoured like stubble, fully dried. From you comes forth one who plots evil against the Lord, a wicked counselor.
The Sure Defeat of the Safe
Thus says the Lord, though they are safe, and likewise many, yet in this manner they will be cut down when he passes through.
The Sure Release from Affliction
Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. For now I will break off his yoke from you and burst your bonds apart. The Lord has given a command concerning you. Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.
Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, for you are vile. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Well, Lord our God, we are thankful that you are good. We're thankful that you're the one who is goodness itself, and you're the one who is pleased to create this world and call it very good. We're also thankful for what you define as good morally, and we're also thankful that you teach us what it is to be righteous and what it looks like, and namely being found in Christ Jesus. And thank you for your goodness toward undeserving sinners like us.
Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your grace. Thank you that you dispelled our misery and removed it and have given us everlasting life and hope and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're also thankful for your goodness and that you shall punish evil.
You shall make an end to your enemies. You shall make an end to the enemies of your people. Your great and terrifying day of judgment is coming, and it is a great and terrifying day for those not in Christ, but a great day of comfort for those who are in Christ. Help us to have a sober understanding of this.
Help us to have a biblical understanding of this, as we consider the difficulties that your word brings to our our minds sometimes. So we ask that you help us by your Spirit, give us illumination from on high, help us better understand what your Word says. We pray that your saints would be edified, we pray that sinners would be saved, and we pray in all things you would be glorified. We pray these things in the name of Christ.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, before coming to Free Grace Baptist Church, I attended a church that used to do this saying on a Sunday, God is good all the time, all the time, God is good. It drove me nuts every time I heard that. And I think the reason it drove me nuts is because I understood something of their theology. I believe that God is good all the time, yet they never had a place for God's righteous judgment when it comes to seeing his goodness.
They only wanted to see God's goodness in His mercy, but they didn't want to see it in His righteous destruction. Salvation and judgment go together. And that's what is conveyed to us here in the prophet Nahum. He says in verse 7, the Lord is good.
What makes the Lord good in this chapter and in this entire prophecy is that the Lord is going to bring an end to those who oppress his people. The Lord is going to bring an end to wicked perpetrators in this world. And certainly Nineveh was known as that. Nineveh was known for their brutality.
Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and Assyria was known for bringing much plunder, bringing much destruction. throughout the nations around them. And so Nahum is prophesying against them. Nineveh and Assyria was once the instrument God used to judge the northern kingdoms. God used the plundering, the bloodthirstiness of Assyria to remove and judge the people of Israel for their idolatry.
But now those who were once the instrument of God's judgment, they are now liable to God's judgment. Their cruelty is seen throughout the nations, their cruelty is seen throughout the empire, and God is going to bring an end to their wickedness. As far as the time frame of the prophecy of Nahum, it's probably sometime around between 640 and 622 BC. The height of the Assyrian power was 621 BC. and it falls in 612.
So it's probably during the height of their time, the height of their empire. And here comes Nahum and says, everything's going to be brought to nothing. Everything is going to be brought low. A great and odd prophecy for Nineveh, but a great and comforting prophecy for the people of Judah.
And certainly this also was during the reign of Manasseh, that wicked king in Israel, but that'll play an important role as we go through this evening. And the problem that we do very much see in this chapter is the utter end of the wicked. That's not so much a problem for the people of God, those who find refuge in Jesus Christ, but the utter end of the wicked for those who do not believe in Christ Jesus. God is going to bring an end to this world.
God is going to punish idolatry, and idolatry will one day be no more perpetuated throughout the earth. The enemies of God who make the lives of God's people miserable, they shall receive their due for their wickedness. And this is meant to be a comfort for the afflicted. The Lord is good, and the Lord will make an end to suffering.
Salvation and judgment go together. That's what Nahum wants us to see in verses 7-14. He wants us to see how the Lord is good. And the Lord is good by being a stronghold for His people, but also the Lord is good as one who makes an end to the enemies of God's people.
So we'll look at this idea of the Lord who is good under two headings this evening. First of all, we'll see the goodness of the Lord in verses 7-11. And secondly, we'll see the comfort of the Lord in verses 12-14. So the goodness of the Lord, verses 7-11, and then we'll see the comfort of the Lord in verses 12-14.
