WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.259 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch. 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:15.419 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christchurch. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:28.539 Good morning. I am Sarita. I am part of the CC Kids. 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:44.259 Today's scripture reading is from Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17, verse 1 to 9, and from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 1, verse 1 to 10. 00:00:44.259 --> 00:00:47.759 A reading from the Acts of the Apostles. 00:01:14.260 --> 00:01:27.939 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:42.280 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men off the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:52.379 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:58.819 These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them. 00:01:58.819 --> 00:02:13.319 And they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus, and the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:20.599 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 00:02:21.060 --> 00:02:23.780 A reading from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. 00:02:23.780 --> 00:02:32.240 Paul, Silas, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:33.759 Grace and peace to you. 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:40.379 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 00:02:40.379 --> 00:02:53.799 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompt by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:02:54.199 --> 00:03:04.079 For we know, brothers and sisters, loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power. 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:10.540 With the Holy Spirit and deep conviction, you know how we lived among you for your sake. 00:03:11.220 --> 00:03:20.560 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 00:03:20.760 --> 00:03:25.980 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaya. 00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:30.920 The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaya. 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:34.399 Your faith in God has become known everywhere. 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:37.639 Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it. 00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:41.319 For they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:48.939 They tell you how you turned to God from the idols to serve the living and the true God. 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:54.439 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead. 00:03:54.799 --> 00:03:59.219 Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. 00:03:59.219 --> 00:04:00.699 This is the word of the Lord. 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:02.219 Thanks be to God. 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:04.780 Thank you for that phenomenal reading. 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:07.459 That was incredible. 00:04:08.679 --> 00:04:12.539 And this is sort of like, how many guys does it take to shut a door? 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:14.879 Joke right here. 00:04:15.159 --> 00:04:17.219 So, I'm waiting for the punchline. 00:04:17.339 --> 00:04:17.939 I don't know. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:18.800 Now we need four. 00:04:20.099 --> 00:04:22.379 And can Pastor Andrew get it to shut? 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:24.860 No pressure, guys. 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:24.959 Yes. 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:28.860 There we go. 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:34.040 We got the door to open, which is phenomenal. 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:37.340 And now we're ready to dive in. 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:47.020 One of the highlights of the summer for our family was taking our kids to Washington, D.C. for the first time. 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:50.579 And the first morning we arrived in D.C. 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:55.079 We rode our bikes all around the mall and all the monuments. 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:59.680 We saw the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Monument. 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:06.060 We saw the monument to FDR, World War II, Martin Luther King Jr. 00:05:06.060 --> 00:05:11.459 But the crown jewel, in my opinion, and in many people's opinion, is the Lincoln Memorial. 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:12.720 Anyone been to the Lincoln Memorial? 00:05:13.660 --> 00:05:17.699 It was full of a diverse crowd of classes, races, and nations. 00:05:17.699 --> 00:05:20.560 All of them there in reverent silence. 00:05:21.459 --> 00:05:25.939 And they were queuing up to get photos with one of our greatest, if not the greatest president. 00:05:25.939 --> 00:05:31.459 And to read those texts that are emblazoned on the walls in stone, in all caps. 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:36.219 The Gettysburg Address, government of the people, by the people, and for the people. 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:40.960 And the second inaugural address with, what does he say? 00:05:41.080 --> 00:05:44.900 He says, with malice toward none and with charity toward all. 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:50.840 There was no docent anywhere in sight telling people to be quiet or to line up. 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:58.120 It's just that the statue of the man and the man's words sort of demanded a sense of awe and honor and reverence. 00:05:59.140 --> 00:06:03.580 And that monument, I would say, was effective for me because I cannot get it out of my mind. 00:06:03.579 --> 00:06:05.859 I've read one book on the second inaugural. 00:06:06.039 --> 00:06:12.659 I'm on a second book on the Gettysburg Address reflecting on the life and literature of this great president. 00:06:12.919 --> 00:06:17.099 And it has set off two recurring questions in my head. 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:20.319 First of all, how do we make presidents great again? 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:21.959 Okay? 00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:26.379 Both for the blue team and the red team, not a political comment, just an obvious question. 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:32.459 Secondly, what have Christians revered the apostles like that? 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:38.479 We don't build monuments to Peter, John, James, and Paul. 00:06:39.219 --> 00:06:45.199 But what if churches in the Western world, what if churches in North America, instead of ignoring and neglecting Paul, 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:51.560 instead of deconstructing and dismissing the apostles, what if instead we studied them and we memorized their texts? 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:54.919 As if they were etched in stone in all caps. 00:06:54.920 --> 00:07:02.879 What if we formed friendships so that we could help one another live out these doctrines and these ethics? 00:07:03.840 --> 00:07:06.259 And that's what this sermon series is about. 00:07:06.340 --> 00:07:07.540 It's like the Lincoln Memorial. 00:07:07.540 --> 00:07:17.280 It's meant to introduce the church to this man, Paul, the Apostle Paul. 00:07:18.200 --> 00:07:27.439 And to encourage you to get more familiar with his life and more familiar with his literature because he is the greatest Christian theologian. 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:32.899 So we're looking simultaneously at both his story and at his letters. 00:07:32.899 --> 00:07:42.000 And just to remind you, we started in Acts chapter, the Acts of the Apostles chapter 9, and Paul's transformation on the road to Damascus. 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:48.240 And then we looked at Acts chapter 16, how Paul went into that Greco-Roman pagan city of Philippi. 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:50.240 And he planted a church in that city. 00:07:51.100 --> 00:07:57.579 And then we looked at the letter that Paul later wrote to those young Christians in that young church plant called Philippians. 