WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.120 One of the challenges of my life this week was that I lost a lens in my bifocals. So I'm 00:00:08.120 --> 00:00:18.719 ! I'm going to peer over my readers as I preach this morning. So it's not because I'm an angry teacher, 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:25.440 it's just I need to read and I want to see you. So glad you all could make it through the snow this 00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:33.359 morning. We're going to turn now to God's Word and I'm going to ask for His help. So please pray with me. 00:00:35.760 --> 00:00:43.200 Lord, thank you. Thank you that we are able to gather this morning. Lord, thank you for your Word 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:49.600 that you have given us so that we might know you. And we pray for our time now as we look into your 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:56.880 word together that you would fill us with your glory and your strength and your power. 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:04.799 Lord, that we might know you and in knowing you we might respond to you as we ought in worship, 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:15.200 in adoration, in humble submission and in joy. We pray this in your name. Amen. 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:25.520 Amen. Long lay the world in sin and error pining till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. The 00:01:25.520 --> 00:01:36.879 thrill of hope a weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. The hymn writer of 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:43.200 this great hymn reminds us of the world that we live in. We live in a world where sin abounds, 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:52.879 where the worth of the soul of a human life is not felt, and where many of us feel the weariness of a 00:01:52.879 --> 00:02:01.680 broken world. You might feel this in the form of economic uncertainty. You might feel the weight of 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:08.879 grief this morning as we read the headlines of shootings both near in Rhode Island and far in Sydney. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:18.240 You might be bearing the weight of a personal trial or difficulty or concern about the polarization 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:26.159 and acrimony of our political moment in this country. You might be aware of suffering and of persecution 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:28.000 around the world. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:37.199 And of course, this is not new to our age. This is not new to our world. But this has been true since the 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:44.560 very beginning. We have seen this happen over and over again throughout the ages. And as we will see 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:53.920 tonight or this morning as we look into our word, it was true of Israel as they lived enslaved in Egypt, 00:02:53.919 --> 00:03:02.399 longing for freedom and escape. It was true in the first century when Jesus came under the oppression of Roman rule. 00:03:03.279 --> 00:03:10.399 And in all of the times as we recognize the world that we live in, a cry rings out from our hearts. 00:03:11.199 --> 00:03:17.039 Oh Lord, come deliver us. Oh Lord, rescue us from this. 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:23.680 Oh Lord, come deliver us from this. And the Christmas story is a story that meets the heart cry of the world 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:29.439 by giving promises, promises of a response to that. 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:35.759 If you've been here, you'll recognize that what we're doing during this Advent season is looking at 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:41.599 some of the promises, some of the passages from the Old Testament that look forward to 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:50.799 God's fulfillment of some of these promises. We have been picking ones that are not the sort of 00:03:50.799 --> 00:03:58.079 famous ones that are broadly quoted in regular Christmas stories, but some of the slightly more 00:03:58.079 --> 00:04:04.560 obscure ones. And today I think we're in the most obscure one. So we're in Numbers chapter 24, 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:13.039 verses 15 through 19. That's page 124 in your pew Bible, if you would like to follow along with us. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:20.560 And again, this might be an unusual Advent text, but I think we're going to get there. So hang in there 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:27.600 with me. Let me begin before we read this passage by giving you a little bit of the context of where we 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:34.540 are, where this passage fits in the storyline of the whole Bible, right? So in the book of Numbers, 00:04:35.420 --> 00:04:42.460 God's people are on the move. He delivered them from slavery to Egypt in the book of Exodus, 00:04:42.460 --> 00:04:47.900 and brought them out of that land, and they are now on this journey to a place that God has promised 00:04:47.900 --> 00:04:54.540 them a good place where they will be able to dwell secure and where He will establish them and a kingdom 00:04:55.980 --> 00:05:02.620 of Israel there when they get there, okay? But the journey has been fraught. They have faced their own 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:11.420 failure of sin and unbelief, but also opponents and foes and obstacles along the way. The journey that 00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:19.019 should have been fairly short from your perspective, from Egypt right up to Israel, 00:05:19.019 --> 00:05:26.939 has been a very wandering one for lots of reasons. At this point in the story, they are approaching Israel 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:38.219 from the east, and they are on the plains of Moab, and the king of that area, a man named Balak, 00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:48.060 is afraid of them. And so he wants to oppose them in their march towards the promised land. And so he 00:05:48.060 --> 00:05:54.700 calls on a prophet named Balaam, not a prophet of Israel, but a prophet from the eastern provinces, 00:05:54.699 --> 00:06:05.740 maybe from Persia or the eastern areas at that point, to curse Israel and to help Moab defeat them militarily. 