The Third Journey, Part 1

Call to Worship

Psalm 91:1–4 “He who abides in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to Yahweh, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the destructive pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you will take refuge; His truth is a large shield and bulwark.”

Elder: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you!

Consecration

Law Homily

Q. 122. What is the sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man? A. The sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man, is, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to do to others what we would have them to do to us.

Our Lord Himself teaches this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39), and, “Therefore, in all things, whatever you want people to do for you, so do for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 7:12).

Most of you know that the first and greatest commandment Jesus gives is Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” He then says that the second is like it, and He quotes Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This has been called the “Golden Rule”—do unto others as you would have them do to you—and Christ says that it is the fulfillment of “the Law and the Prophets.”

The catechism is seeing the Ten Commandments as the substance of these two great commandments. The first four tell us how to love God: no other gods, no idols, no taking His name in vain, remember the sabbath day. The last six tell us how to love our neighbor: honor authority, do no harm, marital fidelity, respect for property, integrity, and contentment. So as we move into commandments 5–10, we’re really considering how God calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Paul picks this up explicitly in Romans 13:8–10:

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does not work evil against a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.”

The law tells us what love looks like in real life. But for a definition of Love, Paul defines for us in 1 Corinthians 13:

“Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up; it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered; it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

When we have this spirit, we are beginning to live in a way that fulfills our duty to mankind. When we are patient, kind, not jealous or puffed up, not easily provoked—does this characterize us? When you hear this description of love, does anyone come to mind who, by grace, reflects something of this? Is this what you want people to be able to say about you—in your home, in this congregation, in your workplace?

Everything comes back to love.

Jesus said in John 13:34–35:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So, the sum of all the commandments is love—love of God and love of neighbor. This is what the moral law of God teaches us: how to love God and how to love our neighbor. That is why we can say with the psalmist, “Oh how I love Thy law; it is my meditation all the day,” and why we gladly chant through Psalm 119 and devote time to these law homilies. As God’s people, we want to know how we ought to live in obedience to Jesus, and this is revealed in the law of God. It was given through Moses, the heart of it was given again by Jesus, and then Paul spends a great deal of time admonishing believers to live in accordance with love as the fulfillment of the law.

By nature, we do not love the law of God. We despise it. It exposes our wickedness, and we would rather not have that light shine on us. Someone who is trying to keep the law but does not love the law or the Lawgiver will end up using it as a weapon against his neighbor and will deceive himself into thinking he has kept it. If we treat the law as a cold, dead rulebook by which we might merit eternal life, it will either crush us or make us self‑righteous. Instead, we must let it show us our sin and misery, and then flee to Christ—the One who perfectly fulfilled this law of love and who, by His Spirit, writes it on our hearts.

The exhortation, then, is this: love the law of God because in it He is teaching us how to love Him and how to love each other. And Ephesians 4:32 gives a beautiful snapshot of that Christian spirit of love: “...be kind to one another, tender‑hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.”

All of our failures to keep the law have been graciously forgiven in Christ. Therefore, extend that same graciousness to your neighbor, and even to yourself, as you seek to love God and your neighbor by learning and applying this moral law to your life. You are not earning God’s favor by your obedience; you are learning, as forgiven people, how to walk in the love that fulfills the law.

May God bless our continued exploration of His law, particularly in these commandments 6–10, which summarize our duty to man. Let’s pray.

Old Testament Reading

Acts 7:55-60

New Testament Reading

1 Peter 2:2–10

Sermon: The Third Missionary Journey

The Kingdom of God in Ephesus

Review place in Acts

Review Map

Paul Sets out from Antioch (purple) and visits the churches in Galatia and Phrygia - The churches of the first journey. (Acts 18:23)

He then ends up back in Ephesus (red) in Acts 19:1, which you will remember that Paul visited briefly in Acts 18:19-21 - saying he would come back if God willed.

And this will be the setting for all of Acts 19. Today, we will see the Journey start, the kingdom will come to Ephesus, and then the kingdom will conquer Ephesus. Next week we will see the response of the city.

