WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.859 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:08.960 Our text today is Ezra chapter 4. 00:00:09.620 --> 00:00:14.120 That starts on page 363 of the Pew Bible, I believe. 00:00:15.939 --> 00:00:17.260 Go ahead and turn there with me. 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:18.800 That's Ezra chapter 4. 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:27.400 As we come to God's word together, let me pray for us. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:39.460 Our Father, as we have just sung, why should we gain from his reward? 00:00:41.579 --> 00:00:43.480 Father, indeed, we cannot give an answer. 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:53.600 Lord, if it were simply our own works or our own merits that brought your favor and love upon us, 00:00:53.900 --> 00:00:56.100 Lord, we would still be waiting. 00:00:56.980 --> 00:00:59.760 But God, you loved us even when we were unlovely. 00:01:00.899 --> 00:01:06.260 You cared for us and you set your mercy and your favor upon us even when we were far away. 00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:11.799 And you came out into the far country to rescue us and redeem us and to bring us home. 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:16.200 And Father, you've given us your word. 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:22.620 The word of the prophets and the apostles preserved for us down through the ages through your spirit. 00:01:22.620 --> 00:01:27.799 And you continue to speak to us and guide us and direct us because you're a good God and you're a loving father. 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:35.100 So as we come together before your word this morning, we ask God that you would speak and that we would listen. 00:01:35.460 --> 00:01:37.439 That you would direct and we would follow. 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:44.899 That you would cast a vision before our eyes and our hearts would be set alive again by your glory and your fame. 00:01:45.900 --> 00:01:47.759 We pray all this in Jesus' name. 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:48.340 Amen. 00:01:48.340 --> 00:01:48.460 Amen. 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:52.299 Ezra chapter 4. 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:54.260 Let me read this for us. 00:01:54.260 --> 00:02:03.920 Now, when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 00:02:04.660 --> 00:02:08.500 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the father's houses and said to them, 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:10.520 Let us build with you. 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:13.400 For we worship your God as you do. 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:19.060 And we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here. 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:25.420 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the father's houses and Israel said to them, 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:29.699 You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God, 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:32.680 but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, 00:02:33.319 --> 00:02:35.979 as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us. 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:42.299 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 00:02:42.299 --> 00:02:48.280 and bribe counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, 00:02:48.659 --> 00:02:52.060 even until the reign of Darius, king of Persia. 00:02:54.739 --> 00:02:58.899 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, 00:02:59.399 --> 00:03:03.000 they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:11.860 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithradath and Tabiel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes, king of Persia. 00:03:12.419 --> 00:03:14.500 The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:20.439 Rahim the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes, the king, as follows. 00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:25.180 Rahim the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:30.599 the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:37.580 that is the Elamites, and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria 00:03:37.580 --> 00:03:39.879 and in the rest of the province beyond the river. 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:42.420 This is a copy of the letter that they sent. 00:03:43.460 --> 00:03:45.040 To Artaxerxes the king, 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:49.459 Your servants, the men of the province beyond the river, send greeting. 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:55.060 And now, be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:59.120 They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:02.459 They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:07.560 Now, be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:12.780 they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:16.579 Now, because we eat the salt of the palace, 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:19.319 and it's not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:21.899 therefore we send and inform the king, 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:25.420 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers, 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:30.399 you will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, 00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:32.680 hurtful to kings and provinces, 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:36.120 and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. 00:04:36.939 --> 00:04:38.699 That was why this city was laid waste. 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:44.639 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:48.339 you will then have no possession in the province beyond the river. 00:04:50.060 --> 00:04:54.300 The king sent an answer to Raham the commander, 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:55.919 and Shimshai the scribe, 00:04:56.159 --> 00:04:57.879 and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria, 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:00.459 and in the rest of the province beyond the river, greeting. 00:05:01.919 --> 00:05:04.959 And now the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me, 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:07.579 and I made a decree, search has been made, 00:05:07.919 --> 00:05:10.659 and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.120 and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:15.839 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:18.240 who ruled over the whole province beyond the river, 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:20.879 to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid. 00:05:21.859 --> 00:05:25.319 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:30.399 and that this city be not rebuilt until a decree is made by me. 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:33.279 And take care not to be slack in this matter. 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:37.019 Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king? 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:42.979 Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Raham and Shimshai the scribe 00:05:42.979 --> 00:05:46.279 and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem, 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:49.439 and by force and power made them cease. 