21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
The Original Context
Lamentations is a book of grief written in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction. It gives voice to the sorrow of a people who had lost everything – temple, city, freedom.
Lamentations 3 is a turning point where there is a flicker of hope in the midst of lament. In the middle of darkness, the character of God shines forth: steadfast love, daily mercy, and great faithfulness.
These verses are not spoken from comfort but from ruin. They don’t deny suffering; they declare hope despite suffering, despite crying out in lament. Waiting quietly for the Lord’s salvation was not easy, but it was the only way forward.
Fulfillment in Jesus
Holy Saturday represents the in between. Jesus’s body lay in the tomb. His disciples were scattered and silent. The heavens were quiet. From the outside, it looked like all hope had been buried.
But even in silence – in the in between, God was faithful. Jesus had already promised that after three days He would rise (Mark 8:31). Even when the world couldn’t see it, God’s mercies were not on pause. His redemptive plan was still unfolding.
Holy Saturday reminds us that waiting is part of redemption. Jesus entered the grave, but He wouldn’t stay there. Sunday was coming.
Hope for Today
Many of us live in “Saturday” seasons – waiting for prayers to be answered, healing to come, or joy to return. The silence of God – the in between – can feel unbearable. But Lamentations gives us a word for these moments. God’s mercies never end. His faithfulness is great. And even when we wait in the dark, we wait with hope.
So today, rest in the character of God. Remember His past faithfulness. Trust in His promises. Wait quietly – not because you see the answer yet but because you know and trust that Jesus will bring it.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The Original Context
Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming of a Suffering Servant – One who would be rejected, bear sorrow, and ultimately carry the guilt of others. Verses 3-6 portray this Servant as misunderstood and mistreated. The people saw His suffering and assumed it was punishment from God for His own sins, but Isaiah pulls back the curtain: the Servant wasn’t suffering for His own wrongs – He was bearing the griefs, sorrows, transgressions, and iniquities of others.
This wasn’t punishment for failure. It was substitution. God laid the guilt of His people on this Servant. He was pierced, crushed, chastised – not because of what He had done but because of what we have done. It’s the language of atonement. It is one life being laid down to bring peace and healing to many.
Fulfillment in Jesus
Jesus is the Suffering Servant who Isaiah foretold. He was despised and rejected by His own people. He wept over the unbelief in Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), was betrayed by a friend (Luke 22:47-48), and was abandoned by His disciples (Matthew 26:56). He was beaten, mocked, and crucified – pierced by nails and crushed under the weight of humanity’s sin and the wrath of God against that sin.
But this was neither accidental nor tragic. Jesus didn’t die a victim of injustice but as a willing substitute, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). It was the purpose for which He came: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). At the cross, Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. Our rebellion against God became His burden. The punishment that brought us peace was laid upon Him. And by His wounds, we are healed – not just physically or emotionally, but spiritually and eternally.
Hope for Today
Good Friday is not a tragedy – it is a triumph through sacrifice.
Good Friday reminds us that salvation isn’t something we earn but something we receive. The weight of our guilt was laid on Jesus. Our wandering hearts find a home in Him who died that we may live.
We are all like sheep – wayward, distracted, self-reliant (or trying to be), but the Shepherd became the Lamb and was led to the slaughter for our sake. If today feels heavy, let it. The cross was no small thing. But don’t stop at sorrow – look through it to see the love of God on full display.
If you have ever felt too sinful to be forgiven, too broken to be loved, or too far gone to be reached – Isaiah 53 is for you. Your sin is not too much for the Savior. The Servant of Isaiah 53 – Jesus Christ – came for sinners just like me and you.
You are not alone in your brokenness and sin. You are not stuck in your guilt. You are not without hope. Jesus was pierced for you. And those who put their faith in Him are forgiven, healed, and brought near.
So come and behold the Lamb – despised and rejected yet full of mercy and grace. Let your heart rest in the peace He purchased with His blood.
Come to the cross.
Let your heart be pierced by His mercy.
Marvel that God would do this for you.
And remember: while Good Friday ended in death, it opened the door to life because Sunday’s coming!
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
The Original Context
Exodus 12 tells the story of the first Passover – the night when God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. Each household was to sacrifice a lamb without blemish and spread its blood on their doorposts. When the Lord passed through Egypt to strike down the firstborn, He would “pass over” the homes marked by the blood. It was a night of both judgment and mercy, death and deliverance.
This event became central to Israel’s identity. Every year after that night in Egypt, they celebrated Passover to remember how God saved them by the blood of a lamb. The Passover meal – the lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs – became symbols of God’s redemption and a foreshadowing of something greater to come.
Fulfillment in Jesus
The night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered His disciples to celebrate the Passover one final time (Luke 22:15). But He transformed the meal. Instead of focusing on the lamb on the table, Jesus pointed to Himself: “This is my body…. This is my blood…poured out for many” (Mark 14:22-24).
Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 5:7: “Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” Jesus is the true Lamb without blemish, slain for our deliverance. His blood does not merely cover a door – it cleanses our hearts. His death does not rescue us from one night of judgment but an eternal separation from God.
And just as God instructed His people to remember the Passover forever, Jesus commanded us to remember His sacrifice through the Lord’s Supper until He returns.
Hope for Today
Maundy Thursday reminds us that Jesus went to the cross with full knowledge and purpose. He chose to be the Lamb. He prepared the table. He washed the feet of His disciples (and betrayer). He gave His body and blood to establish a new covenant of grace.
As we remember the Last Supper, let us not rush past it. Jesus wanted us to remember that night – to remember His love, His blood, His sacrifice.
So today, receive the Lamb. Rest in His finished work on the cross. And give thanks that the wrath of God due our sin has passed over us because the blood of Jesus has covered us. This is truly the Lord’s Passover.
12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter.