Ephesus was one of the leading cities in the entire Roman Empire. Keener says,

“...most scholars agree in ranking it third or, more often, fourth in population in the empire, after Rome and Alexandria and usually just behind Antioch...”.

I want us to appreciate the impact of Paul’s ministry here on the history of the West.

In this passage, you’ll notice that Paul begins lecturing daily in the school of Tyrannus.

From that base, “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”

All of these churches that Paul established throughout this region eventually became some of the most important Christian communities in the Roman Empire after Constantine legalized Christianity.

Because of Paul’s faithfulness in establishing and caring for these bodies, and particularly in targeting strategic population and cultural centers, and refusing to be intimidated by dominant religious and political powers, God used his work far beyond his own lifetime.

In this way, Paul’s ministry was greatly influential in the gradual conversion of the oikoumene—the known, inhabited world.

Let this remind us that even if we do not see the results of our ministries in our lifetime, faithfulness to God in our own place and time can bear fruit for generations of believers yet to come.

In this passage we will observe Paul’s faithfulness to his calling to be an instrument of Jesus to the Jews and Gentiles, he sets out on his third missionary journey, arrives in Ephesus, and the battle begins for that city.

Pray for illumination.

Read Acts 18:23-19:20

Third Journey Begun

Acts 18:23 “And having spent some time there [Antioch], he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.”

This is the beginning of the third journey.

Paul spent time at his sending church in Antioch, but then leaves again to do the work that God had called him to. You will remember in Acts 9:15, “...he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel...,” and then again just before Paul was sent on the first missionary journey, the Spirit of God says, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2).

This was Paul’s vocation. He did not settle into a life of ease, content simply to make tents; he set about doing the work to which he had been called.

The Kingdom Comes to Ephesus

Acts 18:24–19:10 “Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, arrived at Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Now it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper regions and came to Ephesus and found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard if the Holy Spirit is being received.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. Now there were in all about twelve men. And after he entered the synagogue, he continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and were not believing, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he left them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”

Paul is setting out to fulfill his calling and then Luke immediately gives us two stories which occur in Ephesus: Apollos and the twelve Ephesian disciples. They are certainly connected stories since both have to do with the baptism of John. The point here is that they had been prepared to hear about Jesus. John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Lord, and Apollos, it says, was instructed in “the way of the Lord.”

I believe that is what we are seeing here: devoted followers of Yahweh, well‑catechized under John’s preparatory ministry, who just needed to hear the fullness of the good news of Jesus Christ from His emissaries. And when they hear the Truth, their errors are corrected and they are strengthened in the work in which they were already engaged. And then Apollos begins to powerfully refute the Jews in public, which has led some to speculate that he was the writer of the book of Hebrews.

They had the right spirit of love, the soil of their hearts had been broken up, and so when the truth came they received it.

I want you to note that it says Apollos “arrived at Ephesus” (18:24), then Paul “came to Ephesus” (19:1), then the Holy Spirit comes in 19:6. You see this progression: the way of the Lord is prepared through the ministry of John (Apollos & the 12), then clarified through the ministry of Apostles and their teaching (Paul & Aquilla/Priscilla), and then empowered by the Holy Spirit. A true church has been established.

Also note, that just like in Acts 2, where Peter takes his stand with the eleven, here there are also twelve disciples. And here there is a Pentecost. So, it seems to me that this successive symbolism indicates that the Jerusalem from above is being established in all of these regions (the 12 being symbolic of the new Jerusalem described in Revelation): This happens in Jerusalem, in Samaria, again in Cornelius’ household, and now in Ephesus. Wherever the people of God are gathered in His Spirit under the apostles’ teaching, there is the New Jerusalem.

Lastly on this section, we see a familiar pattern: Paul enters a synagogue and goes first to the Jews for three months. But because of their resistance, he leaves them and goes to a secular lecture hall, the school of Tyrannus, where he proclaimed the “word of the Lord” to “both Jews and Greeks” for two years. This has always been Paul’s pattern in every place we have seen him go: first into the synagogue, and then to the Gentiles.

