A witch doctor & God's promises?

Welcome to God's Word for You from Ministry of Sharon Arby Church in Southeast Iowa. We want to thank you for listening today and we pray that you'll be blessed by both hearing God's Word as well as having it applied to your life and your heart. Please turn over in your Bibles with me to Numbers, the book of Numbers. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers.

We're going to be starting in chapter 22. We're going to be looking this morning at the life of Balaam. Just a heads up, this is going to be a two-part sermon. So this week, skipping a week, because Dan Dross will be here preaching next week, and then the following week we'll be picking up on Balaam again. Balaam is a big person in the Old Testament and in the New. Balaam's story begins in Numbers chapter 22, and the majority of it goes through Numbers chapter 24, and we'll be reading that together.

But before we start reading, I'd like for you to just think in your mind, how many times did you watch the news this week? How many times did you open up the computer and read a news article? Or how often did you turn on the radio and listen to some news? Just think back to your week for a second and think about all the news that you read this week. And I want you to think about all that news that you've read this week and ask yourself a question. How often did you listen to that news and think to yourself, man, God is bringing about His promises.

No? No? But isn't God bringing about His promises? Well yes he is but often in our lives we need to be reminded that things are happening that seem like they aren't working towards God's promises when in all reality God's ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts and so this morning we look at one of these hard stories in the Old Testament not hard necessarily emotionally but wrapping our heads around why Balaam and what's going on here and what does this have to do with God's promises. And so we start this and looking at God's promises and trusting God's promises in Numbers chapter 22. Look with me just at verses 1 through 7. Numbers chapter 22 verses 1 through 7. Then the children of Israel moved and camped in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan across from Jericho.

Stop real quick. Remember where they're at. They're just about to cross over the Jordan River to take Jericho. Right? So they've just defeated Sihon and Og. They've won some victories and they're standing there right ready to cross the river. And this is the situation. They're on the plains of Moab. You know where that's at. That was where Ruth is from. We've just been there a few weeks ago. And so, they're on the plains of Moab. Verse 2. Now Balak, the son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. That was killing them. Defeating them in battle.

And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many. And Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, now this company will lick up everything around us as an ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of the Moabites at that time.

So we stop there and we just get an idea of what's going on. The Israelites are going into the promised land. They're just at the threshold. They've defeated the Amalekites, and now the king of Moab, who's their next-door neighbor, is rightfully afraid. There's a horde of people, a whole bunch of people. Are they going to kill us? What are they going to do? And all the country is afraid.

And so they go to their neighbors, the Midianites, and they tell this to them. They say, we're really afraid. Now that alliance is going to become important in a few chapters that we look at. But Moab and Midian come into an alliance with each other because they're afraid of the Israelites. They're scared of them. They're going to lick us up like the ox who eats the grass.

And so they come up with a great plan. They have a scheme. Go get a profit for hire. Verse 5. Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pithor, which is near the river, that's the Euphrates River, and the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth and are settling next to me. Therefore, please come at once.

Curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner's fee in their hand and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. Balak is the king of Moab.

And so you see they've got a plan. We know there's this guy. There's this, essentially a witch doctor. There's a false prophet out by the river, but we know that whoever he blesses, those people are blessed, and whoever he curses, those people are cursed. So, let's pool our money together, and let's go hire this prophet, so he can go and curse the people for us, because maybe then we can beat them in the battle. Seems like a pretty good plan, logically, right? If you've had an alliance, now somehow you're able to get a curse from God, That's kind of like a trifecta, you know?

Maybe we can actually win this. Well, I hate to tell them, but normally rulers who are trying to fight against God and His promises don't win. Not in the long run. So we see this, that these rulers are trying to stop the promise of God. This isn't just a battle between these Moabites and Midianites against the people. This is actually a battle, these nations, against what God has promised. Remember, this land was given in Genesis chapter 17 to Abraham. God promised it to him. You are going to receive this land. All of the land of Canaan is going to be yours. And what is the king of Moab and Midian trying to do? They're trying to stop that promise. They're trying to stop them from inheriting what God has rightfully given to them. We find out when they go to Balaam, they don't exactly get what they bargained for.

Look with me at verses 8 through 20, this conversation that happens between them and then between Balaam and God. Verse 8. And he said to them, lodge, this is Balaam talking, lodge here tonight and I will bring word back to you as the Lord speaks to me. So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. So Balaam says, you guys put up your tents, I'm gonna go talk to the Lord and I'll tell you what he says to me. Then God came to Balaam and said, who are these men with you? So Balaam said to God, Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me saying, look, a people has come out of Egypt and they cover the face of the earth.

