I invite you to turn with me tonight to Genesis chapter 49. To Genesis chapter 49. In this chapter we find Jacob's last words, what's called his blessing to his sons, and then the chapter closes with the death of Jacob. Now boys and girls, it's amazing, don't you think? It would be amazing, don't you think, to be told what your future holds. To be told about your future fortune or maybe even to be told about your future misfortune because possibly then there would be something that you could do about it. But indeed it would be amazing to know what our future fortune would be. What's going to happen to us in life? What we are going to do in life? What our life will turn out like? But of course we know that this simply doesn't happen. Because the future and your future and my future and the details of our lives in the future is known only to God. But here in Genesis chapter 49, the sons of Jacob are given a look into the future, but not just any future. They're given a look into their futures. And we know they are given this look because God is with Jacob as Jacob prophesies about the nation of Israel. Now just let me give you a little glimpse as to where we will be going. We're almost finished with this series. And it's not my plan to consider every son of Jacob from this chapter or to consider everything that Jacob said about each of his sons. It's my goal tonight to consider Jacob, next Sunday night the Lord willing to consider Joseph, and then I plan to finish this series with one sermon the Lord willing out of chapter 50. I haven't decided yet if that will be before the end of the year or right after the beginning of next year, but that's a little bit of a glimpse as to where we are going with this series. But here in this passage of Scripture, since we're not going to cover the whole chapter in depth, just let me make a few brief comments with regard to Jacob as he prophesies about the nation, the entire nation of Israel. If you notice though, as we read it, you will notice that not everything he says is pleasant. It's called Jacob's blessings of his sons. But not everything is pleasant. Not all the words that Jacob spoke were words of blessing as we might consider blessing. In fact, some of his sons received curses. We'll look at those briefly. Reminding us, I believe, that our actions or their actions too affected the lives of their descendants, while others are simply given some general information about the future. With regard to some, Jacob says very little. But again, with regard to others, he has something more significant to say. However, all of the sons are indeed blessed. They are all blessed in that as Jacob, who is inspired by the Holy Spirit, is given a glimpse into the future, he describes not necessarily particular historical events to come, although he does reflect on some that have already taken place, but he describes the future development of the tribes that were to grow from his sons. And he describes in a general way the position and the importance of each that each would play in the nation that his family would become. Again, some positive and others negative. But overall and generally speaking, through this, their hope, that is Israel's hope, Israel as a nation, Israel's hope of a promised inheritance is renewed. And they need that hope renewed in order to keep the faith while they would be in bondage. And sometimes we need that too if we've been made a promise. Boys and girls, if your parents have made you a promise and it hasn't been fulfilled yet, you remind them, maybe every day or maybe once a week or maybe even once a month, depending how far out the promise is. Are we really still going to go there on vacation? Are you really going to get that for me sometime? We need to be encouraged with that promise over and over again. Or sometimes spouses. A wife might say, Honey, please, I know you love me, but just tell me. Tell me one more time. I need to hear it. I love to hear it. We need to be told as God's people over and over and over again about the love of God for us in Christ Jesus and His redeeming grace. We need to be told that because we are so quickly a forgetful people. That's why we gather together on Sunday. To hear the Word of God, to hear the Gospel over and over again, Israel needed this promise renewed as it had been. Little by little, here and there, in different ways, the promised inheritance had been renewed for them over and over. Yet we also need to understand, though, that in this chapter, Jacob points to something far greater than simply the promised land of Canaan. He points to the seed of Abraham, as Paul says it. He points to the one through whom God's promise to Abraham would be fulfilled. That through him, through Abraham, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Beginning at verse 1 of chapter 49. Hear now the word of God. Then Jacob called for his sons and said, Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come. Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel. For you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch, and defiled it. Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council. Let me not join their assembly. For they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger so fierce and their fury so cruel. I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub, O Judah. You return from the prey, my son. Like a lion, he crouches and lies down. Like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships. His border will extend towards Sidon. Issachar is a raw-boned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor. Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward. I look for your deliverance, O Lord. Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels. Asher's food will be rich. He will provide delicacies fit for a king. Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness, archers attacked him. They shot at him with hostility, but his bow remained steady. His strong arms stayed limber because of the hand of the mighty one of Jacob, because of the shepherd, the rock of Israel, because of your father's God who helps you, because of the Almighty who blesses you with the blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he devours the prey. In the evening he divides the plunder. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. And this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. Then he gave them these instructions. I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite along with the field. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried. There Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried. And there I buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. A beloved in Christ the Lord, things were not going well. There was this dying father named Jacob who we know, of course, had called his sons to his bedside. Maybe you've been called to the bedside of a parent or a loved one in their last moments of death. And when we face times like that, at least in our day, we tend to put all of our differences aside. we tend to forget the problems and the troubles of the past and instead we try to cherish and focus on the time we have left with that one who is near the end of their earthly life. But that doesn't seem to be Jacob's concern here. He's not concerned about putting all the things of the past, leaving them in the past and just saying nice pleasantries of some sort. And we need to understand that Jacob here, as he gives these words to his sons, Jacob is not simply guessing at what might take place for them one day. Nor is Jacob simply suggesting what he believes is appropriate or would be appropriate for each of his sons. This is the Word of God. This is God speaking through His servant Jacob. And God, in time, would ratify Jacob's words. In time, God would prove Jacob's pronouncements to be true. Now, of course, Jacob begins at the top, as it were. He begins with Reuben. Reuben was the firstborn. And along with being the firstborn came certain honor and privilege. And Jacob even speaks of that as he speaks about Reuben. You are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. But just as quickly as he talks about that honor and privilege, that is, it's stripped away from Reuben because of his sin of sleeping with Jacob's concubine, Bilhah. Now, we know that Reuben was blessed in the sense that he did receive a portion of land in the promised land. Yet, we also know that his tribe produced no prophet. It produced no judge. It produced no king. And then there were the next two in line. Simeon and Levi, they were brothers, the text says. They were full brothers. The same father, the same mother. But, of course, that was true with Reuben as well. He was a full brother in Judah. But they were brothers, boys and girls, in another sense, too. They were brothers in crime. They collaborated together. They took justice into their own hands with the Shechemites, with Shechem himself after Shechem had violated their sister Dinah. And we see in them, we see in this pronouncement against them that there is a distinction between God's right, a holy God's right to exterminate a wicked people. There's a distinction between that and between cruel human vindication. We don't have that right at will to exterminate a wicked people. Only God does. But they too, you see, were passed over when it came to the privilege of the firstborn. And we know that Simeon was pretty much absorbed into another of the tribes and Levi never did receive any ground. He received cities scattered around, but he did receive the privilege of being called to the priesthood. But in these first three alone, we can hear Paul's words loud and clear. I trust you can, that we will reap. What we sow. Of course, that does not mean that Reuben and Simeon and Levi were not saved. I don't know if they were saved. I trust that they were saved. But it does mean that they and their descendants had to live with the consequences of their sin. And we maybe have found that out to be true with ourselves. It's true when we have sinned willfully or maybe even not so willfully. But yet, God has caused us to live with the consequence of our sin, whether for a short time or a long time or a lifetime. And then there's Judah. Now think back about your knowledge of Judah and he's just listened to everything that Jacob said to Reuben and Simeon and Levi and it's very possible that Judah himself was a bit nervous. He might have been uneasy. He might have been downright scared. Because Judah knew his own sin. Judah very well knew that it was his suggested plan to sell Joseph and to make a profit on him. He remembered very clearly that it was he who went into one he thought was a prostitute but turned out to be his daughter-in-law Tamar whom he had wronged because he did not give her his third son. And with her, he fathered Perez and Zerah. He knew that he had done some very wicked things, things even more wicked possibly than the first, his older three brothers. He knew what he deserved, no doubt. Yet