I ask you to turn with me to Psalm 110. Psalm 110. In the final days leading up to his crucifixion, Jesus is sitting in the temple. And he's surrounded by a crowd as you would expect. The crowd includes religious leaders like the Sadducees and the Pharisees who are asking him questions. They're asking him questions not because they really want to know the answer. They're not asking these questions in good faith. They are instead trying to trip him up. And of course you can't do that to the Lord. So in their effort to discredit him before the crowd, they ask him questions that he answers directly, and in fact, eventually turns the tables on them. He says, let me ask you a question. The Messiah, the Christ, whose son is he? The Pharisees answered correctly, the son of David. So Jesus then turns and asks a second question. How is it then that David in the spirit calls him Lord saying, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son? Less than two months later, Peter is standing in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and he quotes from Psalm 16, where David says that the Lord will not abandon his soul to the grave. And Peter rightfully says, Peter is speaking, or David is speaking prophetically. He's not speaking about himself. He's dead. His tomb is right over here. All of us can go visit it. Instead, he's speaking prophetically about the Messiah, about Christ, who died but was then rose again. So what you're seeing today at Pentecost is nothing short of the victory that Christ won in his life and death and resurrection. He has been exalted back to the Father's right hand and he is seated there where, he quotes from Psalm 110, he waits for God to put his enemies under his feet. Jesus is the son of David, the Messiah, the Christ. Matthew and Luke spend a great deal of time verifying his earthly lineage and saying that he is truly the son of David. He comes from the tribe of Judah. But if he's the Messiah who will send David's throne, he isn't merely David's son. He is also David's master and David's savior. And that's the point that Jesus was making. That's the point that Peter was making by quoting from Psalm 110. The 110th Psalm, is the passage in the Old Testament that gets quoted or alluded to more frequently than any other Old Testament passage by New Testament writers. Over and over again, beginning with Jesus and his apostles and all through the epistles, this passage of scripture is either quoted directly or alluded to. Anytime you go into the scriptures and you hear about Jesus being at the Father's right hand, it is an allusion to this particular chapter. Let's read it together, beginning in verse one. A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies. Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments. From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at your right hand. He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses. He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way. Therefore, he will lift up his head. This psalm unfolds with two oracles. An oracle is a prophecy. Two oracles. The first is found in verse one, and it indicates that the Christ is going to be a king. The second oracle is in verse four, and it says that the Christ is also going to be a priest. So this Messiah who is going to come is prophesied as being a priestly king. This is important. But it also raises a significant question. In Israel, following David, because you'll remember Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, but beginning with David and thereafter, all of the kings of Judah come from the tribe of Judah. The reason why this is is because of a promise that Jacob had given to his fourth born Judah in Genesis 49. Listen to verse 10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. So the kingly line in Israel is going to come from the tribe of Judah. But which line do the priests come from? It's not the tribe of Judah, it's the tribe of Levi, right? And this creates a problem. If Jesus is both a king and a priest, and his lineage is driven directly from the line of Judah, how can he be a priest in Israel? Psalm 110 is going to answer that question. He is not going to come as a priest from the line of Levi, but rather from the line of whom? Melchizedek, found in verse four. Jesus is going to establish and enlarge the borders of his kingdom through his priestly work. This is important, let me underline this for you. The way in which Jesus exercises his kingship is through his priestly office. Nations tend to get established and enlarged through bloodshed. The reason David was not permitted to build a temple is because God said of David, you're a bloody man. Kings fight other people. They destroy their enemies. That's how they both establish their kingdom and it's how they enlarge that kingdom. Jesus is going to come as a different kind of king. His kingdom is also going to be established through bloodshed, but it will not be the bloodshed of his enemies, it will be the bloodshed of his own life. Because he is going to step forward not only as king, but also as a priest who is going to offer to God a sacrifice that is perfect. The sacrifice of his own life. This has important consequences. for Christians and how we understand the nature of Christ's kingdom and how that kingdom is going to grow and enlarge and expand. It's not going to be because we are going