34 Acts 10: 23b-33- Not to Us, LORD, Not to Us

April 07, 2024

Chris Freeman

Title: Not to Us, LORD, Not to Us Text: Acts 10:23b-33 FCF: We often struggle giving reverence and honor to God’s agents rather than God alone. Prop: Because God alone deserves praise for building His church, we must follow Christ alone. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 10. In a moment we will be reading starting from verse 23 from the NIV but you can follow along in the pew bible starting on page 1242 or in whatever version you prefer. As we find our way back to Acts chapter 10, let us review again, just this episode and all that has transpired. Cornelius, a God-Fearer, not a proselyte, receives a vision from an angel informing him that his prayers and alms have been received as an offering to God. The angel also instructs him to send for Peter who is in Joppa so that Peter can bring a message to him. Less than a day later Peter receives a perplexing vision which challenges his understanding of the Ceremonial laws regarding clean and unclean animals. The men Cornelius sent arrive and Peter is informed by the Spirit to go with them and not to hesitate or to raise any objections out of his Jewish sensibilities. Peter hosts them in the home by the sea and intends to go out with them. In the episode so far, and in the book of Acts so far, we have seen the Lord superintend in the expansion, growth, preservation, and purity of His church. This theme will continue today. But perhaps we will see it from a slightly different angle. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: O Lord, the psalmist says, “when I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)” As we approach the text of scripture you have for us today, let us remember that You have created us to glorify you and enjoy your presence. Be mindful of us now, O Lord, and be present with us, that we might lift up your name and your mighty works for your glory. “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)” In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] In every single false faith and religion, whether they are heresies of Christianity or paganism and its relatives, the human agent is always seen as a near divine figure. To question the authority, the morality, or the veracity of Muhammed is to give a great insult upon the religion of Islam. Yet Muhammed never claims to be divine in any way. The Budda, Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russel, from monks to shaman, priests to prophets, false faiths have at least one thing in common. They worship, honor, and venerate their human leaders to the point that to denigrate them, would be to commit a great sin. But is Christianity the same? Let’s look. I.) God’s messengers are not worthy of worship or reverence, so we must follow Christ alone. (23b-26) a. [Slide 3] 23b – The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. i. Here we see two things. ii. First, we see that Peter had absolutely no intention of allowing his prejudices and Jewish sensibilities to override the Spirit’s clear instruction. iii. Although we might have been tempted to think that providing lodging for the men was to bide his time or to think it over more – we see that Peter did not hesitate. His hospitality was merely an act of kindness extended to weary travelers. iv. Second, we see that Peter did not go alone. While the Spirit did tell Peter to go without reservation, that would not prevent other men from going with Peter. v. Certainly, these were at least Samaritan Christians if not Jewish Christians. Perhaps they came with the hesitancy that Peter was told not to have. Perhaps they simply wanted to see what God would do at Cornelius’ home. vi. We are told later in chapter 11 that there were 6 men who accompanied Peter. Peter making 7. An interesting number in scripture. b. [Slide 4] 24 – The following day he arrived in Caesarea. i. Again, Luke desires us to be aware of the chronology. ii. Cornelius had his vision on day 1, Peter his vision on day 2. They left for Cornelius’ house on day 3. iii. On day 4 they arrive in Caesarea around 3pm. iv. Even though it was only 40 miles which could be done on foot in a day, the increased number of travelers would have made travel slower. c. [Slide 5] Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. i. For the first time since the beginning of the episode, we check in on what is happening with Cornelius. ii. What has he been doing? Waiting. Waiting and also gathering friends and relatives to hear the message that Peter was bringing to him. iii. What does the fact that Cornelius was waiting and inviting those he cared about to hear this message tell us about Cornelius? What might we call these actions? iv. We might call them faith. We can call them trust in what the angel had said, and thus trust in God. v. But as much faith as Cornelius had, it was not quite perfect… d. [Slide 6] 25 – As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. i. It is difficult to know exactly what Cornelius is doing here. ii. Many translations besides the NIV translate this word… Worship. iii. Scholars are divided on what exactly is going through Cornelius’ mind. So, what are our options? 