he does not share in the judgment of the three older brothers. Instead, Judah serves as an example of God's unconditional election. Instead of judgment upon Judah, Jacob prophesies of the exaltation of Judah. Again, not an exaltation that he deserved. If he got what he deserved, he might have gotten a worse judgment than his three older brothers. But again, unconditional blessing by God. And as Jacob prophesies of the exaltation of Judah, we notice in that prophecy of exaltation And there are two things, basically, we can say. A blessing for time, and also a blessing for eternity. But first of all, a blessing for time. Now, I think we can say that Judah was prepared for leadership. I don't believe this is totally surprising, this blessing upon Judah. Judah was a changed man. Remember that? In chapter 43, verse 9, Judah is the one who guarantees Benjamin's safe return to Jacob, or he would bear the blame. And in chapter 44 verse 33, Judah upholds that guarantee to his father as he pleads with Joseph to keep Judah and to let Benjamin go home to his father. Benjamin is much more important to our father than I am. He is willing to sacrifice himself. He was a changed man. That's not why he was given this blessing. It's God who chose to change him and to prepare him for this. Now, as we think about the right of the firstborn, And there are two major things that were included in that rite of the firstborn. There was leadership of the family, that's one thing. And also, the first one would receive, remember, a double portion of the inheritance. Double of any of the other sons. Well, that had already gone to Joseph, remember? Through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph received that half, but Judah is given leadership. And here, Jacob makes it clear that this leadership includes praise. It includes power. It includes preeminence. It includes prosperity. And this takes place, notice, it doesn't take place specifically for Judah, maybe not even for his sons who came right after him, but this takes place, all of this blessing for time takes place throughout the course of history after the nation of Israel had been set free from Egypt. And this blessing for time included, first of all, a blessing for praise. Verse 8 says, Jacob says, Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons will bow down to you. Your brothers will praise you. They will bow down to you. In other words, Judah would be recognized. His brothers, and what I mean by that is the other tribes in time, would come to recognize the leadership qualities of the tribe of Judah. And they would praise Judah, not in the sense of giving Judah or the tribe of Judah to the worship that is due to God alone, but they would take note of the strength of Judah. They would take note of Judah's leadership against the enemies, and they would honor and they would esteem Judah for that. They would appreciate him, to put it lightly, for that. We do the same thing in this life. When there are people who have done great things or who are doing great things, we praise them. We admire them. We honor them. I think it's safe to say that we praise in that sense Dr. Tan. We don't put her in the place of God. We praise God for what He is doing through her and people like her. We honor her and esteem her and those like her for that. Judah would be looked to for leadership of the entire nation. The rest of the brothers, the tribes, would come to rely upon Judah and they would praise Judah then also as they would come to recognize the blessing of power upon Judah. And Jacob speaks of that power over against the enemies, which meant safety and protection for the whole nation. Now boys and girls, it's always nice to have a friend who's much bigger and much stronger than you are. Someone to keep you safe should you find yourself in trouble with someone else. And Judah, the other tribes would find safety and protection under the power of Judah. And this power is seen, figuratively speaking, in the description of Judah as a lion. Now we know that a lion, the animal, the lion is a biblical picture of strength and might and military power. In fact, in the Old Testament, that term lion is ascribed to certain individuals and nations who were seen to be powerful and mighty and men and nations of valor and just mighty in strength. Judah is likened to a fierce lion that has seized its prey, that has returned to its den, and lies there daring anyone to challenge it. Jacob even uses the term lioness. Try to take a lion cub from its mother, and you will find out just how mighty and how powerful a lion can be. But that figure of a lion also points to the blessing of preeminence. Boys and girls, by preeminence, we're talking about something that is supreme, something that is superior, something that is over everything else. Superiority in rank, superiority in dignity, superiority in importance. And this is seen especially in royalty. See, we cannot escape the fact that we have here royal language, the scepter and the ruler's staff. And that ruler's staff, as it says, between his feet is a picture of the lawmaker and the lawgiver and the lawkeeper. And if we fast forward a little bit in history, we know that in God's divine plan, the kingly line would indeed be found in the tribe of Judah. Of course, when Israel first cried out in wickedness for its king, God gave them a king named Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, that tiny little tribe that would eventually, in a sense, be swallowed up in Judah. But