Matthew 2:7-23 (#5.2021.04.11)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there will be a link to the episode website at beholdingbibletruth.com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:47

Well, when you think about something you are hoping for, praying for, trusting for the Lord. Put that down. What are you hoping and expecting God to do? Very top of your sheep, what are you hoping, expecting God to do these days? I have some if you don't have enough. If you can't think of something you're hoping God to do, I can fill in that blank. Think about it. What are you hoping? What are you expecting god to do these days? Guessing for most of you, something came up really quickly. Would it be also fair to say that along with what you're expecting God to do that you have a game plan for how it should happen? As well as the timeline on on when it should occur. So along with our prayer request, we often submit the the blueprint, the game plan to God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:41

This is how I'm expecting you to bring it about. So we not only have an expectation in terms of the result, but we have an expectation in terms of how he brings it about. And what's interesting is he rarely, if ever, brings it about in the way that we expect. So here we are at the beginning of, the journey of, of the Lord Jesus in the book of Matthew, looking at it from the standpoint of seeing how he has shown himself in the book as the sovereign king as the sovereign king. So in these first four chapters, we're looking at how he is proving himself to be the sovereign king. So today, we're gonna read from, Matthew, 2, which is where we are from the New American Standard, from verse 12 to the end of the chapter verse 23. If you would stand as I read in reverence to God and his word. In verse 11, it says, and and and coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:48

They fell to the ground and worshiped him. Then opening their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the Magi left for their own country by another way. Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is gonna search for the child to destroy him. So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother while he it was still night, and he left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the lord through the prophet, out of Egypt I called my son.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:35

Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the Magi, he became very enraged. He sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity from 2 years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the Magi. Then what had been spoken through the prophet, Jeremiah, was fulfilled. A voice was heard in Ramah weeping in great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted because they were no more. But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in the dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, get up. Take the child and his mother and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead. So Joseph got up. He took the child and his mother, and they came into the land of Israel.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:24

When he'd heard that, Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and he came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fill fulfill what had been spoken through the prophets, he shall be called a Nazarene. The word of the lord. Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen. So if you've been a Christian for a while, you've probably heard this story once.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:09

If you've been a Christian for a long time, you've probably heard this story a lot. And so as we go through here, remember, we're showing the connection between Jesus and his his literally his his legal line through the through his father, Joseph. And so this is pointing out literally the focus was more on Joseph here than it is on Mary who's who's really focused in on in the book of Luke. So if we walk through here, we end where we did last time, which is the, the Magi. And I thought, what's their immediate response when Jesus comes on to the scene, and what's their ongoing response? So if we look at them, the immediate response of the Magi, they saw the star and they came to Jerusalem. And then having been warned by god it says, having been warned by god in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left. They left for their own country. So they see the star, they act.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:14

They're worn by God, and they act. So I put over there, what's the picture? It's faith in action. Faith in action. In Hebrews, it says, without faith, it's impossible to please him. For he who comes to god must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. And so there's a connection for us between what we believe and what we do, an absolute connection. Right? When god leads, we are to act. Right? So it's faith and action.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:49

Faith always has an action component. So we end with the magi, and then all of a sudden, Joseph is awoken by the angel of the Lord. He appears in his dream. So I thought, what did he do at first? Right? He he's awoken by an angel, and he's commanded, and he takes Mary as his wife, which, by the way, would, to me, take a lot of faith to do that. Right? You think about the circumstances, and we talked about this last time. And I thought it was also interesting. It says that he kept her a virgin until she gave birth. So there was a continued ongoing obedience around that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:28

Right? Continued ongoing obedience. Then it says he got up. Right? He did again, here we go. In 13, when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream again and he says, get up and take the child. And what did he do? He got up. He took the child and his mother, underline right? He got up. It says he got up. Literally, the lord woke him up, if you will, spoke to him in a dream.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:56

So he he got up, he took the child, and his mother, underlined, while it was still night. So you ever had the Lord prompt you with urgency? Which is apparently, he prompted them with urgency. He warns them in a dream, and he warns them that it's urgent that he take that he take flight. Now you start to think about that. You wake up in a dream. Right? The Lord speaks. He wakes up. It's time to get up, and we're going to Egypt.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:23