1. It is very unlikely that Cornelius is worshipping Peter outright as some Messianic figure. Virtually no scholar arrives at this conclusion. Given what we know of Cornelius that he was a God-Fearer and a devout man, it seems incompatible to assume he errored this far to worship Peter as God. 2. However, we might see Cornelius blending pagan and Judeo-Christian practices together as Cornelius makes Peter out to be some kind of man-god. a. We saw the Samaritans respond similarly to Simon the Sorcerer in chapter 8. Remember they called him the Great Power of God. b. And in Roman Paganism it would be appropriate to worship or venerate someone who is next to or a messenger of God. c. They have at least a partial divine status. 3. We might also see Cornelius merely expressing some measure of honor or respect to Peter as some sort of sage or seer that he must honor as if Peter represented God Himself. As if Peter spoke on God’s behalf. To the extent that whatever Peter said or did… was infallible. 4. In either case Cornelius is treating Peter as a person who has ascended to a second tier or vaulted position above mere men. iv. To a certain degree it matters little whether Cornelius is making Peter to be a man-god or merely venerating him as God’s representative… v. Peter’s response repudiates them all. e. [Slide 7] 26 – But Peter made him get up, “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” i. Peter rejects the honor, whatever it may be, and confesses to Cornelius that he is the same as Cornelius. He is merely a man. ii. When we consider the fact that Peter was a Jewish Christian and Cornelius a gentile God-Fearer, Peter’s rejection of veneration is all the more impactful. In Peter’s estimation, the distance between God-Fearer and apostle is not a great enough distance for Cornelius to treat Peter with reverential awe. f. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: In this text, in exact contention with paganism and even Judaism to some degree, Luke makes it clear that the relationship between God and His messengers is not like the relationship between seers and rabbis of other faiths. The messengers of God’s gospel do not take with them some kind of divine rights or special privileges because they are His messengers. Even the apostles of Christ are not due any kind of honor that approaches God Himself. In this the gospel shines brightly. God alone deserves worship and reverence. And Peter’s message will be to worship and reverence Jesus of Nazareth, who is the true God-Man. He alone must be followed. He must alone be trusted and obeyed. And no created being, not even an apostle of Christ, is worthy of the same treatment. Transition: [Slide 9(blank)] Peter’s rejection of veneration sets the tone for the church of Jesus Christ. No honor or worship is due to Peter, even though He is an apostle of Christ, even though He bears the message of the gospel, He is not worthy of awe or praise. Why? Because God alone is worthy of awe and praise. But why else should we only follow Christ and not mere men? II.) God providentially leads His messengers to find the lost who will believe, so we must follow Christ alone. (27-29) a. [Slide 10] 27 – While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. i. I’m sure this tested Peter sensibilities even more. ii. To meet with one gentile in his home is bad enough, but to meet with a whole assembly… such a thing would have been quite a challenge. iii. I imagine that Peter was probably taken aback by the crowd that had gathered. Men and women, soldier and slaves. A whole house full of people. b. [Slide 11] 28 – He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. i. It is at this point that I need to clarify. I may have led you to believe that it was part of the Mosaic law that the Jews practiced a separation from going to Gentile homes. 1. This is not actually true. There is no law in the Mosaic law that forbids this. 2. Why then does Peter say it is against their law for this to be so? 3. Well, we must ask to what law is Peter referring? 4. Being unclean in general was not always because you had sinned against God. There were perfectly normal and natural things that occurred that would make someone ritualistically unclean. 5. But being unclean was not a desirable place for a Jew to be. 6. Since the Gentiles ate unclean food and practiced unclean ways, it became a law or a custom to avoid them completely. It became taboo. 