Union Church

Hebrews 7:1-10 - A Different Kind of High Priest

Listen along as Mike Gaston continues our series through the book of Hebrews.

Notes//Quotes:

Slides Hebrews 7:1-10

 

Slide 1

 

“The author of Hebrews was trying to convince people that a religious system of sacrifices, rituals and rules that had been in place for over 1400 years had now been replaced by a better way. He focusses on the supremacy of Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of all that had been written by the Jewish prophets. He introduces a theme that is only treated in the book of Hebrews, that Jesus is our High Priest.”

Steven Cole

 

 

Slide 2 (Big Idea and outline on the same slide)

 

Big Idea

 

God’s plan is incredibly detailed, and it all leads to King Jesus, our great High Priest.

 

Outline

The Mysterious Person of Melchizedek (7:1-3)

The Superior Priesthood of Melchizedek (7:4-10)

 

 

Slide 3

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,

 

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

    Possessor of heaven and earth;

 and blessed be God Most High,

    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

 

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 

 

Genesis 14:17-20

 

 

Slide 4 (Please divide up the verses on the screen)

 

1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 

 

2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

 

3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

 

Hebrews 7:1-3

 

 

Slide 5 (the attribution of this quote is purposefully left out)

 

“Abram shows due respect to Melchizedek, but there is no sense of awe or wonder at his appearance on the part of either Abram or the King of Sodom. They merely go about their business, giving no indication that Melchizedek was at all mysterious to them. It is a mistake to attempt to place this mystery back into the context on the basis of one questionable passage. Again, an ironclad case would be needed to support this, and that case does not exist.

 

Interestingly enough, this author came into the research open-minded, but leaning toward Melchizedek being a preincarnate (appearance of) Christ due to past teaching. While he still sees this as a viable option, research has swayed him. The view that Melchizedek was a man, King of Jerusalem, and priest of Yahweh, appears to be the scripturally correct identification.”

 

 

Slide 6

 

“What is typology? In essence, it is the way that God used history to bring His promises to life. God’s plan of redemption, brought to its fullness in the work of Christ, was not carried through history by the words of prophecy alone. Rather, it touched down in the experience of God’s people as particular individuals and events illustrated the promises of God…. More specifically, the person and work of Jesus Christ was imprinted on the history that led to His incarnation. People and events in Israel’s history offered prophetic glimpses of the coming Savior and His work, reassuring them of the promise of His coming.”

C. J. Williams

 

 

Slide 7

 

“Melchizedek appears in history with no record of a genealogy or ancestral line, no record of his birth, and no record of his death. The point is, Melchizedek appears to transcend earthly existence; this makes him a type of Christ, who truly does transcend earthly existence as the eternal King-Priest who has no predecessor and no successor in His high office.”

 

S. Michael Houdmann

 

 

Slide 8

 

Abraham > Levi and the Levitical Priesthood

Melchizedek > Abraham

 Melchizedek > Levi and the Levitical priesthood

 

Slide 9

“But the patriarch gave up a tenth of the spoils, thus implicitly acknowledging the superior place of Melchizedek. And Melchizedek proceeded to bless Abraham, accepting the implied superiority. The situation is clear to all parties. There is no need to spell it out. And the author is simply drawing attention to what the narrative clearly implies when he brings out the superior status of Melchizedek. Even when Abraham is seen as the one “who had the promises,” Melchizedek is superior.”

Leon Morris

 

Slide 10

 

Big Idea

 

God’s plan is incredibly detailed, and it all leads to King Jesus, our great High Priest.

 

Hebrews 6:13-20 - The Anchor

Hebrews 6:13-20 - Faith

 

“central to the plot and storyline of Scripture are a series of covenants between God and his creation, especially with humans as deputies and stewards of his world.” - Peter J. Gentry

 

5 “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” 

Genesis 15:5&6

 

“Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram…

Genesis 15:9-18

 

“Picturing God passing through that gory path between the carcasses of animals, imagining the blood splashing as he walked, helps us to recognize the faithfulness of God’s commitment. He was willing to express, in terms his chosen people could understand, that he would never fail to do what he promised. And he ultimately fulfilled his promise by giving his own life, his own blood, on the cross.