The Original Context
Psalm 41 expresses the voice of a faithful sufferer, King David, who faced betrayal not just from his enemies but from a trusted companion. In ancient cultures, sharing bread was a sign of intimate friendship or loyalty, so the betrayal of such a companion added deep pain to hardship. Yet the psalm ends in hope, with a declaration that the Lord upholds the righteous.
Zechariah 11 paints a vivid picture of Israel’s spiritual rebellion against the Lord. The prophet assumes the role of a rejected shepherd, illustrating how Israel would reject God’s true care. The “wages” of thirty pieces of silver – a paltry sum for the value of a shepherd – shows their contempt. The odd command to throw the money “to the potter” at the temple conveys divine disdain for their decision, while also symbolizing judgment and redirection.
Fulfillment in Jesus
Jesus was no stranger to betrayal. Psalm 41:9 is quoted in John 13:18 on the very night of the Last Supper, as Jesus identified Judas Iscariot as His betrayer – the one who dipped bread with Him would “lift his heel” against Him. Judas’s act fulfilled both Scripture and sorrow.
The thirty pieces of silver In Zechariah found direct fulfillment In Matthew 26:14-16 when Judas agreed to betray Jesus for that exact amount. Later, overwhelmed by guilt, Judas returned the silver to the temple, and the chief priests used it to buy a potter’s field (Matthew 27:3-10) – fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy to the letter.
These betrayals were real. They were evil. And yet they did not thwart the redemptive plan of God. Even through betrayal the Good Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep.
Hope for Today
Betrayal is a bitter sorrow many of us face. Whether in friendship, family, or faith, the sting of being hurt by someone close can feel like a wound that may never heal. But Jesus knows this pain firsthand. He was betrayed by a friend, abandoned by His followers, and sold out for thirty pieces of silver. Yet His story did not end in betrayal. It was merely a precursor to His victory over death, hell, and the grave.
In Christ, our pain isn’t wasted. God sees. God knows. And God redeems.
So today, if you’ve ever been betrayed or wounded by someone close, take heart. Jesus walks with you in that pain. He is the faithful friend who never leaves.
Trust Him to bring beauty even from and through brokenness. And rest in the Savior who was betrayed but not defeated.
6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” 8 The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”
The Original Context
Isaiah spoke these words to Israel during a time of spiritual renewal, casting a vision of God’s heart for the nations. In contrast to the idea that Israel alone was God’s chosen people, Isaiah announced that foreigners who loved and followed the Lord were welcomed into His house.
This radical promise highlighted something about God’s covenant: His salvation was never meant for Israel alone because God was gathering worshipers from every tribe and tongue to find joy and belonging in His presence. His temple was never meant to be a barrier but a beacon.
Fulfillment in Jesus
When Jesus entered the temple in the final week of His life, He saw that its courts – meant for Gentile worshipers – had been turned into a marketplace. In righteous anger, He drove out the merchants and quoted Isaiah 56:7 in Matthew 21:13:
“My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.”
Jesus was restoring the temple to its true purpose. And ultimately, He became the new and better temple (John 2:19-21). In Him, all who trust and follow God, all who confess Him as Lord and believe in their hearts He is risen from the dead – regardless of background or nationality – are brought near (Romans 10:9-13, Ephesians 2:11-22).
Hope for Today
Jesus is still gathering outcasts. He is still welcoming foreigners. He is still saving sinners. And He is still building a house of prayer for all peoples.
If you’ve ever felt like an outsider – too far off, too broken, too different, too sinful, too shameful – know this: there is room for you in God’s house. The joy of His presence is not reserved for some select few who have it all together or who have the right genealogy, but offered to all who come to Him through Christ.
This Holy Week, let your prayers rise in confidence and hope. Jesus has not merely opened a way for people to come to Him, He IS the Way (John 14:6), and He prepares a place for Him in His Father’s house for all He saves (John 14:2-3). If He has saved you, you belong there; you are home with Him. And through Him, your worship is welcomed with joy.
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
The Original Context
Malachi delivered this prophetic word to a people disillusioned and spiritually dull. They had returned from exile and rebuilt the temple, but they had fallen into apathy. Their worship was half-hearted, their priests were corrupt, and their hearts were far from God. Still, they longed for God to show up – to vindicate the righteous and judge the wicked. The trouble with that is that they were the wicked and not the righteous.
Malachi declared that the Lord would indeed come to His temple, but not the way they were expecting. His coming would not be comfortable – it would be refining. His messenger would prepare the way, and the Lord Himself would purify His people, beginning with the priests. Only then would their worship be pleasing to God.
Fulfillment in Jesus
John the Baptist fulfilled the role of the messenger who prepared the way (Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2-4). Then Jesus, the long-awaited Lord, came to His temple and found it much like the days of Malachi – the wicked playing righteous. And just as Malachi foretold, Jesus cleansed His temple – not only by driving out money changers (Matthew 21:12-13) but by calling Israel back to true worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23).
Jesus is the messenger of the covenant, both its fulfillment and its mediator (Hebrews 8:6). His mission was not only to forgive sinners but to purify worshipers. Like a refiner’s fire, Jesus came to cleanse hearts and renew righteousness. His blood purifies our conscience (Hebrews 9:14), and His Spirit sanctifies those He saves daily.
Hope for Today
We may long for God to show up and make things right, but are we ready for what that might require of us? Jesus comes not just to comfort, but to confront – not only to forgive, but to refine.
This Holy Week, ask the Spirit to search your heart. What needs to be purified? Where have you offered half-hearted devotion? The Lord is still refining His people – and He will not stop until our faith shines like gold (1 Peter 1:7). Rejoice that Jesus makes our worship acceptable. And offer yourself to Him today as a living sacrifice – holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1).