Saul was not a man after God's own heart. In fact, Saul turned out to be more of a man after man's own heart. And therefore, then God gave them one who was a man after his own heart. He gave them David. He gave them a king who enjoyed the blessing of God. But we rewind a little bit again. And we know that God ratified Jacob's prophecy concerning Judah throughout Old Testament history. Already from the time that Israel was released from bondage in Egypt and when they were wandering in the wilderness, we know that Judah was the largest tribe in the census. There were two censuses taken in Numbers 2 and Numbers 26. Judah was the largest tribe in the census. And therefore, it's no surprise that Judah also had the largest number of fighting men. In Numbers 2 and 10, we see in different ways that Judah was a predominant tribe, predominant in position, number one in position, with regard to the lists that are given and with regard to marching orders. When the nation left Mount Sinai, Judah was in first place. Judah led the rest of the nation. Later on, when it came to the dedication of the temple, Judah was in the first position to bring the offering. When Canaan was divided in Joshua 15, Judah was the first tribe to receive an inheritance. And the tribe of Judah was the first to attack the Canaanites in the time of the Judges. Is it any wonder that the brothers, the other tribes, would see in Judah power? They would see leadership. They would see preeminence and that they would praise Judah for that. But of course, we cannot escape the Davidic kingdom, the kingdom of David. And that is where Judah really gained prominence. God promised that the throne would never depart from David's sons. And even when the kingdom split and there were the two small southern kingdoms, Judah and Benjamin, and the ten northern kingdoms, even then the southern kingdom was known as the kingdom of Judah and the sons of David continued to reign over that kingdom. Yet with David and Solomon, with David and Solomon, what a glorious time. As they ruled over the entire nation, all twelve tribes, and in them we see the strength and we see the power and we see the prestige of the lion tribe of Judah. They were successful in battle. They ruled the known world. The nations admired them and brought them tribute. The nations were brought under their obedience, we might say. And David and Solomon and their reigns was a visible demonstration then of the blessing of prosperity. Jacob prophesies in verses 11 and 12, he will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest ranch. He will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. Now obviously, this is symbolic language that points to abundance. But they would tie their donkey, not to a dead post, but to a living vine. And the donkey, as it were, was able to even eat from that vine. It would be a time of abundance, so much so that precious commodities, as it were, would be used for normal, everyday things. Wine would be so abundant, abundant as water, and in a sense it would be used in place of water. And again, what we know about the history of God's people, We know that Judah's inheritance, his physical inheritance, did include some of the most excellent pasture lands. It did include some of the most fruitful vineyards. Think of the spies who went in to spy out Canaan and they brought back the large clusters of grapes that took two men to carry. Where those grapes came from, that portion was given to Judah. But now we need to pause for a moment. We know that all of that is true, but because of other things that we know in history, We know there's a paradox here. Boys and girls, that means there's an apparent contradiction. A contradiction between Jacob's declaration of the exaltation of Judah and between other facts of biblical history. You see, all that Jacob prophesies here in history, it was not all perfect. Judah was not always exalted. Indeed, we see praise and power and preeminence and prosperity are all true at certain points in time, but they weren't always true every moment and continuing on. We also see in Scripture the kingdom split, as we said a moment ago. The brothers did not always look to Judah for power, for protection, and praise Him. And with regard to that southern kingdom of Judah, we know that not all the kings of Judah, not all the sons of David, did what was right in God's sight as their father David had done. We know that the kingdom of Judah did suffer defeat at times and eventual captivity. We know that the nation appeared to be in ruin for many, many, many years. But as we sometimes say, looks can be deceiving. As Jacob prophesies of the exaltation of Judah, that it also includes a blessing for eternity. You see, beloved, if it was only a blessing for time, then we might have a reason to question the Word of God. To question what Judah says. to question what he's talking about, but it was also a blessing for eternity. Going back to verse 10, the scepter will not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. We know, of course, that the tribe of Judah and his tribe were given an exalted position in the history of Revelation as God unfolded His plan throughout the course of history. But Judah was also given an exalted position in what we call redemptive history. The history of God's redeeming grace. Very simply, Judah's prophecy here is a messianic prophecy. It points forward to the Messiah. The honorable estate of Judah included the fact that Judah's line would be the line to bring forth