7. Therefore, when Peter says it is unlawful or against our law – this indicates a law added to God’s law. The law of social acceptability in Jewish life. ii. All this being said, they certainly would have known, Cornelius being a God-Fearer and living in Caesarea, that it was a taboo thing for Peter to be here. iii. But Peter says this not as an end of a statement but as a beginning. iv. Peter recognizes that them sending for him and him coming indicates something remarkable is happening in this entire situation. For they both knew the tradition and the practices of the Jews. c. [Slide 12] But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. i. Here Peter reveals that he indeed does understand more of the vision that he was given. ii. He did use the Spirit’s further speaking to him as a template by which to interpret his dream. iii. What was Peter’s interpretation? iv. Peter’s interpretation so far is that God has made things that were ritualistically unclean to be clean. That, as he says here, extends beyond food to people. v. Gentiles in general are now no longer ritualistically unclean. vi. God making this plain to him is why he obeyed the Spirit to come without any objection. vii. Peter is mostly right in his interpretation of the vision. But as we’ll see as the episode continues, there is more to this vision than simply the cleansing of the ritualistically unclean things. d. [Slide 13] May I ask why you sent for me.” i. This is further proof that Peter does not understand the full breadth of the vision. ii. He still doesn’t quite understand why he is here. iii. He knows he has come to speak some sort of message to Cornelius… and to his surprise, his whole gathering of friends and relatives. iv. But Peter still has not drawn the correlation between the vision and his purpose here. v. Is it just to share a meal with them? vi. Is this just to give example to the church as a whole that gentiles are no longer unclean? vii. Is it to repudiate the custom of not going to their homes? viii. This is why Peter seeks clarification. e. [Slide 14] Summary of the Point: In the first point we saw how Christ alone is worthy of worship and reverence. That Peter denied the reverence of Cornelius because only Christ deserved such treatment. Here we see a similar point about God’s messengers. Not only are they not worthy of worship or reverential treatment… they are also under the direction and providential leading of God. Peter had to be coaxed to go to Cornelius’ house. He had to be shown a vision and even told directly to go. And while Peter is continuing to try to figure out why he is here… God is leading Him to begin the Pentecost of the Gentiles. But Peter has no idea this is happening. Even now, he is still figuring it out. That isn’t a slight to him so much is it a testament to the fact that our God goes before all of His witnesses when He sends them out. He providentially leads them to find those whom He has called out and to preach the gospel to them. God goes with His people to reach His people. So once again, the message for us is clear. No matter how enthusiastic or engaging, no matter how successful an evangelist or pastor may be… we must never be tempted to follow mere men. For Christ alone is worthy of worship and following. Men are merely tools in His hands to accomplish His purposes. And if many have come to faith because of the ministry of a man – that is not a testament to the man, but to the God he serves. Transition: [Slide 15(blank)] The gospel goes forward not because of great men, but because of a Great God. And from the lips of Cornelius, we have one more point that proves such a truth over again. What does this not yet believer say about God’s work in this whole situation? III.) God presides over His messengers when they preach His gospel, so we must follow Christ alone. (30-33) a. [Slide 16] 30 – Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me, i. The wording of this is grammatically clunky in the Greek. It is because of this that the NIV determines that Cornelius is talking about 3 days ago. But it is literally the only version of the bible in English that translates the Greek word as three instead of 4. ii. Four is certainly correct. The NIV goes out on a limb here but unfortunately it falls from the tree. iii. But perhaps we can give it a pass since the Greek grammar does make this passage very difficult to know exactly what Cornelius is trying to say. iv. The favorite among scholars seems to be “Four days ago to the very minute, he was praying at 3pm which is when an angel appeared to him.” v. He tells Peter what he saw and now he will tell Peter what he was told. b. [Slide 17] 31 - And said, “Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner who lives by the sea.” i. Again, Cornelius omits the detail that the angel told him that Peter was going to bring a message. ii. While it seems odd that Cornelius would omit this detail from his account, we will find out shortly that he certainly expected to receive teaching from Peter based on what the angel said to him. c. [Slide 18] 33 – So, I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. i. Cornelius obeyed the message of the angel but recognized the sacrifice Peter made in coming. ii. This is a Greek Idiom. iii. The NIV does well in its translation here. Other translations have “It was a great kindness of you to come.” Or something to that effect. d. [Slide 19] Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” i. Again, it is assumed that Peter will have a message to bring. ii. This is certainly what Cornelius understood from the angel’s message. iii. He now eagerly desires to hear what Peter has been instructed to say from the Lord. iv. He and all those who are present. v. Notice… he says that they are all in the presence of God. vi. Cornelius assumes that since this is the culmination of all that the angel who