to find the infidels, like Islam does, or like in northern India, the Hindus do, and we're going to shed their blood. The way in which Christ's kingdom goes forth is through the proclamation of shed blood on behalf of the king and the high priestly work of that king to bring before the father his own blood once and for all, which is sufficient to redeem his people. Furthermore, we are going to be a kingdom of priest. Because we are so closely united with Jesus Christ, not only do we rule and reign with him, but we also become a nation of priests. Very real sense. Israel was a nation with priests. We are a nation of priests. You and I together, through our intercessory work, praying on behalf of other people, pleading for them on behalf of the blood of Christ, see the kingdom of God grow, slowly, sometimes imperceptibly, occasionally with retreats, but grows inevitably through the work of Christ's death on the cross. Psalm 110 completes the picture that we began to see last week in Psalm 2. In Psalm 2, Yahweh has established the throne of his anointed, declaring him to be his son, and promising, quote, to make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. So David, writing about this coming Messiah, says that the Messiah is not just going to be the Lord's anointed, but he is, at the same time, going to be the Lord's son. And as the son, he's going to be given the Lord's inheritance, the firstborn. He's going to have the rights of the firstborn. That inheritance is going to be the nation's. He will break them with a rod of iron. Psalm 110 gives us the details as to how this will happen. Yahweh himself will make Christ's enemies kneel before him as he shatters their rebellions. Sit here at my right hand while I make your enemies your footstool. One more point by way of introduction. I mentioned last week, and you know this because you've read the book of Psalms numbers of times, that the 150 Psalms that we have are collated into five different books. These collations probably took place during the Diaspora, after Israel had been taken away by the Assyrians and Judah had been taken away by the Babylonians. The rabbis get together. The scribes get together. And they begin to take this assembly of all of these scrolls, and they begin to place them together in various books. And they probably do this intentionally, grouping together these psalms as a kind of theme. Book 5 is all about the restoration of the Davidic kingdom. It is this hope. that as these exiles, sitting in Babylon, read the Psalms of David. And David is often an exile. David is often chased by Saul into the nations around. He's sitting among the Philistines and the Amalekites. He's hiding. And he writes these Psalms to say, I look forward to the day when Yahweh will hear my voice and bring me home. And these exiles say, that's us. We're like that David. And so book five of the Psalms are all about the restoration of the people to the land and the hope that the Davidic throne will one day be reestablished. In Psalm 107, which is the beginning of book five, the exiles are rejoicing that they are soon to return home. Cyrus has given a decree and they're going to go back to Jerusalem and they're looking forward to it and they exult in this. In Psalm 108, they ask God for his aid to reestablish the nation. In Psalm 109, they pray for God's judgment to fall against their enemies. And Psalm 110 is God's answer. He says, yes, yes, I will do this. Oracle one, the King, the Lord, and you'll notice that the Lord is all in capital letters. capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. Whenever you see that in the Bible, it is the translator's way of saying this is the four-letter name of God, Yahweh, the name of God. So literally, the Hebrew says, an oracle of Yahweh to my Adonai, my master, my Lord. Sit at my right hand. until I make your enemies your footstool." Now notice, by God turning to David's Lord, this great anointed king, the one who is going to be the Christ, the Messiah, and saying, sit at my right hand, it is God saying, there is no person in all of the universe that has a higher position of power and authority that you have. Joseph was the right-hand man of Pharaoh. We still use that phrase today, he's my right-hand man. Meaning, what he says, I'm saying. Listen to his voice and you're listening to my voice. He's invested with all of this authority to do on, for my behalf, everything that I want to be accomplished. So when the Lord says to the Messiah, Jesus, sit here at my right hand, he is sending a signal to all of the universe This is the one who is invested with the highest authority in all of the universe. Secondly, he is going to rule even though he is surrounded by his enemies. Look at verse two. Yahweh sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies. So, think about David. In his reign, in his rule in Jerusalem, He is surrounded by people, nations, city-states that want him. They want his throne, they want his life, they want his wealth. And yet the Lord has said, surrounded by your enemies, I'm going to establish your rule. When it comes to Christ, what this means is that he is going to rule even though there are going to be many people who are around him, who are going to oppose him. Now, since his rule is spiritual, it's not geopolitical. You can't go to a place on earth and go, there's where Jesus is sitting. This