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:12.699 But Balaam shows up and he says, I'm only going to say what the Lord tells me to say. And three times, 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:17.899 Balak says, curse these people. And three times, Balaam says, I bless these people. 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:25.819 It doesn't work very well. Balak is not getting his money's worth. And after the third oracle of 00:06:25.819 --> 00:06:32.060 blessing, he then voluntarily gives one more. And that's actually the passage that we're looking at 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:42.939 today. So this is the last word of Balaam to Balak about what God is up to in this journey of the 00:06:42.939 --> 00:06:49.500 people of Israel towards the promised land. So that's where we're at. Let's read our passage 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:59.800 together today. Numbers, chapter 24, starting in verse 15. Actually, you know what? No, yeah, 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:07.800 we'll just stay there. So here we go. And he took up his discourse and said, and he is Balaam. He said, 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:15.480 the oracle of Balaam, the son of Baor, the oracle of the man whose eye is open, the oracle of him who 00:07:15.480 --> 00:07:22.600 hears the words of God and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees visions of the Almighty 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:33.240 falling down with his eyes uncovered. I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:41.800 come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. It shall crush the forehead of Moab and 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:50.519 break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed. Seir also, his enemies shall be 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:59.160 dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly, and one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:09.640 the survivors of the city. The good news of Christmas 00:08:09.640 --> 00:08:15.240 is the coming of a victorious king. 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:25.720 And Balaam, in this prophecy, is looking ahead to the coming of that king. So we're going to look at 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:30.440 this in three steps. This is your outline, if you're an outline taker. We're going to look at 00:08:30.440 --> 00:08:36.440 the promise of the victorious king. We're going to look at the problem of the victorious king. 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:44.120 And then we're going to look at the paradox of the victorious king. So, firstly, the promise of a 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:48.840 victorious king. The setup of this passage is actually in verse 14, and I almost read it, 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:51.240 and now I'm going to read it for you so you can get the context. 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:58.279 Balaam says to Balak, and now behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this 00:08:58.279 --> 00:09:05.560 people, that is Israel, will do to your people, that is Moab, in the latter days. So he's telling 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:11.240 Balak, you're the king of Moab. You're trying to resist these people. Well, let me tell you what's 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:17.960 going to happen. This is what's coming. And he says, there's a king who is coming. Not now. 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:23.320 It's not going to happen right now. But in the future, there will be a king that will rise up. 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:29.400 He will be like a star from Jacob, Jacob being a metaphor for the people of Israel, 00:09:29.400 --> 00:09:37.720 the descendants of Abraham. He will come with a scepter, which is a common metaphor for kingship, 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:44.280 kind of like in England today. You might use the crown to refer to the queen or the king of England. 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:52.199 A scepter would be clearly a picture of a king. And this king is going to come with fierce and complete 00:09:52.199 --> 00:10:00.839 victory. If you're looking at the text, look at the language that Balaam uses. This king will crush 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:08.919 Moab. It will break down all the sons of Sheth. Sons of Sheth is another metaphor for the people 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:15.559 who lived in that area. Edom shall be dispossessed. Seir also shall be dispossessed. That is, they will be 00:10:15.559 --> 00:10:25.719 removed from their land. Israel is doing valiantly, and one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:36.599 the survivors of cities. It is a picture of victory. And remember, I told you, Israel had been wandering in 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:41.080 the wilderness. These are all the nations that they had just encountered, and some of them they had to 00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:47.800 go around because these countries refused to let them come through the land. And so they made it a more 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:54.120 circuitous route, and some of them attacked Israel along the way trying to defeat them or to drive them 00:10:54.120 --> 00:11:03.639 out. And the promise here is that this king is going to come and bring complete victory over these people. 