00:05:52.219 --> 00:05:54.919 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, 00:05:55.679 --> 00:06:00.279 and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia. 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:08.759 When the work of God's kingdom is on the move, 00:06:10.119 --> 00:06:12.959 opposition will arise. 00:06:14.719 --> 00:06:19.459 Sometimes it will be hard to spot at first, subtle, covert. 00:06:20.619 --> 00:06:24.299 Other times it will be blatant and obvious. 00:06:24.300 --> 00:06:32.000 But make no mistake, there will be opposition when the kingdom of God is advancing. 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:35.900 Think of an organ transplant. 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:39.600 When a new heart transplant is received, 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:44.319 doctors have to be constantly monitoring to see whether the body will do what? 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:47.180 Whether it will accept or reject the new organ. 00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:50.360 It's deeply ironic, isn't it? 00:06:51.300 --> 00:06:57.240 That a dying body will attack the new life being planted right into the middle of it. 00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:03.819 And so doctors have to be vigilant to monitor and work against this opposition to the new organ. 00:07:05.259 --> 00:07:07.240 The kingdom of God is like that. 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:14.220 When the word of God's grace gives rise to a whole new people in the midst of the old, 00:07:15.259 --> 00:07:19.139 when there's a new creation that comes to birth in the midst of the old, 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:23.860 then all too often the old creation, the old system, the world, 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:30.819 can often war against the very thing that has arrived as a beacon of new life and hope. 00:07:30.819 --> 00:07:37.680 That's what we actually see beginning here in Ezra chapter 4. 00:07:38.819 --> 00:07:43.500 In fact, from this point forward, all the way to the end of Ezra and Nehemiah, 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:45.279 this book that we're studying this summer, 00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:49.199 there's going to be ongoing conflict and opposition. 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:55.079 The first five verses here in chapter 4 tell us about the opposition that arose 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:57.339 for the first generation that returned from exile. 00:07:57.339 --> 00:08:05.299 Remember, in Ezra chapter 1, the return to the land from exile is presented as a new exodus. 00:08:06.899 --> 00:08:10.899 And then in Ezra chapter 2, the people are numbered for their march back to the land, 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:12.879 just like the book of Numbers in the Torah. 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:17.419 And in Ezra chapter 3, that we looked at last week, 00:08:17.479 --> 00:08:20.879 they celebrate the festival of booze, worshiping God for his faithfulness. 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:27.279 But here, in Ezra chapter 4, opposition comes. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:34.779 And it happens directly after the foundation of the temple is laid, around 537 BC. 00:08:36.059 --> 00:08:39.779 And so the advance of God's kingdom, this new exodus, this new creation, 00:08:39.939 --> 00:08:46.820 this renewed people is met almost right away with adversity, with opposition. 00:08:46.820 --> 00:08:51.060 Then something really interesting happens in this chapter. 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:57.080 In verses 6 through 23, Ezra inserts into his narrative at this point, 00:08:57.520 --> 00:09:04.460 two more examples of opposition that arose over the course of the next 80 to 90 years into the future. 00:09:05.640 --> 00:09:10.760 You know, if you wanted to, you could jump directly from verse 5 all the way down to verse 24 00:09:10.760 --> 00:09:12.500 and just kind of pick up the story from there. 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:18.539 But if we did that, we'd miss some of what Ezra wants us to see at this point. 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:23.559 He inserts this digression, as it were, to make a spiritual point. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:31.500 So in verse 6, he takes us to the reign of Ahasuerus, also known in history as Xerxes I, 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:37.679 whose reign began in 486 BC, about 50 years after the events of verses 1 through 5. 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:40.299 Opposition arose then, he said. 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:46.299 And then in verse 7, we jump ahead another 40 years after that to the middle of the reign of Artaxerxes, 00:09:47.079 --> 00:09:49.779 probably around 450 BC or so. 00:09:51.079 --> 00:09:55.199 There, in that moment in time, the people had begun rebuilding, not the temple at that point, 00:09:55.259 --> 00:09:58.459 but the city walls, and opposition has arisen against them. 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:06.800 And only then, after having drawn our attention to these further instances of opposition, 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:14.139 does the narrative then return in verse 24, back to the days of that first generation who returned from exile. 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:21.320 And there we're told that the work on the temple ceased until the second year of Darius, king of Persia, 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:24.580 which was about 520 BC. 00:10:25.260 --> 00:10:29.760 In other words, for about 15 years, the work comes to a halt. 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:40.840 So Ezra 4 is like this panoramic view covering nearly 100 years of adversity that the people of God faced 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:43.600 as God advanced his kingdom through them. 00:10:46.179 --> 00:10:48.840 So what are we meant to learn from Ezra 4 today? 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:58.720 First, the first thing we learned from Ezra 4 is that we have to remember to expect opposition as God's people in the world. 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:04.620 Many of us this weekend are completing a milestone in our education, 00:11:05.060 --> 00:11:07.620 graduating and launching out to whatever is next. 00:11:08.620 --> 00:11:11.600 For many of us, it's just another weekend. 00:11:12.180 --> 00:11:12.960 That's it. 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:21.200 But for all of us, we have to remember that the Christian life isn't going to be a smooth road. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:27.940 At the very beginning of his earthly ministry in the Sermon on the Mount that we read from earlier, 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:32.160 Jesus reminds his followers that there's going to be persecution ahead. 00:11:33.620 --> 00:11:38.180 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said. 00:11:38.940 --> 00:11:42.840 And then it's the only beatitude he sort of doubles down on and drills down on. 