And it's not like you're gonna catch a bus or we're gonna pack the van. Right? We're we're gonna pack up, and we're going to walk to Egypt. And I thought, wow. It takes a lot of faith to get up and to change our circumstances. Right? Isn't it it's isn't it amazing? Here we go again. We're we're we're we're traveling again. So so his continued obedience is stunning to me. And then it says he stayed he stayed in Egypt.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:57

Because the angel told him, you're to remain there. He says in in in verse 13, you're to remain there until when? They're dying. Until I tell you, you're to remain there until further notice. Now, again, the messiah is going to be born to us, and the expectation is what if the messiah is coming? You start to think about that. And now they're in Egypt, we don't know for sure. I mean, there there may be 2 or 3 years. Would you think are we sidelined? Has the plan been changed? Are we out of what is going on? Because because guaranteed, if you're thinking about we are birthing the Messiah, this is not the expectation. We're going to Egypt.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:41

We're in Egypt. What's happening? So maybe I wonder if you're at a place where it seems like maybe you're sidelined, and you wonder what the Lord is doing. Is he still using you? Was he using Joseph and Mary in Egypt? Yes. So sometimes you're gonna wonder, like, what is going on? And he tells us, he was faithful and a little is faithful and much. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. That's one of our favorite verses. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Dwell in the land and cultivate wherever he's put you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:15

Cultivate faithfulness. You wonder what is going on. What is going on? And then it says, right, when Herod had died, verse 19, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream again and says what? Same thing. Get up, except this time take the child and go into the land of Israel. Going back going back to the land of Israel. This has gotta be a good thing. And and Joseph, if you look look at it, verse 21, took the child, his mother came into the land of Israel, and he wanted to go to Judea. He wanted Judea, certainly much more prosperous place.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:02

But after being warned, he came and lived in the city of Nazareth. This is back where we started. Back we start not only back where we started, but, of course, back where everyone knew what was going on. I'd certainly like to reboot in a new place where they didn't know necessarily. Don't know. But he wanted Judea. After being warned, he came and he lived in a city called Nazareth. So we have basically mostly Joseph's, perspective on this.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:39

But if you go over to to Luke, I think the one thing I think the one thing we we we miss, and it's probably a reaction as a Protestant, we tend to downplay Mary's awesome obedience. And I only use that word awesome to the lord mostly, but this is I mean, her obedience in the midst of this is stunning. I should say stunning. Just stunning obedience. Right? So if you look over here, the again, verse 37 of, Luke chapter 1, of course, nothing is impossible for god. Mary says, behold. What's her response? The bond slave of the lord. The bond slave of the lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:23

May it be done to me according to your word. What what a phrase of submission. What a phrase of confidence. What a phrase of trust. Let it be done to you. Not my will, but thine. And then in verse 46, Mary says, my soul exalts the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in god, my savior, He's had regard for the humble state of his bond slave.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:06

For behold, from this time on, all generations will come to me blessed. For the mighty one has done great things for me, and holy is his name. So when god came to her, she did not need to come to know him. She knew who he was. So even though he comes with this supernatural plan, it's not a surprise to her. She knows that he's holy, that he's awesome. His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear him. He's done mighty deeds with his arm.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:43

He's scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones. He has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty handed. He's given help to Israel, his servant, in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and his descendants forever. She knew the promise of God. She knew the character of God. She knew the purposes of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:10

Didn't know them exactly how they were gonna carry out. So when he comes with this supernatural stunning plan, she embraces it. She knows the character of God. On an ongoing basis, I just put Mary Obey. It doesn't it doesn't it doesn't show the, the the, the step by step doesn't talk about the step by step details, but every day, we're now tracking to Egypt. We're now there for 2 or 3 years. Now we're gonna pick up and we're gonna go back. We're gonna live in Judea.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:41

Oh, no. We're gonna go back to Nazareth. So I put on there faith in action, but to me, the 2 of them are pictures for us of settled trust. They have a settled trust in who god is. I would have found a lot to moan about. I would have found a lot to moan about. Amen. Again? I mean, we're we're going to Egypt.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:12

I had a better place back in how's he gonna do this? What's he gonna do? Right? They have a settled trust. Now I know enough from scripture because it's really clear, right, that that we are all sinners. So there's no question there were times of doubt. But at the at the core of that, there was a settled trust, a settled confidence, a settled assurance in who god is and what he means to do and how he means to do it. And the willingness to embrace the fact that he's not gonna do it the way that I've laid out in my blueprint. I faxed it to him. He didn't respond. I have this great plan, Lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:51

