WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:16.780 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:20.780 that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:24.920 by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:31.520 for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself? 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:37.939 The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, we really, 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:42.579 I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the Bible, 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.760 they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will 00:00:48.760 --> 00:00:54.560 do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:59.340 non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't 00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:04.680 hesitate to send us questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:07.760 types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:17.140 We have the great privilege this morning that Steve will be opening the Word for us. 00:01:17.140 --> 00:01:29.019 Thank you, George. Always good to have the privilege of being prepared to speak. And I trust that what 00:01:29.019 --> 00:01:40.319 our reflections will encourage us and also by God's grace bring glory to Him only. 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:48.339 The focus of our reflections will be around the topic of the Day of the Lord, as I just read. 00:01:49.039 --> 00:01:57.239 But this verse in 1 John 2 will help us enter into that theme. 1 John 2.28 says, 00:01:57.239 --> 00:02:05.599 And now, dear children, continue in Jesus so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:10.439 before Him at His coming. So I invite you to pray with me. 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:22.579 Father, we ask that by Your Spirit You would come and soften our hearts to hear Your Word, 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:31.680 to embrace the good news, to hold fast to it, that we may continue to hope and to pray 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:38.520 that others will come to know You and that we will together look forward to Your appearing, 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:43.220 to Jesus' appearing. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:50.240 How many of you watched King Charles' Christmas message? 00:02:52.639 --> 00:03:01.780 Wow. Okay. A couple. Right? Well, you might want to go have a listen to that after you hear what I say. 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:10.579 After watching that brief message, I thought I'd glance through the comments that had come in, 00:03:10.580 --> 00:03:15.420 both on this side of the pond as well as the other. And my eye picked up on these. 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:25.240 Absolutely beautiful. Very thoughtful. Full of compassion. A message the world needs to hear. 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:33.700 And even praise Jesus. Not a single negative comment, as far as I could tell in my scan. 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:38.200 Only top marks for a king who's now coming into his own. 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:44.759 Now, here in Canada, we honor the king. And if we're guided by the prayer book, we pray for him. 00:03:45.359 --> 00:03:52.419 And so, I mean no dishonor whatsoever when I say that I'm troubled both by what he said and by what he didn't say. 00:03:53.219 --> 00:03:58.539 And here I'm appealing to the collect that we prayed more than once, I think. 00:03:58.699 --> 00:04:06.620 But starting with the first Sunday of Advent, which is a collect that we and the king are familiar with. 00:04:06.620 --> 00:04:13.900 Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon us the armor of light. 00:04:13.900 --> 00:04:20.939 Now, in the time of this mortal life, in which your son Jesus Christ to visit us in great humility, 00:04:21.939 --> 00:04:28.439 that in the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:34.680 we may rise to the life immortal through him who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, 00:04:35.459 --> 00:04:37.120 now and forever. Amen. 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:46.040 Now, what King Charles spoke of was the humility part, leaving aside the majesty, 00:04:46.579 --> 00:04:52.139 which meant, in effect, that the greatness of the humility was lost. 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:58.000 So we heard about the one who came to serve and who taught us to care for others. 00:04:58.280 --> 00:05:03.300 We heard that all religions teach that creation is a manifestation of the divine 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:07.079 and that we're called to live a simple life and to care for the environment. 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:13.000 And we were reminded also that Jesus taught us to treat others as we would want to be treated 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:18.340 and that this universal truth can lead us out of the present conflict in the Middle East. 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:29.240 Now, the vague, lopsided Christmas message didn't just reduce the truth, giving us one part of it. 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:36.120 Instead, I would suggest it distorted the truth because it left us putting our hope in ourselves. 00:05:37.300 --> 00:05:44.680 The king didn't bear witness to the king who's coming over all the earth, to reign over all the earth, 00:05:44.840 --> 00:05:49.120 and who alone can bring peace and restore what's broken. 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:55.019 By looking within and not up, the message offers no cure 00:05:55.019 --> 00:05:59.479 to what we can call the disease of presentism. 00:06:00.740 --> 00:06:01.759 What do I mean? 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:06.740 Well, the disease of presentism trains us in the art of not waiting, 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:10.459 of not longing for what God has promised. 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:15.839 That's because we assume that in one way or another, perhaps we already have it, 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:20.519 or that it's ours to make, to create. 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:26.500 And I think this is a great disease of our time, and to the extent that we've caught it, 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:31.560 I believe we've given way to a pagan attitude. 00:06:32.779 --> 00:06:35.159 So what's the response to the disease? 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:40.259 Well, of course, it's never wrong to serve others and to care for the environment, 00:06:40.379 --> 00:06:44.879 and it's true as long as we've trusted in Jesus that we can have assurance 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:48.620 precisely in the now that we belong to him. 00:06:48.620 --> 00:06:54.759 But this does not, for a second, remove the longing and the waiting 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:58.120 that's part of life in these shadowlands, 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:01.360 with a tip of the hat to C.S. Lewis, 00:07:01.899 --> 00:07:06.980 knowing that what awaits us is far more glorious than we could ever imagine. 00:07:08.579 --> 00:07:13.480 But this brings us to a question that if you were here at the 8, I didn't get into. 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:18.840 But 8 o'clock service, I kind of walk through this passage, 00:07:18.960 --> 00:07:21.220 but here I want to do something a little different. 