So as I've said, we're in this series and we're looking tonight at is history going anywhere?
You know, is there any control in it all, in life?
Is there any coherence to the world as we know it?
You know, is there someone or something pulling the strings behind the scenes?
Where is history heading?
Where are we going?
Hopefully, we will explore some of these things and what the Bible has to say about that in the next half hour.
You know, that might cause some personal questions.
What do we think about the future?
When we think to the future, what comes to mind?
What do we trust in?
What do we put our hope in for the future?
You know, there's this concept, this forever home.
I don't know if you've come across this.
Maybe you've used it.
I'm not here to dig if you have.
But I find it a funny concept.
You know, people might buy a home.
It's maybe not their first home.
It's maybe their second home.
It's a nice big home.
They've got room to grow into it.
It's got a nice garden.
It's in a nice area.
And they say, oh, we've bought our forever home.
You know, it's a big one.
It's a good one.
It's going to be us for life.
We're set.
That's us.
You know, it's a funny concept.
And it's estate agents.
They use it a little bit because it sounds good, doesn't it?
But people use it because they like that thought.
They like that thought of being settled.
That's us.
We're secure.
We're safe.
That's us forever.
We're sorted.
You know, it's a funny concept because it's not true, is it?
We're not going to live forever.
And, you know, we're certainly not going to live forever in that home.
Things happen.
Cowboy builders.
Houses fall down.
You know, my house is built on a mine.
It was about 60 years ago.
Hopefully, it's still going to keep going.
But, you know, we're not going to be in that house forever.
We might be in that house for our whole lives.
But that is not forevermore.
You know, we like to think that it'll be all right in the end, don't we?
You heard the phrase, all's well that ends well.
And it is, to a degree.
You know, something might go badly, but if it gets the right result, then all good.
All good.
You know, we want everything to be all right in the end.
But will it?
You know, as we look back over the chaos of history,
civilizations rising and falling.
We see great successes for mankind as a whole.
We also see wars and famines and disasters.
We see new technology come in.
Think of the world we live in today.
It's crazy, isn't it?
The things that we have and can do and do in our fingertips.
You know, we also see that being abused.
And we see financial crashes.
And we see societies at times going to pot.
The chaos of history as we look back.
You know, is it all just random?
Are we just thrown side to side on the rickety train ride through history?
Or is there someone outside of it all who has a plan for how it all will end up?
Well, what does the world say?
What is maybe some of the world views?
Now, if you went out on Brunsfield this afternoon and said,
what's going to happen forevermore in the future,
as far away as you can think,
you would get a wide, wide variances of opinion.
But you know, what is for sure is that there is such uncertainty out there.
There is such uncertainty.
People aren't sure.
Oh, I'm not too sure.
I don't know.
I don't want to think about it.
That's one side.
But I think people also have a kind of maybe a vague hope.
Like, oh, there's a better place when we die.
You know, in the future forevermore,
you know, there's a good place and we'll end up there.
There's a kind of vagueness to it all.
But you know, some people, they'll just say,
well, we're just here randomly.
Graham, he gave us that quote from Richard Dawkins,
his dinner party friend that he wanted to have dinner with,
with the joy that Richard Dawkins came out with,
saying that it's all just nothingness.
That it's random, that we're not going anywhere,
and it basically means that this world as we know it
is just totally random.
A series of accidents, fluke, luck, chance.
That is what life is.
I know, I think that's quite a sad worldview.
Because it means that, well, it's all just pointless, isn't it?
If we're just here as an accident of biology and chemistry,
then it's just pointless.
What are we doing?
This guy, another cheery chap, Albert Camus,
I don't know if you've heard of him,
he came out with this,
life is meaningless,
but worth living,
provided you recognize it's meaningless.
Now, I'm no philosopher.
This guy was.
He was a French philosopher quite a while ago.
But you know, if you think about that,
and I've been trying to think about this
and trying to get my head around it,
and I kind of know what he's meaning.
You know, it's sad, isn't it?
His philosophy, it was called absurdism.
And it argues that trying to put a meaning in life
actually just causes you more problems.
It's a conflict,
and it causes this thing called the absurd.
But he says that having this attitude
doesn't cause despair.
It doesn't cause us to think that all things are pointless,
but it's just about the here and now.
It's about the present.
