“After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
‘Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’
“Once more they cried out,
‘Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.’
“And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’ And from the throne came a voice saying,
‘Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
small and great.’” [1]
“Amen” is an affirmation heard occasionally during worship, even in Canada. I am certain that a case can be made that this affirmation is not heard often enough among worshippers in Canada; nevertheless, it is heard from time-to-time among the faithful. I came to faith in a Texas assembly, and I am privileged to have worshipped with the believers of a black congregation. In that setting, the saints were not hesitant to demonstrate their approval of what the preacher said with vocal affirmation.
I confess that I miss the shouts of hearty affirmation offered in joyful agreement. Whenever I heard a worshipper encourage the preacher by shouting, “Preach it, Brother!” or when a worshipper would exclaim, “Right on!” I knew that they understood what the preacher had said and they were encouraging him to keep on delivering the truth. At other times, a worshipper would simply agree by saying aloud, “Yes, yes!” However, the most common affirmation, even among white Christians, was the exclamation, “Amen!”
Whenever a follower of the Risen Saviour exclaims “Amen,” that believer is saying, “I agree.” Whatever has been said, whatever action has been performed, the one agreeing with that word or with that action is standing with the one speaking or the one taking the action. Amen.
I want to look at our participation in the services of the Lord as worshippers. I am not seeking to turn this congregation into an assembly of Christians whom others might classify as being from some backwater region who are mindlessly chaotic during the services of worship. Neither do I seek to make the services we share so noisy that the message is somehow lost amid the din of people shouting simply because they can shout. I do, however, want us to see the meeting of the congregation as far more than a mere performance that entertains or amuses those witnessing what is done as we share the rituals of the Faith.
Those who attend an operatic performance will sit silently throughout the performance, revealing whatever appreciation they wish to show after the opera has concluded. People attending an orchestral concert are trained to sit silently as the conductor leads his ensemble through the pieces as they have been written. Worship, however, is not a performance to be admired, nor is worship mere entertainment for the audience. Worship of the Living God should not be a performance, but it should be an opportunity for the whole of the gathered people of God to unite as one to glorify the Saviour. This point is too important not to be emphasised—the worship service is not a performance, but it is a shared experience as the people meet God.
Dr. W. A. Criswell, on occasion told of an old farmer who came to one of those oldline churches where the people sit silently and quietly listen to whatever the preacher is saying. As the preacher delivered his message, he made a good point about Jesus. The old farmer just raised his hand and loudly shouted, “Amen!” His exclamation was so out of character for those in attendance at that congregation that the preacher lost his place and was left sputtering in the pulpit as he tried to regain his composure.
Eventually, the preacher gathered his thoughts and found where he had been reading in his manuscript when he was startled, and he began again to deliver what he had prepared. Again, the preacher made a good point about Jesus, and the old farmer shouted, “Hallelujah! Praise God!” The poor preacher was thrown off his game again and struggled to find where he had been and what he had been saying. Clearly, that large congregation was discomfited and distracted by the shouts of that old farmer.
After finding his place, the preacher began again to deliver the message he had prepared, and he again said something good about Jesus. The old farmer simply could not contain himself, and he just lifted his hands in the air and shouted, “Glory to God!”
That was just too much for many who were seated in that vast assembly that day. An usher hurried to where the old farmer was seated, and tapped him on the shoulder. “You can’t do that here,” the usher hissed firmly; “You can’t be shouting like that.”
The old farmer was somewhat aghast that anyone would be offended by his praise, and he explained, “But, I’m just praising Jesus.”
The usher was adamant when he growled, “You have to be quiet; you’re disturbing our preacher.”
The old farmer tried to explain, “But… but,” he sputtered, “I’ve got religion.”
At that, the usher fairly exploded, “Well, you didn’t get it here! Shut up!”
It is an impossibility that those who know God can remain unmoved when He is glorified. When our God is honoured, His people will find that in the joy that sweeps over their hearts, their praise cannot be contained. Without thinking of what should be done, they will demonstrate their joy with great shouts and exclamations of praise. God’s people are spontaneous in their joy when God is honoured.
An example demonstrating what I mean when I speak of congregational participation in the worship of the Living God is seen by reviewing an incident that took place during the days of Ezra the priest as the Temple of the Lord was being rebuilt. The Temple which had been destroyed when the Babylonians invaded the land was rebuilt after the days of captivity were completed. God brought His people back into the land, and eventually they did rebuild a Temple which would serve as the centre for worship of the Lord GOD. It is at this point that I invite us to look at the ceremonies and the response of the people as the rebuilding of the Temple was just beginning.