Because we look at God’s dealings with Abraham as some remote piece of history in a far-off-land, we often fail to realize that we, too, are part of a long line of people with whom God made a covenant on that rocky plain near Hebron. And like those who came before us, we have broken that covenant. 

When he walked in the dust of the desert and through the blood of the animals Abraham had slaughtered, God was making a promise to all the descendants of Abraham—to everyone in the household of faith. When God splashed through the the blood, he did it for us.

We’re not simply individuals in relationship to God, we’re part of a long line of people marching back through history, from our famous Jewish ancestor David, Hezekiah, and Peter to the millions of unknown believers; from the ancient Israelites and the Jewish people of Jesus’ day to the Christian community dating from the early church. We’re part of a community of people with whom God established relationship in the dust and sand of the Negev. 

But there’s more. When God made covenant with his people, he did something no human being would even have considered doing. In the usual blood covenant, each party was responsible for keeping only his side of the promise. When God made covenant with Abraham, however, he promised to keep both sides of the agreement. 

“If this covenant is broken, Abraham, for whatever reason—for My faithfulness or yours—I will pay the price,” said God. “If you or your descendants, for whom you are making this covenant, fail to keep it, I will pay the price in blood.”

And at that moment, Almighty God pronounced the death sentence on his Son Jesus.”

- Ray Vänder Laan

 

“What he’s going to say, more fully, in the passages to come is that Jesus has gone in, not into the earthly Temple in Jerusalem, but into the true sanctuary, the world of heaven itself, right into the innermost courts and into the very presence of the loving father. And he has gone there on our behalf. We are attached to him as though by a great metal cable. He is there, in the very presence of God, like an anchor.” 

 — N.T. Wright

 

15

As for man, his days are like grass;
    he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.

17 

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children's children,

18 

to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.

19 

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:15-19

 

Hebrews 5:11-6:12 - Hard Words and a Way Forward

Listen along as we continue our journey through the book of Hebrews.

Notes // Quotes 

Hebrews 5:11-6:8 - Faith

Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Lincoln Picture

“What the writer here longs for is that people should become proficient in understanding and using the entire message of God’s healing, restoring, saving justice. He wants them to know their way around the whole message of scripture and of the gospel, to be able to handle this message in relation to their own lives, their communities and the wider world, and to see how all the different parts of God’s revelation fit together, apply to different situations and have the power to transform lives and situations.” - NT Wright

“It’s far easier to go to church once a week chasing a spiritual high and angle for a download from heaven than to do the daily, unglamorous work of discipleship.” - John Mark Comer

The assertion here must be considered in light of the broader context of Hebrews. In 6:1 the author has identified “repentance” as foundational in Christian teaching. In the view of the author of Hebrews true repentance can be experienced only in the shadow of Christ’s sacrifice, since there exists no other valid sacrifice for sin (10:18, 26). In the Jewish literature of the day, repentance was God’s gift, and Hebrews has taken that thought as specifically incarnated in the person and work of the Son of God. Repentance in 6:4–6 is “impossible” because there is nowhere else to go for repentance once one has rejected Christ. The apostate in effect has turned his or her back on the only means available for forgiveness before God. - George Guthrie

Matthew 13:24-30

“Everyday moments of epiphany are bestowed on everyone. Our role is to simply learn to pay attention. It is remarkable how often the parables handed down to us from Jesus end with the words: “Consider carefully how you listen,” and “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” - Martin Schleske

 

Hebrews 5:1-10 - The Best High Priest

Listen along as Mike Gaston continues our journey through the book of Hebrews.

Notes//Quotes:

Hebrews 5:1-10 - Linda B

 

Slide 1

 

Big Idea

Jesus our High Priest understands our lives, mediates between us and God, 

and provides eternal salvation.

 

 

Slide 2

 

Phases of God’s Program to Restore His Creation

 

God dwells with His sinful people

God walks among His sinful people

God lives in His redeemed people (YOU ARE HERE)

God lives with, among, and in His glorified people

 

Slide 3 (and maybe 4)

 

“If you were an Israelite living under the old covenant, and you did not belong to the tribe of Levi, ninety feet is as close as you would ever get to the presence of God in the Holy of Holies.