Come now, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out. And God said to Balaam, You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed. So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you. If we had stopped there at verse 13, Balaam wouldn't be such a bad guy.

False prophet, diviner for hire, maybe. But it would have stopped there. At least he listens to God. But he doesn't stop there. He goes to God, he tells them what he's trying to do, and God says, no! No, you can't go curse them, I've blessed them. I've given them this promise, period. So Balaam does what seems to be the logical thing. He goes and he tells the princes, go home, I can't do it.

Well, verse 14, rulers don't like to be told no, by the way. If you can't tell that, rulers don't like to be told no. Verse 14, so the prince of the Moab rose and went to Balak and said, Balaam refuses to come with us. Then Balak again sent princes more numerous and more honorable than they. And they came to Balaam and said to him, thus says Balak, the son of Zippor, please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore, please come, curse this people for me. God's already said no! God's already said no, and here the king of Moab brings even more princes.

If he won't listen to these guys, maybe I need to send more important ambassadors who have more honor. You know, don't just send the ensign, we're going to start sending the generals to do this. We're going to send the admirals there so they can really tell this guy, hey, this is serious.

Then Balaam, again if we just stopped, what should his answer be? His answer should be, go home, I already told you God's not going to let me curse them. But Balaam answered and said, to the servants of Balak, though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God to do less or more. Now therefore, please you also." Again, if we stopped at verse 18, Balaam still wouldn't be this horrible guy in the Bible.

But there's a twinge here that we might not see. When Balaam's saying, you can't pay me enough to do this, This isn't somebody sitting there really saying this with the full intent of their heart. This guy's like Scrooge McDuck with dollar signs flipping in his eyes. All of a sudden, oh he'll do whatever. You can't pay me enough for this. Meaning, bring on the dough and we'll see if I can do it.

Well now therefore please you also stay here tonight that I may know what the Lord will say to me. He already knows what the Lord has said to him. Verse 20, God came to Balak at night and said to him, If the men come to call you, rise and go with them, but only the word which I speak to you, that you shall do. So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

We need to be clear here, there are times in which the Lord allows you to do something in his providence, Let's just put this in your own lives. How many times has the Lord allowed you to do something that you look back on and you go, man, I was dumb. I knew better than that. I knew God's Word told me not to do that.

And yet you still walk down that path. That's what the Lord's doing here with Balaam. All right, great. They came. Sure, go. What would any sane God-fearer do? No, no, no. You told me not to go the first time. I'm not going to test you, Lord. You should have stayed. That's not what happens. It's not what happens. Balaam saddles his donkey.

And he goes with the princes again, he goes with the top brass, the dignitaries, these important men, and he goes with them. He's incited, he's enticed, he's seduced by this desire for honor and for money. And as he goes, we find out that his donkey is smarter than he is. Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. Now the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back to the road. This is perfectly sane. If you're a donkey and you see an angel in the road with a sword drawn, it would make perfect sense that you would get out of the road and go into the field. Balaam really wants to go with them. The princes are there, his servants are there, he's packed for the trip. He really is upset with his donkey. He really wants to go.

He beats the donkey until she gets up and takes him. Well, as they keep walking, verse 24, then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he beat her again. Again, the donkey is doing what's perfectly sane. She sees that the Lord is not wanting him to go on this trip, but Balaam really, really, really wants to go. He beats her again.

Verse 26, And the angel of the Lord went further and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. She can't go to the field, she can't push against the wall, so what does she do? Just sit down. Again, perfectly rational response from an animal who's in danger.

Balaam is furious. I mean, fiery hot Scottish fury here. So Balaam's anger was aroused and he struck the donkey with his staff. And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, this is the donkey speaking now, what have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?

And the most amazing thing happens. Balaam just carries on his conversation with his donkey. If one of you was riding your donkey and all of a sudden your animal started talking to you, you might scratch your head. What is going on here? Something ain't right. But Balaam talks to the donkey, verse 29, and Balaam said to the donkey, because you have abused me, I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you. The donkey's just saved his life three times.

And he is furious with her, and he says, you want to know what you've done? You've made a fool out of me. Remember, the princes are there with him, the servants are there with him, and he really wants to go. And so he says, it's not just he wants to beat her, he wants to kill her. And so the donkey responds to Balaam, am I not your donkey which you have ridden ever since I became yours to this day? Was I ever so disposed to do this to you?