And so, with all of that, the kingdom of God has come to Ephesus. Apollos and the twelve disciples have their theology corrected, the Spirit descends, and then they begin the work of disputation with both the Jews and the Gentiles.

The Kingdom Conquers in Ephesus

Acts 19:11–20 “And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that cloths or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I implore you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Now seven sons of one named Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them, subdued all of them, and utterly prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. Also, many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and were burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.”

And now note that when the kingdom of God comes, the evil spirits do not go quietly into that night. You see in verses 12, 13, 15, and 16—“evil spirit” over and over. And I would like us to appreciate the contrast: first, we saw Apollos, Paul, and then the Holy Spirit coming. Now we see the evil spirit going out.

And then we see what I’m sure was a terrifying experience for these seven sons of Sceva, but to us reading about it appears rather humorous, yet I believe it is a demonstration of the impotence of a Christless religion in comparison to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The evil spirit subdued the seven sons and “utterly prevailed against them” so that they “fled...naked and wounded.” A Christless religion has no power over evil spirits.

But, one could say, “they implored the spirit in the name of Jesus...how can you say it is Christless?” Luke is communicating two things in this story.

First, the gospel message of this new Ephesian church was so effective that even the Jews were trying to use the name of Jesus, and Paul, to fight against evil spirits. And, likely, if the earlier accounts in Acts are any indication, this would not have been for righteous reasons, but rather for reasons of social prestige—like the Jewish sorcerer on Cyprus or Simon in Samaria. They want to use the name of Jesus to fight evil because it wins favor with the masses.

Second, merely using the name of Jesus, without repentance and union with Christ, is useless and dangerous. If you claim Jesus’ name, but you do not repent of your sins or your ways are not changed, then you are no true follower of Jesus.

Rather, when Jesus was proclaimed by the Ephesian church, and light was shined, we see another kind of coming: that of sinners for confession. Many believed and came to confess their sins and repent, as evidenced by this great burning which was an immense sacrifice for these people. It demonstrated their true hearts of repentance. It would be like closing down a nefarious small business, or deleting a lifetime of income streams from irreputable sources. And this is the fruit of the true Gospel: the evil spirits were expelled by the true religion of Jesus.

And now, instead of the evil spirits utterly prevailing, we see the “word of the Lord...growing mightily and prevailing.” The kingdom of God was conquering Ephesus.

The evil spirits were being driven away, just like we have seen before.

On Cyprus they do battle with the Jewish sorcerer Bar‑Jesus.

In Philippi they did battle with the python spirit that was possessing the slave girl.

But when Jesus comes into a city, these evil spirits are exposed and expelled.

Summary

In summary, Paul sets out on his third missionary journey, fulfilling his calling, and ends up coming to Ephesus, along with Apollos, where a true church is established as the Holy Spirit comes upon them.

The kingdom had come to Ephesus.

And this resulted in the evil spirits being sent away as the word of God grew mightily and prevailed in that city.

Application: Faithful to your calling

Be faithful

Paul was called to be an instrument of the Spirit and he was faithful in fulfilling his calling. He wasn’t thinking about himself. He was thinking about the mission. He was thinking like a soldier of Jesus Christ. And this is apparent in his letters to Timothy. He tells him to “fight the good fight,” and to be a good soldier. And in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says that he was fighting beasts in Ephesus. So, he was thinking about this as a fight for a cause. And that cause was to be used as an instrument of Jesus Christ for the establishment of the New Covenant: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And as we stated in the introduction: Paul’s faithfulness to his vocation had immense ramifications for Christendom for generations.

And so, the question that this can raise for us is, are we being faithful to our vocation? Vocation is every responsibility to which you are called by your Lord: father, mother, husband, wife...congregant, elder, deacon...insurance adjuster, nurse, mechanic...whatever it is, Christ calls us to faithful service in these things. And we can be assured that our service will not be wasted if it is done to the glory of God in service of Jesus Christ. Every part plays a role in the body. Every soldier promotes the mission. Every Christian participates in the advance of the kingdom. It’s not up to us how big our impact is; it is up to us how faithful we are. We don’t judge based on results, because these are always in the hand of the Lord. We judge based upon faithfulness to the revealed will of God.