was sent by God had commanded him to do, that God must be present for what is about to happen. vii. This heightens the importance of the event to be sure. e. [Slide 20] Summary of the Point: In the first point we saw how Christ alone is worthy of worship and obedience and in the second point we saw how even great apostles like Peter needed the Lord’s providential guidance to find those whom the Lord is calling to Himself. And now in this final point we see that Cornelius’ inference is sound. If God has providentially led Peter to be here, then God must be presiding over the coming presentation of the gospel to him and his family and friends. And my friends it is no logical leap for us to assume a principle here, based on the providence and omnipresence of God. What is that principle? That God always presides over His witnesses as they share His gospel. So once again we draw the conclusion… if God presides over our witness, then He alone is worthy to be followed and obeyed. No mere man can inherit such loyalty. Any man who has any success in seeing souls saved, must admit the fact that were it not for the power, providence, love, presence, and faithfulness of God they would be fruitless in their harvest. He is, after all, the Lord of the harvest. He alone gets the increase. We are merely the workers. Conclusion: So CBC, how does this text apply to us today? What have we learned from all this? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 21] In other religions, cults, and heresies, the human elements of the religion are often granted equal or comparable honor, respect, and even worship as the god or gods they serve. All false faiths have this in common. Human agents within the faith are given varying degrees of heightened honor and prestige and usually there is one human at the top above all the rest. In this scene of this episode, we see that Christianity is not like any of these. Peter says, I am just a man. Stand up. Peter admits that he needed to be taught or re-taught something in order to ensure that he did what God wanted him to do. And Cornelius confesses that although Peter will give the message, it is ultimately being presided over by God Himself. All this comes together to prove to us beyond shadow of doubt that only God the triune is worthy of worship and reverence. His human agents do not inherit varying degrees of reverence or awe no matter how close they were to Him. And that He is the One shepherding the activity of His people no matter how “successful” it seems that His people are in their efforts. This whole passage is a HUGE pride shot to the church and its leaders. Christ is the head of His church and there is no other. There is no vice-head. There is no second in command. There is no viceroy, no vicar, no advisor, no confidant, no consort, no right hand. It is His church that He builds, preserves, expands, and achieves victory through. No mere man deserves honor, credit, respect, or any reverential awe for what they have accomplished for the church because ultimately, they would do nothing without Christ! They would be nothing without Christ. Let us then improve upon this point in some more practical ways. 1.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God alone deserves worship and reverence. a. My friends if someone takes a bible and throws it in the garbage can, although that may grate on our sensibilities, it is no direct affront to God, for God’s word stands forever regardless of what men may do to one specific copy of it. b. If someone spits on the image of Peter or Paul, burns an illustration of Jesus or throws out the crackers and grape juice after the Lord’s Supper - no damage is done to the honor of God. No worship is denied Him. No blasphemy is committed. c. If someone criticizes me or another Elder in our church or says many choice things against us, there is no affront to the Holy character of God in this. d. As Spurgeon said, “Brother, if any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him, for you are worse than he thinks you to be.” e. None of these amount to blasphemy. Why? Because none of these are an attack on the Holy character of God. f. By negative example I hope to prove to you that God alone is to be worshipped and revered in awe. g. God alone is to be honored. There shall be no other gods before Him. You shall make for yourself no graven images to represent Him nor shall you make any graven images to represent any created thing. h. My friends, though God is not blasphemed in the ill treatment of things that are His, God is blasphemed in the reverential awe and worship of things that are His. i. You cannot worship God and His people. You cannot worship God and Church Fathers. You cannot worship God and… anything. j. Anything that is not God must be treated as yet another created thing. k. And that leads us to a further point that develops out of this. 2.) [Slide 23] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that any created being should inherit any reverential awe or worship. a. My friends I am convinced that if Peter, Paul, John, Mary the mother of Jesus, or any other individual connected to Jesus Christ were to be among us again