The Goodness of the Lord
So let's first look at the goodness of the Lord in verses 7-11. Now it is in the context of the vengeance of the Lord. There is a trifold or threefold vengeance, vengeance, vengeance In verse 2, God is jealous and the Lord avenges. The Lord avenges and is furious.
The Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries. I want to add another stanza to holy, holy, holy. And in fact, in our church, I actually sang vengeance, vengeance, vengeance. I'm not going to do that for you tonight.
But you could add that to holy, holy, holy. God is a righteous judge, a just God, and will bring vengeance, vengeance, vengeance against his enemies. It's a controlled but an impending outpouring of his wrath based upon his righteous character. And he drives the question, verse 6, who can stand before his indignation?
This is a question for the proud. This is a question for Nineveh. Who can stand before the Lord God? And what's interesting is in John's apocalyptic prophecy in Revelation, Revelation 6, As he's talking, as he's seeing, and as he observes the outpouring of God's wrath on that final day, the question is posed, who can stand before God?
And the question of the proud in Nahum becomes a question for the afflicted and a comfort for the afflicted in Revelation 7. Because he goes on to tell us who can stand before God most high. It's the 144,000. It's the Church of Jesus Christ.
It's those who are found in Him who can stand on that final day. It's those who are found in the Lamb who is worthy. But the answer to the question of verse 6 is also seen in Nahum in verse 7. The Lord is good.
Who can stand before his indignation?
God as Stronghold for His People
The Lord is good, he is a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in him. We see him give this assertion concerning the Lord's character. He said in verse 2, God is jealous. And usually when he uses the term God or the name God, he's referring in connection with the nations.
God is God overall. God is jealous. But here he uses the covenant name of the Lord. The Lord is good.
Yahweh is good. The nations need to learn that God is jealous, and Judah needs to know that the Lord is good. But perhaps there is some ambiguity going on in these verses. We haven't seen the name of Judah mentioned until verse 15, or the name Nineveh mentioned just yet, except in verse 1.
And perhaps there is some warning, as much as it is a comfort, but a warning for Judah. Judah has seen what God did to the Northern Kingdom. Judah has seen and already experienced some of the affliction under Assyria. And they know that if they continue in their idolatry, God will bring judgment upon them as well.
And that's exactly what he does. not with Assyria, but with Babylon. Assyria is going to be no more. One day Babylon will be no more. But before God takes out Judah, he takes out Assyria first.
But regardless, the true remnant, the people of God, the faithful under the Old Testament, even if they go and they do go into captivity, they still have this prophecy as an assurance. They still have this prophecy as an encouragement. The Lord is good. He is a stronghold. in the day of trouble.
He is a mighty fortress for his people. Though the earth be moved, though the mountains quake and melt at him, he is the stronghold. He's already talked in verse 5 about how the mountains quake before him, and the hills melt before him, and the earth heaves at his presence. Yet the people of God, those who put their faith in him, shall stand.
Those who put their faith in Him can find refuge in this One who is terrifying. In this One who is Almighty, they can find everlasting protection and have Him as a refuge. He is a stronghold in the day of trouble. And Judah had experienced much trouble.
A lot of it at their own doing, but they nonetheless still had experienced it. was almost wiped out by Assyria, 701 BC. Assyria almost took out the southern kingdom. They had made their way all the way to Jerusalem. They were this close.
Hezekiah calls upon God. God routes Sennacherib. He's pushed away, but Assyria still remains the superpower. But God does deliver them.
God does deliver Judah in Isaiah 36-39, which is also 2 Kings 18. following but he is that stronghold and they would have known this so they should have known this in their history this is years after that it happened they should have known God had protected his people the Lord is good a stronghold in the day of trouble and he knows those who trust in him Something about that nearness, something about that covenant connection, some of that covenant relationship. He knows those who trust in Him, those who put their faith in Him, those who fear Him rather than man. We distinguish, or theologians have distinguished, between a servile fear and a filial fear, a servile fear and a loving fear. We see, as Joshua and Israel are engaging in their conquest against the nations, we see the servile fear.