Listen as I read what Ezra has written. “When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD,
‘For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.’
And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away” [EZRA 3:10-13]. All the people shouted; everyone was moved to agree.
The builders laid the foundation of the Temple. The people were led in worship of the LORD. The priests in their vestments were blowing trumpets, the Levites were banging cymbals in praise to the LORD, just as David had directed, and the entire congregation was singing responsively, praising the LORD for His goodness. Witnessing the dedication, the people could not contain themselves, and they began to shout. What do you imagine they were shouting if not “Hallelujah” and “Amen?” At that, many of the older generation who were present, remembering the glory of the former Temple, began to weep. And they weren’t weeping silently—they were wailing, lamenting. They knew what later generations had missed, and now they were weeping in the presence of the LORD because the consequences of their sin and the sin of their fathers was apparent. Now, there was a loud cry, but it was no longer possible to distinguish the sound of the joyful shouts from the sound of the weeping, for all “shouted with a great shout!”
Have you ever been present during a service when the Spirit of God descended on the assembly? The conviction of sin was so great that people were stricken with their sinfulness, and they began to weep. The joy of God’s presence was overwhelming and many were shouting for joy. The shouts of praise were indistinguishable from the wails of contrition. However, it didn’t seem as if it was mere cacophony, it wasn’t as though wild excess and chaotic noise had broken out; it was something that could not be explained—it had to have been experienced. God came down, and no one present was left untouched. The presence of the Lord was so real that everyone present realised that He had interrupted the carefully planned service. And though each one responded to Him as an individual, the congregation was truly the Body of Christ at that moment. Amen!
“AMEN” IN THE HOUSE OF GOD — Active participation through open expressions of agreement was always part of the worship among the early churches. Paul, justifying the plea for prayer that can be understood by those present in the assembly, has written, “There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
“Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up” [1 CORINTHIANS 14:10-17].
It is apparent that in the Church of God in Corinth, and by extension in all the churches of the Lord in that early day, those hearing the prayers of others would voice agreement, saying “Amen,” as the one praying offered a petition that was in accord with the expectant longing of those who listened. Such agreement was impossible when someone was speaking in tongues. Ecstatic gibberish would find no agreement since others could not understand what was being said. However, when others understood what was said, they were free to voice their agreement. We would not be out of line to say that those present in the meetings of the earliest churches were encouraged to voice agreement when one was praying or when one was speaking prophetically.
When the one speaking prophetically—that is, when the preacher who is declaring the Word of the Lord—makes a statement with which you agree, you should let him know that you stand with him. You can nod your head, but if his eye is focused elsewhere, he likely won’t see your head bob. And if he does see you nod your head, that bobbing of the head is liable to being misinterpreted. It is impossible to misunderstand what is meant when you speak aloud to say, “Amen.” You are saying to that preacher, “I’m with you, brother!” You’re saying, “You are speaking the truth!” You are saying, “I agree with that.” You are telling that preacher that you understand what he is saying and you are committed to ensure that he doesn’t stand alone in the matter. Amen.
On one occasion, as Lynda and I were visiting in the church she had attended as a child, I apparently disturbed the preacher by doing what I am prone to do as the sermon is delivered. We had returned to that area where we both had spent our childhoods, and on a Sunday evening we attended the Baptist church in which my wife had spent a major part of her youth. The preacher had roots among Baptists of the South, having trained for the pastorate in a school in the southern United States. As the preacher presented his message that evening, he made an excellent point. Without giving much thought to my own response, I voiced my agreement by saying aloud, “Amen!”
The congregation was shocked, and for a moment silence reigned. The preacher was quite obviously nonplused, finally demanding, “Who said that? Who said ‘Amen?’”
I wondered whether I might have committed some egregious social blunder, or whether I was guilty of a serious faux pas that I could not have known from earlier days. Nevertheless, I raised my hand and confessed, “I said ‘Amen.’”
“Thank you,” said the preacher. “See if you can teach the rest of this congregation how to say that.”
Having stood in multiple pulpits to declare the message of life for these many years, I am quite confident that vocally expressing agreement with the salient points of the message is like saying “Sic ‘em” to a pit bull. If you want your preacher to really come alive, let him know that you are standing with him as he delivers the Lord’s message. And if he is saying hard things that you are not particularly eager to hear, if those hard things are true, stand with him by voicing agreement with what is being said. Your preacher will be transformed from a mere functionary into a powerhouse when he knows that his congregation stands with him.