today and would see churches with their names on it, churches with their images in it, believers praying to them, or addressing them and venerating them in any way – they would say the exact same thing Peter said to Cornelius right here. b. Stand up! I am a human like you! c. The veneration of any created being is nothing short of a violation of the first and second command of the decalogue to not worship anything but God or to worship anything that has been created. d. The practice of worshipping icons, praying to saints, confessing sin to priests, is all repudiated in Peter’s response right here! e. To refer to someone as the vicar of Christ, the representative of Christ on earth, is a blasphemy of the first order. For Christ has neither asked for nor does He need a representative for Himself on earth. He is the head of the church right now as He sits at the right hand of God. f. No man or woman deserves to be worshipped, honored, or venerated regardless of who they are or what they have done for the kingdom of God. g. Why? h. God alone is worthy of worship. He is a jealous God. He will not yield his glory to another or His praise to idols. (Isaiah 42:8) 3.) [Slide 24] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must be diligent to reflect and divert all praise and honor to God and God alone. a. I am reading George Whitefield’s biography which has been absolutely excellent so far. b. George Whitefield was the founder of the Methodist movement in London and was God’s chosen instrument to spear head the First Great Awakening in England and the USA. c. From early on in his ministry, through his journals, it became quite apparent that he dreaded the success of his ministry. d. He dreaded it because of the unique temptations that it brought to receive praise and honor for its success. e. My friends, if you are in a position of teaching, of authority, of ministry, of mentor and are training people in the truth of God and His ways – we must be so careful of accolades. f. Surely insults are detrimental, but accolades can send us to hell. g. I won’t produce a list today, but an untold multitude of well-started men in ministry have succumbed to the honeyed words of well-meaning admirers. h. Before they are aware of it, it became a drug fueling their passions. They desired it like oxygen. They had to hear the approval of men. To the extent that they lived for it. They thrived on it. And thus, they were brought to heel by it. They were controlled. And many have fallen away and denied the faith. i. Watch and take a lesson from the angels of God. They come and when someone falls down before them, they tell them what? Don’t be afraid… and then what? Arise. Do not worship me. I am not God. j. If the elect angels, these mighty spirit beings, refuse to receive worship and reverence from humans – why should we as humans think it right to receive reverence from humans? k. Be in the habit of reflecting, deflecting, deviating, disarming and controlling all misfired praise in your direction and turn it to God who alone is worthy of it. l. You teach so well! “Thank you! Praise the Lord He has used me to help you learn.” m. You are so kind and compassionate! “Thank you for such kind words and Praise the Lord that He has taught this to me by word and deed.” n. You are such a servant! “I am overjoyed to hear it. Praise the Lord who has given me strength enough to serve.” o. You are such a good Christian! “I am so glad you think so - I only hope to cast such crowns at His feet.” p. Not feigned humility but fearful deviation of praise. For you and I are unworthy of it. And to harbor it, even for a moment, is to handle something that could take our eternal lives. q. Our God is a jealous God. He will give His glory to no one. r. We must be in the habit of remembering that we are nothing without Him. Any talent, ability, or good deed we do is only because He was with us and enabled us to do it. s. In all we do we must continue to remind those who compliment us – that we are but men and women. We are mere humans. There is nothing worthy of gazing upon here. Gaze upon the Son. And Him Alone. 4.) [Slide 25] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop giving reverential awe to men for their achievements in Christ’s church! a. Understand that by this I do not mean that the person on the other side of the compliment must cease their compliment. b. For it is not wrong to pay a compliment to a faithful worker in the Lord’s Service. c. But my friends, we must be so very careful to not give special or preferential respect to mere men. d. If you find yourself quoting, listening to, or admiring one man’s teaching or ministry to the extent that he far exceeds all others – be so very careful my friends. He is but a man. And no man is worthy of such devotion, loyalty or honor. e. If there is a man to whom you never disagree, such a man could be a stumbling block to your faithful worship of God alone. f. There is a reason that cults and false religions always have a human agent that they revere above all. It is because we sinners desire to worship something we can see. Something we can touch. Something we can perceive. g. The children