As we walk together through Holy Week, I invite you to journey not only through the events that led to the cross and the empty tomb, but also through the ancient promises and prophecies that pointed us there long before Jesus ever entered Jerusalem. This devotional booklet is titled He Who Promised is Faithful because that simple truth, drawn from Hebrews 10:23, is an anchor for our hope in Jesus:
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
The Scriptures you’ll find in these pages are not just poetic and prophetic – they are promises kept. Each Old Testament passage reveals something about God’s heart, His holiness, and His plan. And every one of them finds its “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). The writers of the New Testament didn’t treat the Old Testament as merely background noise – they believed it testified to the coming Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus, and still speaks to us today.
These brief devotions are here to help explain and illuminate those texts, like the leaders in Nehemiah 8:8 did when “they read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and…gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”
My prayer is that you will not stop at the devotions, though, but be drawn into God’s Word and asking His Spirit to open your eyes to the beauty of Jesus in all of Scripture. And as you do, remember what this Holy Week ultimately points us to: not just events of the past but the glorious promise of what is to come – of Who is coming again.
So open your Bible. Read slowly. Marvel at God’s goodness. Let the promises fulfilled in Christ strengthen your faith and stir your worship as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection and long for His return.
You can click the links for each day’s podcast episode or devotion or download a copy below:
📖 Revelation 5:1–14In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison continue into the throne room of heaven—and what unfolds in Revelation 5 is one of the most powerful and familiar scenes in all of Scripture. A scroll appears in the right hand of the One seated on the throne, sealed with seven seals. A mighty angel asks a question that echoes through heaven and earth: Who is worthy to open the scroll?At first, no one is found—and John weeps. But then everything changes. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered… and when John turns, he sees not a lion, but a Lamb standing as though slain—and alive.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ The significance of the sealed scroll and why only the rightful heir can open it✔️ The difference between ability and worthiness—and why no one but Jesus qualifies✔️ Why John hears “Lion” but sees a slain Lamb—and what that reveals about Christ✔️ How Jesus conquers not by force, but through His death and resurrection✔️ The connection to the Passover Lamb and the redemption of God’s people✔️ The overwhelming worship of heaven declaring Jesus alone is worthyThis chapter is the turning point: the Lamb who was slain is alive—and He alone is worthy to carry out God’s plan.“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. Today, we will be diving into the first of Jesus’s seven letters to the churches — this one to the church at Ephesus. Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together.
1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2“ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
Keith Harris: Greetings, Sojourners,
As I said, we are continuing in our King is Coming study of the book of Revelation, and now we are entering into the part where you have these letters from Jesus to churches. Before we get into that, though, Jamie, we were talking after looking at the earlier two Bible studies in this series – talk to us about the chain of command from Revelation 1 real quick.
Jamie Harrison: Just to hit on that, the chain of command was given from God, and it was given from God to Jesus. In the very first study in this series, we said from God to the angel – which we understand Jesus and God are one and the same.[1] I do think it’s important for clarification that it was given from God (the Father) to Jesus, then to the angel, to John, and subsequently to us. And all seven of these letters are directly from Jesus.
Keith: Right. That’s what we’re doing here. We want to be as careful with this as we are with other passages, but maybe we want to be a little bit more careful just in how people want to misuse the book of Revelation for fear mongering or manipulation. What Jamie is referencing is in Revelation 1:1, it says “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants…”.
So, just as we’ve been telling y’all, we don’t have this all together – we are students of the Bible and are wanting to help people study the Bible for themselves. Let’s go ahead and talk about the first of these seven letters (or the letters in general). Jamie?
Jamie: To start, a few things about the letters is I think it is important to note that, yes, these letters are written specifically to these seven churches. And these seven churches would have been kind of the center, I guess you would say, of how things got from one place to another. So, if I was delivering mail, so to speak, these would kind of be the seven hubs. It’s important to understand that these letters were given to those churches and then disseminated to all the churches from there.
Keith: It’s kind of like how the letter to the church at Colossae was meant to be shared with Laodicea and vice versa.
Jamie: Exactly. It’s important as we read these letters to look at the similarities of these churches to the Church today – the Church meaning believers but also to the individual (local) church bodies. So, you look at the Church as a whole, but then you also look at my individual (local) church body. How do we stack up? Where are we?
Some of the key verses here in these letters are seen through Revelation 2:7 that says[2], “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” This is going to be repeated in every letter – plural churches (Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22). It’s extremely important to listen to what the Spirit is saying to us as believers right here, right now. What is He saying to us?
And then, finally, before we jump into the letter specifically to Ephesus, we are going to look at each letter with five very distinct parts: a salutation (to the angel of the church of __), attributes of Jesus (something about Himself), their works (praise and in five of seven an admonition[3] to them), a universal admonition (“Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches”), and a final promise to each church. That’s kind of the way we’re going to look at each one, alright?
So, the salutation, of course, being the same in each letter, to the angel of the church of ___. We know that the angel is obviously talking to the pastor there at that local church.
Keith: Where do we find that? How do we know that? Remind them where we know what it means by “angel”, what it means by “lampstands”. We’re not just making this up. It comes from….
Jamie: Back in Revelation 1:20: “The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” Another word there for “angels” is messengers – someone who delivers the Word.
Keith: So, in the context of Revelation 1:20, this is not some ethereal guardian angel, so to speak. This is the pastor that God has called to the church. To the angel – the pastor – of the church of Ephesus.
Jamie: Right. The attributes of Jesus that we see here – what He says about Himself there in Revelation 2:1, He says, “Thus says the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” This is, again, a direct correlation back to Revelation 1:20 that we just read and also 1:16 – He had seven stars in His right hand. The right hand, of course, being the hand of might, the hand of power and strength. Jesus is holding these pastors in His hand. He’s walking among the churches.