is the place where he is exercising dominion. It is a spiritual dominion. Then the opposition to him is going to be spiritual. We see this daily. prayed about it just a moment ago. There was a time in our country when evil existed in the shadows. Right? I mean, we knew it was there. We read about it. We heard about it. We knew that there was a lot of evil that's transpiring. But for the most part, it was treated with shame. Today, it has come out of the shadows. It's flaunting itself. It's saying, we will no longer be told how we're going to live and what we're going to do. In the words of Psalm 2, we're going to throw off the rule of the Lord and his anointed. We're going to break their chains. We refuse to be bound by those laws. And Christ is ordained to rule in the midst. This isn't, of course, the first time in history that this has happened. It repeats itself over and over and over again throughout history. Christ is ruling even though he is surrounded by his enemies, which is why the father says, sit here and I'm going to make your enemies your footstool. What is this? So imagine you're a king in the ancient Near East. and you've conquered some city states that are close to you. And you want to demonstrate your superiority over all of them. So the day comes when you're seated on your throne, and the conquered kings are brought in before you down the aisle surrounded by all of your officials. These kings that in their own domain look powerful, were given all kinds of praise and adoration, but they're being led by a rope around their neck or a chain that's pulling them forward. And the king who has conquered them is sitting on his throne, and they're brought before him, and they're told, get on your knees. And your back becomes the footstool for this glorious king. It's an act of subjugation, subordination. It's saying, I'm the glorious one, you're not. I'm the conqueror, you're the conquered. You will bow before me. That's the imagery that we have in verse one. That it is the intention of God, and we'll read about how this happens when we get to the last three verses of the chapter. But it is the intention of God to take the enemies of Christ and bring them to heal. They will be subjected under his feet. Now this is important for you and me. The day is still there for you, still there for me, to willingly submit to Christ. to say happily, freely, he is Lord. He is the great king. And I joyfully and happily submit to his rule. I come and lay myself before him as a living sacrifice. But if you will not do that, The day is coming when you will be made to do that. As Paul says in Philippians chapter 2, the day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. You will either do so willingly or you will do so because you were made to do so, but it is the Father's intention that the entire universe know that his Son is reigning. You'll notice in verse 3 that while he is reigning among his enemies, he will be joined in this rule by a willing army of followers. Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments. From the womb in the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. That's a notoriously difficult Hebrew right there. And if you've got an ESV, you'll notice there's a note at the bottom of the page that says we're not exactly quite sure what the Hebrew means there. But the idea is clear, even if the language is unclear. Even as Christ has enemies that surround him, he has friends that join him. There are those that will join in Him in this glorious war, this glorious battle. And they will do so offering themselves, he says, verse three, freely on the day of your power in holy garments. This is why you get to the book of Revelation and Christ is always surrounded, surrounded by those who are worshiping him and adoring him and believing in him and trusting in him. And when he comes back, they come back on the day of his power, surrounding him joyfully. as part of this grand procession to say the earth belongs to him and it's time for him to vanish all of his enemies and to make his kingdom stretch from shore to shore. He is the king, oracle two. He is also the priest. Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever. after the order of Melchizedek. This oracle is also an oath, the Lord swears, and he will not change his mind. Not only will the Messiah be a king, but he is also at the same time going to be a priest, and his priesthood will not follow the Levitical line, it will follow the order of Melchizedek. Now, let me just remind you in case you've forgotten who this guy is. Melchizedek is this figure that comes out of nowhere in the book of Genesis and then as suddenly as he appears he just disappears. He is called the King of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. So he is both king as well as priest. Abraham has just returned from conquering the cities of the plains. and capturing back Lot and his family and others. And Melchizedek, who is the king of Salem, which eventually will become Jerusalem, Melchizedek comes forward, and in order to show his deference to this king, Abraham takes the spoils that he has, and he has a lot, and he gives a tenth of them to Melchizedek. It's an act of an inferior to a superior. I'm going to offer to you a tithe of all that I have been given, reflecting your greatness. Now that's Melchizedek. And as quickly as he appears on the scene