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:25.040 I want to ask, well, I want to address that big question, 00:07:25.140 --> 00:07:29.460 where are we in history in relation to the great day of the Lord? 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:33.759 You might want to answer with another question. 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:36.140 Is that something we can know? 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:39.420 Is that something that we ought to try to know? 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:45.800 Well, at least we can say that Christians have tried to know where we are in history 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:48.240 and have come up with very different conclusions. 00:07:49.140 --> 00:07:53.060 Some would say something like, well, we're in the last act. 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:58.879 The day of the Lord is happening very soon, quite likely in the next decade or so. 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:04.240 Look at the signs, wars, disasters, and famine. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:08.759 The fact that we can wipe ourselves off the map. 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:15.980 Widespread lawlessness, selfishness, and a falling away within the church itself. 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:18.639 Others say, I disagree. 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:20.280 I think we're in the first act. 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:26.220 The day of the Lord can't happen until the world has experienced widespread peace and prosperity 00:08:26.220 --> 00:08:28.800 on account of the great success of the gospel. 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:30.680 That's a Christian. 00:08:31.240 --> 00:08:32.779 Many Christians hold that view. 00:08:32.779 --> 00:08:38.579 What's behind that view is the idea that when Jesus speaks of the end of the age in Matthew 24, 00:08:38.959 --> 00:08:43.159 he was speaking only of events in the immediate future. 00:08:43.699 --> 00:08:46.559 In other words, the lawlessness and tribulation, 00:08:47.639 --> 00:08:50.600 great tribulation and lawlessness that are now behind us. 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:56.459 Others might say, I came up with this, and I don't know, maybe some would say, 00:08:56.860 --> 00:08:57.959 well, we're in the intermission. 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:00.679 Somewhere in the middle. 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:04.179 Well, it might feel like the end of history as we know it, 00:09:04.979 --> 00:09:08.279 but Christians of the past have felt the same way. 00:09:08.419 --> 00:09:13.759 Martin Luther and many of the reformers thought they were living in the very last act. 00:09:14.819 --> 00:09:17.319 But likely it'll be in another millennium or two. 00:09:18.779 --> 00:09:20.679 Well, as I've said, the answers matter. 00:09:21.219 --> 00:09:21.599 Why? 00:09:21.699 --> 00:09:25.459 Well, because in one way or another, they impact the way we live our lives. 00:09:25.599 --> 00:09:26.240 In the now. 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:26.840 How so? 00:09:27.740 --> 00:09:29.940 Well, first act Christians can say, 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:35.500 well, in spite of present troubles, we're learning to take the long view of history, 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:39.879 to be hopeful about human flourishing precisely through the gospel, 00:09:41.019 --> 00:09:50.019 and to help put things in place so that our children's children's children can be part of that great flourishing. 00:09:50.019 --> 00:09:54.639 Well, last act Christians can say, since Jesus is coming soon, 00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:59.279 thinking about the kind of world we're bringing children into, 00:09:59.699 --> 00:10:03.220 or caring for the world around us, is really pointless. 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:08.259 And intermission Christians, if they exist, might say, 00:10:08.620 --> 00:10:11.319 well, look, I'm not too concerned one way or the other. 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:14.200 I've got plenty of other things to think about. 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:21.540 So I think we need to turn to God's word and see what we can learn this morning. 00:10:21.820 --> 00:10:29.120 I think it might be helpful to start by backing up to the first letter that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, 00:10:29.660 --> 00:10:32.600 and think about the nature of the event itself. 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:39.860 The first thing to say about the day of the Lord is that it will be public and cataclysmic. 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:42.899 I choose those words guided by Scripture. 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:46.860 Well, we see there in the first letter to the Thessalonians, 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:53.920 you can follow with me if you flip back to 1 Thessalonians 4, starting at verse 13. 00:10:54.560 --> 00:10:57.720 Bibles are up here and available if you don't have one of your own, 00:10:57.759 --> 00:10:59.360 and you're welcome to take one. 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:05.700 If you read fine print or bring your glasses as I ought to. 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:09.340 But I'll read 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18. 00:11:10.460 --> 00:11:14.340 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:18.320 that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:22.620 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, 00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:27.860 even so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:31.879 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, 00:11:32.779 --> 00:11:36.320 that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:38.860 will not precede those who have fallen asleep, 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:42.879 for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:47.320 with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, 00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:49.759 and the dead in Christ will rise first. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:55.319 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds 00:11:55.319 --> 00:11:59.100 to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:03.120 Therefore, encourage one another with these words. 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:06.240 Well, what's Paul doing here? 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:12.460 He's taking us right back to that Easter morning and telling us this. 00:12:12.460 --> 00:12:16.280 At a point in history that's coming, 00:12:17.019 --> 00:12:21.480 that original event, the resurrection, will be applied, 00:12:22.160 --> 00:12:26.040 literally applied to those living and dead 00:12:26.040 --> 00:12:31.019 who have been in this life included in Jesus' death. 00:12:31.940 --> 00:12:38.220 It will be applied to those who have been in this life included in his death. 00:12:38.220 --> 00:12:43.840 Well, you might be wondering, since some will be alive when he returns, 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:47.580 as the text says, in what sense are they going to be resurrected to? 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:51.300 Well, I think the answer comes in the nature of the event itself, 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:54.600 and that's what I'm talking about, some of the cataclysmic part. 