a Messiah. We know that was fulfilled in time. We celebrate that in a particular way as we celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but it would be effective for all eternity. Without using the terminology, the prophecy of Judah here speaks of the seed of the woman, the long-expected Jesus who would be born a child and yet a king. Now, some of you who grew up with the King James Version may remember very well that this is translated a little bit differently in the King James Version. It talks about the scepter, that it would not depart and the ruler's staff would not depart until Shiloh comes. Until Shiloh comes. Shiloh is what we call transliteration of the Hebrew. It's how the Hebrew word sounds. But it's very difficult to translate it and that's been proven throughout history among commentators as well. Again, the NIV says until he comes to whom it belongs and that's one of many possible meanings. Others include tribute or sent or son or peace. But in many respects, the NIV is the most accurate, agreeing with most ancient translations as it points to the coming Judahite leader. But the beauty is that no matter which way it is translated and all the ways that it's been translated, it all points to Jesus. Shiloh, we might say, is a designation for the Messiah. Now, boys and girls, in this season of the year, we celebrate in a particular way, we celebrate Jesus. We celebrate the Son of God who was sent to bring peace between God and man. We celebrate the One to whom all these translations point. And of course, every day of our lives we celebrate His work on our behalf because He is risen, because He lives today. His work is effective for you and me each and every day. But in a sense, most of all, we celebrate the One to whom the scepter, the kingship, the throne belongs forever and ever. He's not like the physical sons of David who lived their life and died. He reigns forever and ever. This is a messianic prophecy, and this messianic prophecy, beloved, is attested by other prophets in the Old Testament. For example, Amos in chapter 9, there the Lord speaking through Amos says, In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear My name, declares the Lord, who will do these things. He's talking about the restoration of the kingdom, the coming of the Messiah, and the eternal kingdom. And Micah in chapter 5, there we read, But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are of old, from ancient times. These prophets interpreted Jacob's prophecy as referring to the day of the Messiah. And beloved, we can look at the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and these very same things are ascribed to Him. He was presented from the very beginning as a descendant of David and as a king. Already in His birth announcement, the angel to Joseph said, Joseph, son of David. What a reminder that was. He's going to bring him up to speed now. This is what's going to happen. And in the birth announcement to Mary herself, The angel says the Lord will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end. At his birth, boys and girls, you remember what the wise men said to King Herod, right? They said, where is he who has been born the king of the Jews? And when Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on that last week of his earthly life, the people treated him as a king. They laid their coats out over the donkey. They laid them out over the path. And what did they say? They said, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. When our Savior was on trial, he said to Pilate, my kingdom is not of this world, pointing to the fact he himself was saying, I am a king. And remember the inscription that Pilate had placed above his head on the cross, which said, the king of the Jews. But not only is it attested by the prophets, not only is it attested by the earthly life of Jesus, but it's also attested by heaven itself. Remember John's revelation, The vision He was given. In Revelation 5, it includes these words, Then one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. And they sang a new song. You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on the earth. And beloved, this lion lamb sacrificed himself to pay for all of the sins of all of those who would believe on him. And as he did, as that lion, he conquered the one who was only like a lion. Satan, the one of whom Peter says, is prowling around, seeking whom he may devour and destroy. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah, has defeated the enemy of God and man and for all who come to Him in true repentance and faith from every tribe, every tongue, every nation, from as far as the curse is found. For them, the curse is removed forever. And His is eternal exaltation. You know, that eternal exaltation is actually both for King Jesus and for His kingdom citizens, but that eternal exaltation is His. To Him belongs all praise. You see, beloved, in glory we too will sing, as is hinted at in the book of Revelation, We too will sing, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever. And we will sing, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And He will reign forever and ever. And even one day, as Paul says in Philippians 2, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. But we don't wait until that day. Even today, as we sung in number 301, even today, He is to be the focus. Now, we know what a focus is, right? That's not a foreign word to us. To focus on something means to look intently at it, to have your gaze