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:06.460 And today we're looking at Acts 17 where God takes this team of Christians, mainly Paul and Silas. 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:12.639 And remember, they've been beaten, they've been imprisoned, and they've been exiled from the city of Philippi. 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:19.860 And the Lord sends them now on with all their wounds, all their exhaustion, all their rejection. 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:28.300 And he sends them on to a new city to make this arduous 100-mile journey to Thessalonica. 00:08:28.379 --> 00:08:32.679 We have a map in case this part of the world is not familiar to you. 00:08:33.899 --> 00:08:37.480 So you can kind of see where Philippi is and where Thessalonica. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:41.879 And Paul's going to make his way down to Athens and Corinth where we'll be next week. 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:43.939 And it's a harbor city. 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:45.519 It's a flourishing commercial center. 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:47.399 It's very much like the Bay Area. 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:50.100 Paul went and he planted a church in that city. 00:08:50.659 --> 00:08:57.659 And then he wrote, again, a letter to those young Christians in the young church called 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians. 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:03.860 So as we open that up this morning, I have three questions I want to engage you with. 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:05.759 And the three questions are these. 00:09:06.659 --> 00:09:09.220 How does the gospel message ring out? 00:09:09.220 --> 00:09:13.240 Secondly, what is the basic problem of our world? 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:16.700 And third, what is the deep power of our gospel? 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:20.399 Okay, so how does the gospel message ring out? 00:09:20.860 --> 00:09:22.879 What is the basic problem of our world? 00:09:23.480 --> 00:09:26.620 And what is the deep power of our gospel? 00:09:27.660 --> 00:09:30.279 First of all, how does the gospel message ring out? 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:34.259 Paul and Silas, as they're journeying to the city, they're praying for the city. 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:41.220 They're praying to God and asking him to lead them to people of peace who God has made ready. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:42.159 God has made open. 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:45.019 God is making curious to hear the message. 00:09:45.199 --> 00:09:50.279 And they seek out and they encounter two very different types of people. 00:09:50.279 --> 00:10:00.579 You can see in this text that they find religious Jews and they also find pagan Gentiles who are spiritually curious and interested. 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:10.059 Now, why in the world would these Gentiles be at synagogue on the Sabbath when they could be sleeping in or enjoying brunch? 00:10:10.059 --> 00:10:11.759 Okay, that's a big question. 00:10:12.119 --> 00:10:12.779 Why are they there? 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:18.759 Well, presumably because they're dissatisfied with their pagan polytheism. 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:26.779 They become disenchanted with the various lifestyles that the Greco-Roman and Roman Empire has offered to them. 00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:29.479 And they know that something's missing in their lives. 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:31.979 They know that there's more to life than this. 00:10:32.199 --> 00:10:35.439 And they became attracted somehow to the God of the Bible. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:41.420 They began to worship Israel's God of love and his high moral ideals. 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:44.300 And maybe that's some of us here today. 00:10:44.400 --> 00:10:45.140 Maybe that's you. 00:10:45.620 --> 00:10:48.460 You're thinking, gosh, there's got to be a better way. 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:50.600 There's got to be a deeper truth. 00:10:50.680 --> 00:10:52.940 There's got to be a higher life on offer for me. 00:10:53.920 --> 00:10:59.100 And the Apostle Paul addresses that group and he says, well, let me share the gospel message with you. 00:11:00.180 --> 00:11:04.800 And in Acts 17 verse 2, it says that he reasoned with them from the scriptures. 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:08.479 He had a dialogue with them about who made the world and why. 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:11.859 And what is really wrong with the world. 00:11:12.120 --> 00:11:14.779 And why does humanity need a Messiah? 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:15.879 Why does it need a Christ? 00:11:16.859 --> 00:11:17.679 And who is? 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:23.879 What does the Bible say about this long prophesied Messiah of God? 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:25.299 This promised king. 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:26.859 What is he going to be? 00:11:26.959 --> 00:11:28.740 What is he coming to do? 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:34.440 And when Paul gave that gospel message, it says that he had a mixed reception. 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:34.980 Right? 00:11:35.060 --> 00:11:37.060 Some people were glad to hear it. 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:39.159 Some people, they were persuaded. 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:42.379 They put their faith in Christ and they joined the church. 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:47.360 But other people, it says that they actually formed a mob and they started a riot in the city. 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:52.200 That's how explosive the message actually is if you really understand it. 00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:59.000 So, chapter 17 verse 6 says that they dragged Jason, one of these new Christians who's hosting everybody. 00:11:59.560 --> 00:12:04.560 They dragged Jason and some of the other new Christians before the city officials shouting, 00:12:05.020 --> 00:12:08.720 these men are causing trouble. 00:12:08.900 --> 00:12:11.060 They're turning the world upside down, they say. 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:19.279 And they're defying all of Caesar's decrees and saying that there is another king, one called Jesus. 00:12:20.579 --> 00:12:24.099 And I think Paul, had he heard that charge, he would have said, you know, actually, 00:12:24.699 --> 00:12:28.439 it's not that Jesus is turning the world upside down, he's turning it right side up. 00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:29.299 Right? 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:41.919 But you are right in that all of Jesus' loyal subjects, they do refuse to give their allegiance to any ruler or any ideology 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:48.599 that would claim the homage and the obedience that is due to Jesus and King Jesus alone. 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:49.699 That's true. 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:53.000 So, what's happening in the city? 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:56.699 Much like the cities of the Bay Area, what's happening? 00:12:56.700 --> 00:13:04.220 What's happening is that the gospel message is beginning to ring out like a bell. 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:06.360 It's beginning to ring out. 00:13:06.460 --> 00:13:09.620 And as usual, Paul is forced out of that city. 00:13:10.300 --> 00:13:11.680 This happens everywhere he goes. 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:13.160 He has to basically leave. 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:19.860 And after a few months, he goes and he writes a letter to kind of pastor this new church plant. 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:23.940 And he reminds them of how the gospel came into their pagan culture. 00:13:23.940 --> 00:13:29.640 He reminds them how God formed that community among them of faith and love and hope. 