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:58.460 The point is, the day of the Lord means the end of history as we know it, 00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:02.700 and therefore to our existence as we've known it up to that point. 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:10.280 So cataclysmic because it will be an event like on the order of creation itself, 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:15.920 when God spoke the universe into being. 00:13:16.640 --> 00:13:22.440 And I've said it's public because it's not going to happen somehow behind history 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:29.360 or somehow above it, but in human history for every eye to see. 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:35.860 So it will be an earth-shaking event when God issues a new command. 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:41.820 Arise, and the dead in Christ will come out of their graves. 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:45.860 Now, when I was hanging around some Pentecostal friends, 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:50.100 and I was still a Baptist, my Pentecostal friends, 00:13:50.180 --> 00:13:52.960 well, the dead in Christ, that must mean the Baptists, right? 00:13:52.960 --> 00:14:01.040 But joking aside, Paul wants to make it clear that that fact, 00:14:01.680 --> 00:14:05.700 that these believers have been dead, doesn't mean they'll miss out, 00:14:06.920 --> 00:14:09.680 be left out when the whole church, since Adam, 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:14.780 is raised up bodily and made fit for the new creation, 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:17.180 transfigured, transformed. 00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:23.939 That's the moment when all those in Christ will be caught up together in the clouds 00:14:23.939 --> 00:14:29.719 to meet Jesus, to go out together, to welcome him as he comes, 00:14:30.299 --> 00:14:33.899 to take his rightful place as King and Lord of all creation, 00:14:34.079 --> 00:14:36.839 to welcome him as King and Lord. 00:14:38.299 --> 00:14:42.059 Well, in a nutshell, that's the nature of the glorious appearing of Jesus 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:46.359 that we long for, his gracious gathering of the saints. 00:14:47.699 --> 00:14:50.259 And I'm sure you know this basic biblical teaching 00:14:50.259 --> 00:14:52.519 has been challenged in a couple of ways. 00:14:54.019 --> 00:14:56.839 In one case, the event is denied altogether. 00:14:58.339 --> 00:15:00.179 Many people throughout history have said, 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:03.439 nothing of the sort is going to happen. 00:15:03.539 --> 00:15:09.539 For the Sadducees, the idea of future rewards in a life to come 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:11.539 were just simply out of the question. 00:15:12.059 --> 00:15:14.779 I'll leave aside the joke about the Sadducees. 00:15:14.859 --> 00:15:16.239 If you like, you can ask me later. 00:15:17.939 --> 00:15:22.239 Which grand ideas, though, were the Sadducees drawing from? 00:15:22.959 --> 00:15:25.479 As early as the 6th century BC, 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:29.919 Aeschylus had said that once a man dies, that's it. 00:15:30.359 --> 00:15:32.179 That's my paraphrase statement. 00:15:33.259 --> 00:15:35.819 And about 50 years before Jesus was born, 00:15:36.319 --> 00:15:38.339 the Latin poet Catullus had written, 00:15:38.939 --> 00:15:41.299 when once our brief light sets, 00:15:41.299 --> 00:15:46.639 there is one perpetual light through which we must sleep. 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:52.279 How does Jesus handle the Sadducees' challenge? 00:15:53.699 --> 00:15:57.960 Well, you might recall from Matthew 22 or Luke 20, 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:01.519 how the Sadducees had set up that question. 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:04.159 They said something like, 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:09.819 well, take a woman who was widowed seven times by seven brothers. 00:16:09.820 --> 00:16:10.740 They said, 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:13.780 in the resurrection, to whom will she be married? 00:16:15.280 --> 00:16:17.700 Now, under the circumstances, 00:16:17.940 --> 00:16:23.580 they might just have wanted his thoughts or clarification about Moses' rule. 00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:27.640 The rule that stipulated that if a man died, 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:30.040 having fathered no children, 00:16:30.160 --> 00:16:31.780 his brother was to marry the widow 00:16:31.780 --> 00:16:34.220 and to give him offspring that way. 00:16:34.220 --> 00:16:40.820 But here the question just served as an excuse to make fun of the idea of resurrection. 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:43.620 So what does Jesus do? 00:16:44.740 --> 00:16:46.139 Knowing their skepticism, 00:16:46.300 --> 00:16:50.320 he takes them right to the authority they themselves have named, 00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:51.060 Moses. 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:53.980 And there he asks them effectively, 00:16:53.980 --> 00:16:58.180 how can you dismiss the resurrection when Moses himself, 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:01.340 that God is, 00:17:01.700 --> 00:17:03.019 and not just was, 00:17:03.100 --> 00:17:05.059 the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:09.779 The living God is even now their life. 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:11.460 And so Jesus can say, 00:17:11.980 --> 00:17:14.019 on another occasion to his disciples, 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:15.500 because I live, 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:17.779 you too shall live. 00:17:18.819 --> 00:17:20.400 John 14, 19. 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:24.440 And there's a second point that Jesus picks up on, 00:17:24.540 --> 00:17:27.620 and it relates directly to their concern about offspring. 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:30.620 He actually mentions it first. 00:17:31.300 --> 00:17:32.160 For Sadducees, 00:17:32.280 --> 00:17:35.560 the idea that our life endures in a certain sense through our children 00:17:35.560 --> 00:17:37.980 would have been a strong idea. 00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:41.040 But Jesus takes up the question of offspring 00:17:41.040 --> 00:17:45.780 in order to point them to the kind of life that really endures. 00:17:46.600 --> 00:17:47.519 What do I mean? 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.900 Well, he explains that in the life to come, 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:52.259 there is no marriage. 00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:56.480 Well, because the question of offspring has been addressed 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:58.619 by the gift of adoption, 00:17:59.379 --> 00:18:01.500 by God's adoption of his children, 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:03.559 as children of the resurrection. 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:06.720 That's in Luke 20, 36. 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:09.839 So Jesus is here telling them, evidently, 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:14.440 this passion you have to find personal significance 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:16.279 through your offspring. 