They're fearful of Yahweh, they're fearful of Israel, but they don't find refuge in Yahweh. Instead, they try to fight to the bitter end. One who has a servile fear might be fearful of what Yahweh can do, but rather than find refuge in Him, they'd rather hide under a rock. They'd rather find refuge in a rock rather than God most high.
And you see that in Revelation 6. They're running away. Here's judgment. Oh, I'm going to hide under this rock.
Have them fall upon me. Because they're fearful of Yahweh. But a filial fear, a loving fear, is a fear of faith. It finds its faith in Yahweh.
The one we are terrified of, we find refuge in Him. The one who is almighty is our stronghold. The one who is all-powerful is our protector. And He is the one whom God's people can look to for strength and aid.
He is the one who is a refuge and a shield for His people. This is the opposite of what Nineveh shall receive. Only the people of God receive this assurance. He knows those who trust in Him.
And this language of knowing does come up in Genesis chapter 18 as God is about to tell Abraham what's gonna happen to Sodom and Gomorrah. He says, I know him. The Lord knows His people and knows those who put their trust in Him. So, He is a stronghold.
God Ends the Wicked
We see His goodness. He protects His people. But we also see His goodness as He brings an end to the wicked in verses 8 through 11. And notice, if you see in the second line of verse 8, He will make an utter end of its place. or better, he will make an utter end of her place.
That's what it should say. And her place probably refers to the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of Assyria. He's going to bring an end to her. At this point, Assyria thinks Ishtar is the queen of the world.
At this point, Assyria thinks their god or goddess is mightier than all the other gods. That's usually what happened. If a nation conquered another nation, it meant, or at least was assumed, that that nation had the mightiest God. Well, what is Yahweh saying here?
Though it might look like Ishtar has power, in reality it is God. I will make an utter end of her place. I will bring her down. I will bring judgment upon her.
And we see some flood overtones by the mentioning of a flood in verse 8, but with an overflowing flood. We see this in Genesis 6-9. God brings judgment upon the earth. He brings judgment upon this world.
God is going to bring judgment upon Nineveh for all her wickedness. But also as well there perhaps is a reversal. When Assyria invaded Israel and Judah, she was called a overwhelming flood in Isaiah seven through eight. So she who once was this overwhelming flood, this one who was once an instrument of judgment, is now going to be judged herself.
With an overflowing flood, he will make an utter end of her place. And also, darkness will pursue his enemies. We all love Psalm 23.6, and we should. Surely, goodness and mercy shall pursue us all the days of our life.
That is an assurance for the people of God as we make our way through this vain life in which we live. But notice what he says concerning the wicked. darkness will pursue her all the days of her life." That is a terrifying thought, isn't it? A deprivation of the light, a deprivation of what is good. That is what sin deserves.
That is where sin should lead, and yet there is Mercy and forgiveness in God, but those who don't believe in Christ, darkness will pursue his enemies to the end of their days. And he goes on to say in verses 9 through 11, he's going to bring an end of conspiring. He's going to bring an end to Ishtar and idolatry, but he's going to bring an end to the conspiring of those who made up. Ishtar.
The Futility of Conspiring Against God
What do you conspire against the Lord? Certainly Psalm 2 comes to mind. Why do the nations rage and plot a vain thing? The Lord sits in the heavens and He laughs.
He shall distress them in His deep displeasure. Why do you, Nineveh, conspire against the Lord. Assyria probably thought they were the superpower. I mean, they were.
They probably thought they were superior to Yahweh, or Ishtar was superior to Yahweh. They probably thought that they subdued the patriarchy of Yahweh. But what we see here, God is in control and has other plans. What do you conspire against the Lord?
He will make an utter end of it. He will bring it down. It shall never be again. Affliction will not rise up a second time.
I know Babylon's coming, but Assyria will be no more. Assyria will be brought low. Assyria will fall in 612 by the hands of Babylon. But I will bring an utter end to her, as she shall not rise up again a second time.
Think about this. This is the height of Assyria's power. Can you imagine hearing echoes or hearing this thought and hearing this potential idea coming from this guy named Nahum? Yeah, what do you mean we're going to end?