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:30.840 And here's what he says. 00:13:30.900 --> 00:13:34.800 Now we're turning to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. 00:13:34.980 --> 00:13:36.280 You can follow along in verse 6. 00:13:36.380 --> 00:13:36.680 He says, 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:43.679 You became imitators of us, the apostles, and of the Lord Jesus himself. 00:13:45.379 --> 00:13:50.519 For you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 00:13:50.599 --> 00:13:54.919 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:58.199 And the Lord's message, the Lord's gospel rang out from you. 00:13:59.059 --> 00:14:03.459 Not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God became known everywhere. 00:14:03.460 --> 00:14:06.500 Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it. 00:14:07.400 --> 00:14:17.860 What Paul's saying there is that your life and your witness as a healthy and a vibrant church is making my job a whole lot easier. 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:24.639 Because what I'm finding, Paul says, what I'm finding everywhere I go is people stop me and say, 00:14:24.780 --> 00:14:26.780 Ah, you're the guy. 00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:31.679 You're the guy who shared the message of Jesus in Thessalonica. 00:14:31.939 --> 00:14:33.439 And we've heard all about you. 00:14:34.259 --> 00:14:37.959 We've heard of what's happening up in that city and in that church. 00:14:38.079 --> 00:14:41.980 Everybody's talking about the new Jesus people there. 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:50.399 And everybody's talking about how those brand new Christians are already actively sharing the message of Jesus with other people. 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:56.899 What Paul's saying is that I came into your city and I rang the gospel bell. 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:03.120 But what's happening now is that you, the people of God, keep ringing that bell. 00:15:04.139 --> 00:15:06.120 And it's ringing out through you. 00:15:07.459 --> 00:15:13.340 He says, look, you are a group of men and women, probably much smaller than the group that we have here today. 00:15:13.340 --> 00:15:19.500 You're a group of men and women who not only believe the gospel, but you've decided to live by the gospel. 00:15:19.620 --> 00:15:22.060 You've decided to embody the gospel. 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:31.180 That individually and collectively, you are interpreting the gospel in your relationship so that other people can see what it's all about. 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:34.700 The gospel is being verified. 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.820 It's being substantiated by your lives. 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:43.560 That's part of why the gospel is ringing out from the church. 00:15:45.280 --> 00:15:56.840 And he says, you know, the gospel is not only ringing out through your lives, but it's also ringing out through your lips as you share the gospel message with people you most deeply love. 00:15:58.020 --> 00:15:58.940 And listen to it again. 00:15:58.980 --> 00:16:01.300 He says in verse 8, he says, 00:16:01.299 --> 00:16:15.079 Now, how many of you know the Campanile at the center of Cal's campus over here? 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:20.859 The Campanile is, it has 61 bells. 00:16:21.199 --> 00:16:25.019 It's a carillon, and it plays three times a day. 00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:32.199 And I'm told that you can hear it up to a mile away, and maybe on a clear and quiet day even further away. 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:41.819 Well, just to give you a quick geography lesson about the provinces of the Roman Empire, if you haven't studied up on that recently, 00:16:42.659 --> 00:16:48.579 I want you to appreciate how far the gospel is ringing out from this little church in Thessalonica. 00:16:48.580 --> 00:17:00.700 We have another map, and that map can show you that in the ancient world, to get from Thessalonica, the capital of Macedonia, down to Corinth, the capital of Achaia, 00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:04.519 you had to go on an arduous trip over three high mountain ranges. 00:17:04.740 --> 00:17:06.319 You had to cross a portion of the sea. 00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:10.400 You had to cover a considerable distance over a very difficult terrain. 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:18.220 And yet the apostle is saying that the news of what's happening in that tiny little church in Thessalonica, 00:17:18.320 --> 00:17:25.519 the Lord's message itself is ringing out into a region that is actually twice the size of the Bay Area. 00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:28.860 And remember, there's no radio. 00:17:29.780 --> 00:17:31.300 There's no television. 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:32.440 There's no newspapers. 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:33.320 No telephone. 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:34.080 No internet. 00:17:34.500 --> 00:17:35.680 No social media. 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:44.960 Achaia, the beautiful music of the gospel is spreading from person to person so that when Paul went to the very southernmost tip of Achaia, 00:17:45.620 --> 00:17:48.759 they were ready for him and ready to receive his message. 00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:49.160 Why? 00:17:50.080 --> 00:17:59.420 Because ordinary men and women, just like you, in that little church, were proclaiming the message with their extraordinary lives. 00:18:00.320 --> 00:18:03.940 They were attracting people of peace to come and see. 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:18.720 They were opening the door for people to listen to the gospel because of the marvelous and dramatic changes that were happening inside of them as they were believing and living by this message. 00:18:19.980 --> 00:18:27.680 And this has been the key element in every major revival, every major reformation in the history of the church from its first days until now. 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:32.720 What is this astonishing and dramatic change that's happening in the lives of these Christians? 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:36.319 Well, Paul actually writes about it in verses 2 and 3. 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:36.779 He says, 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:41.700 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 00:18:41.860 --> 00:18:52.600 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:58.879 See, people saw their alternative, countercultural way of life. 00:19:00.139 --> 00:19:05.059 They heard it ringing out like a bell, like the Campanile bell tower. 00:19:05.159 --> 00:19:07.259 They heard it for miles and miles around. 00:19:08.139 --> 00:19:12.779 And it caused people outside of the church to ask the question, 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:17.699 Tell me, what is the reason for the faith that you have? 00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:22.200 What's the reason for the love that you show? 00:19:23.120 --> 00:19:27.019 What in the world is the reason for the hope that you live by? 00:19:27.100 --> 00:19:29.059 We don't know where this is coming from. 00:19:29.299 --> 00:19:34.759 We want to know where did you get this faith and this love and this hope. 00:19:36.600 --> 00:19:38.660 Now, pause here to apply this. 00:19:38.660 --> 00:19:47.360 Like Paul, when I look at our church, I thank God for what he's doing in our midst. 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:56.700 I thank God when I see the faith that is producing good works for other people in our church. 00:19:57.460 --> 00:20:03.700 I thank God for the love that's prompting labor for the kingdom of God in our church. 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:11.299 I thank God for the hope that is inspiring many of you to endure very difficult things because of Jesus Christ. 00:20:11.539 --> 00:20:13.580 I look at that and I go, wow. 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:15.700 Thank you, Lord. 00:20:16.740 --> 00:20:20.620 And I look back on this past year of our church with incredible thanksgiving 00:20:20.620 --> 00:20:26.120 because I feel like we made a giant leap forward in the way that we began to pray 00:20:26.120 --> 00:20:30.100 for people to begin to explore the faith. 