He said, no, this isn't the normal way this donkey would treat him. It's likely this donkey is pretty old. I was talking to Rusty Orr the other week, and he was joking around. I thought he was joking around with me. He said, you know, that donkey's older than you are. And I thought, Rusty's a pretty big joker. So I thought, OK, yeah, Rusty, that's fine. And he said, no, I'm serious. He said, how old are you? And I said, I'm in my 30s. And he said, that donkey's over 40 years old.

Balaam has most likely been riding this donkey for decades. She's never laid down, she's never crushed his foot, she's never turned aside into a field where she's not supposed to, and yet none of this triggers in his mind, something is wrong with this. This isn't the normal way she acts, and I doubt she normally talked to him either. The donkey is smarter than the false prophet, but he still doesn't get it. It takes the Lord to do something in verse 31. Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.

Final Point

Finally, it seemed like Balaam maybe got some sense. And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why have you struck your donkeys these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse to me." Again, the Lord allows us at times to walk down paths. He's doing something with that path, but it ain't a path that he's necessarily pleased with. But he keeps going. The donkey saw me and turned aside these three times.

If she had not turned aside from me, surely I would also have killed you by now and let her live. And Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the way against me. Now, therefore, if it displeases you, I will turn back.

Wrong answer. The angel of the Lord has already told him, it displeases him. Your way is perverse. If he was an upright man, what would he do? He would have already turned back. But Balaam is on a wicked path. He's testing, if you're going to let me go, I'll go, but if... If you want me to turn back, okay, I'll turn back. It's foolishness. Verse 35, So he's not allowed to do whatever he wants. He's not given full license to sin as far as he wants to sin.

So Balaam went again with the princes of Balak. Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab which is on the border at the Arnon, the boundary of the territory. Then Balak said to Balaam, Did I not earnestly send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?

We need to put a little bit of geography here. From Moab to the Euphrates at that time, one to two months trip. So we're talking about, this is between two to four months later, finally Balaam showing up. So he's upset. Balak is mad at Balaam. And Balaam said to Balak, Look, I have come to you, now, this is verse 38, now have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak. So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath Hazuth. Then Balak offered sheep and oxen. And he sent some to Balaam and the princes who were with him."

Now this is an important point to stop and reflect on what's happened. God has made promises, and there's a false prophet who's been hired to call curses upon them, and God's not going to allow it. Balaam knows he can go so far, but no further. But here they try some old witchcraft. Again, this is a little bit of cultural background here. When Balak offers the sheep and the oxen, during that time it was a custom to take the liver of a sacrificed animal and use it as fortune-telling and as witchcraft. So in that last little verse there, verse 40, then Balak offered oxen and sheep and he sent some to Balaam. He's saying, here's the tools of your trade. Go ahead, do your dark black magic stuff. Let's go ahead along with the cursing. There is no black magic. There is no greed. There is no sorcery. There is no desire to keep getting honor. None of this is ever going to accomplish someone being able to thwart God's promises. God is putting roadblocks, speed bump after speed bump after speed bump here. But Balaam doesn't get the idea.

And then we get into verse chapter 23 and 24, and I'm going to highlight these four different oracles that he makes, and it becomes clear that God isn't bought off. Look with me at verses 1 through 12 of 23. Then Balaam said to Balak, well first, verse 41, sorry, so it was the next day that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, that from there he might observe the extent of the people. He takes him to the temple of Baal, this pagan god, up on the top of the mountain to look at all of Israel. Again, prophet for hire, on a pagan temple mount, this doesn't look like this is exactly what God would intend, does it? It's not a pretty picture. Then Balaam, verse 1, then Balaam said to Balak, build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.

Again, pagan context. If a god is upset with you, what can you do? This is pagan ideology 101. Pagan religion 101. Your pagan god is upset with you. Offer a sacrifice and the pagan god will be happy with you. Essentially, buy off the god with a couple lamb chops. That doesn't work with the god of the universe.

And Baelic did just as Balaam had spoken. And Baelic and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. So seven rams, seven bulls. Then Balaam said to Balak, Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go up, and perhaps the Lord will come to me, and whatever he shows me, I will tell you.