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:12.600 And Balaam says to Balak, this is what's going to come. A king is coming, and you will be destroyed. 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:20.279 Now, we know that there are multiple fulfillments. As we read our Bible, there are often times when the 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:25.480 Bible predicts things that are coming in the future, and sometimes there are various ones of them. It's 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:30.679 like looking at a mountain range. You can see the front range clearly. You can't always see the peaks 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:38.120 in the background as clearly. And that's what we have here in prophecy because we do see that in 2 Samuel 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:46.199 chapter 8 verse 2, David, as he is establishing himself as the rightful king of Israel, defeats the 00:11:46.200 --> 00:11:55.400 Moabites. And that's the end of them. They are gone. Their kingdom never returns, right? So we see that 00:11:55.400 --> 00:12:03.320 there is an initial fulfillment in the kingship of David, which would be ballpark, well, a couple 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:13.080 hundred years at least after that. But then you also see that there's a greater fulfillment of this, 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:20.920 right? The story that we know of Christmas in Matthew 2. What did the wise men say? We saw a star 00:12:20.920 --> 00:12:29.560 rise, and we've come to worship the king that is signified by that. And that's what Balaam said. 00:12:29.560 --> 00:12:36.600 There will a star will rise out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise. And so they came, these three wise men, 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:46.200 from the same place that Balaam came from, looking for a king, a new king of Israel. 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:55.399 Now, what kind of king do you think was envisioned? David won with his armies. 00:12:57.159 --> 00:13:02.600 In the first century, probably was envisioning again a king who would raise up 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:11.000 a great army and win a military victory, riding on a white horse in a triumphant entry. 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:20.360 Do you ever get excited about the vision of this? A king riding in on a white horse with an army at his 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:25.399 back? Do you want to stand up and cheer to welcome and applaud this coming king? 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:33.480 Maybe some of you do. But I think many of us feel reluctant to get up and cheer about this thing. 00:13:34.439 --> 00:13:39.639 So I want to talk for a few minutes about what the problem of a victorious king is in our own hearts. 00:13:41.159 --> 00:13:48.199 Because this is the prophecy. There's a great king coming. How do we respond to that? Well, I think we 00:13:48.200 --> 00:13:55.800 often have a number of things that we might wrestle with with this image or with this idea. Why is this 00:13:55.800 --> 00:14:00.840 not good news to us? So I have three ideas. It probably isn't comprehensive. There may be more out 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:08.280 there. But first, I think we have a problem with this because we aren't sure we want anyone to come 00:14:08.280 --> 00:14:14.040 and claim sovereign power over us. Because that's what kings do, right? And we're Americans. You know, 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:20.360 we were formed… our country was formed out of rejecting a king and creating a country where 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:26.519 every individual… well, okay, it's a messy story, but you guys know what I mean. The idea is that our 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:35.559 individualism, right, our individual rights and individual autonomy was highly valued, right? 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:43.959 And here's the thing. It's not just Americans who feel like this. It's humans. Because humans have 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:52.040 a heart that rebels against their creator king. This is what Adam and Eve did in the garden. And all of 00:14:52.040 --> 00:14:58.759 our hearts. And we all know it, don't we? When someone comes in and tells us what to do, and we think, 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:06.200 who are you to tell me? Who died and made you king? Right? This is our human heart. 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:15.960 We struggle at times to see because we know that human kings can often be self-serving and cruel. 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:22.120 So, for all these reasons, we just… we're uncomfortable with the idea of someone having 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:29.240 that authority over us. Now, the second reason why we might feel uncomfortable about this is because 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:37.879 we misunderstand what kind of kingdom the fulfillment of this prophecy in Numbers would look like. And I 00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:45.560 think this is a problem that is particularly poignant or current today in the church. So, I want to step 00:15:45.560 --> 00:15:51.240 back and spend a few minutes talking about this. In the progress of redemptive history, that is how God 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:59.000 did what He was doing throughout history, in the Old Testament, God chose to do… to work through a people. 