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:48.379 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 00:11:48.920 --> 00:11:51.440 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:54.680 For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 00:11:56.620 --> 00:12:01.180 And then at the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, not just the beginning, 00:12:01.400 --> 00:12:04.840 but at the very end as Jesus is preparing his apostles for his departure, 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:08.420 he tells them in John chapter 15 in his farewell discourse, 00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:10.139 Jesus says, 00:12:10.139 --> 00:12:40.080 And you know, these words of Jesus don't just apply to the first generation of apostles. 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:43.600 Because the apostles went on and taught the same thing to the churches. 00:12:44.900 --> 00:12:48.600 In Acts 14, Paul tells the churches that he has just planted, 00:12:49.020 --> 00:12:52.259 that it's through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God. 00:12:53.540 --> 00:12:56.520 And in Peter's first epistle, the apostle Peter writes in chapter 4, 00:12:56.600 --> 00:13:00.480 Beloved, don't be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:02.460 as though something strange were happening to you. 00:13:02.460 --> 00:13:06.879 And the apostle James in the first chapter of his letter says, 00:13:06.980 --> 00:13:09.580 Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial. 00:13:10.300 --> 00:13:12.940 For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life. 00:13:14.379 --> 00:13:17.060 And the apostle John in the last book of the New Testament 00:13:17.060 --> 00:13:23.400 writes a whole book about the church remaining steadfast under trial and opposition 00:13:23.400 --> 00:13:26.740 while God brings his sovereign purposes to pass. 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:31.639 So every major voice in the New Testament, 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:37.840 Jesus above all tells us to expect opposition as God's kingdom goes forward. 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:45.000 Now, of course, that doesn't mean we go looking for opposition, right? 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:47.560 Think about Ezra chapter 4. 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:51.180 The people weren't trying to pick a fight with the surrounding people 00:13:51.180 --> 00:13:52.899 when they showed up to rebuild the temple. 00:13:53.580 --> 00:13:54.519 Just the opposite. 00:13:56.280 --> 00:13:59.580 God had sent them there to be a blessing to the nations. 00:14:00.420 --> 00:14:01.660 And it's the same with the church. 00:14:01.659 --> 00:14:04.019 Jesus says that we're meant to be salt and light. 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:09.519 Facing opposition because of our own foolishness or our own sinfulness 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.899 isn't the same thing as facing opposition for the name of Christ. 00:14:14.139 --> 00:14:17.579 Jesus said, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, 00:14:18.439 --> 00:14:20.819 not blessed are those who are persecuted 00:14:20.819 --> 00:14:25.299 because they post snarky, insensitive social commentary on their Twitter account. 00:14:26.019 --> 00:14:26.259 Right? 00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:32.399 So we aren't meant to go looking for opposition and stirring up trouble. 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:36.360 However, I think we have to admit 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:39.679 that our generation of Christianity, 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:42.240 especially us young American Christians, 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:46.120 we have to confess that we like being liked. 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:51.600 We often view our missional effectiveness 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:54.439 by how accepted we think we are by the culture. 00:14:56.259 --> 00:15:01.500 And again, if we are living in line with the truth of the gospel, 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:06.659 there will be things that our cultural time and place 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:08.819 will respect or admire in us. 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:11.740 Our devotion to mercy and justice, 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:14.399 our compassion toward the weak and vulnerable, 00:15:15.319 --> 00:15:17.819 our care for the stewardship of God's creation. 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:21.639 If we're living in line with the truth of the gospel, 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:24.439 there are going to be things that are admirable culturally, 00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:27.340 but at the same time, 00:15:27.780 --> 00:15:29.780 in any culture, in any time, in any place, 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:31.780 there are going to be things that deeply offend. 00:15:34.880 --> 00:15:39.680 For example, our adherence to the utter uniqueness of Jesus in the gospel 00:15:39.680 --> 00:15:43.560 and the necessity of faith in Jesus for eternal life, 00:15:44.040 --> 00:15:48.200 the reality and eternality of God's judgment, 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:51.820 the authority of Scripture for all of life, 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:55.900 there are going to be things that go against the grain. 00:16:00.100 --> 00:16:01.300 If we look at Ezra 4, 00:16:01.400 --> 00:16:04.600 we actually see that there are at least two kinds of opposition that we can expect. 00:16:05.980 --> 00:16:09.920 On the one hand, we can expect what we might call subtle opposition. 00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:14.120 This is in verses 1 through 5, if you take a look back there. 00:16:15.099 --> 00:16:19.919 The people of the surrounding districts come to this construction project 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:21.079 happening at the temple site, 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:21.620 and they say, 00:16:21.719 --> 00:16:23.039 Hey, let us build with you. 00:16:23.339 --> 00:16:24.979 We worship your God just like you do. 00:16:27.179 --> 00:16:28.979 Now, some historical background here. 00:16:29.979 --> 00:16:33.559 In the 7th century BC, about 100 years prior to these events, 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:39.379 the Assyrian Empire repopulated the conquered northern territories of Israel 00:16:39.379 --> 00:16:41.699 with people from other parts of their empire. 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:45.119 It was basically a way of just subjecting a whole region. 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:48.359 Take one people, put them over here, put another people over there. 00:16:48.779 --> 00:16:50.000 They're all mixed up and confused. 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:51.899 You can rule them very easily that way. 00:16:52.379 --> 00:16:53.459 It was pretty pragmatic. 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:57.500 And we see in 2 Kings chapter 17 00:16:57.500 --> 00:17:01.439 that while some of the resettled people began worshiping Israel's God, 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:04.980 they also still went right on worshiping their other gods as well. 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:09.420 So the result wasn't really the worship of the Lord, 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:13.279 but a kind of syncretistic religion, a mix of this and that, 00:17:13.340 --> 00:17:17.600 which at the end of the day was really an exchange of the true God for idols. 