The Sovereignty of God Over the Nations

In Daniel's vision, we once again see this great theme of God's sovereignty over the nations and over all of history. We also look at Scriptures which elaborate on the identity of the "little horn."

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Call to Worship

Sunday School

A Look at Communion
by J.C. Ryle

Sunday Service

Pastoral Reading

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
    Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Opening Song

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (TH #521)

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale
my anchor holds within the veil. Refrain

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. Refrain

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found;
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. Refrain

Prayer

Focus this week:  Charity Ambrose (formerly Evans)

Song

Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call (CRC #32)

1 All praise to God, who reigns above,
the God of all creation,
the God of wonders, pow’r, and love,
the God of our salvation!
With healing balm my soul he fills,
the God who every sorrow stills.
To God all praise and glory!

2 What God’s almighty pow’r hath made
his gracious mercy keepeth;
by morning dawn or evening shade
his watchful eye ne’er sleepeth;
within the kingdom of his might,
lo, all is just and all is right.
To God all praise and glory!

3 I cried to him in time of need:
Lord God, O hear my calling!
For death he gave me life indeed
and kept my feet from falling.
For this my thanks shall endless be;
O thank him, thank our God, with me.
To God all praise and glory!

4 The Lord forsaketh not his flock,
his chosen generation;
he is their refuge and their rock,
their peace and their salvation.
As with a mother’s tender hand
he leads his own, his chosen band.
To God all praise and glory!

5 Ye who confess Christ’s holy name,
to God give praise and glory!
Ye who the Father’s pow’r proclaim,
to God give praise and glory!
All idols underfoot be trod,
the Lord is God! The Lord is God!
To God all praise and glory!

6 Then come before his presence now
and banish fear and sadness;
to your Redeemer pay your vow
and sing with joy and gladness:
Though great distress my soul befell,
the Lord, my God, did all things well,
To God all praise and glory!

CCLI Song # 7127376
Matt Boswell | Matt Papa
© 2018 Getty Music Hymns and Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Getty Music Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Love Your Enemies Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Messenger Hymns (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.) 
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 108183

Song

The Lord is My Salvation (CRC #21)

Verse 1
The grace of God has reached for me And pulled me from the raging sea
And I am safe on this solid ground, The Lord is my salvation.

Verse 2
I will not fear when darkness falls, His strength will help me scale these walls
I’ll see the dawn of the rising sun, The Lord is my salvation.

Chorus
Who is like the Lord our God
Strong to save faithful in love
My debt is paid and the victory won
The Lord is my salvation

Verse 3
My hope is hidden in the Lord, He flow’rs each promise of His Word
When winter fades I know spring will come, The Lord is my salvation

Verse 4
In times of waiting times of need, When I know loss when I am weak
I know His grace will renew these days, The Lord is my salvation.

Verse 5
And when I reach the final day, He will not leave me in the grave
But I will rise He will call me home, The Lord is my salvation.

Bridge
Glory be to God the Father
Glory be to God the Son
Glory be to God the Spirit
The Lord is our salvation

Ending
The Lord is our salvation, The Lord is our salvation

CCLI Song # 7063694, CCLI License # 108183
Jonas Myrin | Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty | Nathan Nockels
© 2016 Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Son of the Lion (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Getty Music Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Sweater Weather Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com

Song

All My Boast is in Jesus (CRC #43)

Verse 1
What wonder of wonders what love is this that Christ would die for me
His goodness His merit His righteousness this sinner’s only plea.
O foolish pride be crucified, the work is finished.

Chorus 1
All my boast is in Jesus, all my hope is His love
And I will glory forever, in what the cross has done

Verse 2
Now fully forgiven my life is filled with graces undeserved
For mercy that flowed down that sacred hill, let praises now return
Rise up my soul and bless the Lord, who else is worthy?

Bridge
O praise the One forever blessed, Him alone my heart adores
And I will boast in nothing less than the love of Christ my Lord.

Verse 3
I boast not in riches in strength or might, but in the grace of God
I glory in weakness to live is Christ, in plenty or in want.
That I may know that all may see, His pow’r within me.

Chorus 2
Now I stand in His freedom, ransomed clean in His sight,
And I cannot be ashamed for my boast is Jesus Christ
My boast is Jesus Christ, forever my boast is Jesus Christ

The Lord’s Table

Christ Our Righteousness

Scripture Reading

2 Thessalonians 2

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Preaching the Word

The Sovereignty of God Over the Nations

Daniel 7

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

“As I looked,

thrones were placed,
    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
    and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
    its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
    and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
    and the books were opened.

11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

13 “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.

15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them,22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,

there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
    which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
    and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
    and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
    and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
    and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
    for a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court shall sit in judgment,
    and his dominion shall be taken away,
    to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion
    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
    shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
    and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.”

Closing Song

Great God of Wonders (CRC #77)

Great God of won­ders! All Thy ways
Are match­less, god­like and di­vine;
But the fair glo­ries of Thy grace
More god­like and un­ri­valed shine,
More god­like and un­ri­valed shine.

Crimes of such hor­ror to for­give,
Such guil­ty, dar­ing worms to spare;
This is Thy grand pre­ro­ga­tive,
And none shall in the hon­or share,
And none shall in the hon­or share.

Angels and men, re­sign your claim
To pi­ty, mer­cy, love and grace:
These glo­ries crown Je­ho­vah’s name
With an in­com­pa­ra­ble glaze
With an in­com­pa­ra­ble glaze.

In won­der lost, with trem­bling joy,
We take the par­don of our God:
Pardon for crimes of deep­est dye,
A par­don bought with Je­sus’ blood,
A par­don bought with Je­sus’ blood.

O may this strange, this match­less grace,
This god­like mir­acle of love,
Fill the whole earth with grate­ful praise,
And all th’an­gel­ic choirs above,
And all th’an­gel­ic choirs above.

Chorus
Who is a par­don­ing God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
Or who has grace so rich and free?