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:33.259 And then we hosted Alpha. 00:20:33.459 --> 00:20:39.259 We created a space and a time where people could come and explore all their questions about life 00:20:39.259 --> 00:20:42.959 and meaning and God and faith in an amazing way. 00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:50.379 And I would say probably the gospel message rang out from Christchurch this past year 00:20:50.379 --> 00:20:54.359 in a more audible, in a more steady, in a more beautiful way 00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:57.019 than maybe it has even over the past five years. 00:20:57.019 --> 00:20:59.519 And I think we need to just thank God for that. 00:20:59.900 --> 00:21:00.059 Amen? 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:06.799 But I also want to encourage us today to ask God for more. 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:10.660 What if we were to ask God for more? 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:14.440 Because in this little Thessalonian church, 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:19.480 the gospel was ringing out to a region twice the size of the Bay Area. 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:24.559 And it makes me wonder, you know, what if the gospel rang out from us 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:28.819 and from all of the churches here like that? 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:33.019 Paul says, your faith in God has become known everywhere. 00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:35.120 What if we asked God to do that? 00:21:37.660 --> 00:21:39.339 What if we prayed over this next month, 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:43.839 Lord, cause your gospel message to ring out from us to many, many more people 00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:46.279 than we've ever been able to reach this year? 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:50.279 What if we came to our retreat at the end of the month, 00:21:50.359 --> 00:21:53.920 which is all about how the gospel can ring out from the church, 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:59.399 and we just prayed, Lord, would you give each person in our church three people of peace, 00:21:59.579 --> 00:22:00.799 three people they can pray for, 00:22:00.879 --> 00:22:07.139 three people through whom the gospel can begin to ring out into their lives in our church? 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:11.320 Or what if we very simply just prayed this way, 00:22:11.380 --> 00:22:13.540 even over the next 24 hours, the next week, 00:22:13.580 --> 00:22:16.600 and we just said, Lord, thank you for the faith that you've given me. 00:22:18.020 --> 00:22:19.040 Increase my faith. 00:22:20.520 --> 00:22:23.460 Thank you for the love that you've given me. 00:22:24.420 --> 00:22:25.460 Increase my love. 00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:28.600 Thank you for the hope that you've given me. 00:22:29.780 --> 00:22:30.780 Increase my hope. 00:22:30.779 --> 00:22:37.240 Let your faith and love and hope ring out from me and from the church. 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:43.539 So, how does the gospel message ring out? 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:46.379 It rings out from the lips and the lives of his people. 00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:48.200 Faith, love, and hope. 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:51.539 What's the basic problem of our world? 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:57.660 What's the basic problem of our world that Paul is getting at in his gospel? 00:22:57.660 --> 00:23:01.500 He says in verse 5 that our gospel came, and when he says that, 00:23:02.140 --> 00:23:07.480 he's talking about the basic Christian message that's the most thrilling good news that's ever come into the world, 00:23:07.560 --> 00:23:11.160 the most wonderful, most glorious news that anyone could ever hear. 00:23:11.620 --> 00:23:15.060 He says, our gospel came to you, and it came to you with words, 00:23:15.120 --> 00:23:19.960 which means that there's a basic content that must be verbally transmitted 00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:23.519 if one is to actually hear and understand the gospel. 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:32.019 And part of that gospel, part of the essential, non-negotiable, basic content of this good news 00:23:32.019 --> 00:23:33.740 is actually bad news. 00:23:35.619 --> 00:23:37.400 And what is that bad news? 00:23:37.500 --> 00:23:39.379 We need to get clear on it as a church. 00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:41.720 What is the basic problem of our world? 00:23:41.799 --> 00:23:45.279 What's the plight and the predicament of human beings? 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:49.000 Does the problem lie in parenting and in the family? 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:52.740 Does the problem lie in education and technology? 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:55.480 Does the problem lie in capitalism and the market? 00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:57.960 Does the problem lie in government and the state? 00:23:58.039 --> 00:23:58.980 Where is the problem? 00:24:01.700 --> 00:24:05.660 Well, the apostle says our problem lies much deeper than any of these things. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:08.759 And he tells us about it in verse 9. 00:24:08.859 --> 00:24:09.180 He says, 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:22.900 This is a great summary of the gospel, 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:26.519 and I want to invite you to just use your imagination for a moment 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:31.019 and imagine the apostle Paul just working through this outline 00:24:31.019 --> 00:24:34.519 as he preaches it in every pagan city that he goes to. 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:36.460 And every time, he starts with God. 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:36.960 Right? 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:40.200 He starts talking to them about the one true God. 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:40.740 And he says, 00:24:41.400 --> 00:24:42.039 He says, 00:24:42.120 --> 00:24:45.840 You turned from idols to serve the living and the true God. 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:46.200 He says, 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:47.880 When you look around your city, 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:51.240 I want you to see that it's actually full of idols. 00:24:52.840 --> 00:24:56.860 And that you're giving your lives to created and creaturely things 00:24:56.860 --> 00:24:58.559 rather than to the creator himself. 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:02.480 And the way this worked out in the Roman Empire is, 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:03.099 Paul would say, 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:08.579 Look, mammon is this money God that everyone says is divine, 00:25:08.819 --> 00:25:13.079 and he rules our pockets so that our work 00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:15.440 and so that all the profits we make from our work, 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:17.480 they trump everything else in our lives. 00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:19.860 Or look at Aphrodite, 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:23.700 this great goddess of erotic love and sex 00:25:23.700 --> 00:25:25.559 who everybody says is divine, 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:27.899 and she rules our desires. 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:31.500 And any hint that we should resist her 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:33.460 is an infringement on our personal rights. 00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:36.919 Who would ever say no to the pleasure that she offers? 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:39.299 And Paul would say, 00:25:39.379 --> 00:25:40.159 Look at Mars. 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:41.559 Mars, the God of power, 00:25:41.659 --> 00:25:42.740 the God of war, 00:25:43.460 --> 00:25:44.839 who everybody says is divine, 00:25:44.980 --> 00:25:46.500 and he rules our relationships. 