I think that’s important to talk about just for a second. Is Jesus walking among our churches today? You know, if He was writing these letters today – these seven letters – would your (local) church body get a letter from Him?
Keith: Or would it be getting one of the five admonitions? Or one of the well-dones?
Jamie: Exactly. Is Jesus walking in your church? And if He is, what is He saying? What is He saying to you?
Well, here’s what He said to the church at Ephesus. He gives them praise for their works, saying, “I know your works there” (Revelation 2:2-3). In other words, they are active for God. They’re doing things that He’s told us to do in His Word. They’re toiling at a cost. Some of them would have been persecuted for their faith, up to the point of being killed for their faith. They’re laboring for the Lord, and obviously, that includes endurance, too. They weren’t just laboring for a minute; they were laboring for a while. They were enduring for a while. They did things that were uncomfortable because the Lord told them to do it, called them to do it.
He goes on and says that they can’t tolerate evil people. He says that they have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be liars. So, they’re enduring hardships for Christ. He keeps going on and on about all these awesome things that they’re doing. They’ve endured these hardships and not grown weary. Think about that for a minute. That’s really saying something. That’s saying something big time because we are quick to grow weary.
You know, COVID, back in 2020 made us all weary and about had us done. And here, He’s like, hey, these people didn’t even get tired at all.
Keith: You hear people talk about all the time – and I think it’s even a hashtag on social media: #firstworldproblems – it doesn’t take much to make us weary. That’s the irony of the pandemic, at least for the first part of it: we were getting more rest, more opportunity for rest. It’s like, how can people who are as far away from retirement as we are say, man, I’m tired of resting, let’s go back to work?
Jamie: Right, yeah. Anyway (chuckles).
I also think with that idea in mind where it says that they endured hardships for the sake of His name (Revelation 2:3). At the heart of every Christian should be a desire to do the will of God (Psalm 40:8, John 4:34). And I think it’s important to point out that it’s as God chooses, as God leads you, as God tells you to (Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 12:2). If you’re just enduring for the sake of enduring hardships, that’s all you’re doing: enduring them (1 Peter 2:20). All lot of people say all the time that the Lord is doing this or that when the Lord ain’t got nothing to do with it (Jeremiah 23:16, Matthew 7:21-23). So, you should be careful and make sure that what you are doing, if you’re toiling for the Lord, is because He’s leading you in that direction (Colossians 3:23-24). Don’t get burned out at church because you are trying to do so much. Don’t take on things that God hasn’t called you to take on. But now, if He calls you to take it on – take in on because what He’ll do is keep you from being weary, right? He will help you endure (Isaiah 40:29-31, 2 Corinthians 12:9).
Keith: The believers in Ephesus, they had just…look at the list here that Jesus gave! But what we know from the book of Acts is that God had done such a mighty work in Ephesus – so many people were getting saved that it upended their economy (Acts 19:18-20)! A big part of their economy was silver shrines (or idols) for Artemis, and it got to the point that there was a riot – an unlawful protest and threatening the lives of the church – because nobody was buying these idols anymore (Acts 19:23-27). People were losing their jobs, at risk of losing their homes, their livelihood in these false gods because people being saved said, hey, I can’t do this anymore (Acts 19:28-34, 1 Thessalonians 1:9).
I don’t know of many people who are weary in their churches because they’re upending the idol industry. I mean, it should be, but I’m afraid that’s not the case nearly as often as it should be.
Jamie: Agreed.
The last thing Jesus says to them, if you jump down to Revelation 2:6: “Yet you do have this: you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans[4], which I also hate.” Back in Acts 6:1-5, we see where Nicholas was one of the first deacons. They named him a deacon, but he’s actually a false believer. He led the church astray, led people in immorality, specifically sensual temptations enticing believers to pleasure themselves with self-indulgence. But Jesus tells the church at Ephesus that they hate that practice. Later on we’ll see a church that did not hate that practice but embraced it.
Keith: That’s where we find out more about their beliefs, too. Jesus doesn’t get specific here, but in the letter to the church at Pergamum, He relates it to Balaam who was a false preacher (Revelation 2:14; Numbers 22:12, 31:16). He was tasked with cursing Israel but couldn’t do it because God inhibited him (Numbers 22:18-20, 23:8). Also, they are looped in with Jezebel (Revelation 2:20). These accusations are in red letters. This is the letter from Jesus to the church at Ephesus. If He says it’s good – that hating the works of the Nicolaitans is something He also hates, it’s a pro-gospel stance (Revelation 2:6).
Jamie: Very much so.
So, that’s the works and the praise. He tells them they’re doing a good job on all those things. It’s important to note that this is the Lord commending them for these things. And then He says, “But….”
Keith: Don’t you just love that?
Jamie: The “but” cancels out everything that came before it. Unfortunately….
Keith: …and replaces it with this admonition.
Jamie: The question that I think this leads us to is: how many sins does it take to separate us from God for eternity? The answer is: one. If we sin once, we’ve fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So, it’s important to note that repentance is necessary.
Keith: Also here, this is the church at Ephesus. Jesus – it’s important to note here, not minimizing the sin but maximizing the power – that right hand that holds the churches, He’s not threatening to pull their salvation. He’s made them alive (Ephesians 2:1-5). He’s given them eternal life. John 10:28-29 says that He has them in His hand an no one can “snatch” them from His hand. He’s threatening to remove the lampstand, not their salvation.
Jamie: That’s exactly right. He tells them, I have this against you. You’ve abandoned the love you had at first.
Now, I think about this: I’ve been to a lot of different churches in my lifetime that were doing a lot of cool things, ministry-wise. A lot of people who had been there a really long time, etc. But when you walk in a church and don’t feel loved – you don’t see that others feel loved necessarily…. You know I hear a lot of “Christians” talking about people a lot of times, like did you know ___?