there in Genesis, all of a sudden, he's gone again until he's mentioned here in Psalm 110. And in this Psalm, the Lord says, I'm going to swear an oath. that this oracle will be true and it will never be not true. I'm going to make you not only a king, but I'm also at the same time going to make you a priest, and your priesthood will be after the order of Melchizedek. The Levitical priesthood is going to come to an end. After 70 AD, the Levitical priesthood can't be found. The Romans come in, destroy the temple, kill many people in Jerusalem, and the priesthood, as far as history is concerned, is now gone and gone forever. But this is a new priesthood that is actually an ancient priesthood that existed before Levi. Levi was just in the loins of Abraham when he paid the tithe to Melchizedek. this has significant implications to the nature of the kingdom. I want you to turn with me to the New Testament book of Hebrews where we have an extended discourse in this book about Christ and his priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. The author of Hebrews is going to say something very important. I'm gonna say this two or three times so that you get it. This priesthood is a new priesthood serving a new nation on a new covenant mediated by a new king who rules it with a new law. Got that? Let me say it again. This priesthood, the author of Hebrews is going to say, serves a new nation founded on a new covenant mediated by a new king who rules over it with a new law. Now let me explain this. So beginning in chapter five, the author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 110, four, verse six. He says in another place, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. He is now going to launch into a extended passage of scripture in which he's going to say that the priesthood of Christ is superior in every way to the priesthood of Levi. Just as Jesus was superior to Moses, so Jesus is superior to Moses' brother, Aaron. and all of the priests that came after. The sacrifice that he's going to offer is greater than the sacrifices that were offered. So this entire section is all about this new priesthood. But the author of Hebrews understands, because he's talking to Jewish people, maybe some of whom were former Levites and priests. and are now having questions about whether they made the right decision and are thinking about going back, he wants them to understand that the Levitical priesthood was always part of a covenant document and a law that was never intended to be permanent. It was always intended to be temporary. And now that Christ has come, he is the mediator of a better covenant with a law that is going to establish a new priesthood. Now, chapter 7, look at verse 11. Now, if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received Torah, the law, that's important. What further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek rather than the one named after the order of Aaron? Now just pause there, here's what he's saying. If the Levitical priesthood and the sacrifices that it offered had been perfect, had been able to do what you needed to have done as sinners before a holy God, if that were true, then Melchizedek would have never been mentioned in Psalm 110. Because David is writing Psalm 110 hundreds of years after the Levitical priesthood was established under the terms of the Old Covenant. So why does David even mention the Melchizedek priesthood in Psalm 110 if, in fact, the Levitical priesthood had been able to bring us to perfection? That's what he's saying, okay? Keep reading. Verse 12. For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. Did you hear what he's saying? The Levitical priesthood is established through the Mosaic law, which is coupled with the Mosaic covenant. You cannot decouple law from its covenant document. You can't do it. So if the Levitical priesthood has been established through the law, and in fact the law comes through the Levitical priesthood, he says, if that's true, and if the Levitical priesthood is now being replaced by a new priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, that means that the law that established it and the covenant that that law is coupled with have to change. You can't have a new priesthood with the old law and the covenant on which that law is based. So if you've got a new priesthood, you have to have a new law and you have to have a new covenant. Keep reading. Verse 13, for the one of whom these things are spoken belong to another tribe from which no one has ever served at the altar. That's the tribe of Judah, right? For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe, Moses said nothing about priest. Who's Moses? Moses is the brother of Aaron. What tribe is Moses from? The tribe of Levi. Moses is the mediator of the old covenant, and Moses never gave an allowance for a priest to come from the tribe of Levi. He's building his case here. You hear it, right? Keep reading, verse 15. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, a king who is also a priest, who has become a priest not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, that's what Levi required, that's what the old covenant required, But instead, by the power of an indestructible life, for it is witnessed of him, Psalm 110.4, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Okay, just pause for a second. It's become pretty clear what he's saying, right? There was a covenant, the old covenant, the Mosaic covenant, that had a law. the Mosaic law. Those two things are indissoluble. One belongs to the other and you cannot decouple them, although plenty of people throughout the history of the church have tried to do so. That law established a Levitical priesthood. If there is a new priesthood that has come, the law has to change, which is what he said in verse 12. But if that law changes, then the covenant from which it cannot be decoupled also has to change. So he says in verse 18, on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness for the law, the Mosaic law made nothing perfect. But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath, for those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath, Psalm 110 again, by the one who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a priest forever. Conclusion, verse 22, this makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. Why? Because the better covenant has a better law that establishes a better priesthood. And that better priesthood offers a sacrifice that is better than the blood of bulls and goats that had been offered under the old covenant and the old law. Okay, so what does this mean for us, other than being just kind of interesting? What it means is, You belong to a kingdom unlike any kingdom that has ever existed on earth. You belong to a nation that is unlike any nation that has ever existed on earth. You belong to that nation because a new king has come who is the mediator of a new covenant that has new law, that establishes a new priesthood, that offers a new sacrifice, that makes you perfect. Perfect. And that's why the nations rage, and they're angry, and they're upset. because this king is unlike any that has ever existed. And you have been privileged by his grace to belong to that kingdom. It has significant implications, by the way, as to how we view the nations of the world. if a nation, in order to be unique and Christian, must exist in covenant with God, then the only way for that nation to do so is to enter through the blood of Christ and the Melchizedekian priesthood and the sacrifice that he has offered You can't have a Christian nation just because you have Christian law. You can only have a Christian nation if those people have been brought into right relationship with God through the sacrifice that the high priest has offered on our behalf. I wanna tell you this again and again and again. Because right now, especially on social media, there's just so much conversation about the religious right and the religious left and Christian nationalism and all the rest. And I have a lot of thoughts on it, a lot, that I just don't have time to talk about today. But can I just establish this? Can we establish this? We're Protestants. I hope you are. We believe that a person is made righteous before God, not on the basis of law keeping, but on the basis of promises offered freely in the Lord Jesus Christ. By the works of the law, no one will be justified, right? And a nation is just a collective of individuals. And the idea that you could take that collective and make them a Christian nation on the basis of law is antithetical to everything that we believe about the gospel. Now I'm not arguing that Christians should not participate in the civic life of the nation in which they find themselves. Absolutely you should. I would much rather live under law derived from a Judeo-Christian ethic than Sharia law as an example. But let's not confuse our categories here. It means something to be a Christian. And it means that you have entered into a new nation on the basis of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, on the basis of his work and his work alone. Not on the basis of law keeping. The law has a civic purpose. It can restrain sin. It can promote justice. It can make for better neighbors and better neighborhoods and better cities. And by all means, as a Christian, advocate for good and righteous laws. but don't make the mistake of thinking that if we got a certain set of laws imposed from the top down that we then become a Christian nation. You belong to a Christian nation on the basis of Christ's work for you and you alone. Again, I know there are a lot of critics of Christian nationalism out there who say inflammatory things. Things that I completely disagree with. Long before there was the moral majority, there was the National Council of Churches. Long before there was a Jerry Falwell, there was a Jesse Jackson. Long before there were pulpits who were arguing for right-wing politics on the basis of scripture, there were progressive liberal churches that were arguing for liberal and progressive theology on the basis of scripture. That sword cuts both ways. But let's be clear friends, you already belong to a Christian nation, a nation of priests who by virtue of being united with the Lord Jesus Christ have been brought into this glorious kingdom of light and subjected to his law. made heirs of better promises on a better covenant and given better laws that will direct our life. A new priesthood serving a new nation founded on a new covenant mediated by a new king who rules with a new law. So in three or four weeks go do your job, cast your vote, It would be a wonderful thing if some of you would raise your hand and say, I want to get involved in