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:04.919 A particular people that He made a nation state. He took the descendants of Abraham, 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:10.360 and when He brought them out of Egypt and put them in the Promised Land, He made them a nation state. 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:21.080 And He gave them a king, and they developed an army, and they were a political, social nation like what we see today. 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:29.879 They had a land. They had a capital. They had a government. They had a king. They had an army. 00:16:30.920 --> 00:16:36.200 And it's understandable that some people might think, this is what God's going to do fully. This 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:42.520 is the fulfillment of it. And we need to get back to that and somehow create a theocracy where God's people 00:16:43.160 --> 00:16:46.280 are ruling in a sociopolitical way. 00:16:46.279 --> 00:17:02.039 And in His coming, there's a turning point in how we understand. Just like the prophecy has this 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:08.839 this mountain, multiple vistas, Jesus comes and says that was… in the Old Testament, that was how God 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:13.720 was working for a season. But that was a stepping stone towards a greater kingdom, 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:21.960 a different kind of kingdom. Jesus did not come as a politician or a military leader. 00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:30.519 His strategy was a proclamation of truth and a love for sinners and the outsiders. 00:17:32.120 --> 00:17:36.680 His strategy was making disciples, not winning victories. 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:43.480 His legacy, the church, was a transnational gathering of people 00:17:46.120 --> 00:17:56.120 from all the world who would be those who would proclaim that Jesus is King, that Jesus is Lord to 00:17:56.120 --> 00:18:05.640 the ends of the earth. When Pilate asked Him at his trial, he said, my kingdom is not of this world. 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:10.120 I don't want to supplant you, Pilate, and your Roman rule. 00:18:12.600 --> 00:18:16.680 Jesus' kingdom comes by the proclamation of the gospel. 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:22.680 And throughout the church age, this has been misunderstood, right? 00:18:23.560 --> 00:18:29.000 There have been human rulers and nations that have thought they were the fulfillment of God's kingdom 00:18:29.320 --> 00:18:34.360 in their sociopolitical form. And there have been times when the church 00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:41.159 has tried to take up and create a sociopolitical fulfillment of these promises. 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:44.679 But that is not what the Bible teaches. 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:58.039 We need to beware that we as a church are not to use political and social power to establish the kingdom of God. 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:07.639 This is not what the New Testament teaches. The church's mission is to bring Jesus' kingdom by Jesus' means. 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:15.799 And that's a huge sermon that I'm not going to preach this morning, but I'm going to take us to one place 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:25.240 in the epistles to try to clarify what this looks like. In Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12, the apostle Paul says this, 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:31.399 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, 00:19:31.399 --> 00:19:39.240 against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:53.079 In the New Testament, the greatest enemies of the people of God are not nation states, but they are spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:59.480 They are not flesh and blood. And though there may be manifestations, there will always be people, 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:05.160 and you see this in the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, there are always people who will oppose God's work, 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:13.960 who will persecute God's people, who will reject God and assert their own human authority to rule and to reign. 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:22.120 God knows all this. Those things are true, but our battle is not physical against them. 00:20:22.120 --> 00:20:31.400 Our battle is spiritual, and we fight this battle on our knees in prayer and with love for our enemies 00:20:31.400 --> 00:20:38.759 and with a courageous conviction of holding on to God's word and His truth. 00:20:40.120 --> 00:20:49.960 And ultimately and mostly by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that He has come as King. 00:20:52.840 --> 00:20:57.400 And I'm going to come back to that in just a second, and I will unpack it because my third 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:04.200 problem that I think we have with kings dovetails with that to where we're going to end this sermon. 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:13.560 Because the third thing is that we're just uncomfortable with the violence, violent language that is used in this prophecy. 00:21:14.120 --> 00:21:21.080 Right? Crushing, destroying. How do we do that? How do we understand this? 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:28.439 Well, see, the New Testament understands that though there were in the Old Testament, these were physical pictures. 