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:48.659 And so we sort of structure our lives 00:25:48.659 --> 00:25:51.480 in merciless competition and conflict. 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:53.720 And Paul would say, 00:25:53.940 --> 00:25:57.700 Look, over all of these idols of mammon and Aphrodite and Mars 00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:00.400 is Caesar himself who calls himself Lord. 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:04.500 And in his empire, money and sex and power, 00:26:04.599 --> 00:26:07.579 they just reign unchecked and unchallenged constantly. 00:26:09.579 --> 00:26:10.539 And if Paul were here today, 00:26:10.620 --> 00:26:10.920 he'd say, 00:26:11.019 --> 00:26:13.500 Friends, a lot has changed in 2,000 years, 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:15.019 but really nothing has changed. 00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:17.720 Because these are the same idols 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:19.900 in the San Francisco Bay Area. 00:26:19.900 --> 00:26:23.620 Money, sex, power, politics. 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:26.040 Paul would say, 00:26:26.220 --> 00:26:27.259 Everyone you meet, 00:26:27.360 --> 00:26:29.019 including the person you meet in the mirror, 00:26:29.360 --> 00:26:30.340 has an idol problem. 00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:33.640 Their heart is actually an idol factory. 00:26:34.900 --> 00:26:36.140 I mean, ask yourself the question, 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:39.140 Do you ever live for finite things 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:42.740 rather than your infinite creator? 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:44.160 Do you ever live for finite things 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:46.220 as if they themselves are ultimate? 00:26:46.220 --> 00:26:49.519 Do you serve created things 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:50.400 rather than your creator? 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:52.519 What do you dream about? 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:53.759 What do you scheme about? 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:57.319 What thrills you and what moves you? 00:26:57.400 --> 00:26:58.779 What do you sacrifice for? 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:02.240 Is your real God your partner? 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:04.539 Is it your career? 00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:05.460 Is it your kids? 00:27:06.539 --> 00:27:08.079 Is it your wealth or your leisure? 00:27:08.579 --> 00:27:09.360 Or your hobbies? 00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:11.920 And having asked this question, 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:14.180 Paul begins to speak to these people 00:27:14.180 --> 00:27:17.640 and he begins to tell them about the one true living God 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:19.680 who is from eternity to eternity. 00:27:20.840 --> 00:27:22.720 The God who he says is light 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:24.400 and in him is no darkness at all. 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:27.019 The God who created the world out of nothing. 00:27:27.100 --> 00:27:27.640 The God who said, 00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:28.980 Let there be light and bang, 00:27:29.340 --> 00:27:29.980 there was light. 00:27:30.940 --> 00:27:33.960 The God who rules over every square inch of space, 00:27:34.100 --> 00:27:35.539 every nanosecond of time, 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:37.580 every molecule of matter. 00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:39.200 The God who is the author of history. 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:42.880 The God who revealed himself to Abraham in Israel. 00:27:44.120 --> 00:27:46.039 He begins to tell them about the God 00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:47.319 who has truth in himself. 00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:48.299 The God who's righteous. 00:27:48.580 --> 00:27:49.519 The God who's just. 00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:50.960 The God who's holy. 00:27:52.360 --> 00:27:53.460 And in telling them that, 00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:56.680 he brings them to the bad news. 00:27:57.539 --> 00:27:58.519 You ready for the bad news? 00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:00.380 He says, 00:28:00.380 --> 00:28:03.440 If you serve things that are not God, 00:28:04.040 --> 00:28:05.340 as if they are God, 00:28:06.320 --> 00:28:09.280 then you are going to die in misery eternally. 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:12.280 And that's why in verse 10 he says, 00:28:12.360 --> 00:28:15.100 You need to be rescued from the coming wrath. 00:28:16.040 --> 00:28:17.300 Now that is a word 00:28:17.300 --> 00:28:20.480 that is extremely uncomfortable to say out loud. 00:28:20.660 --> 00:28:23.080 It's a word that offends the sensibilities 00:28:23.080 --> 00:28:26.080 of western secular people in the late modern world. 00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:28.740 It's a word that many people in the church 00:28:28.740 --> 00:28:31.160 have tried to soften and to erase 00:28:31.160 --> 00:28:33.339 over the past 100 years 00:28:33.339 --> 00:28:34.759 so that they can be a little more comfortable. 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:38.140 But in 1937, Richard Niebuhr, 00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:40.640 he kind of summarized this approach in the church. 00:28:40.740 --> 00:28:41.519 And he talked about, 00:28:42.460 --> 00:28:43.519 A God without wrath 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:45.339 who brought men without sin 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:47.339 into a kingdom without judgment 00:28:47.339 --> 00:28:50.279 through the ministry of a Christ without a cross. 00:28:50.279 --> 00:28:53.519 And what Niebuhr was saying there 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:55.720 is that when you try to erase this word wrath, 00:28:55.819 --> 00:28:57.539 it actually creates way more problems 00:28:57.539 --> 00:28:59.379 than it seeks to solve. 00:29:00.700 --> 00:29:01.899 Because the cross of Jesus 00:29:01.899 --> 00:29:04.039 means nothing apart from the realities 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:06.399 of sin and judgment and wrath. 00:29:06.980 --> 00:29:09.259 So, what if this morning 00:29:09.259 --> 00:29:10.279 we were to seek to, 00:29:10.579 --> 00:29:11.899 rather than soften or erase it, 00:29:11.940 --> 00:29:13.220 just try to understand it. 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:16.920 Anybody want to understand it? 00:29:17.600 --> 00:29:17.820 Okay. 00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:21.440 How many of you got the tsunami warning on Tuesday? 00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:26.060 So, it was kind of a nothing burger. 00:29:26.220 --> 00:29:26.800 Nothing happened. 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:32.720 But, had there been a deadly tsunami 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:34.860 on the way to our shores, 00:29:35.840 --> 00:29:37.480 wouldn't all of us wanted to know about it? 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:39.900 And wouldn't we be grateful 00:29:39.900 --> 00:29:40.980 that somebody thought 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:42.560 to put a warning system in place 00:29:42.560 --> 00:29:44.519 to tell us about it ahead of time? 00:29:44.519 --> 00:29:48.119 You see, Jesus is the most loving person 00:29:48.119 --> 00:29:49.940 that's ever walked planet Earth. 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:52.980 And He is the person 00:29:52.980 --> 00:29:54.819 who warns people about judgment and hell 00:29:54.819 --> 00:29:56.720 more than anybody else in the whole Bible. 00:29:58.039 --> 00:29:59.700 So, why is Jesus 00:29:59.700 --> 00:30:02.019 and why are Paul warning us 00:30:02.019 --> 00:30:03.379 about these things? 00:30:04.579 --> 00:30:05.759 Because they're telling us 00:30:05.759 --> 00:30:07.339 that the God who made human beings 00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:08.099 in His image, 00:30:08.579 --> 00:30:10.000 He gave us certain powers, 00:30:10.220 --> 00:30:10.900 certain privileges, 00:30:11.139 --> 00:30:12.319 certain responsibilities, 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:14.339 and that we're going to have to give 00:30:14.339 --> 00:30:15.559 an account of ourselves 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:18.200 and how we use these gifts 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:20.460 according to God's moral standards. 