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:19.640 Well, only God can satisfy it 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:21.660 by making you a child 00:18:21.660 --> 00:18:23.840 who will never die. 00:18:25.259 --> 00:18:26.420 But let's move on. 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:28.500 From it's not going to happen, 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:30.080 we come to the other challenge, 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:32.279 to the biblical teaching about resurrection. 00:18:32.840 --> 00:18:34.580 And that's, it's already happened. 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:37.400 And this claim brings us back, of course, 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:39.220 to the question of where we are 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:42.100 in relation to the great day. 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:45.619 We haven't left the world of grand ideas, 00:18:45.879 --> 00:18:47.579 because in 2 Timothy 2, 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.379 we read about a couple of teachers 00:18:50.379 --> 00:18:52.299 named Hymenaeus and Philetus 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:54.719 who were pushing a doctrine 00:18:54.719 --> 00:18:57.419 they probably thought was quite exciting 00:18:57.419 --> 00:18:58.779 and ingenious. 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:01.419 The day of the Lord has already come. 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:05.579 We can say that if their idea was to have any weight, 00:19:05.939 --> 00:19:08.339 they would have to persuade people 00:19:08.339 --> 00:19:11.079 not only that resurrection was something in the mind, 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:14.000 that it didn't apply to physical things. 00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:16.980 They would also have to convince them 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:19.819 that the judgment and the new creation 00:19:19.819 --> 00:19:21.799 were collapsed into the now. 00:19:23.159 --> 00:19:25.839 Since these other ideas have a certain attraction, 00:19:26.659 --> 00:19:28.659 he no doubt had quite a decent following. 00:19:30.259 --> 00:19:32.899 And we know what this teaching looks like today. 00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:34.859 It comes in this form. 00:19:34.859 --> 00:19:39.719 The resurrection, it's now, not future. 00:19:40.339 --> 00:19:41.719 And you can live in it 00:19:41.719 --> 00:19:46.359 by pursuing perhaps a higher consciousness. 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:50.559 Of course, the Hymenaeus and Philetus's of our day 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:53.240 will be quick to promote a new program 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:54.559 or new experience 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:58.599 or maybe new retreat or method 00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:02.319 that will just flood your soul with peace and joy 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:06.099 as well as a sense of oneness with all that is. 00:20:06.939 --> 00:20:08.819 And we shouldn't be too quick to say, 00:20:08.939 --> 00:20:11.779 look how silly of those Thessalonians 00:20:11.779 --> 00:20:13.539 to believe such a thing. 00:20:14.159 --> 00:20:16.899 The fact is the teaching came with authority. 00:20:17.579 --> 00:20:18.099 Apparently. 00:20:19.379 --> 00:20:21.579 So turn back with me now, finally, 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:24.279 here on page 10 of my notes 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:26.720 to 2 Thessalonians 2. 00:20:29.399 --> 00:20:32.180 That's why Paul has to warn them in verse 2. 00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:36.279 Not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:39.759 either by a spirit or a spoken word or a letter 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:41.700 seeming to be from us 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:44.180 to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:48.700 These teachers were claiming to speak 00:20:48.700 --> 00:20:51.220 or to write in the name of the apostles. 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:53.500 And not only that, 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:55.079 their words were persuasive 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:57.319 as they claimed special knowledge 00:20:57.319 --> 00:20:59.480 or insight or even a revelation. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:00.660 And no doubt, 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:03.440 their lifestyles appeared to be godly, 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:06.359 even full of peace and serenity. 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:10.940 So what does Paul say? 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.500 Well, with the authority he enjoys as an apostle, 00:21:14.680 --> 00:21:15.720 he says nothing doing. 00:21:17.180 --> 00:21:18.839 Something else has to happen 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:20.539 before Jesus appears. 00:21:20.539 --> 00:21:23.700 The man of lawlessness has to come on the scene. 00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:25.720 And what's all that about? 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:29.579 Well, if you look with me at verse 7, 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:34.519 the context is the mystery of lawlessness, 00:21:34.779 --> 00:21:37.539 which Paul says is already at work. 00:21:37.539 --> 00:21:39.639 And he thinks, 00:21:39.639 --> 00:21:44.259 as he thinks of figures who have set themselves up in the temple, 00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:46.819 declaring themselves to be God, 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:51.059 he no doubt had in mind men like the emperor Gaius, 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:55.500 who ordered that a statue of himself be erected in the temple 00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:58.200 in Jerusalem in A.D. 40. 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:01.660 In our own times, 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:04.620 I'm thinking of at least two men 00:22:04.620 --> 00:22:08.380 who think of themselves as the Christ. 00:22:09.420 --> 00:22:10.380 There's a man, 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:12.000 because of my interest in Russia, 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:13.680 there's a man named Vissarion 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:15.759 out in outer Siberia somewhere, 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:18.880 who gives himself the title 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:19.900 The Word of God. 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:23.259 And there's a man, 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:25.440 because we spent time in the Philippines, 00:22:25.600 --> 00:22:26.100 Stella and I, 00:22:26.820 --> 00:22:28.960 a man in a place called Davao City, 00:22:29.320 --> 00:22:32.320 who claims to be the appointed son of God. 00:22:33.040 --> 00:22:34.780 His name is Apolo Kiboloi. 00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:37.160 He decided that because 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:40.060 Jesus ascended 00:22:40.060 --> 00:22:41.780 not to the Father, 00:22:42.340 --> 00:22:44.120 but as the Father, 00:22:45.120 --> 00:22:46.860 well, the Father needed a new son, 00:22:46.859 --> 00:22:49.000 and he happened to pick Pastor Kiboloi 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:50.319 very conveniently. 