It's about temporary joys.
That is what life is all about.
Well, tonight we're going to have a look
at what the Christian worldview says
about the future
and how that affects the past
and also the present day.
The Christian worldview that there is a God
who has a plan.
It is so radically different
to any other worldview you will see out there.
And so as we explore history,
we need to think what we mean by that.
Well, history, I'm going to take it tonight.
You can argue with me if you want.
But I'm going to say that it's everything that we know
since time began.
You know, that in itself poses a question.
What came before time began?
How did it all begin?
Anyone seen this show?
The Big Bang Theory?
Alexander has.
Big fan.
You know, it's entertaining.
It's funny.
And it's got the theme tune.
And if you've ever watched it,
it's got this really catchy theme song
that plays every time.
It's got a collage of sort of going through history
from early man all the way through to modern day.
And it says this.
Our whole universe was...
I'm not going to sing it, by the way.
Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state.
Nearly 14 billion years ago,
expansion started.
Wait.
The earth began to cool.
The autotrophs...
I don't know what that is.
...began to drool.
Neanderthals developed tools.
We built a wall.
We built the pyramids.
Math, science, history,
unraveling the mystery
that all started with the Big Bang.
Right?
Now, why am I going on about this?
Well, it just poses questions.
What came before?
And we're not going to go into the science
and the arguments that would be
for a whole other night.
We'd be here for hours.
But, you know, it just poses a question.
What came before?
So we're going to look tonight
at before history,
during history,
and then we're going to look after history
is how I'm going to phrase it.
Okay?
So, before...
Very opening words of your Bible.
Now, I've got a lot of Bible passages
in here tonight.
But I think it's so important
to see what God's Word has to say.
So there's a lot of Bible passages
in this tonight.
But, you know, Genesis 1, verse 1,
the very beginning of our Bible
that we have in front of us,
says this,
In the beginning, God.
And it says that God created.
Well, we need to define, first of all,
what we mean by God.
If you're ever speaking to someone
and they're talking about God,
this, God, that,
you need to say,
Well, what do you mean by God?
Because often people are talking about
something totally separate
to what the Christian
would describe God as.
So what do I mean by God?
What does a Christian mean by God?
Well, the God of the Bible.
The God of the Bible
is outside of space,
time, and matter,
i.e. the world
that we know.
God is Trinity.
God the Father.
God the Son.
God the Spirit.
And God, in time,
and before time existed,
the before,
existed in completeness
and wholeness
in the Trinity.
God is eternal.
God is everlasting.
And what does God do?
Well, out of love,
God creates
everything that we know,
everything that we
experience.
God's experience
created mankind,
created us.
God's good design,
and we can read about that
in Genesis 1 and 2.
Isaiah, one of the prophets,
he says this,
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the creator of the ends
of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding
no one can fathom.
God is eternal.
The God of the Bible.
Everlasting.
Our mind just blows
when we think of this,
because everything
in our world is timed.
Things start,
things finish.
Everything is constricted
by time,
but God is outside of that.
Well, what's the impact?
Well, the impact
of thinking about
before time
is that we have
an intelligent designer
with a plan
and sovereign control
over the world
as we know it.
and that means
the course
of history.
So if that's before,
well, let's look
for a while
at during.
If we read
through the Bible,
especially if we look
through the Old Testament
up to the point
that Jesus comes in
at the start of the New,
but then through that also,
it shows God's control
over the course
of history,
over the course
of the time
that man has been
on earth
that it has existed.
We see God's plan
for his people.
We were thinking
about Abraham this morning
who was promised
by God
to bless the nations,
to have descendants
more than the stars
of the sky
and that they will be
God's people.
And if we follow
that story through,
we see that
through the ups and downs
and unfaithfulness
of God's people,
he is faithful to them.
And we can follow
that history
through the various
characters that we
maybe know
through Sunday school.
God has a hand
in everything.
Jeremiah 29
says this,
For I know the plans
I have for you,
declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you
and not to harm you,
plans to give you
hope and a future.
That is what God wants
for his people.
And you know,
sometimes the coherence
of the Bible,
the genuineness of it,
the authenticity of it
is questioned.
I don't know if you've
seen this diagram before,
but I have.