00:17:19.380 --> 00:17:21.900 So when in Ezra chapter 4, the people of the land come and say, 00:17:22.120 --> 00:17:24.779 Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:27.220 that's not actually true. 00:17:27.220 --> 00:17:33.700 But you have to imagine how tempting it must have been 00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:37.620 for those returned Jewish exiles to want to accept the offer. 00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:39.920 Think about it. 00:17:39.940 --> 00:17:43.600 These returned exiles were a small, beleaguered people. 00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:46.519 They were politically and economically vulnerable. 00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:50.460 They needed all the help they could get, right? 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:54.640 Why not join forces and we'll build the temple faster? 00:17:55.420 --> 00:17:55.799 Done. 00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:57.720 We can overlook some of those differences. 00:17:57.840 --> 00:17:58.620 Not that big of a deal. 00:18:00.840 --> 00:18:02.279 But that's not how they respond. 00:18:04.840 --> 00:18:07.799 The returned exiles stand firm against this subtle opposition, 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:12.039 this temptation to compromise on the uniqueness of the Lord God. 00:18:15.059 --> 00:18:17.440 But note how the returned exiles do respond. 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:20.460 They don't simply say, 00:18:21.120 --> 00:18:22.500 You have nothing to do with us. 00:18:22.600 --> 00:18:23.080 Full stop. 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:28.440 That wouldn't have been quite right had they just said that. 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:32.120 Because we are still called to love our neighbor, right? 00:18:32.340 --> 00:18:33.740 To serve and minister to them. 00:18:34.259 --> 00:18:37.299 There were lots of ways that the returned exiles had to work 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:39.779 and cooperate and negotiate with the people of the land, 00:18:39.900 --> 00:18:41.380 politically, economically, socially. 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:43.840 This was the generation, after all, 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:46.180 that God himself had told, while they were still in exile, 00:18:46.180 --> 00:18:49.460 to settle down and seek the good of the pagan city of Babylon, 00:18:49.600 --> 00:18:52.299 the very one that had carried them off in the first place. 00:18:54.220 --> 00:18:54.539 No. 00:18:54.660 --> 00:18:57.240 What the returned exiles here in Ezra chapter 4 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:58.860 tell the people of the land is, 00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:01.700 not just you have nothing to do with us, 00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:04.259 but you have nothing to do with us 00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:06.420 in building a house to our God. 00:19:09.360 --> 00:19:12.259 When it comes to the spiritual work of worship, 00:19:12.259 --> 00:19:15.720 to the work of ministry God had given them to do, 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:19.240 ultimately, when it came to proclaiming and upholding 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:22.480 and glorifying the uniqueness of the God of Israel, 00:19:22.539 --> 00:19:23.940 that there's none like him, 00:19:25.579 --> 00:19:26.660 none compare, 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:31.460 all other gods are simply false, empty idols compared to him. 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:33.619 When it came to that, 00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:36.200 they could not budge. 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:44.279 I think we face the same sort of subtle opposition today. 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:47.840 It's easy to want to say that Christianity 00:19:47.840 --> 00:19:50.019 is just one good option among many. 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:53.740 We're all seeking for truth, after all, 00:19:54.360 --> 00:19:55.759 and your truth is your truth, 00:19:55.840 --> 00:19:56.840 and mine is mine, 00:19:56.880 --> 00:19:58.240 and aren't all the spiritual options 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.120 just as good as any other at the end of the day? 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:05.559 But friends, the good news about Jesus 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:10.079 is not actually just one more option among many. 00:20:11.979 --> 00:20:13.639 The good news about Jesus 00:20:13.639 --> 00:20:16.299 isn't just one more metal dish 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:19.179 above the steaming water of the buffet line 00:20:19.179 --> 00:20:21.639 that you just sort of pull out and push in 00:20:21.639 --> 00:20:23.359 like they do at Nika's every Sunday afternoon 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:24.219 when I get lunch there. 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:29.140 The gospel is something else altogether. 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:33.120 Every religion, every worldview, 00:20:33.339 --> 00:20:34.259 every life philosophy 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:36.440 is going to give you a set of standards to meet 00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:38.279 so that you can be blessed and accepted, 00:20:38.420 --> 00:20:39.279 I guarantee you. 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:43.259 But only Christianity says 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:45.880 that God has stooped down, 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:47.920 took your place, 00:20:48.620 --> 00:20:50.640 met the standards on your behalf, 00:20:51.420 --> 00:20:53.420 bore the crushing weight of your failure 00:20:53.420 --> 00:20:54.580 so you don't have to, 00:20:55.019 --> 00:20:57.000 and now offers you that acceptance 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:00.160 and blessing wholly by grace as a gift. 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:03.279 And anyone can receive it 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.740 if we admit that on our own we're lost 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:08.779 and only in Christ we're found. 00:21:12.800 --> 00:21:14.220 You know, the people of the land 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:15.060 in Ezra chapter 4, 00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:16.560 they actually could have joined 00:21:16.560 --> 00:21:17.860 the returned exiles 00:21:17.860 --> 00:21:20.420 had they forsaken their gods 00:21:20.420 --> 00:21:23.500 and truly accepted the Lord alone as God. 00:21:26.700 --> 00:21:27.940 So we have to endure 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:29.100 through this subtle opposition, 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:30.840 not just for our own sake, 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:32.820 but for our neighbor's sake. 00:21:33.820 --> 00:21:36.980 They have to see the uniqueness of Christ 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:38.660 so that they can experience 00:21:38.660 --> 00:21:41.660 his unparalleled grace as well. 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:46.580 So Ezra 4 tells us to expect 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:47.599 some subtle opposition, 00:21:47.740 --> 00:21:49.159 but it also tells us to expect 00:21:49.159 --> 00:21:51.059 just outright blatant opposition. 