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:51.579 Now, that sounds funny, 00:22:51.679 --> 00:22:55.179 but he's led a lot of people astray 00:22:55.179 --> 00:22:58.000 with that pure, 00:22:58.319 --> 00:23:00.839 plain and straightforward distortion 00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:03.199 of the scriptures. 00:23:04.799 --> 00:23:07.879 But all the false Christs that come and go 00:23:07.879 --> 00:23:11.359 evidently point to the Antichrist, 00:23:11.439 --> 00:23:12.740 who will come on the wave 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:15.279 of the apostasia, 00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:17.059 or rebellion, 00:23:17.259 --> 00:23:17.779 verse 3, 00:23:18.460 --> 00:23:20.660 which refers to a great, 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:24.119 massive falling away from God 00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:24.859 and his ways. 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:27.940 And the Antichrist is the son of destruction, 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:31.440 meaning he is appointed for destruction, 00:23:31.559 --> 00:23:32.519 the text explains, 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:33.619 because he's the one 00:23:33.619 --> 00:23:35.299 who Jesus will kill 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:37.680 with the mere breath of his mouth 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:39.619 and bring to nothing 00:23:39.619 --> 00:23:41.599 by his appearance, 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:43.920 by the appearance of his coming, 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:44.660 verse 8. 00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:48.420 Now, for the son of destruction 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:49.820 to pass himself off 00:23:49.820 --> 00:23:50.860 as the son of man, 00:23:51.300 --> 00:23:52.039 he'll, of course, 00:23:52.100 --> 00:23:53.560 have to present himself 00:23:53.560 --> 00:23:55.259 as a messenger of light 00:23:55.259 --> 00:23:55.880 and peace, 00:23:56.080 --> 00:23:58.180 with great signs and wonders 00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:00.360 that serve to camouflage 00:24:00.360 --> 00:24:02.140 his rejection of God 00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:02.840 and his word, 00:24:04.060 --> 00:24:05.660 and so to deceive those 00:24:05.660 --> 00:24:07.120 who, according to verse 10, 00:24:07.740 --> 00:24:09.279 refuse to love the truth 00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:10.120 and to be saved. 00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:12.679 Now, we can't say much 00:24:12.679 --> 00:24:13.579 about the timing 00:24:13.579 --> 00:24:14.959 or the exact nature 00:24:14.959 --> 00:24:16.539 of this great falling away 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:18.419 that will pave the way 00:24:18.419 --> 00:24:20.259 for the Antichrist. 00:24:20.459 --> 00:24:22.059 But if the man himself 00:24:22.059 --> 00:24:24.439 is to take his seat 00:24:24.439 --> 00:24:25.359 in God's temple 00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:26.479 and proclaim himself 00:24:26.479 --> 00:24:27.219 to be God, 00:24:27.339 --> 00:24:28.379 there in verse 4, 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:30.559 then it's not hard to imagine 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:32.839 how one of the grand ideas 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:33.939 of our day 00:24:33.939 --> 00:24:36.159 could actually herald that event. 00:24:37.179 --> 00:24:38.119 Let me say that again. 00:24:38.119 --> 00:24:40.019 It's not hard to imagine 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:41.799 how one of the grand ideas 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:42.839 of our own times 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:45.059 could herald that event. 00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:46.579 And what's that grand idea? 00:24:47.179 --> 00:24:48.199 Well, the grand idea 00:24:48.199 --> 00:24:50.019 is that we are all the Christ 00:24:50.019 --> 00:24:51.559 together. 00:24:52.399 --> 00:24:53.779 And on that basis, 00:24:53.959 --> 00:24:55.759 all of us could collectively 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:57.399 take our seat 00:24:57.399 --> 00:24:59.239 in the great cosmic temple. 00:24:59.899 --> 00:25:01.159 I'm speculating, of course, 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:02.819 but I'm trying to invite you 00:25:02.819 --> 00:25:04.099 to think of how, 00:25:04.459 --> 00:25:04.939 what it would mean 00:25:04.939 --> 00:25:05.739 for all of us 00:25:05.739 --> 00:25:07.639 to be together the Christ. 00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:09.420 to take our place 00:25:09.420 --> 00:25:10.880 in the great cosmic temple 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:12.500 and set ourselves up as God. 00:25:12.860 --> 00:25:14.500 To celebrate that fact 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:15.600 liturgically, 00:25:15.820 --> 00:25:17.340 because we all love ceremony, 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:18.840 we would let a man 00:25:18.840 --> 00:25:20.400 stand out among us 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:22.100 as our representative 00:25:22.100 --> 00:25:24.400 in this great cosmic 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:26.380 false Eucharist. 00:25:26.380 --> 00:25:29.540 if our new high priest, 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:33.660 that man would also be 00:25:33.660 --> 00:25:34.640 for us a prophet 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:36.320 who teaches us, 00:25:36.800 --> 00:25:37.620 look here, 00:25:37.760 --> 00:25:38.980 don't be misled 00:25:38.980 --> 00:25:41.200 by mere words, 00:25:41.300 --> 00:25:42.440 mere words attributed 00:25:42.440 --> 00:25:43.100 to Jesus, 00:25:43.360 --> 00:25:45.660 who represents only one stage 00:25:45.660 --> 00:25:46.780 in the evolution 00:25:46.780 --> 00:25:47.520 of the Christ. 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:47.599 Christ. 00:25:48.339 --> 00:25:49.559 And he would present himself 00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:50.299 as our king, 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:51.759 as the latest, 00:25:52.839 --> 00:25:54.379 fullest incarnation 00:25:54.379 --> 00:25:55.240 of the Christ 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:56.559 who promises peace 00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:57.759 and prosperity 00:25:57.759 --> 00:25:59.059 with all kinds of 00:25:59.059 --> 00:26:00.759 amazing demonstrations 00:26:00.759 --> 00:26:01.519 of his power. 00:26:02.879 --> 00:26:03.359 Now, 00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:05.200 I have to insist, 00:26:05.379 --> 00:26:06.379 this is speculating 00:26:06.379 --> 00:26:07.180 on the details 00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:09.079 as we try to understand 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:10.559 the signs 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:11.940 of our own times 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:13.259 and what a great 00:26:13.259 --> 00:26:14.279 falling away 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:15.620 might look like 00:26:15.620 --> 00:26:16.580 in practice. 