And what this is,
and this came to mind
when I was thinking
about this,
this diagram,
this actually links
the difference,
so the little bars
down the bottom,
these are all the chapters
of the Bible.
And there's almost
70,000 links
and cross-references
between the chapters
of the Bible.
So each line
shows a cross-reference.
Now this is
not a book
written by one person,
not one man anyway,
but it is God-inspired work
written by many authors
over many,
many years.
And yet the coherence
of it is marvelous.
Have you ever wondered
or read the genealogies
in the Bible?
You get them at the start
of the Gospels
like Matthew,
and you get this big
long list of people,
and you sometimes
read them and go,
I don't know why
this is here.
You read it and you think,
I'm not sure
what I'm getting from this.
Well, you know what?
The genealogies
in the Bible,
they teach us
that God has a plan,
and that God
has carefully
put the course
of history
so that His will
and His plan
will come
to fruition.
God's control
is shown
in the course
of history
by these genealogies.
You know,
Daniel,
he was one of the
great prophets
of God.
And he was
in a foreign land
and being forced
to do things
that he didn't want
to do,
but he was faithful
to God.
And he says this,
Praise be
to the name
of God
forever and ever.
Wisdom and power
are His.
He changes times
and seasons.
He deposes kings
and raises
up others.
He gives wisdom
to the wise
and knowledge
to the discerning.
If we look back
at the Old Testament
especially,
we see kingdoms rise
and kingdoms fall.
And as we look back
at history,
we see chaos.
But God's plan
is in it all.
Daniel,
he witnesses
to the king
at the time
of Babylon,
this great mighty king
of the biggest kingdom
on the planet,
Nebuchadnezzar.
And he
turns around
and says this,
how great are his signs,
how mighty his wonders.
His kingdom
is an eternal kingdom.
His dominion
endures from generation
to generation.
This is Nebuchadnezzar
speaking about God.
Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom
wasn't lasting
from generation
to generation.
It was failing
and it would be taken over
very quickly
after this.
that God's kingdom
and his dominion
endures
from generation
to generation.
So what we have
through the Old Testament
is we kind of have
like a big funnel.
Have you ever watched
the bake-off
and they do the choux pastry?
I always think it's great.
They put all the
icing
into the
funnel
and they cut the bottom off
and they make
amazing
shapes and things with it.
It's not pastry.
It's icing.
I'm not much of a baker.
You know,
it's like that.
We have this big funnel
of history
and we see it
and it's all pointing
and it's narrowing
and we get to this
specific point
in history.
It is the key point
of history
and if you've not
guessed it already
it's Jesus.
Jesus coming
into the world.
God.
Jesus is God the Son
part of the Trinity
and it's God
stepping into history
into time
think about that.
That's mad.
He was the promised
Savior.
The promise
that Abraham gave.
The promise
of Christ the Messiah
as we can read about
throughout the Old Testament.
And you know
this was not
a last minute thing.
Before time even began
the plan of the Lord Jesus
coming in
was hatched.
The Lord Jesus
would have to come
and he would have to do
what he did
on the cross.
That singular point
of history.
Isaiah 7
says this
Therefore the Lord
himself will give you
a sign.
Behold the virgin
shall conceive
and bear a son
and shall call
his name
Emmanuel.
Hundreds of years
before Jesus came
this is prophesied
and it's elsewhere
as well.
Don't hate me
for saying this
but Christmas
is approaching.
It's not that far away.
We'll be thinking
about this again.
This is often read
in Christmas services.
Emmanuel
God with us
God coming to
and into
history.
Jesus' arrival
is of singular
importance
and significance.
The fulfiller
of all of God's
promises
and plans
to that point.
You know
the Lord Jesus
when he came
he lived that
perfect life
that only he could.
He made
marvelous claims
about who he was
and he backed it up
with the miracles
showing that he was
who he said he was
that he didn't just
talk the talk
but that he walked
the walk.
He went all the way
to the cross
and he took on
as we thought
about this morning
that curse
that we deserve.
Why?
For our disobedience
against a holy
and just God.
the Lord Jesus
he took that on
and yeah
he physically died
but you know
he rose again
and that is the key
to the Christian faith
the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus.
Many have come
and said things
many have come
and lived a life
and died.
Only the Lord Jesus
has risen again
proving that he was
truly who he said
that he was.