So he went to a desolate height. Balaam is saying, maybe God will change his mind. I'll go up to the top of the mountain, and I'll go talk to the Lord, and maybe God will change his mind. Maybe he'll give us victory over our enemies. And God met with Balaam and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars and have offered on each altar a bull and a ram. And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, return to Balak and thus you shall speak. And I want you to just drop down with me to verses eight and nine.

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? This is the middle of his oracle to the King of Moab. How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? And then drop down to verse 10. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous and let my end be like his.

Remember back to the promises to Abraham. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be like the dust of the earth. And God has now brought about this promise. The fulfillment of that promise is there. All the nation is there. Balaam cannot curse them or denounce them because who can stand against God's people? God puts it in his mouth. It's not what Balaam wants to say, but it's what he has to say. Well, that doesn't work. But Balaam isn't giving up. So he takes him to another mountain where he can see the people another time. And he offers seven more rams and seven more bulls. This is in that next section, 13 through 17. And he tells him to go and find out from the Lord again.

Maybe God will have changed his mind. Maybe if we offer more sacrifices, if we give him more food, this God will finally be happy. And look with me at one of the most beautiful things we have in the Bible. Look with me at verses 19 and 20. This is the God you serve.

God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. Has he said and will he not do it? Or has he spoken and will he not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless. He has blessed and I cannot reverse it. God is not a man. God can't be bought off. God can't be bribed. God can't be corrupted. God has made a promise and he is not a liar.

He is going to bring about his promises. He is going to bless his people because he has said it. Has He made up His mind and shall He not do it? Has He spoken and shall He not bring it to pass? Your God is an unchanging God. When He makes promises to you, they are sealed with the royal stamp and it is going to happen because He has all the power to do it.

Even to make a false prophet have to say something out of his own mouth he doesn't want to say. The second oracle is what, if you want to work on a memory verse this week, memorize Numbers chapter 22, 19 and just think about who God is and how sure that makes His promises. So He makes these, He confirms these promises in the second oracle. I'm going to just read the last two verses of it too.

For there is no sorcery, verse 23, so there is no sorcery against Jacob. Balaam says with his own mouth, you can't do witchcraft against God's people. And yet this is just what he's been trying to do. Nor any divination against Israel. No witch, no warlock, no sorcerer, nothing like that can do anything against Israel. It must now be said of Jacob and of Israel, oh what God has done.

Look, a people rises like a lioness and lifts itself up like a lion. It shall not lie down until it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain." What do you think the response of the king of Moab would be at something like that? Zip it up. Stop talking. called you to curse these people, and now you've just said that they're going to lick up our blood, they're going to stand like lionesses who aren't afraid of anything.

You're saying that sorcery and witchcraft doesn't work. Why did I hire you? But insanity doesn't stop. Insanity doesn't stop. The next third prophecy shows us just that. Look with me at verse 27. Then Balak said to Balaam, Please come. I will take you to another place, as if another place is going to do anything. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them from me there. Do you see the superstition here? Well, this temple didn't work. Well, that high place didn't work. Let's take you to another place and maybe then God will change his mind.

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor that overlooks the wasteland. Then Balaam said to Balak, build for me here seven altars and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams. And Balak said to Balaam, and Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar. This is 21 bulls and 21 rams now who have died in this foolish endeavor. Talk about a waste of good meat.

Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go at other times. He doesn't try witchcraft anymore. He doesn't try divination anymore. He puts away his sorcery, but he sets his face towards the wilderness, looking towards God's people. And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes.

And the Spirit of God came upon him." This is the spirit of prophecy that comes upon him this third time. And look with me at verses 7 through 7, the second half of 7 through the first half of 9. Verse 7, His king, God is going to raise up a king, His king shall be higher than Agag, and His kingdom shall be exalted, God. brings him up out of Egypt.

He has strengthened strength like a wild ox. He shall consume the nations, his enemies. He shall break their bones and pierce them with his arrows. He bows down. He lies down as a lion and as a lion who shall rouse him. God in this prophecy is saying, Balak, Baelic wake up. You know who you're fighting against? You ain't fighting against a ruler or a principality of this world. You're fighting against the God of the universe. Let me tell you how that's going to end. Baelic's not very happy about this. Actually, he's pretty upset.

Verse 10. Then Baelic's anger was aroused at Balaam. Balaam did exactly what he said he was going to do. But like I said, Kings aren't very happy when they don't get their way. They're kind of like five-year-olds on a temper tantrum. He's upset, and he strikes his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times. Now, therefore, flee to your place. You can imagine him pulling out his sword as he says this to Balaam. He is furious with him.