Keith: “Church folks”.
Jamie: Right. Can you believe so and so? Things of that nature. And I think that’s what this falls under. So, why do we do the ministries that we do?
Keith: You get kind of caught up in being an institution rather than part of the body of Christ.
Jamie: That’s it, and I think that’s exactly what the Lord is getting at here. It’s like, look guys, you know you’re doing all these great things, but you’re doing it almost out of a sense of duty as opposed to the fact that you love me.
People say all the time that you know we’re not saved by works. That’s accurate. You are only saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5). But because of grace – because we love Jesus – the works will follow (John 14:15, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). That’s why James said that without works there is no faith really (James 2:17, 26).
Keith: What did the Holy Spirit say to the church at Ephesus 20-30 years before this? In Ephesians 2:10, He says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which He has prepared beforehand.” Not religious obligation. Not good institutions. We are His workmanship. Just like those silversmiths were crafting idols, God is crafting little-Christs[5] out of us.
Jamie: Remember that the Church is the bride of Christ. So, think about it as an example of a marriage. Do you do things for your spouse because you have to or because you want to – because you love them? Now, sometimes we do things for our spouse because we have to; it’s just part of it. But we do things for them for the most part because we want to – because we love them – because there’s a relationship there. And that’s the idea here. Hey, you’ve grown a little salty in your relationship, grown a little cold in that relationship – going through it like a habit. You’re going through a routine. You’re doing these works – working in the church, you know, whatever you’ve got going on, you know at the foot pantry, fill in the blank. You might be doing it so people can see you there. Maybe it’s a social thing. But here’s the question: what are you actually doing? I know a lot of organizations that claim to help people but it’s really all about status – look at me, look at what I’m involved in – and not helping.
Keith: I mean, that’s the image that He gives there. You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, He tells them, from where you have fallen. You’ve got this pinnacle moment! I know in my own marriage that going through the motions doesn’t get me very far. Funny note on that phrase (going through the motions), is that in England “the motions” means a bowel movement. In a marriage going through the motions is about the equivalent to a bowel movement. It doesn’t cut it. (laughter from both)
You’ve got that standard there – that original love that was motivating and driving everything and have now fallen short of that standard. And that standard is love. What does 1 John 4:19 tell us? We love because He first loved us. This isn’t zeal coming from us; this is a response of worship coming from the only way you can respond to the Savior you took you from dead in your sin to alive in Christ: love. And that’s what they’ve got to remember.
Jamie: The next thing that Jesus says here, and I think this is really important, is for them to repent and do the works they did at first. So, there’s an opportunity to repent. It’s not like, oh, you quit loving me so I’m going to find somebody else. Like we said earlier, He does tell them that if they don’t He’ll come and remove their lampstand from it’s pace. That means that local church body would cease to exist. That doesn’t mean that they were no longer saved personally. That means that local church body there, whatever the case may be, would cease to exist if they did not repent.
So what? What is the overall call here? What is He telling this church? He’s saying, look, you’re doing all these great things. You’re doing these wonderful things – helping people – doing everything I’m asking you to do, but you’re doing it all out of a sense of duty instead of out of the love you have for me.
The key here is what He says, again in Revelation 2:7, “Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” What is the Spirit saying to the church? The Spirit is saying it’s about love. It’s about a relationship. It’s not like this ooey-gooey, mushy-feeling type thing – sometimes relationships are hard. They’re tough when they call us to do things we don’t necessarily want to do. They’re going to be hard and cause us issues. They’re going to cause us to have things go on in our life that maybe we don’t want that much. But the fact is that, if we’re doing it out of love for Christ, it’s all going to work out for the better – for you and the other people involved.
Keith: And a call to repentance is a good thing. It’s not a welcome thing, but it should be. How many times do we have to wonder did I do okay in this or did I do wrong in that? I would think that a letter from Jesus Himself saying, hey, these things are done well but the fact that you’re just doing them out of a sense of obligation – you’ve lost something here and you need to repent to gain it back.
Jamie: It’s a good thing. It is very good. It’s how we grow in a relationship. It’s the same thing – back to a husband and wife. How do you grow in that relationship? You’ve got to have a tough question, right? You know, if you’re the spouse that’s being offended, or whatever the case may be, if you don’t ever tell the other person, they won’t know so that repentance can take place.
So, we jump there to the final promise. The promise He gives here is: “To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). I don’t think we have to go too much into that. We understand that salvation is eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. But you might think that the one who conquers is going to have a sword and shield and on the day of the battle of Armageddon, I get to fight all the demons and all these things. No, that’s not true, because if you had to do it you’d die. That’s not a thing. They’re stronger than you – sorry to be the one to break that to you. But the Bible, again, always answers the Bible. So, as we’ve probably stated ten times at this point, if the Bible doesn’t give you the answer, you probably weren’t meant to know.
Keith: On the things where the Bible is clear, those are important. Where the Bible is not clear – it’s not saying it’s not important but it’s definitely of lesser importance.
“…because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
So, when He says “to the one who conquers”, He’s saying to the one who is saved. To the one who is my child – that’s how you conquer. That’s what He’s talking about here. So, if you conquer the world you have a relationship with Christ. You will be with Him for eternity and eat from the tree of life. It’s pretty awesome.
Keith: It’s definitely worth repenting and advice worth repeating.
Jamie: I think to end this we talk about the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13. You know, a lot of times we read it at weddings and things like that, but here I want to look at it this way. Starting in 1 Corinthians 13:4 (and going through the end of verse 8) where he lists the things that love is, take “love” out and insert your name. So “love is patient, love is kind” – take “love” out and put your name there.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.
So, the question we need to ask ourselves is could we take “love” out and put our names in and it still be true. Put our churches name in there. The answer for everybody on the face of this earth is, no, we are going to fall short in at least one of these areas. That’s where repentance comes in.