00:21:28.439 --> 00:21:36.919 Israel was a physical picture of the kingdom of God. The New Testament, it translates into a different way of understanding it. 00:21:37.639 --> 00:21:44.439 What we see is that the greatest enemy of God is spiritual rebellion. 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:51.640 Sin is an immeasurable offense, a fundamental wrong. And God declared from the very beginning 00:21:52.360 --> 00:22:00.519 that the right consequence for rebellion against God, the Lord of life, is death. And so Adam and Eve 00:22:02.360 --> 00:22:07.880 were cursed with death as a consequence for their sin. 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:22.520 Sin. Right? And so we need to recognize that the violent language reflects the greatness of the offense of sin against God himself. 00:22:25.320 --> 00:22:31.960 Now, we just feel so uncomfortable with this. And do you know why? Because we're fallen and imperfect people. 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:39.319 Because if I were the judge of right and wrong, I would be terrified that I would get it wrong, 00:22:39.319 --> 00:22:46.680 that I would misunderstand, and that my judgment would come unfairly or too laxly, 00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:54.680 that I wouldn't protect the vulnerable or the weak or the oppressed, or that I would be too harsh and 00:22:54.680 --> 00:23:03.240 disproportionate in my judgment against others. But the Bible reminds us that God is perfect in all of 00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:10.519 His ways. And He sees the good and the bad. And so when He says something is sin and worthy of death, 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:16.759 when He chooses to bring judgment, this violence of language, or this language of violence, 00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:28.200 is appropriate in that it reflects how heinous sin is and how vile it is as an offense against the kingdom of God. 00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:38.200 This is the broken world that creates our heart cry. God, bring us a righteous king who will make all 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:46.840 these things right, who will stop sex trafficking, who will stop warfare, who will create a righteous society. 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:55.400 This is what our hearts cry out for. But we don't trust anyone to do it perfectly. 00:23:58.680 --> 00:24:06.680 But the fulfillment is that Jesus will come, and other prophecies will say that He is a righteous branch. 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:15.480 Of the house of Jesse. That He will come in perfection to be the king over the whole world. 00:24:19.080 --> 00:24:19.640 And so, 00:24:23.400 --> 00:24:28.200 we've talked a little bit about why it is we might have problems with this king. 00:24:28.840 --> 00:24:36.039 The fulfillment and the hope of the scriptures. My third point is that there is a paradox at the core 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:44.359 of this coming king that makes him the best king we would ever imagine. Because the one who comes 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:54.119 with a scepter out of Israel did not come as a general, but he came as a baby. And the way that he achieved 00:24:54.119 --> 00:24:59.000 his victory was not in the way that we would expect. 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:09.160 He did not come with armies at his back, but with shepherds at his manger. He did not come by leveraging the power 00:25:09.720 --> 00:25:13.240 of the world, but by loving service. 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:21.240 And ultimately, Jesus went to the cross offering himself up 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:33.079 for us in our place to bear the wrath of God against our sin. His death for us is the fulfillment of 00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:39.799 all of this violent language against sin and evil and wrongness. Because Jesus said, 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:44.359 I will stand in your place and take that judgment for you. 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:57.299 Jesus died on the cross to be a great and paradoxical king. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.500 And then he rose from the dead. 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:11.039 He rose the dead so that we would know that the kingdom that he establishes is a kingdom of life. 00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:13.279 A kingdom of freedom from sin. 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:16.220 A kingdom of freedom from evil. 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:22.799 A kingdom that will bring goodness and life both now and eternally. 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:27.259 And this is the paradox. 00:26:27.259 --> 00:26:31.380 Is that the king who came is a king who came and died. 00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:33.339 For us. 00:26:35.460 --> 00:26:37.700 He conquers through weakness. 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:40.200 He triumphs through sacrifice. 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:44.380 He establishes a kingdom of truth and love. 00:26:44.579 --> 00:26:46.420 Not of power and might. 00:26:47.420 --> 00:26:49.740 And he's defeated sin and death. 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:51.640 On our behalf. 00:26:53.859 --> 00:26:55.579 And so we sing. 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:57.799 Born thy people to deliver. 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:00.759 Born a child and yet a king. 00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:03.339 Born to reign in us forever. 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:06.079 Now thy gracious kingdom bring. 00:27:07.259 --> 00:27:09.740 By thine own eternal spirit. 00:27:10.619 --> 00:27:13.599 Rule in all our hearts alone. 