and your attention specifically on that object. Like focusing with your camera or focusing with your telescope or your microscope. Focus! We are to focus. Even today, He is to be the focus of our praise and our adoration and our worship. There are many calls to praise for us today in the Word of God. One of them, Psalm 145, I will exalt You, my God the King. I will praise Your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord. and most worthy of praise. His greatness no one can fathom. To Him belongs all praise, but to Him also belongs all power. Jesus Himself said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. He alone is strong to save. His blood alone is precious to wash away my sins. Boys and girls, He alone is the one we ought to want on our side. Because He alone is all-powerful. And not only does all praise belong to Him and all power, but also all preeminence. Think about the words of Paul in Romans 8, that familiar chapter, but especially verses 33 and 34. Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is He that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. He is preeminent. He is number one. Satan has no ground for accusation for those who are in Christ Jesus because they are justified by God in Christ Jesus who stands before the throne of God with His hands and nail holes, the holes in His feet, the hole in His side, presenting His sacrifice on our behalf. He has wiped away any accusation Satan can have against you or me. He is preeminent. He is number one. And this Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of His Father. And He reigns and rules by His Word and Spirit. Only His truth will stand forever. Only His kingdom will have no end. Beloved, the world doesn't recognize it yet. One day they will. That He is preeminent in the universe. But even though the world doesn't recognize that yet, you and I must. He must be preeminent in our lives. He must be number one in our lives. He must have the highest place in our lives. So I ask you, does He in your life? Does He? How do you know? And how does it show? But not only does all praise and all power and all preeminence belong to Him, but also all prosperity. And that too, beloved, He shares with His kingdom citizens, with you and me as believers. You see, Judah is pointing forward in this prophecy to the age to come, the golden age of future blessing that Scripture looks forward to in a variety of places. That age of abundance, that age of peace, that age, as Isaiah says, when the lion will lay with the lamb. No more enemies, huh? That age in which the book of Revelation says there will be no sin or sorrow or sickness that will stain or spoil the glory of heaven. That age is described as the wedding feast of the lamb. But of course, until that day, even today, we enjoy spiritual prosperity, a transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit. we enjoy not death any longer, but life. Love instead of hate. Joy has been brought out of sorrow, and peace has been brought out of unrest. But we also cannot forget our physical prosperity. All that we have, beloved, whether it's much or whether it's little, all that we have is a part of the good and perfect gift of God, our Savior. And our prosperity today, although we do not yet live, physically speaking, in that golden age to come, and although we don't always have much, and although it takes sweat and toil to come by it often, yet it is prosperity. Because God provides all that we need. Think about that just for a second. God provides all that we need. Now we might want to argue with Him about that once in a while. We see things a little differently than God does once in a while. We know our needs a little bit better, but the truth is God provides us all that we need. And that means that we are never without what we need. But we always have sufficient. I'm amazed again by what Dr. Tan has told me about the people there. He says, we're not poor. The people in Malawi whose feet get bitten by rats, who don't have doors on their huts, who don't even have enough saline to keep people alive, things that we take for granted. He says, we're not poor. We just have no money. We are rich in Christ Jesus. We too, beloved, even if we have little, physically speaking, we are rich in Christ Jesus. Judah's prophesied exaltation, beloved, was a reminder that God's promise of a Savior, of the seed of the woman, would be fulfilled. It was a promise of restoration that would be greater than Eden. Remember, in Eden, Adam was able to sin, and he did. But in glory, one day, we will not be able to sin. This prophecy includes the blessing of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, which means it includes a blessing for us because this prophecy has all believers in mind because Jesus Christ came for us. We may not know what the future holds for us as far as the details of this life, but we do know we have been shown clearly our future in Christ Jesus. Our Lord Jesus Christ continues to build His church as His Word goes forth and as His Holy Spirit brings many to recognize His power and His preeminence and are brought to praise Him as He brings them into the prosperity of His kingdom as the nations are continually brought under obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. And for us today, beloved, as those who are a part of His beautiful, glorious bride, the church, may our lives clearly and without hesitation and without compromise be dedicated to His rule and devoted to His worship. Amen. Thank you.