Are we being faithful?

2. In Spirit & Truth

Apollos and the twelve Ephesian disciples have the right spirit. They had been prepared to hear about Jesus, and when they heard they were ready to receive it. Apollos and the twelve had to have their theology corrected, but they already had the right spirit. They were teachable; they loved what they knew of God, and when fuller light came, they received it.

This is directly applicable to a church: we will never have a complete and perfect grasp of the Truth. There will always be something about which we are in error. However, if we are cultivating the right spirit, then we can rest assured that the Lord will teach us whatever it is that we need to know at the right time.

So, how is your spirit? Are we so concerned about truth that we have forgotten about love? If we are cultivating a heart of love for God and our neighbor, then the Lord will lead us into truth. Jesus seeks such people to worship Him.

Do not be like the sons of Sceva who simply want to use Jesus’ name for their own purposes. Are you allowing the Gospel to change you? Does the Word of God speak into your life and actions?

Cultivate a spirit of love and you will be led into all truth.

3. Walking in the Light

As a result of the Gospel, many were coming and confessing their sin and sinful practices and then burning their valuable possessions that were used for their sinful and demonic activity. This is true repentance. And we need to be reminded that this is what it means to walk in the light. The Gospel shines a spotlight on our sin. It is uncomfortable. It is ugly. It is messy. And the light burns it away. It’s painful, but it purifies us.

We need to lean into this confession business. Confess to your spouse, confess to your siblings, confess to your parents, confess to your elders. Let the Gospel shine a light into your soul and cleanse you of your darkest sins. And when you do this, you will find that the thing you kept hidden was just keeping you from glory. That little bit of human respect that you think you are retaining by not confessing your sin is an illusion. Let it go. There is much unimaginably greater glory awaiting beyond these besetting vices that entangle us and keep us from greater communion with God. Walk in the light. Let it purify you and burn away your dross.

I pray that this would be true for all of us and be a hallmark of Covenant Reformed Church: as for me and my house, we will walk in the light.

If we are faithful to our calling, endeavoring after a spirit of true love, and walking in the light of the Gospel, then I believe that we will see the “word of the Lord growing mightily and prevailing.” But, if we are lazy and neglecting of our vocation, we are unloving toward God and man, and closed to the light of the Gospel, then we, like the sons of Sceva, will end up fleeing naked and wounded from the evil spirits of our age.

May God apply these truths to our hearts and minds as we seek to serve Him this week. Amen!

Pastoral Prayer

Salutation & Adoration

Father in heaven, You are a God of Truth and Righteousness and we trust you to lead us, protect us, and guide us to Yourself. We are your people and it is in You that we find our refuge.

Confession

We confess that we get lazy and neglect our callings in our home, church and society. We are self-righteous or self-loathing because we forget your grace in Jesus. We get distracted with human prestige or markers of success. We pray that you would forgive us and lead us into Your truth so that we would have a faithful standard by which to measure success in Your sight. We pray that your Word and Spirit would cut away our sin and allow the Gospel light to purify us.

Thanksgiving

We give you thanks that we can enjoy adoption into your household because of the redemption that we have in Christ. We thank you for this season of Easter, when we can remember the resurrection of your Son. We thank you for the testimony of sound doctrine handed down through the ages by our fathers in the faith. We give you thanks for the brothers and sisters gathered here today in your presence. We give thanks for all of these things.

Petition & Imprecation

We bring our petitions before you this day: We pray for all of those in our lives who need the gospel. I pray that we would be faithful witnesses to them and that we would see lives changed. I pray that you would comfort those who mourn. Whether it is because of difficulties in life: sickness, financial hardship, wayward children, whatever it is, I pray that you would bring comfort and hope into these situations. We pray for CHOICES Counseling Center and for the counseling work that Faith Fellowship is doing. May you bless them and make them fruitful. We pray for the Wells family as Nicholas seeks to be recognized in the ministry by Bucer presbytery, for his endeavors in seminary, and for his secular vocation. We pray that you would uphold him and his family and greatly bless them in this season. We pray for Christ Reformed Church, Candor, NY with Pastors Michael, Ralph, and Simeon. We pray for the life within that body. That the saints would be interacting in sweet fellowship; that they would be one anothering one another as they, like many CREC churches, are all 40 minutes + away from our building.

