Benediction

You are merciful and gracious to us, Lord Jesus,

so merciful and gracious.

Our souls take refuge

and find shelter and confidence in You, our Rock.

Yes, in the shadow of Your wings

we take refuge and are confident

until calamities and destructive storms are past.


We will cry out to You, Lord Jesus,

for You perform on our behalf,

and vindicate us- for You have done all our works for us,

and You bring to pass Your purpose for us

and surely complete that purpose according to Your good and perfect will,

for Your own name’s sake.


The government is on Your shoulders, Lord Jesus,

and of the increase of Your Kingdom and of Your peace,

there shall be no end.

Wherever we go, we are carried as captives in Your victory parade,

swept along in the tide of Your glory.


You, Lord Jesus, are teaching us Your way,

that we may walk and live increasingly in Your truth alone-

You are good and upright and You teach sinners in Your way,

just as You taught the multitudes, having compassion on them.

You are lifted up, Lord Jesus, and are drawing all to Yourself.

Before our eyes, You are glorified and Abba is glorified in You.

You, Lord Jesus and Good Shepherd,

will not let us wander aside from Your ways and commandments!

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort us along Your way.


Remove from us any way of falsehood and unfaithfulness to You, Lord Jesus,

because we have chosen and long for Your Truth, Way and Life!

Grant us, Lord Jesus, purity of heart that we may bring honor to Your name-

direct and unite our hearts solely to revere Your name-

make us wholeheartedly committed to You, Lord Jesus.


You, Lord God, are tending this vineyard of our hearts

and wrath is not in You- if we produce weeds,

You will pull them out and burn them up.

You watch over us day and night, protecting us from harm,

keeping us well watered with Your Word

and the Living Waters of Your Holy Spirit.

Without the Holy Spirit, who can discern their errors?

Shine Your light in our hearts,

see if there be any crooked way in us and take from us hidden faults.

With Your might arm, keep back Your servants from presumptuous sins,

with jealousy as strong as the fire of Your holy heart keep us to Yourself,

and show us the way everlasting.

Direct our footsteps in Your way,

for we are now slaves to righteousness through Christ our Lord.

Lord Jesus, others had ruled over us,

but You, Lord Jesus, have brought them all to ruin-

they lie helpless in the dust, lifeless, without hands or feet or mouth,

all that were incensed against us are as nothing,

as a nonexistent thing-

even the memory of them is gone from us,

because You have won the victory for us, Lord Jesus,

triumphing over them through the cross.

Your name is above all names-

Your name alone, Lord Jesus, will we acknowledge and remember-

Your name alone will we speak- Lord Jesus!

Lord Jesus, Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory!

The victory is Yours, Lord Jesus!


Cause us to seek for You with our whole heart!

Cause us to inquire for You and about You and to yearn for You.

Your words, Lord Jesus, You are laying up living in our hearts,

because You are writing them there Yourself,

building up and hallowing Your holy dwelling place within us.

You, Lord Jesus, live in us and we in You,

that we might reverence and adore and obey You, oh Living Word of God, Lord Jesus,

together becoming a living city made for Your dwelling place, made for Your glory.

Blessed are You, Lord Jesus! You are teaching us Your word and way,

just as You taught the disciples and the multitudes wherever You went.

With our lips we will recount and declare all the ordinances of Your mouth.

We will rejoice in Your way and testimonies as much as in all riches,

letting the words You spoke dwell in us richly as we pray, teach and sing together.

Your words You are setting before us and we will cleave to You, Lord Jesus,

clinging to You and relying on You alone in faith and trust.

Lord Jesus, in this life we take up our cross daily and follow You,

meeting with You outside the camp,

but when You come in Your glory,

no one who looks to You will ever be ashamed.

You will not let us be put to shame!

Everyone who looks to You, Lord Jesus, will be radiant with joy-

because of the perfect beauty of Your faithfulness and redemption,

because You have sat down at the right hand of Abba,

because of the glory of God radiating from Your face,

shining in our hearts, as we behold You there,

and passing from glory to glory, growing into Your likeness,

for You have seated us with You, our life is through You now.

We will not merely walk, but run in the way of Your commandments,

because You gave us new, living, receptive and willing hearts.

You will give us understanding so that we will keep Your commands!

You will give us the strength to keep Your way and commandments all the way to the end!

You will open our ears to hear and our eyes to see You!

Yes, Lord Jesus, we are delighting to obey, honor and trust You with our whole hearts.

*

Don’t be afraid.

The Living God is giving us our nations.