And you can turn to it
if you want
or I'm just going
to read it
but in Acts chapter 1
I'm not going to read it all.
In verse 3 it says
after his suffering
this is Jesus
he presented himself
to them
and gave many convincing
proofs that he was alive.
He appeared to them
over a period of 40 days
and spoke about
the kingdom of God.
So Jesus witnessed
to many that he
was risen from the dead.
and then later on
in verse 9
after he said this
he was taken up
before their very eyes
this is the disciples
his followers
and a cloud hid him
from their sight
and they were looking
intently up
into the sky
as he was going
when suddenly
two men dressed in white
stood beside them
and said
men of Galilee
why do you stand here
looking into the sky
this same Jesus
who has been taken
from you
into heaven
will come back
in the same way
you have seen him
go into heaven.
The Lord Jesus
he ascended back
outside of time
back to be with the Father
on high as we say
but you know
with a promise
of the future
and this is where
we start to turn our eyes
to the future
and what the Bible
has to say
about it.
John 14
once again
I don't have it
written up
because it's a long passage
but verse 3
says this
the famous words
and I go and prepare
a place for you
I will come back
and take you
to be with me
that you also
may be where I am
Jesus promised
that he would go
and prepare a place
heaven
life eternal
with the one
who created
and loved us
and he promised
that he would come
back for us
if we trust in him
and the disciples
Thomas
he says
Lord we do not know
where you are going
so how can we know
the way
quite a sensible question
but Jesus says
I am the way
the truth
and the life
no one comes
to the Father
except through me
the world might tell us
as many ways
to get to that
better place
to that good place
whatever is meant
by that
you know
but the Bible says
that it's only Jesus
he is the only way
to have
that future
which we all desire
and so we live
in this
post Jesus
age
don't we
it's sometimes called
the church age
or Christians
would call it such
in Acts 1 verse 8
it says
Jesus instructs
his people
to go to the
ends of the earth
saying about him
that is the world
that we live in
at the moment
you might wonder
well why is time
going on
why is Jesus
not come back yet
a reasonable question
well in his mercy
he's giving time
for people
to come to a
saving faith
in him
before he returns
he's giving
Christians
opportunity
to go and tell
others
so they can be
included
when he comes
back
for his people
again
and so as we
look to the future
and look at
after
well what next
coming back
to that question
what are we
trusting in
what are we
putting
our hope in
in cod
we trust
I was at
an airport
recently
and this
was a big
sign
and I
think they
do skin
grafts
for something
I didn't
look it up
but they do
skin grafts
with cod
skins
so it's
in cod
we trust
you can see
what they did
there
you think of
the American
banknote
in cod
we trust
you know
this is just
a play on
words
it's a bit
of humour
but it caught
my attention
if you know
me
and what I
do for a
living
you'll
understand
maybe
about why
but you know
what are we
trusting in
well the
bible
it tells us
of this
rescuer to
come
as we've
seen
this
restorer
this
redeemer
who will
come
what are we
promised
well the very
last book of
the bible
revelation
21
and it
says this
now this
is john
he is getting
a vision
of the future
revelation
21
says this
then I
saw a
new heaven
and a
new earth
for the
first heaven
and the
first earth
had passed
away
and he
sees a
city
the holy
city
of god
and it
says
they will
be his
people
and god
himself
will be
with them
and be
their god
and we
thought about
this this
morning
we thought
about it
last week
he will
wipe away
every tear
from their
eyes
there will
be no
more death
or mourning
or crying
or pain
for the
old order
of things
has passed
away
and he
who was
seated on
the throne
said I
am making
everything
new
then he
said write
this down
for these
words are
trustworthy
and true
we are given
the promise
by god
and that is
word the
bible
of this
perfect future
that time
with no
more mourning
no more
suffering
no more
pain
a future
that we
can even
hardly
imagine
with the
holy
almighty
god
who
created
us
who
loves
us
who
cares
for us
and wants
the best
for us
that is
the promise
of the
bible
we are
promised
an end
to history
that is
not only
good
but it
is just
and it
is a
complete
ending
and it
is all
that everyone
hopes for
which is a
good end
everything
to work
out well
you know
hope
it's an
interesting
concept
hope
you know
we sometimes
think of
hope as
