The Ends of the Earth

It’s interesting to me how last week’s Easter sermon, yesterday’s sermon, and next week’s sermon have all lined up. Of course, I’d planned them ahead of time, but it didn’t occur to me then that all three are focused on the importance of us sharing our faith with others. On Easter Sunday, the final point of the sermon was that the resurrection of Jesus is such good news that his earliest followers couldn’t keep quiet about it—even when the authorities tried to threaten them into silence. It’s still important news for us to share! Of course, yesterday’s sermon on the Great Commission is all about how as Jesus’ followers we are instrumental in continuing the Kingdom mission that he began as we carry his message “to the ends of the earth.”

Next week we will begin a series through some of the psalms. We’ll be particularly focused on two things. First, what do the psalms teach us about God and our relationship to him. Secondly, we’ll be thinking about how the early Christians used those psalms to talk about Jesus. Next week we’ll look at Psalm 2. It begins with the question, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” (NIV). God’s plan supersedes those plots, though, and later the psalm says about God’s Son, “Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession,” (Psalm 2:8, NIV). There’s an important truth here for us. Though it might seem that the leaders of the nations are conspiring and plotting, God’s reign is eternal and will outlast all earthly Kingdoms.

This morning the weather is beautiful and it finally feels like Spring. There’s quite a bit of rain in the forecast, but you know what they say about April Showers. Hopefully we’ll have a bumper crop of beautiful flowers.

Hope to see you Sunday! And remember to invite someone to come along with you.

God bless, Brian

Scripture readings for next Sunday

Psalm 2—What is the message of this psalm for our current era?

Acts 4:23-31—How did they early believers apply the message of Psalm 2 to their situation?

Psalm 47—What does this psalm teach us about God?

Matthew 24:3-15—What does Jesus tell us about “the nations” in this passage?