It is instructive for us to witness the response of the Congregation in the Wilderness as they were instructed in how to respond as the blessings and the curses would be read after the people had passed over the Jordan. The Levitical priests would read the curses prescribed by the LORD, and as each curse would be read, the people were to certify what was read by saying “Amen” [see DEUTERONOMY 27:15-26]. The exclamation of “Amen” was evidence that the congregation accepted all the hard truths that were presented; it was communal agreement that God is just in pronouncing the high cost of rebellion against righteousness. There are times that the only appropriate response is “Amen.”
You will no doubt recall as well the account provided in the Word of what occurred when the Ark of God was brought into the tent that David had erected for it. At that time, praises and thanksgiving were to be sung to the LORD. When a beautiful Psalm had been sung, the people responded spontaneously, certifying their agreement with the praises offered as they said “Amen” and praised the LORD [see 1 CHRONICLES 16:4-36]. Vocal assent given by the people served as a powerful statement recognising God’s goodness and grace. By this, we see evidence that “Amen” is always the appropriate response to God’s mercy toward His people. “Amen” is always the appropriate response when God’s people have worshipped the Saviour.
As John concludes writing the Apocalypse, He hears the Risen Saviour testify, “Surely I am coming soon.” And the Revelator responds to that promise with this exclamation, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” [see REVELATION 22:20]. And the old man of God is not finished, for he pronounces a blessing on those who read his words, writing, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all,” before closing the Book by writing, “Amen” [REVELATION 22:21]. “Amen” is the appropriate response when a blessing has been pronounced and accepted by those who are blessed. “Amen” is the appropriate response when the promise of God is pronounced. And John reveals that God’s people do worship and rejoice as the Saviour blesses His people. Amen, indeed!
“Amen” encourages the preacher and speaks of community. However, saying “Amen” without giving thought to what has been said is dangerous. To voice agreement with the message that is delivered means that the one voicing agreement is responsible to actually hear what has been said. It means that the one voicing agreement has assessed the message heard by holding that message against what is written in the Word. Then, having assured himself or herself that the message is biblical, the one giving verbal assent is legitimately enabled to speak out his or her agreement. To say “Amen” is to align oneself with what is being proclaimed at that time.
Depending on the message heard, “Amen” may be a means of confronting error and bringing listeners back to reality. Perhaps you will recall an incident recorded of a time when Jeremiah heard a message which bore the ring of error. The incident is presented in the Book of Jeremiah. Here is the account as presented in JEREMIAH 28:1-9. “Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the LORD, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’
“Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD, and the prophet Jeremiah said, ‘Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.’”
Hananiah presented himself as a spokesman for the LORD. The message he presented was pleasant to those who then feared the threat of invasion by the dreadful Babylonians. Hananiah promised them deliverance. Who doesn’t want deliverance, and especially when such deliverance will permit us to continue in rebellion against the Lord GOD Whom we claim to honour and worship? The appropriate response to such drivel is to acknowledge that God is indeed sovereign, that He can do as He desires. However, acknowledgement that God is sovereign means that we must align our personal desires with what is revealed in the Word of God. However much we may wish to see our nation, our congregation, or our family kept from divine judgement, we dare not imagine that anyone can live in rebellion against righteousness without severe consequences.
“AMEN” IN THE PRECINCTS OF HEAVEN — In the text, we witness God’s holy angels uniting to exclaim, “Amen!” All the redeemed of God unite with the holy angels in this shout of affirmation and approval of all that God is doing. All Heaven will ring with the shout of “Amen!” It is not as though this will be the first time that all heaven joins in celestial agreement with God. Earlier in the Book of the Apocalypse, we read a curious statement. In that earlier statement, John has penned these words, “I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’
And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped” [REVELATION 5:13-14].
Well, what more can be said than “Amen” when you hear all nature praising God? Imagine, the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees is whispering praise to God. The wild beasts of the dark forests and those creatures living on the vast prairies lift their heads to give glory to God with strange and wonderful sounds. The cattle and the sheep of the pastures look up while they are praising the Lord, lowing and bleating as they unite in glorifying the Lord their Creator. The birds of the air warble their lilting and glorious songs as they wing through the skies. When all nature unites in praising God the Creator of all life, what else can the angels say, but “Amen!” Amen, indeed. And all that nature says while praising God is but affirmation of the praise offered by the angels.