I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact the Lord has kept you back from honor. So Balaam said to Balak, did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord to do good or bad on my own will.

What the Lord says, that must I speak. And now indeed, I am going to my people. Come. I will advise this people, sorry, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days." And here, Balaam speaks his fourth oracle. There's no going up to any mountain or anything here. God puts a fourth oracle in his mouth to say, and look with me at verse 17, the crux of that oracle. I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near.

A star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy the sons of all Ptolemaic." This is, in its local sense, prophesying about Joshua. who would come up and who would fight against Moab and would win.

This is in talking about one who would rise up from within the ranks of Israel and would fight against the enemies of Israel and would win against them with totality. But this localized prophecy about Joshua needs to point us to the better Joshua. Remember, it is Jesus as Christ Jesus Christ, Hebrew name, that is Joshua. This is a prophecy speaking of a greater conquest that God was going to do than just over Moab. I want you to look at the rest of that section with me, verse 18.

And Edom, this is not Moab, this is another country, Edom shall be a possession. Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly. Out of Jacob one shall have dominion and destroy the remains of the city. Verse 20, the middle part, Amalek was first among the nations, but shall be last until he perishes.

Verse 21, then he looked on the Kenites and he took up the oracle and said, firm is your dwelling place and your nest is set in the rock. Nevertheless, Cain shall be burned. How long until Asher carries you away captive? Then he took up this oracle and said, Alas, who shall live when God does this? But ships shall come from the coast of Cyprus and they shall afflict Asher and afflict Eber and shall Amalek until he perishes.

Balaam has essentially said God is going to take this star that rises out of Jacob and he is going to conquer all of his foes. All of them. All of the nations are going to bow to God. All of them are going to succumb to the promises of the Lord. It is God who is going to be proved righteous and it is God who blesses So why does this matter for you? Why did God put Balaam in the Bible in these few chapters? Why all this prophecy? Why these three chapters about who God is and what He's doing? I want you to turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8 with me. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Romans chapter 8, and we'll be looking at verse 31. Romans chapter 8, verse 31, page 1005.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? Not Balaam, not Balak, not the kings of Midian, not the kings of this world, not the principalities. Here, no one can bring a charge against you because you are God's elect. You cannot be cursed, you cannot have God's promise snatched away from you, because it is God who has saved you and made his promises to you. Verse 34, who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us, who shall separate us from the love of Christ. Shall tribulation? No. No. Or distress? No. Or persecution? Or famine? Or nakedness? Or peril? Or sword? Or Moab? Or Midian? Or Balak? Or Balaam? Or any other ruler or principality separates you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus?

Can anyone curse you? No. No, the promises of God have been given to you. This world, we started with the question of when you watch the news, did you sit there and go, oh man, God's promises are being fulfilled. Well, I hope you do look at your life and you see God's promises are being fulfilled because I am still in Christ Jesus. No one can take God's promise from you. But you will quickly forget that promise. You will walk away from that promise if you are not careful to cling to it. Your children will have heard that promise, but if they are not reminded of it, it can become dull to them.

We do not know who are the seeds cast upon the ground, but you need to make sure that you are tilling the soil of your heart and that you are producing good fruits in accordance with righteousness. You need to remind yourself of the promises of God. You need to be in the Word daily, reminding yourself, even in these Old Testament stories, that there is a promise of God and nothing can strip it away from you. You need to be reminding your children about these promises. You need to be reminding your siblings about these promises. When your grandkids come to your house, remind them of these promises. We need to remind ourselves of these promises.

And as we come here in a few minutes to take of the Lord's Supper, this is the sign of that promise, that you have a savior. And he's not dead in a grave somewhere in the Middle East in a bunch of bones, but he is living now. And he has given you promises that can never be revoked. He has assured that and paid for it with his very own blood. You come to this table, and yes, you remember your sins, but come with thanksgiving.

Come with joy that your sins are washed away. come knowing that his promises are real and true and a day will come Well, you will bask in the glory of Jesus Christ for all eternity. Don't lose heart in this world. Come with joy this morning that we have eternal hope and no sorcery, no witchcraft, no ruler, no principality, no height, no depth, no power under heaven could possibly ever remove that from Christ, from you. Thank you for listening to God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon Arkey Church in Morning Sun, Iowa. We pray that you would be blessed as you grow in your love for God, your love for His Word, as well as your love for His people. Until next week, God bless you.