Keith: As often as needed.
Jamie: So, I think that hopefully gets a good understanding of the letter to Ephesus, and kind of what it was that the Lord was saying to them and to us.
Keith: As a challenge, there’ sone thing that Ephesus has that we don’t have currently in our churches. In this exact moment, we can do a post mortem (or autopsy) on the church at Ephesus. When I say post mortem, I mean after death. There is no church in Ephesus. In fact, there is no Ephesus today. Ephesus was, and you can look this up, a harbor town. At some point, the harbor began to have silt floating in, and the harbor was no longer dockable for ships. And Ephesus, just like its harbor, dried up.
I think it’s far to say that the lampstand was removed, and the reason I say that is that God didn’t just remove the church and damn or condemn everyone else. He dammed the harbor and moved people elsewhere, to other areas.
So, the challenge is, if you’re listening to this you obviously have an ear. Listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. In this case, look specifically and see the love you had at first – personally and as a church body. If you are in need of repentance to do the works you had at first, do it because the One who holds the seven stars in His hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands is more than capable of pulling that lampstand up and wrapping that church up.
Consider this challenge, sojourners. Take these words to heart. Study them for yourself. Check what we say by the Bible. And, Lord willing, we’ll talk to you next about the church at Smyrna.
[4] The Nicolaitans held a lot of beliefs similar to the gnostics as well. There is not a lot known about them beyond what we see here in the letters of the church of Ephesus. The information citing Nicholas from Acts 6 as the beginning of that movement comes from Irenaeus (pastor who lived in the 2nd century, born about 30 years after the book of Revelation was given) and Hippolytus of Rome (pastor who lived in the 2nd and 3rd century).
[5] The word “Christian” began as a term meaning little-Christ and was initially used to mock believers (Acts 11:26, 1 Peter 4:16).
7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him for you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. 10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions – if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the Kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hieropolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” 18I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
📖 Revelation 5:1–14In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison continue into the throne room of heaven—and what unfolds in Revelation 5 is one of the most powerful and familiar scenes in all of Scripture. A scroll appears in the right hand of the One seated on the throne, sealed with seven seals. A mighty angel asks a question that echoes through heaven and earth: Who is worthy to open the scroll?At first, no one is found—and John weeps. But then everything changes. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered… and when John turns, he sees not a lion, but a Lamb standing as though slain—and alive.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ The significance of the sealed scroll and why only the rightful heir can open it✔️ The difference between ability and worthiness—and why no one but Jesus qualifies✔️ Why John hears “Lion” but sees a slain Lamb—and what that reveals about Christ✔️ How Jesus conquers not by force, but through His death and resurrection✔️ The connection to the Passover Lamb and the redemption of God’s people✔️ The overwhelming worship of heaven declaring Jesus alone is worthyThis chapter is the turning point: the Lamb who was slain is alive—and He alone is worthy to carry out God’s plan.“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
We have made it – the end of our study of the book of Colossians! I have enjoyed getting to study and write about this letter and hope it has been helpful for you. It is good for us to spend time studying His Word and especially good for us to truly understand that Jesus is indeed over all.
Our passage today is often just tacked on at the end of an expository book study (preacher language for preaching and teaching through a book, verse-by-verse) as a sort of wrap up. But I want us to see that this passage, like all of Scripture, is breathed out by God and profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). I think it serves as a good reminder that this was an actual letter to a real church. The church at Colossae – and all of the churches in all of the cities Paul visited on his missionary journeys and wrote to – was a real church filled with real people. Paul’s close to this letter is similar to the rest of his letters as he and those present with him greet the recipients of the letter. There are also specific greetings, similar to how in modern speech, say a phone call to family or friends you haven’t seen in a while might say, “Tell your folks I said, ‘hi’” or “tell Aunt So-and-So I love her”. It’s personal.
At the same time, this letter – and the other letters/epistles in the New Testament – are more. They are Scripture because, as I mentioned above, the Holy Spirit breathed out this letter through Paul. He chose to use Paul’s writing to this church, to these real people, to write to our churches and all the churches in the years between and beyond until Jesus returns to gather His people to Himself. In a sense, these letters are as much from God’s Spirit to His people as it ever was Paul’s to the church and people he cared for in Colossae.
So we are going to look at a couple of the guys Paul mentions at the close of his letter and find some application for our lives. Before we do that, though, I want us to briefly review some big takeaways from our Jesus Over All study of Colossians.
Nine Takeaways from Our Previous Bible Studies in Colossians
Each of these takeaways come from early Bible studies in our Jesus Over All study and serve to help us wrap our minds around the whole book in context. Let’s dive in.
Jesus is enough, and His gospel transforms lives (1:1-14).
Paul reminds us that Jesus is sufficient to save and especially against all false teachings. When He saves people, His gospel bears fruit of that salvation in their transformed lives. This is the kind of growth we should seek after, and it should drive us to pray, rely on God’s power, and exhibit gratitude for our redemption in Jesus.
Jesus is supreme over all creation and reconciles sinners to God through His blood on the cross (1:15-23).
Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. He is both Creator and Redeemer, holding all things together. His being preeminent as well as the Savior who sacrificed Himself for our sins forms the foundation for our faith, securing our hope in Him alone and calling us to believe what His Word says about Him.
God can use suffering to strengthen His Church, and His Word is the foundation for spiritual maturity (1:24-2:10).
Paul’s endurance for the gospel challenges us to view our own trials and difficulties as a means of growing in Christ. If we are rooted in Him and His truth, we will – through His power and Spirit – be able to stand firm against deception and grow in our faith, walking in Him with gratitude and confidence.
Jesus frees us from spiritual captivity and forgives sin through His victory on the cross (2:8-15).