If you are uncomfortable agreeing with God’s truth in this day, you must know that a day is coming when all the people of God will express their agreement vocally. We may argue that mere attendance at the services of our assembly demonstrates our agreement with what is preached. And I suppose that is true to an extent. However, a day is coming when without worrying that others may think us fanatical, we who are redeemed will be thrilled at what we witness in Heaven itself, we will rejoice at the presentation of the truth. As God reveals truth to a world devoid of truth, He doesn’t merely speak the truth but He is the truth; and as He reveals the truth all the redeemed of God, together with the holy angels, loudly give voice in agreement with the truth. Amen!
But Heaven now rings, and Heaven will ring forever, with the sound of angels worshipping the Living God. Their loud exclamations of “Amen” will ensure that Heaven is indeed Heaven. As God’s people worship the Saviour now, the angels hear the praise we offer up. And as our praise ascends before the Throne of Grace, those awesome beings, the cherubim, and the seraphim will join in praise, shouting “Amen.” All this awaits our entrance into the precincts of Heaven. Without a doubt we will fulfil the prophetic word of the Psalm we know as the OLD ONE HUNDREDTH:
“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
“Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!”
[PSALM 100:1-4]
Imagine a day when we are at last gathered with all the saints. The promise is that we shall be gathered to the Lord with the whole of the redeemed. Paul has written, “We who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” [1 THESSALONIANS 4:15b-17a].
Some may be questioning how this can be since we are taught elsewhere that, “We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, and not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:6-8]. Recall that Paul was adamant in his desire “to depart and be with Christ” rather than struggling on in the flesh [see PHILIPPIANS 1:23]].
Perhaps you wonder at some of the mechanics of what will take place. We are taught that when we die we enter into the presence of Christ our Saviour. That is true! And yet we see Paul speaking of a day that lies ahead when we will be caught up together with the redeemed who have died. And here we see the revelation of the people of God uniting in worship of the Saviour after we are all gathered to Heaven. It seems on the surface to present an unresolvable conundrum. What is going on?
In the Thessalonian missive, we are taught that we who are alive will not precede those who have fallen asleep, that we will be caught up together with them in the clouds. It is not true that those who have gone before are enjoying more time with the Saviour than we who remain. We forget that God dwells in eternity, though in the flesh we are bound by time. We are compelled to think in terms of time, dividing our lives into years, and months, and days, and hours. However, we define eternity as unbounded. Let me state my own understanding that resolves the apparent dilemma by presenting a scenario of our entrance into eternity, of our entrance into the presence of God Who is unbounded.
When I die, or when I am raptured, I will set aside this flesh and the constraints placed on me by the physical condition. The flesh which has been dying from the day I was born, will be set aside and I will be given a new body. At that moment of transformation, spoken of as “the twinkling of an eye” when “the last trumpet” sounds, “this perishable body will put on the imperishable, and this mortal body will put on immortality [see 1 CORINTHIANS 15:52-53].
We will be treated fairly. I suspect that in a measure, the Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard reveals this same principle. You will recall how the owner of the vineyard hired labourers at various times to work in his vineyard. The day ended, and it was time for the workers to receive their pay. You may recall how the landowner paid those who had worked for him. Let’s pick up the account as given in Matthew’s Gospel.
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last” [MATTHEW 20:8-16].
We witness an example of true equity. All alike received a full wage because of the generosity of the owner of the vineyard. Bounded by time as we are, we think in terms of recompense defined by time. Unbounded by time, God considers the fact of the labour and not merely the time one has laboured.
Changed into His image, I’ll step out of this life and step into eternity where God dwells. Looking on my left, I’ll see Paul stepping into eternity at the same moment. Looking to my right, I’ll see Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John stepping into eternity. Each of us appear to be stepping away from these days defined by time. However, we are stepping into eternity, which no longer has constraints such as time. Thus, none of us will precede another. God will have treated us equally. Immediately, each of us will lift our voice in praise to God Who is just and to the Saviour Who loved us and gave Himself for us. Truly, Heaven will be filled in praise to the Saviour because He is just in all that He has done for us. The recompense is not mere goods, but we will be compensated with that which is of infinite worth. As Paul has said when citing the words of Isaiah,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love Him”
[1 CORINTHIANS 2:9]
Amen. Amen, indeed!