Detailed timeline, everything. You don't seem to be following it. I don't understand. Well, the next we see Herod. And what's interesting is if you go back, we looked at this chapter 2 verse 3, it said when when when the king when Herod heard that the king of the Jews was gonna be born, what was his response? He was he was troubled, it says. He was troubled. He was troubled. Now, in verse 16, he feel like he's been tricked and now he is very enraged.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:26

And we looked at him, he is a brutal brutal dictator, including killing his wife and multiple sons as well as multiple other people. So he wants to kill Jesus. He wants to kill the Messiah. And then in the tent, he formulates a plan and he kills every male child under age of 2, Bethlehem and all its vicinity. So I put on there, he's a picture of what? Satan and the world system. Satan and the world system. What do they wanna do with the messiah? I wanna kill him. He's a liar.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:13

He's a murderer from the beginning. World system wants to kill the messiah. Well, there's some other folks in this story as well. There's the chief priest. At the very beginning, they're called in in chapter 2 verse 5, and they say right? They say to him at at verse 4, gathering together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired to them when will the messiah to be born? And they had to answer, they quoted scripture. Right? Then what's their ongoing response? I just put on there, stay tuned. Interested in the messiah? Nope. Quoting the scripture? Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:53

Interested in the Messiah? You search the scriptures, he says in John, because you think that in them you have eternal life, but you're unwilling to come to me that you may have life. So I put on there religious pride. Religious pride. I know the answer, but I'm unwilling to come to the one who is the answer. Because it all points to him. Well, where's the rest of the world? So I put there well, if you go back in chapter 1, what's interesting, verse 3, it says, Herod Herod was troubled and, yeah, all Jerusalem was too. Wait a minute. All Jerusalem was troubled? The Messiah's the Messiah's gonna be born.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:43

All Jerusalem was troubled. Very interesting. So I put what's their ongoing response? I don't know. Blank. They went back to life, I guess. Good stuff to do. I don't know. They're troubled with the messiah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:03

So I put, what's the picture of? Indifference. Indifference to Jesus, messiah. So here's an observation from there. We have Herod, picture of Satan in the world system, chief priest and the scribes, picture of religious pride and picture of indifference. This is the majority of what's around us. So the the Christians are surprised today that the world doesn't embrace us. Hello? This is the picture. The world is the world system is not waiting for the messiah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:42

They're not interested. This is everything from hostile outright, right, to kill the messiah to absolute indifference. So the expectation that we're going to be embraced or received, right, that CNN's gonna say good things about us. So I put on there, what was the expectation when you look through there? What was the the expectation for each of these people? What were they expecting? What were they expecting? A better question is what are you expecting? What are you expecting today? Well, this is a picture for us, for me, for all of us, I think, to see the Lord's sovereignty on display. It's It's the it's the sovereign reality, the king of kings and the lord of lords. It is is sovereignty on display. So sovereignty reminds us that he is super natural. He is other.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:42

He is the creator and the sustainer of all things. So I put on there supernatural guidance and protection. Did he show that ability? Supernatural guidance and protection. Yeah. I know. No. But we're scientific. You don't need to understand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:02

We we believe in the natural. What can be measured and what can be seen. Well, the reality is we've been stewing in that stew, that brine, all of us. Even as believers, it infiltrates what we do. So our our ability to trust, believe in his supernatural power, supernatural guidance and respect over and over. They were warned. Also put on there supernatural prophecy. How many times did you hear in there, this was to fulfill? This was to fulfill.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:40

Supernatural prophecy. And a reminder I love that. That prophecy is less for the proving of god to the world as it is for the strengthening of the confidence of his people. RC Sproul used to say, you know, the the primary point of apologetics is to strengthen the confidence of God's people. Now I put on there his supernatural providence. I love this. Go back to Isaiah 44 and 6 through 8. He says, thus says Yahweh, the king of Israel and his redeemer, Yahweh of hosts, lord of hosts, king of the armies.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:20

Right? I'm the first. I'm the last. There's no god beside me. Who's like me? Let him proclaim and declare it. Who is like me? I love this. Let him recount to me in order from the time that I established the ancient nation, and let him declare to me the things that are coming. Go ahead. So prophecy is just god saying, I have a plan.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:42