We're the mightiest nation. We're the ones who have might and power. What do you mean it's going to be brought low? It's the same in Hosea's day.
I mean, they had a great time of prosperity under Jeroboam II. Here comes Hosea. You're going to be judged if you don't do what Yahweh says. It's not unlike today, is it?
Talking to young people, especially. Hey, you should really believe on the Lord. I'll do that later in life. I just want to have fun now.
We'll just wait for later on. People push things off, and in times of prosperity, people don't think about these things. Nothing is new under the sun, but Yahweh will bring her low. She shall no longer bring affliction against other people. people.
She shall be pricked, verse 10, while tangled like thorns. She shall be deadened and helpless, that's probably what drunkenness infers here, and while drunken like drunkards, and she shall be devoured. They shall be devoured like stubble, fully dried. And the reason, from you comes forth one who plots evil against the Lord, a wicked counselor.
They had terrible and vile kings. Asher Bernepal was the one who was reigning at this time, but they were known for their brutality. And God is saying, I'm going to bring you low because of your wickedness, because of your vileness, because you are a son of Belial. God is good in this way.
We see how our good God brings an end to the wicked. But the comforting thing is that our good God will protect his people and bring an end to the wicked. He protects us in the days of evil. The present age in which we live in is called in the New Testament the present evil age for a reason.
This is not our heavenly home. This is not what we long for. We long for something far greater. We long for something where there is no more sin, no more sorrow, and no more suffering.
Thankfully, God forgives us of our sin. He saves us. But He also promises to protect us in this life, doesn't He? He promises to be with us and never leave us nor forsake us.
But that might mean, and usually means, we have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It's not going to be easy. It's not going to be a cakewalk. But God will be with us as we walk through this world.
This is helpful for perplexed people. Brethren, do you ever read the news and see what's going on and just have despair? Do you ever think about all that you have to do in your life and all the difficult relationships and wonder, where in the world can I go? Well, thankfully, brethren, all that will end one day and something far greater shall come.
But in the meantime, God walks with us, doesn't he? He is patient. He is kind. But he is our protector.
And there are many things that we don't see. coming, that he protects us from. There's probably a lot of things we've never seen coming that God protects us from. He is our stronghold. Mackay says it applies whenever a person feels he is up against it, whatever it may be.
The word trouble covers both intense turmoil in external circumstances and inner distress. Then the Lord acts as a refuge, an impregnable mountain fortress, which, since it cannot be taken by the enemy, provides security for the one who has felt himself about to go down in battle. God will be with us to the end. God has said he will walk among the lampstands, and he who overcomes shall eat from the tree. in the paradise of God.
He protects us in the days of evil, but he's also promised to deliver us from the days of evil, right? That is something that still awaits the people of God. That's why we long for judgment. At least, I long for judgment in that way.
I long for Christ to come back. I long for this world to end. I love my children, but I long for this world to come to an end. Because it's tiring.
It's exhausting. There's sin. There's people who run countries poorly. There's inflation that's going on.
There's, I mean, myriads and myriads of things in our vain, miserable life in which we live. The day of evil and its end is something we ought to long for. What makes the day of the Lord so terrifying and wonderful all at the same time? God is good. to save sinners and to show mercy, but God is also good to bring an end to this present age.
And thankfully, brethren, the past 2,000 years have been cleanup, right? God is making His enemies His footstool. The Lord Christ is making His enemies His footstool. We have to view it in that way.
Christ has come, Christ has defeated death, Christ has been resurrected, Christ has ascended into heaven, and Christ currently reigns now. He's just cleaning up everything. We think he's taken too long. He might take another 2,000 years, who knows, but he is doing that right now.
His mercy endures forever. We used to sing this song at our old church, a popular Christian song. Give thanks to the Lord, he is good, his love endures forever. I mean, that comes straight out of the Bible, right?
Psalm 136, so not so bad. Except when he wrote that song, or the writer wrote that song, he forgot verses 15 and 17, or 15 through 17 of Psalm 136. but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, his mercy endures forever. To him who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever. To him who struck down great kings, for his mercy endures forever, and slew famous kings, for his mercy endures forever.