CHRIST, THE AMEN — Elsewhere in this BOOK OF THE REVELATION, our Risen Saviour identifies Himself as “The Amen.” You will perhaps recall that when dictating the Letter that was to be sent to the sophisticated assembly that was actually dead, the Church of the Laodiceans, our Lord opened His words by saying, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation” [REVELATION 3:14]. Jesus our Lord presents Himself as “The Amen,” God’s final word to man.
Reading the letters that have been written to the Seven Churches identified in the Apocalypse, you will no doubt have notice that the Saviour addresses the churches by sending each letter to “the angel of [the particular church].” The language Jesus chose leads a number of biblical scholars to conclude that an angel is assigned to each church. By that thought, there is an angel of the New Beginnings Baptist Church of Dawson Creek. I suppose the idea is that the angel is guarding the congregation from spiritual assault or perhaps the angel is conducting some particular ministry on behalf of God. Without a doubt, some have drawn comfort from this supposition.
If you imagine this to be the case, you are in good company. You’re likely wrong, but you are in good company. The angel of each church appears to be the messenger, or the pastor of the assembly. As John begins this missive, Christ appears to him in order to give specific directions of what he is to write. John gives a vivid description of the Risen Christ in all His august glory. Then, the Revelator informs us that he fell down at the feet of this wonderful Person, only to have the Christ touch him and address him, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this” [REVELATION 1:17-19]. Then, the Saviour begins to inform John of what some of His accoutrements mean. Jesus informs John, “As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” [REVELATION 1:20].
Jesus holds in His hands the seven angels—the seven messengers, the seven pastors—of the seven churches. That information provides understanding of what is being said at this point. The Risen Saviour appoints those whom He chooses to serve as under-shepherds for His flocks. There are pretenders, there are charlatans, who have crept into the pulpits of our Lord. They are hired hands, using the people of God as steppingstones to gain their own ends. They serve with a personal agenda.
Peter exposed the perverted motives of such false shepherds, writing of them, “False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” [2 PETER 2:1-3].
Despite the fact that false shepherds exist, we may be comforted at the knowledge that the true shepherd has received appointment from the Master Whom he serves, and to that Master the one appointed must give an account. The false shepherd, no matter how polished he may appear, shall also give an accounting of all that he has done when he at last appears before the Great Shepherd. And the pretender shall be charged with lese majesté and all the consequences that attends his rebellion against the Risen Saviour.
Do you remember how our Lord taught His disciples when He spoke of Himself as the Shepherd of the flock? Jesus said, “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep” [JOHN 10:12-13]. There is One who cares for the flock; and He watches over His own. That One is the Risen Son of God. Amen.
Our Lord is “The Amen,” He is “the chief Shepherd” [see 1 PETER 5:4]. He not only appoints whom He wills to oversee the work of His churches, but He holds those whom He appoints in His hand. They serve Him, leading the flock into the green pastures He has prepared for them, leading them beside the refreshing waters and into verdant meadows where they may take their rest. Always and ever does the chief Shepherd go before His people, and those who serve as His under-shepherds lead the people so that they may glorify the Saviour. Amen.
In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along;
where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads His dear children along.
Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,
God leads His dear children along;
sometimes in the valley, in the darkest of night,
God leads His dear children along.
Though sorrows befall us and Satan oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
thru grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.
Some thru the waters, some thru the flood,
some thru the fire, but all thru the blood;
some thru great sorrow, but God gives a song,
in the night season and all the day long. [2]
Amen. And all God’s people say, “Amen.”
And here is my question for you. Do you say “Amen” because you are thrilled at the truth of Christ the Lord? Do you look forward to that glorious day when we shall be gathered to Him together with all the saints of God? Are you now following Him as He leads you along? Following the Saviour means that you made a conscious decision to receive Him as Master over your life. Have you done this? Is Jesus the Risen Lord of Glory the One ruling over your life?
The Word of God calls each of us, saying, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation” [ROMANS 10:9-10 CSV]. After writing these words, the Apostle to the Gentiles reached back into the writings of the Prophet Joel to ensure that all who would hear his words would understand the simplicity of salvation, testifying, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13].
The invitation we extend as followers of the Living Saviour is for you to call on the Name of the Lord. Believing that He died because of your broken condition and believing that He lives to receive you, receive Him as Master over your life. When you have believed Him, He will forgive your sin and receive you as His own child. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] George A. Young, “God Leads Us Along,” 1903