00:26:17.080 --> 00:26:17.720 There's so much 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:18.440 we don't know. 00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:19.779 Although we know 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:20.779 who's in control, 00:26:21.820 --> 00:26:22.580 there is one, 00:26:22.840 --> 00:26:23.900 according to verse 7, 00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:25.660 who is restraining, 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:26.600 even now, 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:28.160 the man of lawlessness 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:29.360 until the time 00:26:29.360 --> 00:26:31.120 that God has appointed. 00:26:32.140 --> 00:26:33.400 This is consistent 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:34.500 with what Jesus said 00:26:34.500 --> 00:26:35.320 to his disciples 00:26:35.320 --> 00:26:37.320 about what must happen 00:26:37.320 --> 00:26:38.180 before the end. 00:26:38.840 --> 00:26:39.580 You'll have heard it 00:26:39.580 --> 00:26:40.299 many times. 00:26:40.299 --> 00:26:42.220 Matthew 24, 14 00:26:42.220 --> 00:26:43.339 and this gospel 00:26:43.339 --> 00:26:44.839 of the kingdom 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:46.559 will be preached 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:47.940 in the whole world 00:26:47.940 --> 00:26:49.220 as a testimony 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:50.240 to all nations 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:51.659 and then the end 00:26:51.659 --> 00:26:52.099 will come. 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:55.200 Well, 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:55.740 this, of course, 00:26:55.799 --> 00:26:56.440 brings us back 00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:57.059 to the question 00:26:57.059 --> 00:26:58.180 of where we're situated 00:26:58.180 --> 00:26:59.519 in relation 00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:01.099 to the day of the Lord. 00:27:02.399 --> 00:27:03.700 I would invite you 00:27:03.700 --> 00:27:05.259 to get 00:27:05.259 --> 00:27:07.720 perhaps a fuller view 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:08.839 of the great drama 00:27:08.839 --> 00:27:09.980 of redemption 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:12.279 by widening the scope 00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:15.360 and think of the first act 00:27:15.360 --> 00:27:16.759 as the period 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:17.420 that began 00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:19.180 when we left 00:27:19.180 --> 00:27:20.099 the Garden of Eden 00:27:20.099 --> 00:27:21.420 with the first Adam. 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:23.740 That moment we left 00:27:23.740 --> 00:27:24.200 the Garden 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:25.480 with the first Adam. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:27.539 This is a great drama 00:27:27.539 --> 00:27:28.500 of God's redemption 00:27:28.500 --> 00:27:30.279 and it began there 00:27:30.279 --> 00:27:31.400 when we left. 00:27:31.960 --> 00:27:33.720 And think of the last act 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:34.920 as the period 00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:35.920 that began 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:37.160 with the coming 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:38.160 of the last Adam. 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:39.740 the logic is there 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:40.240 in Paul. 00:27:42.080 --> 00:27:43.080 In that sense, 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:45.080 we've been in the last phase 00:27:45.080 --> 00:27:46.000 of human history 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:47.400 ever since Jesus died 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:48.120 and rose again. 00:27:48.980 --> 00:27:49.660 And that's why 00:27:49.660 --> 00:27:50.840 the writer to the Hebrews 00:27:50.840 --> 00:27:51.940 can begin his letter 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:52.680 with these words. 00:27:53.140 --> 00:27:53.940 Long ago, 00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:55.120 at many times 00:27:55.120 --> 00:27:56.040 and in many ways, 00:27:56.740 --> 00:27:57.400 first act, 00:27:58.000 --> 00:27:59.400 God spoke to our fathers 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:00.140 by the prophets, 00:28:00.380 --> 00:28:01.480 maybe even second act. 00:28:01.820 --> 00:28:03.100 But in these last days, 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:04.240 he has spoken to us 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:05.460 by his son. 00:28:07.120 --> 00:28:08.180 But whether Jesus 00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:08.940 will come back 00:28:08.940 --> 00:28:10.299 in our lifetime, 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:11.960 in the lifetime 00:28:11.960 --> 00:28:13.859 of our grandchildren, 00:28:14.859 --> 00:28:16.880 or in some distant century, 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:18.380 when our names, 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:19.599 all of us here, 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:21.539 are all but forgotten, 00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:22.940 we really can't say. 00:28:23.620 --> 00:28:24.500 I think we need 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:25.140 to consider 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:26.620 the possibility 00:28:26.620 --> 00:28:27.579 that it could be 00:28:27.579 --> 00:28:28.240 any of those. 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:30.700 what's important 00:28:30.700 --> 00:28:31.680 is that we're ready 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:33.120 when he does come again. 00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:35.059 Ready along with others 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:35.819 we've invited 00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:37.000 to come along with us 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:38.120 to the banquet 00:28:38.120 --> 00:28:39.640 that's being prepared already. 00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:42.740 And that brings us, 00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:43.759 as I bring things 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:44.440 to a conclusion, 00:28:44.620 --> 00:28:46.160 to the practical implications 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:47.259 of Paul's teachings. 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:48.680 And I want to highlight 00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:49.980 just three points there 00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:51.740 in the verses that follow. 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:54.539 I'll just read verses 13 00:28:54.539 --> 00:28:56.240 and 14 again. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:28:59.859 And here I do have 00:28:59.859 --> 00:29:01.299 the English Standard Version. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:03.000 But we ought always 00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:04.640 to give thanks to God 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:05.200 for you, 00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:06.039 brothers beloved 00:29:06.039 --> 00:29:06.700 by the Lord, 00:29:07.059 --> 00:29:08.519 because God chose you 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:09.400 as the first fruits 00:29:09.400 --> 00:29:10.200 to be saved 00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:11.700 through sanctification 00:29:11.700 --> 00:29:12.579 by the Spirit 00:29:12.579 --> 00:29:14.400 and belief in the truth. 