God had fulfilled his promise to dwell among his people, but his holiness demanded separation. He was near, yet guarded; present, yet veiled; inviting, yet intimidating. The mere presence of the temple revealed God’s desire to be near his people. But everything about the temple said, “You dare not approach me on your own.”

 

The cherubim that once flashed a flaming sword at the entrance to Eden now blocked the way to the Holy of Holies. Any who broke through the barrier would fall before the consuming fire of Sinai. Safer for a man to walk on the sun than a sinner to stand unshielded before God.

 

Every day, the temple preached a silent sermon to any who had ears to hear: You need a mediator to make atonement. You need an advocate to intercede. You need a priest to make a way.”

Scott Hubbard

Slide 4/5

 

“And in the first century, as he laid his hand on the head of the animal, he would say ‘O God, I have committed iniquity and transgressed and sinned before thee, I and my house and the children of Aaron, thy holy people. O God, forgive, I pray, the iniquities and transgressions and sins which I have committed and transgressed and sinned before thee, I and my house.’ Only then was he able to minister on behalf of the people.”

 

Leon Morris

 

Slide 5/6

 

““This is what his training involved: learning to submit his natural desires to his Father’s will, even when it meant pain and hardship and self-denial—as it often did. And this is why he prayed with loud cries and tears. It wasn’t an act—he wasn’t faking. He prayed with loud cries and tears because the prospect of drinking the bitter cup put a terrible strain on his human nature.

Further, for this holiest man who ever lived, the prospect of sinning would’ve been more loathsome than sinners like us could ever imagine. It’s we who can’t understand his temptations. As C. S. Lewis noted, Christ, as “the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means.”

Justin Dillehay

 

Slide 6/7

 

“His Sonship was perfect, and therefore raises the problem why he needed to learn obedience at all. Here we are faced with the mystery of the nature of Christ. In considering the divine Son it may be difficult to attach any meaning to the learning process (he learned obedience), but in thinking of the Son as perfect man it becomes at once intelligible. When Luke says that Jesus advanced in learning (2:52), he means that by a progressive process he showed by his obedience to the Father’s will a continuous making of God’s will his own, reaching its climax in his approach to death. The cry of acceptance in the Garden of Gethsemane was the concluding evidence of the Son’s obedience to the Father. No one will deny that there is deep mystery here, but the fact of it makes our high priest’s understanding of us unquestionably more real.”

 

Donald Guthrie

 

Slide 7/8

 

Big Idea

Jesus our High Priest understands our lives, mediates between us and God, 

and provides eternal salvation.

 

Hebrews 4:14-16 - Real Help for Real Life

Listen along as we continue our series through the book of Hebrews.

Notes//Quotes:

Hebrews 4:14-16 - Mike

Heb 4:14-16

1 Tim 3:16

“As I reflect on Jesus’ temptations … I realize they centered on his reason for coming to earth, his “style” of working. Satan was, in effect, dangling before Jesus a speeded-up way of accomplishing his mission. He could win over the crowds by creating food on demand and then take control of the kingdoms of the world, all the while protecting himself from danger” - Philip Yancey

AFTER CENTURIES of handling and mishandling, most religious words have become so shopworn nobody's much interested anymore. Not so with grace, for some reason. Mysteriously, even derivatives like gracious and graceful still have some of the bloom left.   Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth.   A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. Have you ever tried to love somebody?   A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you." There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it.   Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too. Frederick Buechner

I wrote a book on grace, and grace is a free gift, but to receive the gift you have to have your hands open. And a lot of people don’t have their hands open, there’s something they’re grasping because there’s a lot of things to grasp in a prosperous country.” – Philip Yancey

"aid rendered to someone who is miserable or needy, especially someone who is either in debt or without claim to favorable treatment.” - Dictionary of Biblical Imagery

"Mercy is kindness exercised towards the miserable, and includes pity, compassion, forbearance, and gentleness, which the Scriptures so abundantly ascribe to God.”
Charles Hodge

Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. God's saving love in Christ, however, is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us. The merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance moves us to cling to and rest in God's mercy and grace. - Tim Keller

Hebrews 4:1-13 - Rest

Listen along as we continue our journey through the book of Hebrews.