We pray for our state representatives: our State Senator, Patrick Gallivan, and Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney. We pray that they would stand for righteousness and that, if they do not know your Son as their Savior, they would accept the truth of the gospel and submit themselves to Christ’s rule. And if they stand for what is evil, we pray that you would remove them from their office as magistrates.

We pray for your church in the world, that you would protect your people, particularly in those areas torn by warfare. We pray that truth would prevail in the land and that we would not be thrown around by anyone who misleads with information. We also pray for Covenant Reformed Church, that we would be faithful to the cause of Jesus Christ. I pray that our community would be joyful and full of life, and that we would be a true light in the world that expels the works of darkness.

Closing

We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Communion

1 John 1:7 LSB

but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

When we are thinking and living as we ought to, in the light of the Gospel, then we will have fellowship with one another. We will remember that our sins are forgiven through Christ’s sacrifice. And that is what we are here to celebrate. We are here to break the bread and pour out the wine as a memorial to Jesus and to proclaim His death. And when the reality of what this sacrifice accomplished is at the forefront of our thinking and doing—when we are walking in the Light—then that results in fellowship with each other.

Spurgeon writes,

“God in the light and man in the light have much in common. They are now abiding in one element, for they are dwelling in one light. They are now both concerned about the same thing, and their aims are undivided: God loves truth, and so do those who are renewed in heart. It has come to pass that the great Lord and His enlightened ones see things in the same light. God with His great vision beholds more than we can, yet He does not see more than the truth; we with our narrow perceptions see the truth, and cannot tolerate falsehood. Now we can speak with God, since we speak truth; He can converse with us, since we are ready to hear the truth. In prayer and praise we are no longer false, and therefore the Lord can hear us. His word falls also upon an honest mind, and so its meaning is perceived. Now we can also act together: the great God and His poor feeble children are striving together for truth and righteousness.”

When we read verse 7 after verse 6, there is a slightly surprising progression from John.

1 John 1:6–7 (LSB): “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

We would expect the parallel to say, “...if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with HIM...” But isn’t that interesting: John says, “we have fellowship with one another.”

When Saul was persecuting the church in Acts 9, Jesus says, “Why are you persecuting ME?” There is an association of the people of God with Jesus Himself. If you cannot love and get along with the people of God, then you will have a hard time getting along with Jesus.

But if we walk in the Light as He is in the Light, then we will have fellowship with each other and with God. For this is the place, among the gathered body of Christ, where we truly fellowship with God and with each other by the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all sin.

This table is not a table of sorrow or dread. It is a time of rejoicing and fellowship. But sometimes, it should cause us to pause and reflect: am I walking in the light? Maybe your perspective has been fleshly and you have not been of the right mind toward God and His people. Then this supper may be your reminder that Jesus paid for your sins by His sacrifice, and He is calling you once again to endeavor after righteousness and to walk in the light.

Maybe you have been striving to walk in the light but you seem to stumble and fall a lot. Then this supper may be your reminder that Jesus paid for your sins by His sacrifice, and He is calling you to continue to rise up again each time you fall and walk in the light.

If you have been baptized in the name of the Trinity and you have no unrepentant sin in your heart toward God or man, then we invite you to come and fellowship at this table with us.

The Bread

Give thanks

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 LSB

...the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Read during distribution:

Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16

The Cup

Give thanks

1 Corinthians 11:25 LSB

In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.

Read during distribution:

John 14:1-14

1 Corinthians 11:26 LSB

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.

The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:9–13 LSB

“...Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Matthew 6:14–15 LSB

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

The Commission

Matthew 28:18–20 LSB

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Numbers 6:24–26 LSB

Yahweh bless you, and keep you; Yahweh make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; Yahweh lift up His face on you, And give you peace.’