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:16.680 To this he called you 00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:18.039 through our gospel 00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:19.839 so that you may obtain 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:20.859 the glory of the Lord 00:29:20.859 --> 00:29:21.680 Jesus Christ. 00:29:23.120 --> 00:29:24.440 Well, the message here 00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:25.720 is about confidence. 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:27.279 And in the light 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:28.240 of what Paul has just 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:28.700 taught us, 00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:29.240 it's this. 00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:31.500 God in his mercy 00:29:31.500 --> 00:29:33.019 has protected us 00:29:33.019 --> 00:29:35.359 against the great delusion 00:29:35.359 --> 00:29:37.160 of the Antichrist. 00:29:38.160 --> 00:29:39.799 God in his great mercy 00:29:39.799 --> 00:29:41.279 has protected us 00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:42.920 from the grand delusion 00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:43.879 of the Antichrist. 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:46.139 But if we're inclined 00:29:46.139 --> 00:29:48.000 to trust in our own strength 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.700 to think that we deserve 00:29:49.700 --> 00:29:51.299 to be gathered together 00:29:51.299 --> 00:29:52.639 by Jesus when he comes 00:29:52.639 --> 00:29:54.420 or that by our own insights 00:29:54.420 --> 00:29:56.000 and powers we can avoid 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:58.120 being deceived by Satan 00:29:58.120 --> 00:29:59.340 and his instruments, 00:29:59.600 --> 00:30:00.680 we have to remember 00:30:00.680 --> 00:30:01.820 that our confidence 00:30:01.820 --> 00:30:03.100 can only be in God. 00:30:04.380 --> 00:30:05.279 He's the one 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:07.100 who spoke to our hearts 00:30:07.100 --> 00:30:08.740 when the gospel 00:30:08.740 --> 00:30:10.400 was proclaimed to us. 00:30:10.800 --> 00:30:11.400 He's the one 00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:12.460 who by his Spirit 00:30:12.460 --> 00:30:13.700 made us aware 00:30:13.700 --> 00:30:14.779 of our need for him 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:16.340 and enabled us 00:30:16.340 --> 00:30:18.200 to embrace his truth 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:19.320 and promise. 00:30:19.480 --> 00:30:20.060 This truth 00:30:20.060 --> 00:30:21.640 is the truth 00:30:21.640 --> 00:30:22.780 that set us free. 00:30:23.820 --> 00:30:24.880 Free to trust 00:30:24.880 --> 00:30:25.860 in Christ. 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:27.000 Free to remain in him. 00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:28.200 Free to leave behind 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:29.580 a life of sin 00:30:29.580 --> 00:30:30.500 and aimless wandering. 00:30:31.340 --> 00:30:32.280 And so our confidence 00:30:32.280 --> 00:30:34.080 is not in our obedience 00:30:34.080 --> 00:30:36.220 but it's in his faithfulness. 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:39.640 Look there in verse 15 00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:42.900 at the second practical lesson 00:30:42.900 --> 00:30:44.500 that comes in the form 00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:45.100 of a command. 00:30:45.100 --> 00:30:47.620 So then brothers and sisters 00:30:47.620 --> 00:30:48.500 stand firm 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:50.640 and hold to the traditions 00:30:50.640 --> 00:30:52.440 that you were taught 00:30:52.440 --> 00:30:53.100 by us 00:30:53.100 --> 00:30:55.180 either by spoken word 00:30:55.180 --> 00:30:57.020 or by our letter. 00:30:58.520 --> 00:30:59.440 What's Paul urging 00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:00.759 his readers 00:31:00.759 --> 00:31:02.640 and you and me 00:31:02.640 --> 00:31:03.360 to do here? 00:31:03.460 --> 00:31:03.660 Well, 00:31:04.440 --> 00:31:07.080 I love that song 00:31:07.080 --> 00:31:08.740 written by Andrew Peterson 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:10.300 called 00:31:10.300 --> 00:31:11.920 You'll Find Your Way. 00:31:12.080 --> 00:31:12.740 One verse 00:31:12.740 --> 00:31:14.980 goes like this. 00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:16.720 Go back, 00:31:16.960 --> 00:31:17.540 go back 00:31:17.540 --> 00:31:18.759 to the ancient paths. 00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:20.720 Lash your heart 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:21.960 to the ancient mast. 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:24.379 And hold on, 00:31:25.079 --> 00:31:25.440 boy, 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:26.440 whatever you do 00:31:26.440 --> 00:31:27.500 to the hope 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:28.420 that's taken a hold 00:31:28.420 --> 00:31:28.799 of you. 00:31:31.500 --> 00:31:32.059 Now, 00:31:32.279 --> 00:31:33.000 this song, 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:33.819 I think, 00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:34.420 speaks 00:31:34.420 --> 00:31:36.480 very poignantly 00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:37.799 of our desperate need 00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:39.379 for a foundation 00:31:39.379 --> 00:31:40.980 for something 00:31:40.980 --> 00:31:42.339 that we don't 00:31:42.339 --> 00:31:43.900 readily admit 00:31:43.900 --> 00:31:44.680 in our day. 00:31:44.680 --> 00:31:45.900 a foundation 00:31:45.900 --> 00:31:47.680 as we 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:48.500 make our way 00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:49.100 through life. 00:31:49.600 --> 00:31:50.740 Our intuitions 00:31:50.740 --> 00:31:51.720 are going to fail us. 00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:53.560 We can't just live 00:31:53.560 --> 00:31:55.180 in this eternal spontaneity 00:31:55.180 --> 00:31:55.759 where we just 00:31:55.759 --> 00:31:56.500 work it out, 00:31:56.660 --> 00:31:57.500 work it all out 00:31:57.500 --> 00:31:58.400 as we go along. 00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:01.340 If God in Christ 00:32:01.340 --> 00:32:02.320 has taken a hold 00:32:02.320 --> 00:32:02.779 of us, 00:32:02.940 --> 00:32:04.120 then we desperately 00:32:04.120 --> 00:32:05.440 need that ancient 00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:05.960 mast 00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:07.420 of his word. 00:32:07.560 --> 00:32:07.720 Well, 00:32:07.740 --> 00:32:08.400 it's himself, 00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:09.080 but it's the, 00:32:09.580 --> 00:32:10.539 known to us 00:32:10.539 --> 00:32:11.400 through his gospel 00:32:11.400 --> 00:32:12.799 that Paul preached 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:14.319 wherever the spirit 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:15.460 took him 00:32:15.460 --> 00:32:16.519 to preach it. 00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:17.919 We're talking about 00:32:17.919 --> 00:32:18.799 the good news 00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:19.859 of our salvation 00:32:19.859 --> 00:32:21.079 accomplished 00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:21.879 through Jesus' 00:32:22.119 --> 00:32:22.480 death 00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:23.879 and resurrection. 