Notes//Quotes:

Hebrews 4:1-13 - Kim
Title: Rest

“Our author is intent on demonstrating the possibility, with the hope that in doing so he will prevent its becoming a reality, that within the community of faith there may be hypocrites or defectors whose position is one of unbelief rather than faith. Any such, of course, do not truly belong to the church, except in a formal and external sense, and the rest that is promised does not pertain to them.” - R. Kent Hughes

“appears to have coined the word from the verb form sabbatizein, which means “to celebrate the Sabbath with praise.” Sabbatismos, therefore, may suggest the festive joy surrounding a celebration of the Sabbath, in which one joins in praise and adoration of God. Thus, the author joins the concept of “rest” to the concept of “Sabbath,” based upon his exegesis (interpretation) of the Old Testament.” - George Guthrie

“The Lord say to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.… It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves.” (Lev. 23:26–28, 32)

“Living & Active: The former adjective stands at the head of the verse, perhaps for emphasis, and asserts that that word, rather than being outdated, a “dead” speech-act of a bygone era, still exists as a dynamic force with which one must reckon. “Active” proclaims the word as effective in carrying out God’s intentions. The same word that at creation set the elements of the cosmos to their appointed tasks and still governs the universe toward God’s desired intentions (1:2–3), has the ability to effect change in people. It is not static and passive but dynamic, interactive, and transforming as it interfaces with the people of God.”  
-  George Guthrie

Question:
What if I did actually spend a full seventh of my life embracing this rhythm living for a different priority? Who would I be if I knew actually how to rest in the finished work of Christ?

 

Hebrews 3:7-19 - Warning and a Way

Listen along as we continue our journey through the letter of Hebrews.

Notes//Quotes:

Hebrews 3:7-18 - Josh Reading

The warnings show how unbelief erodes both inner and communal life.

The author gives the way to a life of equilibrium and sharing in Christ.

Romans 8:9: You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
Romans 8:17: Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 11:22: Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that [lit., if] you continue in his kindness.
2 Corinthians 13:5b: Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
Colossians 1:22–23: But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

“The author of Hebrews cannot give unqualified assurance to those drifting away from God that they indeed have a part in God’s house or are sharers in Christ. He addresses them collectively as believers, but realizes that some in the group may manifest a different reality as time goes on (They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 1 John 2:19) Perseverance does not gain salvation but demonstrates the reality that true salvation indeed has been inaugurated. If the end comes and a person is not in relationship with Christ, it means that the person had never truly become Christ’s companion” - George Guthrie 

Hebrews 3:1-6 - Hold Fast

Listen along as we continue our series through the book of Hebrews.

Notes//Quotes:

Hebrews 3:1-6 (Chris)
Title: Hold Fast

“doesn’t merely talk about where our calling originated or where our calling is taking us. It also describes the quality of our existence; the kind of person we are designed to be. Our lives now and forevermore are to be characterized by the values of heaven; energized by the power of heaven; shaped by the beauty of heaven. We are to live now, on earth, heavenly lives.” — Sam Storms

“Although Abraham and David and Isaiah and Daniel are critically important figures in the OT, none is greater than Moses. He was truly a national hero and “the architect of Israel’s corporate life” — R. T. France

“…If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord…” —Numbers 12:6-8

List:
(1) Whereas both Moses and Jesus were “faithful” to God, only Jesus was altogether obedient and never sinned or disobeyed.

(2) Moses was faithful in God’s house, whereas Jesus built it!

(3) Moses was faithful as a servant of God, but Jesus is the Son!

“He does not say that if you fail to hold fast your confidence this means you once had it but later lost it. Rather, if you fail to hold it, it means you never had it at all. If someone does not hold firmly to the end of this “faith” or “confidence” that he/she claims to have put in Christ, this reveals that they never truly and sincerely shared in Christ in the first place.” — Sam Storms

 

 

Hebrews 2:1-18 - Perspective and High Priest

Listen along as we continue our series through the book of Hebrews.