False teachings seek to deceive us, but Jesus seeks to give fullness of life and freedom. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus cancels the debt of sin and triumphs over the forces of evil, securing an eternal salvation that cannot be taken away.
True faith rests in Christ alone, not human traditions of religious practices (2:16-23).
The equation is simple: Jesus + nothing = everything! Paul warns against adding rules and regulations to the gospel, reminding us that only Jesus can save. False teachings want distort and confuse, but they lack the power to bring any true or lasting change.
Believers are called to set their minds on Jesus and live for His Kingdom (3:1-4).
Having been raised with Jesus, our focus shifts. We no longer need to be distracted by things on earth because our eyes (and lives) should be focused on the eternal hope of Christ in glory. Our identity is not wrapped up in earthly things but hidden in Christ. This means that our lives should reflect Jesus’s rule over us – He is Lord, after all.
Be killing sin in your life, or it will be killing you (3:5-11).
Sin in our lives needs to be put do death, reminding us that Jesus’s redemption frees us from sin’s power. Being born again in Jesus means living as new creations and calls us to cast off our old selves and embrace being renewed in His image.
Christlike character leads to unity, love, and peace in the church and is exhibited in worship that exalts Christ, is rooted in His Word, and overflows into real, every-day life (3:12-17).
As God’s chosen people, we are called to put on compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and love. These are more than mere actions because they are fruit of having new life in Jesus. They are part of our worship of Him. Worship, then, is more than personal preference because it is shaped by His Word, instructing our hearts and all we do in His name – every word, song, and action.
Every aspect of life – home, work, and speech – should reflect Jesus’s rule in our hearts (3:18-4:6).
We see here again that Jesus saving us is to impact our real, everyday lives – how we live in all aspects of our lives. Whether in our families, jobs, or conversations with people, those Jesus saved are to live in a way that honors and points to Him. Walking in wisdom, speaking with grace, and serving others faithfully are a few ways Paul uses to show how our lives are to display Jesus’s lordship in all things.
One Final Takeaway: Learning from the Lives and Legacies of Mark and Demas (vv. 10, 14)
All of the people mentioned in this last section mattered to Paul. He wasn’t idly name-dropping or merely recognizing acquaintances. These were men who were involved in Paul’s ministry or had specific messages for the Colossian church. The emphasis in Colossians 3:1–4:6 on how being in Christ should impact real life was not just religious talk—it had shaped Paul’s life, and it was shaping the lives of those he wrote to as well.
Tychicus and Onesimus (vv. 7-9) hand-delivered this letter to the Colossian church. They had additional information about Paul’s circumstances and were sent to serve and encourage the believers.
Aristarchus, Mark, and “Jesus who is called Justus” (vv. 10-11) were with Paul in his imprisonment. They were the only Jewish believers remaining in Rome with Paul, ministering to him and taking part in the kingdom work happening from his prison cell. Paul says that they were “a comfort” to him, and they sent their greetings to the Colossians.
Epaphras (vv. 12-13), the Colossian church’s pastor, also sent greetings. Though he was on mission in Rome, ministering to Paul, he was still “struggling” for the Colossians in prayer, asking that they “may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (v. 12). Paul testified to his continual labor in prayer, not only for his own church but also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis (v. 13).
Luke, “the beloved physician” (v. 14)—who would later write the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts—also sent his greetings, along with Demas.
Paul extended his greetings to the church at Laodicea, particularly to Nympha and the church meeting in her home (v. 15). Though this letter was addressed to the Colossians, it was meant to be read in Laodicea as well. Paul also had a specific word for a Laodicean believer named Archippus, encouraging him to “see that [he] fulfill the ministry [he had] received in the Lord” (v. 17).
These were real people whom Paul loved and cared about. He wanted them to know that, which is why this final section was written with great effort in his own handwriting, even as his hands were bound in chains (v. 18).
So, what does this mean for us? Paul didn’t mention any of you dear sojourners who I care about today. There were no personal greetings to future churches in yet-undiscovered or unsettled regions of the world. What are we supposed to take from this?
I’m glad you asked.
Our final takeaway from this study in Colossians is to consider the lives of two men Paul mentioned in this section: Mark and Demas.
Mark, also known as John Mark—the writer of the Gospel that bears his name—had a complicated history with Paul. That’s why Paul included specific instructions that the Colossians should welcome him. Mark’s cousin, Barnabas, had been Paul’s partner in his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3), and Mark had joined them. But after facing hardships, Mark abandoned the mission and returned home (Acts 13:13). Paul took this seriously. So, when Paul and Barnabas were preparing for their second journey, Barnabas wanted to bring Mark again (Acts 15:37). Paul disagreed, believing it was unwise to take someone who had withdrawn from the work (Acts 15:38). Their disagreement was so sharp that Paul and Barnabas parted ways—Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas and continued elsewhere (Acts 15:39-41).
Yet here, years later, we see Mark restored. Not only was he no longer a liability, but he was one of the few Jewish believers standing with Paul in his imprisonment. The same man who had once quit now endured alongside Paul in even greater trials. God had grown and matured him. The Holy Spirit had worked in him, and Paul recognized that. Paul wanted the Colossians to know that Mark was no longer the same man he had once been—he was to be welcomed as a fellow laborer in the faith.
Then, there was Demas.
We don’t know Demas’s backstory, only that at the time Paul wrote to the Colossians and to Philemon, Demas was counted among his fellow laborers (Philemon 24). Paul took seriously those who ministered alongside him, and Demas had been part of his team. Like Luke, he had the privilege of sending greetings to the churches.
Yet, by the time Paul wrote 2 Timothy—his final letter, written as he awaited execution—Demas had abandoned him. But unlike Crescens, Titus, and Tychicus, who had left to serve elsewhere (2 Timothy 4:10-12), Demas had left for another reason: he was “in love with this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10).