Sion, king of the Amorites, for his mercy endures forever. And ah, King of Bashan, for his mercy endures forever. Nobody wants those verses. They want the first ones, and they're wonderful.
He is the God of gods, he is the Lord of lords, but he's also the one who overthrows his enemies. That's where we can see God's goodness. He protects us, but he also brings an end, and will bring an end to the wicked. That's where we can see the goodness of God.
And all this should be a comfort to the people of God.
The Comfort of the Lord
And that's what we can see in verses 12 through 14. The comfort of the Lord in verses 12 through 14. And notice in verses 12 and 13, we see his comfort in breaking shackles or breaking chains. And the first thing he says before he goes, before he talks about the shackles being released, he says and talks about the sure defeat of the safe.
Verse 12. Thus says the Lord, though they are safe, and likewise many. That was the taunt of Assyria. They didn't think anybody was going to take them down.
They didn't think anybody was going to remove them. They thought they were eight feet tall and bulletproof, as Pastor Butler says. All young people think they're eight feet tall and bulletproof, right? But they are going to be brought low.
These ones are going to be brought down. They think they are safe in many. They think all the good times are just going to keep on going. Everything's going to be fine and wonderful all the time.
Though they think they are safe and likewise many, yet in this manner, they will be cut off. down, they will be brought low. And even in 701, when Sennacherib was making his way through Judah, he taunted Yahweh. He taunted Hezekiah. He says, you trust in that God?
And what did Yahweh do? By the angel of the Lord, he routed the armies of Assyria. So they have taunted in the past, and God is going to bring them low, these ones who think that they are safe. And what's interesting He starts off verse 12 with, Thus says the Lord.
That is the only time in this prophecy where this prophetic formula is used. Thus says the Lord. So he wants us to pay attention here in verses 12 through 14 especially. And he especially wants us to see that though they think they are safe, they shall be brought down.
And it's not going to be a close shave. Yet in this manner, they will be cut down when he passes through. As Robert then says, it's going to be a passive city that is mowed down like grass. There is nothing that they can do.
They shall be utterly removed and utterly destroyed. And what he's doing here as well is putting side by side the destinies of Judah and the destinies of Nineveh. Nineveh is going to be no more. Nineveh is going to be brought low, but Judah shall continue.
And he goes on to talk about that sure release in verses 12 and 13. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. though I have afflicted you. One thing that's very interesting about this entire prophecy, and especially verses 12 and 13, is that Judah's affliction is because of their own idolatry. If you read in 2 Chronicles 33, we read about the wickedness of Manasseh.
We also read about his conversion. A lot of old boys say he was converted, and I think so. But before he got there, he was the wicked king and the worst king in all of Judah. What did he do?
He did way worse than any other kings who came before him. And who took him into captivity? It was Assyria that dragged him into captivity. And that was there that then Manasseh praised the Lord God and entreats the Lord.
And that is when God brings him back. But the point is, Judah's problems and afflictions are brought upon them by God. I have afflicted you, though I have done this thing. Yahweh has done this through this tyrant.
Yahweh has done this through these wicked people. That's how Yahweh works, doesn't he? He sometimes judges his people through other tyrants, and then after that, he will judge those tyrants. God can judge his church through tyrants, and then hopefully God removes those tyrants.
But what you see here is that Judah wasn't looking for Yahweh, but God says, I will remove your chains. I will afflict you no more. I will break off his yoke from you and burst your bonds. apart. The affliction of Assyria shall not rise again, but Judah's affliction shall be no more.
Cook says, nowhere does Nahum suggest that God's intervention comes because of the righteous suffering of his people. Rather, God intervenes in Nahum despite his people's adultery. In the gospel, according to Nahum, we are saved not because we are righteous, but because we take refuge in God. That's the promise that he gives to Judah, even in the midst of their affliction, and even the affliction they brought upon themselves.
The Blotting Out of the Enemy's Name
Thankfully, God is good in this way, and thankfully God will also comfort his people by blotting out the names of their perpetrators. Verse 14. The Lord has given a command concerning you now talking to Nineveh. Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.
Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. God is jealous and furious. I will dig your own grave for you are vile. Eventually this comes up later on in the prophecy.