of Israel not long after leaving Egypt and all their pagan gods, melted down gold and made a golden calf to worship. h. And lest we think those in Christ are beyond such idolatry… i. Paul said that the Corinthians were saying, “I am of Paul; I am of Apollos, or (the super spiritual) I am of Christ.” And all the while they divided themselves over their human allegiances. Who should they venerate most? j. My friends, worship God alone. No minister, no church leader, no movement maker, no church planter, no trend setter, no mover and shaker, no influencer, no apostle, no prophet, no pastor and no elder has ever done what they have done without God’s power and passion infused into their lives. k. And although we can appreciate and thank the Lord for such men and women who give us encouragement and have blessed us immeasurably… we would do well to recognize that they too are nothing without Christ. That Christ has used them and that HE ALONE deserves honor and praise for what the human agent has done. l. That with or without them – God would have done the work. m. This brings us, to a lesser degree, to what the proper attitude toward spiritual leadership should be. n. How should you treat your Elders CBC? o. The bible says to submit to and pray for us. To honor us. p. But I remind you, we are mere men. Fellow sheep. q. We watch out for your souls but we are not perfect. We are not the vicar of Christ. No man can be. We are not Christ’s representative, we are merely His stewards, slaves appointed to care for what is His until He returns. r. You should respect what your Elders say. It should weigh heavy on you. If it is from the scriptures, it should bind you. But we, each of us, sin every single day. s. Don’t pray THROUGH us or TO us! Why? Because we need you to pray FOR us. t. We are servant leaders, not divine representatives. And there is a big difference. 5.) [Slide 26] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God does not leave the fate of something as precious as His church to mere men. a. Oh what glorious truth! b. For if it were left to us – we would have made mincemeat of His church long ago. c. Indeed, a cursory look at the history of the church would prove exactly that. We go back and see the battles against heresy, the dark ages, the corruptions, the abuses, the reformation, the subsequent splintering and dividing and we might be tempted in this to assume… ah see – men have run it into the ground. d. But do not believe it. God presides over His church my friends. e. God has not handed the fate of His church to mere men. He has given the headship of His church to The Son. And the Son has sent the Spirit into all true believers guiding them into all truth. f. He will build His church. g. He may have given us the ship’s wheel, but He alone provides the wind. May we steer into His course for us. And find comfort and hope that He will not allow His church to fail. Let me close with a prayer from the Apostolic Constitutions, an 8-volume work written in the late 300s primarily for clergy which included many orders of worship including this prayer. You alone are the Almighty One. Your eternal power quenches flames, holds back lions, and tames whales. It raises up the sick and overrules the power of all things. It overturns every enemy and brings low the arrogant. You are the one who is present in heaven, on earth, in the sea, but you yourself are confined by nothing. Your majesty has no boundary. As your servant said, "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other" (Deuteronomy 4:39). For there is no God besides you alone, there is none holy besides you, the Lord, the God of knowledge, the God of the saints, holy above all holy beings, who are sanctified by your hands. You are glorious and highly exalted, invisible by nature, unsearchable in your judgments. Your life is without want, and your duration can never alter or fail. You do everything without toil. Your greatness is unlimited. Your excellency is perpetual. Your habitation is inaccessible and your dwelling unchangeable. Your knowledge is without beginning. Your truth cannot change and you require no help. Your dominion cannot be taken away and your monarchy will never have a successor: Your kingdom is without end, your strength is irresistible, and your army so numerous. You are the Father of wisdom, the creator of the creation by a mediator who is also the cause. The bestower of providence, the giver of laws, the supplier of want, the punisher of the ungodly, and the rewarder of the righteous. You are the God and Father of Christ, the Lord of those devoted to him. Your promise never fails, your judgments never take a bribe. Your attitude never changes, and your holiness never ceases. Our thanksgiving will never end. Let every creature adore you, for you [alone] are worthy. We pray this in Jesus name… Amen. Benediction: May you sing the glorious praises of your God through all your days; May you put no confidence in princes nor for help on man depend; That the Lord who gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak, Make you run and not grow faint, make you to walk and not fall. Until we meet again… go in peace.