politics. I want to promote good, righteous, civic health for this country. We need people who would do that. But don't confuse the categories. Gospel is not law and law is not gospel. And in the final analysis, it is the gospel that the Bible teaches. is the power of God into salvation to everyone who believes. It's not the law. It's not the law. All right, let's wrap all this up back in Psalm 110. So the first oracle says this Christ is going to be a king. and he's going to reign until the Lord makes his enemies his footstool, that day is coming. The second oracle in verse four says this Christ is going to be a priest, a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek and we've already seen that means there has to be a change of covenant, a change of law in order to establish a new kingdom over which this new king rules and reigns. The summary of all of that, let's call this the victory, is found in verses five, six, and seven. The Lord is at your right hand. This is not Yahweh he's speaking of, although he is, as the second person of the Trinity, Yahweh, but this is his anointed. And he's saying to us, he's at your right hand. And he's going to shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He's going to execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses. He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way, therefore he will lift up his head. So I mentioned last week that there's this parable that Jesus gives about the kingdom, and he says it's like a field. He indicates that the field is the world, and he says, I'm gonna plant good seed in this field, and grain's going to come up, and it's gonna be good for a harvest. But after I've done that, at night, the enemy is going to come. He's talking about Satan here. He's going to come, and side by side with the good grain, he's going to sow tares. He's gonna say, your temptation is going to be to pull up the tares, to go out there and just start ripping up the infidels. He says, don't do that. I'll take care of that. The day is going to come when I'm going to harvest, and when I harvest, I will do the great separation of the wheat from the tares. So we're not radical Muslims. who are trying to get at the infidels. We're not radical Hindus who are trying to kill those that oppose our religious convictions. God says, vengeance is mine, I will repay. As much as is possible with you, live at peace with all people. I'll take care of the wicked. And verses five through seven say, the day is coming when he will. He will. So how do we live in this present evil age? Well, we live as members of this new covenant community in this new kingdom, led by this new king, who is also our great high priest, who is right now interceding on our behalf before the Father, who has offered his blood as the atoning sacrifice for our sin, who has made a new and living way for us to enter into the very presence of God. We don't have to stand on the outside anymore, hoping that a Levite will take our blood into the Holy of Holies. We go gladly, happily, quickly in our time of need, and we find in his presence grace and help for us at that moment. I have dark thoughts sometimes. I'll admit this to you, because I suspect some of you do too. When I'm scrolling through Twitter, And I see the godlessness that is so overt, so ugly. And I've got these dark thoughts that if I had superpower, I'd rectify things. I'd change them. They wouldn't get away with that. They wouldn't say that. And I have to be reminded that I too once belong to that dark kingdom and by God's grace he's brought me into a kingdom of light. And it is not my responsibility to take vengeance against those that oppose the Lord, it's my responsibility to bear the good news of the gospel that is available to all who will repent of their sins and come to Christ Jesus and be saved. And that's our hope. That's the sword that we bear. And it's powerful. And it can divide asunder between soul and spirit. And it can do the work which otherwise we can't possibly do. So may God give us the grace and the help and the strength and the wisdom to live in this present evil age as members of a kingdom that is destined for victory. And let's do all we can to tell lost sinners that there is a place that they can find the forgiveness of their sins and life eternal. Our Father, we thank you for our time together this morning and for these words. We are grateful that we have both a king and a priest, one who can rule over us and one who has made a sacrifice of his own life for us. We thank you for a better covenant and a better hope and a better law and a better priesthood and a better nation and a better royalty that has now engulfed us and brought us in. Grant, Lord, that our confidence will rest in the foolishness of preaching, a proclamation of a message that the world is either stumbling over or regards as utterly foolish. Help us not to take that bait, but to believe in it, that it is through the proclamation of Christ and him crucified that the world can be turned upside down for our own nation. Lord, we love it. We are grateful for it, we are grateful for a heritage that has brought us to this place, but we are so concerned. Our hearts are so heavy for it. Cause us to have a greater and greater conviction that its only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ. For it is in his name that we pray this, amen.