Right? I nullify the council of the nations. I frustrate the plans of the people. The council of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation. He says, let him declare the things that are coming, the events that are going to take place. He says, is it is there any god beside me? Is there any other rock? I know of none. In the verse 24, he says, the lord, your redeemer, the one who formed you from the womb. I, the lord, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by myself, spreading out the earth, causing the omens of boasters to fail, and making fools out of diviners, causing wise men to draw back, and turning their knowledge into foolishness. Over to 46, remember this, be assured, he says, for I am god and there is no other.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:31

I am god and there is no one like me declaring the end from the beginning, from the ancient times, things which have not be done. And he says, my purpose will what? Be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure. I planned it, and I will do it. That's why he asked. To whom then will you liken me? He asked in Isaiah, who's like me? And so I remind on there in his providence, right, his guidance, his protection, his prophetic utterance of what he will bring about in his providence, he says in the fullness of time. In the fullness of time, he says in Galatians. In the fullness of time, what happened? The messiah came in the fullness of time. I put this down.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:19

Herod wanted to take Jesus' life. Right? He planned and purposed it for evil. Did it happen? No. Because it wasn't time. Jesus says in in John 10, nobody takes my life. Nobody takes my life. I lay it down. I lay it down.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:42

For this reason, he says in verse 17, the father loves me because I laid down my life so that I may take it up again. No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. Why? I have authority. Providence has as its core authority, sovereignty. I have authority to take it up again. Why? This commandment I received from my father. No one takes Jesus' life. You know that that are not a harrow the not a sparrow falls to the earth without your father's leaving notice.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:21

And he says, if he cares if he cares for the sparrow, he cares for you. And he reminds us that that they meant it for evil. Right? Right out of right out of Genesis 50. They mean it for evil. God means it for good. I don't know what's happening in your life right now. And there may be people who have meant it for evil. How many have had situations where people meant it for evil? Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:47

People meant it they planned it for evil. They purposed it for evil. They carried it out for evil. They executed it for evil. God planned it. God purposed it. God executed it for your good. And that's the core providence.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:00

We must have settled confidence that wherever you are, whatever your situation is, that he is sovereign over it. As we move forward and the world continues to change at a faster and faster rate, god's sovereignty and your trust in his providence is absolutely essential. If you don't if you don't have settled footers in which your feet are firmly established and you don't sink them deeper into his sovereignty and his providence, right, as the winds of change and the rate of change and the reality of change happen. It's it's gonna get scarier. It's absolutely critical as God's people that we have a deep confidence. You look at marrying Joseph, you say, woah. There are pictures. This is settled trust in the sovereignty of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:48

Finally, I put on there, the messiah and king are definitely not what was per expected. Were they? They weren't expecting. The messiah and king would not reign, and he would not rule like they expected. They were caught off guard. Certainly, he's gonna come and overthrow. Right? Certainly, the Messiah is gonna come and overthrow. And we look back at that and go, what was wrong with them? Why didn't they see that messiah? Now, certainly, the lord's gonna show up and he's gonna overturn the election. Certainly, he's gonna show up, and he's gonna take care of all the evils in the world.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:24

Certainly, he's gonna show up, and he's gonna fix racial indiscrimination. Certainly, he's gonna show up, and he's gonna fix all this stuff. How is he gonna do that? I don't know. But I found the Lord doesn't operate like expected. So I put in there, Augustine said, Joseph wished to settle in Jerusalem, deeming it a suitable home for the Messiah. But God judged the despised Galilee, a better training school for the future savior of publicans, sinners, and pagans. Spurgeon said, prophet spoke of Messiah as a great prince and a conqueror when they described his second coming. How many of the people wanted that? They want the great prince, the king.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:10

Where he is? The king of kings. But they set forth his first coming when they spoke of him as a as a root out of a dry out of dry ground without former comeliness, who when he should be seen would have no beauty that men would desire him. This is not the plan I would have carried out. To send to send my son, who would be despised of men, who would be rejected? The prophet said that he would be called by despicable title. What? Who wants to embrace a messiah that's called by a despicable title? It was so, for his countrymen call him a Nazarene. Certainly, he has long been called a Nazarene, a Nazarene. That's how they would say it. Like, Nazarene, both by Jews and violent unbelievers, spitting on the ground in disgust.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:04