00:21:53.919 --> 00:21:56.579 We see this in the big sort of middle chunk 00:21:56.579 --> 00:21:57.279 of this chapter. 00:21:57.799 --> 00:21:58.939 In verses 7 through 16, 00:21:59.059 --> 00:22:00.359 the letter that's written 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:01.939 against the returned exiles 00:22:01.939 --> 00:22:03.779 in the days of Artaxerxes 00:22:03.779 --> 00:22:05.799 is just full of outright slander 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:06.740 and accusation. 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:08.619 They are rebuilding 00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:11.079 that rebellious and wicked city, 00:22:11.199 --> 00:22:11.939 verse 12 says. 00:22:12.599 --> 00:22:14.119 The gloves have sort of come off now. 00:22:14.179 --> 00:22:14.740 It's no longer, 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:15.819 hey, let us build with you. 00:22:15.859 --> 00:22:16.220 It's just like, 00:22:16.259 --> 00:22:16.920 nope, they're bad. 00:22:17.120 --> 00:22:17.640 Stop them. 00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:20.519 In other words, 00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:21.440 what they're saying is 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:22.880 these Jews have a history 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:23.620 of rebellion, 00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:24.500 oh king, 00:22:24.660 --> 00:22:26.819 and if you let them rebuild that city, 00:22:27.539 --> 00:22:29.160 they're not just going to stop 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:29.980 paying their taxes 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:30.859 and dishonor you 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:31.980 as bad as that would be, 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:33.819 but they're going to take 00:22:33.819 --> 00:22:35.660 all of the surrounding province 00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:36.440 with them as well 00:22:36.440 --> 00:22:37.559 and take the whole thing 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:38.120 into rebellion. 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:39.440 You're going to have 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:41.039 a situation on your hands. 00:22:44.740 --> 00:22:45.859 You know, 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:46.559 this is often how 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:47.519 the church is opposed. 00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:50.940 Christianity is presented 00:22:50.940 --> 00:22:53.680 as just plain bad 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:54.940 for society, 00:22:55.460 --> 00:22:57.460 as a social ill. 00:22:58.940 --> 00:22:59.740 You see that throughout 00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:00.559 the book of Acts. 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:02.740 Do you remember that moment 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:03.519 in the book of Acts 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:06.819 when the apostles arrive 00:23:06.819 --> 00:23:07.460 in the city 00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:09.039 and they say, 00:23:09.559 --> 00:23:10.120 and you know, 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:11.059 they go to the sort of 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:11.559 authorities, 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:12.559 to the magistrates, 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:13.839 their opponents go to the magistrates 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:14.059 and say, 00:23:14.159 --> 00:23:14.939 these are the people 00:23:14.939 --> 00:23:16.279 who are everywhere 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:18.079 turning the world upside down. 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:20.000 And we often think of that 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:20.819 as sort of like a compliment. 00:23:21.079 --> 00:23:21.299 Yeah, 00:23:21.339 --> 00:23:22.879 we're turning the world upside down. 00:23:23.099 --> 00:23:24.319 That's not how they meant it. 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:26.139 They meant that these people 00:23:26.139 --> 00:23:27.980 are overturning the social order 00:23:27.980 --> 00:23:30.000 and creating a lot of bad news. 00:23:30.259 --> 00:23:31.359 This is really, 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:32.119 really bad. 00:23:33.079 --> 00:23:33.939 All those people 00:23:33.939 --> 00:23:34.699 who are turning the world 00:23:34.699 --> 00:23:35.319 upside down, 00:23:35.439 --> 00:23:36.159 they're here 00:23:36.159 --> 00:23:36.959 and they're causing 00:23:36.959 --> 00:23:37.720 the same trouble 00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:39.259 and you've got to stop them. 00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:41.699 And you know, 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:43.279 Luke writes the book of Acts 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:44.139 in part 00:23:44.139 --> 00:23:45.480 to defend the church 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:47.000 against this kind of slander. 00:23:50.099 --> 00:23:51.220 In the fifth century, 00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:53.599 Augustine defended the church 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:54.099 in his day 00:23:54.099 --> 00:23:55.059 against the same charge. 00:23:56.119 --> 00:23:56.940 People in his day 00:23:56.940 --> 00:23:57.680 were sort of asking, 00:23:58.039 --> 00:23:59.200 why did Rome fall 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:00.279 to the barbarians? 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:01.960 And they looked around 00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:03.559 and a lot of the cultural elites 00:24:03.559 --> 00:24:03.779 said, 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:04.200 you know what, 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:05.399 I think it's the Christians' fault. 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:07.519 They've ruined our society. 00:24:08.059 --> 00:24:09.119 They told us to stop 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:10.559 worshiping the old Roman gods, 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:11.599 so we stopped 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:13.259 worshiping the old Roman gods 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:14.440 and then we got defeated. 00:24:15.179 --> 00:24:16.019 You do the math. 00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:17.799 The Christians are the bad guys. 00:24:20.299 --> 00:24:21.179 So Augustine, 00:24:21.259 --> 00:24:22.259 as only Augustine could do, 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:23.559 writes a giant book 00:24:23.559 --> 00:24:25.559 that takes him decades to finish 00:24:25.559 --> 00:24:26.679 called The City of God 00:24:26.679 --> 00:24:28.740 and in a masterful way 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:29.639 defends Christianity 00:24:29.639 --> 00:24:30.759 against these charges. 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:34.000 And you know, 00:24:34.039 --> 00:24:35.339 I think the same basic charge 00:24:35.339 --> 00:24:36.599 is still being made today. 