00:32:24.879 --> 00:32:25.659 And the promise 00:32:25.659 --> 00:32:26.419 that awaits us, 00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:26.960 says Paul, 00:32:27.299 --> 00:32:28.519 is nothing less 00:32:28.519 --> 00:32:30.119 than a share 00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:30.799 in the glory 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:32.200 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:32:33.559 --> 00:32:34.599 Jesus gives us 00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:35.139 a picture 00:32:35.139 --> 00:32:36.819 of what it looks like 00:32:36.819 --> 00:32:37.680 to stand firm. 00:32:38.220 --> 00:32:39.019 He says this 00:32:39.019 --> 00:32:40.879 in Luke 12, 00:32:40.880 --> 00:32:42.380 be dressed, 00:32:42.780 --> 00:32:44.180 ready for service. 00:32:45.120 --> 00:32:45.840 Keep your lamps 00:32:45.840 --> 00:32:46.240 burning 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:48.140 like servants 00:32:48.140 --> 00:32:49.020 waiting for their 00:32:49.020 --> 00:32:49.460 master 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:50.860 to return 00:32:50.860 --> 00:32:52.280 from a wedding banquet 00:32:52.280 --> 00:32:53.640 so that when he 00:32:53.640 --> 00:32:54.180 comes 00:32:54.180 --> 00:32:55.320 and knocks, 00:32:55.940 --> 00:32:56.980 they can immediately 00:32:56.980 --> 00:32:58.300 open the door 00:32:58.300 --> 00:32:59.340 for him. 00:33:00.620 --> 00:33:01.840 And there at the end, 00:33:02.280 --> 00:33:03.500 there's a third lesson 00:33:03.500 --> 00:33:04.840 about comfort. 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:06.520 In verses 16 00:33:06.520 --> 00:33:07.240 and 17, 00:33:07.740 --> 00:33:08.340 Paul ends 00:33:08.339 --> 00:33:08.959 as he does, 00:33:09.919 --> 00:33:10.939 as he often 00:33:10.939 --> 00:33:11.599 incorporates 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:12.480 into his teaching 00:33:12.480 --> 00:33:13.059 a prayer. 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:14.179 Sometimes his teachings 00:33:14.179 --> 00:33:15.159 are a prayer, 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:16.619 a prolonged prayer, 00:33:16.699 --> 00:33:16.939 aren't they? 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:17.859 But here he ends 00:33:17.859 --> 00:33:19.139 with this prayer. 00:33:19.240 --> 00:33:20.139 Now may our God, 00:33:20.299 --> 00:33:21.159 now may our Lord 00:33:21.159 --> 00:33:22.500 Jesus Christ himself 00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:24.199 and God our Father 00:33:24.199 --> 00:33:25.279 who loved us 00:33:25.279 --> 00:33:26.559 and gave us 00:33:26.559 --> 00:33:27.759 eternal comfort 00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:29.459 and good hope 00:33:29.459 --> 00:33:30.139 through grace 00:33:30.139 --> 00:33:31.899 comfort your hearts 00:33:31.899 --> 00:33:34.000 and establish them 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:35.339 in every good work 00:33:35.339 --> 00:33:36.159 and word. 00:33:37.579 --> 00:33:38.399 And I think here 00:33:38.399 --> 00:33:39.799 Paul sums up 00:33:39.799 --> 00:33:41.599 the comforting work 00:33:41.599 --> 00:33:42.559 of the Holy Spirit 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:44.019 in the lives 00:33:44.019 --> 00:33:45.059 of believers. 00:33:45.859 --> 00:33:47.240 It's a double comfort. 00:33:48.079 --> 00:33:48.839 And I say that 00:33:48.839 --> 00:33:49.699 because in verses 00:33:49.699 --> 00:33:50.919 13 and 14, 00:33:51.339 --> 00:33:52.119 he had said 00:33:52.119 --> 00:33:52.980 that God 00:33:52.980 --> 00:33:53.959 by his Spirit 00:33:53.959 --> 00:33:55.220 working in us 00:33:55.220 --> 00:33:56.119 sets us apart 00:33:56.119 --> 00:33:57.259 and makes us his own 00:33:57.259 --> 00:33:58.659 as we embrace 00:33:58.659 --> 00:34:00.240 the truth of the gospel. 00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:01.359 And the comfort there 00:34:01.359 --> 00:34:02.599 is the comfort 00:34:02.599 --> 00:34:03.720 of hope 00:34:03.720 --> 00:34:05.299 because we're given 00:34:05.299 --> 00:34:06.100 the assurance 00:34:06.100 --> 00:34:08.059 of the future glory 00:34:08.059 --> 00:34:08.679 of the Son. 00:34:09.679 --> 00:34:10.480 It's the comfort 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:11.800 of the living 00:34:11.800 --> 00:34:12.820 triune God 00:34:12.820 --> 00:34:14.619 whose life is ours 00:34:14.619 --> 00:34:15.880 by the grace 00:34:15.880 --> 00:34:16.519 of adoption 00:34:16.519 --> 00:34:18.619 that those Sadducees 00:34:18.619 --> 00:34:19.699 without knowing it 00:34:19.699 --> 00:34:20.539 yearn for, 00:34:20.760 --> 00:34:21.400 I suppose. 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:22.720 But notice 00:34:22.720 --> 00:34:23.619 the other comfort, 00:34:24.659 --> 00:34:25.579 the comfort 00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:26.420 that enables us 00:34:26.420 --> 00:34:26.940 to obey. 00:34:27.420 --> 00:34:28.300 May God comfort 00:34:28.300 --> 00:34:28.920 your hearts, 00:34:29.099 --> 00:34:29.480 says Paul, 00:34:29.659 --> 00:34:31.460 and establish them 00:34:31.460 --> 00:34:32.820 in every good work 00:34:32.820 --> 00:34:33.900 and word. 00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:35.300 So in conclusion, 00:34:36.440 --> 00:34:36.860 Christ 00:34:36.860 --> 00:34:38.400 is the King 00:34:38.400 --> 00:34:39.840 who will one day 00:34:39.840 --> 00:34:40.960 come 00:34:40.960 --> 00:34:43.139 enveloped 00:34:43.139 --> 00:34:43.720 in a glory 00:34:43.720 --> 00:34:44.179 that we 00:34:44.179 --> 00:34:45.519 cannot yet imagine. 00:34:46.619 --> 00:34:47.760 But even now 00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:49.000 he's present to us 00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:49.920 through the Holy Spirit, 00:34:50.019 --> 00:34:50.639 the Comforter 00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:51.440 as he promised. 00:34:52.199 --> 00:34:53.559 And our comfort here 00:34:53.559 --> 00:34:55.380 lies in this. 00:34:55.900 --> 00:34:57.000 If the Spirit 00:34:57.000 --> 00:34:59.199 is at work in us, 00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:00.839 we don't just have 00:35:00.839 --> 00:35:02.099 a part of Jesus 00:35:02.099 --> 00:35:03.639 or an idea 00:35:03.639 --> 00:35:04.539 about Jesus 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:05.219 or even 00:35:05.219 --> 00:35:07.000 the truth 00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:07.819 about Jesus. 00:35:07.819 --> 00:35:08.719 That's because 00:35:08.719 --> 00:35:09.839 we have Jesus 00:35:09.839 --> 00:35:11.059 himself 00:35:11.059 --> 00:35:12.579 and his life 00:35:12.579 --> 00:35:13.460 and his power 00:35:13.460 --> 00:35:15.039 strengthens us 00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:15.679 for the work 00:35:15.679 --> 00:35:16.980 he's called us 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:17.480 to do 00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:18.899 until the day 00:35:18.899 --> 00:35:19.639 he comes again. 00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:21.039 So may 00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:22.239 we 00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:23.199 together 00:35:23.199 --> 00:35:25.079 as brothers 00:35:25.079 --> 00:35:25.699 and sisters 00:35:25.699 --> 00:35:26.799 at Church of the Messiah, 00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:27.400 may we 00:35:27.400 --> 00:35:28.840 look into 00:35:28.840 --> 00:35:29.660 2024 00:35:29.660 --> 00:35:31.080 with hope, 00:35:31.800 --> 00:35:32.740 with expectation, 00:35:33.260 --> 00:35:34.180 longing for the day 00:35:34.180 --> 00:35:35.180 of the Lord. 00:35:35.700 --> 00:35:36.640 Thanks be to God.