00:30:21.700 --> 00:30:23.619 And there are certain just consequences 00:30:23.619 --> 00:30:24.679 when we misuse 00:30:24.679 --> 00:30:25.740 and when we abuse 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:26.859 the gifts of God 00:30:26.859 --> 00:30:27.779 that He's given us. 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:33.059 Let me just clarify for you briefly 00:30:33.059 --> 00:30:35.059 what the coming wrath of God 00:30:35.059 --> 00:30:36.359 is and is not. 00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:39.319 The wrath of God 00:30:39.319 --> 00:30:41.740 is His holy love. 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:44.479 The wrath of God 00:30:44.479 --> 00:30:45.839 is His holy love 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:47.819 in active opposition 00:30:47.819 --> 00:30:49.159 to all that distorts 00:30:49.159 --> 00:30:50.039 and defaces 00:30:50.039 --> 00:30:50.959 and destroys 00:30:50.959 --> 00:30:51.679 His creatures 00:30:51.679 --> 00:30:52.519 and His creation. 00:30:54.199 --> 00:30:55.359 And the 20th century 00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:57.279 was the most inhumane 00:30:57.279 --> 00:30:58.699 and most brutal century 00:30:58.699 --> 00:30:59.839 that we have on record. 00:31:00.599 --> 00:31:02.019 And we have no good reason 00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:02.779 to believe 00:31:02.779 --> 00:31:04.079 that the 21st century 00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:04.740 is going to be 00:31:04.740 --> 00:31:05.740 any better. 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:07.299 We have no reason 00:31:07.299 --> 00:31:07.979 to think 00:31:07.979 --> 00:31:09.500 that we won't still be shocked 00:31:09.500 --> 00:31:10.859 on a regular basis 00:31:10.859 --> 00:31:12.639 by the inhumanity 00:31:12.639 --> 00:31:13.199 and brutality 00:31:13.199 --> 00:31:14.459 of human beings. 00:31:16.219 --> 00:31:17.339 And the question is, 00:31:17.399 --> 00:31:19.000 is anyone willing 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:20.679 to look at all that humanity, 00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:22.339 inhumanity, 00:31:22.399 --> 00:31:23.639 and all that brutality 00:31:23.639 --> 00:31:26.319 that's floating across our screens 00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:27.219 in bits and pieces 00:31:27.219 --> 00:31:28.299 every day 00:31:28.299 --> 00:31:29.279 in which all of us 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:29.819 are somehow 00:31:29.819 --> 00:31:31.319 organically complicit? 00:31:31.319 --> 00:31:34.599 and are we willing 00:31:34.599 --> 00:31:36.259 to argue 00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:37.399 that a good 00:31:37.399 --> 00:31:38.279 and loving God 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:39.819 should just kind of 00:31:39.819 --> 00:31:40.700 shrug His shoulders, 00:31:42.179 --> 00:31:42.779 maybe wink 00:31:42.779 --> 00:31:43.599 and smile at it, 00:31:43.619 --> 00:31:44.399 or maybe just turn 00:31:44.399 --> 00:31:45.559 the other way 00:31:45.559 --> 00:31:46.539 as if this appalling 00:31:46.539 --> 00:31:47.240 wickedness 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:48.879 isn't happening? 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:52.179 Paul would say, 00:31:52.339 --> 00:31:52.559 no, 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:53.939 God's justice 00:31:53.939 --> 00:31:54.939 and His righteousness 00:31:54.939 --> 00:31:56.659 require a reckoning. 00:31:56.779 --> 00:31:57.299 They require 00:31:57.299 --> 00:31:58.119 a putting right 00:31:58.119 --> 00:31:59.619 of all moral wrongs. 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:02.399 And so let me also clarify 00:32:02.399 --> 00:32:03.439 what the coming wrath 00:32:03.439 --> 00:32:04.379 of God is not. 00:32:05.699 --> 00:32:07.359 It's not like human wrath. 00:32:08.419 --> 00:32:10.039 It's not uncontrolled, 00:32:10.159 --> 00:32:11.279 vindictive passion. 00:32:12.659 --> 00:32:14.059 Even the purest forms 00:32:14.059 --> 00:32:15.159 of righteous indignation 00:32:15.159 --> 00:32:15.839 are not without 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:17.299 their imperfections 00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:18.179 in human beings. 00:32:19.619 --> 00:32:20.619 But Paul would say, 00:32:21.459 --> 00:32:22.599 God's wrath is perfect. 00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:24.459 God's wrath 00:32:24.459 --> 00:32:25.979 is perfect justice. 00:32:26.439 --> 00:32:27.619 It's perfect righteousness 00:32:27.619 --> 00:32:28.419 of a holy 00:32:28.419 --> 00:32:29.479 and a good 00:32:29.479 --> 00:32:30.799 and a loving God 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:32.619 on display for us. 00:32:34.239 --> 00:32:35.259 And so Paul's question 00:32:35.259 --> 00:32:36.279 to this pagan city, 00:32:36.399 --> 00:32:36.959 Paul's question 00:32:36.959 --> 00:32:38.459 to every person 00:32:38.459 --> 00:32:39.459 in each one of us 00:32:39.459 --> 00:32:40.539 is simply twofold. 00:32:40.659 --> 00:32:41.139 Number one, 00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:42.299 are you serving 00:32:42.299 --> 00:32:43.959 finite and temporary things 00:32:43.959 --> 00:32:44.359 rather than 00:32:44.359 --> 00:32:45.379 the living and true God? 00:32:46.459 --> 00:32:47.379 And number two, 00:32:47.439 --> 00:32:47.839 are you ready 00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:48.500 to stand up 00:32:48.500 --> 00:32:49.219 to the spiritual 00:32:49.219 --> 00:32:50.279 and moral standards 00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:51.719 of a holy and righteous God 00:32:51.719 --> 00:32:53.399 when He justly judges 00:32:53.399 --> 00:32:54.479 your life? 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:57.819 And this brings me 00:32:57.819 --> 00:32:59.019 to our third question. 00:32:59.120 --> 00:33:00.420 How does the gospel message 00:33:00.420 --> 00:33:00.920 ring out? 00:33:01.420 --> 00:33:02.680 What is the basic problem 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:03.420 of the world? 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:05.000 And what is the deep power 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:06.120 of our gospel? 00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:07.120 And I'll be brief. 00:33:08.620 --> 00:33:09.680 Paul says in verse 10, 00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:10.960 Jesus rescues us 00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:12.140 from the coming wrath. 00:33:14.120 --> 00:33:15.440 That's the simplest way 00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:15.960 to say it. 00:33:16.039 --> 00:33:17.140 Jesus rescues us 00:33:17.140 --> 00:33:18.599 from the coming wrath. 00:33:18.599 --> 00:33:20.759 Having shown us 00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:21.779 our terrible problem, 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:23.500 He now shows us 00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:25.439 our wonderful deliverer. 00:33:26.559 --> 00:33:27.419 That Jesus has not 00:33:27.419 --> 00:33:28.419 just come to give us 00:33:28.419 --> 00:33:28.919 an example. 00:33:29.740 --> 00:33:30.539 He's not come 00:33:30.539 --> 00:33:31.679 to merely be our teacher. 00:33:31.899 --> 00:33:33.179 He's not come to show us 00:33:33.179 --> 00:33:34.759 how to help ourselves. 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:37.099 No, He came to do 00:33:37.099 --> 00:33:38.199 the one thing essential 00:33:38.199 --> 00:33:38.959 to bring about 00:33:38.959 --> 00:33:39.939 our rescue. 00:33:41.379 --> 00:33:42.419 The Son of God, 00:33:42.480 --> 00:33:42.839 He says, 00:33:42.899 --> 00:33:43.939 came down from heaven 00:33:43.939 --> 00:33:44.319 to earth 00:33:44.319 --> 00:33:45.179 to live the life 00:33:45.179 --> 00:33:46.299 that we should have lived 00:33:46.299 --> 00:33:48.019 according to God's moral law, 00:33:48.019 --> 00:33:48.900 this perfect life 00:33:48.900 --> 00:33:50.139 of love toward God 00:33:50.139 --> 00:33:51.440 and toward our neighbor. 