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:39.400 Christianity is portrayed 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:41.799 as just plain bad 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:43.039 for society. 00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:46.519 We see that today 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:47.460 in a few ways, I think. 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:49.220 On the one hand, 00:24:49.299 --> 00:24:50.619 Christianity is sometimes portrayed 00:24:50.619 --> 00:24:52.559 as sort of anti-reason 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:54.059 or anti-science. 00:24:55.460 --> 00:24:57.099 It's portrayed as a belief system 00:24:57.099 --> 00:24:58.099 that just sticks its head 00:24:58.099 --> 00:24:58.680 in the ground 00:24:58.680 --> 00:24:59.799 when it comes to reason 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:01.180 and science and progress. 00:25:02.619 --> 00:25:03.139 You know, 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:04.159 the funny thing is 00:25:04.159 --> 00:25:04.559 is that 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:05.779 that couldn't be further 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:06.440 from the truth. 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:08.819 In fact, 00:25:08.879 --> 00:25:09.440 one could argue 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:10.879 that it's the biblical worldview 00:25:10.879 --> 00:25:12.799 better than any other 00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:13.839 that undergirds 00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:14.779 and actually makes sense 00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:15.619 of modern science. 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:15.859 I mean, 00:25:15.879 --> 00:25:16.440 think about it. 00:25:17.259 --> 00:25:17.859 That the world 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:19.319 is a place of regularity 00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:19.799 and order 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.200 and that we humans 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:23.299 have rational minds 00:25:23.299 --> 00:25:24.079 that can perceive 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:25.259 and understand that order 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:26.159 and make sense of it. 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:28.440 all of that 00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:30.220 makes a whole lot of sense 00:25:30.220 --> 00:25:30.920 if there's a God 00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:31.820 who created the world 00:25:31.820 --> 00:25:32.759 and who created us 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:33.340 in his image. 00:25:35.140 --> 00:25:36.519 It doesn't make as much sense 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:36.940 if the world 00:25:36.940 --> 00:25:37.900 is just sort of a 00:25:37.900 --> 00:25:39.220 random chaotic 00:25:39.220 --> 00:25:41.380 accident of time 00:25:41.380 --> 00:25:41.900 and chance 00:25:41.900 --> 00:25:42.680 and energy 00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:43.640 and luck. 00:25:46.700 --> 00:25:47.360 So the claim 00:25:47.360 --> 00:25:47.840 that Christianity 00:25:47.840 --> 00:25:48.940 is anti-science 00:25:48.940 --> 00:25:49.519 couldn't be farther 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:50.000 from the truth, 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:50.340 but you know, 00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:51.500 maybe more prevalent today 00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:52.180 is the idea 00:25:52.180 --> 00:25:53.340 that Christianity 00:25:53.340 --> 00:25:54.759 is anti-morality. 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:57.700 In other words, 00:25:57.779 --> 00:25:58.620 Christians are portrayed 00:25:58.620 --> 00:25:59.220 at times 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:00.480 as people 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:01.160 who hate those 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:01.700 who are different 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:03.060 or who disagree with them. 00:26:05.140 --> 00:26:05.940 Christians are portrayed 00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:06.779 as closed-minded, 00:26:07.060 --> 00:26:08.060 even at times bigoted. 00:26:10.620 --> 00:26:11.220 Now look, 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:12.299 I'm sure there are plenty 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:13.500 of rotten people 00:26:13.500 --> 00:26:14.019 in the world 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:14.519 who profess 00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:15.380 the name of Christ, 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:18.940 but genuine Christianity, 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:20.940 genuine faith 00:26:20.940 --> 00:26:21.580 in the gospel 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:23.759 doesn't breed hatred 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:25.079 for those who are different. 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:27.220 Just the opposite. 00:26:29.639 --> 00:26:29.939 You know, 00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:31.000 it's the biblical gospel 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:31.559 after all 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:32.240 that gave us 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:33.139 the very idea 00:26:33.139 --> 00:26:34.079 not merely of loving 00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:35.179 our neighbor as ourself, 00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:36.359 but even loving 00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:36.939 our enemies. 00:26:39.579 --> 00:26:40.399 In other words, 00:26:40.439 --> 00:26:41.339 even if I deeply 00:26:41.339 --> 00:26:42.579 disagree with you, 00:26:43.099 --> 00:26:44.319 I'm commanded 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:45.359 to love you, 00:26:46.099 --> 00:26:46.839 to treat you 00:26:46.839 --> 00:26:47.460 with dignity 00:26:47.460 --> 00:26:48.319 and respect 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:49.000 and kindness 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:49.859 because that's how 00:26:49.859 --> 00:26:50.799 God treated me 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:51.819 when I was 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:52.319 his enemy. 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:55.859 That's what it means 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:56.740 to follow Jesus. 00:26:57.339 --> 00:26:58.559 Not merely to approve 00:26:58.559 --> 00:26:59.079 of everything 00:26:59.079 --> 00:26:59.599 and everybody, 00:26:59.919 --> 00:27:00.399 but to treat 00:27:00.399 --> 00:27:02.099 even our enemies 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:02.819 with dignity 00:27:02.819 --> 00:27:03.539 and respect. 00:27:03.539 --> 00:27:04.539 God bless you 00:27:04.539 --> 00:27:04.920 and let's see 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:13.180 the kingdom 00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:14.859 advances in our midst, 00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:15.799 brothers and sisters. 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:16.920 Do you realize 00:27:16.920 --> 00:27:17.599 that there's going 00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:18.740 to be spiritual opposition? 