00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:16.920 By thine own sufficient merit. 00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:22.119 Raise us up to thy glorious throne. 00:27:22.119 --> 00:27:23.119 Friends. 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:24.239 Friends. 00:27:24.239 --> 00:27:25.819 This is the good news. 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:28.119 Of the king who comes. 00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:30.059 The victorious king who comes. 00:27:30.479 --> 00:27:31.619 At Christmas time. 00:27:32.539 --> 00:27:34.239 How do we live in light of this? 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:35.919 I have three really quick thoughts. 00:27:36.179 --> 00:27:36.619 Practically. 00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:38.319 I'm trying to get practical for you all. 00:27:38.439 --> 00:27:39.219 Not just theoretical. 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:39.699 Here we go. 00:27:40.259 --> 00:27:41.279 So a couple of things. 00:27:41.399 --> 00:27:42.219 For some of us. 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:44.419 When we feel like we are despairing. 00:27:44.420 --> 00:27:45.620 When it feels like darkness. 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:46.820 And evil. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:47.600 And sin. 00:27:47.640 --> 00:27:48.880 Are winning in the world. 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:50.640 In your own life. 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:51.920 Or in the world overall. 00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:54.019 Know that the king has come. 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:56.440 And the kingdom that he has brought. 00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:57.300 Has begun. 00:27:57.620 --> 00:27:58.920 And he is working it out. 00:27:59.000 --> 00:27:59.720 In this world. 00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:01.580 And he will return one day. 00:28:01.579 --> 00:28:03.240 And he will establish it. 00:28:03.779 --> 00:28:04.259 Completely. 00:28:04.539 --> 00:28:05.059 And fully. 00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:05.859 And finally. 00:28:06.019 --> 00:28:07.439 And what a glorious hope. 00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:08.279 This is. 00:28:08.359 --> 00:28:09.659 So don't despair. 00:28:10.379 --> 00:28:11.779 Don't give up hope. 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:13.899 Because the victorious king. 00:28:14.059 --> 00:28:16.119 Has already gained that victory. 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:17.199 And he will bring it. 00:28:17.659 --> 00:28:18.559 To completion. 00:28:20.639 --> 00:28:21.240 Secondly. 00:28:22.159 --> 00:28:23.179 For those of us. 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:24.639 Who may be in positions. 00:28:24.639 --> 00:28:26.059 Of worldly power. 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:28.119 Let us use this. 00:28:28.259 --> 00:28:28.839 To bless. 00:28:29.439 --> 00:28:30.439 And to redeem. 00:28:31.579 --> 00:28:32.740 Not to posture. 00:28:33.740 --> 00:28:35.599 Not to defeat. 00:28:35.899 --> 00:28:36.599 Or own. 00:28:36.779 --> 00:28:37.720 The other side. 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:42.359 But by. 00:28:42.659 --> 00:28:43.639 Like Jesus. 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:45.339 Laying down our lives. 00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:47.460 To serve others. 00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:48.460 To see. 00:28:53.399 --> 00:28:54.379 Dependentive work. 00:28:54.879 --> 00:28:56.220 In his paradoxical. 00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:57.639 Victory. 00:28:58.379 --> 00:28:59.720 Over sin and death. 00:28:59.720 --> 00:29:00.900 Let that be true. 00:29:00.900 --> 00:29:01.799 In our lives. 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:02.500 And let it be. 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:04.400 The song that we proclaim. 00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:06.779 The word on our lips. 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:09.860 As we celebrate this Christmas season. 00:29:09.859 --> 00:29:13.639 Let me invite up the worship team. 00:29:13.639 --> 00:29:14.759 To lead us. 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:16.879 As we sing our final closing song. 00:29:16.979 --> 00:29:17.719 Come thou long. 00:29:18.059 --> 00:29:19.119 Expected Jesus. 00:29:20.019 --> 00:29:22.019 The first verse goes like this. 00:29:22.139 --> 00:29:22.899 Come thou long. 00:29:22.959 --> 00:29:23.899 Expected Jesus. 00:29:24.439 --> 00:29:26.279 Born to set thy people free. 00:29:26.879 --> 00:29:28.039 From our fears. 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:29.839 And sins release us. 00:29:30.399 --> 00:29:32.659 Let us find our rest in thee. 00:29:33.159 --> 00:29:35.240 Israel's strength and consolation. 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:37.799 Hope of all the world thou art. 00:29:38.379 --> 00:29:40.339 Dear desire of every nation. 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:43.779 Joy of every longing heart. 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:45.200 This is my prayer. 00:29:45.359 --> 00:29:48.240 Is that he might be the desire of our hearts. 00:29:48.259 --> 00:29:49.859 And the joy of our hearts. 00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:50.720 This morning. 00:29:50.819 --> 00:29:52.119 So if you are able to stand. 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:53.319 Let me invite you to stand. 00:29:53.319 --> 00:29:54.440 As we sing together. 00:29:54.440 --> 00:29:55.200 Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth 00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:56.139 Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:56.139 00:29:56.140 --> 00:29:57.140 Thank you.