Notes//Quotes:

Hebrews 2:1-18 - Chris

"Love does not mean the abandonment of justice and right; nor is it a sentimental benevolence which does not have the capacity for holy wrath.” George Ladd

“Pay attention to what you pay attention to.”
“The most basic form of love is attention”
“What you pay attention to expands”

Phil 2:5-8

“The drive for autonomous living—to control my own life and destiny—runs counter to Christian commitment. For the autonomous self the premier question is not “What do I owe to God or this community?” but “What can this God and community do to help me in my pursuit of self-actualization?” In other words, as long as God and the community are useful in helping me “get and keep it all together,” I will participate. When that ceases to happen or my autonomy is threatened by these relationships, I will drift elsewhere” - George Guthrie 

 

Jesus, Savior, pilot me,
Over life's tempestuous sea:
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rocks and treach'rous shoal;
Chart and compass come from Thee–
Jesus, Savior, pilot me!

As a mother stills her child,
Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boist'rous waves obey Thy will
When Thou say'st to them, "Be still!"
Wondrous Sov'reign of the sea,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me!

When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
'Twixt me and the peaceful rest–
Then, while leaning on Thy breast,
May I hear Thee say to me,
"Fear not– I will pilot thee!”
Edward Hopper 

Hebrews 1:1-14 - Is He Worthy?

Listen along as we begin our journey through the book of Hebrews.

Notes//Quotes:

Hebrews 1:1-14 - Kim

“(1) Whereas pastors in the Christian communities were normally referred to as “elders” or “overseers,” in Hebrews alone among the New Testament documents they are called “leaders” (hegoumenoi) (13:7, 17, 24). Outside the New Testament this designation for church leadership occurs in two early Christian documents, 1st Clement and The Shepherd of Hermas, both of which we know to have been associated with the church at Rome.(2) First Clement, a pastoral letter written from Clement of Rome to the church at Corinth sometime around the end of the first century, demonstrates extensive use of Hebrews. One section in particular (36:1–6) shows direct literary dependence on the book, and the rest of the document bears the marks of Hebrews’ influence. Therefore, the earliest evidence of Hebrews’ use in the ancient church locates the document in Rome.” - George Guthrie

“32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” (Heb. 10:32-34)

“God’s Son—heir, agent of creation, sustainer of the universe, Savior, and sovereign—who now sits at the right hand of God… in 1:1-4 we find no fewer than ten weighty topics, which span from heaven to earth and from eternity past to eternity future. The list of themes reads like part of the table of contents in a systematic theology textbook! How can we focus our application when we are confronted with so much substance in such a short space?”  - George Guthrie

"The story of divine revelation is a story of progression up to Christ. But there is no progression beyond Him."
- F.F. Bruce

"Just as the Spirit of God in this passage invites all to come as far as Christ, so He forbids them to overstep this last word of which He makes mention.”
- John Calvin

“There have been many attempts made by the fathers of the Church to explain the relationship between the two Divine Persons, the Father and the Son; but the explanations had better never have been given, fro the figures used are liable to lead into mistake. Suffice it for us to say that, in the most appropriate language of the Nicene Creed, Christ is “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God.” He is co-equal with the Father; though how that is, we know not. He stands in the nearest possible relationship to the Father, — a relationship of intense love and delight, so that the Father says of him, “This is my beloved Son.””
- Charles Spurgeon

“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” - C.S. Lewis

Dear God, thank You for speaking to us in the Bible, the writings of prophets, who wrote in so many different ways over such a long period of time that we have good reasons to believe in Your absolute truthfulness and faithfulness.

Father, we especially thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, through whom You made all things. Through Your Son, O God, You have spoken to us truly in the Bible and through creation. We thank You that in addition to speaking and demonstrating Your will and way of life for us, that Jesus died so You could forgive us and purify us in spite of our sins. We thank You Father that Jesus sits at Your right hand and always intercedes for Your people.

Oh God, we thank You for the angels who watch over us as Your servants, and we praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He is far superior to the angels, for He is Your Son. Indeed, all the angels worship Jesus and so do we, Your children, because He is worthy of our adoration and praise.

Lord Jesus, thank You were sitting on the throne of God, for indeed You are God. Unlike the leaders of this world, You rule with justice and righteousness. Indeed, we pray for You to come again quickly and visibly display Your just rule over all in the Kingdom of God. Amen
— How God Teaches Us to Pray: Lessons from the Lives of Francis and Edith Schaeffer