He is going before us and He is coming behind us,

and He will sweep up all in His path.

Abba is rising up,

The Lord of all the earth is rising up,

He is rising up to do us good,

He is rising up and coming down to us

and no one will stop Him

and the mountains will melt down before Him

and the valleys will rise up to meet Him

and the crooked will be made straight

and the rough places smooth before Him.

Rise up!

Rise up and follow Him!

There is no stopping this work of God.

Go out without fear-

you will go forth in joy and be led by peace

you will trample down the works of the enemy,

they will go up like smoke, they will burn like straw,

there will be end to those works,

they will fall before the Living God, the Lord Jesus,

they will fall face first before Him, without hands, feet or mouth

and crumble into dust and they will not be found.

Everywhere you put your feet, the Lord Jesus will give you

to bring forth life, to heal, to restore, to deliver.

You are sent forth to do the works of the Lord Jesus Christ,

You are His living body on earth, sent to make Him known,

to announce the Kingdom of God-

to announce the glad tidings of the Lord Jesus Christ-

all authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to our Lord,

and His Kingdom has come.

Repent and believe the good news.

Receive the gift as a child.

*

When you worship the Lord Jesus, know that heaven is open to you,

that you stand in the presence of multitudes who have gone before us-

before the Lord Jesus Christ in the whole assembly of saints,

the whole assembly of saints includes us,

we are assembled with the worship of heaven.

Worship the Lord before His throne! Worship the Lamb!

Dance and sing! Leap for joy! Praise Him! Praise the Lord Jesus!

Heaven is open, you stand in His presence! Praise Him!

Our Lord Jesus who hung upon the cross,

Who ascended into the clouds-

He bends down to us, He opens heaven to us! Praise and adore Him!

Our Lord Jesus Christ knows us, He loves us, He delights in us, we delight Him-

Our Lord Jesus opens His arms to us in loving welcome.

Adore Him! Cast down your crowns and throw up your hands

and dance and sing and worship and praise Him!

*

Jesus (lifting His face to the heavens): Father, My time has come. Glorify Your Son, and I will bring You great glory because You have given Me total authority over humanity. I have come bearing the plentiful gifts of God; and all who receive Me will experience everlasting life, a new intimate relationship with You (the one True God) and Jesus the Anointed (the One You have sent). I have glorified You on earth and fulfilled the mission You set before Me.

In this moment, Father, fuse Our collective glory and bring Us together as We were before creation existed. You have entrusted Me with these men who have come out of this corrupt world order. I have told them about Your nature and declared Your name to them, and they have held on to Your words and understood that these words, like everything else You have given Me, come from You. It is true that these men You gave Me have received the words that come from You and not only understood them but also believed that You sent Me. I am now making an appeal to You on their behalf. This request is not for the entire world; it is for those whom You have given to Me because they are Yours. Yours and Mine, Mine and Yours, for all that are Mine are Yours. Through them I have been glorified.

I will no longer be physically present in this world, but they will remain in this world. As I return to be with You, holy Father, remain with them through Your name, the name You have given Me. May they be one even as We are one. While I was physically present with them, I protected them through Your name. I watched over them closely; and only one was lost, the one the Scriptures said was the son of destruction. Now I am returning to You. I am speaking this prayer here in the created cosmos alongside friends and foes so that in hearing it they might be consumed with joy. I have given them Your word; and the world has despised them because they are not products of the world, in the same way that I am not a product of the corrupt world order. Do not take them out of this world; protect them from the evil one.

Like Me, they are not products of the corrupt world order. Immerse them in the truth, the truth Your voice speaks. In the same way You sent Me into this world, I am sending them. It is entirely for their benefit that I have set Myself apart so that they may be set apart by truth.

I am not asking solely for their benefit; this prayer is also for all the believers who will follow them and hear them speak. Father, may they all be one as You are in Me and I am in You; may they be in Us, for by this unity the world will believe that You sent Me.

All the glory You have given to Me, I pass on to them. May that glory unify them and make them one as We are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may be refined so that all will know that You sent Me, and You love them in the same way You love Me.

Father, I long for the time when those You have given Me can join Me in My place so they may witness My glory, which comes from You. You have loved Me before the foundations of the cosmos were laid. Father, You are just; though this corrupt world order does not know You, I do. These followers know that You have sent Me. I have told them about Your nature; and I will continue to speak of Your name in order that Your love, which was poured out on Me, will be in them. And I will also be in them.

-John 17, The Voice

And the Glory of the Lord