Many a time has his fierce adversary hissed out the name Nazarene as if it were the climax. Well, what's interesting let's look at Acts 22. Speaking of plans, Paul had a plan. He was on his way. He had his life planned out. He was working his work, wasn't he? Paul is on his way. It happened as I was on my way, Verse 6 22:6. Approaching Damascus about noontime, the story is about to change because when Jesus shows up, everything changes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:52

Everything changes. It says, he's approaching. A very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me. I fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And I answered, who are you, Lord? What did Jesus say? I am Jesus, the Nazarene. Whom are you persecuting? Whom you are persecuting? I am Jesus the Nazarene, who although existed in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he humbled himself, taking on the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on the cross. Scripture says, cursed is the man who hangs on a tree. Here was here was the Messiah not unwilling to embrace being cursed so that we could be set free.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:57

By his stripes, we are healed. He says, I am the Nazarene. There's a reason I put down there. God is nullifying the things that the world system exalts. God nullifies the things that are exalted by the world system. He's not coming to verify what the world system preaches. He's coming to make it right side up. He took to 1st Corinthians.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:34

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not god made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of god right? I love this. I'll destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I'll set aside. For since in the wisdom of the world, the world, through its wisdom, did not come to know god. God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. Foolishness. Messiah on a cross? Messiah, a Nazarene? What? He says, indeed, Jews seek for signs, Greeks for wisdom. We've reached Christ crucified. Stumbling block.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:21

Yes. A stumbling block. Only reason you see is your eyes have been opened. He commanded light into your dark heart. The only reason you embrace the stumbling block is because he's open your eyes. Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because of the fool the foolishness of God is wiser than men. The weakness of god is stronger than men.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:44

So he says consider your calling. Think about where you were. Not many wise. I was pretty wise. Not many wise, he said, according to the flesh. Oh, I was fairly wise. Not many knowable. God has chosen, what, The foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:01

God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong. The despised. He's chosen the things that are not So that he might nullify the things that are. What's the end purpose? He says, so that. Pay attention to so that. It's a pointer. Here's the reason. So that no man may boast.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:27

At the end of the day, there's no boast. Well, I was a little wiser. I was a little more noble. I wasn't so bad. I was kinda seeking God. I was no. He says, no. No man may boast, But by his doing are you in Christ Jesus.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:41

By his doing, who's become to us our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption. So that just as it is written, let him who boast, what should we boast in? Boast in the lord. Boast in the lord. Recognizing when you raise that flag today, it's not a flag that will be embraced by the world system. It's not. They're not gonna say good things on Facebook about you. If we stand for the lord and we raise his flag, it's not. We're not gonna be embraced.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:11

And and, you know, there's the we don't need to be Jesus said pay attention. You you see the weather signs, pay attention. Is it gonna get better? No. It's not gonna get better. The world's not gonna suddenly wake up and embrace us. They're not waiting for us. So if we just recognize that, we bring light into darkness. He's called it to be the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in the places where we go.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:37

So maybe he has you in Egypt for the moment. I don't know. Be the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him. Dwell in the land. Cultivate faithfulness. Know that he has a plan and a purpose, and his sovereignty reigns. It reigned over Mary and Joseph. It reigned over the Messiah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:55

It reigned over King David. It reigned over Abraham, and we have been grafted into that promise, the great promise that he gave to Abraham. He's blessing the world. The scripture reminds us, God our God blesses us in order that he might bless the world. So we bring his light out into the dark world. Jesus is willing to say, I'm Jesus, the Nazarene. I shed my blood for you. I shed my blood for you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:32

So write down an insight or an application today because it's how he speaks to us. So it's not like I'm I'm carrying out some assignment or, you know, sit with the Lord and let him speak. And if he has something to say, he's this is how he speaks. 99% of the time, this is how he speaks. He speaks in his word through his spirit. You know? And if he needs you to know, he'll let you know. And we can trust that too. We could trust that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:05

And may the god of gods and the lord of lords. May he bless you. May he keep you. May he cause his face to shine upon you. May he grant you his peace. Lift up his countenance, and may you know his sovereignty and providence this week. In Jesus' name.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:21

Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may God bless you and keep you.