Read that again. Paul was on death row, awaiting execution, and Demas deserted him—not because of a call to another ministry, but because of love for the world. This wasn’t just a personal disappointment for Paul—it was recorded as Scripture, meaning the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write it (2 Timothy 3:16).
But in that same chapter, we see something else. Paul, who had once written Mark off as unfit for ministry, now told Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).
What a contrast!
Wrapping Up
I suppose this is where we try to bring everything together, but in truth, the contrast between Mark and Demas does much of the work for us. Their lives illustrate the heart of what we’ve seen throughout Colossians—Jesus is over all, but will we live as if that’s true?
Both of these men participated in ministry and mission. Both walked alongside Paul. Both had moments where they turned away. But what set them apart was not just their failures—it was where they turned afterward. Mark, despite quitting early on, was restored. He grew. The same gospel that Paul proclaimed in Colossians transformed him, matured him, and drew him back to faithfulness (Colossians 1:6). By the end of Paul’s life, Mark was a trusted and needed partner in ministry (2 Timothy 4:11).
Demas, however, loved this present world. That love pulled him away. We don’t know how his story ended, but we do know that he abandoned Paul in his greatest hour of need (2 Timothy 4:10). And that leaves us with a question: when trials come, when the cost of following Christ feels too high, when the comforts of the world beckon—who will we be? A Demas, in love with the world? Or a Mark, restored by the grace of God?
The entire book of Colossians has pressed us to consider the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ. We have seen that Jesus is enough, that His gospel transforms lives (Colossians 1:13-14), that He holds all things together (Colossians 1:17), and that His rule should be evident in our everyday lives (Colossians 3:17). We have been reminded that true faith rests in Christ alone, not in religious performance (Colossians 2:16-17). We have been challenged to put sin to death (Colossians 3:5), to walk in wisdom (Colossians 4:5), to love and serve in His name (Colossians 3:12-14), and to set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:1-2).
So, as we conclude, the real question is this: Do we believe it? Is Jesus truly over all in our lives—not just in theory, but in how we live, work, worship, and relate to others? When hardship comes (Colossians 1:24), when the world entices (Colossians 2:8), when following Christ requires sacrifice (Colossians 3:3-4), what will our response be?
I don’t know your story, but I do know this—God is faithful. He is patient. He is at work in you just as He was in Mark, just as He was in Paul, just as He has been in all who are His (Philippians 1:6). The same Jesus who rules over creation rules over your life (Colossians 1:18), and He is able to strengthen you, sustain you, and keep you until the end (Jude 24-25).
Sojourners, it has been a privilege to study Colossians with you. I pray, like Epaphras prayed for the Colossians, that you “may stand mature and fully assured in the will of God” (Colossians 4:12). May we live as people who truly believe that Jesus is over all. And may He be glorified in our lives, both now and forever.
I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
Psalm 40:1-2
Psalm 40 is a testimony of God’s faithfulness in deliverance in David’s past and a plea for help in his present troubles. David recalls how the Lord rescued him from the pit of destruction – which he describes as a miry bog (think quicksand) – and placed his feet on a rock, giving him a new song of praise (vv. 1-3). But even as he celebrates God’s faithfulness, he finds himself once again in need of God’s delivance.
This psalm teaches us a powerful truth about living out the new life we have in Christ: it is a cycle of waiting, deliverance, and renewed dependence on the Lord. We live these out over and over, and God is faithful over and over. David is not relying on God’s past deliverance alone, though; he continually puts his trust in the Lord rather than in earthly sources (v. 4). He recognizes that God’s plans for him and His wonders are beyond measure (v. 5) and that true obedience is worth more than religious sacrifices (vv. 6-8).
David’s worship is more than religion, too. He says that in the “scroll of [God’s] book” will be written that he delights to do the will of God and that His law is “within [his] heart” (vv. 7-8). He has not held back in telling people “the glad news of deliverance” and God’s righteousness (v. 9). He has not been silent about God’s faithfulness or His salvation, especially being vocal about His steadfast love (v. 10). And because of this, David is confident that God will not hold back when it comes to His mercy, steadfast love, or faithfulness (v. 11) in the midst of his current troubles from his own sin (v. 12) and his enemies (vv. 13-15).
Even in the midst of trials, David ends with confidence: “You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!” (v. 17). God did not delay to deliver and was not about to start then. Like David, we can hold fast to the Lord because “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23)!
Seeing Jesus in Psalm 40
David’s words in Psalm 40 foreshadow and point to Jesus. The writer of Hebrews 10:5-7 applies vv. 6-8 to Jesus, showing that He is the true fulfillment of this psalm. He came to do the will of His Father, offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
And because of Jesus’s resurrection, our hearts should be consistently bursting with “new song” (v. 3) to give testimony for how Jesus saving us and giving us new life – His consistent track record of deliverance, even from death, moving our hearts to praise Him!
Reflection
We can trust, as David did here in Psalm 40, that God hears our cries, rescues us in His perfect timing, and will never forsake those who put their trust and hope in Him. Consider the following questions to help you see where you need to trust the Lord:
Are you in a season of waiting on the Lord? What have you seen in Psalm 40 and in your own life that helps you trust His timing?
How have you experienced God’s faithfulness in the past? How does remembering it give you confidence in Him today?
Look to the Lord. Cry out to Him from whatever miry bog of despair you find yourself in, and trust that He will put you firmly on Jesus, our rock and our redeemer (Psalm 19:14)!
Here’s a praise song to help you apply and praise the Lord with Psalm 40:
The #dailyPSALMSchallenge gives us the opportunity to start 2025 in God’s Word by digging into a psalm a day. Each day will identify a key passage for us to meditate on as well as seeking to help us see Jesus in the psalm and reflect on what we have read.
Just Keith Harris 