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:20.059 There's going to be 00:27:20.059 --> 00:27:21.500 social and cultural opposition. 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:22.659 It's going to come. 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:25.100 So let's not be 00:27:25.100 --> 00:27:25.960 caught off guard 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:27.019 as if something 00:27:27.019 --> 00:27:28.279 strange is happening. 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:30.160 Some of it's 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:30.779 going to be subtle, 00:27:30.940 --> 00:27:31.380 some of it's 00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:32.240 going to be blatant, 00:27:32.340 --> 00:27:33.580 but let's not get 00:27:33.580 --> 00:27:34.940 angered or embittered. 00:27:36.580 --> 00:27:37.500 This is what Jesus 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:38.200 himself said 00:27:38.200 --> 00:27:38.980 would be the case. 00:27:39.540 --> 00:27:40.320 It's expected. 00:27:44.500 --> 00:27:45.519 But Ezra chapter 4 00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:46.360 doesn't just teach us 00:27:46.360 --> 00:27:47.460 to expect opposition. 00:27:47.460 --> 00:27:48.779 The second thing 00:27:48.779 --> 00:27:49.600 it teaches us 00:27:49.600 --> 00:27:51.480 is that we have to 00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:52.799 remember how the story ends. 00:27:56.019 --> 00:27:57.340 As Ezra 4 sort of 00:27:57.340 --> 00:27:59.140 stacks these stories 00:27:59.140 --> 00:27:59.900 of opposition 00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:01.559 one on top of the other, 00:28:02.600 --> 00:28:03.660 it's a bit sort of 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:04.920 disorienting at first, 00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:05.360 isn't it? 00:28:05.900 --> 00:28:06.900 You sort of wonder 00:28:06.900 --> 00:28:08.779 where is this story going? 00:28:09.900 --> 00:28:10.740 But as he keeps 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:11.980 sort of telling story 00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:12.900 after story 00:28:12.900 --> 00:28:13.640 and example 00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:14.700 after example, 00:28:15.059 --> 00:28:16.360 he keeps pushing us 00:28:16.360 --> 00:28:17.220 ahead, doesn't it? 00:28:17.460 --> 00:28:18.360 It's sort of thrusting 00:28:18.360 --> 00:28:19.319 us into the future, 00:28:20.299 --> 00:28:21.420 forcing us to look 00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:22.640 ahead and to realize 00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:23.539 that, you know, 00:28:23.559 --> 00:28:24.340 we're not alone 00:28:24.340 --> 00:28:26.340 when we face opposition. 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:29.120 This isn't the first time 00:28:29.120 --> 00:28:30.579 Ezra seems to be saying 00:28:30.579 --> 00:28:31.700 that opposition has arisen 00:28:31.700 --> 00:28:32.620 and it won't be 00:28:32.620 --> 00:28:33.340 the last time. 00:28:34.059 --> 00:28:34.840 The church has faced 00:28:34.840 --> 00:28:35.380 it before 00:28:35.380 --> 00:28:36.600 and will face it again 00:28:36.600 --> 00:28:37.680 and each time 00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:38.660 the church has endured 00:28:38.660 --> 00:28:39.620 and will endure. 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:42.500 Do you remember 00:28:42.500 --> 00:28:43.259 when Jesus said 00:28:43.259 --> 00:28:44.779 the very gates of hell 00:28:44.779 --> 00:28:46.500 in that arresting phrase? 00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:47.940 The very gates of hell 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:48.480 won't prevail 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:49.359 against the church. 00:28:53.819 --> 00:28:54.779 We have to look ahead 00:28:54.779 --> 00:28:55.339 to how the story 00:28:55.339 --> 00:28:55.920 is going to end. 00:28:57.380 --> 00:28:58.400 So how does the story 00:28:58.400 --> 00:28:59.400 of Ezra and Nehemiah end? 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:00.619 Well, 00:29:01.079 --> 00:29:02.559 they finish the temple 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:05.079 and they finish the walls 00:29:05.079 --> 00:29:06.839 and a lot of our sermons 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:07.519 in the coming weeks 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:08.099 are going to be looking 00:29:08.099 --> 00:29:08.759 at how in the world 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:09.319 they do that 00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:09.720 in the midst 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:10.619 of all this opposition. 00:29:10.619 --> 00:29:15.299 But how will our story end? 00:29:18.019 --> 00:29:19.219 And in order to see that 00:29:19.219 --> 00:29:20.459 we have to look to Jesus. 00:29:22.379 --> 00:29:23.959 In the face of Christ 00:29:23.959 --> 00:29:25.879 we see how God's story 00:29:25.879 --> 00:29:27.339 for us will be completed. 00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:30.119 And ultimately 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:31.719 we look to a Savior 00:29:31.719 --> 00:29:34.479 who faced opposition for us. 00:29:36.639 --> 00:29:38.259 Jesus faced the ultimate opposition. 00:29:38.259 --> 00:29:39.119 He was crucified, 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:39.759 died, 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:40.539 and was buried. 00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:42.180 But three days later 00:29:42.180 --> 00:29:42.980 He rose again, 00:29:43.140 --> 00:29:44.039 ascended to the right hand 00:29:44.039 --> 00:29:44.539 of the Father, 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:45.660 and will come again 00:29:45.660 --> 00:29:46.779 in perfect justice 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:47.599 to judge the living 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:48.099 and the dead. 00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:50.640 So what will keep us 00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:51.740 from being discouraged 00:29:51.740 --> 00:29:52.720 and afraid 00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:54.059 and frustrated 00:29:54.059 --> 00:29:55.379 when opposition comes? 00:29:57.059 --> 00:29:57.900 It's this. 00:29:59.299 --> 00:30:00.400 It's the certainty 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:01.480 that no matter 00:30:01.480 --> 00:30:02.640 what the world 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:03.680 throws at us, 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:05.220 it can't ultimately 00:30:05.220 --> 00:30:06.119 destroy us. 00:30:06.119 --> 00:30:08.079 How do we know that? 00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:11.159 Because friends, 00:30:11.239 --> 00:30:12.079 the only opposition 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:13.739 that could really destroy us, 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:17.000 the only opposition 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:18.619 that could really undo us, 00:30:19.979 --> 00:30:20.919 God's wrath 00:30:20.919 --> 00:30:22.639 against our own sin, 00:30:23.639 --> 00:30:25.559 that opposition 00:30:25.559 --> 00:30:26.579 has been put to rest 00:30:26.579 --> 00:30:27.239 at the cross. 