being like
I really
hope it's
sunny tomorrow
that's kind
of how we
use it
nowadays
isn't it
I really
hope that
they've got
good biscuits
out at
church
tonight
but you
know the
hope of
the bible
is an
assured
hope
based on
facts
and evidence
and promises
it is not
something that
we're not
sure of
it is
something that
we are
convinced
of
now how
can we
be so
sure of
this
well as
we've
looked at
in the
past
God has
given his
promises
in the
past
and they
have all
come to
fruition
the promise
of the
Lord Jesus
and we live
in that
privileged
age where
we can
look back
and see
the truths
of these
things
the past
evidence
and the
proven
faithfulness
of God
allows us
to trust
in his
promises
for the
future
where
history
is going
but you
know it
is conditional
we must
trust and
we must
accept in
the work
of the
Lord Jesus
otherwise
it wouldn't
be a
just
end
and you
know if
we live
in hope
of the
future
and it
changes
our life
now
it changes
the mentality
that we
have
for the
here and
now
if we
live all
about the
here and
now
like that
chap
said that
we should
then we'll
be bitterly
disappointed
in life
if we
load all
our hope
and our
happiness
onto our
current
situations
our present
surroundings
how we
get on
in worldly
terms
if we're
all about
the good
life
or inner
well-being
where we're
going to be
disappointed
life is
tough
life is
difficult
I don't
need to
convince
you of
that
we're not
promised an
easy road
even if we
trust in
Jesus
we thought
about that
last week
the suffering
and evil
and at
times we
just don't
know why
things happen
the way
that they
do
you know
I think
the world
tells us
that we
can set
our own
path
that we
can get
to wherever
we want
if we
set our
mind
to it
if we
work
hard
if we
apply
ourselves
if we
speak to
the right
people
I think
it's the
google map
society
that we
live in
you know
I don't
get in the
car nowadays
without just
putting in the
destination
why I want
to get there
quickest
I want to
make sure
there's no
roadworks
I want to
get there
and I know
I can get
there
you know
that's what
life is about
isn't it
people might
ask you
what are you
doing next
year
what's your
five year
plan
what's your
ten year
plan
have you
started your
pension
I know you're
only 20
but have you
thought about
that
it's important
you know
these things
are important
and it's good
to have plans
but we can't
kid ourselves
that we can
set our own
path
that we won't
hit the hiccups
the diversions
that come along
in life
the problems
and the pitfalls
that come our way
and that we're
going this way
and suddenly we
find that we're
just going the
complete opposite
and I think
the older we get
I think the more
we realize that
and I think
if we trust in God
I think as we
look back
we see God's
hand
maybe we thought
we wanted to
go one way
but God takes us
another way
we see his hand
in our life
you know
if we're living
as a Christian
then 2 Corinthians
says this
for we know
that if the
earthly tent
that's our
body now
that we live
in is destroyed
we have a
building from
God
an eternal
house in
heaven
not built
by human
hands
meanwhile we
groan
longing to be
clothed instead
with our
heavenly dwelling
you know a bit
like that
forever home
concept
it's not
perfect is it
if we are in
Christ and we
have that
eternal house
in heaven
that can never
be taken
away
it is secured
how so
well verse 7
we live by
faith
and not by
sight
why is it
important
well verse 10
for we all
must appear
before the
judgment seat
of Christ
so that each
of us may
receive what
is due us
for the things
done while in
the body
whether good
or bad
you know as
we consider
these things
I've sure
said it before
from the front
but I find it
very helpful
it's a phrase
and it says
that regret
well it looks
back at the
past
regret looks
back
worry
worry looks
around present
circumstances
but you know
faith looks up
and if we
want to make
forward progress
if we want
to go on
in these
things
then we need
to be looking
up
you know
just to finish
we've seen
that history
is going
somewhere
the Bible
tells us
so
God's promises
well they can
be trusted
because we
can see the
past evidence
of previous
promises
that have
been fulfilled
all will be
made right
one day
which is all
that we desire
isn't it
all that we
long for
but we need
to trust in
God
we need to
accept
his work
of Jesus
to make us
right again
so that we
can be forever
with a holy
God in his
perfect presence
and when we
have that
heaven mentality
well it changes
the here and
now
our priorities
our goals
and our joy
we need to
let's
see you
in the
future
!
we need to
see you
in the
future