00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:53.460 The Son of God 00:33:53.460 --> 00:33:54.440 stepped out of eternity 00:33:54.440 --> 00:33:55.299 and into time 00:33:55.299 --> 00:33:56.039 to die the death 00:33:56.039 --> 00:33:56.960 that we should have died. 00:33:57.940 --> 00:33:59.019 And on that cross 00:33:59.019 --> 00:33:59.779 of Jesus, 00:34:00.859 --> 00:34:02.339 all of my sin 00:34:02.339 --> 00:34:04.519 and all of your sin 00:34:04.519 --> 00:34:05.299 and all the sin 00:34:05.299 --> 00:34:06.180 of human history 00:34:06.180 --> 00:34:08.340 entered into this one person 00:34:08.340 --> 00:34:09.059 who lived here 00:34:09.059 --> 00:34:10.059 and never sinned. 00:34:11.960 --> 00:34:13.179 And on to this one 00:34:13.179 --> 00:34:14.759 who lived a righteous life 00:34:14.759 --> 00:34:16.300 serving every day, 00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:17.259 serving the living 00:34:17.260 --> 00:34:18.720 and the true God, 00:34:18.820 --> 00:34:19.740 all the judgment 00:34:19.740 --> 00:34:20.440 of God 00:34:20.440 --> 00:34:22.540 was laid on Him 00:34:22.540 --> 00:34:23.620 as if He had been 00:34:23.620 --> 00:34:24.500 serving idols 00:34:24.500 --> 00:34:25.340 like we had. 00:34:27.520 --> 00:34:28.260 And you see, 00:34:28.340 --> 00:34:29.180 the coming wrath 00:34:29.180 --> 00:34:29.800 of God 00:34:29.800 --> 00:34:31.500 for you 00:34:31.500 --> 00:34:32.000 and for me 00:34:32.000 --> 00:34:32.640 was absorbed 00:34:32.640 --> 00:34:33.380 by Him 00:34:33.380 --> 00:34:36.000 so that we 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:36.900 who have been living 00:34:36.900 --> 00:34:38.180 for created things 00:34:38.180 --> 00:34:40.000 could be treated 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:40.800 rather as if 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:41.520 we had been living 00:34:41.520 --> 00:34:42.160 for all the things 00:34:42.160 --> 00:34:43.500 Jesus had been living for. 00:34:43.500 --> 00:34:48.139 every church 00:34:48.139 --> 00:34:49.900 is meant 00:34:49.900 --> 00:34:51.019 to be ringing out 00:34:51.019 --> 00:34:53.039 this good news 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:56.619 like a 61-bell tower. 00:34:58.239 --> 00:34:59.139 And everybody 00:34:59.139 --> 00:34:59.980 that hears it 00:34:59.980 --> 00:35:01.980 is meant to say, 00:35:02.340 --> 00:35:03.619 thank you, Lord. 00:35:05.480 --> 00:35:06.059 Friends, 00:35:06.119 --> 00:35:06.639 do you hear 00:35:06.639 --> 00:35:07.500 this good news 00:35:07.500 --> 00:35:08.360 ringing out today? 00:35:08.360 --> 00:35:11.079 In verse 10, 00:35:11.720 --> 00:35:12.220 Paul says, 00:35:12.300 --> 00:35:13.280 God raised Jesus 00:35:13.280 --> 00:35:13.940 from the dead. 00:35:14.099 --> 00:35:14.579 And the reason 00:35:14.579 --> 00:35:15.220 he says that 00:35:15.220 --> 00:35:15.579 is because 00:35:15.579 --> 00:35:16.160 the resurrection 00:35:16.160 --> 00:35:16.800 of Jesus 00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:18.579 is a historically 00:35:18.579 --> 00:35:20.240 verifiable event 00:35:20.240 --> 00:35:22.579 that proves 00:35:22.579 --> 00:35:23.300 that the cross 00:35:23.300 --> 00:35:23.700 of Jesus 00:35:23.700 --> 00:35:24.420 was sufficient, 00:35:24.840 --> 00:35:26.240 that His rescue 00:35:26.240 --> 00:35:27.140 is complete, 00:35:27.539 --> 00:35:28.480 that God 00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:29.240 is satisfied 00:35:29.240 --> 00:35:29.840 with everything 00:35:29.840 --> 00:35:30.620 Jesus did 00:35:30.620 --> 00:35:31.780 on your behalf 00:35:31.780 --> 00:35:32.620 and in your place. 00:35:32.619 --> 00:35:35.019 the resurrection 00:35:35.019 --> 00:35:35.880 proves that 00:35:35.880 --> 00:35:36.900 Jesus rescue, 00:35:38.219 --> 00:35:39.259 His rescue 00:35:39.259 --> 00:35:39.699 of you 00:35:39.699 --> 00:35:40.619 from that 00:35:40.619 --> 00:35:41.519 coming wrath, 00:35:42.980 --> 00:35:44.239 that He triumphed 00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:45.059 over that sin 00:35:45.059 --> 00:35:45.559 and death 00:35:45.559 --> 00:35:46.500 for you 00:35:46.500 --> 00:35:47.000 and it was 00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:47.759 absolutely 00:35:47.759 --> 00:35:48.299 sufficient 00:35:48.299 --> 00:35:48.880 and effective. 00:35:51.339 --> 00:35:52.239 So how do we 00:35:52.239 --> 00:35:53.099 experience the deep 00:35:53.099 --> 00:35:54.259 power of that gospel? 00:35:55.759 --> 00:35:56.539 Well, Paul says 00:35:56.539 --> 00:35:57.219 in verse 5, 00:35:57.319 --> 00:35:57.639 he says, 00:35:58.059 --> 00:35:59.019 our gospel came to you 00:35:59.019 --> 00:36:00.079 not simply with words 00:36:00.079 --> 00:36:01.139 but also with power 00:36:01.139 --> 00:36:02.279 and with the Holy Spirit 00:36:02.280 --> 00:36:03.460 and with deep 00:36:03.460 --> 00:36:04.200 conviction. 00:36:05.740 --> 00:36:06.380 And what he's saying 00:36:06.380 --> 00:36:06.800 there is that 00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:08.260 something in addition 00:36:08.260 --> 00:36:09.140 to the message 00:36:09.140 --> 00:36:09.780 of the gospel 00:36:09.780 --> 00:36:10.660 is needed. 00:36:11.980 --> 00:36:12.560 He says that 00:36:12.560 --> 00:36:13.560 the gospel must come 00:36:13.560 --> 00:36:14.600 with that strange 00:36:14.600 --> 00:36:16.100 power that's not 00:36:16.100 --> 00:36:16.780 inside of you 00:36:16.780 --> 00:36:17.560 but that comes to you 00:36:17.560 --> 00:36:18.640 from outside of you. 00:36:20.080 --> 00:36:20.760 He says that 00:36:20.760 --> 00:36:22.240 the power of the Holy Spirit 00:36:22.240 --> 00:36:23.760 has to come upon you 00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:24.580 and grip you 00:36:24.580 --> 00:36:26.460 so that suddenly 00:36:26.460 --> 00:36:27.600 you understand 00:36:27.600 --> 00:36:28.240 with your heart 00:36:28.240 --> 00:36:29.400 and with your mind 00:36:29.400 --> 00:36:31.320 so that you are 00:36:31.320 --> 00:36:32.220 moved in the 00:36:32.219 --> 00:36:33.379 depths of your being 00:36:33.379 --> 00:36:34.039 with a conviction 00:36:34.039 --> 00:36:35.639 in which you say 00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:36.219 you know 00:36:36.219 --> 00:36:37.559 everything that I'm 00:36:37.559 --> 00:36:38.299 hearing right now 00:36:38.299 --> 00:36:38.980 is right 00:36:38.980 --> 00:36:40.500 and it's true of me 00:36:40.500 --> 00:36:41.759 and I'm not okay 00:36:41.759 --> 00:36:43.119 and I'm not enough 00:36:43.119 --> 00:36:44.579 and I need to be 00:36:44.579 --> 00:36:45.139 rescued. 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:49.119 The power and the 00:36:49.119 --> 00:36:50.239 conviction of the Holy Spirit 00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:51.239 is what makes 00:36:51.239 --> 00:36:52.480 our terrible problem 00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:54.339 and our wonderful 00:36:54.339 --> 00:36:55.219 deliverer 00:36:56.079 --> 00:36:57.379 living 00:36:57.380 --> 00:36:58.300 and real 00:36:58.300 --> 00:36:58.300 00:36:58.300 --> 00:36:59.000 to us 00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:00.539 so that we 00:37:00.539 --> 00:37:01.039 believe it 00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:01.760 and so that we 00:37:01.760 --> 00:37:03.119 submit to it. 00:37:04.160 --> 00:37:05.260 So how do we know 00:37:05.260 --> 00:37:05.940 that the power 00:37:05.940 --> 00:37:06.640 of the Holy Spirit 00:37:06.640 --> 00:37:07.539 is actually 00:37:07.539 --> 00:37:08.660 operative in us? 00:37:09.539 --> 00:37:10.240 How do we know 00:37:10.240 --> 00:37:11.099 the power of the Holy Spirit 00:37:11.099 --> 00:37:11.599 is actually 00:37:11.599 --> 00:37:13.000 working in our lives? 00:37:13.119 --> 00:37:13.280 Well, 00:37:13.619 --> 00:37:14.140 Paul says 00:37:14.140 --> 00:37:15.460 you turn from idols 00:37:15.460 --> 00:37:17.519 to serve the living 00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:18.760 and the true God. 00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:19.579 The structure 00:37:19.579 --> 00:37:20.260 of your life, 00:37:20.960 --> 00:37:22.140 the entire orientation 00:37:22.140 --> 00:37:22.880 of your life, 00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:23.840 the direction 00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:24.440 of your life 00:37:24.440 --> 00:37:25.880 completely changes. 00:37:27.720 --> 00:37:28.559 That's how you know 00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:29.660 the Holy Spirit's at work, 00:37:29.740 --> 00:37:30.579 the power's at work 00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:31.320 because your eyes 00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:31.840 are opened 00:37:31.840 --> 00:37:32.740 to things 00:37:32.740 --> 00:37:33.360 that you could not 00:37:33.360 --> 00:37:34.079 see before. 