We see the intensity of the woes brought upon Nineveh in chapter 3, but here we see a foretaste of what that could look like. Your name shall be no longer your God shall be brought down. I will cut off all your images. I will remove your molded images.
I will show that I am the one true God." He does this with Dagon in the Temple of the Philistines, the Temple of Dagon. He falls down before the Ark of the Covenant in 1 Samuel 5. Or even Egypt's gods, not that there are any other gods, but Yahweh shows that there is only one true God, and that is him, but he shows his might and his power against the gods of Egypt, according to Exodus 12. He's going to do the same thing here with Nineveh.
He is the same God who is mighty and strong. He is the same God who is good, and he's brought down idolatry in the past, and he's going to bring it down again here with Assyria. You shall be no more. You shall be brought low, and he says, I will dig your grave, for you are vile.
Yahweh hates wickedness. Yahweh is angry with the wicked every day, and Yahweh is long-suffering because he hasn't brought final judgment yet, but one day Yahweh will bring judgment upon all those who do not believe upon him.
Application
And all this is meant to be a comfort for the people of God. I know that's kind of hard to wrap our heads around sometimes, but that's the purpose and that's the point. The people of Judah are going through a difficult time, brought upon by themselves, and yet Yahweh still says, I will bring an end to these wicked oppressors. That is good news for them, isn't it?
Look at verse 15. Behold on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings. When Nineveh comes to an end, it is good news for the people of God. You see, the comforting thing about God's goodness and his mercy enduring forever is that we don't deserve it, do we?
God is gracious and kind to forgive. God is gracious and kind to save. God is gracious and merciful to even save a great multitude that no man can number. Brethren, we don't deserve anything.
We don't even deserve the food we have. Sorry to say, like, everything is a gift from God. Is it not the creator of this world? He made it all.
It is all His, and He's given it to us, and it is good. But thankfully, He's also the Redeemer, and He is good. toward wretched sinners in his mercy and in his grace. We have mercy for the undeserving when we see that with verse 12, and thankfully his mercy shall never end. Is that the blessing of the new covenant?
That being found in Christ Jesus, his mercies shall endure forever and his mercies shall never end? Those who are in Christ have fled the judgment to come. That's what Christ does upon the cross. End-time judgment comes forward, poured out upon him, that those who believe upon him might not have to bear it forever and ever.
Christ is our ark. Christ is our safe haven, and it's through him that we can pass through judgment, and it's through him that we can say, God is good. He is a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in Him. And we should be able to say whether in the manifestation of His mercy or the manifestation of His justice, His mercy endures forever because the Lord is good.
Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Oh, Lord our God, we are thankful that you are good, and we are thankful that we see your goodness in your mercy and in your grace. Thank you that you have removed our misery, and thank you that you've given us so many things that we do not deserve, especially the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Thank you that you have regenerated. Thank you that you've given the gifts of faith and repentance.
Thank you for the gift of justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, and the promise of glorification. Thank you so much for your salvation. Prior to that end time judgment, we are thankful that as you tarry, it does bring the salvation of undeserving wretches like us. And we are thankful so much that Christ, when he went to that cross and when he bled on Calvary's tree, he did so in our stead and had the wrath of God poured out upon him in our stead, that when we go to the judgment, we do not need to fear.
We know we are not guilty. We know that we have been justified. We know that we have been declared righteous because of what you have done in Christ Jesus. And so we ask and pray that as we walk this world, and as we still see much wickedness, we ask and pray that we would walk by faith.
We pray that we would trust in your ways. We pray that we would trust in your judgments. And we do long for the end time judgment to come. We long for this present evil age to be no more.
We long for the ending of wickedness. We long for these things to be no more, and be a thing of the past. And we know that when you come again, you shall judge in righteousness, whether it's found in Christ, or whether it's one who is punished in their own sin. So we pray if they're in here today who do not know you, we pray that they would flee the wrath to come in Christ Jesus, that they would believe upon him and find mercy and forgiveness.
And we pray, O Lord, that you would do this great and mighty thing. Thank you for your comfort. Thank you that you are good. And we pray that you be glorified in all things.
And we pray these things in the name of Christ. Amen. We'll close with a brief time meditation. The panel is finished.
You are dismissed.