00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:31.339 And if that holy opposition 00:30:31.339 --> 00:30:32.339 against our sin 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:33.379 has been put to rest, 00:30:33.380 --> 00:30:35.860 what other opposition 00:30:35.860 --> 00:30:37.000 could possibly, 00:30:37.260 --> 00:30:38.740 truly harm us now? 00:30:41.340 --> 00:30:42.320 Do you see how 00:30:42.320 --> 00:30:43.280 the real sting 00:30:43.280 --> 00:30:44.320 has been removed 00:30:44.320 --> 00:30:45.940 from any worldly opposition 00:30:45.940 --> 00:30:46.740 that we face? 00:30:47.180 --> 00:30:48.340 No matter how dark 00:30:48.340 --> 00:30:50.340 the clouds begin to roll, 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:51.160 we know 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:54.020 that whatever thunder 00:30:54.020 --> 00:30:54.960 and whatever storm 00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:55.600 they bring, 00:30:55.980 --> 00:30:57.460 they're not going to undo us 00:30:57.460 --> 00:30:59.920 because the righteous wrath 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:01.200 of God's been satisfied 00:31:01.200 --> 00:31:03.299 and we're his children now, 00:31:03.559 --> 00:31:04.500 fully accepted 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:05.120 in the beloved. 00:31:06.360 --> 00:31:07.660 And any trial that comes 00:31:07.660 --> 00:31:08.539 and any opposition 00:31:08.539 --> 00:31:09.340 that comes 00:31:09.340 --> 00:31:10.519 in fact 00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:11.759 can only result 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:13.559 in our sanctification. 00:31:15.900 --> 00:31:17.460 And God can only use it 00:31:17.460 --> 00:31:18.100 for the advance 00:31:18.100 --> 00:31:18.720 of his kingdom. 00:31:21.900 --> 00:31:23.340 So brothers and sisters, 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:24.819 expect opposition, yes, 00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:25.480 but remember 00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:26.539 how the story ends 00:31:26.539 --> 00:31:27.779 and remember 00:31:27.779 --> 00:31:28.400 the confidence 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:29.460 that you have in Jesus, 00:31:29.860 --> 00:31:31.039 that we have in Jesus, 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:31.859 as his church. 00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:33.980 And may the Holy Spirit 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:34.799 empower us 00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:35.920 to meet this opposition 00:31:35.920 --> 00:31:36.639 with endurance 00:31:36.639 --> 00:31:37.819 and wisdom 00:31:37.819 --> 00:31:39.720 and with grace 00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:40.559 and with peace. 00:31:41.940 --> 00:31:42.579 Let's pray. 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:50.839 Father, you know the hearts 00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:52.379 of everyone 00:31:52.379 --> 00:31:53.180 who's gathered here. 00:31:54.740 --> 00:31:55.839 God, you know the ways 00:31:55.839 --> 00:31:56.279 in which 00:31:56.279 --> 00:31:57.940 we are discouraged. 00:31:57.940 --> 00:31:58.180 discouraged. 00:31:59.380 --> 00:32:00.240 You know the ways 00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:01.160 in which we are 00:32:01.160 --> 00:32:02.559 afraid. 00:32:04.259 --> 00:32:05.160 You know the ways 00:32:05.160 --> 00:32:05.600 in which 00:32:05.600 --> 00:32:06.820 our paths 00:32:06.820 --> 00:32:07.640 seem frustrated. 00:32:09.360 --> 00:32:10.440 Just like the people 00:32:10.440 --> 00:32:13.720 who return from exile 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:14.580 and face opposition, 00:32:14.820 --> 00:32:15.380 God, we too 00:32:15.380 --> 00:32:16.200 get discouraged 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:17.059 and we get afraid 00:32:17.059 --> 00:32:19.460 and we feel frustrated 00:32:19.460 --> 00:32:20.259 at every turn. 00:32:23.160 --> 00:32:23.740 But Father, 00:32:23.860 --> 00:32:24.820 thank you for the confidence 00:32:24.820 --> 00:32:25.740 that we have 00:32:25.740 --> 00:32:27.700 that this story 00:32:27.700 --> 00:32:28.420 we're a part of 00:32:28.420 --> 00:32:28.900 is ultimately 00:32:28.900 --> 00:32:29.900 in your hands 00:32:29.900 --> 00:32:32.039 and that if Christ 00:32:32.039 --> 00:32:32.660 is for us, 00:32:32.740 --> 00:32:33.900 who can be against us? 00:32:35.579 --> 00:32:36.279 Holy Spirit, 00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:37.180 cause that truth 00:32:37.180 --> 00:32:38.000 to come alive 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:38.559 in us. 00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:41.279 Make it real 00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:42.140 and make it burn 00:32:42.140 --> 00:32:42.839 this week 00:32:42.839 --> 00:32:44.240 with a fervency 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:44.799 and a fire 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:45.759 that allows us 00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:46.380 to go out 00:32:46.380 --> 00:32:47.400 into this world 00:32:47.400 --> 00:32:48.259 that you have made 00:32:48.259 --> 00:32:49.319 and that you love 00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:51.640 and to be salt 00:32:51.640 --> 00:32:52.259 and light 00:32:52.259 --> 00:32:54.220 no matter what comes. 00:32:54.220 --> 00:32:55.860 to respond 00:32:55.860 --> 00:32:56.500 every 00:32:56.500 --> 00:32:59.839 slander 00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:00.940 with kindness, 00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:02.680 to respond 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:04.120 to every untruth 00:33:04.120 --> 00:33:05.259 with integrity, 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:07.259 God, 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:07.940 to respond 00:33:07.940 --> 00:33:10.200 to every wrong 00:33:10.200 --> 00:33:10.900 with forgiveness 00:33:10.900 --> 00:33:14.319 and with boldness 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:16.220 and with courage. 00:33:18.440 --> 00:33:19.600 And God, 00:33:19.660 --> 00:33:20.140 would your kingdom 00:33:20.140 --> 00:33:21.319 continue to advance 00:33:21.319 --> 00:33:22.600 in our city 00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:23.639 and in our day 00:33:23.639 --> 00:33:26.399 so that people 00:33:26.399 --> 00:33:27.139 could see how great 00:33:27.139 --> 00:33:27.740 you are, God, 00:33:28.099 --> 00:33:28.779 and how worthy 00:33:28.779 --> 00:33:29.399 you are of our 00:33:29.399 --> 00:33:29.899 whole lives 00:33:29.899 --> 00:33:30.740 and our whole praise. 00:33:31.500 --> 00:33:32.779 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:33:33.319 --> 00:33:33.579 Amen. 00:33:33.579 --> 00:33:33.719 Amen. 00:33:33.719 --> 00:33:33.779 Amen. 00:33:33.779 --> 00:33:33.839 Amen. 00:33:33.839 --> 00:33:33.919 Amen. 00:33:33.919 --> 00:33:34.339 Amen. 00:33:34.339 --> 00:33:34.839 Amen. 00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:34.919 Amen. 00:33:34.919 --> 00:33:34.980 Amen. 00:33:34.980 --> 00:33:35.039 Amen. 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:35.419 Amen. 00:33:35.419 --> 00:33:35.539 Amen. 00:33:35.539 --> 00:33:35.639 Amen. 00:33:35.639 --> 00:33:35.719 Amen. 00:33:35.719 --> 00:33:35.779 Amen. 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:35.839 Amen. 00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:35.879 Amen. 00:33:35.879 --> 00:33:35.919 Amen. 00:33:35.919 --> 00:33:35.939 Amen. 00:33:35.939 --> 00:33:36.019 Amen. 00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:36.039 Amen.