00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:36.300 That all these things 00:37:36.300 --> 00:37:37.200 you had been looking to 00:37:37.200 --> 00:37:38.019 for your identity 00:37:38.019 --> 00:37:39.059 and belonging 00:37:39.059 --> 00:37:39.920 and meaning 00:37:39.920 --> 00:37:40.640 and purpose 00:37:40.640 --> 00:37:41.300 were actually 00:37:41.300 --> 00:37:42.380 counterfeit gods. 00:37:43.519 --> 00:37:44.400 All along 00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:44.980 you realize 00:37:44.980 --> 00:37:46.260 I've been serving idols 00:37:46.260 --> 00:37:48.340 and you 00:37:48.340 --> 00:37:49.740 say to yourself 00:37:49.740 --> 00:37:50.539 I want to 00:37:50.539 --> 00:37:51.100 intentionally, 00:37:51.440 --> 00:37:52.059 decisively, 00:37:52.240 --> 00:37:52.780 irrevocably 00:37:52.780 --> 00:37:53.680 turn away 00:37:53.680 --> 00:37:54.420 from those idols. 00:37:55.620 --> 00:37:56.220 I want them 00:37:56.220 --> 00:37:56.820 out of my life. 00:37:56.920 --> 00:37:57.700 I want to leave them 00:37:57.700 --> 00:37:58.980 behind completely. 00:37:59.100 --> 00:37:59.640 I want to turn 00:37:59.640 --> 00:38:00.940 my back on them 00:38:00.940 --> 00:38:01.540 so I never 00:38:01.540 --> 00:38:02.360 turn to them again 00:38:02.360 --> 00:38:03.360 and I want to turn 00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:05.060 toward God 00:38:05.060 --> 00:38:06.019 as the Lord of my life 00:38:06.019 --> 00:38:06.420 so that I'm 00:38:06.420 --> 00:38:07.280 worshiping Him 00:38:07.280 --> 00:38:08.420 and I'm living 00:38:08.420 --> 00:38:09.600 as His servant 00:38:09.600 --> 00:38:10.360 and I'm living 00:38:10.360 --> 00:38:11.440 for His glory 00:38:11.440 --> 00:38:12.700 and not for my own 00:38:12.700 --> 00:38:13.440 self 00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:14.340 and my own comfort 00:38:14.340 --> 00:38:15.700 and my own satisfaction 00:38:15.700 --> 00:38:17.460 and my own praise. 00:38:20.860 --> 00:38:21.519 Paul says 00:38:21.519 --> 00:38:22.320 that's how you know 00:38:22.320 --> 00:38:23.559 the power of the Holy Spirit 00:38:23.559 --> 00:38:24.840 is working on you 00:38:24.840 --> 00:38:26.059 and it's working in you. 00:38:27.200 --> 00:38:28.200 It's because you're now 00:38:28.200 --> 00:38:29.059 serving the true 00:38:29.059 --> 00:38:29.840 and living God 00:38:29.840 --> 00:38:30.720 in faith 00:38:30.720 --> 00:38:31.200 and love 00:38:31.200 --> 00:38:31.720 and hope. 00:38:33.300 --> 00:38:34.080 But then in verse 10 00:38:34.080 --> 00:38:34.480 he says 00:38:34.480 --> 00:38:35.760 also we wait 00:38:35.760 --> 00:38:36.340 for His Son 00:38:36.340 --> 00:38:36.880 from heaven. 00:38:38.680 --> 00:38:39.420 We wait 00:38:39.420 --> 00:38:39.920 for His Son 00:38:39.920 --> 00:38:40.260 from heaven. 00:38:40.340 --> 00:38:41.080 This is how you know 00:38:41.080 --> 00:38:41.660 that the gospel 00:38:41.660 --> 00:38:42.480 is taking hold 00:38:42.480 --> 00:38:43.300 when you're waiting 00:38:43.300 --> 00:38:45.340 with a sustained 00:38:45.340 --> 00:38:46.940 and an eager expectation 00:38:46.940 --> 00:38:48.160 and a patient trust 00:38:48.160 --> 00:38:49.820 for the risen Son of God 00:38:49.820 --> 00:38:50.780 to return from heaven. 00:38:50.780 --> 00:38:51.720 And what is the church 00:38:51.720 --> 00:38:53.100 waiting on Jesus 00:38:53.100 --> 00:38:53.660 to come 00:38:53.660 --> 00:38:54.640 and do? 00:38:56.200 --> 00:38:56.980 Very simply 00:38:56.980 --> 00:38:57.740 we're waiting on Him 00:38:57.740 --> 00:38:58.760 to judge the world 00:38:58.760 --> 00:39:01.300 and in judging the world 00:39:01.300 --> 00:39:01.960 to destroy 00:39:01.960 --> 00:39:02.980 all that belongs 00:39:02.980 --> 00:39:03.540 to the realm 00:39:03.540 --> 00:39:04.120 of sin 00:39:04.120 --> 00:39:04.860 and death 00:39:04.860 --> 00:39:05.300 and evil. 00:39:06.460 --> 00:39:07.100 The church 00:39:07.100 --> 00:39:07.660 is waiting 00:39:07.660 --> 00:39:08.900 eagerly 00:39:08.900 --> 00:39:10.100 on Jesus 00:39:10.100 --> 00:39:10.519 to come 00:39:10.519 --> 00:39:11.320 and put all 00:39:11.320 --> 00:39:12.340 that's wrong 00:39:12.340 --> 00:39:13.720 right 00:39:13.720 --> 00:39:15.600 to take all 00:39:15.600 --> 00:39:16.240 that's broken 00:39:16.240 --> 00:39:16.940 in our hearts 00:39:16.940 --> 00:39:18.100 and to heal it 00:39:18.099 --> 00:39:19.880 to take these bodies 00:39:19.880 --> 00:39:20.460 of death 00:39:20.460 --> 00:39:21.319 and to raise them 00:39:21.319 --> 00:39:22.279 up to life. 00:39:23.319 --> 00:39:23.960 The church 00:39:23.960 --> 00:39:24.599 is waiting 00:39:24.599 --> 00:39:25.639 expectantly 00:39:25.639 --> 00:39:26.460 for Jesus 00:39:26.460 --> 00:39:28.460 finally and fully 00:39:28.460 --> 00:39:29.099 to establish 00:39:29.099 --> 00:39:29.619 His kingdom 00:39:29.619 --> 00:39:30.259 of righteousness 00:39:30.259 --> 00:39:31.119 and life 00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:32.179 and peace. 00:39:33.779 --> 00:39:34.619 So friends 00:39:34.619 --> 00:39:36.400 the proof 00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:38.380 that the deep 00:39:38.380 --> 00:39:39.360 power of the gospel 00:39:39.360 --> 00:39:40.119 and the deep power 00:39:40.119 --> 00:39:40.920 of the Holy Spirit 00:39:40.920 --> 00:39:42.019 is working 00:39:42.019 --> 00:39:42.779 in our lives 00:39:42.779 --> 00:39:43.880 is this. 00:39:43.880 --> 00:39:46.079 to the degree 00:39:46.079 --> 00:39:47.619 that 00:39:47.619 --> 00:39:48.840 we're focusing 00:39:48.840 --> 00:39:49.720 on Jesus 00:39:49.720 --> 00:39:50.740 the rescuer 00:39:50.740 --> 00:39:52.920 to the degree 00:39:52.920 --> 00:39:53.780 that we keep 00:39:53.780 --> 00:39:54.500 turning away 00:39:54.500 --> 00:39:55.200 from the idols 00:39:55.200 --> 00:39:55.840 of our hearts 00:39:55.840 --> 00:39:56.340 and the idols 00:39:56.340 --> 00:39:56.960 of our culture 00:39:56.960 --> 00:39:59.140 to the degree 00:39:59.140 --> 00:39:59.720 that we keep 00:39:59.720 --> 00:40:00.760 serving the living 00:40:00.760 --> 00:40:01.559 and true God 00:40:01.559 --> 00:40:03.619 to the degree 00:40:03.619 --> 00:40:04.200 that we keep 00:40:04.200 --> 00:40:05.420 prayerfully maturing 00:40:05.420 --> 00:40:06.099 in faith 00:40:06.099 --> 00:40:06.519 and love 00:40:06.519 --> 00:40:07.019 and hope 00:40:07.019 --> 00:40:08.740 to the degree 00:40:08.740 --> 00:40:09.280 that we keep 00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:10.380 waiting for God's 00:40:10.380 --> 00:40:11.380 resurrected Son 00:40:11.380 --> 00:40:12.519 to return from heaven 00:40:12.519 --> 00:40:14.639 and to the degree 00:40:14.639 --> 00:40:15.179 that we keep 00:40:15.179 --> 00:40:16.259 relying on the power 00:40:16.259 --> 00:40:16.880 and conviction 00:40:16.880 --> 00:40:17.880 of the Holy Spirit 00:40:17.880 --> 00:40:19.860 and to the degree 00:40:19.860 --> 00:40:20.460 that we keep 00:40:20.460 --> 00:40:21.360 sharing the gospel 00:40:21.360 --> 00:40:22.320 with both our lives 00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:22.940 and our lips 00:40:22.940 --> 00:40:25.800 it is to that degree 00:40:25.800 --> 00:40:28.340 that the gospel message 00:40:28.340 --> 00:40:29.960 will ring out 00:40:29.960 --> 00:40:30.679 from the church 00:40:30.679 --> 00:40:33.960 and when it does 00:40:33.960 --> 00:40:36.219 and when we commit 00:40:36.219 --> 00:40:36.639 ourselves 00:40:36.639 --> 00:40:37.800 to live this way 00:40:37.800 --> 00:40:40.199 perhaps one day 00:40:40.199 --> 00:40:41.179 our city will say 00:40:41.179 --> 00:40:41.539 of us 00:40:41.539 --> 00:40:42.000 what they said 00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:42.679 of those Christians 00:40:42.679 --> 00:40:43.519 in Thessalonica 00:40:43.519 --> 00:40:45.440 that they're turning 00:40:45.440 --> 00:40:46.739 the world upside down 00:40:46.739 --> 00:40:49.119 they're acting 00:40:49.119 --> 00:40:50.320 against all the decrees 00:40:50.320 --> 00:40:50.880 of Caesar 00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:53.279 they're saying 00:40:53.279 --> 00:40:54.119 that there is actually 00:40:54.119 --> 00:40:55.119 another king 00:40:55.119 --> 00:40:56.779 and his name 00:40:56.779 --> 00:40:58.360 is Jesus 00:40:58.360 --> 00:41:00.779 may it be so 00:41:00.779 --> 00:41:02.820 in the name of the Father 00:41:02.820 --> 00:41:03.759 Son and Holy Spirit 00:41:03.759 --> 00:41:04.320 Amen